miss ewe knits

hee hee... I love the Onion

2010-03-16T20:43:00.001-04:00

Okay, flock fans, if you can spare 78 seconds for a giggle, go HERE.

knitted love

2010-03-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

taking a moment to notice the hilarity...

2009-08-11T02:38:00.005-04:00

... and actually blog about it.

I was hanging out with my friend Renee tonight, assessing the potential fit of my Owls sweater in progress... when the hilarity of the situation dawned on both of us. I tried on the body, pre-yoke, putting what is essentially a tube sweater over top of a tube dress (10 bucks at Jacob outlet today, Yo!).

I realized how ridiculous I must have looked... so we ran for the camera. When you look ridiculous, the only thing to do is embrace it... so I threw on what I had of the first sleeve, and... well... here you go:

Yep, clearly nuts. But how elegant. ;-)

Charmed

2009-03-07T08:08:00.003-05:00

THIS is such a charming project, I've come out of blog hiding to make sure anyone still visiting here has a chance to see it...

Be sure to click on "open the trunk" to see the patterns and read the stories. Also take note that you can pay for the designs in stories!

I really like the vintage style patterns, but I'm completely charmed by the frame for the project. Enjoy!

the traveller's report...

2008-11-12T17:47:00.003-05:00

In a pinch, a Q-tip will work as a cable needle.

Dear American Friends

2008-10-17T14:27:00.002-04:00

If there weren't a zillion other reasons to vote Barack Obama already... he's using *yarn* as metaphor for John McCain's crappy healthcare plan.

Voting is Sexy. Vote well, and vote often (well, maybe just the once).

arwen, she be done

2008-04-23T10:47:00.007-04:00

I told y'all I'd be back when the sweater was done...

She be done.
Cast on September 11, 2007; Last ends sewn in April 20, 2008.
Knit from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Soft and squishy.

This is the first adult-sized sweater I've ever made.

I'm pretty happy:

Modifications:
Did provisional cast on and attached hem as I knit. Added one cable repeat to each sleeve (for more sleeve circumference) -- divided 4+4 on either side of the centre of the sleeve. (if you knit it, that comment makes more sense).
Also added about four inches in length (I'm not a croppy sweater kind of girl... I'm more of a croppy SHIRT kind of girl, then I need a sweater to cover my belly... see above.)

Kate Gilbert is my hero: this is a gorgeous sweater design. I also got to know Kate a bit while knitting her sweater... through email and also from the design. She has beautiful, complicated things inside her, she's very clever, and she doesn't necessarily like to do things the easy way. I like Kate an awful lot...

There were moments when I didn't know whether the non-typical construction would become anything like a sweater that would fit me. But it did. And the reversible cable makes me excessively happpppyyyyyyy.

I learned how to graft cables for this sweater. Seamlessly. If you look at the centre, top of hood... it is TOUGH to see where it was grafted. I'm pretty proud of myself for that... it took many tries and an abundance of swearing. I probably won't wear the hood much, only to cover my pointy arwenian ears from time to time...

Yep, I'm pretty happy with the whole thing:

special thanks to Broomwood manor for photography (among other things...)

Arwen update

2008-03-22T17:33:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's been so long since I've been in here that I almost forgot how to log on... anyway...

The knitting part is done.

Now comes the sewing up, and the "seamless grafting" of my cable panels... can't wait to see how that turns out. I'll settle for "nice looking seamed cable panels" if I can't work out perfect grafting in pattern (I'm reaching for my Montse Stanley right now). And of course, the sewing in of ends.
Then comes the singing and dancing, hysterically pleased with myself for actually making a sweater. A full sized adult sweater that I can wear, that I made myself, that is soooooo beautiful. I am a champion!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Wish me luck with construction. I am trepidatious, and a little cautious with my optimism... but I hope to be back with pictures in a day or two.

a post, a post!

2007-12-12T15:21:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let y'all know I *am* in Ravelry. missewe

Also to say that I *will* blog again, but it will be pretty sporadic. Basically, I'm so busy that there isn't a lot of knitting content about which to blog. And frankly, this is strictly a knitting blog, and I don't want to blog about my personal or my professional life. So...

I'll see you when my Cardi for Arwen is done... hopefully before end of 2007!

hmm... please contemplate this

2007-10-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I haven't been blogging... but this is kind of important, I think.

Interweave recently sent out a Knitting Daily asking people to vote for their favorite patterns of the last 10 years. The winners would be published in a free ebook. We all enjoy getting something for free, but personally I do not like to do so on the back of a fellow artist. While it may seem like an honour for a designer to be chosen as one of the favorite designs of the last 10 years, having a pattern published for free is not.

What Interweave does not mention, and as I understand it, depending on the contract for the pattern, there could be a (small) reuse fee for the designer, or possibly none at all, and having the pattern out there for free means that the designer is no longer able to make any money from the design through web sales or in wholesale patterns to stores.

IK is planning to publish more and more online, and while this makes sense for them from a business perspective, and seems nice for the knitters (to get something for free), I think it will take more and more away from our favourite independent designers.

As a musician, I have strong feelings against the illegal downloading of music, and photocopying of scores/music. This is to protect the interests of the performers and composers. That has made me think twice about photocopying patterns (I don't), and I believe the issue extends outwards to the art of our friendly neighbourhood knitwear designers.

Art is a tricky business: if you sell something you have created, it's still yours in design or concept, isn't it? And in order to continue to afford to make the art, you have to sell it somewhere. But depending on the terms of an agreement, the artist sometimes stands to lose an awful lot depending on how the purchaser decides to use the art. I think this may be the case here.

On behalf of my favourite artists and designers, I ask you to consider not voting for ANYTHING, talking to other knitters about this, and if the issue concerns you at all, sending your opinion to Knitting Daily.

hiatus.

2007-08-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

I might as well just admit it. I'm going to take a hiatus from blogging. Sorry, friends, but I'm just not feeling it right now, and I make it a personal policy to try not to do anything (that's not mandatory in life) that I'm not really into.
I think I'll be back in a while. There's certainly still knitting going on. But lately I just don't feel like cataloguing it all, blogging, reading all the blogs. I'm tired of watching the way certain things catch on and suddenly everyone seems to be making the exact same thing in the exact same colour. I'm tired of reading the sycophantic worship of a handful of "major" knit bloggers. I'm feeling a general malaise with the blog world, and I need a break.
So, a blog vacation for me. I'll likely be back soon.
For now, take care...

still here

2007-07-13T01:51:00.000-04:00

I haven't died or anything... I'm still here. Actually, I've even been fairly productive with my knitting as I avoid packing and anticipate forthcoming babies (other people's... not mine!).

But packing... yes... I have completed Monkey socks, about a zillion little flower petal bibs (okay, 4 so far), and the better part of a Baby Surprise Jacket, but unless I drape them over cardboard boxes, picture-taking is a little stunted right now.

I'll be back... promise.

Coffee Swap revealed... finally

2007-06-27T11:20:00.001-04:00

FOUND IT! I found my camera-to-computer cord. So here is the amazing Coffee Swap package sent to me by Jenny! Thank you so much!!!

The box:

Home Sweet Georgia's Mocha Java, Jittery Joe's Colombian Supremo, and New Mexico Pinon Coffee. Plus Jenny knitted me a rose! I think the Jittery Joe's is my favourite, but they are all tasty!

A lovely mug from Starbucks, some Georgia Peach Peppermints, really pretty stitch markers (they are SOOO pretty!), and knitted-felted coasters. I especially loved Jenny's idea for the little round car-cup-coasters!

A mini travel mug, a very cool over-the-ear LED light (for night-time knitting/reading!), and possibly my favourite thing from the whole package: GRITS! Nora Mill Granary "Georgia Ice Cream" White Speckled Grits. And I've already used the LED light several times!

Some luscious Brooks Farm Primero Yarn, Pingouin Sock Yarn (coffee coloured, of course), a really cute coffee cup dishcloth (!) and the pattens for EVERYTHING Jenny knitted for me! I think the Brooks Farm may become another mini-Clapotis.

I'm such a lucky coffee pal! Thank you, Jenny, for putting so much effort into this and making up such a fantastic package for me! And don't worry... yours is on its way to you! I hope you like it just as much!

we are experiencing technical difficulties

2007-06-14T15:12:00.000-04:00

Please stand by...

I received a fantastic package from my Coffee Swap Pal Jenny last week, but due to a collection of technical disturbances, I haven't been able to post it yet... But THANKS JENNY!!!!

Oh, and don't worry, I'm collecting the last few bits and pieces to put into your package... almost ready to send!

ETA: I was out of town for work, and for some reason the stupid computer I was using to access e-mail wouldn't let me into blogger even to leave this message! Then I tried to take photos and the stupid batteries in the stupid camera were dead. (because someone STUPID neglected to charge them, duh) Now the loot has been photographed, Blogger is again accessible... and the stupid cord that connects the stupid camera to the stupid computer is MIA. (again, because someone STUPID who is in the process of packing has STUPIDLY misplaced it) I have a good feeling about locating it tomorrow. But stick a fork in me, I'm done for the day. Garbage in, garbage out. Maybe tomorrow will be a "smart" day.

Mojo is a Monkey.

2007-06-06T11:52:00.001-04:00

The Simpsons were right... especially if it's a monkey made of Koigu.

More soon...

LOST: reward if found

2007-05-28T23:46:00.000-04:00

LOST: One Knitter's Knitting Mojo.

I don't know why, but I'm so blecch with my knitting right now. I don't know if it was having my butt kicked by Jane, or maybe the fact that Jane was followed immediately by the stupid realization that I knit too much first sock to be able to knit a second sock, but I'm just not feeling it these days.

After all that, I knit a whole Sweet Georgia sock in less than 3 days (fast for me!), including my first short row heel, but nearly 3 weeks later I'm barely a few inches into that second sock, and just uninspired.

To inventory, here's what's currently on the needles:
I have a pretty green Swallowtail shawl on the go, that I TOTALLY don't feel like knitting on.
I have an EZ sweater on the go, that is grey, grey, grey stockinette for days and days and days.
I have a mohair shruggy-sweater on the go that is lovely, but totally useless for the season we're in, so I don't much feel like it either.
There's always Jane to finish ripping and re-knit. I'm not really feeling that one either.
Oh, and that Sea Wool debauchle. I'm still kind of hoping (in vain) that I will come across another skein of the same Fleece Artist so I don't have to rip anything else out.

I don't think Startitis is the answer, because I feel pretty lame for all the temporarily (?) abandoned projects listed above... and as much as I want a Cardigan for Arwen (and have gorgeous yarn for it!), I don't want to knit it right now if the gauge gods are going to be so cruel. I don't have any more ripping in me at the moment.

So it's clear that after a fairly knitterly and productive summer/fall/winter, that spring really can hang you up the most. Or, to quote a beloved blue friend, "I lost me cookie at the disco".

If anyone's seen my knitting mojo, could you please let me know? I miss it.

promotion for prizes

2007-05-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

I like the look of some of them there prizes over at Wanietta's, and this sounds like a fun thing to watch so here goes:

On Sunday, May 27, the Toronto Spiders will take up the International Wool Challenge (Back to Back Competition) for the fourth consecutive year. This competition, involving teams around the world, requires that a sheep be shorn and the fleece spun, plied, and knitted into a sweater (according to a standard pattern) in one day.After two years at the Ontario Handspinning Seminar and a year at Toronto's Riverdale Farm, this year the Toronto Spiders will be at the Pickering Museum in Greenwood, as part of their Opening Day. The team is made up of Wannietta Prescod (the Fastest Knitter in North America in 2005 & 2006), Barbara Aikman, Julia Lee, Judy Pergau, Denise Powell, Karen Richens, and Lorraine Smith of Spinners Quarterly. Our shearer is Bob Comfort, and Joan Kass and Judy Findlay will be our timekeepers and educators. We look forward to having lots of interest and support from passers-by. Like all Back to Back Challenges, we will be raising money for cancer research.We will be attempting to beat our Canadian record time of 6 hours, 51 minutes, and 15 seconds, so hope to finish some time between 4 and 5 p.m.If you are in the neighbourhood, please do drop by and wave, say "Hey y'all", but don't expect us to stop what we're doing to chat with you until the sweater is done!

calling all facebook knitters, and a giggle

2007-05-19T12:51:00.000-04:00

I don't usually collide my knit-blog life and my real life, but this is a chance to do something good.

Remember MSF? Remember?

There's a facebook group for MSF. (now, personally I think facebook is a little evil. A time-sucking void, where private people put entirely too much personal information out into the world, but this is a good use of it...) The facebook group is trying to win $7000 from a radio station in Toronto, who is giving away the money to the "coolest" facebook group, based on "number of members, interaction, use of facebook tools, etc". So if you are on facebook, get on over to the group. Go. It's on til Thursday, noon. I already told them you were coming...

And here's a giggle for you, for reading the public service announcement:

Go to Google, click on maps. Search directions "from New York, New York, to Paris, France". If line 24 makes you giggle, pass it on.

KTE packages arrived!

2007-05-17T15:07:00.000-04:00

A big thank you to Patti, my KTE pal. I picked up 2 lovely packages from the post office on Tuesday...

The first contained Passionfruit Mango body butter and body spray, and a sweet little kit to grow my own sunflower! (I'm going to wait til the weather's a little nicer to start that)

And the second contained a lemonade kit (perfect for sitting and sipping on my balcony), some chocolate covered orange, key lime truffles (YUM!!! these are almost gone!), and some lovely sock yarn by Woolarina a seriously bright and sunshiney set of colours. I might use this for a baby surprise jacket...

Thank you, Patti!!!

an instruction, a photo, and a meme

2007-05-09T09:13:00.000-04:00

Hey... this may qualify as my first ever true Random Wednesday.

First... go wish Jen a happy birthday... she's new in blogdom.
(also, if you're feeling cheeky, ask her to blog the fug)

Second, courtesy of Karen, I give you... the Sheep Grand National.

This is the latest in my series of... ovine irony. Not exactly metafiction, but close. We're definitely exploring the juxtaposition between reality and relation, and... something possibly more clever than I have words for right now. (have I mentioned that I have had some rip-roarin' insomnia these last several days? SUCKY.) Included in the article is this line: "the sheep, who all came to the farm as orphans, carry knitted jockeys on their backs". Awwww.

And lastly, a meme. I mosly hate memes, but I found this one at Andrea's, and I like to see what people's knitting tastes are.

Mark with bold the things you have knit (or are knitting), with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting (may have done this once unintentionally – does that count?)
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (does it count if the recycling comes from a whole whack of your own frogging?)
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan (zippy hoodie)
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book (- yeah, right)
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting

Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

a package...

2007-05-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

... arrived yesterday from my knitter's treat exchange pal... some magazines and a familiar mouse.

I love Mental Floss -- excellent reading for the Elliptical trainer at the gym! And I'm looking forward to peeping through the Knitter's magazine.

Thank you KTE pal!

ol' 55

2007-05-07T20:19:00.000-04:00

I love Tom Waits.
But that number... not so much right now.

This is not the news we were hoping for. The weigh scale at my local grocery store indicated 55g, including the ziploc baggy I had it on. I have some doubts about the precision of this scale too (it told me that the ziploc baggy alone weighed 5g, and I DO NOT buy that), but I think it's clear that I do not have enough to make socks of a matching size.

Thanks for all the finger-crossing. Oh, and if you happen to get to LK before me this week, try not to buy my colour of Sea Wool... I really need it.

a video for distraction...

2007-05-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

I still have to get out to the weigh scale, so for now watch this...

there's always something...

2007-05-06T18:35:00.000-04:00

I have half a FO to show you. It's my first Sea Wool sock, the Uptown Boot Sock pattern from this awesome book, and I love it. It's beautiful. The stitch pattern is lovely, the yarn is luminous. It feels nice on my foot. I love this sock.

What's the problem, I'm sure you're wondering. Wait, why are the needles still attached to the toe? Why haven't you expertly kitchener zipped the toe up yet? Wait a sec... that's an awfully small yarn cake sitting on that beautiful sock... what the... Just look at that yarn-eating, gluttonous sock.

I'm SO not sure I have enough for sock 2. I started with 115 grams. I have an imprecise kitchen scale that says I have around 55 grams in that yarn cake. For those of us who are not math experts, that's not half. It's close, but it's not half. But the scale is not all that accurate, so I'm still hoping for a little miracle.

Tomorrow I'm off to the grocery store self-serve check out, where I will surreptitiously weigh the little yarn cake that remains. If I don't have at least 57.5 grams, my plan is to pop in for a Lettuce Knit visit next weekend, hoping against hope to find a matching skein. It would be worth it. If they don't, I have contemplated picking out the cuff and making it a wee bit shorter. Gak. I don't really want to do that.

Send me good vibes for a nice fat yarn cake, will ya? It would be so much easier that way...

the Well-Caffeinated Kate

2007-05-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

My Coffee Swap Questionnaire...

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? I have a grinder, but I usually buy espresso and flavoured coffees ground. My grinder doesn't really do espresso fine enough, and flavoured coffees kind of leave their signature on the grinder so the non-flavoured coffees are compromised. Bet you never realized how high-maintenance I could be over coffee!

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? I usually have herbal tea if I don't want caffeine, but I do keep a bit of decaf around for after dinner. Most of the time it's caffeine, and that's the point. I do, however, usually switch to decaf if I'm doing solos or auditions, because caffeine makes you twitch in a way that's not conducive to high-performance!

3. Regular or flavored? I know some coffee purists will disapprove, but I love flavoured coffee for plain old drip filtered. My flavours of choice are vanilla and/or hazelnut. Yum.

4. How do you drink your coffee? A good splash of cream (or whatever dairy is on hand) and a pinch of sugar. I often keep raw sugar around for coffee only.

5. Favorite coffee ever? Tough one. I'm a big fan of espresso based drinks like lattes. For brew coffee, my favourite bean may have been Timothy's Vanilla Hazelnut.

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? I'm pretty fussy about my coffee. I am sensitive to overly acidic coffees, and I cannot drink a lot of the donut chain coffees for this reason. (I end up feeling ill almost immediately).

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Wafer-type cookies that kind of dissolve on your tongue go well with coffee (ie: Monaco cookies). Or a nice mocha coffee cake. Vanilla cupcakes. Sometimes just a nice piece of dark chocolate... I need a snack now.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I love a good dark roast. Something not overly acidic. Rich, bold flavour. Lots of body.

9. Yarn/fiber you love? Merino, cashmere, alpaca, silk, sock.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Acrylic. Fun fur. Novelty yarns of all ilks.

11. What's on your needles? Uptown Boot socks in Sea Wool. A cotton ruffle scarf (short rows, not novelty). An EZ sweater in Classic Merino. A Swallowtail shawl in Misti Alpaca. A boob-warmer sweater in mohair. (hmm... perhaps I should complete something)

12. Favorite colors? Bright and bold, but not neons. I love all greens. Blues, purples, burgundy. Also love pinks, reds, oranges, turquoise, not necessarily together. Less into earth-tones, but I can be swayed when they're lovely. Yellow and beige make me look jaundiced, which is not the look I generally go for. I think I have a bit of a grey problem (meaning, I always tend to choose it -- all three of the above mentioned sweaters are GREY).

13. Allergies? Strawberry, kiwi, raspberry, mango, guava, papaya, peaches, bee stings (please don't send me bee stings!). This will probably not be relevant.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? Umm... surprises. I love surprises. I also really like it when swap pals take an interest and really communicate, get to know each other a bit. It's much more fun that way. So far so good with my coffee pal!

Frolicking with the best of 'em

2007-05-02T00:37:00.000-04:00

Three vaguely guilty-looking knitters, clutching their bags close.

The combined purchases of same three knitters.

Yes, the frolic was so much fun. Possibly more fun than a person should have in one day. Possibly more fun than I should have had merely because of knitting, knitters and yarn. But that's an existential topic I'm not prepared to approach.

I'm so glad I went. I started twitching when I first got there, and had fortunately arranged to meet Renee, who tried to calm me down, or at least kept me from vibrating myself right off the ground. High-tech knitters that we are, Andrea and I had also arranged to rendezvous with a little cell phone magic.

And oh, so many knitters. Stopped in to the Lettuce Knit booth to say hi to Megan and Laura, and especially to thank Laura for the online Jane help. She was sweet to say that it was less about a gauge problem, and possibly about a really small proportion for sleeves. When a knitter like that tells you it may not be your fault, you believe her (even if your gauge was a little wonky), and I felt a little better. Incidentally, Jane and I are still moping and not yet speaking. We just need a little time apart.

Saw so many of the Romni staff frolickng, it's hard to say -- it may have been a free-for-all down at the shop on Saturday... hmm...

Saw Stephanie and Rachel shopping for Denny and chatted for a bit - mostly twitchy, excited, enabling chatter. When your spiritual leader tells you to go forth and purchase yarn without shame, somehow you know it's right. Right before we parted ways, she directed us to the Qiviut, which I had never touched. The woman practically shoved my hand into the basket... but that stuff is SERIOUSLY expensive though lovely to touch. I resisted, but only because my wallet was flaming.

Tell me now, is it a bad sign when the nice man at the yarn checkout tilts your credit card this way and that, saying "I can hardly read the numbers on this card, they're so worn."

It was a good day.
(did anyone else notice that I didn't cop to what I actually bought??? That's what the group purchase pile was for -- I am guiltless.)

fröhlich for Frolic

2007-04-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

A Frolic (from German fröhlich - happy) is the act of being playful, merry, fun, or carefree, or of acting jokingly. (source: Wikipedia)

A Knitters' Frolic, therefore, must be all of the above in the presence of yarn and other knitters. I sure hope that carefree thing applies to credit cards...

Okay... so the annual Frolic FINALLY falls on a day I can make it, so I will be there with knits on (as opposed to with bells on... that'd just be annoying). I'd love to meet up with any of you knit-bloggy types who may be there.

Renee and I already have a plan to find each other, and if anyone else wants to connect, send me an e-mail before 8:30am Saturday morning. I plan to arrive around 10am (so if you go earlier than that, please don't get ALL the good stuff before I get there). We can always trade mobile numbers to make finding each other easier.

Can't wait, can't wait...

thanks, knitters

2007-04-26T23:24:00.000-04:00

I've borrowed this from Josie. (although I suspect Mrs.Kent had some gauge issues too)

Thanks to all you knitters for your support in the Jane-frogging crisis. Thanks for de-lurking, thanks for commenting, thanks for gasping aloud for me. It makes me feel better, not to do this alone. I appreciated all the sweater frogging and rescue stories, and I especially took comfort from what Josie said about ripping:

"I've found that learning to rip out hours of knitting is a skill as important as seaming or cabling or anything else. It is always worth the trouble. "

This I can live with. It is an important skill to recognize when something's not working and to do your best to fix it. Even if that means starting over. That's good advice for life, even.

Thanks again, knitters. We'll be back...

here's the thing...

2007-04-25T23:27:00.000-04:00

One of Jane's fronts is all but done. I can totally get this done in time for the frolic.
But I'm about to do something dire...

Riiiiiiiiip.

Yup. The sleeves must be re-designed, re-knit. 'member how I said I didn't like the way the sleeves fit? I REALLY don't like the way the sleeves fit. And this has the potential to be a favourite sweater, if only the sleeves fit properly. I am now working on a plan to make them more like sleeves for a human and less like Chinese finger traps for arms.

Please don't try to talk me out of it... this is the first time I've ripped something out like this, and it's a tough decision. (I could just leave them and still be able to wear the sweater) This is like a small defeat, but there's also some victory in it for me.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED
(it's good to figure this stuff out)

I CAN knit an entire sweater in under two weeks. (even if that means a dearth of laundry-doing, proper meals, the gym, and anything else not knitting)
Gauge is a lying sonnova *&^%!$F&^*...
I want a sweater I'm really happy with. Especially since this is the first adult-sized sweater I've ever attempted.
Just because you can get something on doesn't mean it fits properly, or that it will make you happy. I don't want this to be the sweater on which I screwed up the arms -- I want a favourite that I'm proud of, that I reach for all the time.
Gauge is, seriously, a real @$$#0!3.
I am neither a process knitter, nor a product knitter.
I am a PROGRESS knitter. (it's all about how far I've come, how much I have left, how fast I knit how many inches, how many SPI that translates to, how fast I think I can knit the next so many rows...) "Beat the clock" was VERY satisfying for me as a knitting game.

Sigh. It has to be done. I miss knitting anything else, so I'm going back to my long lost Sea Wool sock tonight and Jane and I are going to stare mournfully at each other from safely across the room for a few nights. Did I mention that gauge is a lying ^M(*)F&^%!C$%S????? I'm never knitting an offering to the gauge gods again. Particularly not a large and generous one. Twice. (this is simply not true, but it makes me feel better to say it now).

See you at the frolic, without Jane... frolic plans posted Friday. I'd love to meet you if you're going!

a tale of two sleeves

2007-04-24T18:29:00.000-04:00

Done, and done. Sewn and everything.

Special thanks to Laura (who knit the LK sample of this sweater) for the emergency cast-off advice via e-mail this afternoon!

Gauge is a lying SOB... the sleeves are really narrow. They fit, but they are closer than I'd like. I'm going to try to block them a bit wider, but I'm not in love with them. :(

I *was* impressed with the unzipping of my provisional cast-on, if I do say so myself. This NEVER works for me, but this time I had only two little snags, and after a little manual un-doing, I was able to get back on the unzip.

And here's a quick ode to this yarn... the fuzzy slubby bits. I love the slubby fuzzy bits.

Thanks for all the support... the front pieces come next.

photo of the day

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

These are great, no? I don't know who made them or why, but you can view the rest of the herd here.

Yes, I've been knitting Jane, yes there is a sleeve... and 1/3 of a second sleeve, even. I just didn't get a chance to photograph it yet, what with all the crazy knitting going on. I think I can finish sleeve 2 later tonight, sew them up tomorrow morning and get started on the front-pieces. If the fronts can be knit by the end of Thursday I will definitely have a sweater on my back at the frolic. I feel like I'm playing beat the clock, but it's kind of fun. There are so many knitters out there who seem to produce garments at an alarming rate, I thought it'd be fun to press the timer a little. I don't know how they do it.

Bear in mind that I do still have to work, and I have a couple of recording sessions this week that are SERIOUSLY cutting into the knitting time (the nerve of people, expecting me to WORK when there's a -self-imposed- knitting deadline). Also, if I don't do laundry soon I won't have any underwear to wear to the frolic, and since it's not THAT kind of frolic, I should probably take care of this issue (I just considered buying more underwear as a solution to "this issue"... I may possibly have a knitting addiction).

progress report

2007-04-20T00:49:00.000-04:00

Yarn: Wound.

Back: Done.

(contrary to pattern instructions "unravel the cast on edge", that's a provisional cast on there in orange... wish me luck unzzzzzzzippping!)

I'm all set to depart for sleeve peninsula (as opposed to sleeve island - it's a construction thing), first thing tomorrow...

Yeeeeehawwwwwwwww!
(sing it with me now: Jay-a-ay-ane...)

another cool exchange

2007-04-18T18:45:00.000-04:00

Oh yes... I made it into the Knitters Coffee Swap exchange! Can't wait... I do love me some good coffee (and I always say, Starbucks makes me a nicer person).
My origami sweater is coming, coming along... will I make it for the frolic? Who knows??? I already love this sweater, though. It smells good, the drape is lovely, and it feels sheepy. And the colours... I got dressed today, then looked for a good sweater to throw on over top when it hit me -- the soon to be new one would be perfect. It is destined to be a favourite (if the gauge gods are willing...).
Pics soon, promise. Sock ones, too (though I've abandoned my sock jag -- temporarily -- for this sweater sprint).

sometimes I amaze even myself...

2007-04-15T17:14:00.000-04:00

So... first another little rave about Lettuce Knit. I phoned LK on Wednesday, around 11:45 am, ordering a Jane Origami sweater kit that I had previously fondled on Monday (why I did not buy the kit when it was in front of me on Monday is a much longer story...). Thursday morning, around 11:30 am, Canada Post buzzed my apartment, delivering... the Jane kit. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. Less than 24 hours, Toronto to Kingston. Love. It.

So Saturday, I decide in a frenzy... I'm casting this on. Tonight. I think I can make this in time to wear to the frolic. (why this occured to me, I have no idea).

So I read the instructions. In full.
I sang "Jay-ayay-ane" (BNL) about 47 times.
I got out the needles. For Swatching.
I knit a large and generous swatch, fully intending to bath it, block it, and commit to this sweater the way a sweater ought to be commited to.

Then... what.... WHAT?

Awwww F#$%^&! Did I really do that? Did I really, really do that???
So I have a large and generous USELESS swatch.

So I ripped. (Even the tape measure looks disgusted, no?)

And I reknit. With matching needles.

And I washed and blocked.

And tonight, I am ready to go. May the force be with us. I'll keep you posted.

hellbent for cashmere (and other tales of an Easter weekend)

2007-04-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

It's true, I left for the GTA hellbent for cashmere... it was a priority. But first things first...

As you may recall, when we last left my mom, she had started a sock. She had clear instructions for cuff and leg, and we were waiting until I returned at Easter to flap, turn, pick up, decrease, foot, and toe... how did she do? Well, Mom put the speed on, since she had a live sock tutorial -- I arrived Thursday night, we flapped and turned... next morning, pick-up and decrease. Weekend? Foot, foot, foot... here's the decrease, and.... by Monday morning as I was pulling out of there, we kitchener-stitched the toe and presto:

One happy mom with one happy sock.

Then the following conversation:

Me: You're going to start the next one right away, right?
Mom: I'm going to get my taxes organized first then...
Me: NO! No, no, no! Cast on the next one NOW. Right now. Go. Cast on and knit at least a few rounds of ribbing.

I delayed my departure to make sure we wouldn't end up with any SSS virus in the family. It was close, but we're good...

Friday morning, I awoke to snow on the ground. (WTF? I'm so over this winter thing, but that's another story. Stupid groundhog.) It did, however, allow us to see that the Easter bunny had indeed visited, passing across my mom's driveway.

Saturday I headed for Romni, hellbent for cashmere. (I think if bikers can be hellbent for leather, knitters can be hellbent for cashmere). I received a big ol' gift certificate for Romni at Christmas and had been saving it for a need-to-have moment. I have been coveting two skeins of Handmaiden 8-ply Silk and Cashmere since at least September, and I finally decided to splurge with the GC. Once I had made my decision I was totally paranoid that I would go and the coveted skeins would be gone... but...

I GOT IT!!! It felt like adoption at cash -- everyone was happy for me, happy that the cashmere had found a good home, just happy.

Monday I had plans with several different friends in the city, and one by one through the afternoon, they all cancelled on me. What's a girl to do???

A little sock accident at LK. I realized that I have almost no sock yarn in any light colours, and what if I want to make something with a complicated pattern? When dark yarn just won't do?

Problem solved. Plus I've never used Lorna's Laces, and y'all just keep sayin' how nice it is. And this Sea Wool is very special... I have to show you the socks I've been working on. Next time...

Have a good weekend! I'll be knitting.

Ernie and Bert, Shrinkage, and a Birthday Ambush

2007-04-03T16:44:00.000-04:00

All right! My first "Random Wednesday" post!

(although yes, it is Tuesday. Details, details.)

Let's start with Ernie and Bert.

Since I started them (my fourth pair of socks), I've been referring to these guys as my Ernie and Bert socks... it's the stripes, in those colours. They're Regia, Canadian Colours in a colourway called "Kilt". (dunn0... I think E&B is a better name). I finished them on Sunday afternoon (16 days for this pair) and they make me very, very happy.

Add to that these shoes which I purchased last summer before a single sock had been knit, with the intention that they would make good "knit-sock-wearing-shoes". Such foresight. And they do, don't they. More happy.

Next... shrinkage. No, not THAT kind of shrinkage (get your minds out of the gutter). Inspired by Renee, I rediscovered my inner 12year-old (okay, she's actually not that "inner") and HAD to play with shrink film again. Last night I was going to do my taxes, but instead I watched Avril Lavigne's concert on CBC (see? I am a 12year-old girl) and experimented with shrinky-dink stitch markers. The result:

Some of these turned out better than others, but it was basically an experiment in film size, font size, shrinking, shapes... I have a better idea for next time.

And you know what this means... all you awesome "good karma" participants are getting your markers soon... (sorry for the delay... life...)

And these lead me to the birthday ambush. Happy Birthday, (blogless) Emma. Jen (the lady of the knit - one of those markers was for her) and I ambushed her with cupcakes and presents (a Harlot book, of course).

We took our very own "Imagine" photo. Tea, cupcakes, and everyone in the room was wearing handknit socks. (LtoR, that's Jen, Emma and me.) A pretty great morning.

for me-me-me-me-meeeeee?

2007-03-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

It's here! My awesome prize package from Sophia! I won a contest last week when I correctly guessed the composer (Rossini) of the opera she's currently performing (La Donna del Lago). Hence the operatic warm-up of the post title.

Well, the USPS parcel arrived bright and early, before I was actually up, so I'm afraid the delivery guy had a bit of a fright when I came to the door with flannel jammies, bed-head and the distinct markings of someone who had a pillow jammed against her face until moments before. They must see all kinds of things...

What a nice surprise! It is Fortissima DISCO sock yarn! I hadn't realized it from her blog, but there is actually some sparkle in this stuff! It's a great blue/white colour with just a little bling for fun. I will have to find the perfect pattern for them. Also some lovely gift-cards to include when giving knitted items (with spots for fibre type and care instructions), and some tip covers to protect my delicate sock dpns.

Thank you so much, Sophia!!!

And while I'm bragging about lovely acquisitions, I must show you this:

Last weekend I did some violin playing at a church service for the Lady of the Knit, and the silly, silly girl surprised me with this gorgeous stuff. She's determined to make me into a lace knitter with this gorgeous Fiddlesticks. It's a lace weight Zephyr Wool-Silk, 50% merino, 50% tussah silk, SO soft, and look at the unbelievable colour: it's called Agean Blue. (Tussah silk, I've just figured out, is organic silk, gathered wild, and is stronger and more resiliant than the cultivated white silk... cool.) To top it off, she got me a set of Addi Lace needles. This is really exciting... again, I've got to come up with a great pattern to do justice with this beautiful stuff. And Jen, truly unnecessary, but really appreciated. Thanks!

Really, I'm knitting, too. I will have an FO for y'all probably by the end of the weekend. Enjoy your weekends!

Knitters Treat Exchange Questionnaire

2007-03-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

Wow, this is a great exchange. It's a one-time exchange where you send your spoilee a nice little treat package. Requirements are enough yarn for a one-skein type project, a magazine, a pampering treat and a tasty treat. Plus whatever else you want to put in... Seems like a manageable one for me! As much as I loved my Secret Pal exchange, I just don't have time/money/energy for that right now, but I still enjoy "meeting" new bloggers and thinking up fun ways to surprise someone.

Sign-ups for this one are explained here, and open til the end of the month.

Here's my questionnaire:

1. What's your favourite type of yarn?
Tough one... probably merino is a good answer. Cashmere makes me unbelievably happy, but I certainly don't expect anyone to send me that! I also enjoy alpaca quite a lot, and I have developed a fondness for silk. I like pretty hand-dyed and/or variegated yarns more than I can say.

2. What's your least favourite type of yarn?
Acrylic. *shudder* And Fun Fur is Muppet Murder.

3. What's the first thing you do when you visit a new yarn shop?
If it's a nice shop, I usually grin/giggle and bounce up and down twitching happily trying to figure out what to look at first. (can you say "over-stimulated"?) Then I wander the whole place fondling just about every yarn to get a sense of what they have, especially what I haven't seen before.

4. What other crafts do you do / would like to do?
I am mostly a knitting addict now, but I like all kinds of crafty stuff like making stitch markers, paper-craft, occasional sewing (when I have a purpose and a machine in front of me) and I'm really excited about the package of shrinky-dink film I just bought...

5. What magazines do you currently subscribe to?
I do a self-subscription to Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits (meaning I buy every issue as soon as it's on the stand!)

6. Put this type of magazine in order of preference:Knitting / Crochet / Other Craft / Food / Home / Fashion / Celebrity Gossip / Garden
1. Knitting
1.5. I'm gonna insert "world news" in here too. (I'm a junky for the New Yorker, the Economist, Time, Macleans, stuff like that for reading at the gym)
2. Food
3. Home
4. Fashion
5. Celebrity Gossip (guilty pleasure)
6. Other Craft
7. Crochet
8. Garden (I kill plants - what can I say, I have a BLACK thumb and no yard)

7. What items do you like to knit / crochet?
At present I'm addicted to socks, and I love making scarves for people. I have a new-found love of shawls. Kid's garments are a lot of fun, and I'll try to make just about anything that I really want to have!!!

8. Are you allergic to anything?
Strawberry, kiwi, raspberry, mango, guava, papaya, peaches, bee stings (please don't send me bee stings!).

9. What do you like to* smell of?(*This is not a typo. The question is: What do you like to smell of)
Umm... usually nothing. I like sandalwood a lot, vanilla or citrus is nice, and (like Andrea - good one!) I love to smell like the beach! (if only Calvin Klein really sold Kramer's beach scent...)

10. What's your favourite way to relax?
Knit, of course! Or read. Kick back with a nice glass of wine or a latte (depending) and knit. Especially with friends.

11. You're stood in front of a Victorian style sweetshop, an Italian cafe, an old fashioned bakery and a dainty tea room. Where do you go first?
If I could only go to one place, I'd go to the cafe. Otherwise I'd hit the sweet shop to look for something vanilla-dark chocolatey (vanilla cremes are the BEST!), grab something (chocolate croissant?) at the bakery and then take it all to the cafe to enjoy with a good cuppa. (best for last)

12. What do you come out with?
What do you think it means if I spent more than a few seconds trying to figure out if this was a deep existential question. Then it dawned on me "What do you come out of the shop with?". Right. I guess I should have read through first.
I wouldn't come out of the cafe for a while, especially if they had comfy chairs and I had pointy sticks. Maybe I'd come out with a sexy Italian man and a smile on my face??? (heh heh heh)

13. Where do you go next?
Out to a fabulous dinner with Giuseppe. (you know, the one from the cafe).

14. Any other words of wisdom for your pal?
Umm, let's see... Some random comments based on the stuff on our lists: Face masks are fun, and I love interesting soaps. I don't tend to appreciate lotions or oily things too much, because I can't stand to feel greasy hands (I think it's a violin-playing thing). As for tea, I think I only drink herbal teas these days (the more flavourful the better!), going for coffee if I want caffeine. Other than that, I love surprises and I think this is an awesome exchange! For more details and a longer set of questions, you could check out my SP8 Questionnaire, if you're stumped.

I won!!!

2007-03-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

I won a blog contest! Sometimes being a violinist is most helpful...

Sophia over at Yarn over Manhattan is also a violinist, and today she posted a picture of some music and had a little contest to guess the composer of the "arm-cramping opera excerpt" she is currently performing. I got it right... Rossini's La Donna del Lago!!! And do you know what I win??? SOCK YARN!!! And some pretty nice looking note cards, for getting the opera right too! Yahoooooo!

And earlier today I got my car back, all fixed. And just now on the street I found a quarter. Not just a penny... a QUARTER. That's got to be some good luck. And now I'm on my way out to knit with some friends. I have a feeling it's going to be a good weekend!

(maybe the force is strong with us this week, with all the knitters gathered in NYC!)

Thanks so much, Sophia!!!

the spoils

2007-03-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

Here comes the yarn porn... the crawl... the spoils...

I started out with a stop at Knit-O-Matic to pick up the Opal Tiger Stripe (I knew she had Opal and e-mailed for her to hold some!). After seeing Cari's family socks a few weeks ago I HAD to have some. I knew one wouldn't be enough. Later that day I went to knit night at Lettuce Knit (I love LK), and in an uncontrollable fit, I picked up this Sea Wool in a flavour I am considering Neapolitan (like the ice cream).

Leg 2 was a day with my mom. I arrived at her place greeted by these three little sheepy fellows. The yarn is the Koigu picked up last Tuesday at Rose Haven.

We left bright and early for the Needle Emporium.

My prime target: More Mountain Colours Bearfoot. Mission accomplished. I've said it before, I'm sure I'll say it again. GET YOURSELF SOME. So much happiness. A skein of Jitterbug accidentally fell into my basket too. (whoops)

THEN we went back to mom's place so she could learn to make socks. So far so good. She learned a good sock cast-on, and has the Harlot instructions to get started. She's going to do the cuff/leg on her own now, and we'll turn the heel over Easter. Way to go Mom!

Next... a day with Renee and her girlies. SUCH a fun day. She made me these CRAZY nice stitch markers (sorry Renee, I stole your picture -- better than mine!), which I am so excited about! Thank you SO much for these, Renee. Super cute, creative, and really thoughtful!

And, as she said on her blog it's such a treat to discover you like someone from blogland as much in person as you do online. Extra bonus fun to have a little kid time. I have to tell you, Renee's little girls are SO great. Happy, full of smiles, and amazingly well behaved, especially during such a long day enduring full-on adult knitting addiction. Two little sweeties. OBVIOUSLY Renee is an awesome mommy.

It was a great day, and of course I had to pick up a fibre souvenir from MSY (where we hung out after lunch), some Fable baby alpaca, a cute black sheep project bag, and a set of rosewood sock needles (feed the addiction).

Last two stops on the crawl were Romni and LK again. I bought only gift yarn this time, though, so I can't show you. (I have intentionally left out the gift yarn. There are a few for my yarn karma winner Teresa (sadly blogless), plus a few souvenirs for friends. I may blog Teresa's package once it's been sent and received.)

So that was my week off. SO. MUCH. FUN. I wish I had lots of money and had EVERY week off to explore yarn shops. Until I win the lottery, though, I think I'd better stay OUT of the yarn shops for a while!!! (back to the embargo) But it was good while it lasted...

Pimp my Ride

2007-03-21T14:13:00.000-04:00

Remember how I wanted to be like Oprah? Remember "Everybody gets a car!"?

Well... while my car is being fixed (finally... parts took weeks to arrive) my insurance is paying for my rental car... and it's a Pontiac G6, just like the ones Oprah gave away. I thought there was a little humour there... maybe it's just me.

I promise I'll post some good yarn porn from my crawl, probably tomorrow. This week is kicking my @$$.

drum roll please

2007-03-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

I wish I could be like Oprah. Well, in some ways... basically I wish I had the money to jump up and down and yell "EVERYBODY GETS SOME YARN!" while everyone went nuts. It would be so much fun, it would feel so good... if I could only win the lottery.

Thanks to everyone who sent me "Good Karma" e-mails. Wow, it's an awfully nice feeling to see that in a subject line! People sending you "good karma". I hadn't thought that through at the time, but I like it.

So anyway, without further ado, a random generator (that would be my hand in a hat full of little papers) has selected...

(blogless) Teresa!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I have e-mailed you for some info, and then I hope I can find you something fantastic today or tomorrow in the city.

For the rest of you, I think I can safely yell "EVERYBODY GETS SOME STITCH MARKERS!" I will e-mail you for snail mail addresses and send some of my home-mades out in the next couple of weeks. All that generosity, all those great stories... I want everyone to get something tangible back. Maybe they'll even remind us to be generous with the world as often as we can.

(speaking of stitch markers, did anyone see the WICKED stitch markers that Renee made for me??? I LOVE THEM! I will blog properly about this week once I get back to my apartment... )

Thanks to everyone for "playing". I bet I'll do it again so much time, I enjoyed the e-mails so much!

Stay tuned for the full crawl report early next week...

knitters, good.

2007-03-14T23:55:00.000-04:00

You guys are the best. In response to my blogiversary/anniversary/yarn give-away karma party, I have been getting some of the most fantastic e-mails from people with personal stories and reasons for generosity. Thanks to all of you, and to those of you who have sent other nice notes and comments this way. It's really, really great.

Anyone still interested in entering the draw should check out the details HERE. Enter by midnight this Friday to be entered in the draw for yummy yarn.

In other news, the yarn crawl continues. I went by Knit-O-Matic today to pick up some Opal Tiger Stripe sock yarn I had on hold. Also picked up a little gift yarn there...

Then down to my favourite, favourite shop of all: Lettuce Knit for knit night. I can't tell you how much I love this place. It's the happiest place in the world. Beautiful yarn, beautiful atmosphere. Always some new things to pet, some old standards to love, and a really good vibe, all the time. That's really important to me in a yarn store. Knitting is something I love to love, and when you walk in a store with a negative electricity in the air, it sucks all the fun out of it.
This has NEVER ever, not once happened to me at LK. There are lovely, lovely people who staff the store, helpful but not pushy, knowledgeable, friendly, understanding of one's yarn-binging tendencies. Megan does such a good job of making it a welcoming place everyone wants to be, wherever you're at with your knitting life. If you live within visiting distance and you've never been there, make sure you find time to stop by sometime. If not, well, you'll just have to trust me. (they do mail order, too)

I picked up a few things on Jen's behalf, and also accidentally bought another skein of Sea Wool sock yarn. I predict another trip to LK on Saturday once I have a yarn-karma winner or two. Plus I have to pace myself a little, because tomorrow Mom and I hit Needle Emporium, and Friday I will visit the new Main Street Yarns location with Renee, and there's bound to be a stop at Romni before I'm through!

Pics to come, when I'm blogging from my own computer again...

start your engines (and a FO)

2007-03-13T22:25:00.000-04:00

It's my March Break and I'm going on a yarn crawl. I started today, heading for Rose Haven with my lovely knitty girls, (blogless) Emma and (tentative blogger) Jen (go and encourage her).

I felt I had to pace myself, because I am going on a YARN CRAWL, so I bought only 2 skeins of Koigu KPPPM in a chocolatey mix, but I will save photos of that for when there is decent light to be found. I believe Emma "won" in the most-purchases competition, but it was a fun day.

As for the shop, there was a decent collection of Koigu, though not nearly as impressive as Needles and Pins in London. A nice collection of the new Louisa Harding (most of which I had not seen yet, so it was nice to fondle), and lots of nice local alpaca. I will say that as someone who considers herself an independent shopper, I was not given a lot of space to do so, which never impresses me.

I almost forgot... this happy little fellow was hanging on the building across from the yarn store. After a good long shop, we were a little peckish and went in search of nourishment. Upon closer inspection, we realized this logo (hot dog on buddha belly) was for a restaurant called "Buddha Dog". Ahem. We opted for the cafe next door. But you've gotta love the logo.

As for the FO... may I present my THIRD pair of socks. Third time's a charm. I put them on my feet, and I think I may have purred. I didn't know it could be like this...

They are the Rib and Cable Socks from Interweave Fall 2005. (I'm overly proud of myself for going into the archives and finding a pattern.) Made with Mountain Colours Bearfoot, in Obsidian. As I have said many times these last two weeks, if you've never had this yarn, GET SOME. It's absolutely lovely, 25% mohair, 60% wool, 15% nylon, 100% happy. The hand-dying is gorgeous, every stitch made me happy, and the wound ball was a lovely surprise, much brighter than the dark-looking skein.

Pattern modifications (oh yes, I'm already modifying my socks!): I knit an extra cable repeat in the leg, because I like a taller sock. Also a few less heel flap rows because it was starting to seem too big (good choice). And, when I knit for too long on the foot before decreasing the toe I decided to can a few straight knit rows in the toe part so it wouldn't be too long. They fit my feet perfectly.

I'm sorry I can't get better pictures... I tried for detail, but there's only so far away I can get from my own feet, and the light in this apartment is abysmal at the best of times. Anyway, I love them, and they are my fastest socks yet. (13 days for the pair, less a DST hour, but who's counting?)

More YARN CRAWL updates as they are available... I'm Toronto-bound tomorrow! Have a great week (I know I will!!!)

Also, not too late to enter my FREE YARN GIVEAWAY... until midnight Friday!

twenty years

2007-03-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Today is a major anniversary in my life. Not one of those joyous anniversaries of weddings, births, or blogiversaries, but one of those anniversaries which causes you to pause, to reflect.

Twenty years ago today my father died of cancer. Here’s a picture of us, mid-80s some time. Note the fathers day tie-card, carefully coloured in neon crayolas. Add to that note that he wore it out the door to work that day, and in when he came home. (the idea that perhaps he had not worn it throughout the day did not occur to my little girl brain and matters little).

He passed a lengthy illness, complete with wheelchair and pills. Lots of activity books coloured in hospital waiting areas. Together, we learned how to draw cartoons, made trays of Shrinky-dinks and “stained glass” Christmas ornaments, and laughed ourselves silly watching squirrels try to eat bagels from strings tied to trees. There are lots of things that wheelchair-bound dads can’t do with their nine-year old little girls, but lots of other things that we managed to enjoy, despite the crappy circumstances.

Before all that, Dad proudly endured endless dance recitals and music recitals, and took me on “dates” from time to time. (These dates usually included a trip to the candy store on the way to a Muppet movie, or similar, followed by ice cream.)

One time, when I duped him at a family garage sale, my businessman father just smiled and shook his head. (It’s a long story: We all priced our own items at garage sales, and I had priced my precious rocking horse “Lanny” excessively to fend off the possibility of purchase. When Dad asked me to reconsider my asking price, I went to my room, checked my wallet, came back out with a fifty cents sticker, handed my Dad two quarters and dragged my Lanny back into the house.)

Obviously losing a parent at a young age changes a person. I learned pretty early on that things seldom work out the way you think they will, even more rarely the way you hope they will, and almost never the way you expect them to. And despite what life hands you, you must keep on, hoping for better things ahead. Or at least, hoping for nothing worse. I also learned how to read people, quickly. I learned that I am not like others, and much later, I learned that THAT is actually a source of strength.

I learned that you have to live for today. I learned to do what I love, try not to put things off, and to be fiercely pro-active about the things I want to achieve. I don’t put up with a lot of crap, and I don’t suffer fools. Period. I also know there’s nothing I can’t handle alone if I have to.

I learned that the only person who owns the definition of me is me. I learned to let my own conscience be my higher authority, and to try to behave in ways I can live with. I learned that no one can really understand someone else’s particular set of circumstances without living through them, and I try not to be too judgmental for that reason.

I learned that when you love someone, you shouldn’t hesitate to tell them, and I don’t like to leave unresolved situations unresolved. I figure you have to actively love the people you love for who they are while they’re in front of you, because you never know which day will be your last. Or theirs.

So why am I telling all of you this? I guess it ties into my blogiversary celebration idea. Every year I try to make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society as a memorial, and I’d like some of you guys to do something generous too. Make a donation to an organization that needs it. If you’re lacking a cause, please feel free to use mine, but your donation can be to anything charitable. Something that is meaningful to YOU. I promise, it’ll make you feel good.

Now here’s the blogiversary give-away part: YARN. Make a donation, be entered in a draw. If there are loads of you, I’ll do more than one draw.

If you donate, send me an e-mail to miss DOT ewe AT gmail DOT com and tell me what you did (don’t just leave it in the comments please). You don’t have to tell me how much, you don’t have to prove it. I’m pretty sure the karma-lords would unleash a serious shit-storm over your life if you lied about something like this, so I’ll let them police it. Tell me why your donation is meaningful to you if you like, but only if you want to. Maybe put “good karma” in the subject line, so no one gets lost in my inbox.

I don’t know exactly what the give-away will be yet, probably some sexy sock yarn (did you notice that I’m obsessed with socks right now?), but I swear it’ll be good stuff, and I’ll even try to tailor it to the winner. I’ll leave it open for a week. E-me by next Friday, March 16, and that way I can do a draw and get the winner some nice stuff while I’m in Toronto next week. You must be willing to provide me with a snail address if you win.

So go… live now, give now, feel good about it, and have a chance for some free yarn. Nobody doesn’t like free yarn.

you must believe in spring...

2007-03-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Spring Knitty. Spring Knitty. SPRING KNITTY!!!

It MUST be spring!

Must make Clessidra. Might make Palette (with Sea Silk - but am accepting better suggestions for one skein). Like Isabella an awful lot. And absolutely love everything about bmp, though I know I'll never make them.

Which ones do you like?

blogiversary present

2007-03-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Kate. I've long suffered from the Noro virus, and I've recently caught the Sock Bug. These are the blogiversary presents I got for myself. (and thank you for all the good wishes, by the way).

Why yes, that IS the new Interweave Sock book. And a bit more Sweet Georgia, in a colour called Black Orchid. And Fleece Artist, a many purpled merino, and another skein of Sea Wool in a set of colours I can't even begin to explain. Blues, purples, russet, greyish. Too pretty to put down. As you can see, I had a bit of a purple day. And best of all: It was all free because the power was out at Lettuce Knit. FREE YARN!!!

Are you all flipping out? Free yarn from Lettuce Knit??? Oh... I must have forgotten to mention that once the power comes back on, they will charge my credit card... But so far, it's still free!

I will post sock progress soon...

Happy Blogiversary to me!!!

2007-03-03T17:40:00.000-05:00

:)

Yep, a year ago I joined the illustrious ranks of all you knit bloggers.

I celebrated with another trip to Lettuce Knit. Oh yes. And anyway, everyone knows sock yarn doesn't count.

Also, I am knitting another sock with Mountain Colours Bearfoot. It's pretty freaking awesome. If you are not familiar with this stuff, find some. It makes me happy about every 4 seconds.

I am currently away on a gig, and with patchy internet connectivity, so I'll have to save pictures for later. I'm also thinking of a little anniversary celebration kind of thing, so I'll dream that through and post about it next week...

Happy Blogiversary to me!!!

so that's how it's going to be...

2007-03-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

Sigh. In the midst of the other 97 things I had to accomplish today, I thought I'd make cupcakes. Birthday cupcakes, for two dear friends, both celebrating birthdays this weekend. I got Superman cupcake wrappers and everything.

I peeked into the oven to make sure things were going along fine, and met with these little aliens...

Now, not to brag or anything, but anyone who is familiar with my cooking and baking will be as stymied by this as I am. This isn't even a tough one... this is CUPCAKES. (In grade 6, I baked hundreds of them and sold them at recess, but that is beside the point.)

I guess I'm just not meant to be nice this weekend. D'oh. I think my lower element is possibly broken -- after pre-heating, the light kept coming back on and I think the top element was attempting to regulate the temperature. I'll try to figure this out later... may require a call to the landlord.

At the moment I'm trying to cook what's left of them into some edible form so at least it's not a total waste, even if they can't be given away.

ETA: Still tasty. My mom asked in her e-mail: "would icing help?" Yes, indeed.

a match made in heaven

2007-02-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

Nothing makes your day like a FO.

It's a sunny day, there's the sense that spring may one day come, and I have a new pair of socks. No second sock syndrome here!!!

These ones fit much better than the first pair, more details here if you're interested. Fraternal twins, but I never made any effort at matching the stripes. I'm just not that kind of girl.

Thanks for all your concerned comments about my car accident. My back has been pretty sore, but mostly it's just a big hassle to deal with an insurance claim, estimates, repair shops... and so on. Perfect addition to an already busy life.

Now... more socks. Must knit more socks. I have caught the sock bug (as evidenced by the purchase of Sensational Knitted Socks AND Knitting Vintage Socks in the same week. And I already own Knitting on the Road). Does anyone have any suggestions for deciding how to pair sock yarns and patterns? (self-striping, random variegated colours, solids, etc). I have a whack of fabulous sock yarn, but I'm a bit skittish about knowing what kinds of patterns will work well with what.

a yarn intention

2007-02-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

Nope, not a yarn accident. An yarn intention.

I got rear-ended on Sunday afternoon (yes, I think I'm okay - thanks!) on the way into Toronto to visit some friends. I had my whole day ruined, waiting for roadside assistance to put on a spare, going all the way out to a collision reporting centre, then in a panic to get the car road-worthy enough to get back. I ended up staying overnight, and while waiting for the car to be serviceable, I went to Lettuce Knit. SCREW the yarn embargo -- I got hit from behind and I DESERVED a treat. Or three. (or six, if you count the way I'm gonna knit it)

Some sexy new sock yarn. Above, some lovely Sweet Georgia in Angel, some Colinette JitterBug in Bright Charcoal, and some Fleece Artist Sea Wool (70% merino, 30% seacell) in that yummy orange colour that will make me smile every time they grace my feet.

There are things that happen accidentally, and things that happen intentionally. This was a mission.

these made me happy

2007-02-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

These made me happy today, so I thought I'd share.

miss fortune

2007-02-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

I like my asian take-out. You'll find no shame here -- there are days when odds of consuming dinner are greatly improved by picking up take-out. Usually not more than once per week, but occasionally...

My last three fortunes, over the last 10 days or so, are as follows:

Boys will be boys, and so will some middle-aged men.

Be mischievous and you will not be lonesome.

A lifetime friend will soon be made.

This proves nothing, except that I like my take-out (which I knew), but when you put them together like that, they're kind of fun. As for mischief... well, I'm sure I can dream something up.

Knitting... right... this is a knitting blog. I've been working away trying to make sure my sock has a date for Valentine's day, but sometimes things don't work out the way you'd like them to, and I've been so freaking tired that even plain vanilla sock rounds have been too much in the evenings. So it doesn't look good for Sock. I guess we'll be single together. :)

Oh, and did anyone else think there were an awful lot of "tunics" in the new Vogue and IK?

I love me.

2007-02-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

Happy V-day (almost).

I took this opportunity to collect a few things just for me. Some are from my mom, some are from "the dog" (via mom, I'm just guessing), and some I bought just for me. Didn't even break the yarn embargo, as the sock yarn was purchased by mom!

See??? A new, sexy gym bag from Lululemon, my magazines, some Meilenweit and some Fleece Artist sock yarn. Check out the ear-piece telephone mic thingy so I can knit while chatting on the phone (without the neck cramp). Also some gift cards for Chapters (knitting books already enroute) and Puretracks (I'm a musician, and I'm against illegal downloading...). This is the best V-day present ever.

I came, I saw, I thrummed

2007-02-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

Thrummm, thruh-thrum thrum.

Thrummm, thruh-thrum thrum THRUMMMMM!

My LYS had a free thrum demo today, basically a come-play-with-roving-we'll-explain-it thing. Never one to pass on a new knitting technique, I grabbed a friend (go and encourage her!) and headed up there.

Well... thrumming. I think it's safe to say it qualifies as "overly fiddly", and therefore goes fairly low on my list of stuff to do. But I was glad I got a chance to try. That purl-into-the-back locking stitch is a pesty thing to do, and it seems clear that thrumming should only be done (whenever possible) in the round, so that one can KNIT into the back to lock. Somewhat more reasonable thing to do over and over again.

Here are the pics... I intentially tried a few different things to see what would happen (different amounts of roving, finger-rolled roving) and twice I managed to catch the wrong part of the roving while locking... in the top right thrum, I tried to see if I could invent a way to fix it on the fly. I couldn't.

Sorry for the dark images. The light has been sucky in my apartment for days. In any case, this

knitter gives only one squishy mitten thumb up for thrumming. Overly fiddly for the given result. I'm going to save my little sample to use as an eye patch. Very practical, no?

In other knitting, I have had very little knitting time this week, and as a result am a grumpy, high strung individual. I am about to take a few hours now to set things right. I'm hoping to have a partner for sock the third sometime soon.

In other news: I am going to be a quasi-Aunt again in August! Baby knits, coming soon!!!

I'm late on this... oh well

2007-02-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

Did everyone hear about this? The second annual Brigid in Cyberspace (Silent) Poetry Reading.
I did actually think about it on the feast of Brigid (Groundhog Day), however I was seduced by a sock and just didn't get to it...

I leave you with e.e. cummings:

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when hte heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

and a little more e.e. cummings... this one, as Kate suggests, should definitely be read in the manner of that scene in Sylvia (faster! faster!):

love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail

it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea

love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive

itis most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky

And given my recent relations with knitted socks, Pablo Neruda's "Ode to my Socks", which I send you here to read.

What the...?

2007-02-03T09:17:00.000-05:00

I can't even believe this is a real movie. Probably written by the jealous ex of a devoted knitter or something. Freaky...

And just WHAT are we expected to believe went on in the "you wouldn't understand..." scene???
Thanks to Karen for this... I think.

Oops, I did it again...

2007-02-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

Once you've had good socks, you just can't help yourself...

Mate coming soon.

Yarn is Regia 4-ply jacquard, colour 5180. FROM THE STASH (be proud of me, knitters -- haven't bought a thing in WEEKS)

I'm not sure I like the jacquard thing -- I may have been heard to describe it as looking "like a mangy dog". But I like the stripe colours so much, and it feels so nice on my foot that the mange is forgiven.

Harlot's basic sock recipe on 2.75mm, eye of partridge heel (ooh, she's expanding her repertoire!), and this time I kitchenered the toe with 20 stitches left instead of 16... less pointy and weird-looking on my foot. Also, had a better sense of sizing: how much heel flap to make, when to start the toe decrease, so this one fits better than the first pair. I believe in Darwin - adapt, adapt.

I feel inclined to mention, too, that I cast this baby on SUNDAY. Which means I knit a sock in less than 6 days. As with new relationships, I've been spending time with sock much to the exclusion of all else... if I don't do laundry soon, I shall have to start knitting underwear (and given some of the recent pattern books I've seen, I don't want to go there...).

So... please excuse me while I cast on for sock the second, then I've got to do some housekeeping.

PS: why won't the stupid new blogger (I was required to switch to) allow me to leave line breaks between paragraphs???

Mating.

2007-01-24T22:58:00.000-05:00

:)

Forgive the gratuitous (and rather poor) photography. We're pretty pleased over here, the three of us. (me and my two new socks!)

Hey look! A sock!

2007-01-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Remember this?

It was a sock -- well, a cuff, actually. My first ever attempt, and totally abandoned some time in August, after being started in late June.

Well... recently I had a hankering for a handknit sock. A little of this, I believe, is owing to the fact that everyone around me seems to be turning out gorgeous sock after gorgeous sock, but my interest was largely rekindled by the incredible stash of beautiful sock yarn I rediscovered last week. Either that or the sock finally accepted that I was no longer interested in it, and had given up all hope of ever finding itself in my embrace again... at which point I wondered how the sock was doing and decided to show it a little attention. I may be anthropomorphising this sock a wee tad too much. Or art may be imitating life. Or perhaps I should just try to get out more... but I digress.

Whatever it was... I went crawling back on Friday night. And now... and now...

Look at us now!!!

Forgive the gratuitous leg-in-the-air shots. You'd think I invented sock knitting, I'm so pleased with myself. You ought to have seen me after I turned the heel -- I was INSUFFERABLE!

The yarn is Trekking XXL, colour 101 (fitting, as this is Socking 101 for me), provided for me by the lovely Heather back in our secret pal days.

And to avoid the dreaded SSS...

Already on the go.

I never...

2007-01-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

Did you ever play that game "I never..."? A drinking game where people took turns making statements starting with "I never" -- "I never made out in the back of a car", "I never cheated on a boyfriend"-- and everyone who HAD done that thing had to take a drink. (grammatically, I believe it should be called "I'VE never", however, after you've admitted to a few things and had a few drinks, I'm not sure it matters...)

Well, the startitis broke out for me in January, and I decided that if we knitters ever played a game of I never, I would die of thirst. So here are all my new starts...

I never plan knit-gifts very far in advance.

This is a my-so-called-scarf in Manos del Uruguay, for a friend's birthday -- IN MARCH!

I never knit for myself.

This is a bolero-tie-type sweater (scroll down, it's orange), free pattern from Lettuce Knit, with purchase of the one skein of Alchemy Promise required to make it. I've been calling the sticky soft ball of mohair "my kitten". People think I'm weird.

I never knit lace. Ever.

Swallowtail Shawl, Misti Alpaca, pattern copied so charts may be attached to magnetic board. It's not as difficult as I imagined it would be, though I must talk to myself during each RS row, but so far so good. During the photo session I managed to drop the last 10 stitches off the end of the needle while spreading it out. Then I managed to pick them all up without losing too much oxygen. I will be switching to a circular needle during my next lace session.

And best of all:
I never knit myself a sweater.
I never knit/read anything by Elizabeth Zimmerman.
I never turned a hem.
I never hid a happy secret colour inside a sweater.
I never felt like such a goddess of all things knitting.

Patons Classic Wool, mostly from the stash. I will be doing sleeves in that burgundy colour, either saddle-shoulder or the seamless hybrid. I LOVE the way the hem thing works. I love that I am figuring this out on my own, and with a little help from my friends. (Thanks to Jared, Alison, and the infamous Rams for guidance, and to Richard who gave me this book for Christmas!)

I've also gone crawling back to a long abandoned project, but I'll cover that next time...

stashtastic!

2007-01-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

As promised:

Last night's stash organization project. So much yarn-y goodness!

I sorted, I counted (not telling!), I bagged, tagged and organized. And the next time I get the first itchy signs of Startitis, I intend to play "Yarn Store: the Home Game".

vacation recap

2007-01-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

Sigh. So, this is Christmas. Holidays all over, I am poised to receive the little monsters -- uh, munchkins -- who return in but a few hours. (Y'all know that in addition to performing, I also teach violin lessons chez moi, yes?)

It's been a while since I've posted, and there's lots to talk about. First a couple of FO, very fetching indeed, the perfect small and portable project to carry around visiting, and completed over the holidays.

We'll talk more about my serious startitis next post. There are many new things on the needles. Many. New. Things.

There was some fun boxing day shopping. Much cash was spent, much fun was had. Romni had 25% off EVERYTHING, and Lettuce Knit had 30% off all yarns. Yes, it's true. I cannot tell you how much fun I had in the LINE UP outside Romni, 45 minutes before it opened, coffee in hand, frantic knitters with "that look" in their eyes, fingering each other's knitted garments, and sizing up who they would have to race where in order to get enough of that precious yarn for which they came. But in a nice way. Really. We knitters are the best.

Here's a little sample of a random boxing day impulse purchase:

There will be a forthcoming sweater planned around these buttons, methinks.

Also a super holiday treat, the meeting of Renee, aka Froggie Meanie. I was having lunch with my folks in her town, across the road from her LYS. Knowing full well that I was DEFINITELY going to visit the shop, and that I could NEVER get away with blogging about a visit to Main Street Yarns without catching hell from my favourite online knitting Newf, I sent her an e-mail. I knew she was in the store when I heard the sales lady say "Hello, Claire!", followed by an enthusiastic little voice, obviously familiar with the shop and its rituals. It was really great to meet Renee, Claire, and Jillian, and you would not believe how amazingly well-behaved these kidlets are, particularly considering that Renee RIPPED them from slumber to come down to the shop upon receiving my e-mail! (just kidding! I'm really glad I managed to beat out nap-time!)

As for Renee, she is as fabulous in person as she is online. Funny, charming, cool, fun to be around, fun to chat with, and a fabulous mom to boot! Someone I definitely hope to get to know better in the future! Plus, I was really glad she went to all the effort to get the girlies together to come out and meet up!

So, once back at my apartment, my plan was to re-organize (who am I kidding -- ORGANIZE for the first time!) the stash. I am putting myself on a pretty strict yarn embargo for the next few months. I received a few gift certificates for Christmas, which I am saving for those moments (I know they're coming!) when I simply must. have. new. yarn. But in an effort to save some money, I am not spending any money on yarn until at least the March Break. (I would say the end of March, but if I go on a cool roadtrip for March Break, I want to be able to enjoy it a little!). I also feel compelled to add that this is not about space, because I live alone, and have no specific problem with sharing my home with lots of yarn. But I am trying to save a bit of money (for future projects, life goals, and so on), and this is how.

Two caveats: I WILL however be purchasing yarn for my Cardi for Kate from the Ram Wools anniversary sale, because a) it is a Christmas present from my mom, and b) I promised myself a sweater this season, and I don't have enough of anything in the stash to make one. I am also "permitted" to purchase whatever needles/tools I am lacking to make whatever I decide to make from the stash. Fair's fair.

Anyway, I thought if I could see what I already have, I would be inspired to knit from it, and wow, am I ever. I DID count, and though I'm not going to post totals like Anny, I will show you a picture. (ETA: blogger is now misbehaving and won't let me. I swear. Stash photo, coming soon...)

Pride and Emotion

2006-12-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

I have so much to tell you about my boxing day extravaganza, but that will wait... go to the Harlot's blog and read THIS POST.

I am filled with pride, and emotion at what kind of fantastic humans knitters are. I mean, I knew it already, but this is remarkable. It took us just over 3 days to raise $120,000 for MSF. And the money keeps rolling.

You are beautiful people, and you make me believe that people are still good. Thanks.

What on earth is she doing now???

2006-12-24T23:41:00.000-05:00

‘Twas the night before Christmas, the tree lights were glowing,
And up in the kitchen, a knitter was sewing…

She sewed for her friends, to make gifts that are swell,
She sewed not with pattern, but high hopes it’d go well…

Her family relaxed, stretching out on the couches,
While drinking and sweating, miss ewe made…

KNIT POUCHES!

Forgive the hideous poetry. There may have been a bit too much wine tonight!

Yep, I’m giving some of my knitty friends the gift of knit pouches. I probably shouldn’t be blogging it, but I’m not sure that anyone getting one will read this before they are received, so what the heck. I borrowed (and somewhat modified) the design from the origami bags at Lettuce Knit. The construction leaves you with a couple of pockets on the outside for notions, and a nice big space inside for your project. (especially good for socks or Fetching, or something small-ish, otherwise it’s good for feeding a ball to a larger project). And the long cords mean you can loop it through a belt loop or something if you want to subway-surf-knit, or knit while standing in a line (both of which I like to do). I’m pretty pleased with how they came out!!!

Merry Christmas!

Clarity and a Thank You

2006-12-23T10:42:00.000-05:00

I made my donation to MSF yesterday. Go make yours too. I’ll wait.

When I woke up this morning (at my mom’s place, all set for 25), I was thinking about the Christmas spirit I’m lacking, and then I remembered the last time I felt it. Back in July. I woke up feeling like Christmas then, with that crazy, childlike, excited, happy, awareness of the day. Complete with that something-good-is-happening tingle of anticipation. It lasted all summer. Then (back to this morning) I got to wondering if you only get one helping of Christmas spirit per year, and if I’d already used mine up. Maybe that’s it. Christmas has always been my favourite holiday – a chance to give from your heart to all the people you love, and it’s tough to feel like I'm going through the motions this year.

I also wanted to clarify my posting from a few days ago. The one about the boyfriend money (which was donated to MSF), because I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.

I’m not one of those simpering, needy, whiny girls who cannot be without a guy. Really, I’m not. I hate them. Neither can I stand the ones who, when involved with someone, cannot manage to participate in anything without their significant other tagging along. Hate it.

I’m actually fiercely independent (sometimes I think that’s one of the reasons these things never seem to work out), . But even independent creatures want some company sometimes, and sometimes the girl off alone in the corner is the one with the most love to give. And just because you don’t need something doesn’t mean it’s not something you want. And just because everyone thinks you’re supposed to just get over it and feel fine doesn’t mean that you do.

I like to think I’m a good person with some decent qualities, and the fact that my heart is alone, especially at Christmas time, makes me sad. And I’m done apologizing for it.

What I do want to say is thank you. Thanks to all the knitters who read and comment and make this blogging thing so much fun. Thanks to my knitty-girls in Kingston (especially Jen, Emma), who meet up to drink coffee and knit and share stories and techniques and a little bit of themselves every week. Thanks to Heather, my forever secret pal from the summer, for writing and caring, for being a generally lovely human being, and (wow!) for the Christmas surprise that landed in my inbox yesterday (folks… this girl sent me a GC for Red Bird Knits). And to Canknitian for the hilarious Christmas e-card. And Renee, for making me feel welcome in blogdom from the beginning (and for having such beautiful little girls who make me smile every time I read her!). And Stephanie, for turning us all into a community. And everyone else, for laughs, for inspiration, for tips, for encouragement, for ideas, and just for including me.

It’s been a rough couple of months, but I look around and I have a big pile of beautiful knitted things that make me feel clever and talented and proud. I have a whole whack of beautiful yarn waiting to be knit into more beautiful things to make me feel cleverER and talentedER and proudER. And best of all, I have a huge community of friends (online and in person) who share this joy of knitting (okay, some of us are less joyous right now – deadline! Knit now, read later…).

A sense of belonging is very important. And as the Harlot said a few days ago (and suggested for T-shirts!):

I’m a knitter and I’m on a very big team.

Whatever you are, have been, or will be celebrating, Merry Happy Festive.

a Christmas Miracle

2006-12-22T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's a freakin' miracle.
There are cookies (only two batches, but still, be impressed that it happened at all this year).
ETA: there are now also Nanaimo bars. Yum. And now I pack...
And there is a Christmas Cowl.

Finished.
one day (started Wednesday, finished Thursday) + one skein (Misti Alpaca, worsted) = one cowl
I started out thinking I'd just make a pattern up, but when I was flipping through One Skein last week, I realized the "gaitor" pattern from the cable quartet might just work. A couple of gauge swatches later, and here we are. The baby alpaca is the softest, fuzziest thing I've ever knit, but it's too soft for good stitch definition, and it doesn't do justice to the cables. Still, I love this cowl, and I hope its Christmas recipient does too. (and is hopefully not allergic!)

Once finished, for the briefest flash I thought maybe I'd start on another Christmas present. Then I came to my senses and began Fetching last night. It looks gorgeous in Mission Falls, and I expect they'll get knit up quickly over the holiday at my mom's place.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas or whatever you're celebrating. Best of luck with the last minute knit-bits... you can do it!

I'll be at the Romni boxing day sale... anyone else???

PS: I'm in Grumperina's gallery and Yarnival! How 'bout that?!

homestretch...

2006-12-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Finished the Paris Night collection on Sunday morning. Behold:

There's something nice about a set, and I hope my mom likes it. It's Grumperina's Shifting Sands stitch pattern, but I used Malabrigo worsted (in the Paris Night colourway) and adjusted for that. About 1 1/2 skeins for the scarf, 1/2 skein for the hat. The hat is pretty basic - I just used my wily math skills to work out a cast-on and system of decreasing that accommodated the stitch pattern. Something about the teddy bear photo makes me think paparazzi. As though he went on a mad Christmas candy binge, the stole the hat to try to hide the sugar hangover or something. I may not be getting enough sleep.

The lack of sleep is due to the festive deadline. I knit a swatch Sunday for my last knit-gift, and it was perfect. I left it alone, collected the right supplies and went off to my knit-meet-up last night to start on it. I re-measured the swatch, and it had grown. On its own. Somehow? I have visions of evil-unChristmas-elves coming in the night to pull at the sample and screw with my gauge. I went ahead and cast on the eleventy-million stitches required for this project, but had a moment of clarity this morning as I worked out the math and figured out how much too-big it would be if my gauge were really that off. Rather than find myself in tears on Christmas eve, frantically tearing at the garment, I decided to knit another gauge swatch. Okay. Smaller needles. This looks better. Now before it grows I have to go out and pick up the corresponding circular needle and get started on this. I hope I can finish it. And let's hope the gauge gremlins do not strike again. Wish me luck.

May the force be with us all at this festively frantic knitting time.

PS: Have you seen these? Pattern here. Too flippin' cute. (Thanks for the tip, Allegra!)
I must knit some. I must... finish this gift first!

the boyfriend money

2006-12-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

Okay. Stephanie makes a good point today. Without even thinking about it, we all open our hearts and arms and wallets at Christmas time for a new person in our lives (new baby, new in-law, new friendetc), and maybe we could all do the same for a fellow human in need.

Further to my post from yesterday, I'm going to consider this from the other direction. This year, my Christmas giving list has diminished. Subtraction of boyfriend equals money not spent on Christmas giving. So I'll do it... what I would have spent on a present for a special love, I will donate to MSF.

And the rest of you... go read the Harlot. She's a clever, clever woman with good ideas for us all.

Falalalalala

2006-12-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

EEEK. I have been reading panicked blog entries for days, but it only hit me yesterday.

Christmas is really soon.

That frantic feeling only just began. Somehow I missed it, up until now. I think because I have been away from my apartment for so long (working - and I'm not back yet...) I lost track of the date. Today is the 14th. The FOURTEENTH. That's really just 10 days til Christmas, if you factor in that I cannot reasonably expect to accomplish anything on the 24th. (Reason will depart as the date approaches, but today I'll be reasonable.) There's still the knitting, the baking, and of course, the Christmas spirit, which I am wholly without.

I'm done the Paris Night scarf, except for casting off. I'm saving the cast-off because I am in the middle of a Paris Night hat in the same stitch pattern. If I run out of yarn before the crown, I will rip back a bit of scarf, and if I have lots left, I'll add more length to the scarf, so as not to waste an inch of that beautiful Malabrigo. Can I just tell you? Although I am aware it's incredibly simple, it makes me feel clever and talented to have been able to invent a hat on the fly. I know, simple, no great feat. But still. Pictures coming soon.

The only other thing I must knit before Christmas is a cowl, but I'm thinking of changing yarns for something bulkier. Right now I've got Misti Alpaca worsted on deck, but this stuff seems thinner than worsted to me (anyone else?). I think I'll pick up something chunky-ish on the weekend so I can do this a little more efficiently, or else see if I can find another skein of the same and double it.

As for the Christmas spirit, I just can't get it. I do not feel festive this year. I think it's 1 part the weather (not at all wintery), and 7 parts my single status. Christmas is a time for people with love in their lives. Yeah, yeah, there's family and friends and everything, but there's no mistletoe kissing for me, no one to plan a special surprise for, no one to anticipate a special surprise from. On the other side of the coin, I suppose there's no fighting over which meal will be eaten at whose mother's house, and whether or not he was flirting with that girl at the office Christmas party. Still, it's a lonely season when you're a party of one.

I am knitting like a fiend, and I am crafting for the kids I teach, I've given to charity, and I'm almost done Christmas shopping. I even bought a new Christmas CD. It's not working. Any ideas for me?

Not everyone gets a Richard

2006-12-04T23:38:00.000-05:00

My father died when I was a kid. About five years later my mom began dating a man named Richard. Fifteen years later, they are still dating (yep, still dating… movies on weekends, dinners out, fun trips here and there), and we are all better for it.

Richard is a great guy: soft-spoken, somewhat gruff, easy-going, animal-loving, able to fix just about anything, make just about anything, and generally knowledgeable in that daddish way. Here he is at the cottage this summer, just about to release the baby duck he rescued. (Ducky’s brothers and sisters were beating him up some; Richard chased them away, then caught the little runt, fed him up and set him free. Yes, seriously. Incidentally, this is not unusual behaviour for Richard).

The best thing about Richard is the relationship we have. He’s not my dad and he’s never tried to be, although I know he loves me like family, and I think he knows I feel the same. But because of this, he’s never treated me like a kid or tried to tell me what to do. I never feel judged or criticized around him. We just have this mutual respect for one another, and it’s really easy to just relax and be myself. We spent a couple of weeks at his cottage together this summer, just co-existing, sharing meals, sharing wine, hanging out.

He’s utterly supportive of me and my whole musician thing, and he’s also pretty encouraging of the knitterly thing. The first year I was a knitter Richard went into the LYS near him and asked what a new knitter my age might be interested in. They found him a kit, and it fell into my stocking that Christmas. Not just any guy would do that…

I knit him a scarf 2 Christmases ago, but didn’t quite make it (ah, the Christmas knitting)… I wrapped up the scarflet, the needles, and the ball of yarn, made him unwrap it, then took it back. He didn’t get it until the following October, but when he did, you’d think I’d made him a GOLDEN scarf. I know he really treasures it, and he only wears it "for good", joking about building it a display case for safe storage…

When I found this swift pattern online, can you guess who I called? I e-mailed the link right away, with a plea for "Santa’s workshop" to have a look and see what he thought. If it wouldn't take too much time, if it wouldn't cost too much... Well, I called the right person.

Lookie lookie at what I have now:

It’s FABULOUS. It’s better than that. I think they call it a swift, because it makes the whole ball-winding job so very much faster. I am saved from future episodes with the not-so-swift! Why didn’t anyone tell me I needed one of these before?!?! It works so well, perfectly balanced, spinning so smoothly. I can’t wait to wind the next ball… and I have Richard to thank.

Just about everybody gets a mom, and most people get a dad, if only just for a while, but not everyone gets a Richard.

consider this...

2006-12-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was World Aids Day. Consider taking action, whether it's making a donation, or simply reading a little about it and thinking some. I know what a powerful force we knitters can be!

In knitting news, I am away from home (and not quite so internet connected!) on a contract. It's musical theatre, and therefore there is much "pit-knitting" going on. That's ORCHESTRA pit. Pit-knitting helps to pass the lengthy dialogue (non-music) scenes where actors attempt to out-do each other while advancing the plot. Since the knitting occurs without much thought on my part (quickly picking up/putting down project to be ready for the next number), it makes Christmas scarves grow magically without much effort! Paris Night should be done in a few more days... then there will be pictures.

Next up, an alpaca Christmas cowl. Still working out a "pattern" in my head...

catching up

2006-11-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while since I've posted, and since then I've been on an excursion to Toronto. Lettuce Knit, Romni...

Here's some worsted baby alpaca for a Christmas present (cowl pattern yet to be invented), in a colour that is near indescribable. It's about as dark a green as you can have before you're forced to call it brown. Gorgeous, rich, and incredibly soft. Then there's some DB Cashmerino Aran for Fetching (yes, I am on that bandwagon). But they're kind of a yarn test drive for knitting The Sweater That Must Be Mine. Which is Cardigan for Arwen. It is beautiful, it is exactly my style (well, slightly longer), and I must have it.

Also pictured, my bouquet of new tools. 2 sets of dpns, 2 new circs, and a few large-sized bent-tip sewing up needles. They're all for something specific, all in sizes I've not used before. There's something exciting about new needles.

You know, I've knit lots of kids sweaters, but never a full-sized grown-up sweater. And I have never knit myself a sweater. (Actually, Clapotis is the first seriously nice thing I've ever made for myself). But friends, I am about to embark on a serious, self-indulgent wave of selfish knitting. After this Christmas thing is over, I'm going to make Fetching, I'm going to make Shedir, and I'm going to make Cardi for Kate (Arwen). All for me!!! Mwah-ha-ha-ha!!!

In current generous gift-knitting news, the Paris Night scarf is knitting along nicely. I'm really enjoying this knit. Everything from using shorter straight needles (which is new for me), to the squishiness of the Malabrigo, using the birch cable needle from my secret pal (even though Grumperina wants us to do it without), and the ease of the cable pattern, even though I've never really cabled before either. It's all good.

PS: Gobble, gobble... happy Thanksgiving to all you folks south of 49.

the not-so-swift (and another FO)

2006-11-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

Greetings sportsfans. (I too believe knitting to be a sport... ask the Harlot)

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.

Here's the equation for my personal, homemade "not-so-swift".

spinning desk chair + 2(super size squishy pillow) + (extra x patience) =

2 yummy yarn cakes

Malabrigo, Paris Night colourway (smoky blues-purples), destined for a Christmas scarf

The good news is that a wonderful someone who is talented in the wood-arts is currently making me a swift using this pattern, and this is likely the last time I'll have to do something stupid to wind yarn. (watch for the "Ode to Richard" post once I get it!!!)

In further (mis)adventures, I give you my first short-row knitting project, a multi-directional scarf for the ever-expanding Christmas Pile. Misadventures? The pattern itself is simple and quick, but I still managed to get into some trouble. TWO near mishaps, actually.

1. I only bought 2 skeins of Kureyon for this task. One skein in, I knew I needed either a) to admit defeat, frog back and start a narrower scarf (NEVER!) or b) to come up with something else. I went with option b. I knew I'd think of something. I got lucky at Mouline on the Harlot trip to Montreal. I was hoping just to find another skein of 185-any-dye-lot-will-do, but wouldn't you know it, they even had the same dye lot I had purchased in Kingston. I also had a teeny tiny credit card accident at Mouline, but I'll get to that another day...

2. And while we're talking teeny-tiny, please take a moment to notice the teeny-tiny tail of red wool I left on the end for your viewing pleasure. That's how close I came to NOT ENOUGH YARN! In the last few rows I was contemplating options, trying to convince myself that "intentional" assymetry would be novel (yeah right). In the end, I'm happy it worked out and I didn't have to stretch my creativity any farther than the not-so-swift today.

Next up: variation on Grumperina's Shifting Sands with the freshly wound Malabrigo. Wheeeeee!

we meet at last...

2006-11-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

Yep, I drove to Montreal for Harlot mayhem, and I'm SO glad I did. What a fun day!

Stephanie is hilarious. HILARIOUS. I could not stop laughing, particularly when she discussed tactics to explain your stash away to someone who has unsuspectingly discovered it. When I last moved, I indeed had to explain some of the mysterious large boxes that didn't seem to weigh enough. "That's bedding", and "Oh, I have a lot of socks", with a silent "I just haven't knit them yet".

And Stephanie, you are immensely cool. Completely.

Here is a fuzzy picture of the Yarn Harlot taking a fuzzy picture of us.

And here is THE shawl. It's truly incredible.

Then I got to hold the sock and say hello... very exciting stuff! To say I'm thrilled that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee knew who I am would be an understatement. By a lot.

I have to say, the Knitters of Montreal are lovely people. I met someone called Maayke upon arrival at the Bookstore Cafe, and we were quickly joined by another, who made a little "knitters?" gesture with her fingers from across the room, then came right over. She introduced herself as Kate (of course, I said "me too"). Then she said "is that a clapotis?", gesturing to mine. I nodded, and she revealed her true superhero identity as Kate Gilbert. Kate Gilbert of the Clapotis. I think I said something truly brainless like "seriously?", "get over yourself", or some other such witticism. I am Kate, queen of all dorks.

I managed to get over my shyness later... and asked Kate to hold my clapotis for blogdom.

The whole event had such a nice atmosphere. Before Stephanie even arrived, there was this happy clicking anticipation of the fun, and knitters pinching each others FOs all over the room. It was kind of strange-cool to meet some people that I read all the time, as though they're actually real people (They are...). Lee Ann was there, and I met a whole bunch of Montreal Knits members. Thank you to Melanie, Deawn, Molly-Ann, Danica, Mary, Shaun, Alison, and everybody else... for adopting me when I turned around and said "I know I don't know any of you, but does anyone want to go for dinner?"

It's just a nice reminder that wherever you end up in the world, just find the knitters and everything will be okay.

ETA: got gauge? T-shirt was ordered from Cafe Press online. Man, they have some fun stuff!

Is this good for you???

2006-11-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah!!! Bring on the Yarn Porn!

Have I mentioned how much I like Malabrigo??? I LOVE Malabrigo. I thought I should have some more. Meet Amoroso, Black, and Velvet Grapes. Hat, Mitts, and Mitts, respectively.

I also needed some Rowan Calmer (in 474 and 478) for my future Shedir and a likely a pair of Natalya gauntlets. I saw a pair knitted in Calmer here and have to have them!!!

The following happened a few weeks ago at the Needle Emporium. Meet Kureyon in 148 (I'm not sure this is the best name for her, but what do I know?), and some of the softest sock yarn ever. Mountain Colours Handpainted Bearfoot in "Juniper". Oh. So. Soft.... right. I'm back.

Then I had an accident at my LYS. Yes, you read that right. An accident.

I went in to exchange something. A few weeks back I bought 4 skeins of Manos in 105 (the reddy browny black one) and I really only need 2. So I went in to trade for 2 skeins of 112 (the browny greeny brown one).

I stopped for just a second at the sadly emptied Noro rack when my enabler stepped in. "Oh wait, before you do that... look at these!!!"

And she ambushed me with several brand new, unopened bags of Kureyon and Silk Garden in BRAND NEW COLOURS I haven't seen anywhere. What was I to do??? The only reasonable thing was to buy these. Kureyon 170, and yes, these colours are true. Wow. I think it may end up being a clapotis scarf. Or something.

Coming soon (I hope), my package from Webs!!!

le Harlot roadtrip, le Vendredi

2006-11-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

Okay... I think I'm going to go to Montreal on Friday to see the Harlot at McGill. Any one want to join me??? We'll head in kind of early-ish and find le good lunch, le good LYS, and le good seat at le McGill library.

Let me know if you're in.

Edited to add: Whoops! Thanks to "A Montreal Knitter" for the correction. I'll be getting le good seat at le Bookstore Cafe. Good to know. And yes, I know she'll be in Kingston tomorrow... but I'm already booked that night!!! Thanks again.

a new addict (or knitting evangelism)

2006-11-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

Folks, let's have a warm welcome for our newest member Stefanie!

Stefanie is my German sister in Toronto (meine schwester for those of us keeping track), one of the close chosen members of what I like to call my "urban family". A little over a week ago I was having one of my far too infrequent phone chats with Steffi, when she started in, almost shyly: "I was waiting for my BF to finish at work the other day and there was a yarn shop, and I thought of you, and they had such pretty things...". My ears perked up. It sounded as though perhaps she had heard the Call. She continued, "the shop closed, but I went into a toyshop and they had a children's learn-to-knit kit and..."

I couldn't handle it and jumped in "Steffi, are you saying you want to learn to knit??? Because I can help you with that!" And another knitter was born.

We planned a weekend, a trip to Toronto (for me) so we could get started properly. Stefanie is a very crafty girl already (you would die to see her lovely first-ever mosaic piece, and she's a wonderful potter), so I knew I had to set her up right. I knew we had to go straight to mecca. It had to be Romni. (I can't wait to show her my other favourites, but we had to start somewhere!)

I tried to warn her, but you should have seen her face when we went in. Overwhelmed and excited all at once, eyes like saucers looking around, we spent over 2 tactile hours exploring. Stef's going to be a great knitter; she went straight for the cashmere (you know, those Handmaiden bin stacks, front right near the counter), and never looked back. Couldn't have pried it out of her hands for anything. (wouldn't have tried) I explained the concept of stash and she went BACK to the cashmere for another skein. This girl is a natural. Let's just say she took home a substantial amount of Handmaiden, and enough Luxury Alpaca in three colours to make a beautiful scarf. And artistic being that she is, she was already conceptualizing all the possibilities for how to combine stitches and colours to make something truly unique.

While at Romni we planned to meet up with Jen, too. She has already completed her first two scarves, and figured out how to cast off on her own! She needed a new project. Not to be outdone, she picked up some gorgeous deep green merino (I missed the label... not sure which kind), and is already designing something of a scarf/hood/shawl in her head, to replicate a favourite old garment that she can't seem to replace. See, ready to conquer...

After more than 2 hours in Romni, we three enjoyed a well-deserved coffee, corralled their men and met for a fantastic thai dinner (during which both of their guys were forced to fondle the day's spoils appreciatively... training begins early!). Then after a few drinks, Steffi and I went back to her place to learn to knit.

Yes, you read that right, we learned to knit after a few drinks. Stef is hardcore!!!

It was a lot of laughs, as is everything with this girl, and as she counted to herself in German, I got silly and started giving instructions auf Deutsch, and in spite of my language skills, I think we figured it all out. She has been gifted with the Knitting Rules, and as with Jen, I am certain she will be conquering the world in wool in no time.

And for extra fun... Stef's BF has ALSO expressed an interest in learning to knit!
Give me time, just give me time!!!

Tomorrow: my personal yarn porn from the day at Romni.

this, that, and the other...

2006-11-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

First THIS.

Another FO for the Christmas pile!!! She's on fire! A self-proclaimed "slow knitter", lately I feel like the goddess of speed, the princess of presto... here's the official kitty hat, minus ears. (I guess that makes it less official.)

The only other modification was to adjust placement of the earflaps to reflect where I think my brothers ears are. At least, they are roughly placed where MY ears are, and since I like to believe we are both about average in terms of ear placement, I hope they will be in the right spots. Yarn is worsted Malabrigo in lime-blue. This was my first Malabrigo experience, and I love it. LOVE IT. There's lots left from this, too. I'll have to go flirt with a postal clerk to do a weigh in (heehee). Anyway if you have never knitted with this stuff, get thee to a yarn store and start a stash.

Which brings me to THAT.

Stash versus Hoard. Thank you all for your comments. G, it was in jest that I used the word "violated", I always knew you were speaking in good humour. And I only published your complete message so that the knitting community could see the friendly tone in which the whole discussion was raised! I would never reproduce a truly personal e-mail on a blog (or anywhere else), and I hope you were not offended by that.

So, back to the issue at hand. I think I can compromise on "Cache". I like that. Sonically, there's a harshness to the word "hoard" (and indeed, until one clips off the D at the end, it sounds incredibly ugly!!!). I like the soft happy shhhsshshhh sounds in stash and cache. I can also get on board with "reserves". Agree to disagree, perhaps?

And finally OTHER.

I was trying to play it all cool and stuff, but did anyone else notice that the Yarn Harlot actually commented on my blog a few days back????? Pretty exciting for me. This came after she even replied to one of my comments! And yes, I realize she's just a person like any of us, but I'm sure you would agree she's a pretty special person, and my personal knitting inspiration, and so on, and so on, so it was still pretty exciting. Makes me think I should try to come up with more witty and interesting things to say, because one never knows when the Harlot is watching. (that sounds a little 1984, doesn't it...) (hey, was that sort of witty and/or interesting???)

In any case, Stephanie, if you happen to be reading again, unfortunately I can't get out of my work obligations on the day of your Kingston visit. It's a rehearsal, and any contracted classical musician can tell you, you must be (practically) bleeding from the head in three places to legitimately escape a rehearsal. But if you're thirsty afterwards, I know some great establishments at which to knit/drink...

And still a little more OTHER.

I'm off to the big city (Toronto) this weekend for some gigging, and most especially to take 2 very good friends -- a brand new about-to-be knitter and a fairly new knitter -- to mecca. Very exciting. I need a new road project, so I'm going to cast on for Norovember with a multi-directional scarf with that Kureyon from a few days ago. This is a Star Trek knit for me (to boldly knit where I have never knit before); I just have to find some instructions...

Have good weekends!

stash versus hoard, please respond!

2006-11-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

Friends, I received the following note from my knitty friend Jen's fiance today. We'll call him G.

On the weekend the three of us were out enjoying a coffee and a browse at the local Chapters/Starbucks combo, when inevitably, we got into a discussion about yarn, projects, patterns, magazines, etc. Now, G was an awfully good sport, listening to the two knitters banter on and on about, well, all things knitting.

But then he asked, "how much yarn do you have?" Friends, I must say, I felt a little violated, and knew he was digging for some anti-stash ammunition. He continued, "Do you HOARD the way she does?"

Well that did it. "It's called STASHING. Not HOARDING." came the reply. There's something about the word hoarding that disagrees with my knitterly sensibilities. Thereafter, I (maturely) refused to acknowledge any further references to "hoarding".

Then came the letter:

Miss Ewe,

Jen told me about your blog and your mentioning of stash vs. hoard. Our discussion has spurred me to check out therespective dictionary definitions of stash & hoard and they end up being synonyms for each other. The other synonyms listed are cache, stockpile and store.

I still think hoard is best, but hey that's only my opinion. I will say that as an example of word usage, my dictonarysaid this for stash: "A 'stash' of narcotics."

Hmmmmm.....maybe yarn is closer to crack than I thought? Keep on hoarding! :->

take care,

Now... I will point out that this is all said and written with a very good humour, and G is a lovely person in general, but ladies: have at him.

What do you think?

The. Harlot. Cometh.

2006-10-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

I just heard... apparently the Yarn Harlot (do you really need the link?) is coming to Kingston. A talk and a signing at the Kingston Chapters on Princess. A week from tomorrow, Wednesday, November 8th, sometime in the evening.

I immediately started thinking: what will I take to knit??? Then I checked my schedule.

I am crestfallen. I have to work. I can't get out of it. This is a BIG drag.

In other news, here's a pic of some Kureyon (so appropriately named 185), I picked up for Norovember, destined to become a multi-directional Christmas scarf. (Thanks for the inspiration, Tammany).

Also, as promised, the hat in the works. More details a few posts ago. Can I just say... Malabrigo makes me happy. This is lime blue, and it's just so squishy and soft that I love having it in my hands. Somehow I got 2 stitches off somewhere (? damned if I can find it???) but I'll make up for it when I get to the decreases. Knitting is not an exact science.

Want versus Need

2006-10-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

And the winner is... aww, let's not even go there.
(and for the record, it's called STASHING, not HOARDING.)

I just placed a very large order (for me) at Webs.

I am filled with the glee of lovely things about to be delivered. Visions of alpaca, of merino, dancing in my head. With a teeny, tiny twinge of... oh god, I just put a large order (in USD) on my credit card.

Can't wait to get my parcel!!!

Edited to add: For those who were wondering, I ordered some stuff for two projects in Melanie Falick's Handknit Holidays. Some Fiesta La Boheme for the scarf/hat set, and the Blue Sky Alpaca required for the Santa hat. I know, I know, it's cornball, but it's adorable and I want it. Also ordered enough Reynolds Odyssey to make the Here and There scarf from Scarf Style. Oh baby! At least I have a plan for the new stash!

in which there is a FO and a new technique

2006-10-28T09:05:00.000-04:00

I give you Wavy!

A super-speedy knit for the likes of me, she was completed in under 2 weeks, and she is
L-O-N-G! (about 6 feet)

I used almost 4 whole balls of Noro Kureyon in 92 which, despite its name, is a cheerful, happy kind of colourway, perfect for its intended recipient. Yes, I will be giving this away. But I think I'll test drive it first... then wash, fold, and know that I'm sending someone a nice Christmas prezzie.

And speaking of Christmas prezzies, who wouldn't love a hat made out of Malabrigo worsted? In lime-blue? And made from the Official Kitty hat pattern (minus the ears... the intended recipient would not want the ears. Or the pompoms.)

I totally ripped this idea off from Jared's hat parade last year over at Brooklyn Tweed. But it's a good one.

And a new technique for me... well, this comes from the obsessive tendencies of an impatient "instant gratification is too slow" kind of knitter. I wanted to start my hat immediately. Last night. A Friday night. The LYS was already closed, and of course, I did not have the correct sized needle. A size 7 (that's 4.5mm), 16" circular, plus a set of dpns. Optimistically, I headed over to Michaels with my weekly 40% off coupon (do they really think they're making any money with those???). They did not have what I needed. They did, however, have 2 29" size 7 circs. So I bought them, intent that I could teach myself the "magic loop" technique, or whatever. I could, and I did, and I have about 1/2" of hat, so far.

Sorry for the crap-tastic pics. It's grey and rainy and depressing around here today. But here it is so far. (Argh. Blogger behaving badly. You'll just have to believe me. I'll post it tomorrow when it's bigger.)

PS: Patty - you can TOTALLY handle the wavy. It's simple. Get yourself a row counter, and write out the pattern in full (none of this "as row 5" junk). In fact, I can e-mail you a copy if you'd like it.

PPS: For anyone else who loves Noro, Minxknits had a good idea: NORO-vember! This is a KAL I can get on board with!

Handknits mean someone loves you.

2006-10-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

I want to show you guys something:

This is a giant Paddington Bear sweater that my mom knit for me several years ago.
It’s enormous, warm and bulky, it weighs a ton, has a hood, and it’s absolutely adorable, and mom knit every stitch for me. I wear it mostly around the apartment when it’s cold, and now that I’m a knitter too, I know just how much work and care went into it. (look closely at the little brown tag: Please look after this bear.)

Handknits mean someone loves you. It’s one of the reasons I gift-knit. How often do we knit for someone we don’t really feel strongly about, right?
Okay, there was that one scarf, that one time, for that one not-quite-mother-in-law, but it was only to try to make her like me. I realized later that NOTHING could have made that B!+@# come around(!), but still, I tried with a handknit. Come to think of it, I guess I *did* feel strongly about her. Just not GOOD strongly.

Conclusion, handknits (generally) mean someone loves you. Love you too, mom.

I'm in love...

2006-10-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

With my Noro Kureyon 92, and the wavy pattern. I've never knit with Kureyon before, and I LOVE it. Did I mention I love it??? I think I prefer it to Silk Garden, even. I like something wooly that you can feel in your hands like that. And I love the vibrancy of the colours, and the way they change. I knit nearly the whole ball in 1 day. 2 whole repeats (of the 44 row pattern) yesterday and another this morning. THAT'S how in love I am! I could potentially finish this entire scarf in one week, and we all know what a s-l-o-w knitter I am!

Feeling slightly creative today(probably because of the sunshine), I went to a nearby park and found an obliging tree for my photo efforts today. And thus cemented my image as a crazy person. People were looking, seriously. I'm still a crummy photographer, but I give you: Clapotis.

Edited to add: Nearly 7 balls of Noro Silk Garden in 225, but I added an extra repeat in the straight section because I wanted it a bit longer. Slight annoyance at yarn which broke several times -- found SG was not a consistent yarn, sometimes fuzzy and thick, not really spun in those sections, sometimes scary thin. But overall, it's still gorgeous and I'm really happy with it!!! (extra soft after the Eucalan spa treatment, too!)

kicked out of bed for...

2006-10-15T22:32:00.000-04:00

I actually slept on the couch last night so that Clapotis could finish blocking. As Heather pointed out, for some reason that Silk Garden takes a long time to dry. She's done now, and she's soft(er) and lovely, but I'll wait for the morning light to take a reasonable photo. I've learned that when I take evening photos, we end up with horrible pics like this one:

Badly lit, funny face, out of focus, self-portraits. And another finished object: the Teva Durham's Turtleneck Shrug from Scarf Style. I finally sewed in the ends, Friday night/Saturday morning. I'm a finishing fiend this weekend. With Christmas giving on the brain, I felt like I had to clear the cache a bit.

So, tomorrow I owe you a good Clappy pic, maybe a better shrug pic (if I can figure out a way), plus I'll show you my new love.

For tonight? I'm about to browse the stash to see what can be Christmasized this year. Wish me luck. It's not stashbusting, exactly, more like budget-busting. Happy Sunday.

Clap-happy

2006-10-13T16:59:00.000-04:00

Two posts in one day. What's gotten into this girl??? I'll tell you what... she's clap-happy! It's a finished object.

Not blocked yet, but I'll do that tomorrow. Today I wore it out. And graciously accepted compliments. Thanks for the blocking suggestions. I'll get on that tomorrow, then take a better picture. But doesn't she look pretty with my fall velvet coat??? :)

Also, since I had a FO, I thought it was okay to hit the LYS for some stashy-stash. Seems fair, right? So here it is:

Noro Kureyon alluringly named... 92. Blues, greens, pinks, purples, and a little bit of a coffee yum. This photo ALMOST does it justice, but it's so grey and crappy out today that lighting was an issue. Anyway, it is soon to be Wavy. (Thanks for the inspiration, Anny). If I'm feeling generous, it may go in the Christmas present pile. But I suspect I will love it too much to part with it... we'll see.

One more funny. For any cat lovers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9eiRbFdhb4
The cat's expression is worth the price of admission. The dancing is kind of funny too...

Have good weekends. I'm going to sew in the shrug ends. (so ambitious today! maybe the unlucky days agree with me?!)

sew much sewing

2006-10-13T08:39:00.000-04:00

Okay... the knitting is done. Clapotis is knit, the shrug is knit. The ends have yet to be sewn in.

My clapotis seems a bit wibbly at the first corner, slightly bigger (?), but maybe it's just stretched out. I'm hoping blocking will fix it. I have a confession to make, and I'm hoping you can help me... I'm not sure what I'm going to block on, because I've actually... never really blocked before. I don't have an extra bed, I don't have a carpeted room. I'm thinking about pinning it to a yoga mat? If you have any suggestions, they would be welcome.

As for the shrug, a few ends have been sewn, but it's time for me to finish these projects. Today, I hope. Barring disaster of some sort (after all, it IS Friday the 13th). Then I can start the holiday collection.

In the meantime, here's the latest in my stash acquisition. An ADORABLE sample knit up in the Muskoka Yarn Connection lured me into this froggy-hat kit, knit in a bulky luxury alpaca. I think it will knit up quickly. I don't know whom it will be for. Perhaps even for me... (it's THAT cute, and I'm THAT immature).

FOs coming soon...

Edited later to add: OH HELL. I was just putting my little froggy kit back into the bag when I noticed the instructions. It's CROCHET. I don't crochet. I guess I'll either have to adapt the pattern to suit my knitting habit, or learn to crochet this frog. Guess I was lured in by the soft, soft yarn, and the cute face. What we won't do for a cute face. Damn.

laugh til it hurts

2006-10-11T21:59:00.000-04:00

Everyone, please, for your own sakes... go have a look at the first picture in this post:

http://yarnovermanhattan.blogspot.com/2006/10/entertaining-eye-candy-friday.html

and try not to injure yourselves laughing.

gobble gobble

2006-10-05T14:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, Blogger is still behaving badly, but I think I finally got the pictures up. Clapotis is a little farther along now, not too many decrease rows left. It will be finished over Thanksgiving, blocked next week. The openwork is on the go, a little too fiddly for my liking, but quite pretty. Tough to tell, because I think it will really need a good blocking to show off the pattern, but you get the idea. More after the weekend... maybe even a FO or two. (I'm taking the shrug and the sewing-up needle on my Thanksgiving weekend... here's hoping the magic finishing fairies come in the night).

Happy Turkey!

SP8 and WIP, or bad blogger redeemed...

2006-10-02T17:54:00.000-04:00

Okay, I stink. I know, I know. It's been a while, I'm an irresponsible blogger. But here's the good stuff.

First of all, I want to say a big giant thank you to my awesome Secret Pal, Heather. Heather was so crazy super unbelievably generous throughout the Secret Pal exchange, and best of all, we exchanged a lot of e-mails, some of our artistic work (she's a talented writer), and I feel like I have a new friend in Calgary. I hope we get to meet in person one day!

Here's a photo of her final package: a "here comes treble" nightshirt (yeah, she got to know me pretty well), some Sweet Georgia sock yarn in Blue Steel, some native Canadian Wild Rose seeds, native to Alberta and BC (I will do my best. Plants tend to commit suicide around me), a postcard DVD o fthe Canadian Rockies, and a girl's best friend next to yarn: a Moleskine journal. I love these books. I write in them exclusively.

If you're a wordy person who writes and you've never had a Moleskine, get thee to a store and get one. You will LOVE it. Warning: you will also become addicted, incapable of allowing your pen/pencil to touch other notebooks. They're really special.

As is Heather. Heather, I had such a great time getting to know you! You're an incredible (and prolific!) knitter, a talented writer, and an inspiring human being. Plus you're super generous and you sent me cashmere!!! (If you didn't see the incredible spoiling Heather bombarded me with, check out here and here as well). I'm really glad the fates matched us up, and I hope we will be in touch for a long time...

Now... a nearly FO. The shrug. I have to sew the ends in, but here it is. 3 skeins of Patons Classic Merino in Tree Bark Mix. I have mixed emotions about this one. It's knit entirely in the round, 3x3 ribbing, and spiritually I finished this project before the knitting was done. That's an awful lot of 3x3 ribbing.

As for the garment, it's kind of weird. I like it, but I know I'm going to have to defend it when I wear it in public. "Why didn't you knit a whole sweater?", and so on. One friend's husband said "Oh! No, it's nice... I thought you were kidding that it's done". Uh-huh. Anyway, it's warm and cozy and a beautiful color, and I hope I never knit that much ribbing again. End rant.

I'm quite happy with the progress on Clapotis. (and now blogger decides photos are not really necessary... I'll try again later with that one). I'm 12 rows away from the decreasing, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have enough Noro. I'm also pretty sure it will be long enough. (hints from previous Clap-knitters? Did you do only 12 repeats in the straight section? more/less?)

I hope I like wearing shawls. I've never thought of myself as a shawl girl, but I've never spent this much money on shawl materials... (it IS silk garden!).

Last but not least, I started an open-work scarf in Rowan Kidsilk Haze. (still with the photo uploading... grumble). Inspired by kmkat and pattern found here. I've had this KSH for a while, looking for a good openwork project. It's a simple pattern, I think it will turn out well, but all that wrapping is a bit fussy. Am I the only one who finds KSH a bit of a pest to knit with??? I keep reading that it's the crack-cocaine of knitting; this is my second project, and I'm not that enamoured yet. Sure, it feels nice, but it's like knitting with cobweb. Maybe I need a few more hits to get addicted. Maybe I'm just not a lace girl.

Christmas reconnaissance has officially begun. I think the girls at Wool-tyme think I'm nuts. 2 visits in 2 days with no purchase, just a lot of touching. Choosing for others is so much more difficult than choosing for myself. I KNOW what I like... more on this later. (but not much more; these are for surprises).

Okay, I hope that's some good blog redemption. Talk to you soon.

Bad Blogger

2006-09-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

I have been a bad blogger lately. Tonight I'll remedy this. Tomorrow at the latest.

My Secret Pal (8) Heather sent me a wicked final package nearly a month ago, have I blogged it yet? No.
I finished my shrug, but still have to sew in the ends, have I blogged it yet?? Uh-unh.
I started an open work scarf in Kidsilk Haze. Any bloggage? Nope.
And Clapotis is about halfway finished. Looking pretty nice, methinks. And again, nothing for you people to see.

Tonight. Tomorrow at the latest...

another new knitter...

2006-09-14T10:27:00.000-04:00

It's pretty exciting, but I finally got to teach one of my best friends to knit. She's always thought the knitting was beautiful, been a supportive friend of a knitter, and I've offered many times. But a few weeks ago she happened to be with me when I went to Romni, and suddenly... Jennifer came running up to me with a beautiful green shawl, exclaiming "I want to make one of these!!!"
Don't have to ask me twice. We got some supplies, we made a date, we learned to knit. Knitbloggers, meet Jennifer, proud new knitter:

She's doing really well. We're making a little garter scarf, but before long I know she'll be conquering the world in wool.

Also, here is a gratuitous picture of little lambs I saw at the CNE on Labour Day -- very cute. Somehow I thought they kind of knew I was a knitter...

knit karma

2006-08-22T00:26:00.000-04:00

Was out of town on a gig last weekend, and met another musician knitting. She learned to knit around Christmas, and was, in fact, doing quite well on her first ever garment with shaping (a baby sweater). When I found her at the back of the rehearsal hall, however, she had just gotten frustrated. She was perplexed by the unintended holes being created by the addition of a button band. Ah, picking up stitches. Her sister had shown her how, but somewhere there had been a breakdown.

I hate picking up stitches. Especially when there are lots of them, and even more especially if they are around a collar or other non-straight line. But because of my disdain, I have gotten good help in figuring it out, and I have mastered the pick-up-stitch. I demonstrated, I coached, I explained. I watched, I guided, I cheered. By the end of the evening she had finished both bands on her own, quite successfully, and was confident in her new skill. She was even anxious to run back to her sister and demonstrate "a better way to do it". (Apologies to said sister if your method was merely misunderstood.)

One thing I have enjoyed as a knitter is the general willingness of 0ther knitters to offer help, suggestions, advice, and generally share, as only rare groups are found to do. I have taught a few people knit or purl in passing, which is always great, but more often I have benefitted from someone else's wisdom. It was really fun for me to appear just as help was required, and be able to put back into the knitters' karma pool. Even better, the next day we sat chatting for an hour or two, just knitting away together before the performance.

I'm off to the cottage again, and taking only Clappy and the Shrug. I hope to bring one back finished. Cross your fingers for me. Think my karma "deserves" a FO?!

Yay!

2006-08-15T23:57:00.000-04:00

Finally... scroll down for the WIP porn.

Kingston SnB night

2006-08-15T14:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, Blogger is still behaving badly so I can't get my WIP pics up right now, but I thought I would mention this here. Back when the Harlot mentioned me, a few Kingston knitters popped out of the woodwork to say hello. Well... come on out and meet in person if you like.

I've encountered 3 or 4 knitters in person out in the world around town, and we're going to try to get together from time to time. Nothing firm, fixed or organized in any real way. No fees, no charitable knitting projects (unless we feel like it), no membership cards. Simple, spontaneous, knit, chat, bitch, moan, share. Whatever. This is when and where we're meeting:

Wednesday, August 16 (that's tomorrow), around 7:30pm, Starbucks at Johnson and Division Streets. Look for us in the comfy chair area to the left of the front door. (If there are non-knitters there when we arrive we will poke them with our pointy sticks until they get the hint)

It'd be great to meet some new knitters.

KADD

2006-08-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

That's Knitter's Attention Deficit Disorder.
Here are most of my WIPs.
Least impressive first: my sock. I've knit very little on it, and because it's teeny tiny sock yarn, I've made only the smallest progress.

But that's mostly because I am so closed to completion of my long-running turtleneck shrug. The fact that this puppy is 3x3 ribbed ALL the way around made it a little dull, so it too languished for a bit, but she's in the homestretch now!

Then there were these. The silk sleeves from the One Skein book. I'm not sure they count as works in PROGRESS, because there has been no progress in quite some time. They are knit in Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which is so thin and light it's almost like imagining that you are knitting. They are lovely and soft, and even as I began the 27" pieces I thought, "I should be knitting these in the round." Yes. They are knit, but they may never, ever be sewn up. Delicately grafting cobweb together is not something I ever wanted to do. Spider girl I am not.

Last but not least, is... my clapotis. Knit in Silk Garden 225, it is lovely. And progressing pretty quickly. I bought 7 skeins (Romni had a July Sale!!!), but I wound them so I could see the colorway change (so I could put them in a good order) one ball broke several times. I will see how far I get with 6, but if I want to add another straight row repeat (to make it a little longer) I'll add the bits from skein 7.

So there *has* been some knitting going on around here!

I'm okay... thanks!

2006-08-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

Hey folks...
Thanks for your concern, it's really, really nice. I'm completely okay, but for someone who is virtually unemployed in the summer, I have been unfathomably busy. And still am... I'm running away again right now, but I'll be back on Monday, and I have some pretty great WIP pics to post. The shrug is almost finished, the sock is, well, bigger, and there's something new on the needles in Silk Garden...
TEASE!
Have great weekends!

I've been trying... I swear. Stupid blogger ate my post yesterday (somehow?), and this morning it will not play nice with pictures. And what's a WIP post without pictures, right? I'll try this afternoon.

I'm on Harlot!

2006-07-15T01:05:00.000-04:00

The. Yarn. Harlot. Mentioned. Me. Today... on her blog. I am in number 4 of "10 unrelated points". But if you're here, it's likely that you already know that.
My site meter jumped about 700 today. I am beside myself, because the YARN HARLOT read my comment and mentioned it to all of knitblogdom. Although, I guess I mention her all the time, eh?
Looking back through my sad little collection of knitterly commentary (that y'all are now peeking at), and since I'm the knitter who only manages to do about 5 vanilla rounds of sock per day, it doesn't surpise me that the mention was not for something brilliantly knitty. Of all things, it's for promising to "door" her if I saw her coming my way on a bike, in the name of Lee Ann. Ah well, we must all be good at something...
Thanks for stopping in, and feel free to come on back to watch me accumulate stash and come up with excuses for not getting more knitting done. (it's a gift)

knitting by a lake...

2006-07-14T08:07:00.000-04:00

Yahooooo!!!! I'm off for a few days. Vacation!!! (hands up all those who hear "all I ever wanted"). I'm heading to Muskoka for a little lakeside knitting and other assorted fun. So don't expect to hear from me, eh?! I'll be the one with the gin&tonic looking for my other dpn under the deck. I promise a progress report when I'm back. (maybe I'll even take a travelling sock photo a la Harlot).