Throw back... is it Thursday?

In the spirit of "Throw Back Thursday" (or is it Tuesday? I can't keep up with the kids these days) I'm putting up a baby sweater that I knit probably close to 10 years ago.

When I was in grad school, there was a woman whose job it was to deal with the administrative side of grad students.  Along with reviewing our grant applications she also made sure that we were following the rules when it came to what was technically needed to complete our degrees.

That and she was genuinely a nice person.  So when she decided that she was starting a family of her own, I couldn't resist.  Gender unknown, and doing this all on her own, this woman set out to be a Mom.

There are things I vaguely remember from grad school (sleepless nights, committee meetings, and other things), but what I remember most are the people who made a difference.

Marija - Graduate Student Administrator - and way back with her unborn child, were two people that were important to me.  She was a kind, unbelievably intelligent, and caring person with a baby on the way.  I was a disillusioned grad student with few prospects on the horizon.

But this person that I held in high regard was having a baby.  And she was going to be a great Mom.  And therefore I needed to knit.

When I originally knit this baby sweater, said little one was still in untero.  When I left grad school Mom was just coming back to work (having also gone back to school in the middle for a few years).  And even if it was 5 years ago, I still every so often think about her and the now child whom she is caring for.

Dearest little one, you will probably never meet me, but know that your Mom is a really good person.  I know that your Mom was and probably still is a hardworking, caring, loving person.  If you look back through you baby pictures and come across this sweater, know that it was knit by someone who really believes that you are in the best of hands and that your Mom is pretty cool.  If you are a teenager when you find this, please bookmark it and come back in your twenties.  It might not seem important now, but it sure was at the time.

I made this sweater for you, just because you were the child of someone that I cared for.

Knitters, I can't find the pattern, but I'm pretty sure it was out of a page-a-day calendar.  Originally it was knit all in one colour, but with baby expected in the fall, there was no way that I couldn't change up the leaves.  The yarn was Cascade 220 (I only know because I found the left overs very recently).  Don't ask me what colours, I'm not good with tags!

Dear child (for infant and toddler you are no longer) I really do wish you the best.  And if you find this picture, remind me to your mother.  She is awesome.

The Most Interesting Gift

The middle sister in our family, Alison, is a lot of interesting things.  I could (and frequently do) boast about all of the fascinating things that she's done in her life, but today I would like to focus on just one.

My sister, along with becoming a slightly-crazy cat lady (current count 3), is also well on her way to becoming a crazy chicken lady.  At current count she has over a dozen birds of all number of types.  Not just chickens either.  There were pheasants and quail for a while.  Now, keeping the chickens company are 2 peahens and a peacock. 

When am I going to get to the bit about the Most Interesting Gift?  Wait for it...

A friend (and country neighbour) of Alison's has 3 charming children.  They all love the chickens too.  In fact they adopted one.  The kids named her Smokey Cheeky Fluffy-Pants. 

For Christmas last year Alison gave this friend a pair of fuzzy pajama pants - navy blue with pink spots. 

And then asked me to knit my Most Interesting Gift to date. 

A sweater.

For the chicken.

Navy blue.

With pink spots.

Please. 

See what I mean?  I think I managed to pull it off ok in the end:

Yup, that is Smokey Cheeky Fluffy-Pants in her new sweater getting comfortable on the new PJ pants.  Not a bad match on the colours either (to my relief, as I actually had never seen the pajamas).

Where's the pattern you may ask?  Right here

As it turns out, battery hens (as commercial laying hens are called over the pond) often lose their feathers.  There are organizations that both adopt out these chickens AND others that provide hand knitted sweaters to keep them warm in the mean time, providing a pattern to any who wish to use it.

Sizing a chicken for a sweater is no easy task.  For future reference, Cheeky is "a large-ish teapot".

And no, there would be NO WAY to get that on over a chicken's head.  You can't see it here, but there are side buttons. 

Did you see the "for now" above?  Another friend has just asked me to design and knit a sweaters for his greyhounds....

Second Verse...

Right.  Another year, another decent amount of knitting, another ton of work, and another whole lot of not enough time.

I can't believe that it was a year ago that I put up the last baby sweater project.  Seems like I might as well continue the tradition of repeating myself.

Another one of the service desk girls at work is expecting.  A wee little man will be joining the family in March.  Just like last year, this lovely lady is part of the store family.  She's warm, friendly, and cares very much for her co-workers and our customers.  She's bright, always smiling, and manages to tolerate André when he arrives with buckets of returns and of course no receipts.  AND NOW SHE'S LEAVING FOR A YEAR!!

That's is about where the similarities end between the two ladies though.  Unlike last year (petite, bouncy brunette with a really cute smile), this year's mom-to-be is taller, more reserved, and has the most gorgeous mane of curly red hair.

Just like last year, I knew that I needed to knit something.  This baby is being born to a family that has seen some hard times over the past year.  The last few months at the store have also seen some dramatic and unexpected changes.  It's been hard to look too far forward, there's too much in the way in the right here and now.

So, a magical Saturday morning (not scheduled at the store for an entire weekend, and without asking for it!) I followed André to his Saturday morning curling game.  And as much as I love watching him curl, at 9.50am I promptly bailed on my spectator/cheering section duties and booked it a few blocks south to Yarn Forward.

I had formulated a plan the night before, and it went something like this:

1) Need baby pattern.  Probably sweater, since no time for blanket, but still want something to hug baby with.

2) Mom is mature and a bit on the traditional side.  Even Coffee Beans like last time is too cute.  Perhaps a cardigan...

3) Scott/Nordic heritage in Mom just BEGS for something with cables.  But modern rather than traditional.  Perhaps in a more structural type pattern.

3) Spend hours on Ravelry.



Cute, but almost too traditional


 

Really adorable, but not a fan of lace for this little man.  However, forest green with red hair...



Ooooo cute! But cotton... not quite what I want.  And the pattern is in French.  This isn't really a problem thanks to my Ontario schooling (and the wonderfulness that is Google Translate).



 PERFECT!!!!!! Cables, but interesting not quite traditional.  Available in 1 year size (I always aim for 1 year, small babies take longer to get there, big babies haven't out grown it yet).  In fingering yarn.  Bonus free pattern.

4) Note the yardage requirements on phone (likely 2 sock skiens, but not use near all of them.  Pick colour I like, may get bonus socks from second skien). 

5) Get really smart and toss needles in my bag so that I can cast on while watching curling.  Hit genius level of organized, include tablet AND charger so I can look up the pattern on something larger than my phone. 

Shopping was a huge success - and in short order 2 skiens of Cascade Heritage Sock in a vine green (creatively named #5612) were in my hands.  I even remembered to ask to have one wound before I left!  I was feeling mighty proud of myself as I hiked back to the curling club.  Perfect pattern, perfect yarn, I couldn't wait to get started.

Back at the club I passed the as yet not open bar (really, 11 am?  Who comes up with these laws?) and settle back in to my seat at the end of André's sheet.  Gather yarn, needles, open tablet to ravelry, select "get pattern here"...

Remember how I said I was feeling mighty proud of myself?  Thinking my self clever for remembering tablet AND needles?  Getting the perfect FREE pattern?  And fantastic yarn?

About that pattern.  The link in Ravelry opens to what looks like an online knitting magazine archive pattern page.  Pattern is all there along with links for downloadable charts.

And every last word of it is in DANISH. 

Once the dark spots had cleared from my vision and my breathing and heart rate returned to something resembling normal, the little creature in the back of my brain blew a giant raspberry and wandered away muttering something about the karmic future of "clever" people. 

Thankfully, there are amazing websites in the world that will take not only individual words, but whole collections of text and translate them for you!  I might still be saved!

Turns out that knitting patterns in Danish are remarkably similar to knitting patterns in just about every other language.  That is, they are written in a language completely their own, which consists almost entirely of acronyms.  But still, between an approximate translation, a really nice chart, and some basic common sense (Front + Back M (140) 160 (184) is probably CO that many for each size...) I muddled my way through.

There was a brief moment of panic as I split for the armholes and completely lost my ability to count, but it turned out in the end.  I'm not quite convinced that it's actually a size 1 year (maybe closer to 9 months) but that might be more due to my complete lack of regard for guage swatches in this instance. 

Behold!  A wee Danish now English old man sweater!

Just like for the rest of the project, I wanted buttons that were traditional-ish but still interestingly almost modern.  A quick trip down to Wool-Thyme (they are celebrating 30 years!!!) and I left with these little abstract wooden toggles.  More perfect to finish off the darling little bit of cuteness! And I will have you know that not even one ball of discount sock yarn followed me home.  This time. 

The shower for the little one was a few weeks back.  Mom's last day of work was at the end of January, although she's been in a few times to say hi.  We'll all just waiting for the day to hear about the new little man in this world, and I can't wait to meet him! 

I really hope he gets his Mom's hair.  Redheaded men are just the most handsome.  Right André?

Bouncy Boy

Back in the spring we took part in another Skanes Migration, this time to Manitoulin Island in memory of Nanny.  There was a gift exchange and much family love.  And what I didn't mention at the time was also much knitting.

One of the girls at work was expecting in the fall, and since she had previously expressed an interest fascination with hand-knits and wishing she had family members that knit, I couldn't not knit something!!  She's a very crafty person herself and was creating a nursery full of teals and turquoise and gray and silver for the arrival of the little bundle of baby boy.  She even had me mix the paint.  You better believe I pocketed the chips for future reference.

Off me and these paint chips toddle to Yarn Forward and Sew On on Bank St with my mother-in-law in tow (yes, baby pattern in hand, and yes, disappointing her thoroughly that I wasn't knitting a grand-baby for her). I'd been looking around online for ages trying to find just the right pattern.  Little one's mom and dad both were younger, but hard working, down to earth but creative types.  I wanted something traditional that could be made more hip with a twist.

And the little one himself was apparently a bit of a bouncer.  He wasn't too thrilled that Mom spent part of her days sitting at her desk and would bounce around until he hit something sensitive (bladder, kidney, rib cage...) it didn't matter what as long as it got Mom up and moving again.

Then I found  Coffee Bean by Elizabeth Smith.  Adorable stripped button up cardigan - classic.  Pair with charcoal and turquoise Cascade 220 - much trendier.

Add about 10 hours of driving time (to Manitoulin and part way back) and you get:

Now tuck in ends (thankfully short stripes meant that I could strand rather than have a million little ends to hide), add cute little black and silver buttons, and give it a good bath:

The baby shower was at the end of August, and months later Mom, Dad, and little baby boy are doing well.  She's very missed at the store, but she and he come by and just melt everybody's hearts.

And he's apparently just as bouncy now as he was in utero.

Standing Tall

This one's new enough to not quite count as a Throw Back contribution, but then again it is a project that has been started, finished, blocked, and transported halfway across the province to the intended recipient.  Thank you emails and care instructions have also been exchanged.

Last year was a rough one for us, and interestingly (or predictably) my knitting suffered.  By the summer I really wasn't knitting much of anything at all... A baby sweater and a couple of pairs of socks in the WIP/UFO basket.  The summer was insane and crazy and just seemed unending, but into the fall and I was knitting again (see previous about socks).

At one point over some wine in Manitoulin, André's Aunt Carol and I were talking about knitting and socks, and how her feet and hands are always cold and how she's really into crafty things, but knitting just wasn't something she ever did much of (although you should see the cross-stitch art in her place, unbelievable).

Well then, hint taken and once I was back on the knitting train, it was time to hunt up some patterns!

Aunt Carol is one of those rock-like people in our lives.  She and her husband Terry are level headed, down-home, smart, grounded, forces of nature.  They are such a great partnership, and André and I hope that once we've been together as long as they have, that we'll have a relationship something like theirs.  Oh, and now they have 2 little grandbabies too!

Cold feet want warm real wool love, and I wanted to give Aunt Carol something that reflected how we see her and her family.  I wanted to give her socks that would last forever, in a pattern that was subtle and interesting but solid (aka no lace) and preferably in local(ish) yarn.

Elm by Cookie A fit the bill perfectly.  Long traveling ribs have structural interest without being finicky and help keep the socks snug again the foot.  Now partner that pattern with Briggs & Little DuraSport in Oatmeal.   The result:

Beautiful warm, solid socks that will hopefully last a good long while.

Sorry the picture's not the best... some of the other Aunts were in town over the holidays and volunteered to be sock delivery facilitators, so it was a bit of a rush block/dry/pictures/package for sending.  They have requested their own socks as payment.  I'd best get on those.

Stand tall (with warmer toes) Aunt Carol and know that you are an inspiration to us.  Love, Jen

Backup A Minute Here

So yet again I find myself writing another "I can't believe it's been so long since I posted anything" post.  And thinking that I don't really have that much to say.  But it isn't really true, it's getting to the point where I have so many projects in various stages (and a slightly staggering number actually finished, blocked, and already given away) that I'm hitting the point where I don't know where to really start.

There's been some more baby stuff (no, not for me, sorry mother-in-law), some interesting very different side projects, and a whole whack of socks.  Lots of socks.  If it wasn't for the baby stuff I'd start wondering if all I knew how to knit were socks.  Even most of the recent UFO sightings in the stash are socks!

Andre and I have talked, and while we don't normally do this, we've decided on a not-quite New Years resolution.  This year will be better.  It will be a fresh start.  We will get things done, we will move on, and we will do better than just survive.

So I've just dumped the yarn related contents of my phone camera, and our good camera into a huge folder. I'm going to start sorting through them and writing blog posts.  Some of this stuff is from a while (years!) ago, but I never got around to sharing.  Another surprising bunch is from the past fall when (sock) knitting reentered my life with a vengeance.  But mostly, I just want to get this stuff off the "I should do that" list.  I have a few hours before work, so here it goes.

For my birthday, as is becoming custom, I got a yarn store gift card.  And so off I trundled to Wool Thyme with the vague notion of wanting more self-striping sock yarn.  I'm often looking for a pocket project to take to family gatherings, the movies, etc, and socks are so super easy.  A couple of balls of Patons later (and probably some stuff out of the discount bin, but with the wool fumes, my memory is a bit hazy) I had my fix.

Fast forward to October and the Annual Carleton University Butterfly Show.  This show has been going on for as long as I can remember, and through my volunteering at the university, I became intimately involved in the coordinating of 1200 school kids and teachers for guided tours.  Three years in a row.

Even though I've long graduated, and there isn't really much pulling me back to the building for visits (just about everybody I knew then has graduated and is gone), this show is essential.  While I can't work the week days like I used to, I'm there open to close both weekends.  We have 12,000 visitors, and while Ed the Amazing does what he can, there are a number of volunteers (Jim & Catherine, Rick, Ed's family, and some core Let's Talk Science volunteers) that just appear every year to help out.

For many years I was a smoker, and so was more than willing to spend most of my volunteering time outside "working the lines".  Basically I am entertainment for the crowds as they wait upwards of 2 hours just to get in.  It means that I do a lot of talking and answering the same half dozen questions over and over and over again ("what happens when the show is over?" "how many species" "what's happening to the monarch butterflies" etc).

This year, without smoking to keep me entertained until the crowds get really going I brought my knitting.  I figured I would get a couple of rounds on one pair of socks, but low and behold over 2 weekends I had knit 3 whole socks!

Pair #1 in a lovely set of greens and purples had originally been intended to land in either a gift box or for me.  But Ed's wife mentioned how much she loves green, and so the "maybe for later" gift was carefully wrapped up and left in a little bag on Ed's doorknob with care instructions.  Plain, fraternal, self-striping warmness.  And their daughter wants me to teach her to knit next year!

Pair #2 which saw 1 sock knit and the second just started the second weekend of the show became a Christmas gift for my darling friend Christine (of Irate Avian fame).  We're curling again this season, and she's picked up a second night and may have hinted at a second pair to keep her warm.

You'll note that these are identical socks.  I don't normally knit identical socks from self-striping yarns, I normally can't be bothered since it needs to be perfect.  Christine is one of those friends that will not only appreciate the identical-ness, but that it's not normally something I do and will so treasure them a wee bit more.

Oh, and in case you missed it, I did use smoking in the past tense.  Today makes one whole year - 365 days - without a single cigarette.  It was rough for a while, and I didn't want to mention earlier in case we fell off the wagon, but if it's good enough for the insurance companies, it's good enough for us.

André and I are ONE YEAR SMOKE FREE.

I'm proud of us.

And little Hunter of Arr Baby fame and his first birthday party last weekend.  It was pirate themed! Apparently he loves the outfit, so much that his parents provided a coordinating hat.  Too much cuteness!

Memorial Day, the Skanes edition

While I find myself here writing another in memory post, this one is more of a reminder of lives well lived.  And of keeping memories alive.  And creation.  This spring has been dedicated at least partly to Poppy and Nanny Skanes. 

Because it is also Father's day, I'll start with Poppy.  I've mentioned him a couple of times in the past, and to tell all of the stories about him that I've heard over the years would take years more.  There could be no-one more fitting for the position of patriarch of this clan than Poppy.  And in March of 2011 he left us. This was the reason for the great Skanes migration of the summer of 2012 back to Newfoundland.  His children and their families wanted to take him home.

Something that I hadn't mentioned then was that Poppy was cremated.  And the family asked André to build the urn. This is what is holding Poppy now, back in Newfoundland, sharing a plot with his own father.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/viewer-projects/andres-poppys-urn/

To this day there really aren't words to describe the family's reaction to seeing the urn for the first time.  Even talking about it still brings tears to André's eyes.  I can not believe how fortunate I've been to have been able to be part of something like that.

Unknown, or at least un-understood, by me, the Skanes' have honoured me hugely, and all with simple phrases in passing.

While I knew that Poppy loved and accepted me, I never had the privileged or pleasure of meeting Nanny Skanes.   Every so often though, a member of the clan would say something like "Jen's always knitting, just like Mom [Nanny].  They'd have gotten on like a house on fire."

Or, "She's just like Mom [Nanny]".

While Nanny's been gone for 20 years, the victim of a vehicle accident, the past weekend the Skanes', Vokey's had a reunion in her honour.  For people like me, it was like meeting her for the first time.  It wasn't just her kids and their kids either.  Some of her siblings and aunts came along too.  And bless Eileen's heart, that family probably loves her more after that weekend that they could have when she was alive, if only because there's a fair sight more of us now.

Nanny was a fierce, loving, inspiring, hardworking, creative beautiful woman.  There were hours and hours of stories.  Even better than sharing the stores was finding out how each person that knew her saw her differently, but everyone held her in the highest regard.

The family didn't have the easiest time in their early years, something Nanny always wanted to do was have a hand-made Christmas.  Every person drew names, and the gift they presented must have been made with their own hands.  Well, Christmas is a lot of months away, but hand-made gift exchange there was.

The rules: $20 supply maximum.  Must be made by you for the name you drew.

The twist: Don't put your name on the gift - the recipient must guess who made it for them. 

Imagine everybody's surprise when not one, but two uncles opened hand-knit scarves and guessed, incorrectly, that the were from me.

The recipient of these beauties though, totally had my number.

They're traditional Newfoundland thrummed mittens.  The wool is from Upper Canada Village, a local heritage site where they live like it's 1866.  With a working wool mill.  The wool has almost no processing so the resulting yarn is lanoline rich.  The result - beautiful soft mitts which will just become more and more waterproof with wearing.

And interesting twist - the other half of the aunt who received these had my name.  And carved it delicately into a key chain for my knitting bag!

The staff of the resort we rented (yes the family took over the ENTIRE resort - no, it's not small, there are just a lot of us) were telling us afterwards that they were laughing and crying right along with us.  And if anybody ever finds themselves out on Manitoulin Island, you will stay at the Red Lodge Resort.  They are all honourary Skanes/Vokey's after surviving us that weekend.  Oh, and it's one of the most beautiful places ever.

Better than any gift though was a comment from one of Nanny's sisters that shared our breakfast table.  She pointed her fork at me, then looked over at André's parents and said "she really is just like Eileen you know".

I can only dream of being half the person the Nanny was in her life.  But to hear that the family that knew her best sees even a little something like her in me, I will cherish that forever.

Although it might have also had something to do with the fact that I was knitting at the table...

In memory and with deepest love and respect, to Eileen Vokey.

Springing Back

It's been a bit of a rough winter, and the last few months have just dragged on.  But finally, there is a small start towards the beginnings of spring.

Spring means growth and new life, and around here there's been a bit of both. 

First, and cutest by far, the completed Arr Baby set.  Little Hunter was born in January, and finally got his welcome to the world gift.  Not that there was a huge rush, the smallest size in the pattern was 1 year.

Adorable, no? No modifications to this one, just knit straight from the pattern.  I used Cascade Cherub, which was ok to work with.  Super amazingly silky soft, but splitty and fuzzed if there were tangles to unknot or tinking required.  Overall, a fun project, going to a sweet little guy with some awesome parents. 

Along with a new birthday to celebrate, March saw another year completed by our middle sister Alison.  Back over christmas she bemoaned the fact that a pair of socks I had given her a long while ago had finally been walked through, and might there be another pair in the future?

Well, I can't let a request like that go unheeded, so into the stash I dove. 

Success #1 - remember those boot socks from 2 New Years' ago?  Perfect!  And no rushed knitting!

But as nice as those are, they are good sturdy, slightly borning socks.  Not amazing OMG I love these, socks.

Success #2 - A quick trip up to Yarn Forward for a rusty red (to compliment her beautiful blonde colouring) and a few weeks later, Paper Moon.  Knit in medium, with an extra foot and leg repeat for length.  Sadly, lost the tag for this one, but it was a treat to work with.  A little coarse in the hand, but after a quick wash, it softened right up.  No pronounced alpaca halo yet either, which is nice to be able to show off the cables. 

And hey, presto, happy sister!  Although her birthday gift to herself of a couple of acres of land adjoining her property now is probably a bit cooler than hand knit alpaca blend socks.  Maybe in a couple of years after there are alpacas on that land I'll be able to give her hand knit socks made from sheared from her flock and spun by me alpaca.   That would be cool. In the mean time, she can walk all over her new land with warm toes. 

Along with people growth, there's been a bit of greenery appearing around our place too.  Something I've always wanted to try - indoor herb gardening.

And lo! Plants!

That's our thyme, oregano, and basil.  Also growing salad greens, chives, lupin (for the garden), and sage.  Still waiting on my rosemary, mint, and hot peppers to appear though. 

While spring gets itself organized, I'm going to find a sweater and start cleaning out the back yard.  We've barbequed once already this year.  Time for another!  And a beer. 

Walk On - Goldilocks Socks for my Father

I promised more on the Christmas socks for my father, so here we go.

My father and I haven't always had the smoothest of relationships.  As a small kid I have fond memories of crazy things we did together.  Like our 6 o'clock walks.  We lived near a fairly large green space, and dad would somehow manage to not only get himself up and going that early on a Saturday morning, but then drag an 8 year old out of bed too.  We kept a field notebook and everything (I still have it too).  For a lot of those years we were buddies and it was awesome.

But then my parents split up and dad moved out.  And for a 12 year old with her life all planned out in front of her, that was the apex of uncool.  After living the "Canadian dream" (3 kids, dog, and yes, even a minivan) the change in the family dynamic was unsettling to say the least. There was no way that I could really understand what was going on at the time, or even really say how I was feeling myself, other than I resented the complications to my perfectly planned out life.  And nobody can wield the stinging sword of resentment with more accuracy and deadly force than a teenager.  There were a few years there where we didn't talk much at all. 

In the intervening 15 years since, dad and I have danced the awkward dance around each other of not really knowing what's going on inside the others head, but still wanting to try to figure things out.  As I got older things got progressively easier.  Maybe dad was mellowing, maybe I was.  Maybe we both finally figured out that the other person was trying, but in their own way.  Whatever it was, 10 years ago dad was there for us in a huge way and now we own a house directly because he was willing to take a risk on a couple of 20-year-olds who were dreaming big. 

Life at university helped too.  Lunch dates with dad were every few weeks or so, depending on midterms and assignments (writing for me, marking for him).  And when my university life came crashing down around me, it was nice to have somebody on my side who not only knew me, but the system I was struggling through.  That and Zac Brown and Dixie Chicks summer cottage sing-alongs. 

It hasn't all been smooth sailing, but the older I get the more I come to understand that it's just that we are different people with different outlooks and different ways of doing/feeling/being.  I am a bit carefree, passionate, liberal, and outspoken.  Dad (and the whole side of that family really) are conservative, reserved, and staunch.  Added layer of complexity, both sides of this are highly educated and extremely opinionated. Family dinners are sometimes intellectually fascinating.  And others a matter of how long can I grin and bear it (and sometimes it's not long enough). 

My family tends to chuckle when I say things like this, but I've grown up a lot over the years.  And while many of the decisions I've made I would make the same again, I feel that now I might be better and handling them, especially when those decisions involve other people.  I would still choose to walk myself down the aisle on my own at our wedding, even 5 years later.  But now I realize that I was probably the only chance my father would have to walk with his daughter on her wedding day.  And it makes me sad that he won't have that opportunity.  I would have still chosen the same, but think that I could have talked it over better with him.

All of this to say, that while dad and I aren't buddies like we used to be, we aren't complete strangers anymore either.  Our relationship is probably always going to be a work in progress - just like the Goldilocks socks he got for Christmas.

I hadn't knit anything for dad in a long time.  There was a sweater a pile of years ago, but it was an early effort, and not one of my best.  With Christmas rapidly approaching, there was no chance for another sweater, but socks should have worked. 

Over the years I've developed a basic toe-up sock pattern that is pretty adjustable.  Cast on XX (usually just less than half of the foot circumference).  Inc 4 every other round until number for foot circumference reached, knit along for 30-60 rnds depending on length of foot desired, inc for gusset XX to double the number of stitches on the sole needles.  Turn short row heel, s1, *K1,s1p to last, ssk last with gusset / s1, p across p2tog last with gusset.  Race upwards towards cuff for 40 - 70 rnds, 10-20 rnds for cuff.  Cast off. 

Basically I can write a post-it note with a few numbers and I've got a sock pattern.  For me, on 2.5 mm needles it would look like this:  

CO 20 to 48 40rnd, 50 rnd, 10rnd, CO

So cast on 20, increase to 48 for the toe.  Knit 40 rounds, increase for the gusset, turn the heel, knit 50 more rounds, then 10 rounds of cuff.  Simple no?

So when I'm knitting socks of difference guages or with different needles, sometimes there are some adjustments to these numbers.  And when I'm knitting with a different guage, with different needles, for someone I've never knit socks before ever, there tends to be a few more adjustments to numbers. 

Dad's socks were too small, WAY too big, just a little bit too big, too short in the foot and too short in the leg.  All at different times.  By the time I had one sock that I liked I had already knit enough stitches to more than finish a pair if I had got it right the first time.  My pattern notes look like this:

In the end I got it (on the far right of that mess).  According to dad the sock (yes, singular) he received at Christmas was a perfect fit.  The second was finished in time for the annual family gathering to celebrate my Grandfather's birthday on the 27th. 

Just so I never forget, knitting for dad with 2.75 mm needles the final pattern for K2P1 ribbed socks: CO24 to 60, 45 rnd, 85 rnd, CO.

Like our relationship, these socks had some great moments (I absolutely LOVE the colours and the stripes are a fantastic size, just when you get bored with one colour, it changes!) and others where it was all I could do to not just throw up my hands and walk away.  In the end though, it worked out.  It gives me hope that our too close/too far relationship will level itself out too. 

Love you Dad!  Merry Christmas.

Crazy Pi? Yes Please!

I've been working at a retail job for just over two years.  When university ends, life must go on and that means that bills must be paid.  I got really really lucky with this job, and landed in a place where the work is fun and interesting, and the gang of people around me are some of the best.  Both at their jobs, and as people to hang out with for 8 hours a day.

Every year the store has, what I'm told, are epic Christmas parties.  And up to this year I hadn't gone to any of them.

I'm not much of one for office parties to start with - it's that fine balancing act of hanging out with people from work in a social setting all the while trying desperately to come up with something to talk about that isn't work.  Add to the mix that these Christmas parties are semi-formal-ish - guys in suits and ladies in dresses (or suits), and I'm way out of my comfort level.  Heck, I only own two dresses (and one of them I'm not ever likely to wear again, being my wedding dress and all), and it's only by a miracle that I haven't broken an ankle in the few times I've worn high heals.

So my first year I didn't go.  I'd only been there two months, didn't really know the gang, and wasn't sure how much longer I'd be around (because I still foolishly thought I could get somewhere with my grad degree). The next year, I thought about going, but we had a curling Christmas party the same night, and I really like those guys.

This year though, apparently I had no choice.  One of the guys even bought me a ticket to make sure I went.

Now, the dress that I would be wearing is sleeveless.  And the party is in December.  And since I'm not much of a dancer, I was expecting to get cold.  I do have a pashmina wrap in the perfect colour to match the dress, but I figured that if I was going get kidnapped asked to go to this party, I might as well take this as a chance to do something that I've been meaning to do for a long time.

I was going to knit myself a black lace shawl.

I've wanted one since my high school prom.  So much classier than the typical matching-fabric-wraps that come with most dresses.  And the vintage look is something that I love.

The party was set for December 1st.  I was informed that I was attending October 2nd.  Two months to knit a lace shawl?  No problem!

Do I sound crazy yet?

October 3rd I came home with Dropps lace silk/alpaca blend from Wool Thyme in a beautiful shiny black.  Even Andre got into the game.  I turn around for two minutes and look what happens:

He's too good to me!

After poking around for a while I settled on a tribute to Elizabeth Zimmermann with the EZ 100th Anniversary PI Shawl: Camping.

This pattern was super easy to follow, and fun to knit (once I got a few rounds in and stopped dropping my needles).  And for the first few weeks I thought I was going to make it with piles of time to spare.

Note to self, when a shawl pattern starts with CO9 and and ends with BO867, it's going to slow down each time you double the stitches.  As pretty as it is, I was about ready to strangle myself with the yarn while working through the vines. 

Thankfully, Andre and I had planned a week in Toronto in early November, and while I didn't get much knitting time while we were there, there was still the train ride out and home to put serious length on this thing.

And on November 27th, there it lay on the bed with a couple hundred pins in it, blocking away happily to itself. With two whole days to spare!

I made a few small changes to the pattern.  Firstly I used true lace weight yarn rather than the fingering weight called for.  The biggest difference (other than the damage to my eyesight from trying to see lace knitting in black yarn on a train at night) is that it came out about 4' across rather than the 5' + indicated by the pattern.  Which worked out really nicely because it hangs perfectly to my elbows and stays out of the way when I'm sitting down.

Change #2 - the spiral wheel was written to be entirely done with ssk.  Not my favourite thing to do, especially since it takes longer per stitch than K2tog.  So I reversed the pattern, K2tog-ing happily around and now the spirals twist the opposite direction.

And while I do love the rounded edges in the original pattern, I was a little bit pressed for time, so I left the edging with points rather than scrounging another several hundred pins.  You know what?  I love it.

So two days latter, off I toddled in my high heals, dress, and shawl to the Christmas party, and had fantastic time.  Turns out most of my worries of work place Christmas parties were unfounded.  My department and my store are both packed with awesome fun loving people, and we had a blast.

Now to figure out what to knit to wear next year...

A Little Fruity, A Little Loopy

Fall has always been like New Years for me.  It's back to school time, and while I haven't been heading back for 2 years now, it still seems like the time of year for fresh starts.  Especially for knitting! 

Summer's had a few last kicks at the can, and the last few days have been warm and sunny, but there have also been a few where the temperature has dipped, and the chill in the air makes me want to reach for wooly warm-ness.

About this time last year I was stash diving and pulled out some brightly coloured clearance sock yarn that I'd picked up I don't remember where (Micheal's I think) or when (Boxing Day sale a few years ago maybe?).  The colour way was Crayon, and it sure lived up to its name.  I wanted a small project that I could carry around that would be easy to just pick up whenever I found a few spare minutes - so onto the needles it went to become just plain old socks. 

Cute eh? And yes, the are fraternal sock-mates.  I don't have the patience to try and get self striping sock yarn to make identical twins. 

Knitting away in the lunch room at work, one of the other ladies was just enthralled with the colours.  Obsessed even.  Like the yarn, she's beautiful with a bright sunny outlook on everything.  I didn't really have a plan for the socks once they were done, other than to toss them in the last-minute-gift box.  And they suited her so perfectly.  And coincidentally they were even in her size. 

So as soon as they were finished they landed quietly on her desk carefully wrapped with a care instructions sticker (horray for machine washable yarns!).  Imagine the hug that I got when she came back in from her break!  And she even offered to pay for them.  Silly sunshine :)

Fast forward to August and she stops by my desk one morning.  She loves her socks and was super grateful for them that particular morning with the threats of early fall frost.  Turns out, that her daughter loves her socks too, and keeps stealing them... And would I mind knitting another pair if she dropped off some yarn?  Said daughter's birthday was in a month, and she'd just love her own pair.  Only if it wouldn't been any trouble, and only if I had time. 

Now, free yarn to knit socks with and a whole month to do it? Yeah man!  Never mind that I could never say no to sunshine. 

A few days later a ball of bright pink yarn appeared on my desk.  While I had originally been thinking that these socks were going to be plain socks from self striping yarn like the previous, this yarn was more painted looking.  Mostly pink with shots of purple and green.  The second I saw it, I knew.  This yarn wasn't going to be plain old boring socks.  It was the absolute PERFECT colour way for Fruit Loop from knitty. 

And look how awesome they turned out!

While shopping for goodie bag stuff for a baby shower a while back, I discovered that the local dollar store had the most perfect sock gift bags.  Brightly coloured and three for a buck.  And available in pink.  So off these little treasures were packed, and dropped off with sunshine almost a week before my deadline. 

I love seeing finished projects, and I admit to oogling these fellas for about 5 minutes.  Then the empty needles beckoned me back. 

Here's how I spent my weekend evenings.  That's sock number one of SlipStream, also from Knitty knit with Lorna's Laces in a colour way I'll have to find the tag to identify.  Size medium. 

I love fall!

In Like a Lion, Out Like a.... Lion?

There is an expression about March:  In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.  If the beginning of March is rough (storms, cold, snow, etc), by the end of March it will be mild and peaceful.  Of course the opposite is supposed to be true too.

In truth however, this is Canada, and March is generally just lion shaped all month long.  Weather wise this year March saw yet another big snow fall, a couple of colder than normal days, and as we reach the final stretch, some rather dramatically warm days as well.  While this might sound lamb-like, ask anybody in a lower lying area how critically important it is to make sure that your sump pumps are working 100% during this time of year.  All of that melting snow has to go somewhere and basements are a common escape route.

March came roaring in in other ways too.  I was kill-me-now-please sick for a week at the beginning.  Thankfully I recovered enough to be groupie of the year for André and the curling team, but no sooner did life look like it was getting back to normal than my sinuses decided that it was their turn to be my downfall.

Now the Easter weekend is upon us, and we are trying to fit as much as we can into a couple of days off.

Advancements in the knitting world have also been on the lion and lamb side of things lately as well.  The delivery of the John Deere socks in time was quite the relief.  And all the time out watch the boys curling let me get something else off the needles too.  I give you Cable and Cross.

 

This was the hat project that I started on the train on the way to Toronto back in February.  Once Amy's mitts were done I was smart enough to remember to return the needles to the bag with this lovely wip.

Details: Knit as written on 4.5 mm circulars, magic loop.  Almost entirely 2 balls of Andean Treasure in Mystery from Knit Picks (it was kicking around in my stash).   Overall a fantastic project - yummy yarn, at just the right gauge to be dense and warm but not crunchy and tight, and a pattern complex enough to be interesting, but simple enough to memorize so that I could watch curling rather than my notes.  Although, having a chart rather than just written instructions would have been nice.

André found Exeter, so this one's mine.  And it served me well in the last few weeks.

I've also cast on a couple of new projects (hey, I finished 2 things, now I'm starting 2 more.  It evens out in the end right?).


First are a pair of Java socks.  These are a bit of a rush for a close friend who's about to go in for major knee surgery.  Right before his birthday.  I may have just jumped right in and gotten all the way down to the ball of the foot of one sock before thinking that it was looking a wee bit small (said friend is 6'1" with mercifully only men's size 9 feet).  A quick test on André (men's size 8) and they were far too small.

So I ripped it alllllll back and started over with the larger size.  I really should have looked at the pattern a wee bit closer at the beginning, but that's what I get for just jumping right in.  I'm working with some chocolate brown stash sock yarn on 2.25 mm needles.  I have 2 weeks. 

Also on the needles is a project that I've been meaning to start for a couple of years.  The Clasica Coat from Interweave Knits Fall 2009.  I found the perfect yarn while out with my sister-in-law just before New Years (the same time I picked up the yarn for Exeter).  Léttlopi in the descriptively named colour #1401.  The catch? Neither location of Yarn Forward had anywhere near enough for the entire project.  So the lovely ladies ordered some, and I picked up 18 balls (probably a slight over estimation, but better safe than sorry) in early March, along with getting my sewing machine serviced.

I want this coat to work out, so in a moment of brief sanity, I swatched.  I actually made 2 different ones on different needles, since I thought the first one with the needle size recommended for the pattern looked a little loose.  Then I washed and blocked the swatches.  And waited for them to dry before measuring them.

I thought that the one with suggested needles was still a bit loose, but the other done on needles 2 sizes smaller was definately too small.  So I figured I'd compromise and go down 1 needle size for the body of the jacket.  Well... one ball in, and the back is almost 3 inches too narrow.  Despite being a needle size up from the smaller swatch, my gauge is apparently TIGHTER by not a small amount.

Now we're back to the suggested needle size, and I've knit another entire ball, and it's looking way better.  I just have to remember to keep going on it.  The back is 19" of stst.  Not exciting.  But soon there will be shoulder shaping and the interesting pattern on the sleeves and front.  I just need to get there.

It seems fitting doesn't it?  That both of my newest projects cast on in the spring are the colours of spring?

What?  Spring's not brown?  I don't know where you live, but this is spring in Ottawa.  This early in the spring what isn't brown is road salt grey.  The green stuff and pretty flowers aren't going to be around for a while yet...

I Wish We Had Inches

A few years ago there was a commercial that caught the essence of curling, and at least in my mind, helped lay to rest the debate about whether or not curling was a sport or a game.  Although what the commercial was actually for, I can't recall.  Nor can I find it anywhere online beyond forum references to an additional debate about whether it is genius (my vote is yes) or a petty knock at a "more popular" sport.  And why the thrower decided to go for the essentially non-existent port between those stones rather than doubling them out. 

Regardless, if someone out there can find it, PLEASE tell me.  I just lost an hour trying.  And for the failure of both You Tube and Google, you are stuck with my dramatic re-typing. 

~~~~~

Cue image of a delivery.  The sweepers are called on.  The rock nears the house.

[unreasonably calmly] "They say football is a game of inches"

The rock passes between 2 opposition rocks with millimeters to spare on either side and curls neatly to the button.

"I wish we had inches"

~~~~~

Curling, especially world championship level curling, is a sport where shots can be made or missed by literally a hair's breadth.  Points are awarded or stolen on measures with a micrometer.  It's epic. 

And I was reminded of this commercial as I knit happily along on Amy's fingerless gloves while watching the Scotties. 

Knitting away on the second mitt, as I started the thumb gusset I paused a took a good hard look at the rapidly diminishing amount of yarn I had left.  And I wasn't sure I was going to make it. 

Although, really, I should have seen this coming.  I let Amy pick the pattern and the yarn, and just shrugged when the weight called for and the weight I was holding didn't quite match.  No worries, it's not off by much.  (Karmic smack #1)  And Amy would like them to go almost to her elbow (more that double the length of the pattern).  No problem I said!  (Karmic smack #2)

If that wasn't hint enough that catastrophe was imminent, the sample couple of inches that Amy tried on before I boarded the train home fit perfectly. (Karmic smack #3)

No, I thought to myself, this project is going along too nicely for something silly like running out of yarn to happen.  This will work out. 

Or not.  Yes, that is the second mitt, 8 rows from the end.  And that little hanging tail is ALL of my yarn. 

So now what?

Option 1 - rip back this mitt to below the thumb gusset.  Rip out an entire cable repeat.  Knit back up with just enough yarn (cable repeat = 8 rounds).  THEN rip back the first mitt below the thumb gusset, remove one cable repeat.  Knit back up and have more yarn to spare.  Not a fan.

Option 2 - I'm only 8 rows short, and there is a 6 row repeat in the top part, which I'm already not that keen on since it tends to flair out right at the end.  So, pause this mitt.  Rip out the first mitt to the round right after the thumb cast off.  Reknit taking out 4 rounds of the 6 row repeat.  Cast off.  Use recovered yarn to knit 2 round repeat and ending rounds, and cast off.  I should have enough.  I like this plan better.  It has less ripping. 

And the result?

 I wish I had inches. 

OK, so in truth I have exactly 7.5 inches, not including the 1/2" tails I tucked in.  But still. 

And before I forget to post the details, Linda K's Yummy Mummy wrist warmers.  Knit on 4 mm.  Extended to have 10 cable repeats (instead of 4).  Using Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in Plum.  It was beyond nice to work with.  Soft, just a little bit squishy, and not once did it split (even after ripping and reknitting).  Although another 2 meters (to make a nice round 240 meters/ball) would have been nice. 

Dearest Amy, these gloves will be on their way to you promptly (delivery method as yet to be finalized).  I hope they keep you warm while you create beautiful things.  I'll start the second pair once my blood pressure returns to something more reasonable and I can look at purple wool without mentally trying to calculate how many stitches I might get out of that last little 1.5" piece that's left over.  

At least the next yarn comes pre-divided.  Not going to wonder about the half way mark there. 

Love, Jen

I've also got some socks that really need to be done in the next 3 weeks, for a wonderful man with size 11 feet.  For some reason I thought this was a good idea...  It'll keep me busy during the Scotties finals today and tomorrow.  And the entire Men's Brier tournament next week.  We'll see if I still like him by the end. 

Irate Avian!!

Dear Debbie Travis,

While I was out Christmas shopping at a local "tire" themed store, my husband and I came across your artfully arranged display of Christmas decorations.  Something about the way that items were carefully aligned by colour and size spoke yelled out to me to wander through.   While we did not find the perfect tree topper that we were looking for (plaid? seriously?), I found this pint-sized darling:

This little adorable attempt at a cardinal is fuzzy and rotund and just the sweetest guy ever.  Even our cat loves him.

He in no way deserved what I then proceeded to do to him after we got him home. 

You see, I have this awesome friend.  Who does things like take me out to see the Broadway production Beauty and the Beast for an early Christmas gift, because I love Broadway and I can't even afford the back end of nose-bleed seats.  And then brings us back Hill Billy sippy cups as a thank you for baby sitting her cat while she was away for 2 weeks (yes, they are exactly what you think they are: mason jars with lids and straws - aka AMAZING).

And she loves that trade-marked iPhone game in which the players launch feathered friends at porcine invaders.

And Debbie, this precious cardinal reminded me so much of the cover bird of this game that I couldn't help but say out loud in the store how much they resembled each other.  And that it would just take a few minutes with some fabric (read yarn) and a glue gun, and they would be identical.  André thought it was hysterical genius. 

And so, I apologize.  I turned your beautiful delicate cardinal, this unique symbol of peace and love in Canadian Christmases into a creature that when catapulted at a swine will explode into a poof of feathers and take out the scenery.  He has been transformed into a non-trade-marked please-don't-sue-me

IRATE AVIAN!

Merry Christmas Christine! 

Be Prepared

Things are starting to heat up around here.  And I don't just mean the nominations for the Oscars.  Andre's Exeter hat is finished!

Here's the handsome man himself modeling the warm and wonderful head topper.

What really got me about this pattern is the neat and orderly decreasing for the crown.  There's nothing worse that confused decreases messing with the zen of a project.  It took a wee bit of extra math to get the decreasing in the right spots, since I when down a size (by removing 16 stitches) but it was well worth it!

Yarn: Manos del Urugray Silk Blend in a beautiful almost charcoal black, approx 1.5 skeins. 
Needles: US 4, knit with magic loop method
Alterations: Pattern called for US5 and 128 stitches.  Down a needle size, and -16 stitches.

He's already put in his order for another one for next year.  We both know that he will loose this one, and that's fine.  As the Boy Scouts that he was such a proud member of for so long say, "Be Prepared".  So when I'm at Yarn Forward next week to pick up an order, I guess I'll have to grab another hank of the silk blend.  Hats are nice summer knitting, small and fast, and easy to carry around.  For now I've had enough of 2x2 ribbing in not-quite-black.  Time for some colour!

Knitting Update

So it's been a while since I posted any knitting progress, and there has been lots!!!! A few setbacks (that silly hat that I've started twice still doesn't fit) but loads of progress to report!

Firstly, there is another beautiful baby that requires a warm welcome!! Baby Bryn was born on November 26th. Both Mom and baby are happy and healthy. Because of school, trying to organize a shower before hand was a little tricky, so Emily (mom) had a "meet the baby" shower a few weeks after he was born. What a perfect little child!

When I heard that Emily was expecting, her due date was already fast approaching. But I couldn't not knit something. Emily was happy to let people know that she was expecting a little boy, but since Taden cleared out my stash of boy clothes, I needed something new. And besides, Emily has such a unique lively personality that a plain blue jacket set just didn't seem right. So out I went and found some really brightly coloured fun looking yarn and started on a blanket. In fact, this blanket was my project during our Toronto trip. True to Jen form, it's a CO5 blanket, with my favourite eyelet stipes!!

Yarn: Bernat Baby Softee - Rock-a-bye Baby (2)
Needles: Bamboo 4mm
Pattern: A combination of my CO5 (2st gs border, YO at both ends on right sides, work st st on WS) and that beautiful eyelet pattern that I keep going back to.

The knitting up from a corner makes it super fast at the beginning, and it always feels like you're making progress. The only slight problem is that it doesn't make quite a perfect square, even after blocking. But babies aren't going to notice such things once they're warm and cozy!

This is again my favorite pattern for baby blankets. Those eyelets are so simple, yet so classy!

During our visit with Jenny back in November, the subject of knitting came up more than once, along with the colours that people gravitate towards. Andre's easy - black. Me, I'm a blue/grey/green, cool, calming colours. Jenny, despite being my namesake, is most at home with the warm earthy colours, reds, browns and golds.

So imagine my delight when, the next day at the Naked Sheep, I found the perfect Malabrigo uber super duper soft bulky weight yarn ever. It fell off the shelf and screemed Jenny at me. So of course I had to take it home and make something for her. I knew it had to be a scarf (cause I only had a little bit), and the trick became finding the perfect pattern. I've never been a fan of scarves that had a right and wrong side, but most of the patterns that I was finding that I liked were either lacy (not going to work with bulky fluffy yarn) or cabled (massively varigated, so also no good). I was about to give up when a friend suggested that I check out My So Called Scarf. Perfect! Sure, it has a right/wrong side, but the stitch is super cool looking (unique just like Jenny!) and should stay flat when knit up. Here it is in Malabrigo: the pics are work in progress, but it's even prettier now that it's done and wrapped snuggly around Jenny.

Yarn: 2 skeins Malabrigo

Needles: 8mm

Pattern: My So Called Scarf

This would work in just about any larger yarn I think, just match needle size appropriately.

On the right is the unwound skein. Check out the beautiful right colours! The ball in the middle is about a third the size that I started with. The scarf on the left is what its coming out like.

I'm not sure why this silly blog keeps flipping my picutres, but here's a close up of the fabric that this stitch creates. It stays that flat on its own! No blocking nothing. Anyway, it looks even cooler (should that be warmer) wrapped around Jenny, so all is good!

In other knitting news, I've started the Garden Gate Socks from Knitty, only instead of rust and mushroom (which is still beautiful) I've got chocholate brown and grey/blue. I wasn't sure about the combination at first. I've never been a person for anything other than blue/green/grey/black. But I'm trying to break myself of that habbit. This project has my favourite blue, but I'm expanding the horizons with the brown contrast.

Here's just a quick shot of what I've got so far. Updates to follow!

Pattern: Garden Gate Socks (Knitty)

Yarn: I've lost the tag!!!!! 100% wool, hand painted, super shiney and soft... sock weight

Needles: 2.5mm

One more project, this one a while in the making. Katie's favourite colour (at least for now) is purple (and pink!). At home, like most homes, we watch TV, and we each have our own designated seat. And blanket. But Katie doesn't really have a blanket of her own. So a while ago I started one for her. And this Christmas she finally got the finished piece! It sat so long in my "to have then ends tucked in and be blocked" box, that I've long lost the pattern and the wool I was using. It's a worsted weight acrylic purple (super saver sized) and some hot pink boa eyelashy stuff. It doesn't come across as well in the picutres, but the puple sections are leaf like lacy patterns.

So there it is, a knitting update. I'll be posting again soon (school permitting) so stay tuned!