Dulaan update

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....

This was around noon downtown Toronto...

Felted shrimp sushi bag

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...

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!

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?

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

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...

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

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

Blanket...

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...

Pico's blanket completed

Mr. Pico's blanket is finished, but I'm not posting for fear that his two-legged owners might ruin the Christmas surprise. Okay, okay weak excuse, you're right! Truth is those loose ends are a bitch (pun intended) to get rid of. My needleholes are too small, so I have to struggle to squeeze the thick yarn in. I guess a larger needle would solve my problem...

Why I enjoy knitting dog blankets...

For those of you (yeah you) who think I mostly knit socks ( and I can see why you would think so), I also have been knitting dog blankets. Here's why I enjoy knitting them:

- Dogs get cold too!
- Dogs never criticize your choice of color or yarn.
- You'll never hear your dog say "Does this blanket make me look fat?"
- If you knit it, they'll use it. And if they wreck it, you get to knit a new one.
- You'll never hear your dog say they'll "save it for later".

Leaving you with this pic of Pico. I'm currently knitting a blanket for him.

Gift ideas for knitters

I don't have any new finished project to post about, even though I do have some finished projects. I've been too lazy to tuck in ends on completed socks, scarves, and it wouldn't look as nice on a photo if there was lots of loose ends showing. So instead of showing you pic of my projects, here are a few gift ideas you might want to pin onto your fridge, or message board as a subtle hint to friends and family.

Knit Stix: These knitting needles will free you from your measuring tape, and the colors remind me of the plastic knitting needles that we used in the eighties, not to date myself ( I still have a few of mines, but I'd love to put my hands on my mom's collection). http://www.knitstix.com/order.shtml

Flo: A nifty little purse-like bag to carry your current projects around in a very elegany way.
http://www.lexiebarnes.com/collection/KFLO.htm

Knitting books: One Skein by Leigh Radford
Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Volume 1: Knit & Purl by Staff of Vogue Knitting
Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Vol 2: Cables by Staff of Vogue Knitting
Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick
Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape by Jennifer Stafford

Sock knitting machine update

So here it is, fully assembled, rust-free, and in proper working condition.... or so we ( Dad, my sister and I ) thought.

Our first challenge was to figure out how this machine casts on. After trying different ways, we discovered that the "figure 8" is what works. So we casted on ... and cranked the machine.

Unfortunately it didn't want to crank itself smoothly, so we had to oil it again.
And again.
And again.
What a mess!





Then we started having some slipped stitched.
Back to oiling it again....
And again.

And then we realized that there was this weight system that we hadn't used.

It turns out that the weights are there for a reason, and should be use, otherwise the yarn has a tendency to try to escape this scary torture device.









And finally, it was running smoothly enough to do a long, useless tube.
Next lesson: turn a heel.

Quick post

Just a quick post...
My dad is visiting and has removed all the rust on our sock knitting machine, and has re-painted it. I just can't wait to see it! He's also the only person in the family that was taught how to use it, and has used it afterwards. He'll spend some time teaching my sister and I how to use it.

I had to take a break from my Christmas knitting, so I've started and completed my first item for Dulaan 2007: a yellow scarf. Sorry, no photos yet. Next post...