Knit Picking...

Stitch

2012-01-30T20:32:00.008-06:00

Back in November, my husband and I took a daytrip in the Niagara region to stock up on wine, and organic meat for the holidays. We came across this charming yarn shop called Stitch, in the village of Jordan. I'm almost done knitting the wonderful red yarn I bought there: a warm scarf for myself.

Finally!

2011-07-20T17:48:00.007-05:00

I have finally finished my sister's blanket, and it's only two months after her actual birthday. Mind you, with the current heat wave we're experiencing, I don't think she's about to use it.

Other projects on the go: a scarf for myself, and a pair of socks for me too. And then the Christmas gifts crunch time.... I'm trying to keep all my knitting last minute ;) really, I'm trying!

Unfinished project...

2011-05-26T20:28:00.002-05:00

Well today is my sister's birthday, and her blanket is not finished. It's about 85-90% finished. As I was finding it getting heavier, and painful to knit for more than a couple hours a day, I started knitting baby bonnets. I did about a dozen and gave them to my Mom, as she seems to be invited to baby showers a lot lately (handmade items are still quite appreciated).
I also finished a pair of socks for a Christmas gift. Can you believe it, just seven months until Christmas! Yeah, maybe I should knit more socks or scarves for Christmas.

New projects started

2011-03-31T20:38:00.004-05:00

Here's a blanket I started about a month ago for my sister's birthday in late may. It's very similar to Sophie's blanket I finished for Christmas (all cables), but just on a bigger scale. I find that even though I'm using circular needles, it still takes a toll on my shoulders, so I have a secondary project started: A new pair of socks in Berrocco Ultra Alpaca. This new pair of socks will be a Christmas gift for either one of four people with similar size feet.

I love my new shoes!

2011-03-24T17:35:00.001-05:00

New socks

2011-03-22T20:38:00.002-05:00

Here's a new pair of socks I started while on vacation at my parents about a month ago. It seemed very much needed then: it was very cold and these are made with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. But spring is coming, so I won't need them so much, right? I hope spring is here to stay...
I've started another pair of socks in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. This pair is for a Christmas gift. That's right Christmas! There's only about nine months left!

Waiting for spring to come...

2011-02-27T09:33:00.001-06:00

Quick update

2011-02-26T19:32:00.005-06:00

Well, Christmas came and went. I managed to complete ten presents out of an expected eighteen. A scarf for DH, socks for both my sister and my niece, hats and scarves for my nephews, and a blanket for Sophie. I also knitted a scarf for a colleague, but gave it to her last month. Here's Sophie and her blankie, and my niece modeling her socks.

I also managed to save a few pair of socks. A few weeks ago, I went for a vacation at my parent's and took three pairs of socks for which I still had yarn. My Mom taught me how to darn them, but I must admit that her method is not quite seamless. At least I get to keep those socks for a bit, or until I knit myself a few more pairs.

Darn!

2010-09-21T19:19:00.004-05:00

With the colder weather coming, I decided to go through my sock drawers, and see if anything needs to be thrown out. I found eight pairs that need some degree of darning. No big holes, nothing that's unsalvageable. Here's the kicker: I've never darned socks before. I usually just throw them out and knit a new pair when there's wholes in them. Since my dear Applelaine yarn is hard to find now, I want to hold on to some of those socks. I'll search Youtube for darning techniques videos.... Any suggestions are welcome.

Other projects update: my purple blanket is 90% done, and I've completed eight Christmas gifts out of an expected eighteen.

New projects on the go, and old ones completed

2010-06-11T08:10:00.006-05:00

Last post, I had started a scarf for DH as a Christmas present. Here it is, now completed. He really likes the autumn feel of the colours (but by Christmas time he won't remember the scarf and will be totally surprised that I chose the perfect colour for him). It's from Knit Picks' Imagination line and the colour is called Gingerbread House.

I figured that I still have plenty of time before Christmas is here, but I don't want to be caught at the last minute, and end up hurting my shoulder from overknitting (did that last year). So this year I'm starting early and I'm making a list (I'll check it twice for good measures). I'm aiming for eighteen presents, of which I have completed four. I have a pair of socks on the go, and will be knitting a few more.

I've also started a gift for myself: a blanket. I've been wanting a heavy blankie in purplish tones for a while now, and I found a great deal at Zellers last week, so I bought eight pounds of purplish yarn. I've used a smaller needle than recommended, so it will be a tight knit and hopefully warmer that way.

Just a quick post...

2010-05-21T08:43:00.002-05:00

Here's more yarn I received for Christmas. It's Berroco's Ultra Alpaca. I've only used it once before (see socks in previous post), but I really like the thickness, and the colours are fantastic. First is "Potting Soil", "Lobster", and "Salt & Pepper".
I'll have to make a knitting list for this Christmas. Having spent four months with my parents, and taking care of my Dad, has make me feel a lot closer to my family. I really want to take the time to knit something for each (immediate) family member this year (and maybe a few more for the little ones). I've already started a scarf for hubby.

New socks for me!

2010-05-07T19:00:00.012-05:00

Here's a new pair of socks I finished when I was at my parents. I used Berroco's Ultra Alpaca in Lavender (which was a Christmas gift from hubby). Sophie couldn't resist being part of the picture.

I'll have to do a sock inventory sometime soon, as I seem to have quite a few pairs worn out, or with what seems like the start of holes in them. When I moved in the new house, I cleaned up my stash and I'm not sure if I have yarn to darn them. Oh well, I guess I might have to knit for myself for a change...

Will be back posting shortly

2010-04-29T12:24:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I last posted. A lot has happened in that year: a new house, lots of renos, and my father battling (and still battling) heart problems. Of course, during stressful times I knit...and sometimes more than usual. While Dad was at the hospital, I knitted over fifteen baby bonnets which I donated to the maternity unit. I've also knitted socks and mittens as thank you gifts to our family friend that were so caring, thoughtful, and very helpful. I wish I had taken pictures of all of them, but I only took a few.

These mittens were knitted for Dad's friend when he works outside in the cold. I had no patterns for these, so I made them up. I knitted them with Briggs & Little yarn, which will felt a bit after the first wash, and make them really warm. He was quite happy. I also made this other pair which were a little big on him...

Another felting attempt...

2009-03-29T21:17:00.005-05:00

After a few unsuccesful felting attemps, I have yet tried it again. This time, I thought I'd try a simple bag. "How badly can you mess that?", I asked myself. So here I am knitting a large rectangle, and a band to use as the strap.

Felt in hot water and a spin in the dryer, and you get this...

a bag with a very long strap.

Is it me, or is felting that unpredictable?

Baby bonnets

2009-02-12T22:04:00.007-06:00

One of my husband's colleague gave birth to a little eight pounder named Jamie. Both mother and son are doing great, and trying hard to get into a certain routine. Here are the little bonnets I knitted for him. They're both in Applelaine.

Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed...

2009-02-02T17:17:00.002-06:00

New socks for hubby

2009-01-24T10:29:00.002-06:00

For Hubby's birthday, I knitted him a pair of socks (he's just discovered that he likes my socks).

I had bought this yarn over a year ago (maybe even two), and never used it. I now found out that I really like it. It's called Artyarns Ultramerino4, and the colour I used is 143. I still have another skein of it, but I know it's not enough to make a pair of socks, or at least not an adult pair. Maybe a pair for my nephews....

Happy Birthday Hubby!

2009-01-20T08:27:00.002-06:00

Happy 2009!

2009-01-06T05:03:00.005-06:00

After yet another long pause.... I'm back.

For some reason, I was under the impression that I had knitted a lot more for Christmas than I actually had. I tried to recover from this miscalculation, but didn't give as many handknitted gifts as I would have liked.

This pair of socks are in Applelaine "Blueberry". You can really see all the different hues of a blueberry throughout the sock. After over a year, Applelaine is still my yarn of choice for socks.

Here's another pair of socks freshly opened on Christmas morning. Of course, it's made with Applelaine and this colour was Red Delicious. I have reserved two skeins for myself of MacIntosh.

And on that jolly note, have a Happy New Year, and thanks for stopping by my sometimes neglected little blog during 2008.

Some finished projects...

2008-10-05T10:13:00.013-05:00

In my previous post, I said that I would spend some time finishing projects, and I did.

I have finished this scarf for my niece (she's really into green this season). I used Knit Picks Imagination in Frog Prince (this product line was a huge hit and was sold out very quickly. I was lucky enough to place my order on time and have two skeins of several colours). It is a simple k8 p8 basket weave stitch.

I have also finished a pair of socks (of course I would go back to knitting socks). I found this yarn during one of my summer day trips. The yarn is by Titan Wool and it's called Pays (country in french). Larisa at Headwater Wool shared her Russian Knitting technique with me. She even wrote a book about it. Not only is she very busy at the shop, but she also has an alpaca farm and sells her yarn at the shop. She also gives knitting lessons (her website has a few tutorials on it).

I have also finished another scarf for myself in this basket waeve stitch. I haven't blocked it, and I think I won't either, as I love the raised effect it creates. The yarn I used for this was from Cherry Tree Hill and the colour is Spanish Moss. I just love it!

Here are two more scarves I completed, but I can't remember the yarn I used.

A must read post...

2008-09-17T12:52:00.000-05:00

While blog surfing today, I came across this gem of a post.

http://cabincovechristmas.com/

Another felting attempt...

2008-09-14T08:34:00.011-05:00

I wasn't expecting much from this project, as I knew the recipient would definitely not be critical. I just made a large rectangle, and then picked up stitches all around it with a circular needle. I knitted for about six inches, and then started decreasing (quite unevenly on some rows, I might add). Finally, it ended looking like this...

Since it was knitted with 100% wool ( Lopi), I decided to throw it in the washer in hot water for a spin. Boy did that thing ever shed! Big lumps of hair everywhere in the washer and on it too. I had to remove the hair bits before giving it to Lizzie. It didn't shrink by much either. Oh well, just another felting experiment, and as long as Lizzie is happy, I'm happy. Doesn't she look happy?

This coming week, I'm planning on finishing as many unfinished projects as possible. Yup, that's right. I have way too many of those hanging around the house. Besides, some of those projects are Christmas gifts, and there's not much time left before Christmas.

First attempt at felting

2008-09-01T19:17:00.005-05:00

Although this is not a new project (I finished knitting it last December), I finally completed it this week. What was meant to be a Nintendo DS case, and be a rectangonal shape that closes at the side....ended up looking quite the opposite...
It was knitted with KnitPick's Palette yarn (100% wool), and I put in in the washer in hot water for one cycle. I didn't expect the ribbing to come out so flat (mind you, I had never felted before so I really had no idea how it would come out) and make it so wide. The other thing I didn't expect either was that the lenght would shrink so much (it was knitted with larger needles that was called for, so I was expecting some shrinkage but not that much). I guess a test swatch would have helped. Knit and learn...

Visit to the Historical Acadian Village

2008-08-04T07:10:00.005-05:00

I just came back from a week's vacation in New-Brunswick, along with my sister and my two nieces. We drove from Toronto . Looooots of driving.

Anyways, one of the many places we visited was the Historical Acadian Village. I've always wondered why I couldn't find antique knitting needles. Well it turns out, the Acadians were using wood needles...

Of course, they were making their own yarn...

Spinning...
And were using all natural plant dyes... I wish I knew what plants created each of these vibrant colours.

Discovering dishcloths

2008-07-10T19:07:00.007-05:00

Yes I know, it's a bit late to discover dishcloths. I've never really followed trends much.

I think I just needed a break from wool (and socks too) and wanted to knit cotton for a change. I decided to do quick projects, in case I started missing wool and/or socks, and thought:" Why not dishcloths?". I have done about a dozen so far, and here are a few...

and the second baby's here....

2008-06-10T19:31:00.003-05:00

Here's little Nathan, my second nephew within a month. He was born two weeks after Pierre Elliot. After years of having two nieces, I'll have to get used to have little nephews. Since I only had sisters, I have no clue what little boys are like. Oh well, I guess i'll have to find out.

Welcome Pierre Elliot, and other updates

2008-05-06T16:26:00.007-05:00

Please welcome my little nephew Pierre Elliot. He was born on April 29th and weighs about eight pounds (lost a few ounces after birth). Both him and mom are now home, and settling in a routine soon, I hope.

His little hat wasn't knitted by yours truly, but by a hospital volunteer. Little Pierre Elliot had skilfully concealed his gender by hiding it behind the umbilical cord, so no gender specific gifts were knitted for him until his birth.

Lots of knitted projects are on the way for the little one. Here's one...

I've tried to take a close-up, but the camera doesn't seem to like either the stitches, or the colour. I'll try again later...

In other knitterly news.... I got my Wee Tiny Sock! Thanks Emily! So sorry it took a bit to post about it. I just love it! Thank you, thank you!

Wee Tiny Sock Swap

2008-04-08T18:42:00.003-05:00

This year again, I just couldn't pass up the Wee Tiny Sock Swap. I made mine with Applelaine of course, Army Surplus. Here's a pic of my Wee Tiny Sock, and my Wee Tiny Sophie. Now if onlyI could I figure out how to get the button up on my sidebar...
Also, you can check the Wee Tiny Socks here on Flickr.

Gone Applelaine mad!

2008-03-30T19:03:00.007-05:00

I have just completed another pair of socks (for myself), in Applelaine of course. For some reason, these were from the same dye lot but ended up looking somewhat different colours. It's not a huge difference, but still a difference.

I knew I had some more of another similar colour in my stash, and thought I may had gotten two different colours for this pair of socks. But no I hadn't. Then I realized: "OMG I have so much Applelaine!" Other than the skeins in this pic, I also have another 5 skeins, and four more skeins winded in balls, ready to become socks. Oh well, Christmas presents for this year....

DR architectural details...

2008-03-21T22:00:00.004-05:00

Flowers from DR

2008-03-18T17:36:00.004-05:00

Since today is a rainy day, here are some flowers to cheer you up...

Back from DR...

2008-03-16T18:11:00.005-05:00

A few quick pics as promised, before I attack a huge load of laundry. More to come later this week...

Off for March Break....

2008-03-08T08:35:00.003-06:00

My DH and I are off to Dominican Republic for a week. We'll be staying in Puerto Plata. I certainly hope our flight is not delayed, or cancelled, as we're having yet another snow storm.

I'll be back in a week with lots of pictures to share...

New pairs of socks

2008-02-26T20:00:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago, an old "friend" decided to show up uninvited: arthritis. My hands and feet were all puffy, stiff and painful. After a visit to my family doctor, I was back on anti-inflamatory after a twelve year break. After a week on it, I was less swollen, feeling better but still had some pain. He told me about this new painkiller on the market that seems to be exactly what I needed. I would be his first patient to use it, and he seemed quite confident it would help me. He was right, Ralivia took care of the pain, and now I'm off the anti-inflamatories. This drug is as precise as a swiss watch. It's a slow release for 24 hours, and it's painkilling effects wear off in almost exactly 24 hours. Anyways, all of that to say if your current arthritis treatment no longer satisfies you, there are new treatments available.

Now that I'm knitting again, I finished two pairs of socks, and both are for myself. They're both made with Applelaine yarn, which knits up (and washes) so wonderfully. I've had great comments from the people who received my Applelaine socks this Christmas.
This first pair is "Purple Haze", and for some reason seems a bit darker on this picture than it actually is. The colour is more of a lavendar tone. I've also put the sock on an antique sock stretcher I found in Mont St-Hilaire this summer. I always thought that my feet were small but the stretcher is smaller than the sock.

The second pair is in "Cotton Candy" and the colour name served as my inspiration. I could just see the sugar crystals forming in the cotton candy, and then from candy I thought of candy wrappers. So off I went cabling alternating candy wrappers. I'm content of the results, but I should have knitted a few stockinette rows in between the top row and the second row of candy wrappers. The candy wrappers would be more visible, as they now seem to meet and twist sohewhat.

You make my day!

2008-02-17T15:26:00.008-06:00

I have received a "You make my day" award from KB. That's pretty cool, thanks KB!

The rules of the award are : Give the award to 10 people (or more) whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

I give the award to Bamboo Sticks , Charles, Jason Knits, Lacefreak, Cashmere Blend (I hope he's fine, he hasn't posted for a while), Crimini Jickets , Roadside (this might get him to post again), Wanietta. I know this award has been around for a bit now, so I won't be offended if you don't distribute it to ten other people (as you may have noticed, I didn't).

What's a knitter to do?

2008-02-07T16:54:00.000-06:00

What's a knitter to do when she's stuck on a highway and hardly moving because of this mess ahead?

Here's what I did...
I was going out of my mind just not moving and waiting two minutes to move about a feet ahead, and suddenly it occured to me: KNIT! It took a bit of the edge off, but it was still frustrating to be on the road for about two hours and a half for what usually takes a half hour to drive. Oh well, the joys of living in Canada I guess...

Sophie's new hoodie

2008-02-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

Here's Sophie's new hoodie. She fought with it a bit at first, but seems to like it now.

My knitting is not back to full swing yet. Although my fingers are still hurting, I try to knit for as long as I can tolerate each day. I believe exercise does help the sore fingers. I've been working on a "skinny scarf" for my niece.

Not much knitting...

2008-01-28T20:05:00.000-06:00

I really haven't completed much these days other than this scarf. Unfortunately, I seem to be having an arthritis flare up. I haven't had any arthritic pain in over twelve years, and then last week BANG, and I mean BANG. In case you wonder what it feels like: close your eyes and imagine someone banging a hammer on your fingers or toes. Painful huh? Well last week when it started, it felt exactly like that in my fingers AND toes. Thank god my anti-inflammatory have started working, and the inflammation and swelling is not as bad.

Sophie's new friend

2008-01-13T08:50:00.001-06:00

Here's Sophie's new friend, Tequilla. She's a year and half and was given to our sitter because her owners were always travelling and barely knew her. The poor girl needed a stable home, and Sophie couldn't be happier to have her as a friend.

Continuing with my scarmania fest, I have completed yet another scarf. This one is for my mother-in-law who's starting to really hate the cold. She despises going outside when it's cold. I've used the alpaca yarn I bought when we went to visit an alpaca farm last march. This should keep her warm, as alpaca is four times warmer than merino.

Scarfmania

2008-01-02T18:59:00.000-06:00

Since I'm done with my Christmas knitting, all I've been knitting are scarves. I can't exactly blame it on the cold, as we've been having both cold and warm days. Maybe I just needed something quick and easy to knit...

I've knitted this one to go with my winter coat. It's from Wisdom Yarn's Poem, colour 571. I used three balls, but I should have bought four. I like my scarves to be on the longish side.

This one, I made for my friend John in St Louis who's battling cancer. I also made him a hat to go with it, but the picture where my husband was modelling the hat was atrocious. This one is made with Paton's SWS in Natural Earth, and I used four balls.

The last scarf, which I just finished, is for a little girl whose been long awaited for. My husband's colleague and her husband were unable to have children, so they adopted a little girl from India. The adoption process was long and frustrating for them, as they had to deal with multiple delays, and two additional (unplanned) trips to India. Finally, little Uma got home and a newly formed family has been quite happy together. I've used SWS in Natural Plum.

Kniterly gifts...

2007-12-27T16:48:00.000-06:00

Santa was wery busy this year, and he didn't have time to go to both Lettuce Knit , and Romni Wools. to do his Christmas shopping. Mind you, he got me a 22" flat screen monitor, so I forgave him. Also Romni Wools had a great boxing day sale, which I'll get to later on. So Santa got me four balls of Noro Silk Garden, a cute little sheep (so soft), and The Knitter's Book of Yarns by Clara Parks. The book is amazing. It discusses everything about yarn: fiber types, processes from shearing the sheep to your lys, knitting techniques, and of course it has patterns.

While we were at my sister's for the past few days, I knitted a few scarves for my nieces' Webkinz, despite the fact that they got plenty of clothes for Christmas. Also, to the anonymous reader who asked about the Webkinz sweater pattern, I will post it but I never wrote patterns before, so please bear with me.
Romni Wools had a 25% off on everything at regular price(sorry you're missing out on it, Elizabetha) for Dec. 27th only. Let me tell you that the store was packed! For 80$ I got three balls of SWS in Natural Denim and three in Natural Plum, and three balls of Wisdom Yarns Poem colour 571(a grey to black gradient), and another three balls in 534 (denim gradient). Not a bad deal at all! And just in case you wonder what I'm planning with these: it could be a cold winter this year, so I'm making scarves.

Happy New Year to all!

Happy Holidays to all!

2007-12-24T05:23:00.000-06:00

Cold, and felting project

2007-12-15T18:13:00.000-06:00

This is what my windows looked like this morning. It looks like some mutant white fern is growing in my windows, but unfortunately, all that beauty is an indication of how it feels like outside: cold. Southern Ontario is under snow storm warning, and we're expecting about 25cm of snow for Toronto, and a bit more in the areas surrounding the city.

This my pre-felted Nintendo case. I currently only have a slider to protect it, so I've knitted this for it. I also thought it could be a quick first felted project. I must admit that I'm a bit intimidated by the felting process, as I've never done it before. Yes, I am a felting virgin!

Two books and two scarves

2007-12-09T15:27:00.000-06:00

My husband just gave me these two books as Channukah presents ( to make a long story short, he gives me a gift for each day of Channukah, and this is what I got for Friday, and Saturday). The Wrap Style will come in handy as the office gets really cold (my cubicle is close to the warehouse, where they keep the doors open most of the day, even in the winter). I haven't had a chance to thoroughly go through the books, but I saw a few projects I like.

With the yarn I bought last weekend, I knitted two scarves (well, the top one is not completed yet, but it's 80% done). The bottom one is the Katia, Dulce Plus, and the top one is with Wisdom Yarns, Poems. Both scarves were knitted with a simple K1 P1 pattern, but somehow the stitches look different.

Message for Santa...

2007-12-06T05:24:00.000-06:00

Need Yarn!

2007-12-03T20:18:00.000-06:00

For some strange reason, I had a craving for colorful yarn yesterday. I have a reasonable stash, but somehow nothing seemed colorful enough. So, I braved the snow storm and made my way to Romni wool ( and managed not to get the traditional parking ticket). My eyes were satisfied with the colour feast, and I managed to come back home with enough yarn to make three scarves: from Wisdom Yarns, Poems colour 553; from Patons, SWS in Natural Earth; from Katia, Dulce Plus in colour 52.

On with the scarves...

Scarf done

2007-12-01T18:26:00.000-06:00

Although I had finished this scarf last week, I was being lazy about weaving the loose ends in, and posting it. I finally gave myself a good kick in the behind, and finished the project (and might even wrap it tonight). The yarn is Paton's SWS (Soy Wool Stripes) in Natural Navy. The colours are more accurate on the pic where the scarf is rolled. I liked it so much that I added a few balls on my Christmas wishlist.

More Christmas knitting to do.... and planning on some knitting for myself for the new year.

New needles, and another Webkinz sweater

2007-11-25T19:54:00.000-06:00

Here are my new customized needles. Signature Needle Arts. lets you chose the size, tip, lenght and cap of your needles. I chose the stiletto tip, and it's just perfect for the my "tight knitting". The colour of the needles is determined by the size. Mine were 4.5, and the cap is spiral. They really slide well, and I'm thinking of investing in another pair. Including shipping, it's an affordable $38 luxury.

I have made another sweater for my nieces Webkinz. I may knit one for each of their pet (eight in total, not counting what they'll get for Christmas). One of them asked me if I would knit one for her friend's Webkinz too. I may knit a few so they may give them as Christmas presents to their friends.

Webkinz sweater

2007-11-18T12:27:00.000-06:00

Like so many kids all over North America, my nieces are just crazy about Webkinz. I must admit, I like them too, and I log into their account every day to make sure they don't miss out on their "regular maintenance". Of course, the nieces were thrilled to hear that a clothing line was launched. They each got a pair of pants, and a sweater. I borrowed the "handknit" sweater(totally machine made), and I just knitted another one with leftover yarn. First pic is the Webkinz version, second is mine. The model is a Christmas gift for one of the nieces. Shhhhhhhhh, don't tell!

Soooo tired this morning...

2007-11-18T07:51:00.000-06:00

Yummy yarn

2007-11-07T19:33:00.000-06:00

I just received some new yarn I ordered from Pick up Sticks. The colours are just yummy, especially the Applelaine "Cotton Candy". The red next to it is "MacIntosh", and the brown tone is "Godiva". All these food inspired names make me hungry, but let's not forget to mention the Cherry Hill "Spanish Moss". Not as tasty, but very pretty.

Socks and a scarf

2007-11-04T14:20:00.000-06:00

I liked the Applelaine's "Army Surplus"so much, that I ordered more yarn and made another pair for my friend's husband for Christmas. Both their Christmas presents are knitted now, and I feel a little less stressed as I cross off the names on my list. Sophie and hubby are modeling the new socks. There's probably enough left to make another small adult pair. After the rush to meet the Christmas deadline is over, I will have to knit a few pairs for myself, as I've noticed a few pairs that look worn out, and almost past the darning stage.

A while back (March I think), I had bought a soy yarn by Patons, called SWS (for soy wool stripes). I was going to knit "My-so-called-scarf" with it, but decided against it last minute (please don't laugh, I tried to figure out the stitch from the pattern for a half hour then gave up), and went for this instead. I really like the stripes effect (the colour is called Natural Navy), and it's soft enough for my sensitive skin hubby. Yup, Christmas gift!

Yes, another pair of socks

2007-10-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

So this is what I've been up to recently... Not much knitting, I must admit. One pair of children's socks for my niece Jessica, and yarn winding. All Applelaine. The socks are in "Army Surplus", the first colour of ball is "Purple Haze" and this will knit up a pair of socks for me. Next up is "Garden Party", and then "Winter Dawn" which I used in a previous pair of socks.

Two sad things happened in the past month, which I find hard to post about. My husband's aunt died, and a friend of mine has been diagnosed with stage four cancer... There, I've done it, I've posted about it.

B.W.O

2007-10-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

I came across this and I must admit, I like it.

Really, my knitting has suffered since my last post, and I don't have much to post about. I'll be getting back to my knitting this week, and do I ever need to catch up.

I can't believe October is here!

2007-10-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe October is here! With this beautiful weather, it still feels like August. That would explain why I'm late starting my Christmas knitting. Yes, it is time to knit for Christmas gifts. Just less than three months to go.

Since this warm weather is bound to come to an end (as early as tomorrow), I decided to pick up an almost forgotten project, and complete it: Sophie's blanket. Despite the breaking record heat outside, Sophie insisted on trying it out to "see if it fits". Looks like it's to the queen's satisfaction, and won't be frogged.

I also have been knitting (surprise, surprise) a pair of socks. The yarn used is from Applelaine and the colour is appropriately called blueberry. Ir really reminds me of the different hues of a blueberry. The new socks are modelled by my husband, as the recipient has much larger feet than me.

Sophie's been cheating on me!

2007-10-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

You read right, she's been cheating on me. With my own sister! She spent most of the weekend on my sister's lap as soon as the crochet came out. Admittedly, she looks real good in red, and I was only knitting on a pair of socks, so not much to keep her warm. My sister's throw is much bigger, but it's not for Sophie.

In a previous post, I mentionned strarting a sweater for my mom. Here's a picture of the pattern. I've had it for at least six years, if not more. Of course, the original yarn used in the pattern must be discontinued, but I got got a similar gauge with Amazon DK, an oatmeal mercerized cotton.

And it's done

2007-09-23T07:33:00.000-05:00

Well after my fifth time frogging the one sock, there it is, the completed pair modeled by my sister. In a previous post, I had mistakenly mentioned the colour as Angels, but it's actually Libertine (quite a difference in terms, sorry if I offended any angels or libertines!).

In other knitterly news, I have started a sweater for my Mom. We were discussing projects we had knitted in the past, and she mentionned that sweater. She remembered it was quite comfortable, but unfortunately it is now a bit too short around the waist area. Luckily, I had some cotton waiting to be knitted into something.

Just frogging....

2007-09-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

For some reason, my Sweet Georgia socks are not looking the same. For years now I've been knitting both socks at the same time, just to make sure they're (almost) exactly the same (sizewise, and patternwise). For the fourth time, I've frogged the one sock that had an area where the stripe pattern was breaking and forming a spot instead. I think this time it's looking like stripes, but a bit more diagonal than the other sock. Oh well, at least it's stripes...Grrrrr!

New sock goes to Thousand Islands

2007-09-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

I got my repaired camera back on time for our weekend trip to Thousand Island. I have also started a pair of socks, and decided to pull a Yarn Harlot shot. The shot was taken after it got too dark to knit, and when traffic started slowing down. What was supposed to be a three hour drive, took almost an extra hour (and that's with one fifteen minute stop). The yarn is Sweet Georgia, and is called Angels. It was part of my birthday yarnmania purchases.

The town where we stayed in the Thousand Island area is called Gananoque. It's a beautiful town, but it feels empty without a yarn store (or at least not in the main part of the town). We went for a boat tour in one of the big tourist boats the first day, and chartered a small boat the next day. The chartered tour was much more pleasant and Captain Dave, a lifelong resident, had lots of interesting annectdotes about the area. On top of all the expected cottages owned by rich and/or somewhat famous people, Captain Dave added some local history and ecology.

Unfortunately, Sophie didn't come with us, but here's where she would have waited outside when we went for ice cream at Nana Splitz.

This is the cottage I really like, as it reminds me of my grand-parent's house in New-Brunswick. Of course, their house wasn't built on a semi-private island.

Broken camera

2007-08-26T07:43:00.000-05:00

I have been without a camera for about a week now. DH took it for a long bike ride, and surprise, when he got to his destination the camera wouldn't turn on. Luckily, it's still on warranty and will either be repaired or replaced.

The day before the infamous ride, I had finished a pair of socks and took some pics. This is now my third pair of socks with Applelaine (this colour is called Winter Dawn), and I just love this yarn. I'm quite happy with the way the colours blend with each other, with no big patches of colours. I don't quite like to have big patches of coulour that move around the foot. I will frog and start all over until I get an acceptable spread of colour.

Until I get a functional camera, here are my latest yarn purchases. Two skeins of Applelaine's Apple Pie Army Surplus, and two skeins of Apple Pie Blueberry.

I've also been knitting a sweater for my Mom, and another pair of socks with Sweet Georgia yarn. Pics at a later time...sigh

Overdue post

2007-08-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that a month has gone by since my last post (if you can call that a post).

My new job is going great, and it's so nice to only do my job (as opposed to do a quarter of everybody else's (sales rep) on top of mine). I now take my full lunch hour, and I'm not eating at my desk and working at the same time either. Amazingly, times goes by quickly and at the end of the day I can say "Great! All my work is done, and everybody is happy". It's so much better than saying "I've gone through half of my workload for today, and tomorrow I can start the day by completing this afternoon's work (providing I don't get a mountain of e-mails during the night)".

As a result of feeling less stressed, I don't feel the burning need to get my needles and knit away some of the frustrations. Instead, I just enjoy the knitting, the feel of the yarn, and the colours. I guess I'm not in "high production" mode, just in a "relax and enjoy" mode.

I've noticed that there are now more and more knitting novels, and knitting mystery books. I actually bought a few, and just finished reading "Knit Two Together". When I bought the book, I didn't realise that it's a Harlequin book. When I later saw the logo, I had a chuckle and decided that a bit of trash reading can't hurt anybody. It wasn't all that badly written, but very predictable....

Libby Cartwright hadn't planned on inheriting a yarn shop from her estranged mother. But that was before she found her favorite childhood stuffed animal amidst the dust and moldering yarn. And before she encountered a motley crew of locals determined to resurrect the store. So what else had Mom been hiding?
Running Metropolitan Knits means Libby still has lots to learn. About knitting. Motherhood (who ever said raising a daughter was easy!).
And even romance. For quiet Hal O''Connell, an unlikely—and unattached—new customer, turns out to be a kindred spirit. As the Grand Reopening approaches, Libby learns to knit two together— in knitting and in life.—

Changes...

2007-07-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

Did you notice something different? Let me know what you think...

Proof that there has been some knitting...

2007-07-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

Even though I haven't posted much knitted items recently, I have been knitting, just not as much as usual. I find that usually I don't knit as much during the summer, as I get more social for some reason(or maybe people have more parties).

I have completed my friend Nathalie's baby blanket, but forgot to take a picture of it for my blog before giving it to her. I'll take one next time I see her. I still have enough of that yarn to also make a sweater for the baby, along with a hat and booties, and would still have yarn.

I had bought this Apple Laine yarn called "Eye Candy" this spring and finally got around to make a pair of socks. It's a great sock yarn, and I really enjoy knitting it. It has a nice sheen to it, and the sheen stays even after the socks have been washed.

This is another pair that I completed last week. It's from the Knit Picks discontinued "Parade" line (if not discontinued, I didn't find it in the sock yarn section where it used to be). These are way too big on my little feet, but will fit my friend perfectly and keep her arthritic toes warm. I just can't wait to send them to her, as she really appreciates and cherished any handmade gifts that come her way.

Wishing you all a nice week...

Black Creek Pioneer Village

2007-07-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

Last week I gave my employer my two weeks' notice. Since I am going to a competitor, I got escorted to the door the next day with my two weeks paid. I fully expected that to happen, and was even dissapointed when it didn't happen on the same day. I'll start my new job this coming Monday, and I'm looking forward to a lighter workload, and more free time for myself (and knitting of course).

Since I had the free time, I spent some time with my nieces. I took them to a farmer's market on Thursday, and Black Creek Pioneer Village on Friday. Everybody's favourite house was of course the house with the craft-related presentations: quilting and knitting (the rug is handmade as well but the hooker wasn't there that day). Of course they had their own sheeps, spun and died their own yarn. In order to fix the died yarn and keep the colours bright, the urine of twelve year old boys and younger was prefered. We were relieved that no sample was available for the presentation.

Yarn drying outside...

Picture perfect.....

Alpaca shearing

2007-06-13T19:32:00.000-05:00

The past two weeks have been really busy, and I didn't get a chance to post. Sunday the 10th was just a fantastic day for my husband and I: we went Alpaca shearing. Well the actual shearing was done by a professional (I wouldn't trust my clumsy husband with a sharp razor around those sweet animals), who did a great job shearing and teaching us all sorts of things about the alpacas. He was a very interesting man, who had an interesting life, but managed to keep a certain balance between a career in finances and consulting, and shearing and owning a sheep farm.

The alpacas each have their own character, and each one reacted differently to the shearing process. Some were absolutely petrified and froze, others fought with all they had, others became a nervous wreck and started barfing, as other angrier would start spitting at anybody who dared come close to them. For the nervous, the timid, the angry, there was this wonderful lady that would calm them down, massaging their neck, talking to them and reassuring them, putting a towel over their head so they wouldn't see what was happening and freak out. My husband and I called her "The Alpaca Whisperer".

There were quite a few volunteers (at least five of them teachers), and everybody was full of enthusiasm. There were both knitters (or crocheters) and non-knitters, a weaver, and some alpaca owners. Everybody pitched in and completed the tasks assigned with equal effort and enthusiasm. My husband and I got to clean the alpacas, and we couldn't believe what a messy little alpaca California Girl was (more on that shortly). I also got to sort the fleece (so amazingly soft), trim the hair on their paws and head (some pretty funky but stylish alpacas run around Brantford now), and herd them as well. My husband specialized in leg-holding for a while, after helping me clean California Girl for half an hour. As you can see (click on the pic to enlarge), she had hay, dried grass, and mud all over herself. She must have had quite a party earlier that week. To add to that, after we finished cleaning her, we took a break and had lunch, and came back to .... California Girl rolling in the hay again. What could we do but laugh.

Despite being messy, California Girl's fleece has an amazing texture, and variety of colour. I just can't wait to see the finish product! And speaking of finished product.... here's the CG herself after a little trim. She was actually pretty good on the table for a first timer. She put up a respectable fight (afterall, one must at least pretend not to like it, but it must be quite a relief to get rid of that heavy coat), but then quickly relaxed in the gentle arms of the Alpaca Whisperer.

Tagged

2007-06-03T07:17:00.000-05:00

I got tagged by KB, for this one...

Here are the rules:Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I had my first Chihuahua when I was fourteen. She was the same colours as Sophie. I called her Ozzy after Ozzy Osbourne (dating myself here). She was a great dog, and I taught her many stupid tricks, like to bark at the moon. She died two days after turning sixteen.

2. I only have one ovary. About eight years ago I had this mysterious pain in my abdomen, and after multiple laparoscopies to remove any possible endometriosis, my gynecologist suggest the removal of the ovary. At that time, I just couldn't cope with the pain, and multiple failed treatments, so I agreed, but unfortunately the pain came back again. One day, I was chatting with a friend on Yahoo, and he said my symptoms sounded a bit like when he had a hernia and I should get checked. That's what the pain was: a hernia in my appendectomy scar!

3. My sister and I are dreaming about having our own sheep farm (or any other animal that produces yarn), or a yarn shop, or both. We've promised each other that if one of us wins big at lottery, that's our first expense. I think that the yarn store is more practical, as we can travel to find new yarn for the business.

4. I absolutely LOVE lilacs. Unfortunately, living in a condo doesn't allow for a backyard where I may plant to my heart's content. However, I have found a dwarf variety of lilac that can grow in pots, and my tree is now blooming for the third year.

5. When I was about eight, our house got hit by lightning. That was a very scary experience for the whole family. To this day, I still hate thunder storms, but I have learned to enjoy their beauty.

6. This is my 105th post, and my bloganniversary was in March but I forgot about it.

7. I shop and knit for Christmas all year long. I try to have my shopping all done by October, because I hate busy malls. I try to knit gifts for as many family and friends as possible, even if it's a quick knit. People usually seem to appreciate the hand-made gifts more, and I like making them feel special.

More Applelaine

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

About two weeks ago I ordered more Applelaine from Pick-up Sticks, but just didn't have much time to post about it (also had to play with my new camera). I bought 3 skeins of each colour. The top colour is called Eye Candy, and the bottom is Winter Dawn. Of course, this is going in the sock yarn stash and someone will have new socks for Christmas. Hubby really likes the Winter Dawn, but so does my sister. I must admit I really like it too.

My sister-in-law had hinted that she wouldn't be upset if she got an alpaca hat. A while ago, she lost her favourite hat ever, which was made of alpaca (not hand-knitted, mind you) and kept her real warm during those nasty canadian winters. Although she claims to hate winter, they've always lived in cities that have heavy snowfall during the winter. As she kindly reminded us on our wedding day, we mustn't forget that it's not only our anniversary, but also her birthday. So here you go, happy belated birthday Sandra! (Yes I know I haven't mailed it yet, as I just finished it.)

Lilac festival

2007-05-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

This weekend was our fifth wedding anniversary. My husband decided to do a surprise day trip to the Royal Botanical Garden's Lilac Festival. It was stunning! Sadly, since my chronic sinusitis, my sense of smell has been greatly affected and I could only smell the stronger varieties. Still, it was fabulous and just perfect for me to test my new digital camera. Much better close-ups!

Meeting Elisabetha from Bamboo Sticks

2007-05-15T11:54:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Sophie and I met Elisabetha from Bamboo Sticks. She was part of a Craft Fair at Good Catch. Unfortunately, Sophie was a little grumpy (and I'm being generous here) that day, and was not showing her best behaviour. For some reason, she doesn't like hands moving much, therefore people who speak with their hands got barked at (bad pup!). So when Elisabetha tried to shake hands with me, she got barked at (and I was really embarassed). When I paid her for the wonderful things I bought from her (see here), (and here), and she handed my change back.... bark, bark again. Elisabetha, I'm so, so sorry Sophie was so badly behaved! I was so looking forward to meeting you, and this rotten little pup's behaviour rushed our meeting. You were really nice about it and didn't make a big deal about it, but really Sophie was a little pest that day. So sorry!

Sophie's new friend

2007-05-06T08:29:00.000-05:00

Here's Sophie's new friend, Mila. She's a mini Daschund, and almost three months. Sophie insisted I knit a little sweater for her new friend, so here it is...

I'll have to knit her a new one when fall comes, and this time I'll make it longer to cover her body properly, and I'll have to watch for the leg location. I think this one's legs were too close together. Her movements seemed restricted when she was walking with her sweater on. Maybe I'll look for a breed specific pattern. I wonder if it exist...

Wild yarn

2007-05-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Knitters are definitely a wild bunch! I had read about Nomad Yarns (camel hair that is gathered, and handspun by nomads in Mongolia) in Vogue Kitting, but when I looked at their website, it was just at it's infancy and hadn't much information and no retailer list yet. Now it's full of information on the yarn, the process, retailers, kits available, etc.

Then I started thinking "Hmmmmm I wonder what other "wild yarn" is available?". So I started googling and found: Muskox, and Buffalo, Guanacos, Llama, and Yak, I even thought I found Moose yarn but then found out it's the name they give to the yarn, it's not actually made of moose.

Let me know if you find more...

Long due update

2007-04-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

I've been real busy for the past few weeks. It's our fiscal year-end at work, and they are extremely thorough about it. Nothing must be left uncompleted, unexplained, and everything must be documented. Mind you, the perfectionist in me has nothing against it, except it took away a fair bit of my knitting time. I was glad to see Friday evening arrive, but was too tired to knit.

In knitting news, I completed Sophie's blanket, or at least the knitting part of it. I still have to take care of those loose ends. I've also learned that my friend Nathalie will have a baby boy, so I'll be knitting boy clothes for the end of August, or beginning of September. Saturday I started a little blanket, and will probably be posting pictures later when I buy a new camera. I'm getting tired of my camera not taking good close-up, so if yours is great for close-up please drop me a line and let me know what model you have. Back to knitting, YAY!

Book purchases

2007-04-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

Chapters-Indigo had a book sale, so I went to spend time on their site on Friday...

I found two Debbie Bliss books at $4.99 each. Of course I couldn't resist, and besides I'll need ideas for Natalie's baby (ultrasound will reveal gender on April 12th, mommy's birthday). The first book is Nursery Knits, and the other is Quick Baby Knits.

Then I got Vogue Knitting on the Go: Chunky Scarves and Hats for $14.40. Not exactly a huge saving, but I could use some new ideas for next Christmas. Yes I start planning the gifts early.

The book I'm most excited about is actually a Knitting Journal. I've been looking for a practical one for a long time. This one comes with a place for notes, photos, labels, and yarn samples. It also has a needle inventory sheet, ruler, and measurement conversion chart. I was glad to see that all four were available, and ready to ship. I guess sometime during the week I should get them.

Dulaan update

2007-04-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

My Dulaan items are ready to ship. I was hoping to knit more items than last year, but I know I won't have much time to knit anything else but baby clothes, and Christmas gifts. I didn't do better than last year, but at least I didn't do worse. I knitted exactly the same amount: eight.

I have four scarves, three hats, and pair of socks. I can now e-mail Ryan at Mossy Cottage Knits, and let her know I've finished my five items.

Happy April Fool's day!

2007-04-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain

Tiny sock

2007-03-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

Look what came all the way from Paris (Texas, that is). My tiny sock! It came cheerfully packaged in a goodie bag, and the nicest letter from my secret pal, Renna. Unfortunately, she might not have a blog (didn't see a blog address) so I can't link to her.

She made my tiny sock with Bernat Sox yarn. I had no clue that Bernat made sock yarn, and that it's that soft. Renna stated that she's a new knitter, but I think she did a pretty good job with her sock. Don't you think?

The red candy is an Anderson's Peanut Rounder, and it's produced in Blossom Texas. Renna says that Blossom is "one of those places where if you blink you'll miss it". Can't wait to eat it!

March stash enhancement

2007-03-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

March has seen a big stash enhancement (and the month is not over yet). I finally had some time to sit down and enjoy the new yarn.

First, I had started a new pair of socks for myself the second week of March, and Finished them last weekend. The yarn was bought during my big birthday yarn extravaganza. It's Phildar Auteuil, and the colour is called "Iris". It's 80% acrylic, 20% wool, and surprisingly soft. I bought 3 balls of it at Romni Wools.

Left, Phildar Auteuil, Patons Soy Wool Stripes, and Smart Superwash.

I'm quite curious about knitting with the soy yarn. It's 70% wool, 30% soy, real soft, and the colour is called "Natural Navy" (pic is real dark). I got three balls of it, and hubby has been hinting it would look nice around his neck next winter.

I was attracted to the lime/purple combination of the Smart Superwash yarn, and having knitted a pair of socks with it in the past, knew I would enjoy another pair of it (or somebody else would). I took home two balls of it.

Next: Yarns from Lettuce Knit.

Misty Cotton is a Misty Alpaca yarn, and it is as soft as Pima Cotton can be. I just fell in love with it, and can't decide what I want to do with it. Maybe something for Natalie's baby if it's a boy. Two balls is probably sufficient for a sweater, or a cardigan.

The Jitterbug yarn is mine all mine! I just love those brown tones, and these will match perfectly with my brown flannel pajama. I can't believe I only bought one skein of it!

Next two yarns are the ever popular hand painted Sweet Georgia, and I was told they flew off the shelves at Lettuce Knit. The first skein is called "Angel" and there's already three requests for socks with this colourway, but only two skeins. The second colourway is called "Libertine", but I wonder if the name has scared potential sock owners away. No requests so far.

This yarn is part of the Huge Knitomatic Sale. At $1, who can resist? Not me! I came out with 24 balls.
The grey yarn is Sisik, and it's made of 30% wool, 30% mohair, 34% acrylic, and 6% viscose. Good for some medium size future project.
Next two balls are Marble and it's 100% acrylic. Not that I'm a yarn snob, but for $1 for 100g this is a darn good looking colourway.
Next, from Filatura is Ontario (both first and last of bottom row). It's 83% wool, 17% acrylic, and would be perfect for a scarf.
The blue/grey mix is Tessa from Online. It's 100% virgin wool, and I could only fine one ball, but I'm sure I'll put it to good use.

First KAL

2007-03-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

If you tought Sophie is small, look at the result of my first knit along patricipation: my Tiny Wee Sock.

Feel free to have alook at the gallery

The huge Knitomatic sale

2007-03-12T05:24:00.000-05:00

I had seen on their blog Knitomatic Knitomatic was having a huge sale. It stated "We're digging into the yarns of years past in our basement and putting it all on SUPER SALE!" I really didn't expect such huge discounts. There was boxes, after boxes of yarn at $1 a ball. A woman has no chance to win against such a monstrous sale, so I gave up and bought 24 balls at $1. My mom who's visiting, and my sister bought even more. We came back home laughing all the way at the deals we had. I think I'm going to start digging holes in the walls to store all that yarn. For the past month I have been binge buying like crazy.

Soon, you'll start seeing me posting baby knits. No, I'm not pregnant, but my friend Natalie is. I taught her how to knit about 4 years ago, and since then she's mostly been knitting baby sweaters for vatious other friends who had babies. Needless to say, she's not in the mood to knit more baby stuff.

Courtney House

2007-03-07T05:15:00.000-06:00

The alpacas weren't the only birthday surprise my husband had for me. He also made arrangements to stay at the Courtney House, a lovely B & B in Brantford. Marly was the most welcoming hostess you could imagine, and so was her poodle, Chelsea (sorry about the eyes). And she's a knitter too! She's currently knitting a lovely baby sweater in Debbie Bliss.

The Edwardian house is full of antique furniture, and every inch is decorated with Marly's exquisite taste. She doesn't miss an occasion to make you feel welcome. When we arrived, I was still freezing from being outside, and she offered me a warming pillow stuffed with hot corn (I didn't know that dried corn can stay hot that long). She also baked a wonderful dutch chocolate cake, and shared her recipe. She shared a few more recipes too. How generous! Most people I know ferociously guard their recipes. Her recipes are also health conscious, and quite tasty (I could have another scones right now). But the best yet, is that because I wasn't feeling well, she offered to make me chicken soup. Now that's treating you like family! I mean you don't get that from a hotel! Althought I was really tempted, I couldn't take advantage of the nice lady, and politely refused... but I sure will come back if we go around Brantford again!

Alpaca farm visit (picture heavy)

2007-03-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

As I had mentionned in a previous post, I asked my husband for a visit to an alpaca farm for my birthday. He settled on Green Acres Alpaca Farm, near Brantford, Ontario. He couldn't have chosen better: Nancy was a lovely lady, and she was a wealth of information. She is absolutely passionate about her alpacas, and quality fibre, and it shows.

As we walked towards the farm, these are the cute faces that greeted us... They were somewhat curious about our presence there, and all walked inside to greet us (or maybe they were excited that Nancy was visiting). Compared to other farm animals, they barely make any noise. What do they sound like? They make a humming sound that is similar to mmmmmmmmmm (but I only heard it about three times during the visit).

This was my favourite alpaca. Her name is California Girl. She has an unusual spotted coat, and most other alpacas in the herd( I think it's the proper term), had a single color coat, or just one or two spots in a different colour. Another thing that is unusual with alpacas, is to have more than a single cria (baby alpaca). Twins are sometimes born, but they don't frequently both survive. Nancy also had twins. Here's a close-up of California girl's coat. Don't you want to touch it too?

And this sweet face is Desirae... Sorry Sean, hugging an alpaca is not an easy task, as they can be a bit skittish, but I got you some wonderful roving instead. I think this is her coat...(pic taken indoors) Another thing I didn't know about alpacas (told you Nancy was a wealth of information!) is that they don't have top teeth. They have a hard palate, and need an occasional trim on their bottom teeth...

In the shop....

2007-03-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-03-02T14:37:00.000-06:00

There is no way I was going to let a storm ruin my birthday plans. So what if there's slush, tree debris, and downed power lines all over the city! My plan was to take a day off work, and have a relaxing day of yarn shopping, and that's just what I did...

I started the day by sleeping in until 9:30am (for me that's real late). Then I had a cup of mocha coffee with a scoop of Godiva hot chocolate mix, and Irish cream. D-lightful!

Then it was on to Romni Wools, where I spent lots of time going through piles, and piles of yarn. And when I say piles, I mean stacked to the ceiling! You could get lost in that place. I don't know how they can keep up with their inventory, they got so much yarn. Oh and their bargain basement!I spent at least a half hour just in the basement. So here's the damage (pics in a later post): 3 balls of Phildar Auteuil in "Iris", 2 balls of Smart Superwash, and 3 balls of Patons Soy Wool Stripes in "Natural Navy". And to top it off, a parking ticket! Everytime I went there by car, I had a parking ticket. From now on, I'm taking public transit to go to Romni.

I wasn't going to let that ticket ruin my day, and went on to my next stop: Lettuce Knit. By that time I was starving, and these didn't help: Aren't they just delightful? I just love the packaging, and I must admit sushi was quite tempting at that time of the day. I knew I couldn't get anything hot around the shop area, since the power was down around most of the Kensington Market area. And the damage there: 2 skeins of Misti Cotton, 1 skein of Jitterbug in "Castagna", and the plat de resistance, 2 skeins of Sweet Georgia "Angel" and 2 of "Libertine".

Leaving you with more eye candy from Lettuce Knit, which I'm sure Michelle will appreciate (considering she couldn't visit last time she was in Toronto)...

Oh and yes I had sushi for lunch a bit later....

Quick update

2007-02-26T18:08:00.000-06:00

Yes I know, it's been a while since I posted anything. Sophie's blanket (seed stitch) is taking forever, and I haven't been well recently.

Finally, after months of chronic sinusitis, I'm getting a CT scan on Thursday. Hopefully it'll be nothing too serious, and they'll find the cause of the painful problem. My specialist suspects a blockage, and if so, it will be just day surgery, and I'm back to work the next day. Cross your fingers on Thursday!

Here's part of Sophie's blanket, and the wonderful stitch markers I bought from Charles". He's been selling these as fundraiser for the AIDS LifeCycle, and there are still some available if you're interested.

This weekend is my birthday and here's what I asked hubby for: a visit to an alpaca farm. I just can't wait! It's gonna be so exciting to see these little faces, and be able to pet them (or at least I hope so). I also can't wait to see the yarn that will be available. I can smell stach enhancement in the air!

Cat who thinks she's Penelope

2007-02-09T05:46:00.000-06:00

As you know, I have started a blanket for Sophie. When I got home yesterday, I found my cat Chloé lounging on the blanket, pulling at the yarn.
I asked her "Are you frogging the blanket?". She answered "meow".
"You know that if I don't finish it, poor little Sophie won't be able to warm up in her blankie, sitting on me." She winked! Maybe she knows exactly what she's doing...

Frog, frog, frog...

2007-02-04T19:04:00.000-06:00

That's what I had to do with Sophie's blankie, as I was going to run out of yarn, and doubt I would be able to find more...

Look what came in the mail today....

2007-01-30T20:15:00.000-06:00

Yay! My order from Pick Up Sticks came in (real quick I must say), and I even got a free canvas bag with it. I just love the Apple Laine (bottom two skeins), and it will be a challenge to decide who will get items with that yarn (although I'm sure my two nieces will both want something out of it).

Hubby, on the other hand, prefers Claudia colors. I must admit that the top skein was well named: Ink. It truly looks like this yarn was dipped in black ink.

You might have noticed the little "I frog" button on the side. I've added it there because I decided to frog the chocolate brown vest, and will start it when I get a larger size circular needle. I just know it's going to be way too hot.

Bought more yarn....

2007-01-28T08:49:00.000-06:00

I had told myself that I wouldn't buy any yarn until I do an inventory of my stash. Well I started doing just that but got stopped by these little voices screaming "Knit Me", "No, knit ME", "You have enough of US to knit a blankie". They were right, Sophie could use a new blankie. The silly pup, likes to arrange her blankie in a little nest, which involves digging, and pulling on her blankie. Of course that results in stitches being pulled, and her blankie looking like this.....
I decided to listen to my "talking yarn" and knit her a new blankie. Of course, that led to me thinking of buying new yarn to fill the gap left by the used yarn. So off I go surfing the net for new yarn ( Are you kidding, going out with all that slippery snow on the roads!). Since I was quite happy with my Apple Laine (see post below), I decided to get some more.
I got "Purple Haze HP Lite" , "Garden Party Apple Pie Yarn" which for some reason the pic is gone, and in Claudia, "Ink".
The moral of this story: Listening to talking yarn can be costly!

New socks with Apple Laine

2007-01-21T07:51:00.000-06:00

Around the Holidays I found a new online yarn shop, and really liked some of the yarn. I bought some Apple Laine in "Pastel Petals HP Lite", and made these socks with it.

The other colour I bought is from Claudia and it's called "Toast" (sorry the pic is no longer available on the site). My husband loves the name and the colours and strongly hinted that he wouldn't be angry with Santa if he got a pair of socks with this yarn next year. The fun thing with making or buying things in advance for my husband is that by the time he opens the gifts, he doesn't even remember trying it on. I think he'd get surprised even if he'd wore it for a week, and I'd wrap it and gave it to him in a few months.

I had also purchased a third colour from the Claudia collection, but it looked different when I received it. Not a problem, I was immediately offered a credit or exchange, and my postage would be refunded too. I was quite satisfied with that service, and will certainly purchase from Pick-Up Sticks again. Although I'm not used to knit with fingering weight, the Apple Laine turned out quite nice, and there are a few other real nice colours I like. But first, I gotta go through my stash, and try to knit from it: I'm running out of storage space.

Vest...

2007-01-17T19:42:00.000-06:00

I started the vest I like from Speed Knitting (see pic a few posts below), but it just doesn't seem right. I have the needle size indicated, and some "bulky wool" (nothing specified) called Lopi, but yet it knits really tight.

I'm concerned that the vest will be way too warm for the office, but my arms will be freezing. Or worst, I'll be all sweaty and red faced, and my boss will ask "Okay, who pissed you off?" (not that I get upset easily, but more because I'm usually on the pale side), and the overly nurturing co-worker will ask "Are you okay dear, you got a fever?"

Nah.... I'd rather they ask "Did you knit that?"

Dulaan update

2007-01-15T21:19:00.000-06:00

Today I finished a few projects that were almost completed. This now brings my Dulaan contribution for 2007 to six items so far: three hats, two scarves, and one long neck warmer (almost a poncho, as it fully covers the shoulders). Lighting not appropriate for a nice picture, as it was still half snow storm, half freezing rain. Besides, I have loose end and they're not stitched. Pics to come as soon as I get the courage to deal with them.

Last year, I contributed eight items and I'd like to surpass that this year. It looks like I'm well on my way. ideally, I'd like to send in double last year or more than double. We'll see...

Finally a decent amount of snow....

2007-01-14T12:29:00.000-06:00

This was around noon downtown Toronto...

Felted shrimp sushi bag

2007-01-10T05:35:00.000-06:00

You gotta have a look at what this lady knitted. A shrimp sushi bag! How cool is that! Unfortunately, her blog doesn't have a comments section, so I can't tell her how much I love this bag. So Blah, Blah, Blahhhg if you read this post: "I love your sushi bag!!!" and I'll add you to my list of favourites so I can see more of your cool projects.

Books, books, books...

2007-01-07T17:59:00.000-06:00

Chapters had a Boxing Week Sale, and I splurged on a few books (most were 34% off the regular price).

I got Speed Knitting by Kris Percival (I love it that Knit Picks lets you see a few of the pages by clicking View inside pages). This book has 24 quick and easy projects, and quite a few I'm interested in. I even bought the yarn to make this vest in chocolate brown, and I'm tempted by the ballet sweater too.

I also bought Holiday Knits by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs. This will come in handy for my Christmas knitting this year. I really hope I will have as much free time as I had this year( I mean last year, 2006) to knit gifts for most of the people (and pets) on my list. They were quite appreciated, and people couldn't believe I took the time to make something special for everyone.

Finally, I bought Knit One, Felt Too by Kathleen Taylor. I have been interested in felting for a while now, but I wanted to "research" it first, so I wouldn't waste any precious knitting time. The book doesn't have as many projects I'm tempted by, but it has lots of clear explanations, tips and techniques.

I'm quite happy that my knitting books collection is expanding.

Tagged!

2007-01-04T21:08:00.000-06:00

When I first saw this meme on Mossy Cottage's blog , I thought "That one I wouldn't mind being tagged for"... and I did...by Bamboo Sticks!
So here goes...

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

6. I've travelled to St Louis just to see a chimpanzee. She is hairless, and her name is Cinders. You can read about her here, if you're interested in going there too ;)

5. I had saved up to go to Barcelona to see an albino gorilla named Snow (click here to read about him), but he died before I could even book the trip (hence the trip to St Louis to see Cinders).

4. I have to sleep with a pair of hanknitted socks that match my PJ's, or else I don't sleep well. Even in the summer I can't sleep without matching socks. The stupid thing is that during the day I really don't care much if everything matches or not, but for some reason my PJ's and socks must match.

3. I can't wear any watch other than Indiglo. If I wake up at night, I gotta know what time it is (sometimes it's not worth trying to fall asleep again for less than an hour of sleep, right?)

2. Although I'm not allergic to cinnamon, my body strongly reacts to it because it is an irritant. I get a tingling sensation on my tongue when I eat cinnamon accidently ( I don't like it, so I usually avoid it), then the sensation spreads to my lips, and my nose.

1. I still sleep with the Teddy Bear I had when I went to college (of course it's used to support my weak shoulder ;)

Tagged: Charles, Jason, KB, Roadside, and anybody else who wishes to be tagged.

Which of Henry VIII's wives am I more like?

2007-01-02T09:19:00.000-06:00

Anna of Cleves got the royal shaft. She came all the way to England tobecome the fourth wife of Henry VIII. Once married to Anna, he refusedto consummate the marriage, and called her the "Flanders Mare".Talk about a burn, considering that by this time, Henry was thefattest man in England and had a rotting syphilis sore on his leg.
Anna was miffed, but she was too sensible to let it ruin her fun. Shewas given an annulment and a fat yearly allowance, and she threwextravagant parties and dined on delicacies for the rest of herlife.

Looking back at 2006

2007-01-01T18:11:00.000-06:00

How would I describe my 2006 in one word? Productive!

After a one year merger where I worked, I got a nice package at the end of January 2006. That's when I realized just how much I had missed spending time with my family and friends, but mostly spending time with myself. I had just been too busy for the past four years to spend time anywhere but at work, and decided I would not rush back to find a new job (besides, when would I get the chance to have time off once I found a new job?). Before I was laid off, I had a wishlist of things I wanted to do after I would be laid off (been through mergers before, and knew it was coming soon). Towards the top of my list was knitting, and knitting I did! I made eight items for the Dulaan project, and knitted sixteen Christmas gifts... not to mention four pairs of socks for myself, and three blankets for my dog Sophie (getting a dog was on my wishlist as well). Yup, I did a bit of knitting in 2006...

Wishing you all a Happy New Knitting Year!

Early gift giving...

2006-12-21T18:03:00.000-06:00

Here's a very happy co-worker proudly posing with her new cabled scarf. Linda has been so kind and supportive that I wanted to knit something special for her. She lived and raised her kids in Ireland, so I thought cables would be just perfect for her. I was really moved when she told me: "You know, I haven't had something knitted just for me since I was a little girl" and gave me a big heartfelt hug. She said her mother was a great lady and was very crafty, but unfotunately she hasn't inherited her talent. I think Linda has other talents just as valuable...

Lizzie's blanket is finished

2006-12-10T15:31:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update: finished Lizzie's blanket, and even had some leftover to make a scarf for her two-legged, my niece.

Blanket...

2006-12-04T19:58:00.000-06:00

Here's a picture of Pico's blanket (of course no loose ends were included). It looks a bit washed out, and the red doesn't really show well on here, but overall I really like this colorway. In fact, I had chosen this yarn for a sweater for Pico's owner. The pattern I had chosen had a huge argyle pattern in the front which I chose not to do. Unfortunately, I forgot to compensate for the argyle and purchase extra balls to complete the sweater....... Oh well, it's Pico's gain! I'm sure Sandra doesn't mind.

Next blanket is for Lizzie...