Purling along to stitch-dom

Moved!

2009-11-12T12:58:00.002-05:00

I've moved! You can find me now at www.threebyhand.com along with a sad (as in pathetic rather than heart wrenching) explanation for my absence.

Thanks!

I'm sorry...just had to pop in and say...

2009-01-19T22:05:00.003-05:00

Um...Vogue?

NO!

Devil in a blue dress

2009-01-07T09:01:00.004-05:00

Not an actual post (coming soon I swear!) but had to share this awesome picture of WannaBaa's little miss Ava in her Miss Muffett. Pattern was on Magknits and now available on Ravelry...

The yarn is Cascade 220 superwash that I kettle dyed to get a colour I liked...

Quick update on me:

French language training is done and I passed! No more worries on that front for another five years. Christmas was okay if a bit blah - as always Santa was good to me and brought me exactly what I wanted...including an Ashford Knitter's Loom, knitting books and the fast whorl and lace flyer for my wheel...

Hope everyone's new year has been good so far. I am so far behind on blogging I'm not sure I'll ever catch up!

Raw fleece...Thanksgiving dinner wild kingdom...and, ooh...shiny!

2008-10-13T12:29:00.005-04:00

Massive picture-heavy post!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians today - I hope your day is full of turkey and family (for some) and sleep and rest (for the others). I personally spent last night sleeping at the hospital wired up to within an inch of my life for a sleep study to see if I've inherited the family apnea. So I slept terribly, was home by 6:30 a.m. and crashed for another three hours in my own (delightfully comfortable I will never complain about my mattress again promise) bed. After I got most of the cement out of my hair.

I shouldn't complain though - I've had two great dinners - one here at home with my parents, kids and niece and the other at a friends who is a gourmet cook...more on this in a moment...

First - I owe you a bit of old stuff promised earlier, starting with my trip to Toronto at the end of August.

I went down to visit Wanna-Baa of the comments, but stopped on the way to visit a farm in Port Hope - probably one of the few, if only, shepherds locally with Blue-Faced Leicesters. I have no pictures for you, but the farm was just amazing - there were turkeys wandering around my car in all different colours, a guard goat and the ugliest duck I have ever seen who thinks he is a person and insisted on following us to visit the sheep. Sara had brought out bags of fleece from her spring shearing and I ended up with two BFL fleeces - one is a first year and the other is a third year.

Both fleeces were relatively clean and so far the processing has been dirty but not horrifyingly so...

Raw fleece in the bag - aromatic!!!

Staple length of the three year old.

After 24 hours in a bucket of cold water it went into the hot water. This is the first washing.

And here is the second hot water wash - much better!

After 2 runs through the water. The bags took five days to dry out in the sun on my balcony.

So - not entirely clean but free of grease which means I can store it away for winter without worrying it will go rancid. There is still plenty of vegetable matter in there so hand picking will be a must. I still haven't decided if I will send it out for processing or card it myself next year. I guess I have some time to decide.

That same weekend, W-B, her kids Ava and Luke and her mom Ginger and I all visited a local alpaca farm. Luke was WAY more interested in the tractor...

...than the very adorable alpaca...

There was also a baby donkey and the most amazing dogs - Lori raises Leonbergers - enormous but incredibly gentle. It was a whole lotta dog let me tell you.

Luke, his grammy and a REALLY BIG DOG.

So that's it for the history although I should shout out a huge thank you to Chriss and Elizabeth for helping me skirt the fleeces and for their advice on how to get them clean.

And while I'm on the topic of fibre...

I seem to have acquired some more...

I participated in a fiber swap on Ravelry. Basically we were split into groups of four and each member of the group sent fiber to another member each month. This month I got a lovely 4 oz present from Lapoli...isn't it nice???

I've also made an early 2009 resolution - I think this will be the year I knit for me. I have been considering simplifying my wardrobe pretty significantly and would love to focus on having most blacks and neutral bases that I can cover with my own knitted sweaters, cardigans, shawls and jackets...

I was so taken with this idea that I promptly cast on some things a bit early...

February Lady Sweater in Mirasol Tupa.

Drops Cardigan in Manos Del Uruguay Classic Wool in Autumn.

Mystery Stole 4 in Misti Alpaca and size 8.0 beads - okay not part of the resolution but still...how pretty is that???

And work on the Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits also continues. I am just about done with the bust increases and will be onto the arms soon which I am really looking forward too...shorter rounds!

Getting organimized...

Something had to be done. I couldn't pull out a project without having fourteen others fall out of the cupboard. So - big canvas bins for fiber - the white has fiber to be dyed and the blue contains fiber that is up on etsy right now...

And some nice wicker baskets for yarn from current and upcoming projects to show off themselves...

Is it a bad sign when your house and stash start to look more and more like a yarn store?

(Oh and just to revisit an earlier post...all this clean up meant that I took some stuff off the needles...which means I managed to find all those needles I was lamenting about losing...

...not that this stopped me from putting in a knitpicks order...no siree!)

Now last of all...

Wild encounters OR how I pissed off a mother cat and paid the piper for it

Warning - includes photos of my legs that do not include handknit socks.

So I'm at my friend's place for Thanksgiving and she has a formerly feral cat that arrived on her doorstep looking for handouts, got adopted and turned out to have gotten herself knocked up before they had a chance to spay her.

The kittens were born about 5 weeks ago - four adorable little ones - two black and two tabbies. Like all kittens they have sweet faces and short stubby tails and when they run it seems like their back ends go faster than their fronts.

I am helpless in the face of kittens.

So I am walking towards the kitchen behind a kitten and reach down to pick it up but clearly she doesn't want interference and takes off ahead of me. I keep going into the kitchen but as I hit the doorway I hear this horrible hissing and feel pain in my leg. I look down and its like a scene from Wild Kingdom. You know the one where the pride of lions is taking down a full sized elephant by coming up behind and attaching itself to its back, claws fully embedded in the skin?

And that's just one side and the picture is a lot prettier than my leg which is also pretty bruised and there is more on the other side. I WAS wearing pants by the way...

So a few bandaids and some peroxide later I go down to get some dessert. I walk towards the kitchen again and as I hit the door Phoebe attacks the OTHER leg (no kittens were around by the way). Talk about determined overprotective mother!

Those would be puncture marks from her teeth! For the rest of the evening she kept a close eye on me and everytime I moved my hosts had to step in to move her out of the room.

I am certainly none the worse for wear but certainly learned my lesson when it comes to mother cats!

Have a terrific week everyone - I am off for a workshop with Brandon Mably and an evening lecture by Kaffe Fassett at WoolNthings...I should pack my camera NOW so I don't forget it!!

Craig - this one's for you...

2008-09-25T21:06:00.004-04:00

I have been told that there is too much boring knitting content on my blog and that to spice things up I need more hockey jerseys.

Seeing as how I believe its important to satisfy the needs of my readers I give you (please substitute name of your favourite hockey team as appropriate):

A kindergarten teacher tells her class she’s a BIG Flyers fan. She’s really excited about it and asks the kids if they’re Flyers fans too. Everyone wants to impress the teacher and say they are too, except ONE kid named Dougie.

The teacher looks at Dougie and says, "Doug, you’re not a Flyers fan?"

He says, "Nope, I’m a Leafs fan!"

She says, "Well why are you a Leafs fan and not a Flyers fan?" to which Dougie replies, "Well, my mom is a Leafs fan, and my dad is a Leafs fan, so I’m a Leafs fan."

The teacher’s not real happy. She’s a little hot under the collar. She says, "Well, if your moms an idiot, and your dads a moron, then what would you be?!"

Dougie says, "Then I’d be a Flyers fan!"

(baboom boom)

And how can I forget...

(Dear knitters - this concludes our hockey content for the year. Knitting and spinning will resume shortly.)

For discussion...

2008-09-16T08:57:00.003-04:00

I have no pictures, no knitting, no nothing for you as I only seem to be able to sit on my couch and stare off into space these days. Oh and the 10 bloody pages on the passé composé I did last night - trust the french to turn something as simple as talking about an event in the past into a nightmare of exceptions and pronomial pronouns (which you can take and stick where the sun don't...well never mind)...

So I leave with a discussion topic...

Why do I never have enough needles? It seems to me that I need a series for projects on hand, but a whole other set just for playing and swatching and dreaming for the future.

Some please tell me that I am not the only one contributing to buying Kelly Petkun at KnitPicks a huge yacht?

Finally I leave with this: Courtesy of sadly blogless Yvonne here is a great video for a short row heel and a new term to push into the consciousness of all- a fibrenique - anything that combines a technique and fibre.

BTW for the spinning folks - if you link to the video above, the poster also has several videos of the wrap and plying technique that was on the Spin-Off cover a couple of issues ago. Very cool!

Thank yous...

2008-09-11T09:37:00.002-04:00

Alrighty!

This is a quickie and photo-less but there are thank yous due…

First to Shelby of Shelby Designs who sent that fantastic package pictured below and was kind enough to shout out in the comments… Go see her stuff. Its okay to drool.

Thanks also to Kris of Bockstart Knits for fixing my brain about the upstream/downstream thing. Much bigger thank you to her for organizing and keeping the HHHH Swap running. Probably one of the best organized swaps I’ve had the pleasure of participating in… thanks Kris!

Another thank you to Jeanne in NJ who is the very first person to EVER pick me randomly as a contest winner (seriously, I should rush out and buy lottery tickets immediately – I never win anything). I got a package that had more than just the sock yarn promised in it and while I suspect she may have used me as an opportunity to destash, I have to confess that I am rather willing to be ill-treated in this way. Photos to follow.

Lastly – many thanks to Mohamed who doesn’t even know about this blog but who is my earnest French teacher for this first week of mind-numbing language training. I think my brain may be leaking out of my ears…um…oreilles…but he is kind enough not to say anything.

Bonne journée à tous!

Misbehaving...camera (tilt head 90 degrees)

2008-09-03T18:32:00.004-04:00

Hey all - long time no write! Summer sucked me in and spit me back out again - I can't believe September is already here - packing lunches and homework again. Neither of these two activities rates high on my list of favourties due to the amount of knitting time lost during a year!

The boy has entered Grade 4, and the girl Grade 6 (eek! that is kind of officially pre-teen country isn't it?). Two days in and neither is particularly impressed with the experience.

What I'm knitting

On the knitting front there has been progress. The Swallowtail Shawl in my handspun is done and I couldn't be more pleased. The colour changes are gorgeous and the repeats were long enough that I got several rows out of each colour even towards the long end of the knitting.

Pattern: Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits, Fall 2006
Yarn: Handspun from 100g of Blue Faced Leicester from Fleece Artist
Needles: KP Options in 3.5 mm

I am still plugging away on the Print O the Wave from Eunny Jang in Handmaiden Sea Silk...no sideways pics of this though. I am more than halfway through the repeats on the main body and will have to contemplate the border - somehow I am NOT keen on picking up 8 gazillion stitches around the edge.

Lastly - I am making some progress on my Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits...granted that it doesn't look like much but the Berroco Ultra Alpaca is terrific to knit...

Colour is darker and more heathery than it looks here...love love love...cross fingers it will fit.

In my mailbox

I participated in the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenany this summer and received this awesome package from my downstream pal...whose email I am looking for right now - I will credit with an actual name and link but my brain has big holes in it!

Anyway - here is the package of goodness:

That's a huge 8oz bit of spinning fiber from Crown Mountain Farms - the blue yarn on the left is my pal's own handspun - pretty pretty blues and greens and very very soft. The sock yarn on the right is her own handdyed (damn I wish I had a link for you to her etsy shop...next time!). There were also two bars of soap (lavender and almond - yum!!!), some lindt chocolates (not shown...um possibly devoured at this point) and a cute little notepad that says "Homespun" on the top.

My own upstream pal was in England, moving to Australia next week so my fingers are crossed she'll get her parcel in time!

Spinning...span...spun!

More Fleece Artist - this is wool-silk in lovely browns, copper and burgundy/pink. I am spinnign thin again and now that I figured out what was going wrong the last time I tried to ply with thread, I'm going to try again.

Dye party

I spent Sunday dyeing my little heart out. A pound and a half of silk and a pound of merino-tencel blend. I am hoping to update the shop in the next few days and then I will be going on hiatus for about three months as I start French language training half days in the hopes of meeting the language requirements for my new position before Christmas. I suspect that blog updates will also be scarce and while I'll be reading other blogs I probably won't be commenting much (not a big change from the summer!) I am hoping to show you the Rambouillet that Chris and I are processing and to confess I had little stumble and am the proud owner of two unbelieveably gorgeous BFL fleeces that need to get cleaned and put away while the weather is still nice.

Here's a little taste of what I dyed up...

These are 3 of the merino-tencel rovings...shininess due to the flash on the first two.

Take care!

Low fibre content...pretty pictures!

2008-08-05T05:52:00.004-04:00

I am...well...ridiculously wrecked. See the date? That is the day I uploaded the photos to blogger...as opposed to TODAY which is the 18th of August.

The new job is kicking me in the rear. I can't explain why. It isn't far off what I was doing before...just...more.

Anyway - here is the loveliest of merino I received as part of a fibre swap. This is from woolydaisy. Isn't it pretty! The top on top (heh heh...aren't I the funny one) is garnet and the bottom is topaz (coincidentally my birthstone) - I' m having stripped mitten thoughts...

Thanks woolydaisy!!!

Next...tranquil Canadian summer pictures....

Sigh...I just wanna go back. There was chipmunk (named Chippie...what else!) that would eat from your hand if you were still enough. There was knitting and spinning on the screened in porch. And best of all? There was a guest cabin where the kids hung out. Kind of like the kids table at family dinners but EVEN BETTER.

At some point the knitting/spinning adventures will get updated included, but not limited to:

- a finished Swallowtail shawl out of handspun

- self-striping yarn in four colours - hand dyed and handspun

- the fleece I bought with Chriss - I have learned that when it comes to processing your own fleece, clean is a relative term.

Happyish Monday!

Surprise!

2008-08-03T10:02:00.003-04:00

Back from holidays - surprisingly relaxed considering it was a cottage with my parents, my kids and my niece. I've had my fill of screeching girls (how do they get that pitch??) and I have more laundry than I can stand, but I had a lovely and rather relaxing time - better than I had hoped for.

I'll be back to blogging shortly - lots of pics to get off the camera first!

Lisa

P.S. A happy birthday to Ava who is now a whole 1!

Holidays...dealing with irritating wool...and I'm being stalked!

2008-07-21T12:45:00.005-04:00

Quick note before I get into the post: Leanne is out of hospital! She and her gallbladder are officially "over". She is definitely on the mend and happy to be back home. Thanks again for leaving her comments on her blog.

*******

Happy Monday everyone! Why is it happy? Why because I just started my holidays of course. Today I am "sans enfants" (without children) - so I am enjoying a lovely day of sweet sweet quiet and little to bother me...except for my stalker and the construction workers on my roof.

It appears that a local honey bee hive have decided that there might be some good stuff at my house. Here is my theory:

1. At some point last week, a bee (let's call him Bob) came to my house and thought he found something he liked.

2. Bob went back to his hive and told his friends about it (note bee using vector calculus to indicate where I live).

3. I am put on some kind of list where fly-bys become part of regular daily routine.

Every day for the past week I have had at least one bee check out my balcony every fifteen minutes or so. They hover around the balcony, check out the gazebo cover and if the patio door is open, they fly in to check it out. I have used the cup and cardboard technique to facilitate the exit a few times now. I'm trying to figure out how to tag one of these suckers to see if its always the same one (i.e. Bob - which, if it is, means that Bob might need some intervention therapy of some kind - or I need a bee restraining order).

At least its honey bees - a few years ago I had a wasps nest in the box that hangs over my balcony - there is a whole story about a really cute, super muscly exterminator who was also, it turns out, afraid of bees. Kind of emasculating if you ask me.

Stuff I'm up to

Tour de Fleece is on and while I haven't been spinning as much as I would like, I did do something really cool - I almost got all lace!!! This ranges from cobweb in spots to lace to light fingering. I've already cast it on as a Swallowtail Shawl - and I can only say it was probably meant to be because I opted for 3.5 mm needles and it was perfect first try!

The roving is BFL from Fleece Artist that I don't have a picture of - blues, purples and greens. Its overspun in spots, underspun in other and you know what? I don't care! I just love it.

I picked up another Fleece Artist roving at Yarn Forward last week - very oddly dyed - there was red and red-violet, lots of white, patches of blue and pink. When I undid the braids there was no actual pattern to the dyeing which left me in a bit of a pickle about how to spin it up. At first I thought about lashing it all on the hackles but I kind of want a slubby but substantial sock yarn and though I like playing with the hackles, you lose a lot of fibre in the process (the stuff stuck to the hackles after you pull off the top is too short to use).

So I pulled each bit of colour out and ended up with four piles - dark red, light red, violet, and white mixed with blue/pink/yellow/green. I ended up with this:

So I've been taking one of each colour and drafting it out just like this:

Ending up with would bits of pre-drafted top like this:

Which is spinning up like this:

Once I fill the bobbin I will navajo ply it which will hopefully even it all out into predominately shades of red and red-violet with hints of white and specks of the other colours. I promise pics when it is all done.

What I'm knitting

Besides the Swallowtail, there are some socks on the needles I can't show you as this is Christmas knitting although the ravelers can check them out on my projects page - the recipients aren't knitters. Otherwise, a few things are hanging out waiting for me to be interested in them again, and that's about it.

What I Read

...or rather what I threw down in disgust: One Ball. Thankfully I got this from the library and didn't buy it sight unseen ... oh Mr. Bee is back ... My pet peeves were all in this book - sparkly yarn, icky colours and stuff I would never knit. YMMV of course - someone liked it or it wouldn't be a book right? There was a nice enough moebius (but moebius patterns are kind of a dime a dozen) and an okay shrug. That about sums it up. Not a fan. I encourage you to check it out as I wouldn't want to keep you from knitting something that you really might like. I do think the photos left something to be desired. About halfway through they adopt this kind of creepy wire dress form that makes me think about cobwebby attics and serial killers.

Damn bee still outside. I would like to go and rescue some roving from out there but he needs to leave!

The irony is that I don't have any plants in my house, a basil plant with a few flowers out on the balcony (which he doesn't seem interested in at all).

Wierd.

Buzz.

Ode to Boy

2008-07-15T05:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Alex turned nine - so I want to take a quick time out from the usual fibre torture to wish the best and nicest kid I know a wonderful happy birthday.

Alex arrived in the world after a peaceful (well, peaceful for everyone except me) homebirth - I don't even remember him crying. Just looking around with this look on his face of interest and acceptance. Kind of "cool, I thought it would look different but I can deal with this." He was a strong 10 lbs 12 ozs (no joke - the first thing the midwife said was "would you look at the adipose tissue on him!" - btw, it isn't the weight of the baby but the size of head and shoulders vs. your pelvis that matter, although it did make for an uncomfortable final month of pregnancy).

He hasn't changed much since then. Alex holds his feelings close most of the time (except his siblings - particularly Madeline who can really make him mad) and has always been sweet, cuddly, physically strong and relatively un-demanding. Often he will be upset because he asked me to do something and I refused but because he always asks the same way it can be hard to tell what really matters to him.

So my love, a very happy, if somewhat belated, 9th birthday!

(P.S. Apologies for creepy mascot picture...really sorry...they were really creepy)

Rampant Fibre Abuse Reported

2008-07-14T06:12:00.005-04:00

Advocacy group seeks regulations to protect innocent victims

July 12, 2008 - OTTAWA - For immediate release

Police are reporting that they are investigating reports of citizens impaling fibre, raising concerns that fibre abuse is becoming an increasingly frequent phenomenon locally. City police spokesperson, Staff Sargeant Wanda Wools, describes the incidents as "shocking and bizarre."

"We haven't seen anything like this in years," she said. "The tools used to force the fibre to submit to the will of the perpetrator can only be described as medieval."

Allegedly, on the morning of July 11th, over four ounces of superwash merino were mercilessly beaten against sharp stakes, forced through a small space, and roughly pulled into pieces.

"It was entirely consensual," explained Lisa F*. "The superwash had misbehaved and asked to be lashed. All parties knew it was necessary. The merino hadn't lived up its part of the bargain. I had to step in with disciplinary measures. I promise you that the results were well worth it and the merino is happy and safe."

The merino could not be reached for comment. Representatives explained that it was too wrapped up to speak to the press and hopes to issue a statement once everything has spun out.

Dolores Van Hoofen of the Fibertarian Party was unavailable for comment so the policy position of the party are still unknown.

Sheep for Better Living Through Cruelty-Free Fiber has already contacted the Minister for Public Safety to see if he is willing to add new regulations to the Criminal Code of Canada outlawing the use of combs and hackles in the processing of fiber.

"We work hard to grow the fleece and we feel we should have a say in how its treated after shearing," said SBLTCFF spokes-sheep Maaaa Romney at a press conference earlier today. "We may not be wearing it anymore, but the caring doesn't stop just because the wool has left the barn."

- 30 -

So - superwash merino went from frumpy to fabulous thanks to my new hackles...
Here is the lashed (video here to see how violent this is) fibre being drawn through the diz.

Lovely combed roving for spinning.

After all the frustration it was very very enjoyable smacking the merino onto the sharp pointy stakes. I totally get how Vlad the Impaler may have derived some sick satisfaction out of impaling the people who pissed him off.

Thanks everyone for posting comments on Leanne's blog - I don't know status at the moment but am planning to find out later today.

Oh and Amy Singer hearted my etsy shop...squeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Uh oh! We have a knitter down!

2008-07-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

I need a favour folks. Leanne's gallbladder is rebelling and wants to separate earlier than expected. She is back in the hospital and will likely have surgery in the next couple of days. If you could go over to her blog and wish her well in the comments there, I'm sure she'll see them when she gets out!

Thanks!

Lisa

Superwash merino gets auf'd

2008-07-11T07:41:00.002-04:00

Hey blogland people!

One week until glorious 2-week holiday. I haven't had an actual vacation since last August. I think my colleagues are lucky their heads are still attached to their bodies cause there. are. days.

Anyway - I'm wrapping up next to nothing at work. The new positon started on June 30 and has been...um...not exactly keeping me busy. I am hoping this is a combination of a) client not used to having a comms person and b) everyone is away anyhow. I am looking to hire someone anyway so we can start building bridges and I can get someone to inventory the web site and start looking at where we need to update "stuff".

So that's work. Better stuff ahead!

Needles

The Casbah sock is motoring along on the two circs - one is finished and I am about to turn the heel on the second. Terrific bus knitting and with the kids away at their dads all week there has been a lot of downtown and bus riding!

The whirly stuff

Its Tour de Fleece so there has been a fair amount of spinning. I am working on spinning laceweight from a gorgeous bit of Fleece Artist BFL in bright purples, pinks, greens and blues. It is taking FOREVER. Still I have to get moving - I am part of the Hush-hush Handspun Hootenany swap and need to send my pal 4 oz unspun (NOT a problem...lol) and 4 oz spun up (somewhat more challenging) in time to mail out in early August.

Dyeing crap...literally

Last night I was pretty much convinced that my dyeing mojo was gone. Dye was running off the roving or striking so fast I wasn't able to get it to spread through. Colours were splitting into their primaries.

The problem? superwash merino roving. The merino is not the problem...its the chemical process they put the wool through to make it unfeltable. Apparently in stripping off the little "teeth" that make wool felt they also altered the wool in some way that makes dyeing consistently nearly impossible. Let me show you what I mean:

That's the SAME colour on the left and right. The left - a pale violet - is on BFL roving...the right is the superwash merino. You can see how the colours I mixed split out into blue and red.

Here's more:

Again - same colour - I was aiming for a pale fuschia. The top is the superwash and you can see that the dye struck so quickly that I wasn't able to get it to spread through the wool. The bottom is way more accurate.

So if you are wondering if I dye superwash...the answer is NO. Auf Wiedersehen Superwash Merino!

I am in the midst of a colour study and have tons of 1 oz bits to dye up which I will strip down and spin up together in various combinations to see how the colours work together. The aim is to better understand colour, but also become more comfortable with colours that are not in my usual palette - like olive greens, browns and other colours that are best described as icky in my mind (but nirvana for others).

Last word...

Heaven. In a frozen container. I'm just saying that putting two perfect foods together is better than perfection.

Dear Yarn Harlot

2008-07-02T09:40:00.000-04:00

Dearest Stephanie,

You don’t know me. You may or may not read my blog. Still, I need to apologize for a terrible terrible thing.

It started innocently enough with some really nice sock yarn. It was Fleece Artist Casbah (have you tried it? Very nice. Highly recommended.). I was a bit worried about the Casbah and the yardage and making socks and having enough and blah blah blah.

Anyway, I decided it was time. Time to try my hand at toe up socks. I had Cat Bordhi’s YouTube video (now may be the right time for a strong sense of foreboding btw) of the Magic Cast-on. I tried it with dpns. Not successful. Trying to knit the first round was impossible. I tried again with a dpn and circular. Much better! I was on my way. Happily switched back to dpns all around and off I went.

Everything went well for a long time.

Foot? Sailed through.

First ever short row heel? Not. A. Problem.

Ha ha! I am a knitting goddess!

Onto the leg.

Laugh in the face of knitting!

Note serious laddering due to rib pattern chosen for sock as ribbing pattern now extends around whole leg. Remember that I always have laddering no matter how much I tug at stitches.

Laddering is really noticeable. Unacceptably noticeable.

Consider ripping back. Remember that laddering not likely going to get better.

Contemplate alternative solution. Reject it. Knit another row, tugging hard! Thank Fleece Artist for including nylon in sock yarn.

Think hard. Contemplate solution again. Accept dawning realization that solution is the only one.

Pull down box-o-knitting supplies. Get circs. Start knitting one sock on two circs.

Like it. Like it very very much.

I’m sorry Stephanie.

Take this pencil roving and...

2008-06-30T05:54:00.005-04:00

So I owe you all a post that isn’t all like “blah blah blah etsy blah blah tired blah blah can’t think” right?

Right!

The news

I started my new-ish job today. And so far, I haven’t done anything new! This is probably because it is a) Monday and b) Monday before a statutory holiday. Downtown Ottawa is a wasteland (no, moi in Vancouver, I did NOT write cultural wasteland…stop that!) today. Tomorrow it will be dangerous to walk around here unless you have a Canadian flag tattooed on your face! I have no idea who that guy is, but he sure looks happy doesn't he?

Yesterday we celebrated Alex’s ninth birthday. We went to the ballpark to watch a Can-Am League game – less talent that Triple A, slightly more than Little League. We had a suite overlooking home plate – it was absolutely amazing and since my kids are used to running around the stadium, we only saw kids at important moments – like when they were hungry.

I can’t believe my baby is nine. I also can’t believe I am old enough to have a nine year old. As a result of my disbelief I did my best to behave as childishly as possible without endangering anyone and had two big pieces of birthday cake. So there upcoming 39th birthday!

Stuff I am dyeing

I think I lost two whole days of my life trying to untangle this holy mess:

That’s a pound of merino-seacell pencil roving. It was like untangling yarn, but yarn that would just drift apart if I tugged too hard. It was totally worth it though…it is so soft!!

The first step in dyeing is to soak the wool – with this stuff I couldn’t wind it up into a ball like a I do with thicker rovings because the water would not penetrate to the middle. So out came the swift and some very gentle skein winding happened. Worked like a charm! This bit got dyed strong blues, reds and greens. I really need to dye up some for me and spin it.

Stuff in the mail

Supplies! Can you believe the number of postage stamps on this? Mail ordered from Copper Moose in the US – there is a pound each of BFL and Merino, and half a pound each of Merino-silk and merino-tencel. Lookie here! Bags’o’wool!

Stuff I’m knitting

Susie Hoodie continues – it looks the same as last time so no boring pictures of blue stockinette for you! Don’t bother to complain about that either as I am not wasting valuable computer space on a picture.

Susie Hoodie might have been chucked aside for some warm weather knitting. Having firmly committed to copying a couple of people who are smarter than I am, I am knitting up the Print’o’the Wave in Handmaiden SeaSilk. Frogged once in favour of smaller needles but so far so good. Isn’t it pretty? This one is definitely for me!

And I guess today is Handmaiden day – because I cast on a sock in Casbah. The yardage on the skein is a bit short (around 325 yards) so I decided to bite the bullet and learn how to do a toe up sock. Now I am sold!!! I did Judy Becker’s Magic Cast-on with the help of Cat Bordhi’s YouTube video (thanks for telling me about it Nancy! Hint: click the link and check out the divine sea silk stole Nancy just finished - awesome!). I am using a rib-whose-name-I-have-forgotten out of one of the Vogue Stitchionaries and last night I did my firstest ever short row heel with instructions out of an Interweave Knits from last year. As I am knitting on 3.75s these are going very quickly!

Places I’ve been

I mentioned ages ago that I would tell you about Kniterary – just about the cutest little yarn shop in Whitby – and I think the ONLY yarn shop in Whitby. That’s beside the point.

The very first time I went there the woman who owned the shop had just bought it from the previous owner that week. Sales stock was…well…unimaginative and more than a little acrylic-y. I don’t go there everytime I go to Toronto but I do try to drop in occasionally to see what’s new.

Huge improvement! A super comfortable couch. Lovely woman who totally left me alone and talked to Alex who was nicely tolerating the yarn store visit (he actually likes knitting but doesn’t have the attention span to do it for long). They had some really lovely sock yarn from The Sweet Sheep and Celestial Merino (yummy). Decent selection of Berroco, Fleece Artist and lots of Mission Falls.

I didn’t buy much as I had just spent a fortune for three hellish hours at Canada’s Wonderland the day before. I did pick up Cat Bordhi’s new sock book – it is pretty cool although beyond the cast on and looking at the pretty pictures and marvelling at Cat Bordhi’s brain (I’m surprised her head isn’t three times bigger than it is), I haven’t tried any of the sockitectures…

That’s it!

Happy Canada Day to everyone!

How you know you've dyed too much and my HHHH Questionnaire

2008-06-25T09:31:00.006-04:00

Dream dyes or dye dreaming?

The whole etsy thing has my brain feeling like I'm on uppers ALL the time. Its new for me so I think I just have to figure out how to fit it into the rest of my life.

Its the only explanation I have for waking up on Sunday morning thinking Pink! With olive green and a grey blue! That would be interesting.

Must. stop. thinking.

And my questionnaire for the hush-hush handspun hootenany

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?

On and off over 2 years - I'm not a beginner but I wouldn't say I'm intermediate either.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

Mostly two ply, but I just learned to navajo ply so I am hoping to be able to work on maintaining colour repeats using that technique.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

I occasionally spindle but I prefer my wheel.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?

I like fine fibres with lots of luster. Looove silk! I am not so thrilled with soysilk for some reason - too slippery I think. I'm not particularly keen on 100% plant fibres - i.e. cotton, flax or linen

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

I love Fleece Artists rovings which I buy wherever I can find them. I tend to buy mostly undyed rovings from my LCD (local crack dealer).

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

Milk, shetland, merino-linen blend, cormo, cvm (these last two are not available to me in Canada and I would love to try them), polworth

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

As mentioned - how to maintain colour repeats by navajo plying. I would like to get better control over the thickness I am spinning. Spin lace!

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

I do a bit of dyeing ;-) - okay that was a total understatement.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I have handcards I don't mind using but I also have a short attention span and like instant gratification so I am more of a ready to spin person.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

A bunch of hats and a poncho. I'd like to get a decent sock yarn as well as make some thrummed mittens.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

Nope - I am the gadget queen - unless you count a drum carder as a gadget? Is my pal very very rich by any chance? Kidding!

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?

Blues, greens and reds. I like bright saturated colours and tend to avoid greyed out colours. I'm not fond of the olive, brown, blacks although they can be amazing on the right fiber (like a merino linen blend where the linen is left natural for example). Certain colour combinations turn me right off - I don't like how complementary colours spin up (i.e. I tried purple and yellow and hated it), black and blue (bruise) or black and yellow (bumble bee) or red and green (christmas) are not favourites.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

On my wheel some awesome merino-bamboo from Funky Carolina. On my spindle - SWTC Karaoke in Rainbow.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

Obviously I knit but right now the business start up is taking a lot of my time. I used to quilt and create altered art pieces (artist trading cards, altered books, multi-media) but lost interest when fiber took over my life.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

My kids mostly. My cats. My work some of the time.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

I have a list at amazon.ca - I really should update it!

17. Is there anything that you collect?

Besides books, magazine and fiber? I have a collection of apples (stone, wood etc) and blue glassware. I haven't really collected as much since having children.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

I would love Intertwined by Lexi Boeger. I would love any of Anne Hanson's shawl patterns - particularly Bee Fields. I don't subscribe but pick up at the news stand if I am impressed enough!

19. When is your birthday?

Never - I've decided to quit having them.
Oh fine. November 11

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

I never know how to answer these questions! If I had to be a Jane Austen inspired characted, I'd qualify as the older, calmer sister (the Elinors and Janes) as opposed to spirited younger ones.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?

Hot and humid!

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

When I was a kid I could cover my eyes with my feet arching backwards (lying on my stomach). This is not something I can do anymore!

Favorites

Favorite painting/picture(link): I've always loved David Hockney's Nichols Canyon Road (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hockney/hockney.nichols-canyon.jpg) , any Kandinsky for colour more than the paintings themselves and most Impressionism.

Candy: I firmly believe that Kit Kat is the perfect food.

Food: See above. But really - anything with flour, sugar and fat is good.

Drink: Not a big alcohol drinker (probably the jump straight to the hangover without the fun of the drunk beforehand) - so iced teas or lemonades in summer. Milkshakes too! I drink my fair share of coffee and love tea in the evenings when its cool outside.

Movie(s): I have a film degree - I just don't watch movies anymore!

TV Show(s): I love the good reality dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance and documentaries - particularly science and technology. I used to be a huge sci fi fan but I don't watch much TV these days.

Book(s): I also have an English degree so now I tend to prefer light reading (Jennifer Weiner and other chick lit), mysteries, supernatural mysteries (I went through a huge Lauren K. Hamilton phase last year), love the Dexter novels.

Guilty Pleasure(s): Ravelry at work, knitting silk, ice cream cones where I stuff the ice cream into the sugar cone and only have a little bit on top, the 6 pillows I sleep with, playing chase with my cat and having 14 different soaps in my shower from independent soapies.

Is that a bandwagon I see in the distance?

2008-06-25T01:25:00.004-04:00

It's 1:35 a.m. and I am awake because I have cats - and these cats decided that midnight was the BEST TIME EVER to play in my room.

And I was going to post my mosaic of the meme with the twelve items you search on flickr and then choose photos and stick them in a mosaic just like Stacey and I totally did and then I didn't save it cause I am a dumb...well never mind.

So instead, here is a wall o fiber.

1:40 now and I shouldn't be allowed to blog after midnight. I did save it - just not in the usual spot...

So I give you the rulez:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name.

Damn it...I'm going back to bed.

A poem...

2008-06-22T19:18:00.003-04:00

I gave it a try

To Navajo ply

Yeah, all right, I'm no poet. I can navajo ply however! At least NOW I can.

At first I got off to a rough start. This was not due to the singles I was plying which was lovely copper coloured superwash merino. It was not due to the teaching at all. It was due to my not being able to set up my wheel properly and so I tried to ply about 50 feet in the same direction that my singles was spun in...which meant I got crap.

Which of course I took a picture of because I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to humiliate myself...

Once the wheel and I started to get along a bit better (mostly because I stopped being a dumbass and it forgave me) I got a reasonable facsimile of a skein and the beginnings of an idea of how to do this. Here it is...

And last of all - the afternoon was spent in a group silk scarf dyeing activity where the entire group (about 80 or so) split into different groups to try different techniques. Chriss and I ended up in the pole wrapping (no, not dancing...) group.

Basically you wind string around your scarf on a piece of PVC pipe with string, push it up tight and then stick it in dye for a bit.

Chriss' ended up better than mine (yes, I have pole wrapping technique regret) but I don't have a picture so mine will have to do...

Purple isn't really my colour and this design feels "old" to me - I was thinking of overdyeing it - ideas are welcome! Just remember that the colour will interact with the purple.

All in all it was a fun day but I am still tired out! I spent the afternoon back with my hands in the dyepot. I also culled some sock yarn that I dyed in the winter and posted it to the shop. I picked up some absolutely amazing mohair from Diane the spinning teacher that is what is left of her own angora goats - about 1600 meters worth so I'll have to figure out what to do with it - its to much for one project but not quite enough for two.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mail!...what I spun...Q&A

2008-06-20T20:02:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone - I have so much in my head I can't possibly get it all down in one post or a) I'll be here forever and b) it will make no sense.

So I'm going to curb my enthusiasm a bit and focus on one thing at a time.

The stuff that's hit my mailbox this week!

As stuff has sold in the shop, it has given me a bit of virtual cash (seriously - with PayPal it doesn't seem like real money at all) to play with and I wanted to find some interesting Canadian sellers on etsy to support.

I got super lucky when Uli hearted me on etsy (I love that...hearted...and the little hearts pulse too!) cause she has some super cool stuff in her shop. I held out in the resistance department until I got to these and then I was hitting "add to cart" and the rest is history. There have been two great side effects of this - I got a terrific sock pattern and a new friend in the process!

I am also coveting this: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10876026

I was also after some removeable stitch markers and stumbled onto Crimson Orchid and bought these (I might have a thing for silver and blue).

I also heavily covet the shawl pins in Chris' shop - I have some gorgeous stitch markers by her that Jeanne sent me that are so pretty that if I use them I tend to pause a bit every time I have to slip one from one needle to the next.

And last, but certainly not least...I've got cool labels! One of my older, bestest (see, moi in Vancouver - I didn't say oldest!) friends - who may be familiar to all as wanna-baa in the comments - is my friend Jenna and I wouldn't out her on the blog if I didn't have a fabulous reason. I got these awesome iron-in labels in the mail today - I kind of knew they were coming when I got an email that said "If I was going to buy you labels, what would they say? Not that I'm going to do that or anything!" Anyway - this fantastic "surprise" showed up in the mailbox this afternoon:

Jenna is selling labels for a company called Lovable Labels - if you have kids or know of someone with kids, there is way more there than iron-ons. I am particularly intrigued by shoe labels that don't wear out inside of kids' shoes. With summer camp season nearly here and school starting again (I know, someone had to say it) in two months, these would be terrific for everything from the child's forehead (okay, maybe just mine) to sippy cups at daycare and so much more.

Check it all out at http://www.jenna.lovablelabels.ca/

So its been a great week for my mailbox. I am expecting new dyes next week (navy!) and a huge fiber shipment from the U.S. which means a shop update will be forthcoming too.

And just so you don't think I've been sitting around waiting for the postal worker...

What I spun

Back in the winter I spent an afternoon at Chriss' house and between the hours of conversation I made up about 6 batts with my pile of dye experiments on her drum carder...I finally had a chance to spin up some of the red yesterday. This is merino - bright red with flecks of purple. I didn't realize how much of a difference there is spinning from a batt vs a roving. With the batt there was more friction in the fiber and I was able to control out the amount being drafted and managed a pretty effective bulky weight - there's 1.8 ozs and about 72 yards in there.

Next up was some tussah silk I received as part of the Funky Carolina fiber club last year. I hadn't spun pure silk in a long long time - like two years and then it was only small amounts. I predrafted the top and man, was it static-y! And me without a water bottle. Not annoying-to-the-point-of-not-being-able-to-spin but definitely a bit more difficult to control. It is absolutely gorgeous. There's two ounces there - probably a fingering weight or light sport weight. I need to run it through the meter to get the right count at some point...but for now I am just petting it and calling it George. Not really, but you get the point.

And speaking of Funky Carolina roving - I just undid a braid from her that I got last year too (merino bamboo - awesome!) and it isn't braided! Its a crochet chain! I have got to try that!!!

Answering Qs

moi in vancouver asked if I was going to have yarn too...I actually just posted two handpainted soysilk laceweights and my plan is to offer handspun and handdyed yarns when I have them. I have some fingering weight yarn I have never knit myself that I will probably post when I have a chance to photograph them and figure out my pricing.

Take care and have a great weekend! Tomorrow, Chriss and I and the Hilltop Fibreworker are heading off to Almonte for Saint Distaff Day where I am hoping to learn to navaho ply.

No pretty pictures

2008-06-18T17:14:00.003-04:00

Yep - no pictures today - mostly because it hasn't stopped raining since the weekend. So instead I will answer a meme I kind of self-tagged myself with by reading indigodragonfly's blog (go visit but consider yourself duly warned)...

1) What was I doing ten years ago?
Nursing a 6 month old...staggering through my life in a state of exhaustion.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
Go to knit night - post one thing on etsy - have lunch with Nancy - shower - go to bed early

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Anything with that delightful fat-sugar-flour combination. And chocolate.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Bigger house with a nice studio equipped with housekeeper and cook. I'd open a knitting-spinning-dyeing shop in the country and who cares if I make money as long as I have fun. I'd make sure my parents could live comfortably for the rest of their lives, buy my sister and house and then start paying down the mortgages of my friends. And I'd want to support programs that provide birth, labour and postpartum support to women in need.

5) Places I have lived:
Ottawa, Montreal, Washington D.C., Calgary , Syracuse NY

6) Jobs I have had:
Day camp counsellor
Clerk in an office that provided marriage licenses and registered births and deaths
Baskin Robbins ice cream jockey
Grocery store clerk
Chambermaid (which last an whole 3 hours - my love affair with cleaning continues to this day)
Civilian support staff in an murder investigation
Various and sundry office jobs
Freelance researcher

7) Peeps I want to know more about:

All of you but I dare not demand - if you want to play please do!

WWKIP - Self-employment is exhausting

2008-06-14T21:05:00.003-04:00

Happy Worldwide Knit in Public Day!

If you didn't KNOW today was WWKIP Day then I do forgive you - I understand that there are a great many people who don't knit. This includes a bunch of folks in Major Hill's Park today - the guys in the conservation truck that slowed right down, the folks trying not to fall off their bicycles, the ambling folks passing by trying not to stare. Here are a few of the crazy knitters now -

Apologies for the dark photo - Linda is in front, then Leanne and, if you look closely - a little bit of Nancy by Leanne's knee. And here's the whole gang - minus me.

For the ravelers, intrepid organizer flyfish has posted her photos.

And I got a fantastic picture of Leanne wearing her newest shawl - her own design...but I'll let her blog it - I just wanted to share this lovely photo of her!

When the party broke up a few of us continued on at the Earl of Sussex. There was much knitting which both delighted and confused the wait staff. There was a LOT of laughing. There was definitely some wierd shenanigans involving Dino Nuggets, fries and a Thomas the Tank Engine colouring book. Shout outs to Liz, Fran, and Megot (I suspect I just butchered that spelling - if you read this please correct me!).

Me and Etsy

So as you may have gathered from my last post, I kind of opened a shop? And there's stuff in there that I'm selling?

To be honest I had been contemplating this on and off for months. I love dyeing - so much so that I have rather quickly outstripped my ability to spin it. Things like paying rent keep getting in the way of all the fun stuff like knitting and spinning and hanging with knitting people and being on ravelry and all the good stuff that goes with it.

So rather than drown in wool, and because I've gotten so many lovely comments from folks who's opinions I respect, I decided to give it a shot. At this point, it is all profit as I had purchased roving without the intention to sell. I think what had stopped me before was how wonderful so much dyed stuff already out there is...and I didn't think I measured up (as is usual for me to some arbitrary standard whereby other dyers all have fine arts degrees, long periods of dyeing study undertaken and stupendous studios - I may have an overactive imagination).

The name Three By Hand has been in my head for a long time. I like to imagine what I would name my knitting store, my long awaited novel, my hit TV show... So it seemed like a natural fit for me. Having branded the store, and to some extent me (an odd experience to do it for myself rather than work - a lot more interesting too - what am I all about and how do I convey that) - I feel like I just got a crash course in online selling.

Stuff I didn't know anything about until now:

1. I had NEVER used PayPal...now I have a premier account and apparently this is how I will get money in exchange for goods. I even refunded someone who ordered a second roving to combine shipping (hi Jeanne - that Dandelion is going to be awesome! send pics when spun!)

2. Costs per item add up quickly...between Etsy's share, PayPal's share, what I may swallow in shipping because I am going with set costs rather than per item, envelopes and little fiddly marketing things - well lets just say that learning about pricing is going to take some time and my profit margin may be crap for a while.

3. I have NO clue how to market this...but I am hoping that if I impress enough folks, in time it will work itself out.

I think there's a lot more...in the meantime, I have changed my avatar on ravelry and here...

Promised reviews will have to wait...I need sleep!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and if you can (and want to) don't forget to call your dad tomorrow!

Climb ladder...3 steps...bounce...dive!

2008-06-13T22:16:00.001-04:00

I did it...

Three By Hand

More tomorrow...right now, I'm tuckered!

There and back again; up to my ears in wool

2008-06-09T20:33:00.004-04:00

The news

So the "dude" and I headed off into the wild blue yonder - ambled down the highway at a leisurely pace of 15 km per hour above the speed limit - to the Big City. Actually we hit surburbia and went to Whitby - about 50-odd (give or take 25 km depending on which part of the city you measure from) kilometres from Toronto.

All I can say is a) thank god for air conditioning and b) theme parks and 40+ degrees humidex don't mix. We lasted at Wonderland a whole 3 1/2 hours before calling it quits and heading back to Wanna-baa's house for a nap, dinner and ice cream.

More stuff I can say...10 month olds? CUTE! Ava checked out Alex thoroughly our first morning:

We also found that the absolutely best place to be on a hot day is a little tiny beach in Port Hope on Lake Ontario where it was about 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else. And the fish and chips totally rocked. No pictures as I was too busy pushing the swing and watching sandcastle making.

The reason for the trip to Port Hope was to go to The Black Lamb and pick up some fibre as I am preparing a bunch of stuff for St. Distaff's Day. Laurie had closed the shop for the day to hawk (hauk?) her wares at the Ontario Handspinning Seminar (next year, please remind me to go to this okay?). She was there on Sunday when I drove back through on my way home and was happy to accept my credit card in exchange for a whack-load of BFL and some Shetland.

This year, St. Distaff is on June 21st and if you have never heard of St. Distaff don't be surprised...she (I think its a she) is the made up saint of spinners and weavers. Every year one of the local guilds hosts a day of spinning, weaving and fibre arts workshops along with a small vendor show. Chriss of Daisy Chains and Buttercups is going to have a table this year and I'm going to put some stuff there to see if anyone wants to help me lighten up my shelves at home. Turns out I have a LOT of fibre.

So...I have been dyeing my heart out over the last two weeks!

Stuff I dyed

So today you get a quick review about dyeing roving. In the last two weeks, I've dyed a whole lot of Blue Faced Leicester (BFL), Corriedale, Merino and Merino/Tencel blend. My favourite is BFL with the Merino Tencel a close second.

As much as I love the soft merino it is hard to handle when dyeing. The fibre is so fine it tends to drift apart and requires careful handling to keep the integrity of the roving intact (now there's a sentence I never thought I would type...integrity of roving...). The worst moment is when I go to pull the bump out of the soaking bowl while trying to avoid the others and keep the merino all in one piece. I seem to finally have my technique down, but I've also learned to lower my standards a bit about how perfect the roving will be when I am done with it.

The other thing about merino is that it seems to resist taking up the dye. If anyone wants to jump in with an explanation about how my technique may be faulty please do so, but it seems like the same concentration of dye yields a much more saturated colour on the same amount of BFL as merino. It seems as thought the merino sucks up the dye so quickly it doesn't have time to spread through the fibre.

The merino/tencel mix seems to solve some of the problems with the merino including the "drifty-ness" - not to mention that the shine on it makes my heart beat a little faster.

Finally Corriedale. Alas, how I want so much to like you! I have to confess however, that I do love my fine wools and while Corriedale has its place in the wool pantheon, it will never be worshipped here. Just too rough for my taste and it seems to suck in light. What can I say...I like me some shiny stuff. I'm surprised I haven't started with the Angelina yet.

So here's a quick fibre fix...and if you want to see it all, go check out my flickr.

Stuff I'm Knitting

Little to report - the Susie Hoodie is proceeding well. I am 22 rows away from my off the needles, around the waist size check and then we will know for sure if all is well. Now I just have to commit absolutely to doing the waist size check thing and not pretend that this type of careful consideration is something that is good and right and not something that is only for other lesser knitters than I.

And finally - for all those who asked...

Vesper the Vibe is fantastic. Fun to drive, goes vroom and generally makes itself welcome everywhere except at the gas pump. Also, I really can't wait to see how many hits I get off a google search for "black vibe". Because I am really 12 years old.

Next time, I will try to tell you about Kniterary* where I got to touch some Camelspin (please don't lick the screen - not good for monitors I hear) and after I regained cousciouness I bought a new book.

*A yarn shop where wise yarn store owner has placed Fleece Artist and Handmaiden in a locked glass cabinet. Bizarre but somehow made me want it even more...

I did it!

2008-06-04T11:34:00.003-04:00

I bought (actually leased) a new car!

I picked up my brand spankin' new black Vibe from the dealership last night. My fiber can now travel in air conditioned, fuel-efficient comfort!

(picture stolen from Google Images - plus mine is black)

I haven't had time to explore the car much seeing as how work is kicking my ass from here to far away and back but I am heading to Toronto Thursday night with the lad for the weekend and that should give me plenty of time to make friends.

I'll be back to blogging when I get back - supposing I survive Canada's Wonderland with an 8-year-old.

A quick conversational snippet...

Madeline: If you were a superhero, what power would you have.
Alex: Super strength!!
Madeline: I would have ALL of them.
Alex: Mommy, what superpower would you have?
Me: Fast knitting.

What did we learn from this? Alex is all boy. I am obsessed. Madeline is way smarter than the rest of us.

Have a great rest of week...enjoy your weekend and I'll see you when I get back.

Kinda sorta promoted, knitting with string to truss chickens

2008-05-31T06:36:00.004-04:00

Thanks to everyone who commented over the last few days - it's nice to know that some people still visit after my long hiatus. I was thinking a bit about that this morning and I think that almost anyone who was just trying to get through this winter with their sanity intact probably got a bit blah too. This winter was a serious bummer.

Knit With It: allhemp6

Let’s say you took my Berrocco Ultra Alpaca and decided to make “yarn” that was exactly OPPOSITE to it? Or you were watching Bridget Jones and decided that the blue string she used to tie up the leeks in her failed cooking attempt at the end of the movie would be good to knit with?

And then you decided that not only would you knit with it but you would allow yourself to be lured into buying two skeins at $11 apiece to make Amy Singer’s Everlasting Bagstopper because the $.99 cent environmental shopping bags available at EVERY SINGLE GROCERY STORE IN TOWN are just not good enough for you? (they are not knit so this should be self-evident)

If so, then you would be knitting with Hemp for Knitting’s allhemp6 (bought here: seriously great yarn store) and you might be wondering why the hell you were doing this to yourself. At least I am. At least besides feeling the righteousness of using politically correct fibre and making a bag that will not sit in a landfill for 2 billion years.

Conclusion: hard on the hands. If you want to knit with this I recommend slippery metal and pointy pointy needles and knit loosely. My main frustration is that the fibre is so stiff that it doesn’t bunch up on the left needle so you can’t cue up stitches beforehand. If you knit loosely the stitches slide up more easily so it is only half as annoying. I also wrap my yarn around my finger and when the hemp comes off it doesn’t slide off…it leaps away. The stuff is stiffer than Euroflax linen by a long shot – and I suspect it won’t improve with repeated washing either.

So...try, don't try...YMMV as always!

Pictures from my stash

Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha

Number of skeins: 10

Reason for purchase: Damn sale at KnitKnackers against which I was powerless

I'm knittin' it now...

Pattern: Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca

Colour: Oceanic Mix

The knitting so far: I love cabling so this is a fun knit for me. The yarn is terrific and slides so nicely over my needles (KnitPicks Options). I am a bit concerned about gauge - swatch was 17 per inch (as called for) - washed it came in at 16.75 which would have given me an extra 3 inches of width...but now my gauge is around 18. I am hoping this means that once it is blocked it will be closer to the 17 called for.

Spinning/Spun/Dyed

This is a new spindle I bought from Gemini Fibres at Knitter's Frolic last month. The wood is black cherry and the whorl is Corian. The roving is from Karaoke from SWTC. I don't like the spindle as much as the wheel but it is nice to have something portable . I will probably spin the next length on the wheel and ply off the wheel and spindle.

News that's fit to print

Meeting with boss: good and okay outcome. Interest in having me act in position higher than I am now: Good. Chance to have own clients and finally have big picture: Good. Client I already partly support now and often "troublesome": Okay. No longer having safety net of reporting to a manager: Scary.

So basically I said yes because these opportunities do not present themselves very often and it is a good chance to try something and I can come back to my job if I don't like it. But it is a big change and it is not guaranteed I will get it. They have to open it up to others - if anyone else is interested then they have to do informal interviews etc. So we'll see what happens. Please cross your fingers for me that no one else wants it because the idea of competing for an informal position kind of irritates me although I wouldn't want the position if I knew others thought it had been unfairly given to me without considering others.

Today: Car shopping...

Priorities

2008-05-30T05:50:00.002-04:00

From my email...

From: Lisa
To: Monique
Sent: Tue May 27 09:34:40 2008
Subject: Okay...you made your point!

Found my purse – thanks for putting it in a safe place. Ian didn’t realize it, but there were five people running around the floor for 15 minutes looking for it. I was on the phone trying to get through to VISA to cancel my card when Ian clued in to what was happening and came to tell me you had hidden it.
So…now that I know exactly what its going to feel like to have my purse stolen, I’ll do a better job of putting it away somewhere safe!I just wish my pulse would return to normal.
Lisa
_________________________________________
From: Monique
To: Lisa
Sent: May 27, 2008 9:37 AM
Subject: Re: Okay...you made your point!

Shit -- I was supposed to send you an e-mail when I got back to my desk. Sorry, I didn't want to cause a heart attack - I'm just concerned about your stuff - you have knitting in your purse!!!!!
Monique
______________________________________
To: Monique
From: Lisa
Sent: May 27, 2008 9:38 AM
Subject: RE: Okay...you made your point!

I must admit, my first thought before the "I have to replace all my cards" and "someone could steal my identity!" was, "Damn it, my knitting is gone - now what am I going to do on the bus!"
Lisa

Blog makeover, proud mother moment, more fibre confessions

2008-05-26T22:37:00.004-04:00

You know how one day you walk into your house and suddenly realize that the fact that your couch has been against the same wall for YEARS is irritating as hell? Or suddenly your books have to be re-organized - maybe by colour this time instead of height? (except fibre books - they still belong in random piles around the bedroom - its a STYLE people, work with me here).

Well, my blog was pissing me off. It NEVER changed - oh stop laughing back there! I DO realize that for blogs to change one should probably post something on them every now and then.

Time for a spring cleaning. I wanted some of my own fibre in the picture at the top...new colours! A fresh spring feeling. Let me know what you think...I'm not sold on the light green yet but its growing on me.

The other thing I think I need to do is find a direction for the blog and it occurred to me that, given the...um...strong support I have been showing to my local LYSes, bookstore and pretty much any place willing to sell me something to do with sticks and string, the least I could do would be to turn my financial loss into blog gain. So I am going to start subjecting you to my opinion - little reviews - patterns, books (knitting and not), cat breeds, coffee, podcasts, yarn...whatever strikes my fancy.

Knit that: pattern review

Today I give you: the Burridge Lake Aran Afghan by Anna Dalvi.

This pattern originally appeared on the sadly defunct Magknits but has been put up for free download through Ravelry or Anna's site. Anna Dalvi who lives here in Ottawa and was the mind behind the Mystic Waters Shawl (which I started and frogged - beautiful pattern but I was having fidelity issues because I still hadn't finished the Swan Lake stole).

I think this is going to be my grand opus. If I can finish this, I can do ANYTHING - climb Everest, do the side splits again, eat only sugar and fat and never gain weight, become patient, perfect and loved by all. I may be a bit optimistic, but its good to have goals. (OOH! lightening outside!)

The picture is less than a 1/4 of the first of three panels that will make up the afghan. It is absolutely to fascinating to knit. For one thing, the Trinity Stitch (the columns on either side of the big Saxon Braid) is made on the wrong side so purling rows are as interesting as cabling rows on the right side. Also, every one of the three patterns has a different number of rows - remind me to take a picture of my chart where I keep track of all this for you.

The pattern is absolutely perfect. Its fun to knit. If you like BIG projects, cabling (learn to cable without a needle for this one - there is a LOT of cabling going on) and knowing that you are making a family heirloom that you may be knitting for years to come (if you are like me), I recommend it.

The yarn is Patons Classic Merino - I couldn't afford the full 20 balls but I think a basic grey should be safe. (more lightening!)

Pictures from my stash

In the newly purchased department - Cascade 220 Wool Heathers and purse handles for a medium Noni Carpet Bag. Wool purchased at Yarn Forward in Kanata.

Spinning and spun

Right now I have some copper superwash merino I purchased at The Black Lamb when I got my wheel last year. I had spun up the first 50 g right away and it has been sitting on the bobbin for over a year. I am finally spinning up the rest - I am not a fan of spinning superwash because I find it way too slippery but I admit that the singles are really pretty and shiny and will be lovely when I ply it up.

Off the bobbin is an absolutely gorgeous 2-ply silk/merino blend from Fleece Artist. A larger skein has gone to its forever home - and this smaller skein is going to follow it there whenever I see Leanne next (Yes, hon...there's more...I'll trade you for a gallstone!)

Non-knitting news

Alex competed in his very first baseball tournament on Saturday and his team (the Yankees) came in second place in a very close final playoff game! This is his first year doing any kind of organized sport and he got off to a bit of a rocky start. But on Saturday one of the parents did some one-on-one with him to help him get his batting technique down and in the final game he got a run batted in, a triple and eventually got to home plate for his first point! I am so proud of him and really glad he had some success - he was getting very discouraged and nothing we could say was going to be as good as just hitting the ball.

Here he is at bat - just before his very first hit. Sorry for the fuzzies but it was really sunny - I couldn't actually see what I was photographing so I just shot the picture on faith.

Alex is super strong - and built like a 1920's slugger - if he can connect I think he's going to hit them out of the park.

Stuff I'm looking forward to

I have a 1 pm meeting tomorrow with our Director General to "talk about my future". This could be anything from a fun project to a minor career change and no one wants to tell me what its about but everyone seems to think I'm the one for it (whatever it is). Curious huh?

Test drives - my lease is up in mid-July so its time for dreaded car shopping. I'm going to pretend I am looking forward to this the way I look forward to checking out a new yarn shop. I am hoping the power of positive thinking will find me a decent price on a lovely heathered 4-door with cashmere-alpaca-quiviut seat covers and plenty of room for my wheel and knitting friends. Oh and an Ipod docking thingie would be nice too so I can listen to podcasts while driving to yarn shops. Oh, and it should probably have an engine and other car stuff in it. And somewhere to park kids and groceries. Are you thinking that maybe my car salesperson is going to be as confused by me as I am by him/her?

Have a great week - kids are back from dad's for the next three days and I'll line up my next review for the weekend. Let me know what you think of the new look and format!

I fell off my yarn diet...

2008-05-25T18:46:00.005-04:00

I was SO good for 3 whole months!!! Seriously good. Didn't even look at other yarn good. But then..I couldn't help myself. It was no big deal really. One lousy skein. The trollop screamed at me from afar (after I routed through the basket for a colour I liked and then stepped back to admire it from a distance...but still...IT seduced on ME).

Yeah...there's no denying Handmaiden Fine Yarn

That's Casbah - a gateway yarn if I ever felt one. It is so soft that it has been living on my computer desk for regulary snuggling.

And this might be some Sea Silk - destined to be one of these (and its all Leanne and Nancy's faults). Plus mine for needing to join everyone on the bandwagon.

There's more - I updated my Ravelry stash if you have access and want all the gory details - I'm too embarrassed to roll it all out here at once. But I went to Knitter's Frolic...and it was an excellent way to part with some of my tax return.

In the done-with-that Department, we have Icarus.

Icarus from Interweave Knits from Summer 2006 - which I knit in about 6 weeks - breaking my all time knitting record.

Last weekend I ended up - through a series of coincidences - do a spinning demonstration at the Canada Agriculture Museum (click for cute cows). In about 6 hours I spun up just under 100 grams of some South African Fine I had dyed last year. I chose really bright colours because I knew there would be tons of little kids. The funnest part was watching the kids get completely mesmerized by the wheel. They would walk in and literally sink to the floor. Had I known the wheel had so much power over toddlers I would have bought one a LONG time ago!!!

And lastly - Madeline and I went to Toronto a few weeks ago (conveniently when Knitter's Frolic was happening) and delivered the Tomten Jacket to its rightful owner.

Miss Ava - 9 months and the best model a knitter could ask for...

With Icarus done I've turned my sights on the Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits. This will be the first sweater I have ever made for myself. I am nervous about my gauge (.25 of a stitch less than the 17 called for) but I think when the waist decreases are done I'll take it off the needles and make sure it isn't too big.

And if it is...I guess I'll have to eat more.

Edited to add: Wanna-Baa reminded me of these great pics...amazing what 9 months can do for a baby (scroll way down)

Uhhh...where did the last two months go?

2008-05-01T11:07:00.001-04:00

I'm here...

And there is a long post in me somewhere. Please stay tuned...and I'm really really sorry its been so long.

My new cable needle

2008-03-02T17:50:00.010-05:00

First of all...a little instructional bit for the non-knitting readers who read this blog...all four of them. The rest of you may skip down below the line for the actual adventure.

Righto - the bent needle on the right is a cable needle. The obsessive types who prefer to make their own sweaters instead of doing the sane thing and buying them from the store use needles like this...

...to make these (photo blatantly stolen from here and they use a different style cable needle in this drawing but you get the pciture):

Okay - short tutorial is now over.

____________________________________

Now personally, I am not a big fan of the cable needle. It takes no small amount of dexterity to manage it, the cable needle flops around in front or in back of your knitting...etc. etc. Plus I like the idea of extreme cable knitting - letting those stitches hang out in space for a few moments and risking it all.

Seriously though. The universe, it appears, has something different in mind. The universe seems to think I need a cable needle.

On Saturdays the kids have music lessons. Unfortunately, the place where they have lessons does not have a waiting room. Also, the kids do not have lessons at the same time. This means I get to hang out in the car with whichever child is not in a lesson for that half hour. I had just come back to the car after sending Alex off. It seems Madeline generously put my bag with my knitting and my book on the front seat so I would have them.

In my bag were four of these - beloved sock needles (el cheapo Aero 2.75mm for the detail-oriented)

Even though I SAW the bag, for some reason I figured I would pull the bag out from behind me AFTER sitting down.

When I regained consciousness* - I had a new cable needle. Plus a hole in my jeans and a very sore behind.

So its true. You too can make your very own cable needle. All you need is your ass.

*In my defence I did not actually lose consciousness. After the searing pain I caught my breathe long enough to squeal "Get it out! Get it out" to Madeline.

Edited to add: No worries - Tetanus booster is up to date.

Flying in...and out again

2008-02-27T18:52:00.004-05:00

Beret out of vintage (1980's) alpaca...done!

Pattern? Basic Tam from One Skein Wonders

Needles? 4.5 mm Options DPNs

Yarn? Mousarde (I keep calling it "moutarde" which is French for mustard)

It was minus (insert ridiculously cold sounding number here) degrees this morning and this hat was a godsend. I look really dumb in most hats - anyone remember when the Yarn Harlot modeled the toque? I look worse than that. But I can do the beret/tam. So can Madeline as you can see. I particularly like the top.

Tomtem jacket - done! Pics don't include buttons but I will save that for when the jacket is modeled by its rightful owner...

Pattern? EZ's Tomten Jacket as described in Knitting Without Tears

Yarn? KnitPicks Bare DK Superwash - hand-dyed with Profast Acid Dyes in coordinating colours

Needles? Boye 4.5 mm straights

Sudden appearance of spacing between lines? Blogger.

Jacket back - love me some hood!

Lastly - a recipe...

Prepare 9x13 baking dish.

Turn to stove and begin to preheat.

Turn back to baking dish.

Voila!

Cassoulet de chat noir

I recommend a nice Pinot Noir.

Blog Post of Reckoning

2008-02-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

Today was the day. The day to pull out the knitting basket and find out what the hell is actually IN there. And it wasn't pretty.

But first up - kitchen pics because someone has been asking and who am I to refuse?

The counter is actually a bit more rosy than the picture which makes it warmer than it looks. I absolutely LOVE it and now that it is 99% done I couldn't be happier.

New in the knitting stash

My mom was cleaning out and found a sweater she had started sometime in the 80's. The wool is long since discontinued Laines du Plassard Mousarde - a wool alpaca blend that was probably pretty expensive back then since there was far less alpaca around than there is now. There is a whole lot of this raspberry colour and some lighter pink. There is also a very small amount of shiny pink silk. I had to frog a sleeve and a half - its roughly a worsted weight from what I can tell and I've decided to try a tam from One Skein Wonders.

Next - a lovely package arrived from the most awesomest Secret Pal Angel ever and contained two skeins of SWTC Kara - thanks Lorena!

Some dyed stuff

I also had a few dye days at the end of December -

On the yarn front:

I dyed two skeins ofKnitPicks Bare DK Superwash in coordinating solid and variegated colours.

I also did some coordinating DK in blues and started the Elizabeth Zimmerman Tomten Jacket from Knitting Without Tears - a great and quick knit. Utter genius design.

And another skein of KP Bare Fingering Weight Merino in black and blue stripes.

Dyed rovings

Two 4oz Merino-Tencel rovings

And two 4oz Merino rovings

Lastly - the WIPs in addition to those above...

A couple of second socks

A new homework sweater - EZ EPS sweater for Alex with a cable in the front in a lovely bulky brown wool who's exact name escapes me.

The Mystic Water Shawl KAL - in Infinity Lace Weight from my local LYS. This is supposed to be in blues but I just love the yellows and oranges. The yarn is a bit stiff and shows the stitches just beautifully. I have to confess that I am not entirely in a lace knitting mood - am I the only one who prefers to knit lace in the summer?

Still - I am continuing to plug away at my Mystery Stole 3 - I've finally gotten to the wing and it was a nice change from the rows upon rows of Cat's Paw in the previous section. I do think I will dye the stole another colour when it is complete - I am leaning towards a light turquoise.

There are more FOs but I won't put them all here. Lizard Ridge, the Dale of Norway sweater, felted clogs for my sister's (now past) birthday...

So there it is - the reckoning is done and now I had better sit down and actually knit...after I get over to Ravelry for the all important update there.

A severe case of blog ennui

2008-01-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

Anyone else have a bad case of “January”?

If you aren’t sure, the symptoms associated with “January” are:

1. Regret at having foregone making resolutions because it’s now the end of January and you haven’t even failed at anything yet.
2. Sore toes from kicking the humungous block of ice stuck to the bumper behind the back tire on your car.
3. A bill from the repair shop because even though you finally got the ice off the bumper? It also took out the electrical wires that run the brake lights.
4. A nagging sense of not moving forward.
5. Sick of all your hand-knitted winter stuff? Yeah, me too.
6. Inability to even imagine what being warm when outside feels like.
7. The realization that even a touch of beige would brighten things up outside.
8. You recognize winter festivals for what they are: pathetic attempts by the establishment to keep the masses from becoming angry (and therefore riotous and looting) as winter grinds on and on and on and on…

Just me?

Anyway – there is some knitting happening. But there is also a BUDGET.

And as any knitter knows, the budget has many drawbacks but the worst of it is the need to knit from stash. And spin from stash. Back before the Great Money Sucking Kitchen Renovation of 2007, I pulled out the spinning stash and people? I may not have knitting stash beyond life expectancy but I would if I spun up everything!

So for my next post (i.e. when I am NOT blogging on company time) I will get some purty dyeing pictures up for you…and some WIPs.

No FOs though…cause everyone knows that when you are on a severely restrictive yarn diet the only sanity lies in casting on as much of the stash as possible.

Just me?

Picture heavy, text light

2007-12-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how nice it is to be back - typing, knitting and not handing out my credit card to Home Deput/Rona/Canadian Tire four times a day for stuff that should be way cheaper seeing as how its invisible. Like plumbing for example. And electrical outlets. So...

Kitchen update

Remember this (scroll down to the bottom for the horror that was)?

Here it all is on my balcony waiting to be hauled away. That was one fancy kitchen I had going!

See the flat pieces on the left side with the regularly spaced marks? Those would be massive NAILS. Taking up the floor was probably the most tiring and labour intensive part of the job.

But let's not dwell on the past any more than necessary (plus I like the debris picture - how much crap can you fit on the corner of your balcony?).

In with the new! Still work to be done - one last cabinet, hardware and a countertop but much much better...

Play time...

My Christmas present to me this year was some new dye colours that I ordered last week from Pro Chemical and Dye. I tend to like the Washfast Acid dyes...lots of colours and good lightfastness etc. Plus the price is right.

Last night I pulled on the gloves and went a little nuts on about 100 grams of South African top. It started out looking less than promising...

But somehow, it always turns out in the end. This braid (yes I learned how to braid roving - there is something about braided roving that just makes my ridiculously happy) is so much prettier than this picture - there is a lot more turquoise, deeper purples and blues and bits of magenta in there. I really need to figure out how to take good pictures of roving and yarn.

I deliberately kept the dye from fully penetrating. When it is spun, the white portions will lighten the darker parts when it all blends together a bit.

A few finished things...

The Fleece Artist favourite soft mittens mentioned in the previous post. Perfect for the snowy weather we're having right now.

I have a few skeins of Mirasol Miski burning a hole in my stash. This started as a hat band (as I was inspired by J and Leanne and their beautiful Coronets) but when I picked up the stitches for the brim it really didn't work so now it is a neck warmer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the naked baby llamas in Peru for their fleece - this stuff is nice! And the stitch definition is better than I hoped. It also has a lovely halo without it being "too much."

An EZ EPS Raglan sweater for Madeline. I really enjoyed knitting this - particularly when I finally got past the arms and was knitting up the chest. I followed the directions in Knitting Without Tears - including the instruction to start the neck when there are 10 stitches left to decrease at the shoulder but next time I will follow The Sweater Workshop instructions instead which have you begin the neck when there are still 20 to decrease. It was challenging to get a loose enough cast off to fit a head through.

Madeline likes it although she seems to think its a bit too warm. I think it will be really great in the Spring when the days start out cold but it gets too hot for a winter coat in the afternoon.

We have put up our mini-tree. Presents (except for the Santa gifts of course) are making little fingers a bit itchy. I will be able to get some photos of the Wedding Dress Quilt when it is revealed on Christmas morning...I can't wait to show you all how it turned out!

Happy holidays to everyone who celebrates this time of year!

I'm doing better

2007-12-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hi all -

Just a quick note amidst the Christmas rushing that I am doing better -- thanks to acupuncture. While I'm a bit freaked out that I am paying someone money to stick me full of needles, I am thrilled to have some relief.

Typing is still a bit troublesome which makes work...um...interesting.

But I can knit without my fingers doing an impression of "blocks of ice" -- and I can spin! Unfortunately, between the kitchen reno (still waiting on countertop but otherwise its working) and the carpal tunnel, I lost significant Holiday Knitting time. Still there are some FOs coming up...and some pics of the kitchen. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to update.

Thanks to everyone for the notes of concern. The potential loss of my hands (I know that sounds wierd) was really pretty scary for a few days there. It helped to know that many others have had this problem too!

Short...I hope...hiatus

2007-11-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

The kitchen has definitely taken up a lot of time and energy lately. And its coming along fine. I have a working kitchen which is all I can ask for right now.

This is not why I am declaring a hiatus.

My hands are numb and its 24 hours a day at this point...it seems likely to be carpal tunnel, but could also be pinching in my neck. Eitherway, I can only type or knit for short periods of time.

I will try to post pics occasionally and even some knitting if I don't have to quit altogether for a while (cross fingers I don't).

I can't tell you how depressing this is, given I am a fibre fiend. Sucks completely when you can't actually feel the yarn!

I am off to the dr's soon and checking out acupuncture tomorrow morning.

Cross fingers for me...and if anyone has any good advice or experiences please let me know!

Show some love!

2007-11-23T12:52:00.000-05:00

Hey guys -

Chriss of the comments - spinner, knitting teacher extraordinaire, designer and all around nicest of persons - has opened her online shoppe! Head on over to check out roving handspun, stitch markers and buttons.

I beg you...someone please buy the purples and blues roving...my stash is bursting at the seams and no more roving is allowed in until some goes out!

Hey!

2007-11-19T13:40:00.000-05:00

"Um...Miss? Back in here in the last row! Waving my hand in the air!!!"

Many apologies to everyone for not posting, commenting on other blogs or even, really, knitting much at all.

Normally I'd skip the excuse and get to the good stuff...except there is no good stuff, only the excuse.

I am renovating the kitchen. Yes, still.

I am in the third circle of hell. How do I know this?

First, there is no running water.
Second, there is no counter upon which to put my screwdriver which is probably why I keep losing it.
Third, I am glad I got my tetanus shot booster.
Finally? There's no yarn here and the last time I picked up a knitting needle was to clear the vacuum hose that was clogged with bits of vintage linoleum.

Please save me.

Thanks to SP10 - goodbye kitchen from hell - Hello startitis!

2007-10-28T15:57:00.000-04:00

(insert usual bloggy excuses for lameness of recent blogs, lack of updating and general laziness. Done? Good...let's move on...)

First up...recent acquisitions and mergers!

First of all, there was a serious destashing that involved handing off some really yummy yarn I knew I'd never get around to knitting, or it was really nice stuff but not in a colour that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I think that since this is a hobby I should only work with the warm and fuzzy stuff right? Right!

I didn't take a picture of the bag'o'wool that I took over to my buddy's place but let's just say that she recently got re-bitten by the knitting bug, I owed her some $ so we agreed that I would send some yarn her way. I parted with some handspun and no small amount of sock yarn. She's happy and now I have room in my shelves for this stuff -

Delicious package from my SP10 pal (who still hasn't told me who she/he is!) From left to right: RowanTapestry, Artesano hummingbird, Colinette Jitterbug, and Colinette Parisienne. Yummy!

Knit-Wise SoySilk lace weight in yellow-orange. Its 100g with a whopping 1400 yds in it. It feels a bit stiff so I'll be interested to see how it knits up and if it softens up at all. I have no plans for it...yet. Purchased at the Ottawa Knitting Guild Vendor night from Yarn Forward.

Some people got to go to Rhinebeck. Nancy, Leanne and I went to Poor Woman's Rhinebeck (Nancy gets the credit on that one). I found a terrific kit with lace blocking wires (sorryI don't remember the vendor). Here's what else I got:

200 grams of Fleece Artist Silk Merino sliver...isn't it shiny?!

Last of all, I was in Merrickville this weekend for a few hours and was about to leave when I spotted a promising little antique shop. I walked through and then decided to double check the sunporch area which had all the nifty antique farm implements. I looked up and spotted these dangling from the ceiling - so here they are dangling from mine:

Sock blockers! Don't ask me how old they are, I have no idea. But the wood is nicely worn and they look like they were well used and loved.

Next up...new projects! I have NO idea what the hell has happened to my brain but suddenly I want to cast on EVERYTHING I have waiting in the wings...and some other stuff besides. I think its the cooler weather. I love fall - it always feels like the beginning of the year to me and my energy seems to peak. So, I just decided to stop judging myself for so many projects and just do what I want, rather than what I think I should.

Henry - as previously mentioned. Now that I have finished one of the seven repeats, this is going to be a looong knit. For my dad, for Christmas. Maybe.

Charlotte's Web Shawl - but not in Koigu - that's Handmaiden 2 ply silk cashmere that has been hanging out in my stash for 2 years. Probably the most expensive yarn I own. This pattern fits my criteria for this yarn perfectly - pretty and worn against the skin. It will be a small shawl - but perfect for wearing with a coat.

Latvian mittens - specifically the Mittens from the District of Latgale from Lizbeth Upitis' book . I am modifying the pattern because there are 8 rows of that braid you see and knitting it is awful! - Each braid is two rows of alternate colour purling. The yarn tangles, its slow and makes me want to scream! So I am going to add a whole bunch of extra patterning in the wrist portion and skip the damn braiding.

Next up - breaking out the sewing machine. My 1995 wedding dress was looking pretty dated:

Last weekend I began deconstructing it - removing the skirt and all the beading around the neckline, arms and waist. I will be dying the silk a deep blue and I picked up some dupioni silk to dye as well. The plan is to make a quilt for Madeline as a keepsake. I was able to pull hundreds of beads off it too. I would like to use my handspun natural alpaca and make a beaded stole as a gift to Alex should he ever marry - I have some time since he's only 8. I'll post some pictures as soon as the dyeing is done.

Close up of the back detail and embroidery on the silk.

And finally - the money is starting to disappear as I buy the stuff for my new kitchen. The reno is going to be the week of Nov 12th. I get to say goodbye to this:

And maybe more notably this little monstrosity that drips no matter how often we tighten or replace the do-hickey's inside the thingamajig.

If you are still with me...thanks for hanging in there!

Now we are ten...

2007-10-18T19:59:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow Madeline turns 10...and I guess so do I!

I try to celebrate a bit the day before - the anniversary of the day I finally went into labour with her. Becoming a parent is such a huge life-altering event -more so than any birthday or anniversary - that I think its important to take a day to remember too. Frankly Mother's Day doesn't do much for me and its too much a Hallmark holiday. So today I am a ten-year old mother and its been quite a rush! I think I'm doing pretty good...although I think I was just lucky to have such a great kid!

Here she is...and she's 10...how cool is that!!!

Visiting Disney World

A new definition

2007-10-15T15:34:00.001-04:00

Depressing: Adding a map to your blog and only having one spot on it (and you know its yours).

Stopping by with thank yous!

2007-10-01T13:52:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone for the insightful and supportive comments on my earlier post. I am feeling more at peace now that some time has passed and I've come to accept a new phase of being in my own skin. Its pretty damned comfortable here (if slightly roomier than I like!).

My last two weeks have been unbelieveably busy but here are the highlights...

1. I don't normally blog about work or even brag about it, but I was the lead on the team that did the focus group testing, branding and creative for this. And last week we got an award for it!

2. I made two trips to Toronto in two weeks (please don't ask how much time I spent in the car - I'm still having post-traumatic stress disorder reactions). The good thing was a very fruitful trip to Romni which may have resulted in some spending. For once I went there with an agenda in mind - I wanted fiber for Henry, Charade (scroll down a bit to see the lovely ribbon cardi wrap from Annie Modesitt's Romantic Handknits book) and more Noro Kureyon for Lizard Ridge.

I couldn't afford the Berroco Zen at $13-$15 per ball. I needed 1o balls so I went on a hunt around the store for a worsted weight ribbon. I found Romni's own labeled brand in 100% silk - more yardage per ball (I only needed 7) and only $7.99 each. I wasn't keen on any of the colours so I grabbed white white and will dye it myself.

For Henry I got (be still my heart) - Lana Grossa Seta Cashmere - gorgeous! And yes I've cast on and damn are those rows EVER LONG!!!

3. http://www.needleartsbookshop.com/- open house! I trekked back into Toronto from Whitby on Saturday to get to this sale. I have been desperately wanting the Latvian Mittens book ever since the Harlot knit a pair (remember the ones where she ended up with two right-handed mittens?) a while back. Plus I am obsessed with really complicated colourwork mittens.

I might have also slightly enhanced the stash with this and this (scroll down to see the wool) in black to make it out of.

4. Ava and Luke - I had a lovely time cuddling the little ones at wannabaa's (of the comments). Luke is definitely 2 but not terrible at all - he so energetic and the way he talks totally cracks me up. Ava is adorable. Which is a good thing because Ava is not the happiest baby and at this point I suspect that a fierce maternal sense of responsibility and the cuteness might be the only things keeping her from going out with the trash once a week. Having a newborn is hard enough...a newborn determined not to sleep and only soothed by nursing or being carried a certain way quickly drains a whole lot of joy from the whole experience. Hopefully she'll get happier when she can more and express herself more clearly. In the meantime, send good thoughts to wb - she needs 'em!

Hopefully soon again...with pictures. Not much in the way of FOs and way too many UFOs but it does make for interesting blogging.

Huh??

2007-09-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

What are you doing here?

The new Knitty is up.

How do you fill the empty spaces?

2007-09-13T11:01:00.000-04:00

My marriage ended about 5.5 years ago after 11 years of being together. I can only describe the time before I met K (BK) and after (AK) as times of desperation – wanting to have a relationship, believing with all my heart that love was out there etc etc. And while I was married I always felt there could be something more or better than what I had. After a 2.5 year relationship (call it a rebound that last WAY too long if you like) I’ve now been on my own and not really looking for about 2 years.

The thing is…I like it.

For most this would be enough. As in “I’m here and I’m happy – don’t question it.” If you know me however, this kind of staying still is not in my nature. I don’t exactly excel at living in the moment. In the past, looking for something “more” or looking to the future meant a relationship and somehow everything else – the job, the house, the extras that make life what it is – would just…well…follow. So for well over a year I have not, for the first time in over 25 years, been looking for “love.”

Lots of reasons for this have filtered through my head:
- I don’t want to compromise with someone
- I don’t want to deal with someone else’s baggage/crap/opinions/judgements
- I am not particularly loveable (more of a premenstrual opinion)
- I am not at my best in a relationship
- Sex is messy and I don’t want to deal with it right now
- I don’t want to have to live up to someone else’s expectations

Not that these really matter, because what I realize is that the absence of the Relationship Goal has left a void that I don’t know how to fill. I don’t know how to live if I am not looking for that thing.

So instead, I obsess about why I don’t want it. I try to decide if not wanting it is healthy. I try to decide if I don’t want it because I am broken. I try to figure out if I have become either a) a lesbian or b) asexual or c) monosexual. I suspect that c is the most likely but think that expecting to live the rest of my life without sex with another person is a bit ludicrous.

I realize I had so much invested in this great search that without it I am at a bit of a loss when it comes to envisioning the future.

So if you have any suggestions for how to replace desire and passion for another person with desire and passion for yarn, and still be able to make mortgage payments, I’d be happy to consider any and all options.

Its all about the love bay-bee!!!

2007-09-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

I may have joined the dark side.

Well kind of. I spent my weekend teaching myself to crochet. Here’s the thing. I love to crochet – its fast and satisfying. I can finish a dishcloth in under an hour.

Here’s the other thing – I still hate how crochet looks. To me it all looks like variations on Granny Squares. I may never progress past dishcloths since that seems to be the only thing these are good for.

Except Tunisian crochet which is very cool. Of course the fact that you can crochet a passable stocking stitch may be what makes it appealing. May as well just knit!

So thing to love #1: Crochet. Kind of.

Thing 2: my angel partner from SP10. With all the issues I had with my original pal (thanks again for the book, if you sent anything else I never got it!!), I was assigned an angel – and man! She’s good!

Lorena posted my parcel in mid-August and IT NEVER ARRIVED. Between the Board turfing, daughter’s bike being stolen from my carport and possible mail thievery I was ready to stick a for sale sign on my house and move to Wawa. Just when I had given up for good and told Lorena not to tell me what was in the parcel (I can only handle so much heartbreak at once), it arrived!

The box looked like it had travelled from Florida to Ottawa via Columbia but still – it was mostly intact! And what wonderful stuff indeed! Lorena totally “got” me. 100 calorie chocolately snacks, delicious yarn, Florida yummies (key lime!) and of course, yarn and roving. Here are the pics with more deets.

This photo is all about vices. If she had thrown in a pack of cigarettes it'd be complete. Thankfully I am nearly full time quit these days so its just food and coffee. From the left - key lime jelly, Newman's Own fair trade coffee, 100 calorie packs of little cookies, key lime chocolate bar and Crunch sticks (which may be gone already...ahem). So - tummy? Feeling the love.

Next a sideways picture of Burt's Bees healthy hands kit (has almond butter, cuticle cream, something else I can't remember and cotton gloves to help it all soak in), a very delicious lavender/mint bar of soap that has already become a favourite of mine and the kids, and two CDs of music. Unfortunately the green one got mangled...but Lorena has excellent taste in music. Hello! Barry White, Indigo Girls, great stuff I've never heard, Joni Mitchell - eclectic but it all works somehow. My Ipod is happy. So - senses of smell, hearing and touch? Feeling the love!

And of course I saved the best for last - 8oz (!) of merino/tencel blend roving, 4 balls of Plymouth Yarns Royal Bamboo in oranges and yellows that is begging to be knit into something but I don't know what (maybe time to jump on the Chevron scarf bandwagon?), some golden yellow dye (the one colour I was missing from my collection) and the blue skein is Jitterbug! So my wheel and needles? Love love love.

Thanks Lorena!!

Other knitting news - no new FOs but lots of stuff is moving along nicely. My hands are suffering from the crochet as I learn new motions and my muscles adapt. I find when I am learning I tend to be too tight and I start fighting with the yarn which probably doesn't help much. Its getting better as I loosen up the stitches a bit. I am finding that it has significantly improved my ability to let the yarn flow through on my left hand - a challenge for me since I knit by throwing with the right. I suspect my fair isle will be all the happier for it since I knit with both hands for colourwork.

Voted out!!!

2007-08-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

Well...when all was said and done we were ousted from the Board of Directors which means I get my life back (or at least my first Monday night of every month I can go to my guild meetings now! We shall see how the new board does...it is always easier to be in the opposition than it is to be in charge. I will be living in interesting times I think.

But there is MUCH better stuff going on.

First, an update on my spinning brain. I visited my friend's husband who is familiar with the Epley maneuver and although Joe did not think I was properly diagnosed, I have not had any dizzyness since then. So happily the world seems to be remaining upright again!

I am on my second week of my second set of summer holidays. It has been fairly relaxing (if you don't count last night's meeting and vote) - there has been a lot of knitting and today I finally sat down to spin for a bit. The Gem and I are still getting acquainted. I seem to either overspin or underspin and everytime I sit down it takes a good 10-15 minutes for this to stop - then I just overspin. Sigh. Hopefully we will reach some sort of negotiated settlement soon and since the wheel is inanimate and I am the thinking being I imagine it will involve me giving in somehow to the preferences of the wheel.

On the FO front - I whipped up a pair of Soft mittens from a gorgeous Fleece Artist kit I received as part of the Coffee Swap from Elizabeth (still no blog!!). The colourway is exclusive to Baadeck Yarns in Nova Scotia and makes me think of late September in Halifax. My ex-in-laws live in NS and I miss visiting there very very much! The kit comes with two skeins - one of Bluefaced Leicester and another of kid mohair that are knit together in a very simple mitten pattern. This is the first mohair I've touched that doesn't make me want to itch my skin off and I think this is going to be the warmest winter my hands have had in a long long time.

I adore knitting mittens. The Northern Lights were so much fun and so were these. I even had enough left over for a little pair of fingerless gloves that Madeline has declared are hers. I am very happy that I ordered the Selbuvotter book from Knit Picks and can't wait to play around with the colourwork patterns once I clear out some of my other WIPs. So without further ado...Alex modeling mittens and the fingerless gloves.

Finally - I totally neglected to mention the lovely stitch markers that Jeanne sent me a few weeks ago - we swapped these for some handdyed striping sock yarn I did up a while back.

I do not generally own fancy stitch markers - I usually end up with cheapo plastic markers - and tried using jump rings (argh! not a good option if knitting lace - consider yourself warned). I love these passionately and thank you so much for them Jeanne!!! I should mention that I think these come from Jeanne's friend Chris' etsy shop but I seem to have lost the business card that came with them...so Jeanne, if you read this, could you please put the link in the comments?? And correct me if I am wrong?

Last of all...the ever hungry Ava received her sweater and her mother kindly squeezed her into it for me...I suspect it will now become an very cute teddy bear sweater...

Behold Ava - wearing the Baby Sausage Casing Surprise Jacket (dubbed by her mother). Clearly another sweater will have to be knit - something that will last for more than 2.5 milliseconds...

Take it off her quick! I think she's going to blow!!!!

As World Turns…um…Spins

2007-08-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

I have been busy, but very dizzy these last few weeks. In no particular order I…

Dyed Wool!

On the 4th, the loveliest of hostesses J at After Asia invited the Ottawa knitters to her place in the country for a day of dying on her lawn. In addition to J, there was Leanne of the fabu Kitchener Stitch (among her many talents), Sarah whose Klaralund I to covet, Linda, Nancy, a few more knitters (and a spinner) I never managed to introduce myself to.

We got together ostensibly to dye, but also to say goodbye to Tara who is off on a two-year assignment to Sudan and Mairie who is moving to Toronto and is one of the most exquisite knitters I have ever met. Far better knitters than I have wonderful pics on their blogs – check out Leanne and Nancy above. Grieve for Nancy who loves kittens but couldn’t take one home.

I had Alex with me…and two skeins of KnitPicks Bare fingering weight merino (you may decide which I felt was more important – why ruin the fun!). I let him choose the colours for the first skein from the acid dyes. It turned out beautifully!

I dyed the second skein with Kool-Aid, and less satisfactory results. Leanne and I agreed…it was definitely meh.

Dyed More Wool!

Since we both had skeins we were less than happy with, Leanne came to my house last night and we overdyed. I managed to turn the Meh Skein into something a bit funkier by immersion dyeing it in a diluted violet without too much stirring – it has an almost tie dyed quality now. And I like it much better…I think.

Got Ravelrized!

Come on by and visit if you are there too - screen name is ambergem after this lovely girl

Developed Startitis!

Oh Jeanne I am envying you and your August UFOs!! (good work though – don’t let me stop you – I am just wondering why it is that for every one you finish I seem to cast one on?)

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Raspberry
Needles: 4.5 mm
Pattern: Seamless Raglan from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Without Tears and Knitting Workshop

FOs! FOs! More and more FOs!

Baby Ava’s Baby Surprise Jacket got done and not a moment too soon. It is so small that if her mother doesn’t put it on her RIGHT NOW, the difference between a baby sweater and one for a teddy bear is probably only one feeding away. Hopefully I will have pics soon but in the meantime, here is the finished product. In retrospect I wish I had done a crocheted edge around the neck.

Yarn: KnitPicks Palette – leftovers from Northern Lights Mittens
Needles: 4.00 mm Options
Pattern: Baby Surprise from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop

And when you feel like all your projects are HUGE and will never get done…then its usually time to whip up a washcloth or two.

Spun!

I have been spinning a bit – right now I have some of this incredibly slick copper coloured superwash merino I purchased at The Black Lamb when I bought my wheel. I am spinning it quite thin and thinking narrow lacy scarf thoughts.

And finally...spinning that is a lot less crafty!

Last Tuesday I suddenly started to get quite dizzy. Turns out I am suffering from a benign positional vertigo – a huge improvement over the inoperable fast-growing cancerous tumour I was fretting about (we like to practice extreme self-diagnosis in my family). Basically I can do weird exercises and try to dislodge some loose particles in my inner ear that is disrupting the fluid and causing me to feel off balance.

All I can say is…whhheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Some people have to take drugs to feel like this!!!!

On Friday I start two weeks of holidays...and not a moment too soon!

Drive by posting...

2007-08-02T05:50:00.000-04:00

I should be getting ready for work...really. But. Well. I just don't wanna go.

Warning - the following paragraph may contain whining.

I hate my job right now and the petition to remove the Board at my condo has been received and Deposal Day is August 27th. I'm not sure if I am looking forward to it or not. And it going 35 degrees today with a humidex of 45 - which registers as "Disgusting" on the Weasley thermometre.

Done! Thanks for hanging in there!

Now the good stuff.

First of all -- I was blissfully unaware that August 1st is the best day of the whole year. For some, this day is Christmas, for others the beginning of tax season and for still others its the first day of school.

For me its the day a very very important book arrives in my mailbox. I am saving the reading until I am ready. Ready will be a quiet house. The cats are resting so nothing is going to get broken. I have a steaming cup of coffee beside me. Then its time to dive in. Time to dive, straight and deep, right into the heart of the IKEA catalogue. Harry Potter is just going to have to wait.

Next up - an FO!!!

Northern Light mittens from Knitpicks - knit as shown with the same colours (yarn is Palette). Knit on dpns of unknown size (thicker than socks though - maybe a 4mm or so). I love them with a fondness that is bordering on unnatural. They were a fun, if not quick knit. My fairisle sucks big time but they shore do look purty from afar!

I so loved the colourway - and had so much left over - that I immediately embarked on my next bit of obsessive knitting...

Pretty no?

Is this one more clear?

Its Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket. Everything you have heard about brilliant design? EZ's genius? ALL true.

In order to knit this, I had to put aside my Mystery Stole. I am on Clue 3 and as of Friday will be completely behind when Clue 5 is released.

The excitement and speculation are mounting - cause Melanie is going to reveal the theme that day to the Yahoo group. (by the way, my guess is the elements - the border looks like water - the graphical bit like wind, then flames above the diagonal lines...and the next bit looks like rocks to me)

Both of these have shoved aside the Dale Fairisle Sweater with Scary Steeks...

...and my sister's Christmas Pelerine (another EZ project from Knitting Workshop - its a shawl with three brilliantly placed increased that give it a trapeze shape - it comes to a point at the back and at each arm. Very mindless knitting.

That's the Romni Boucle I dyed a while back in violet, turquoise and brilliant blue but its impossible to see in pictures.

Next - a single sock...this is Go with the Flow from Favorite Socks in Tofutsies. We are celebrating the completion of sock 1 and now can look forward to sock 2 since this fine lady sent me the Favorite Socks book just yesterday!!! I might have copied out the lace charts from the book when I borrowed it from the library and then I might have lost them.

I love love love the lace on these. They are a bit loose - which is worrying me in a nagging way I am choosing to ignore and will cast on the second one anyway - but I had to add 1/3 more stitches - not only because I have Fred Flintstone feet (wide, flat and easily double your vehicle acceleration) but because the pattern is ridiculously small. Note to self: pedicure!

Here's a lacey closeup.

There's plenty of other projects floating around - like Lizard Ridge (4 blocks knit - a zillion to go)

The nagging voice in my head is telling me to get ready for work. I must obey the voice.à

Edited to add at 1:09 p.m. - I am 14 people away from Ravelry!!!! Tonight? Tomorrow? Can I elbow people out of the way virtually?

Quick update…yes, I suck at the blogging right now

2007-08-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

I will update soon, I promise. There is an FO and half an FO. Some more on the needles projects. And, well, what can I say but I got sucked in and now I can’t wait until Friday (any guesses why??)

Quick news in no particular order:

1. YAY SP 10 Pal…after much issue with mail, I got a first package from my mysterious SP 10 Pal. She/He sent me Knitting Color. I had taken this out of the local library a while back and never got around to reading it.

I am so glad to have it! It is almost more of a coffee table book than pattern book. The colour combinations and how the author arrived at them is very interesting and I think that, for me, this book is more about inspiration than patterns I would actually knit. As befits a complex colour pattern, the designs themselves are not particularly difficult - the intarsia is where the fun is. What is fascinating is seeing exactly what inspired the design itself – travel pictures from around the world. I will definitely be pouring over this book a lot in the years to come. Thanks Secret Pal!

2. I am impatiently checking my inbox every hour. Why? Here's a hint:

You signed up on June 7, 2007
You are #7542 on the list.
97 people are ahead of you in line.
14368 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

Ravelry…here I come!

3. There is a new person in the world! wanna baa of the comments had a baby girl, Ava Daphne, who popped into the world hungry last Saturday afternoon. Her mother may feel that “popped” is a bit too gentle a term for it.

For some reason I convinced myself she wasn’t due until mid-August. As a result, the knitting is not done! I figure this is okay because a) Ava doesn’t care, and b) her mother is too tired and stunned to notice what she’s wearing right now. I have a more complex sweater in the works, but the sudden announcement inspired sudden action and there is a Baby Surprise in the works now. Pictures when its done.

4. The Condonimium Mutiny continues. We have received a petition for a special meeting. Our management company will send out ballots to all the owners to vote on whether or not to remove each member of the Board. The whispering and glances has died down a bit. Its still emotional but at least now we know what they are up to.

That’s it for now.

I will update when I finally get around to stealing the batteries out of Alex’s Game Boy for the camera!

True achievement!

2007-07-17T14:44:00.000-04:00

My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that 'achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that's nice, too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.'
Helen Hayes (1900 - 1993)

Last spring I was asked by a neighbour if I would become a member of the Board of Directors for the condominium I live in. Now, I’m not exactly up there in the “involved in my community” category, but since I do hand over a significant chunk of change to these folks each month I figured it might be good to understand better what it was being used for.

I arrived just in the nick of time – for the first special assessment the owners here have ever had in nearly 30 year of existence. Turns out our roofs are leaky and the best long term option is a membrane roof. Cool! The money has been collected over the last few years and we are good to go!!!

Or not, since it seems that our attics do not have sufficient fire inhibitors and to upgrade them to meet the building code is going to cost each unit owner $2400. As a member of the board, if we do not do the attic upgrade, we would be liable if there is a fire – not to mention the havoc played with personal home insurance. So now, on top of the usual monthly condo fees, we have had to ask owners to cough up another $70 per month over the next three years.

So, you say – why go with the expensive roof? Why not shingle it instead? Well, every time we put on shingles the damn thing leaks – it’s a structural problem based on bad initial design that affects property values.

The owners are now staging a revolt, or coup or mutiny. However you want to characterize it, its ugly and involves words like “corrupt” and “misleading”. Everyday my neighbours are scurrying around and talking in hushed tones. People who normally don’t give each other the time of day are uniting in anger and pointing fingers at a group of volunteers that unfortunately includes me.

So I have achieved a couple of interesting first for me: first time on a Board of Directors, and probably a first time being kicked off one.

Clearly, success will have to wait for a little while longer. In the meantime, I’m just going to keep on knitting these.

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.
C. S. Lewis (1898 - 1963)

I dare you to call me middle aged!!!

2007-07-08T09:12:00.000-04:00

I went to Canada's Wonderland with the dear son and proved that 37 isn't too old to go on a ride that made me think I was going to die. Actually - this is more accurate. Except that in addition to the screaming I heard Alex say, "THIS IS AWESOME!!!!" That's when I knew I was in big trouble.

We had a great time. I conquered my fear (over and over and over and over). We ate crap. We spent a lot of time in line and upside down. I got soaked on the water ride. It was all good.

Our first day Alex and Luke connected over foam building blocks. Alex built and Luke destroyed. All was well in the world. Luke had a new hero. Although Alex later admitted to Luke's mom that Luke had more energy than he had.

The day before was far more sedate. Day one was a trip to the Toronto Zoo. I love the zoo. Alex loved the zoo but Alex did not like all that walking. What he did like was taking pictures. He took photos of everything. I had to step in and take pictures though because his intentions are great but his execution is not so wonderful. We wandered for about 5 hours and I had to agree that my legs were getting pretty tired too.

I can't help but think that this polar bear is thinking "These people look delicious!"

This was a yarn-free trip because Alex is not a kid who likes a yarn store. In fact, unless it is a video rental place or carries video games, Alex is distinctly unhappy about shopping of any kind. So we did kid stuff. It was really nice to connect with him on stuff we both like. As he gets older and becomes more boyish - and I get more fibre-y in my choice of pastimes - we are connecting less and less. Although he is a lot more interested in spinning than Madeline is. He wants to know how the wheel works, what plying is etc. He asks interesting questions!

This week I have the kids in camp for three days while I paint -- its slow going -- mostly because I lack the resolve to work at it for more than an hour or two at a time.

There has been knitting going on - but not much to actually show.

I did manage to turn this:

Into this:

That's the Couleurs de Provence colours. It is gorgeous and will be off, shortly, to Jeanne who was brave enough to admit to a love of self-patterning sock yarn. I am very pleased with it - particularly since I don't generally like the colours of commercial sock yarns.

I can tell you that skeining self-patterning sock yarn is the most agonizing and irritating of jobs. Having to do it twice because the skeinwinder umbrella thingy collapsed causing all kinds of knots and generally ickiness may have cause a temper tantrum that is, in retrospect, somewhat embarrassing.

We interrupt this blog!

2007-06-29T09:14:00.001-04:00

As of 2 p.m. today I am on holidays!!!! I have no idea if this will mean more blogging or less - depends on how the spinning-knitting-travelling-house renovating goes. Of news-worthiness...

The Ashford Joy is heading off to Port Hope to be consigned tomorrow.
The Little Gem is also travelling to Port Hope because the crank drive band keeps slipping out of its groove - so either there is something up with the wheel or something up with my treadling. Laurie at the Black Lamb will hopefully be able to diagnose the issue. It hasn't stopped me from spinning up some lovely blue merino though!
Tomorrow the young man and I will head out for Toronto in the morning for a fun and fabulous few days of visiting with the blogless wanna-baa of the comments and her family. We have plans to visit the Toronto zoo and then go to Canada's Wonderland where I fully expect that Alex will see to it that I lose 5-10 years off my life expectancy due to the stress of having to go on rides with him.
Knitting progress continues and I hope to have pictures next week.
My neighbour is laying down tile in the bathroom today and I hope that by the time I am back on Tuesday my bathroom will have returned to normal. I have become a huge fan of giving large sums of money to men I don't know very well and then walking away while they fix things around my house.

Back next week with hopefully more interesting stuff and maybe even some pictures!

2007-06-24T18:23:00.000-04:00

Greetings Knitsibs! I have been listening to wayyyy too many podcasts - obviously including Brenda Dayne at Cast On. Overall, I'm impressed with the quality. So far my faves are, besides Cast On, Sticks and String (if only because David could read the dictionary in that lovely Aussie accent and I'd been enraptured), Socks in the City, and Lime and Violet. I also caught Christa Knits recently and it was quite enjoyable (particularly the slam poetry about Canada - I have a wierd appreciation for spoken word stuff - I think its the rhythm and cleverness mixed with performance artiness that appeals to me.

I met some folks!

I managed to get out to Knit night at Bridgehead in the Glebe...and finally got to meet in person the lovely Justine (winner of Blogiversary week 1 prize), Sarah and, finally!!! Leanne! A big hello also to Tara.

If any of you stop by...please say hello - it was wonderful to put faces to names and fondle everyone's yarn and projects! A huge thank you to Mairi who checked out my fair isle and said it wasn't too tight. Mairi is an amazing knitter and everytime I see her she has done something stunning. This time it was mittens that most Latvians would kill for. Gorgeous!!

I finished something!

So anyway, there's been a lot of podcast listening on the bus...which has led to the final finish on Madeline's Second Socks...

Pattern: Yarn Harlot sock recipe from Knitting Rules.
Needle size: depends on the day, I lost a few so I just grabbed whatever seemed close (thanks to Elizabeth Zimmerman for helping me relax about sock needle sizes when knitting on DPNs)
Yarn: Knitpicks Bare fingering weight - dyed by me last year in a first attempt at self-patterning yarn. I am pleased with how it turned out even though I have never really liked the way a) the colours ended up way too pastel and b) the stripes aren't big enough. But Madeline likes them so it doesn't matter. A close up:

And I bought something!!

As my last post hinted...there was a rather expensive accident at the Black Lamb in Port Hope. I can only say this...thank goodness I am not married anymore since this one would have severly strained relations for a good long while...

The short version of the story is that I tried out this wheel on a trip through last year and fell in love with it. I had already bought my Ashford Joy but had only had it a short time. It seemed a bit too early to be acquiring multiple wheels and maybe even upgrading somewhat.

I have been obsessing about the Little Gem EVER SINCE. I really believe that if 24 hours doesn't cure an obsession, then it might be a good idea to buy the item. 12 months is more than long enough to obsess about a wheel. And I will sell the Joy - either locally or the wonderful Laurie at the Black Lamb will take it on consignment.

So here is my new baby...

And finally...in the "messy but worth it" category

There has been some dyeing this week. I don't have pics of everything but I'll try to explain my process anyway. The goal was to get some more self-patterning sock yarn but with longer repeats than my last batch.

I started by winding my skein of Bare into a centre pull ball - at 440 yds thats a BIG ball...almost too big for the ball winder. Next, I tied off the outside end to a chair and started the aerobic part of the exercise - winding around my dining room table, into the living room, around the couch and back to the dining room table. Over and over and over and over...(lather, rinse, repeat)...and over.

Once done I take the unbelieveably huge circle and get three roughly equal lengths together and tie the centre...here - I'm not explaining this well so here's a visual aid...

Next I went looking for inspiration. I had taken a few books about colour out of the library. The one I chose this from is called "Couleurs de Provence" and its absolutely gorgeous. I love picture for the stark red poppy against the golden wheat.

I tried to reacreate the red and gold - and then find an inbetween shade for the third stripe.

Dye powder - bright red and sun yellow...

Mixed up dyes and my napkin test which doesn't show actual colour so much as tell me if the colour is going the way I want it to. In this case I was really looking for earth tones and ended up adding brown to deepen and soften the colour.

Here are the individual arms in their own jars sitting in my canner ready for steaming.

Once the colour had set I rinsed out the yarn and spun it out in the washing machine to get rid of the excess water. Then I hung it to dry. The last skein I dyed I tried to add the stripes before drying it and it turned out to be very frustrating and the dye ran up the yarn and I didn't have much control. This time I tried adding the dye to dry wool. It worked better but I need to find a happy medium - it was hard to get the dry wool to absorb the watery dye. So its true when they say wool is resistant.

Here was the set up for adding the patterning part to one stripe. I used the squeeze bottle to add an earthy green.

I wrapped the green and gold part in saran, put the other two stripe sections into jars and steamed it all again. Here it is after steaming enjoying a nice warm bath in water with a bit of shampoo to get rid of the stinkiness!

After a final spin, the skein is hanging to dry - this picture doesn't do the colour justice. I will get a better picture after I skein it.

Here is something I dyed earlier in the week...blues with...well I'm not sure what I ended up with. Not sure this will work as a good sock yarn - the difference between the blue and the green seems like it might be too much to me. I like the second photo better after the "arms" were separated and the whole thing was skeined properly.

So that's about it for this week. I am spinning some beautiful blue merino Fleece Artist roving and getting a feel for the new wheel. On the knitting front, a fair isle sweater (to be revealed in time) and Lizard Ridge (photos soon I hope - 3 1/2 squares down...21 1/2 to go).

Something expensive happened on the way home from Toronto...

2007-06-17T16:36:00.001-04:00

Apologies for the bluriness -- that's a bit closer than my camera likes.

If you know anyone who wants an single treadle Ashford Joy...I can hook them up...cheap!

More when I have time to update properly.

Ottawa-Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Ottawa (pause) Winchester

2007-06-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

So I've been a bad blogger! I'll leave you to fill in the blanks with all the usual excuses and get to the fun stuff!

Photo-free travel with stash enhancement

Two weeks ago I trekked to Toronto and then Montreal for some focus groups. I was in Toronto on Wednesday morning and decided that rather than sit in my drab airport hotel room and knit a sock while enjoying the fine view (oil refinery to the left, highways to the right -- Canada is supposed to be beautiful, but we still need gas and roads to visit it!) I would take the oh. my. god. expensive taxi into downtown and visit me some wool!

First stop was Romni...of course. I always tell me myself not to go to Romni without a PLAN. A plan for a specific pattern or wool purchase. Unfortunately, any plans I have going in are wiped from my mind by the sheer amount of yarn in there...floor to ceiling sock yarn...its overwhelming.

In a corner near the Fleece Artist I found Romni's own brand and bought five skeins of this:

Its kid mohair-silk-nylon boucle - 400metres per skein for $12.99. Serious bargain compared to the Fleece Artist Goldilocks (which is likely better quality - but WAYYYY more expensive). It is dyeable and the PLAN (now I have one!) is to spin up enough corriedale for a carrying yarn, dye it all and make my sister the shawl I will reluctantly turn into a poncho - cause she's my sister and I love her even though ponchos are just SO 2003. This is for the girl who wears dresses over jeans and for whom hair colour is...optional.

I also picked up some back issues of Knitters and some other stuff I've already forgotten about...oh yeah - two balls of Noro Kureyon for Lizard Ridge. I was quite disappointed that they didn't have any fleece artist merino rovings on hand.

I took a long walk down Queen street and ended up at Americo Original (OMG...who, I ask you, who!!! has a belly button like that???) where I oohed and aahhed and marveled at how a yarn store can look more like Pier 1 than I ever thought possible. I purchased some pretty 5.5 mm dpns for the mittens I will knit up from the fantastic kit my coffee swap partner sent.

Finally - I found my way up to Kensington Market (this is not a short stroll by the way - at this point the balls of feet were burning fiercely and I was regretting a number of things about my clothes) to Lettuce Knit. I got to meet Meghan (actually I introduced myself and forced some handshaking...she was very nice about it though) who sadly pointed out that I would be missing their Wednesday knit night because of my meetings. Meghan did, however, have a nice stash of Fleece artist roving and I scored four matching "skeins". Because of the way that Fleece artists dyes they do not offer consistent roving - its kind of in batches of whatever, whenever. Here it is in all its glory. I loved the fact that Meghan decorated outside the store with roving...definitely my kind of place.

While I was there I eyed this fabulous baby sweater kits and now, because of THIS, I am seriously regretting not throwing my credit card at Meghan and buying twelve of them.

St. Distaff's day and more roving

The next Saturday the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild (OVWSG) hosted the annual St. Distaff's Day at the Community Centre in Winchester Ontario - which is about 30 minutes down the road from me. I brought Madeline who immediately absconded with the two batteries out of my camera to use in the GameBoy and any chance of pictures was lost!

I had a wonderful time at the morning session learning to card colours together - both hand carding and on a drum carder. I did some carding and so did Madeline (it was so nice of all those grown ups to welcome her - there was another child there with one of the vendors that she raced around with a bit in the afternoon).

Now I want a drum carder. I also had a wonderful time chatting with other knitters and spinners around me including the delightful Christine of Daisychains and Buttercups. Please go say hello and wish her luck - she is up to her elbows washing the Shetland fleece she bought at St. Distaff's.

I managed to score a pound of Corriedale roving imported from South America...that is a LOT of roving for me. Might have to commit to a large something or other.

Stash management

I love you Home Depot!!

Home Depot had these fantastic Safari storage boxes - with windows! - and I bought eight of them to manage the stash - the knitting stash mind you. Here is the fabulous stash all organized - one box for sock yarn, one for current projects on the needles, another for orphaned skeins and one for large amounts meant for a single project.

Finished objects

Last of all...I was pretty embarrased by the sheer number of project on the go and the stash management exercise only served to drive home the point that I had a lot going on at once. So I put away a bunch of projects and took out three that I promised to finish before looking at anything else. Oh and to commit to a single pair of socks for bus knitting - I've finished the first sock now and am onto the second one. So - OFF the needles now:

One worry bear for Madeline (named May Beth I am told) -

Pattern: one of the bears from Sandra Polley's Knitted Teddy bears (I owe the library last months mortgage payment I had this one out so long) and the dress I made up as I went along (flower from Nicky Epstein's Knitted flowers)

Needles: 4 mm straights

Yarn: Estelle Watercolours in white, sky blue and navy

One set of felted clogs (just in time for summer!!) I am very pleased with these - they are soft and cozy looking and felted up really quickly.

Pattern: FibreTrends felted clogs

Needles: 9 mm circs

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool

One My So-called Scarf (for the gift drawer - recipient to be determined)

Pattern: From Sheep in the City

Needles: 9 1/2 mm straights

Yarn: Berrocco Foliage in the Carnations colourway

Books

I also enhanced the bookshelf with Lace Style which I have been admiring for ages. I also bought One Skein Wonders. I looked at a bunch of one skein books and this one really had a lot of patterns I though I would knit I found there wasn't a preponderence of shrugs...which are cute if you are young but nearing forty...not so pretty!

Final prerequisite cuteness...

I took the kids to Parc Omega on Sunday - and I just want you to know that when I grow up I want an Arctic wolf cub for a pet. I have never seen anything so cute in my entire life. The cub was chasing butterflies around...I'd put up the picture but I don't have a telephoto lens and he or she is barely visible against the ground.

Here is some homegrown cuteness for you though --

Next week I have an order coming from KnitPicks...I can hardly wait!!

Belated...but in the mail!

2007-06-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the long silence...I have been traveling for work and there's been some pressure!. There has been much knitting, some stash enhancement, some stash management and even a finished object or three! But seeing as how I am at work and they frown on uploading pictures from cameras all that will have to wait for a day or two.

In the meantime - if I owe you something it just went in the mail! Stuff is making its merry way to my Coffee Swap pal, my SP10 pal and the lovely Lo-Sing who won the prizes during blogiversary week 3.

Next time...knitting news, spinning stuff and St. Distaff's day.

Tagged! and my WIPs (shocking photos ahead)

2007-05-20T07:48:00.000-04:00

First of all (and before I forget) - thanks to everyone for the great podcast suggestions. I also found a few from the CBC (especially Comedy Central!) to keep me amused.

Now...

Jeanne tagged me with a meme - I have to come up with 7 random things about me (and by the way...I'm tagging Leanne , Renee and Knitting Granny) ...so here goes...

1. I really only have one eyebrow - years of diligent plucking and waxing make is seem otherwise.
2. I dislike colour combinations for wierd reasons - black and blue (bruise!), yellow and black (bumble bee!)
3. I usually think I'm thinner than I really am...I have NO idea what this means.
4. I'm not dating right now because it seems like WAY too much hassle.
5. On my right foot, the two toes beside my big toe are the same length as my big toe. This was, perhaps surprisingly, not an advantage when wearing point shoes in ballet class when I was 13.
6. I hate housework...passionately.
7. I have a stunning number of knitting projects on the go right now...which brings me to...

UnFinished Objects (a photoessay)

Lizard Ridge - 1 1/2 blocks (out of...24...eek) in Noro Kureyon. The picture doesn't do the colours justice at all. Its a fun and quick knit and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something to knit that doesn't involve buying all the wool at once and who likes a nice sense of accomplishment even if the whole thing isn't done yet.

I'm flying to Toronto on Wednesday and needed something airplane friendly to knit...so bamboo needles. I decided to cast on toe-up socks from the most recent Interweave Knits. So far I'm really disliking 1. the needles which are grabby and rough and not really sharp enough and 2. the Eastern cast on which ended up being either too tight (I thought the needles were going to snap) or too loose. I left it loose and figure I can use the tail to duplicate stitch over the toe to tighten it up. Apple Pie yarn in the Best Friends colourway.

This is a fun and quick pattern from knitty - Sonnet. Its a neat sideways knit but I am a bit confused about how the photo shows a sweater with a boatneck and the way its knit is going to end up with a square neck? Either way it'll be nice...but its almost as though its a different sweater. The nice thing is that you use your stitch gauge and input the numbers into the pattern, calculate your cast on stitches and then just follow along. That's Phildar - a bulky merino that is quite lovely and lofty.

Sigh...I don't want to talk about this one...but I will cause I'm a sucker for punishment. Its My So-Called Scarf in Berrocco Calico. For some reason I keep forgetting how to knit the pattern. And everytime I do 10 or so rows I end up with the wrong number of stitches.

Two destined for the frog pond...Icarus because its been so long I need to start over. And a discloth that my cat decided to pee on. Good thing I was already unimpressed with it. Apparently he was not too impressed either.

"Someday I'll have arms...and a pretty dress...and eyes and a nose. I will be a real stuffed animal! And someone will love me and cuddle me!" (the guilt is gonna kill me). Stuffed bear for Madeline who needs something special to snuggle when she's at Daddy's house and misses me.

Felted clogs from FibreTrends in Patons Classic Wool - also for Madeline. The first clog was a breeze. The second one isn't cooperating as nicely.

Sock in SWTC's Tofutsies - very nice to knit...Yarn Harlot's sock recipe.

Fairisle from Dalegarn - I am very worried about gauge because my swatching was...um...questionable. Cross fingers. Thats Baby Ull.

Conceptual artwork: "Dropped Stitch" - I had to frog this sock for the billionth time a week ago. We are not getting along right now. Have been discussing this yarn's lack of commitment in therapy. I understand that this may be out of my control and must come to terms with the fact that sometimes you just have to let the yarn be a skein or ball and not try to shape it into something else.

Defiance (def.) - Doing something as stupid as jumping up onthe balcony railing just because you can.

IPod has already contributed significantly to my sanity

2007-05-19T10:52:00.000-04:00

Its Saturday. Outside, the sun is shining. The Ottawa Tulip Festival is on. People are jogging along the Canal. There is the smell of spring in the air and everyone is smiling. The patios are full of happy folks drinking coffee.

Or at least this is what I imagine is going on there...

Because right now I am at work...editing 1500 pages of gobbledy-gook filled with undefined acronyms, inconsistent use of numbers in text and ridiculous punctuation.

Somehow the combination of Patricia the Stripper and White Stripes is keeping me from completely losing my sense of humour.

That and the fact that defence departments really do turn EVERYTHING into an acronym.

My goal for today - get out of here by 2:30 so I can get in some balcony spinning before the day is over...

Cross fingers for me!

Happy dance!

2007-05-17T08:21:00.000-04:00

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2222856835555316581

Last night I went out and got an Ipod!

First - welcome to the 21st Century to me!

Second - send me your podcast favourites! I'm looking for podcasts about knitting (duh!), spinning, parenting (particularly if amusing and anecdotal). Or, if there is something out there you think might amuse me, please let me know.

Knitting and spinning are at an all time low. I am hoping to survive work until the 31st and then plan to have that nervous breakdown I keep having to re-schedule.

Thank you Elizabeth!!

2007-05-12T19:27:00.000-04:00

The most fantabulous Elizabeth from Sydney NS has proven herself a terrific swap partner on her first foray into a knitter's swap. Elizabeth and I were hooked up through the Knitter's Coffee Swap.

Want proof of Elizabeth's goodness? For one thing, she proved that in Nova Scotia, the coffee rocks...

As a point of information - the Just Us Guatamalan is amazing and I can't wait to try the Mills Mountain. Then, she confirmed what we all know...that Fleece Artist is one amazing company ...

The roving is Blueberry Mist and the Blue Faced Leicester/Mohair pair of skeins is a Baadeck Yarns exclusive colourway that is inspired by the Nova Scotia fall colours. Can't quite see it? How about another look...

Elizabeth explained all this to me in a wonderful card that explained how she chose all this wonderful stuff. I also got some bonus stuff...a dark chocolate bar (yum!), cat coasters, and some tea. Thanks Elizabeth!

And to close - don't you wish you were a cat?

Last prize...

2007-05-04T10:03:00.000-04:00

...goes to the blogless Elizabeth in Syndey N.S.!!! Since Elizabeth is my delightful Coffee Swap partner she will be getting a grand package indeed!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered - not just for taking a chance but also for sticking around to read my ramblings and respond to my rants. It has been a wonderful year so far and I can only hope that the next one is as good.

Update on the afghan - I sent my mother an email explaining that the afghan has become as painful to knit as ... well I am without a good metaphor today (it is Friday my friends - expect little on Fridays!). Anyway, I have been gracefully excused from the afghan and told to knit whatever I want.

Woohoo...Lizard Ridge, here I come!!!!

Sign of obsession

2007-05-02T14:47:00.001-04:00

I don't have my camera with me at work...but I was standing at the printer and I can see outside over the cubicle dividers - in the distance there is a highrise with a sign on the side near the roof - I read KNITTING - it was actually RENTING.

I was really excited for about 2.5 seconds.

Coffee swap questionnaire

2007-04-26T20:22:00.000-04:00

Apparently I can't resist a good swap - add caffeine and I'd pretty much sell my firstborn to participate!

1. Whole bean or ground? Ground please!

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Either is terrific - not a big fan of bold coffees though

3. Regular or flavored? I love flavoured coffee...unfortunately it doesn't like me. Guaranteed unhappy tummy if it isn't "neat"

4. How do you drink your coffee? I love my half and half or 18% but am trying to cut down on it and have been cutting my cream with skim lately - not as nice but I feel less guilty.

5. Favorite coffee ever? I once bought a half pound of beans from a coffee roastery (is that word?) in Montreal. Divine. Crack in a coffee cup. I still fantasize about it.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? With the exception of preferring milder coffee and no flavours - not too picky.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? No...I like to savour it all by itself...paired with a good crossword puzzle. Convenient as I am trying to en-thinner myself.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? That's about it...pretty easy to please!

9. Yarn/fiber you love? Natural protein fibres - wools, silk and alpaca are favourites. Bamboo is lovely too.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Fun fur, chenille, metallics, ribbons - I'm not flashy and neither is my fibre!

11. What's on your needles? This is where I guiltily admit the number of projects I have - 3 pairs of socks, 2 sweaters, a shawl and a scarf - but thankfully no afghan! I have been given afghan reprieve! More on this in another post.

12. Favorite colors? This is tough to answer - I love reds and jewel tones but I also am developing a strong appreciation for more muted tones. The painting I had in an earlier post from a few weeks ago is a good example of how much I like really saturated colours.

13. Allergies? Not to fibre - so far. I don't mind scents but am not a candle person or wear perfumes.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? Nope - oh wait - certain colour combinations drive me nuts - black and blue (bruise!), red and green (christmas!), black and yellow (bumble bee!)

Thanks (again!) and final blogiversary draw.

2007-04-25T07:10:00.000-04:00

Well...blogiversary month is drawing to a close. Last week's winner is the sadly blogless Lo Sing who lives here in Ottawa and must have "blog begginers" luck because she just found my blog and entered and won!

Final draw is this week and up for grabs are these two skeins of handspun. It is a wool/silk blend (sorry I don't have the percentages). I don't know the yardage but I can tell you there is 100 g (3.5 oz) in there and it is roughly fingering weight (give or take a bit of thick/thin here and there). This is spun from this roving. The colours are definitely watermelon-y and this picture isn't too bad. The sheen from the silk is lovely! If you haven't won already this month, send your entry email to me at ambergem1969 at hotmail dot com by Wednesday next to win!

Sienna is doing semi-okay - she's still iffy on the leg and I probably need more anti-inflammatories but we'll see how things go for a bit.

As for the Afghan from Hell...thanks for the excellent advice - you are all right of course...its just...well there's the never finished Mother's Day quilt guilt (it went un-built) of 1992 to consider...

I'll keep you posted on the ultimate decision.

Thanks...good thoughts helped!

2007-04-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

Sienna seemed a bit rough still but a bit more alert when I got home from work yesterday. She still wasn't eating or drinking and when I brought her downstairs she couldn't seem to control that back leg on slippery flooring (now I know why she was staying upstairs where the carpeting was).

Madeline and I administered her anti-inflammatory (a nice way to say we botched getting the pill down her twice but finally managed it with a minimum of choking). An hour later she showed up downstairs in the kitchen. This morning she tried to trip me going down the stairs when I was going to feed them. I am so relieved! Thanks everyone for the good thoughts.

Now...I need some advice. Last spring my mother asked me to knit her a funky afghan for the back of her couch.

I hate it. I hate the colour. I hate the yarns I chose. I hate knitting it. I have about ten inches knit and every single row feels like torture.

Still they say that you should knit something for someone that they want.

But...my parents are back after four months in Florida on the 5th of May and there is NO WAY I'm going to be close to done. And frankly, I'm very pouty about having to do this. I don't tend to knit for others to a deadline. I tend to knit what I like and give stuff away if its appropriate.

So...should I suck it up and knit the damn thing? How should I explain why its not done? Should I just tell her there's no way?

Finally - how do I manage all the associated guilt?

Sienna

2007-04-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

In the Fall of 1993 I managed to convince my now-ex husband that we needed another cat because our first cat had clearly decided that he was the favoured owner. I wanted MY cat, the cat that would sit on my lap and play with ME.

So after K’s first tentative yes, I called the local humane society and was told that they had a LOT of kittens. I wish I had had a digital camera because a LOT is an understatement. There was an entire roomful of little brown and black tabbies. That poor mother cat must have had 10 kittens – it was chaos in there. The receptionist unlocked the door and wished me luck.

I knew I wanted another girl cat and was fairly confident in my ability to sex the kittens but who to choose first? And how was I going to separate the boys from the girls so I could choose from them? I was wearing a jacket with long tassels that there were kittens jumping from all sides to play with them.

I had put my purse by the door on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I saw this little head pop out of my purse and look at me with big green eyes. I scooped the kitten out of my bag…and promptly fell in love.

Sienna will be 14 this year and she is the sweetest and most loving cat I have ever known. I am hoping I will have her for a few more years. Unfortunately on Saturday she didn’t come down to eat (at her age, she may sleep a lot, but she NEVER misses the chance to witness the food hitting the bowl). When I did find her I prodded her a bit to see if she was just sleepy. There was definitely an issue with standing up and it appears that one of her hind legs is collapsing when she tries to walk. I took her to the vet on Saturday and she’s on anti-inflammatories but they don’t seem to be making a difference. She hasn’t budged from underneath the rocking chair since yesterday afternoon. She doesn’t appear to be eating or drinking.

I am worried sick about her.

Blogiversary Month Continues

2007-04-19T09:52:00.000-04:00

Last week's winner is blogless Wanna-Baa of the comments! Random number generation was witnessed by 3 kids hovering two inches away from my face during the entire process.

I don't have pictures but next week's draw is a dyer's delight...

Winner gets to choose any two of the following three items:

2 silk scarf blanks from Dharma Trading (Habotai and Chiffon)
1 100 g skein of Knit Picks Bare fingering weight merino
100 g of South African top or superwash

As always, please send email to ambergem1969 at hotmail dot com by Wednesday. Good luck to all!

View from my window - 6 a.m.

2007-04-16T06:20:00.000-04:00

Its a nor'easter! Another reason not to live in the nor'east...

Notice my deck chairs...which I put out on the deck on a warm day 3 weeks ago. I haven't actually sat in them yet. I keep reminding myself that in July I'm gonna be complaining about how hot it is.

Happy Monday! There are five people signed up for the fantabulous blogiversary prize draw. Odds are still good so sign up by Wednesday for a chance to win.

And the winner of the 1st week of the Blogiversary draw is...

2007-04-11T18:54:00.000-04:00

Dum da dum!!!!! J at After Asia!

For those who did not win...please try again! The odds are definitely in your favour (1 in 3 to be exact). I think the random number generator is overkill when you are asking for 1 integer out of 3.

Knitting first...new painting...then the next bit o swag...

Oliver has been assembled and is the proud owner of his own little jacket. He needs button cause he's being all show-offy with the bare white chest.

Painting I bought from wanna-baa's (sadly blogless of the comments) mom. I visited Ms. Baa and my short statured cable model-boy for part of Easter weekend. It was a much-needed escape from home. I got to visit a new little yarn shop and bought some Tofusies sock yarn in the Off the Right Foot colourway which is very pretty and soft.

Now I make you look at pictures of my kids - we went to a nearby park for your average Easter Sunday freeze-fest with play structures...

You can decide the caption - either "I'm too cool for this picture taking crap" or "Yo! Don't mess with the Family or you'll end up swimming with the fishes."

This one could be called "My life won't be complete without an Ipod Shuffle" which looks EXACTLY the same as "I know I'm 9 and a half, but please please please could you push me on the swings?"

And this one is just a cool arty shot for me.

And now...ta da!!! This week's up-for-grabs super fantastic blogiversary prizes are meant to make you feel like you are living in a posh apartment reading the New Yorker before heading out for brunch with your cool friends...

We start with literature (so you look as smart as I know you are). As an extra sell - the Red Tent has references to spindle spinning!

Next you get to drink a lovely cuppa tea as you enjoy your refined lit moment - complete with nifty box and funky shaped infusers.

Because I care about you and want to make your life easier...a bookmark so you don't lose your spot. Works equally nicely sticking out of knitting magazines. Comes complete with upbeat quote.

Plus - everyone needs chocolate eggs - even when Easter is over. Plus its Godiva. What's not to like???

And finally - in case you should become verklempt...some super stylin' kleenex that advertising either where you are from, or where you have a friend (oh stop wracking your brain - that's supposed to be me).

Best of luck to all - email to ambergem1969 at hotmail dot com by Wednesday, April 18th for your chance to win.

Idiot!!! New email address...

2007-04-05T18:42:00.000-04:00

If you want to win the fabulous prize below...it might help if I gave you the CORRECT email address...

ambergem1969 @ hotmail dot com

Sorry for the confusion!

Blogiversary month!

2007-04-05T05:49:00.000-04:00

Today is it! I've been blogging for a year and it seems like a good time to reflect on the whole experience. So given my penchant for point form synopses...here are my blog thoughts in no particular order... (by the way, if you want to skip the stream of consciousness and go straight to the good stuff...scroll past the list)

1. Blogging takes on a life of its own -- although it seemed like a diary to start with, the blog itself became its own "thing" very quickly. Like about the same time people started commenting and I realized that I had a small audience out there.

2. Blogging can be a drag -- as in "I haven't blogged recently and no one is going to visit me anymore" Which makes me wonder if I am blogging for me, blogging for others, blogging just because or all three at once.

3. Blogging can be depressing -- when no one posts a comment and I wonder if I a) pissed everyone off or b) am so boring it isn't worth reacting to or c) comeon...it's your blog! who cares!

4. Blogging can be enlightening -- those rambling posts that no one really wants to read through? Those are the ones that seem to feed my soul the best.

I guess that it comes down to the fact that blogging is an inherently social exercise - and like all situations where you put yourself out there for others to see, it contains the same anxieties and successes.

Okay...I've bored you all to tears...now the good stuff. I am going to celebrate my 1 year blogiversary with a cool stuff give-away - some stuff will appeal to knitters, some to spinners and some to everyone. Every week this month I'll post a nifty gift. Anyone who wants in on the draw for it will need to send me an email at ambergem @ hotmail dot com by the deadline. You'll be assigned a number based on the order I get the emails and then I'll use this nifty tool to draw randomly.

First up - for the spinners or felters...50 g of Fleece Artist Blue Faced Leicester roving and Knit Scarves!

Email by Wednesday, April 11th for your chance to win this fantastic prize pack worth...okay never mind ;-)

And we'll end this post with pure bliss...sometimes I wish I could be a cat...

Gentlepeople, we have a problem

2007-03-28T14:42:00.000-04:00

So I'm working away on the at-home computer and suddenly the monitor...is black. As night.

It appears that the monitor is fine (phew!), however my graphics card is a whole 'nother story. So if you have emailed me recently, I am not ignoring you...I am just technology challenged and hopefully once I get someone to help replace the old thingie with a new thingie then hopefully my "computer TV" will be working again and all will be well.

In the meantime - if you are an Ottawa knitter with a blog...go on over here and sign up for the Ottawa Knitter's web ring. Thanks Leanne for posting on her blog about it...and thanks to Karin for setting it up!

100th POST! Randomness

2007-03-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

1. Roving porn - absolutely gorgeous wool-silk blend from Fleece Artist.

2. I have a new obsession – teddy bears. Specifically, teddy bears from Sandra Polley’s The Knitted Teddy Bear. I’ve looked everywhere for this book – and then FINALLY checked my library (love you library!). I can’t recommend this book enough. The best part is that none of the patterns have gauge to stick to. You are knitting it all on the same needle in whatever weight wool you use (she uses DK or fingering throughout) and unless you really can’t keep a consistent gauge – the pieces all end up fitting together nicely. Since I have been struggling mightily to get gauge on a fingering weight fair isle, it is nice to throw caution to the wind and end up with something lovely and antique looking after only a few hours of knitting. Meet Nicolas:

Yarn: Briggs and Little Regal (its a bit heavier than a DK - its a rough wool with a bit of vegetable matter still thrown in) in Forest Brown
Needles: 4.0 mm bamboo

And Oliver:

(He needs some work)

3. I have another new obsession: Heroes. OMG. How addictive is that show? I had heard it was good but now…well, my on again, off again ex-bf is holding the downloads hostage so I can only watch at his place. They saved the cheerleader and I’m pretty sure I’m not on the list although I have seen an increase in my knitting speed (that would be my superpower – faster knitting and always getting gauge – I’m not sure how this would benefit humanity but we’d all be warm and cozy). I have an increasingly complicated relationship with my ex-bf now made more so by television. Evil evil television.

4. I’m pleased to announce that my very belated handspun arrived in Singapore. I think Chrissie is the all time swap champion!

5. I have also heard from my SP10 pals – both my spoiler and spoilee…I am plotting! I have a policy to send along as much Canadiana as possible (no, not Patons Canadiana although it does make nice mittens and such – it just isn’t good spoiling yarn) – Jeanne got Laura Secord chocolates and Smarties for the Spin Roving Swap. Chrissie got some Blue Faced Leicester roving to spin from Fleece Artist for the Spin to Knit swap.

6. The weather. I hate to whine (not true I love to whine but I pretend I don’t for the benefit of others), but this warm-cold-thaw-snowstorm thing is really hard on my psyche. I know, it happens every single year. I’m always ready for spring way before it is ready for me.

7. Daylight savings. Three weeks early. What’s up with that? Everyone around is dragging themselves into work because its so bloody dark in the morning. All for what – its not like we’re actually saving daylight or anything. Apparently I am not the only one having waking up problems:

Back to Oliver...he needs your good wishes...assembly can be tricky.

SP10 - I'm a joiner!

2007-03-08T05:11:00.000-05:00

Yep - I joined Secret Pal 10...mostly cause I like to get mail that isn't a bill or flyer and cause its fun to buy stuff for people that could make them happy.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Soft merinos, silk, alpaca...nothing scratchy (mohairs) -- soft acrylics are good.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

An old old needle holder that belonged to my mother for my straights. DPNs and circs go into a Ziplock freezer bag along with their packaging in case someday I decide to put them away.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Self-taught about 15 years ago. Intrepid intermediate I think.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Who doesn't!

5. What's your favorite scent?

I'm iffy on scents - either love them or they make me feel ill. I do like more natural smells like lavender or sandalwood.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I'm pretty happy with anything that combines fat, sugar and flour. Throw in some chocolate and I'm yours forever. I'm just THAT easy. And Kit Kat bars are, quite possibly, the most perfect food every dreamt up in a kitchen.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I do spin - very much a beginner. I also do some altered art stuff but that seems to have been replaced by manic obsessive knitting.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Lately I'm on a classical music kick - I don't have enough since I left most of my collection behind when my ex and I separated.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I'm a red girl...brights, jewel tones, deep earth tones that are more in the red family (umber instead of sienna for example). I'm not a fan of dark greens or purples.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Two children (7 yr old boy and 9 yr old girl) - 3 cats

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Um...I live in Canada. So yes, yes and yes. But not ponchos...I'm round enough looking thankyouverymuch. Cause when you wear a poncho and it doesn't "skim" your body so much as stick out from it...well...its just not pretty. Body acceptance and ponchos don't mix.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Socks, scarves, shawls -- cabled sweaters but mostly for kids.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Three pairs of socks, two scarves and I just cast on a sweater for my daughter.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Now this entirely depends on the handmade gift...half empty jars of homemade jelly your grandmother cooked up 5 years ago? Not so much. Nice handspun? Now you're talkin'.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I have no preference between straights or circs. I prefer metal needles (aluminum I guess)...yes I am coveting KnitPicks options...but the new Addi lace needles are sounding pretty nice too.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Both. I couldn't spin or dye if I didn't. I'm just not patient enough.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

It WAS 10 years old. I found it in the bottom of my quilting bin last year when I was cleaning up. I had designed a red cabled sweater for my now ex-husband. It got frogged...a lot.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I'm not a big holiday person. But if I get a day off work...its all good! I'm a reluctant tree trimmer and I generally opt out of halloween altogether. Bah humbug!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

You mean besides knitting yarn and wool for spinning and needles and patterns and such? Apples...blue glass...sheep-y stuff.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't subscribe but tend to pick up Knitters and Interweave Knits and Spin-off when I see them. Occasionally Vogue Knitting to see what's up - although I'm not a trendy girl and their sizing doesn't work for me. I covet books more than anything and could use some good stitch dictionaries and I am absolutely coveting the Latvian Mittens book. Would love to get my hands on some Noro Kureyon to do a Lizard Ridge. More fingering or dk Bare merino from KnitPicks.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I really need to get my hands on a good fair isle pattern book for mittens and hats...and then...I might try steeking.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I am and was shocked when I measured my feet to discover they are about 11 inches around at the widest point - not dainty!! No wonder I can't wear heels. I mostly knit plain socks right now although I keep looking at lace socks. But at that size, I figure I need to alter the pattern to fit and I don't have a great idea of my gauge at the moment.

23. When is your birthday?

November 11.

Psych!

2007-03-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

Last evening I managed to completely psych my kids out…which is always fun, but it also got me thinking - though not about knitting so I’m going to manage that expectation right up front.

Madeline was happily watching a Beyoncé videos on the computer (please DO NOT get me started – I am not a fan) and I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder putting on my best “you are in a huge amount of trouble missy!” look. Then I said in my most terrible voice “There is something we need to talk about RIGHT NOW!” Having terrified her into thinking that her chances of ever watching TV again were close to nil, I gave her a very stern look and told her that I was very very glad she was here. Then I did the same to Alex who was sitting 5 feet away, so engrossed in the TV (and completely unable to attend to two things at the same time) that he didn’t hear a word of what I said to Madeline.

It got me thinking about how there are some rather significant benefits to having shared custody. There is so much less taking for granted that goes both ways. Missing each other makes us remember how much we really mean to each other.

I did not grow up in a broken home – and it was a different time of course – but I do not ever remember being told or having the feeling that my very existence was valued Of course I felt loved and I certainly didn’t have a bad childhood. But there was no practice of just saying “I love that you are here with me.” And now, when my children come home after being gone a few days I am genuinely grateful that they are there and I can make a point of letting them know that we are deeply connected and having them there re-affirms that connection over and over again.

I think what is most amazing is how my kids dissolve into puddles of goo when I say it.

Lots of news...none very interesting but pretty pictures ahead

2007-03-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

I went kinda nuts with the camera this morning in preparation for el gigantico blog post about everything and my dog (okay I don't have a dog so my three cats...2 1/2 really but more on that later). But first...some blog sustenance to energize the creative mind required to entertain all five or six of you (HI!). We have tea in the super amazing spinning mug (I really wanted one of the "Spinners for Whorled Fleece" mugs but they aren't making them anymore) and Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. This is NOT low fat since my take on cheesecake is go big or go home. However, if you must try to upgrade your cake there is a note in the comments to alter the recipe and it sounds pretty good too.

Next...a few weeks ago I received a fabulous package from Chris Dalziel at Joybilee Farms who stepped up to be my pal in the Spin to Knit swap after mine fell very ill (Jo - if you are reading, I hope things are getting better!). Not only does Chris spin a great skein, she also makes her own soaps and I was lucky enough to get on big one scented with anise, and two little ones that also smell pretty great.

The green on the left is wool plied with silk - a 67 gram skein with 80 yards on it. The red skein is 100% wool in a Fire! colourway - 48 grams and 64 yards. Thanks again Chris!

I will also be sending my own stuff off to my pal who is owed two months worth of handspun after some miscommunication. It will be in the mail this week after payday.

And now...knitting update. There have been some basic socks knitting around. If you had told me two years ago that I would have THREE pairs of socks cast on and many more waiting to be knit I would have ... well I don't know what I would have done but the words laughter, disbelief and coma jump to mind. Work has been so busy that knitting mindlessly around in circles with exciting breaks (partridge heel! turning heel! picking up stitches! kitchener stitch!) seems soothing. Having three on the go means I can choose a sock to work on colour (I need soothing blues!) or state of completion (I just wanna sock done by tomorrow!). So without further ado:

Party time sock - second sock working on the gusset decreases and then down the home stretch to the toe...whee... I love these so much I wear the first sock sometimes while I knit the second one for inspiration.

Fleece Artist - sixth-time is a charm sock (long story - but I may have to frog these AGAIN)

Pretty pastels for Madeline (my attempt at pattern dying some Knit Picks bare fingering weight merino) - these are pretty enough but I was hoping they would be brighter. First sock, heel and decreases done so just working my way down the foot now)

The last of the current knits is the Icarus shawl which I am knitting in Misti Alpaca lace weight - bought last summer and has been patiently waiting for me to either commit to the Print o the Wave stole or try something else. I'm not awarding points if you spot the glaring error I am currently ignoring.

Next up...wanton consumerism/enhanced stash/project understudies waiting for their big break

10 butter soft skeins of Mission Falls 1864 Wool in a deep raspberry colour that is begging for me to stop be such a weeny and just commit to a design for a cabled sweater for Madeline. For some reason when I go to design something - and I mean really, its mostly just math folks (which I happen to like) - I hit a creative wall of insecurity. Not sure why - if the wool was $25 a skein I could understand it!

And speaking of $25 dollar skeins - this is 875 yards of exquisitely soft gossamer weight wool. Someday I will win the lottery and buy it a friend and after that I'm going to try a shetland shawl. There, I said it. Publicly. Now I want to run and stick my head in the sand.

Some more handdyed knit picks merino - I just could not get the colour to work on this but the tones are actually much deeper and more jewel tones with blues, greens and purples. Someday these will be socks for me!

And more socks. The small balls are leftovers from projects - mostly the Charlotte's Web Shawl. I picked up more Apple Laine in black and want to do some kind of mosaic up near the cuff with some of the leftovers - and maybe a heel and toe in an contrasting colour.

And this was just a silly retail therapy purchase - more sock yarn. That is actually a deep purple. More sporty socks with a bit of a white stripe maybe?

Today's project is a perfect one-day knit (I hope). This teapot is chilly. I painted it at one of those paint your own ceramics places a few years ago. I absolutely love everything about it except that 1. it really leaks when you pour your tea so you have to put a tea towel under it but and 2. it doesn't have a cozy to keep the tea warm so I end up with cold tea all over the table. There is nothing I can do about 1. so today's mission is a felted tea cozy worthy of my hard labour...

And last of all...I leave you with the possibly cruel but necessary plight of my poor ragdoll Amber. Let me begin by explaining that ragdolls do not shed as much as other long haired cats. Or at least this is what the breaders will tell you. This is patently NOT true. All cats shed. Long haired cats just shed in clumps which makes it a bit easier to clean up. Ragdolls have very soft "bunny-like" fur that is very fine. So when Amber sheds it often gets caught up in her own fur and in the spring especially she gets a ton of mats in her ruff. This year was so bad, I resorted to drastic measures.

Before (Madeline likes to capture "cat stuck in the [insert object here]" pictures. Yes that is me in the background knitting and glaring at her.)

After

I'd say I'm sorry...but I'm not.

Earth Shattering Kaboom!

2007-02-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

So…the Very Important Thing finally happened! Did you feel it? Did the earth move for you about 2 pm on Valentine’s Day? Did your world change? Did everything seem somehow brighter and shinier?

No? Yeah. Me either.

So to celebrate – I have a few pics to share today – one FO and a nearly done sock.

Pattern: Charlotte's Web Shawl from Koigu in Apple Laine reds (5 skeins plenty left over to add to a sock but not enough for a pair). This was a really fun knit after I clued into the "put a marker after every repeat and your life will be much much better" rule. Now I just want to give it away because frankly? I find it a bit too small for my liking. And I'm done with it too. Wierd isn't it...to covet a pattern and work so hard on it? I guess that makes me a process knitter?

Next up:

The Yarn Harlot's sock recipe from Knitting Rules in a since discontinued Simple Stripes from KnitPicks. These are knitting up super super fast. It is either because I am using 2.75mm instead of ...um...whatever I used for the last pair - or I am getting much faster. Either way, watching the colours change and the nifty not-quite-fair-isle-so-that's-why-it-was-so-cheap white bits show up makes for an entertaining knit. The only thing is that they are a bit narrow, but fit Madeline though not for long. I have some more in another colourway I'll try but only if the yarn softens up a bit after a good wash. It seems a bit prickly.

So that's kinda all she wrote. I am off work tomorrow after it was not unkindly suggested that I might want to relax for a day before the constant "please god let me die before I have to change the damned documents again!" drove my co-workers to commit mass suicide or murder me savagely. My plan is laundry (so we can be sure to survive the deep freeze with no risk of frostbite to the naked bits), cooking some freeze-able stuff for the next week (seems I am a better parent when making dinner is easy) and maybe a wee little side trip to an LYS or two for some fondling and coveting.

Its not amnesia

2007-02-01T09:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't forget that I have a blog...promise! Its just work...and stuff. The kind of stuff that makes you get home at the end of the day and brushing teeth feels like a lot of work. That kind. And living on rice and pasta because if it has more than 2 ingredients and the dishes can't go in the dishwasher its too much work?

I don't talk much about work here...mostly cause I happen to really like my job and the people I work with. There's lots of variety and I am, mostly, in charge of my own destiny day-to-day. I work as a communications advisor to central government department. This means that if we have a big event with a VIP announcing a VIT (very important thing) -- then I have to walk a fine line between the people who are creating the Thing (i.e. public servants, policy wonks, analysts) and the people of the VIP (political aides) and everyone in between and on either side. And god forbid we forget to consult with person X over sentence Y since it might impact on their job sometime in 2011 and we wouldn't want to upset anyone. This is the quintessentially Canadian government at work.

And then the VIPs go and do what they want to anyway.

All this to say that we are very busy at the moment and while there is knitting and an FO to share it will have to wait a few more seconds...or days.

In the meantime, think about sending a birthday card to Shane...

Life is just REALLY boring…

2007-01-22T08:50:00.000-05:00

So I don’t generally do meme’s…but I couldn’t resist asking Leanne for a letter…and its an R. Ironically, I can think of a lot more R things that don’t apply than do. For example: right – as in right of centre or even correct most of the time. So in coming up with a list of ten R words that describe me, I’ve taken some liberties to talk about how some words don’t describe me.

1. Realistic. Um…not. At least I’d like to be less realistic or pragmatic. I am pragmatic out of necessity not desire. If I were independently wealthy I’d be FAR less realistic.

2. Living in Real-time is a challenge for me. I often am looking ahead, fantasizing about being somewhere else or living in memory. Sitting down and enjoying the moment is something I find really difficult. I suspect this issue is what contributes to my feeling that life is either passing me by, or I’m missing something.

3. Rational. Mostly although sometimes I am surprised when I consider that most of my major life decisions were based on instinct. Job changes are a good example. Because I work for government in an internal service I have a lot of mobility to move from department to department. I have squeezed my way out of a number of growing from bad-to-worse situations (usually involving a management change with a trickle down effect). I also managed to get pregnant and realize my ex was expressing his feelings elsewhere on instinct. I like to think that my instincts are attuned to a pretty rational side of me…else I’d be in real trouble!

4. Ready. For something…though I’m not sure what exactly.

5. Restaurants. I just asked the random word generator for a word and reloaded until I got an R-word. I do love a good restaurant. I have recently discovered a fantastic Indian take-out place near me. Anything that involves someone else preparing the food and cleaning up the dishes is a good thing in my books.

6. Random - proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern. Kind of like my brain although I have this feeling that there is a certain amount of logic and patterning that I prefer not to examine too closely. Like why I could live on cookies even if they make me feel icky. Why I can knit a shawl but emptying the litter box is chore I prefer to avoid. Why at one point in my life I was desperate for a job where I was important enough to rate an invitation to attend meetings, but now that I have one I’d do anything to get out of them.

7. Ramble. I like to ramble. See 6 above.

8. Relationships. Now here I could really ramble. Right now I am in a space where I look at the relationships I have (a few very good friends, many acquaintances) and I wonder why it is that I have such an easy time letting people go. I really do. I go to a job, make good friends, but then find it a major challenge to keep them after the fact. I suspect it is because I am very much affected by others – I either come out of my shell and can access my own humour and quirkiness or people make me feel tired and I can’t really talk around them.

9. Rare – its how I like my steak. I am very particular about this. When barbequing I generally implore the cook (usually male) to introduce my steak to the flame but not really let them get too acquainted. The (usually male) cook is often disappointed because my preference does not allow for demonstration of skill in achieving the perfect cross cut grill markings or prowess in achieving medium-rare. Still, these people should be grateful I let them cook my meat at all – I only cook it because other people around the table don’t appreciate watching me eat raw steak. Plus it’s a bit warm, which I suppose is a good thing.

10. Resolved…does NOT describe me. I kind of bend whichever way the wind is blowing. I am never truly resolved about anything. Except about my steak being rare. And wanting my kids to turn out okay.

Personal Girl has a dream…

2007-01-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

So remember when I met the Yarn Harlot and totally froze into a quivering mass nervousness with an apparent stutter?

Yesterday I was reading Renée’s blog about how she went to see the Yarn Harlot and I think that probably sparked this dream:

I am with someone (male I think) on a packed Greyhound bus and we are sitting at a table because this Greyhound bus? It’s also a full service gourmet restaurant. (Shut up, its my subconscious). And we’re sipping wine and laughing and I look over and Stephanie and her husband are right there eating at the table next to us. Needless to say, quarters are tight (it is still a bus after all) and we start joking about things and next thing I know I’m whipping a sock out of my purse (oddly it is the blue one I was knitting when she came to Ottawa – the one I frogged for the 15th millionth time and haven’t had the nerve to cast on again) and she looks all impressed. And then I realize there are 5 or 6 Ottawa knitting meetup folks on the bus too and Lissa is in this incredible gothic looking wedding dress. The bus drops Lissa off in a parking lot and we all applaud as she gets off the bus (alone) and heads off towards a strip mall.

And then the alarm went off…thank god.

Picture post...

2007-01-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

Many apologies for the absence. For the last month I have been coughing...and coughing...oh...did I happen to mention coughing? I am so freakin' tired of it! Am taking my ashma meds but am also waiting on the results of a chest X-ray last week to make sure I don't have pneumonia. Fun!

But I have been knitting!!! And I have progress to show.

First - Madeline models her finally finished poncho (free pattern from Stephanie). I will admit that I quit a bit early -- I would have liked it a bit longer down the arm but I was running out...out of wool and patience and space on the cable needle!

Clapotis in Eden Madil (100% bamboo) - am waiting on a better picture but apparently this warm weather is keeping the recipient from wearing it. I'm sure if you beg in the comments we'll get something - Oh...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY wanna-baa!!!!

Handspun hats for quick grab before running outside. You can't really make out the pretty cabling on the red one.

This is a stash buster I started as an easy thing to knit when the kids are around and I can't follow a patter. It's My so-called scarf with a little help from the girls at Mason Dixon. Knit in Berrocco Foliage I've had in the stash for almost two years and couldn't part with in the recent "Grand Stash Giveaway" (which involved 3 huge bags of old much maligned acrylic and novelty stuff going to my ex's girlfriend).

The easy knit is an alternative to this:

Maie Landra's Charlotte Web Shawl which I am not knitting in Koigu (I know...shocking) but rather in five shades from Apple Laine - dyed locally by a woman from my guild. This stuff is very very gorgeous - wool, silk, mohair and bit of nylon - strong, shiny and knits beautifully. I am also working on some socks in this.

This is the lovely pink and copper roving from my birthday plied and ready to become...something.

Here are some old, pre-camera finished knits from last winter's accessories for kids knitting extravaganza...

Alex's Christmas gift in 2005:

I will never knit another jester hat as long as I live. Just sayin'.

A handful of lonely mittens...following a basic pattern - my first attempt at fairisle on the right. Before I learned to carry loosely across the back. Good thing Madeline has small hands.

So I continue to cough. And knit. So far this new year? Not exactly starting auspiciously.

Christmas and beyond....

2006-12-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

So Santa came and went and it was all good.

Xmas morning the sprogs were at their dads so I got up around 9:30 and went over to my neighbours for some coffee and conversation which was a very humane way to begin Christmas!

I picked up Madeline and Alex at 1:00 and came home and opened gifts. Because there weren't a lot of presents under the tree we took our time and enjoyed opening one each and getting to admire each other's presents. I gave Madeline a Real Meal Easy Bake Oven which she liked enough to try the macaroni and cheese (it is a stretch to call it that). Alex got a Robo-pet which is BEYOND COOL. Seriously. Even if you don't have kids this thing is fun! And if you or your significant adult is a bit of a tech geek - you'll be enthralled by the mechanical genius.

I think I've mentioned before that because I don't have a partner and we celebrate Xmas with my family separately, I normally buy myself some stocking stuffers and a few gifts to give myself from Santa to keep the belief in Santa Clause alive. I did this the first time last year and discovered it is a lot funner than I thought it would be. I think this is because I am an instant gratification type of person. So packing up the gifts and not playing with them is hard for me. So I am truly excited Christmas morning to finally get my hand on my presents! This year Santa gave me a lovely earring and necklace set - bronze with nice red stones in it (how did he know I needed some red jewellry!), Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers, the most recent Knit.1 magazine and the new Koigu book.

More books arrived from my parents: Odd-ball Knitting (which I'm not in love with) and Sally Melville's Knitting Experience Book 3: Colour which I have glanced through and seems to have some interesting ideas and techniques.

Right now I am knitting up a few washclothes to "adorn" my last gift to give to my good friend Sandra, a beginner knitter who made the mistake of saying to me, "I wish I knew how to knit dishclothes." Did you know that you can fit four "cakes" of wound Bernat Handicrafter cotton in one of those cylindrical wine gift boxes? Well, you can! I finished one ball-band cloth from Mason Dixon and am working on a modular one I really hope will work out based on the Koigu book instructions for diagonal squares - I am determined to make this without having to sew a seam!

Sorry for the lack o pictures but my camera batteries are recharging...and frankly? I'm at work (shhhhh!)

Its two a.m. --

2006-12-25T01:59:00.000-05:00

...a very merry merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone out there celebrating!

I just checked here...Santa is in Colorado Springs apparently. I'd better get myself to bed or he may not deliver!

This modeling gig doesn't pay, but the freebies are pretty cool...

2006-12-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

Its the yummy cabled goodness reveal-post! Knit for my favourite 1 1/2 year old, Luke...

Luke's lucky mama was able to get a couple of pictures before he caught on and went after the camera. Luke is a man who loves gadgets already and anything with buttons is fair game.

He even turned AWAY from the camera for a shot of the back...

OMG...that lower lip just kills me every time...

Pattern: "Sam" in Wee Knits from Mission Falls

Yarn: Mission Falls 1864 Wool in "Heath" (I think)

Buttons: Bone buttons from Mission Falls

Just in time for Christmas...

2006-12-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

Today I found this in my email - its from wanna-baa of the comments and I post it here for your edification. Just in case you thought my "persona girl" issues were generated spontaneously in my subconscious...I give you proof that the entertainment industry is clearly in on the conspiracy to make me feel "less than".

I FOUND PERSONA GIRL! She has possessed the editor in chief of HOME magazine, as I quote verbatim from the editor's letter to her adoring public in the December 2006 edition:

Yule Rules
For a fulfilling -- and low-stress-- holiday season, I've learned to keep things simple. I serve rich foods sparingly -- come January, I'd rather be thinking about global gain (volunteering and donating) than personal loss (weight). I only invite guests I care deeply about, and never more than 10 of them at a time -- large gatherings can leave me physically overtired and spiritually undernourished.

To spark a festive atmoshere at home, I just add a few rousing touches of color -- mostly reds and golds in sync with my overall decore. And I fill my rooms with exhilarating live music by having folks over who, like me, love to sing and play instruments. As gifts (to bestow or receive), I favor items yielding memorable experiences, not objects, which foster clutter. The only exceptions are works of art created by friends and family. My rule: Whenever I'm given something I relish enough to hang on to, I give away something I already own.

In this issue, we offer lots of ways to make your festivities more focused and rewarding. Please pay special attention to our article about the 2006 Shelter Award winners: extraordinary people with causes worthy of your support." Donna Sapolin, Editor-in-Chief.

1) PUKE.
2) I'm never buying this magazine again. Ever. Or being nice to anyone named Donna.
3) Do you think she would consider the mustache and wart I've drawn on her picture as A Work Of Art Worthy Of Throwing Out Something She Already Owns?
4) Where do I sign up to be the fly on the wall that gets to watch the agony of the three boring friends who couldn't make up a good enough excuse to NOT come to the singing-praise-to-Donna party
5) I thought only royalty and deities "bestowed" things any more. I'm surprised she didn't write it in the "We" (is that 3rd person possessive? I forget, too dazzled by her gold & red aura).

I would like to add that I hope this woman isn't a knitter because you just know she'd only knit using silk-cashmere blend - the most spiritually nourishing of all the available wools (ymmv).

Note: If you are named Donna and you happen to knit, I am sure that wanna-baa would be happy to make an exception for you provided you can keep the bestowing to a minimum.

Update soon...promise

2006-12-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

If I haven't completely lost you yet with my lack of posting I beg your patience and understanding. A number of significantly insignificant (but somehow still a "big deal" in government-speak) are coming up for me work-wise next week and so I've kinda been intellectually trapped at work, emotionally trapped by escalating sibling rivalry at home and physically trapped by my knitting...

Of which I must say...I have some Finished Objects for you!!! Wait...I have two finished projects and most of the first half of a sock. Pictures at eleven.

One of my blog friends recently suffered through a crocheted blanket that seemed endless. I have my own version of this...so please, feel free to hum along...

This is the poncho that never ends!
It knits on and on, my friends!
One day, I started knitting it
Not knowing what it was,
And now I've had to keep knitting it,
Perhaps or just because...
this is the poncho that never ends....

(just keep singing)

My hands hurt...every second round adds four stitches and it hurts to think about exactly how long it takes to do a round now. 20 grams of wool almost isn't enough and I may have to dye a spin more to get it long enough.

In the meantime, the recipient just keeps growing!

Question: Is it really ethically wrong to deny your children food so they stop growing, just to be sure they will fit in a knitted item?

Discuss.

Blathering on...

2006-11-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

So no pics today because I have not taken any...but I do have some FOs for you and once quietness decends on the household I will take some pics and share em.

The green cabled goodness is finished!!!

I frogged the blue sock which was not cooperating on the circular. I realized the best approach is to do the ribbing on the circular because it is a whole lot easier to join without twisting. But since I get ridiculous laddering when I knit the stocking stitch in the round, I switched over to five dpns to do the rest of the sock. I get laddering but I circulate the stitches around a bit to avoid it and so far its working. I am working these in a colourway from AppleLaine called Party Time. It is so darned cute and the colours just shine because of the wee bit of silk in there.

I am nearly finished the last clapotis -- it isn't that I don't like the pattern. But I have ADD when it comes to knitting patterns - its hard enough to finish a project the first time. The second time is BRUTAL. Clapotis - I love thee but I will never knit thee again.

Madeline's poncho...is a slow slow thing. My circs aren't long enough and I still have a LONG way to go. And she keeps growing while I knit it which makes it more and more difficult to finish!

Otherwise - I dyed two velvet scarves from some blanks I had left over from an order from Dharma trading last year...

Pics to follow!

Skating on thin ice

2006-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Okay knitting friends -- please do me a favour -- have a seat. Seriously. You need to be sitting down for this. I only ask because I am concerned about your well being and want to be certain that you are safely seated before you read what follows next.

It might also help if you read it really quickly. Like so fast you think that maybe you only imagined that you might have read about something absolutely terrifying but can't quite remember what it was because the details seem a bit fuzzy.

Ready?

This young man...

Might have very well chewed up the connecting wire of two perfectly serviceable maybe even brand new pairs of Addi Turbo circulars. (He may also be the reason I don't have cable right now...but let's focus on the real issues here!!!!!) I figured the first one was a fluke. And as luck would have it, I had two sets of 2.5 mm for sock knitting. Fair enough. But today I found this...

Okay, you can't see it exactly but trust me when I tell you that the mitten? It isn't exactly "whooshing" along.

I have a whole new set of rules in my house now...

1. Nothing that resembles a receptable on the floor...it seems to be a favourite place to spray (yuck)
2. No toilet paper in the dispensers. Actually having the toilet paper in the dispenser turns it into a game of "unroll before she catches me" as opposed to toilet paper on the back of the toilet which becomes a wrestling partner and is less likely to be completely undone by the time I find it. (And punctured toilet paper? Perfectly serviceable)
3. No precious expensive knitting needles out in the open.

Now...some visual yummies for dessert... This is one of the 50g slivers from my b-day present...the colours are absolutely stunning - almost metallic.

And another cabled-goodness teaser.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Proud mama moment

2006-11-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last night I read Madeline my blog entry (below) about how you know that you are knitting or spinning too much.

Since I wanted it to make sense to her...I explained what steeking is.

Her face looked a LOT like this.

It is good to have a child who "gets" it, ya know?

I survive another year…

2006-11-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

I have the awesome pleasure of celebrating my birthday on Remembrance (Veterans) Day. In some ways this is good – I am a government employee so I generally get a statutory holiday – and in other ways it is bad. Like when people are crying and saying depressing poetry, and playing funeral music and lonely sounding taps on trumpets in the rain.

In some ways, I feel rather guilty about it – like I’m holding this secret happiness when I should be remembering. That many many many people died so I could have the pleasure of living and celebrating these birthdays year to year. It adds a dimension of seriousness to a day I would prefer to keep light and fun.

Plus, it’s ALMOST ALWAYS RAINING. I believe that is sympathetic irony –for the veterans, the families who have lost members to war and conflict but also for the millions of us who’s personal time clocks go off and need to be reset on November 11th.

But just in case you think I suffered in the rain…let me assure you that I spent my day entertaining children, having an amazing dinner with my kids and parents. And my mom gave me this…

She did good.

(that’s 300 g of Fleece Artist handpainted Blue Faced Leicester roving in some amazing colourways. That she bought while travelling around Nova Scotia this summer. I kind of grabbed her arm and almost swooned when I asked her if she had actually GONE to Fleece Artist – but I think she may have been at Baadeck. She has NO IDEA what she did!)

Other knitterly things…

See...I was there!

In which I get in touch with my external introvert…

2006-11-10T10:28:00.000-05:00

So the Harlot. Was very very good.

I promise that she speaks exactly the way she writes and I love that her voice comes through so loud and clear. She has excellent comedic timing and if there were a lot more knitters at comedy clubs I’m sure she could take the act out of the LYS and into Yuk Yuks. Somehow I don’t think any other group will laugh so hard about “ribbed for his pleasure” – just saying.

I was, however, disgustingly starstruck.

Remember Persona Girl? Here is how PG would meet the Harlot…

PG would be wearing the most beautiful handknit something EVER. After waiting in line, PG would meet Stephanie for her autograph, say something divinely and devilishly funny and Stephanie would laugh. PG would mention how Stephanie inspired her to start her own blog and how it has been a great experience and opened her up to the world at large. There would be instant rapport (as there always is with PG).

Alternatively, there’s me:

I stammer hello. Whisper my name. Tentatively reach out a finger to touch the pretty sock on the table. Stephanie kindly says she likes my scarf which was very gracious of her since it looked like a wrinkled mass of Noro Silk Garden crap that’s never been washed but I figured I should bring something handknit for the occasion. I mumble a thank you…mention I’ve been to Romni and Lettuce Knits and how both proved to be rather tempting. I giggle at the wrong moment and say I’ll be back in T.O. in the spring. I stumble away.

Now this is all rather odd. I grew up with a writer, so I really do know the creature rather intimately. Writers are generally a rather introverted lot who seem less so in public because they tend to be able to cover the shyness with all that ability to articulate. And here is a woman who openly admitted to being unable to approach another knitter on a train…

So Stephanie, if you ever read this, just know that it could have been so much worse – at least I didn’t throw up all over you. And if I had my druthers, I’d buy you a beer and tell you how I think you don’t just speak for Every Knitter, but Every Woman. That knitting IS a sport, but that like parenting it does not ever let us forget how fallible we are and how persistence can sometimes wins out. I’d blame you completely for my new obsession with spinning. I’d tell you that I was a doula too for a while – not patient enough to be a good one – but that my desire to continue to be involved in educating parents-to-be has never gone away and I’m more passionate about that then I am about fibre.

By the way…apparently the Bruins sucked so I definitely chose the right place to be.

Boston Bruins vs. the Yarn Harlot

2006-11-09T11:15:00.000-05:00

THE HARLOT IS COMING!!!

And I'm going...tonight. I'm quite sure the poor suburb of Kanata won't know what hit it.

Must remember book for signing...and camera!!!!

My neighbour Craig and I like to pretend that the other is interested in our respective obsessions. Email exchanges go like this:

Craig: Hey tonight the Bruins are playing and you are welcome to come park yourself with your knitting on my couch to watch. Cause I know you are a fan...

Lisa: Sorry but the rockstar of knitting (stop laughing!) is coming to town and I am going. You know you can join me...after enjoying the weaving and spinning exhibition so much (and I'm impressed by the fact that you dropped everything to go) are you sure you can miss this? But if hell freezes over, who are they playing and does it really matter?

Craig: Toronto...and of course IT MATTERS!!! By the way, the Bruins are playing at home tonight so I'll be wearing the black jersey...with the same number as their goalie...cause I play like him so he's my favourite.

Lisa: So I have to wear black - but blue and white would probably get me kicked off the couch right?

And on it goes...

Bruins vs. the Harlot - you just know she'd kick their asses.

10 ways to know that you knit/spin too much

2006-11-08T17:01:00.000-05:00

10 ways to know that you knit/spin too much:

1. You know what steeking is…and even if you don’t dare try it, you do know that you get to keep your clothes on when you do it.

2. You’ve been slapped with a restraining order after staring at someone’s sweater for a long time trying to figure out if it’s a handknit or not.

3. You buy yarn for the “workmanship” even though its only about 60 yards in a colour you’d never use and cost a fortune.

4. You consider leaving your young children at home alone to attend a gathering of knitters just because you really really really need to be among your own kind.

5. Your ten-minute bus ride seems like a one-hour ordeal to hell and back because you either a) forgot your knitting at home or b) its too packed too knit without bruising the person beside you with your elbow.

6. Sharp metal circular needles are The. Best. Thing. Ever. And you’d be willing to wrestle naked to prove it.

7. The words “…so I cast on the sleeve…” from a co-worker sounds like a choir of angels.

8. If you are a new-ish knitter…you look at the bags and bags of acrylic and wonder just what the hell you were thinking when you bought that crap.

9. You remember that the acrylic is an excellent source of “lose-able mittens” for the kids if you were willing to invest the time to make mittens that could so easily be lost.

10. When your child loses their school agenda…you casually wait three weeks to inquire if it’s been found or if you can buy a new one. When your child loses a handknit sweater the first time he wears it to school…you are on the doorstep at 7 a.m. when the school secretary shows up to unlock the door and then you call every ½ hour to see if the “damn child has found it yet.”

Dear merino socks that I love,

2006-11-04T08:41:00.000-05:00

I am impressed by you. Last night, Madeline took her socks into the tub and I washed them with a bit of Dove shampoo and, I didn't think it was possible but, you are softer. Now the rational side of my mind knows that the wool probably compacted and got a bit greasy when it was being knit. And washing would fluff the fibers up...but what a difference it made.

Makes me glad I cast on these:

I needed new bus knitting socks and this was the other skein of Fleece Artist merino yarn Madeline and I bought when she had the chicken pox in the spring (so of course I took her yarn shopping -- only slightly less shocking than checking your post-op child out of the hospital to go to the crack house...

For those who care...note the use of the magic loop method. The upside (or downside depending on your perspective) of using a long circ instead of five pointy sticks is that I am apparently not as frightening on the bus anymore.

For those who believe that I only cast on and never cast off...behold the hat of handspun. The pattern is from Shannon Okey's hot-off-the-presses Spin to Knit but it is actually a basic hat pattern (its the one on the cover). I would show you the pictures of me wearing it, but trust me, the thing looks like total crap on me. I will get Madeline to model it...

And so, because I want to have a basketful of hats I can't wear...I cast on this one. I'm experimenting with alternating a few rows of reverse st st and knitting this singly (above knit with two strands - its very very firm!) to see if I get a slouchier, more textured and therefore fun! hat. That will still look like ass on me.

Last weekend, the Creative Needepoint show breezed through town. I nipped of work an hour early, forked out my $10 for admission and hit the knitting booths...but not too hard. Witness...

I have a spinning wheel mug!!! And 100g of delicious Fleece Artist kid merino sliver. And the singlel most expensive light bulb I have EVER seen. This $30 baby shows "true colours" and its quite amazing. I am hoping that once I have a decent lamp to put it in, it will make my knitting easier - but hopefully my photos will also benefit.

If interested, the mug is from Camilla Valley Farms. I also picked up an adorable Learn to Knit kit for Madeline from there...but she's already ripped it apart and cast on...and shisha mirrors for the Advika mittens from Mission Falls. Slivers are from Yarn Forward and the bulb is from...where I don't remember. Philosopher's wool was there too...and I am so very very much in love with their sweater styles. But I have to confess...the wool is much too scratchy for me. It was hard not to be very tempted by all the pretty colours and the thought that maybe I should buy the book and spin my own wool for it! That would only take me about 10 years!!!!

And finally - how cute is this! Madeline has been knitting this baby since July - its Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. I think it might be for me since I love red but of course she tells me its a gift for her half-sister but has this odd sly look on her face when she says it.

This morning I am heading off to the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild Annual Exhibition and Sale. I volunteered to spend 3 hours guarding some expensive silk garments borrowed from the Embassy of Thailand (show theme is Silk Celebration) -- then we shall see what my fellow guild members are up to. I haven't really had a chance to meet anyone yet so its a good opportunity to meet more guild members since being "out there" and "networking" is unbelieveably painful for me. I will bring my camera and try to take some pictures of the show for next time.

Carrying on fine family traditions

2006-11-02T03:28:00.000-05:00

My grandmother had the most brilliant way to keep flat pieces of knitting safely out of the way.

First, my new-to-me couch which I am in LOVE with and is quite possibly the most perfect napping couch ever!!!!

Close up detail of the middle of said couch...but wait! What's this????

TADA!!!

When I was little we'd go and visit my grandmother and sneak a peek under the cushions to see what was in the works. Under my cushions I have a delicious bit of cabling...here's a closer view.

That's Mission Falls 1824 Wool and I absolutely love knitting with it. It's superwash merino and I gotta say, I don't think it gets any softer than this.

And cables? I get cables in a way I can only hope lace starts to make sense to me. I don't know if its because I can see so clearly what's going on and I "get" how the pattern works or what...but if I could only see lace the same way I'd have no problem...

And now...some fleece porn my friends. Here is the rambouillet...about as clean as I can get it without hand picking it.

So...2 things...

First...I'm not a sheep-to-shawl spinner-knitter. I'm more of a pre-processed roving-to-shawl spinner-knitter. And given how much I hate cleaning and laundry I've decided I'm pretty much okay with that.

Second...what's lurking in your couch?

Rumours of my demise are premature

2006-10-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

I promise that I am still living, breathing and reading all the blogs out there.

And I am mostly knitting these days and spinning is put aside right now…Christmas is coming and my feeling? That people don’t want skeins of handspun for Christmas for some reason. Hi! What’s up with that? Could it be they just think I’m trying to get them to store my stash for me? I can imagine the Christmas morning conversation:

“delighted but puzzled” recipient: Wow…this is a really neat ball… of yarn?

Me: Yes! I spun that just for you! Its fingering weight…well MOST of it is fingering weight. There’s a bit at the beginning that was underspun so its more of a dk really but if you knit it double it won’t matter anyway! So like I was saying, that’s some nice merino I carded with silk – man was that ever a bitch to card - and…

Recipient: I don’t knit though…

Me: Yeah, but remember that time you said “wow I wish I could do that” and I said “its really not that hard” and you said “hmmm…I should get you to teach me.” Well, now’s the time!

Recipient: Oh…

Me: Unless you were just being nice…

Recipient: Well…

Me: Okay! I know! Why don’t I knit something for you…there’s enough for a hat, or maybe a scarf (but god help me please not a clapotis) or some mitts. The only thing is…do you think you can wait until next winter for it?

And so it goes. So rather than have this awkward discussion with every member of my family I have made a not-decision! What is a not decision you ask (as well you should)? A not-decision is where I make a certain pronouncement, as in:

I am not going to knit for Christmas because it is silly to put myself under that much pressure. Why can’t I just give the people I care about gifts just because???

And yet, as I finish each project, I carefully stash it away because it is done and BEFORE Christmas so in theory it might as well be a gift right?

So here is the rule…if it is done in time for Christmas, it becomes a Christmas present…if not, you get something else and when its done, its done and don’t bloody well complain because all this Christmas knitting pressure is seriously starting to get to me and might possibly even be the cause of a few minor temper tantrums in which needles get stabbed into pillows and…and…and…

I think the picture is clear enough, yes? I have Christmas knitting pressure and guilt despite having given myself permission to not finish each and every project.

And I wonder why I’m in therapy.

Birthday Thursday

2006-10-19T08:38:00.000-04:00

Today the divine Miss M turns an amazing nine years old! I didn’t ever think I’d get here. Raising her has been the most humbling and challenging thing I have ever done. Madeline has not been easy – she is fiercely intelligent (WAY smarter than me – shhhh! Don’t tell her though), not afraid of conflict (especially with me), capable of incredible sweetness and caring, needy, and emotional.

Now some bloggers take the opportunity to celebrate their child. Not me.

Why? My darling daughter will be celebrated in five separate times (last night at supper, her actual birthday today, birthday with her dad and family Friday, kid party on Saturday and my family on Sunday). You know…almost makes me wish my parents had split!

But really…this is my space and I’m going to jealously guard my right to subject any poor passer-bys to some stream of consciousness outpourings about being a mother in general, and being Madeline’s mother in particular. So here is some rambling/memories good and bad/general nonsense.

1. When Madeline was about three months old I left her lying on a blanket in the living room. When I walked back in, I was suddenly overwhelmed with this “what if” feeling: Namely, what if I casually stepped on her neck, and then walked out and never came back. It was as if my mind reached out to see if this was something I was capable of…was I feeling so trapped and desperate and unhappy that I was willing to do something so awful? Luckily for all of us, the answer was obviously no! But since I am, as a general rule a fairly sane and kind individual who had looked forward to being a parent and wanted this child so bad…I can only wonder how many mothers out there have entertained this type of fantasy even for a second?

2. I have a good friend who has known Madeline and I since she was an infant. Her contention is that Madeline was not happy to be under five. I have to agree…it was as if her body finally caught up to her brain and she became more content.

3. As a toddler, Madeline favourite “funny face” was ANGRY face. Doesn’t this kind of say it all?

4. Madeline is far more stubborn (wait, I think I’m supposed to use the more non-judgmental “persistent” – but hey, its MY blog) than I. I just hope she will be stubbornly advocating for me in my old age.

5. I am terrified about her adolescence. ‘nough said.

6. Madeline has taught me a lot about myself: I can have a very short fuse. I am not, nor will I ever be, supermom. I hate cleaning up craft stuff. I prefer children who are QUIET. I do not have infinite patience but I do have more than I thought.

So dearest daughter…a happy day for both of us. Today is also the ninth anniversary of my becoming a mother – no small feat for either of us.