Thursday, January 29, 2009

OK! I'm UP!

and would be knitting but for a few minutes here to blog. Need coffee still, the writing might be bad! LOL


Linen Stitch Socks for husby are finished. And for your viewing
pleasure, I even braved the weather, ran outside in my pj's and bare feet and took a nature shot of them in the wild.










Work Socks #1 for The Boy are also finished. Work Socks #2 are cast with 4 or 6 rows done but will be frogged (today) and re-cast on with 48 sts instead of 44 sts. We thought they might be a little loose in the leg before they were finished. They were cast on with 50 sts so to tighten the leg a bit I cast on 44 sts on Socks #2. Now that Socks #1 are finished and tried on and even already worn once, they fit well. The leg is not too loose and it turns out that 44 is a rude number and just has to go.


Baby Sweater #1 is half way done. See (I am working on stuff besides socks!) The back is done and the fronts will be cast on as soon as I can get to them.

(It's lime green, colour in the pic is bad)
Moebius is into it's second lace panel, though I haven't been working on it as much as I was hoping too. You know how it goes when work and life just get in the way.

Oh and I have some errands to do today. It snowed (like crazy again) again and made winter miserable, messy, and hard to drive in. So I might end up not getting any knitting done today? Ahhh.... such is life.

Maybe since I might not end up with time to knit, my errands might just manage to take me to a yarn store or two today? Oh imagine how BAD that would be! NOT!

Pics are here too! (YAY for me huh?)






Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Non Sockdon Ended

If it's possible to get sock burnout, no I don't mean by blowing a big hole in the toe of it, sock burnout, I had it now it's gone. YAY to me? well pair one of socks for 2009 is done, and pair 2 is almost done. I am tired of socks again though and want to knit things. Not socks, but things. That wonderful moebius that is whispering to me from my canvas bag, just a bit more than half done and will be needing another ball of yarn spun before it's completed. That barely more than a start,and because of gauge woes second time around, sweater for me, you know, the one that has obsessed me since my copy of Interweave Knit's Winter 2008 has come into my itchy little knit friendly fingers. It's calling, and calling, and calling for more attention than I have time for. Poor old KW Guild Mystery Shawl, that lays depressed because of neglected since sometime in December when it was so on top of the world. Then it was 'THE project of the day'. Beautiful, beautiful Granddaughter Sweater, is thinking that it's not going to be worn by the girl that will be much to big for it before it's finished. And oh, the two new projects, one 'just' started and the other, only a strand peeking over the edge of it's bag of keeping. Baby sweaters, both of them, waiting for their birth.
What will I do tomorrow morning when I get up? Finish second sock of the pair that almost are, then cast on a new pair of socks.
I am going to bed now, it's late and I can't fight the urge to stay up and knit any more.
Good Night.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

In Case You Were Wondering,

Yes Husby and I went to the show last night. After a wonderful day of knitting with friends and drinking Skinny Vanilla Lattes, I headed home, did my dishes as I said I would, and started supper. The Asian Chicken and Rice Bake was delicious. We will definately make that one again.


Wonderful Husby brought me the EcoWool colour 8095 from Shall We Knit that I wanted for my Blooming Cardigan from Interweave Knits Winter 2008 Yes I am totally obsessed with this design and I HAVE to make it.








Anyways. as a thank you treat for being a non complaining stash enhancer on my behalf, yet again, I decided to treat him to go and see the movie he has been wanting to go to. Gran Torino with Clint Eastwool.

Of course as the fates that control the midnight shift would have it, my sleep deprived body was slow in getting ready to go to the show and we were late for the early show!

The theatre was packed and we would have missed half the movie by the time we got our tickets waiting in the long slow moving 80% teenage strewn lineups at the ticket wicket and concession stand. Next show, 9:50 pm! We were at the mall with time (3 flippin' hours of time) to kill so we did what the teens do and hung out. Window shopped the mall 3 times over, tried on a ton of clothes, mostly jeans as Husby and I both need new ones badly, and sat and drank our Tim's (coffee) in front of the skating rink that was sporting kids hockey league games one after the other all evening long.

Yes it was nice. Yes it was a date. And yes it was fun. When it was time, we bought our popcorn and drinks and headed into the theater. Me, having not slept for over 24 hours now, gave Husby strick instructions to, in the case of emergency, wake me up before leaving the theatre after the movie was over. LOL. I didn't fall asleep. I enjoyed the movie. Husby enjoyed the movie. We ate popcorn, drank pop and laughed at all the funny parts. In short the movie was awesome. In my opinion, and that of Husby's a very good movie and highly recommened.
Go See It.


now... I have laundry to do, Husby went to the Toronto Boat Show with our grandon, lovingly nicknamed Bug and I have the day to myself.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Moebius Woebius?

We had Techniques Night at KW Knitter's Guild meeting this past Tuesday night. I was hoping to get in on Debbie New's Freeform Knitting Workshop, and Karen's (Shall We Knit) Moebius workshop. As it was announced to make your way to your chosen workshop in a few minutes, everyone rushed to the places they wanted to go to right away. Needless to say, Moebius was packed, and Freeform was even more packed.

My Knitting Buddy made her way up to Moebius but came back to where we were sitting saying she didn't have the right needle and it's packed. So we sat with Another Knitting Buddy (of the 'don't give her chocolate' fame) and chatted, and knit, and knit, and chatted. At the 20 minute mark, Knitting Buddy and I made our way to Moebius and got in on the second session.

The technique is very cool! I didn't start mine right then because the circular needle I had with me was too short to knit with but I did learned the cast on with it.

When I got home, in my rush to get to work, I took a few minutes to sneak my knitting needle box out of the bedroom without waking my Husby, and grabbed my longest circ, a 120cm long 3.5 mm Addi Lace.

The yarn I decided on is Wellington Fibres Mohair/Wool blend rovings in Blue Fusion colourway (blue/green blend) spun in my attempt to purposely make a chunky singles. Well, now that I have been spinning for a little while, my usual yarn is two plied to a fingering to dk weight yarn and I 'can't' do thick anymore! I had to work hard concentrating on NOT drafting more than just a little, and NOT putting a decent amount of twist into it. I took my time, predrafted to the size of fibre I wanted and put in just enough twist to hold it together. (at least I tried to LOL).
I am very happy with the results even though the finished yarn wasn't quite what I was going for.
I ended up with a dk to worsted weight singles, lightly twisted. IMO it is going to be a very nice Lacy Moebius. I cast on again during my break at work that same night and did my first round. I added a few more rounds last night including my first repeat of the 2 row lace pattern repeat.

I plan to wear it as a cowl not a wrap, and it's not very far yet but here's the pic.





The pattern is White Lacy Shoulder Wrap from A Treasury of Magical Knitting by Cat Bordhi.

So in answer to the question Moebius Woebius? NOT! In fact it's Moebius Glow-bius cause the pattern/yarn combo is just too yummy!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Obsessed I Am yet again

Ok so I got the new Interweave Knits Magazine Winter 2008 Issue, oh, a number of weeks ago now, and ya know, like most knitters I know, I don't like bobbles. But, I am totally obsessed with the Blooming Cardigan! bobbles and all! I just can't figure it out, but I HAVE TO make this cardigan for myself. (I think I am more obsessed by this cardigan than I am by the fact that I just HAVE TO get me the Shawn the Sheep game for DS) Well I had decided weeks ago I was going to cast this on over my two week Christmas holiday from work. I trashed my stash looking for yarn that would work, after all, it's Christmastime and the last thing that would be good for my bank book would be to purchase a sweater's worth of wool. Right? (sigh) I came up with nothing in my stash and that I had enough of that would match or be close to the guage in the pattern. My purple Shelridge Farms DK is too thin, and the beautiful Manos (colour # 42 Marl) that would work beautifully for colour and guage was bought over a year ago and is two skeins short of the right amount. Go Figure huh? Hence my dilema creating an even more growing obsession with this bobbled Cardigan.

When I was at Shall We Knit last week I got looking at yarns in the appropriate weight. I think that Cascade Eco Wool will work guagewise. Colour choice of the instore stock is somewhat limited though. The only in stock colour I can choose that will work for me is black. Ok so a textured stitched, somewhat aran style with bobbles, kind of cardigan will not look good in black. It's a waste of time. The beautiful stitch details will be lost in the blackness of it all. Won't it? hmmm... what do you think? (sigh, sigh, sigh) Ok so now I also NEED to HAVE a black cardigan.

(Happy side of the whole thing, more Cascade Eco Wool is coming in soon and I am pretty sure my colour of choice can be ordered if need be) (happy sigh)



P.S. I will placate myself by spending tomorrow knitting all day while I wait for the Mr. Fixit Dude of the washing machine variety to show up with the parts to fix my ailing fairly new Maytag! (Thank Goodness for extended warranties LOL)



P.S.S. I will placate my Blooming Cardigan and Black Cardigan obsessions (somewhat) by casting on the Climbing Vines Pullover (scroll down to find the pic) with the purple Shelridge Farms DK.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

New Year To Try Again

So it's now 2009. January 4, 2009 to be exact and my first post of the year. Ok so it only took me four days to do this. Am I getting better at posting? I think maybe so? As I felt so compelled to post a post somewhat timely for and in the new year that I am actually doing it! Ok New Year to try again and be a good blogger again. My 2009 mantra is: If I post often, I won't have to write a novel every time I post. Think it will work? got my fingers crossed but I'm not gonna hold my breath. Ok now on to the post.
Tons of things have been happening since last I posted. Hopefully over time I can catch at least some of them up. But for now, today's doin's.
I finally made it to All Strung Out. A very nice store with some wonderful yarn and fibre. Ashley, the store owner is very nice and extremely helpful. My score for today, Briggs and Little Tuffy yarn for socks. This is a strong worsted weight wool/nylon combination that is a workhorse of a yarn for socks. My 'I'll never be caught dead in handmade socks' son, asked, of his own free will, shortly before Christmas for handknit work socks. His new job is working on cars and the big bay doors are open most of the time, freezing his feet. I took the trip up to Spinrite in Listowel for Tuffy and got two skeins of the only colours they stock. Light grey and darker grey. Those colours are fine for him but the hour long drive for only two boring colours (imo) will not be something I want to do alot. I was so thrilled to see Tuffy in All Strung out today that I bought a bit of a stash in generic colours for more socks. And best of all, it so close I can go there anytime I want. I feel so blessed. Now I have two wonderful favourite LYS's that I can stash enhance from any time I want. Shall We Knit and All Strung Out.