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. 

Another New Years Tradition

New Years day at our place has been the same for years.  Wake up whenever we feel like it, have Irish cream in our coffees, start a fire, and kick back to watch whatever marathon is on that we are interested in.  It is a day for just us to do absolutely nothing, and do it together.

This year was no exception.  Toasty fire, tasty champagne, and 9 hours of Pawn Stars and 3 hours of Museum Secrets.  Amazing.

It seems though, that another tradition is springing up around this time.  Since I'm going to have hours and hours of knitting time, I've taken to going yarn shopping a day or so before New Years, lest I run out of things to knit.  Stop laughing André.  Just because there is wool in the house does not mean that it is the right wool for the job at hand.  Unless you want your new hat to be knit out of recycled silk.  Didn't think so.

This year, the tasks at hand are 2 baby outfits and a new hat for André.  One baby outfit I've got the yarn for, so we're good there (see André, stash is useful, otherwise I would have had to spend more money).  And so, chaperoned by the darling hubby, I came home on Monday afternoon with this:

That's a whole pile of Cascade Yarns Cherub and more Cascade sport.  It's not all in the picture, seeing as the second I walked in the door I promptly cast on one of the projects.  The sport is going to be a new hat for André... apparently the one I knit for him last year isn't quite right.  The Cherub on the other hand is going to be the ARRR! Baby Set from Knit.1 Winter 06/07.

Multiples of hours of knitting later:

Front and back done.  Now on to sleeves and pants!  Although I bought WAY too much yarn... maybe a hat to go with?  We'll see. 

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...

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...

Bring It Homan

Last night was the final game of the 2013 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.  The winner goes on to represent Canada at the World Championships in a few weeks.  And gets an automatic trip to the Scotties next year as Team Canada.  As well as an automatic entry in the Roar of the Rings in November - the competition to determine Team Canada for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

No pressure.

At the end of round robin play, Team Manitoba skipped by Jennifer Jones had clinched the top spot going undefeated with an 11-0 record (which hasn't happened since 1985 which it was accomplished by Linda Moore, now of announcing fame, although they only had a 10-0 record since Team Canada didn't automatically get the chance to come back).  Team Ontario, out of OUR curling club, skipped by Rachel Homan parked themselves firmly in second, with their only loss being to Jones and the Manitoba rink.  In third, Team Canada from last year skipped by Heather Nedohin, and fourth, BC skipped by Kelly Scott.

The National Curling Association uses the Page Playoff system.  Once the ranks are established, the quarter finals are played.  The first and second ranked teams play each other, as well as the third and fourth ranked teams.

The winner of the 1-2 game gets a by into the finals.  The loser plays in the semi-finals against the winner of the 3-4 game.  The semi-final winner goes on to the finals.

Complicated enough?  It makes a lot of sense once you get used to it. 

Team Canada beat BC in the 3-4 game on Saturday afternoon.  Or so we heard later.  We'd been taping the game to watch it once Andre got home from curling that morning.  We hit the fifth end break and I looked at the clock.  4:15 pm.  The 1-2 game is on at 7.  Kingston is only 2 hours away, and neither of us has to work in the morning.  Then I opened my big mouth.

"You know, if we leave now, we could make the 1-2 game."

And so we drove to Kingston.  Again.

I still haven't been able to figure out how we managed to pull this off, but we got there, parked, collected tickets, and found our seats with 15 minutes to spare.

Oh, yeah.  And we had ice level seats.  At the home end (which means that when it comes down to that critical shot in the last end for the win or loss, we are in the front row).

Knitting and curling watching (and associated beer drinking) go together like peanut butter and chocolate.  The rumble of the rock as it's being thrown gives the cue to look up to see the shot.  On TV the announcers just talk, so all I have to do is listen.  Until Russ starts putting arrows everywhere. Then I'm liable to drop stitches if I don't pause for a minute. 

When we went on Monday I had packed a very special project to bring with me.  Socks for our friend Kyle.  He is one of the people that taught André and I how to curl 4 years ago.  He and André have curled the Ottawa Valley Curling Association Men's Speil the last few years together.  He skips and André throws second.  The first year they curled together one of the rinks was particularly chilly and Kyle eyed the socks I was knitting for myself.  Apparently he'd like a pair to keep him warm while curling. 

It's a good thing I like him, the man has size 11 feet.

So what better project to take to the Scotties, then socks for the man that taught us the game. 

Look!  Homan and Jones!  And a giant green sock in progress.  At the page 1-2 game in Kingston.

Homan went on to with that game, leaving Jones to battle Nedohin for the chance to play the finals.  Pardon the fuzzy cell phone picture, but they came right near where we were, and the crowd crushed in.  Remember, they are Team Ontario, we are playing in Ontario, and Kingston is close to Ottawa, so lots of local fans.  Oh, and Ontario hasn't won the Scotties since 1996. And now they are guaranteed at least a silver. 

Jones and Manitoba beat Nedohin and Canada in a very exciting Sunday morning game, meaning that at 7pm last night there would be a Jones/Homan rematch.  They were 1-1 against each other.

And Homan and the rink out of the Ottawa Curling Club won the 2013 Scotties!  The coming home party at the club is going to be epic.  And there will be a Scotties banner in our club.  Unreal.

In the mean time, I continue to slave away on the giant green sock.  There's no curling on TV for now, but the Brier, Men's Nationals, starts on Sunday, so there will be time enough soon.  It's in Edmonton this year, which is a wee bit more than a day trip from home, so no unannounced trips to see the men play.  Oh well, there's always next year.

Although then it's in Kamloops, BC. 

I guess there's always 2015. 

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. 

Time Out in the GTA

The last few weeks were meant to be productive in so many ways... There is a bedroom to finish, knitting to do, year end paperwork for André to complete.  We were going to be so organized, the Dewy Decimal system would look chaotic in comparison.

Right.  Not so much.

Instead, André caught a wicked bad cold/flu thing.  And I went for an impromptu visit to Toronto. 

So the house is still a wreck - tools in my living room and the such like.  The bedroom still isn't done (although while we have working blinds and super cool curtains now, we had to make some adjustments to the outlets next to the bed meaning some significant drywall patching... and more painting). 

On the bright side though, taking the train to Toronto gave me hours and hours of me time.  Me and a cup of coffee, my knitting and my thoughts.  So an entire ball of Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Mystique became this (pattern on Ravelry somewhere, I'll find it when I show you the finished item):

And that was just the 4.5 hours on the trip up!  Yes, it's another hat.  André and I have both lost ours (yes, he lost Exeter.  It took him 3 weeks.).  There've been a few more rows added since with the start of the second ball.  It's progressing nicely.  And is now on hold.  I needed the needles for a special request. 

I love taking the train places, and despite André's suggestion that I fly (with our airmiles it worked out to almost the same price), it's just as well I did.  Last friday saw yet another massive snow dump on southern and eastern Ontario.  This would be our third in Ottawa, we're used to it.  But Toronto?  Not so much.  Flights were being cancelled on both ends, and the 401 highway was a disaster (which I would have been on had I decided to take the bus.  But really... more leg room, more space, and only $16 more?  TRAIN!).  And we were only 20 minutes late pulling in, which for VIA rail is par for the course. 

I was met at the train station by my darling sister Amy.  She moved to Toronto a few weeks ago and is settling in.  What better time for a sister visit!  It was fantastic :D  We talked for hours, it's so nice to catch up with family like that.

I had a few simple requirements for traveling to Toronto.  One - there must be coffee in the morning.  No problem, Amy drinks as much as I do.  And hers is better.  Check.

Two - At some point during the weekend there would be a return trip to The Purple Purl.  André and I had visited this wonderful store a few years back as they celebrated their first anniversary.  Now I'm back just after their 5th!  It's a perfect combination of cozy yarn store with added bonus cafe.  Try the peanut butter square thingies.  Heaven!

Amy is an artist.  Illustration mostly.  Her work is beautiful and she is seriously talented.  But working long hours sketching and on the computer can mean chilly fingers.  At her request we picked up some yarn for fingerless gloves/arm warmers.

I've already lost the tag for this one, but it's been a real treat to work with.  When/if I find it I'll let you know what it is.  Most of it has already become Linda K's Yummy Mummy Wristwarmers with some modifications (shorter thumb, but way longer up the arm).

I had the ball wound up at the store, and by the time the train came in to Ottawa, I had one complete.  The other is well on its way.


We also picked up some Turtlepurl self striping sock yarn in Gothic Plum.  It's super neat - you get 2 identical balls so that if you knit one sock with one, and start the second at the same point on the second ball you get 2 perfectly matched socks!  It has not been started yet, there will need to be some form of pattern design for this one.  I'd really like to knit wrist warmers from the fingers down since I don't know how long each ball will last, but I have yet to find ANY patterns that do this.  There will be some inventing in my future I believe.

I also managed to steal an afternoon to spend with the incredible duo of Jenny and David, two of my longest and best friends in the world.   We had crepes and went to the library (Sherlock Holmes at the Reference Library = GEEK OUT!) and visited David's theater.  All topped off with the most amazing dinner with Gigi and a quick visit with beloved Rachellelala.  Every so often I wonder why we don't move to Toronto.  Then we have conversations about housing prices there.  Combine that with traffic/commuting distances, and you've got your answer.  But it's sure fun to visit!

In short, a whirlwind weekend of amazing people, much knitting, and a chance to recenter myself.  I should do this more often.

In the mean time though, it's back to the daily grind.  There is laundry to do, paperwork to file, and a never ending list of house projects to tackle.  Bring it on!

Oops, we did it again...

Just as I'm getting back in to the swing of blogging about knitting again, then we get bitten by the renovations bug!

This is a much smaller project than the bathroom a few years ago was, but it's still taking up a surprising amount of time (and space... and sanity...).

Our master bedroom has a beautiful huge closet between two windows on the outside wall.  The closet itself "bumps out" about a foot and a half, saving on its footprint in the room and providing a bit of an overhang over the front of the house.  The only down side is that the insulation, while I'm sure was state of the art 35 years ago when the house was built, is now less than stellar.  This means that the bedroom floor is freezing in the winter, and the closet trends 5-10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house.

So now, dammit, we're fixing that.  Which meant that we tore out all the drywall and part of the floor in the closet and reinsulated.  While we were at it, we figured we'd build a faux wall behind the bed, allowing us to give each side of the bed its own outlet, and proper light fixtures. 

We're about half way through the job now.  Insulation is done, along with the wall build.  We're just waiting for the drywall mud to dry before applying what is hopefully the final coat. 

That means that in theory, tomorrow is sanding, priming, and first coat of paint!  Which means that I need to pick colours.  And there should probably be a dump run in the not too distant future, so that this:

Can get out of my dinning room!  Another downside of winter renovations - can't just toss the scrap out the backdoor onto the deck for disposal later... if it snows, that stuff is stuck until summer.  And there's another decent sized snowfall on the way.

So in the mean time, I'm going to finish enjoying my tasty lunch.
















Good looking eh?  Carrot, apple, sweet potato, and ginger soup and home made granola raspberry square thingies. 

Then back to the drywall...

Proof of Life

Now this is supposed to be a knitting blog.  And yes, while real life is going to creep in here a fair bit, there hasn't been hardly any actual knitting news on this blog in years.  (ok, yes, I realize that the 3 year gap in posting also does not help, but even then the last bunch were about renovations and life... sorry...)

So I present to you: Proof of Knitted Life! Or why my hands hurt after New Years. 

As is customary for New Year's day, Andre and I spent it just kicking back with champagne/wine/martinis (thanks Louis)/beer and TV watching.  This gave me ample knitting time.  The results:

These WIP boot socks

Have now become these:

Recipient TBD.  Too big for me, but not by a lot.

For the last couple of years I've been harassing politely asking Andre if there was anything I could knit for him.  Then he lost his hat.  The request: new hat.  Simple.  Nothing fancy.  Ribbing apparently is fancy.  Black.  And must be soft.  And warm.

So, step 1 find wool.  A quick New Year's Eve yarn shopping excursion with my beloved sister-in-law found this at Yarn Forward on Bank St. 

Manos del Uraguay Silk blend.  70% merino 30% silk.  Soft? Check.  Warm?  Double check.  Black?  Well, very deep kettle dyed charcoal almost black.  But close enough to black to be Andre approved. 

And now for a pattern.  This was going to be tricky.  Poking through Ravelry I found Exeter.  It was perfect.  Ribbed to be stretchy and keep it snug.  And the decreasing at the crown was so clever.  And options for fold up brim.  But I wasn't sure it would pass Andre inspection.  There was fancy ribbing.  I wasn't sure if it was the desperate hopeful look in my eyes as I showed him the pattern, or just the fact that it's January in Ottawa and it's freezing cold and he really wants a hat now, but the pattern too became Andre approved. 

I printed the pattern, wound up the yarn, and after 2 movies I had a beautiful 6 inches or so done.  Lots to have Andre try it on. 




















And this is what it looks like now. 

It appears to be a combination of me getting something that might be considered gauge albeit not the gauge recommended for this project, with a large-ish sized pattern, and a husband with a far smaller head circumference than an average large-ish pattern, which resulted in a piece of knitting that would be better suited to keep warm the over-inflated egos of the local politicians rather than the ears of my beloved.

Switching the wine I was savoring to a stiff martini, it was off to the frog pond with the "hat".  

Once I've recovered from pulling out almost 3 hours of work it'll be down one needle size, and taking out 16 stitches, and starting over.  If that pair of mittens doesn't tempt me away first...

Worry Work

It was a difficult weekend this last one. Andre's got this wonderful, crazy Newfie family. They really are something else and a half. While I never got the chance to meet Nannie Skanes, the family tells me over and over how much we would have gotten along. Something to do with her being a crazy knitter too! I've even got some of the last things that she knit that need finishing, which I can't wait to do.

The patriarch of the family is Poppy Skanes. There are few suitable words for describing him. Stubborn might be a good one though. As one of 25 children (yes, really) the surviving siblings are close. So as one of his sisters back on Belle Island is ill, he wanted to travel home to see her. Dispite his own not so great health. So off he went with his daughter Bonnie and Andre's mom Lorraine for a week on the rock.

Now, I should probably mention, that apparently he's on doctor's not to spend too much time traveling, but that's Poppy for you. He had a great time out on Belle Island with the family. It was when he got back to Ottawa that things took a turn for the worse. Poppy landed himself in hospital, bad to the point they called an ambulance to pick him up.

So far they're treating him for pneumonia and the other ails from which he suffers. It's been touch and go for the past few days. So much so that the entire Skanes clan has descended on Ottawa. All of the brothers and most of the wives have been up at some point in the past few days. The family is like that. Especially about Poppy. We've done the short notice long drive to Sudbury just to be sure. So far he's hung in there, the stubborn man, but every time we worry.

So, there have been a few long days and some nervous nights. And there is nothing like nervous energy to get the needles flying. Or in this case crochet hook. I've picked up the granny square blanket again and the little squares have just been falling off the hook. So many infact that I've got all of the center squares made with the ends tucked in and everything. And in the evenings sitting with family I've got it almost all sewn together. Now I'm working away at the last set of dark blue squares for the border. Then get that sewn on and it'll be finished. I can only hope that Poppy with be with us to see it.

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!

English Knnnnnniggggits!

Ah, yes, Spamalot was in town last week, and guess who went! Nothing will ever be quite as good as the original Holy Grail, but it was definitely one of the best stage adaptions I've ever seen! I could rant on and on about all the funny bits, and jokes, but hey *points to convenient bale of hay* as long as the Artists-Formerly-Known-As-The-Knights-Who-Say-Nee! get Celine's dress back to her in time, the show was a riot. And the French taunters were just perfect. On top of the show, it's the first time in a long time that my Mom, brother, sister, and I got to go out for a night just the 4 of us. Really awesome!

The rest of life's been pretty busy too. We played pool with another friend on Saturday night which was really fun. We taught him 9-ball, and he taught us how to play pool with 3 people! Basically, after the break, once you sink something, instead of calling stripes or solids, you call a set of 5 (1-5, 6-10, 11-15). The object is then to sink all of the opponents balls before they sink yours. The rest of the rules are pretty much the same as 8-ball. Very fun!

And the busy just never ends! Melody, an Aitken labbie graduate, when on to do big things out in BC. Well, she's home for the week before heading out to Calgary for her new job! We're all SOOOOOO proud of her. Not only is she crazy awesome, she was top of her program too. So there is a lab dinner tonight (for those that knew her while she was with us) in her honour. More fun!

Along with the busy life, Katie's been staying with us too, since Brian's had surgury and still isn't supposed to be driving (are you listening, you silly man?). She's such a good kid. 'Cept when she forgets to tell us things, then "reminds us" the day that it needs to happen. But she's been so much fun to have around. It's been 2 weeks, and we've got one more to go, and we've got such a nice routine going. But on friday she goes home. Brian's back to work on monday, so they're back to their routine. And Andre and I are gone to Toronto for the weekend, just to get away for a bit. And a little bit for his birthday (yes, we're going to Medieval Times, you're welcome honey).

The knitting's been going kinda sporadically. The big fluffly green sweater is seamed. Now I just need to pick up and start the collar. Shouldn't take too long. Oh, and it was snowing, just a little bit, this morning, so there's now a rush for my hat. And Katie still wants her socks. And mitts. But she's progressing really nicely on her scarf, so who knows, maybe she'll beat me to it!

Thrown Overboard

Every fall I tell myself that I'm going to be better this year (the eternal student believes that the new year is the first monday after labour day when classes start, not this half-way through the year January thing that the rest of the world thinks is so important). This year was sort of different and sort of not. Undergrad years I had to be organized just to meet deadlines and study for midterms. Last year, as a grad student FINALLY I had to freak out about Committee Meetings, my PhD Qualifying Exam, and most importantly The Wedding. This year? Nothing crazy pressing except one class and some research that will just never work.

Just as I think, 'hey this fall is going to be awesome! I can really have a good go at this year!' life decides to get involved again. My life is still pretty good. The research is slooooowwwwllly progressing, and the home scene is (messy) but amazing. Except that we're so busy that we're really behind on some important things. Like finishing our wedding thankyou cards. And organizing our trip to Toronto in a few weeks. And general house cleaning. And knitting and woodworking.

On the outer fronts, family (on both sides), and another friend are doing major home reno's, so there is frequent (often unannounced) visits to borrow the washing machine or internet, or just to sit in a house rather than a hotel, and let us not forget the unending trips to Home Depot. Andre's running ragged trying to help out everywhere! Our dear Brian (Jasmin's darling boyfriend) finally had his surgury (see his blog, very cool), but unfortunately he's not allowed to drive, and they're a fair distance out of town, so we've inherited Jaz and Katie for the next little while. It's a little crowded but we're getting along just great! Oh, and their water heater exploded over the weekend. Its fixed now, but that was an exciting afternoon for sure.

So now it just feels like I've been thrown overboard, and I'm busy trying to keep my head above water as I watch the boat drift away without me. I know that it's not nearly as bad as it could be. We all still have our health ('cept a bruised ankle -- trying to stop a Home Depot cart loaded with concrete and framing lumber by sticking out my foot, not so bright!), the bills are getting paid (on time now too!! horray for grant money), and the busy is (mostly) good, productive work. It's just that there's a lot of it, and I'm constantly running out of hours in the day to finish any of it!

On a final note before I sign off for the day, Andre and I took a quick break from the hectic life to visit the Signature's Ottawa Craft Show this weekend. It was actually kinda disappointing. Unlike the fair we went to last year (which I suspect was the Christmas craft show, slated for the first weekend in December) where there were more artisans with handcrafted wares that would interest the knitter/woodworker/mid-twenties adult, this show was mostly designer-type clothing, posh jewelery, and the such like. Andre's mom was in heaven. Andre and I, not so much. We did stock up on some handmade fudge, garlic spreads, and some small Christmas gifts, but it wasn't as much fun as we thought it might be. The last show had someone from the Ottawa Spinner's and Weaver's guild, and some other vendors with yarn and knit goods, but not this time. Oh well, we'll try the Christmas show too, and if that's the same kinda stock, then I doubt we'll come again.

Oh, and I am doing some knitting. I picked up some Lion Brand Thick and Quick Chunky yarn (seriously, knit on size 15 needles!!) for a sweater pattern (in the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting, really cute v-neck cabled hoodie), but I realized when I got home that I got the wrong yarn!!! What I should have got was just Lion Brand Thick and Quick, NOT Chunky. Oops. But, on the bright side, the stuff I did buy (in a really nice forest green) is the perfect size for an oversized cable pullover from another Vogue Knitting from a few years ago!!! I've thus far managed to knit front/back/sleeves, so it's seaming time. Not my favourite thing in the world, but I can't wait till its done so I can show it off!! Pictures soon, promise!

I know that it's been over a month since my last post, and I'm really sorry. I'm going to try to get back on this thing more often. It's kinda therapeutic -- nice to get to talk to the world in general and pretend like someone's listening. So I really hope I'll get back into this, and it won't be another month! Really really.

Better Now

Thanks to all the great friends who sent well wishes when I was sick. I still am sort of (feels like I'll never stop coughing), but life it mostly back to normal. There is even good news in some areas!!

The grant writing for funding for my PhD is almost done. I have what I hope is a final draft in with my supervisor for comments. She's crazy busy too writing her own grants, but she's always so good about supporting her students. And the research is starting to pick up again. Not that I'm going to say that it's working, cause that will jynx the whole thing, but it's not messing up like it has before. Let's cross the fingers for results!

I have to send out a big horray to one of the greatest ladies around: Colleen!! Appart from being an amazing friend, and an accomplished knitter, she has the most interesting collection of pets around! Those who remember Tigger and Roscoe from a few posts back, this is she! Now's she outdone herself again with the opening of Woodhouse Reptiles. Check out her new website and meet the menagerie of animals! Some of the photos are just stunning!! And there is a new gecko being added to the family this evening. Who needs kids?

The knitting life is picking up again. It's been a while, between school and being sick. I needed something easy that I could get instant gratification from. I found just the thing in the creation of a recycled silk bag. The yarn is spun in Nepal from the trimmings of dyed silk that is being processed for the clothing industry. The result is slightly fuzzy, beautifully random riotus colours. In all the recycled silk that I've seen a rich red seems to be the prominant colour, but there are all shades mixed in from canary yellow, bermuda beach blue, christmas tree green, and everything in between.

That amazing page a day knitting calendar from my sister provided the inspiration for this creation. It's a little different in that I'm knitting in stockingette rather than the suggested garter, but I find the colour stripes stand out better this way. The bag itself is knit in four panels, in from the outside bottom corner towards the middle seam (again, patterns that start with CO3 = excellent!!) increasing on both edges every other row. Once you've got the bottom to half the width that you would like, decrease by one on one side, while continuing to increase by one on the other until you've got the middle seam as long as you'd like. Cast off, leaving the top 5 stitchs live to be worked as the handle.

Pictures!!


This is two panels sewn together to form the front. I've also sewn another panel on for the back.


This is as far as I managed to get with what I had... just the beginnings of the fourth piece...


A closeup of the fabric created. It's wonderful to look at, and everytime you do there are different colours to be found. While it looks fuzzy, it does still have that cool slide that silk does.

Unfortunately, I've got as far as I can go with this project for now... I've run out of silk!! I bought the skein months ago, without a project (I know I know, bad me) but this bag pattern appeared a few weeks later and I thought horray! But I need more silk, so, shucks, I'm going to have to go yarn shopping. I have another sock pattern in mind too, so there may be sock yarn in my future!! I have a ball of white recycled silk as well... not sure what I'm going to do with that one, but friends tell me that it can be dyed with something as simple as food colouring. I'm going to have to find something to knit and dye and I'll let you know if it really is as easy as it sounds!!

My Muse is a Siren

Why is it that as life get busier, there are always other things that you'd rather be doing? My life is complicated enough right now, and there seems to be a crack adicted muse that has taken up residence in my brain. Seriously, nothing is sacred or safe from being the trigger for yet another inspiration.

Work is getting busy. It's the end of the summer crunch where we're trying to get the ends of things tied up in time for the coming semester. This tends to mean long hours in the lab focused on research. Not hour long euchre games at lunch. Really. And definately not stained glass ideas. Seriously. But, in truth, at least one of these glass bunnies will probably come to life in the next week or so, as one of our Master's students graduates and heads away to do his PhD. In the mean time, does anyone else want a stained glass amino acid? Cofactor? Other small molecule? I've been thinking, and they shouldn't be too hard to put together. I wonder if there is a standard colour code for amino acids like there is for the elements... Wonder how that would look on and NSERC application...

Andre, bless him, is an woodworker, and has more woodworking magazine subscriptions that I can keep straight. And there always seems to be another one in the mail box. My favourite part of these (appart from the hilarious titles - "Trick Out Your Bandsaw" or "Mission Style Outside of the Bedroom") are the reader's galleries, where subscribers send in pictures of their own work. They are always unbelievably excellent pieces, even if I would never want to own most of them. But every so often there is that one piece that is just wow. For my muse this week, wow isn't good enough. Oh no. Can't admire the Craftsman wash stand with tiled top and stained glass back splash, and let it be, she has to stop and think for a moment before spitting out an idea for a drop leaf dinning room table set, 6-8 chairs, mahogany, oil type finish... with the details arranged just so. I spent a good half hour trying to get Andre to understand what I was seeing behind my eyelids, but I think he got it. Anyone want to donate many many board feet of at least 6/4 rough cut lumber? No?

The knitting is the worst. A local craft store had a sale on baby yarn last weekend. Now, I'm trying to be good, and not buying anything that is not going to be immediately earmarked for a specific project. But yarn sale!!! So, the muse delivered again. Baby jacket, purple (running out of gender safe stuff!), a copy of one that Andre's grandmother made over 20 years ago. I'm going to try to figure out the pattern. Once I do, it should be my first original pattern (with credits to Nanny Skanes of course). Wish me luck, I might need it. Oh, and I must confess, the other baby yarn doesn't actually have a project yet. But it was on sale!

I have a stitch pattern idea too... not sure where it's going to work best yet (maybe sweater panels, maybe a scarf). I'm not certain that it's going to work out at all, but I'll let you know. If I ever get around to it. Oh, and an idea for a cabled sweater too...

I also have to confess, I picked up another long forgotten hobby last week. Andre's grandfather was visiting from Sudbury (love you Poppy!!) and he and Andre's parents went out to the old airforce base that he was stationed at, way back in the day. Many many many years ago, Poppy lost most of his belonings (but thankfully no family) in a house fire. The losses included his military mementos, like the crest pin for his maroon beret (the beret too). Unfortunately, the base didn't have another one, since he served when the King's Crown was still in use, rather than the current Queen's Crown. But there was a cross-stitch pattern of the crest. Guess who's working on that now!! It's looking really good actually. I'm kinda proud!

In other news, a big hug to Colleen for her birthday!!!!! It's a big one, but I won't say how few candles this year. Oh, and she is responsible for introducing us to this crazy insane online show things. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. If you've never heard of it, check it out! If you have, then you know what I'm talking about. The world needs more super-villan musicals. Enjoy.

BTW, for all you handycrafty people who are reading (yes you) check out Etsy. It's like Ebay, only specifically for hand crafted stuff!! Uber cool. Especially the knitting stuff. Rovings, hand spun and dyed yarns, patterns, finished things. It's all there! And the Geekery part is the best!! I think I need to have a baby so that I can dress them in cool geeky baby clothes. How about it Andre?

So, if anybody would like an over-active muse with siren like tendancies, let me know. I'm looking to evict this one. I'll take her back in November (maybe) in time for Christmas shopping, but right this minute I need to be thinking about grant applications and lab work, not knitting. Back to work then.

Random Weekend

Wow, what a mixed up week. Holidays are SO confusing, especially when you don't really get a holiday. I was doing a little bit of everything this weekend, and now I'm all worn out!

Work. Yes, I worked the holiday weekend, but molecular biology waits for no man, woman, child, knitting, meal, holiday, or bladder. I tried to keep it short each day, but I was in sat/sun/mon for a few hours each. But on the bright side, the research is progressing, so life is good. Soon, so very soon, the fruits of my labours will be ready to harvest... hopefully. Here's to getting that paper written and published, and NSERC finally not seeing that one bad class I had (stupid organic chemistry!!!). PhD funding applications, here I come!!

Friends. Well, sort of. Most of my friends were out having fun this weekend. So instead I stayed home(/work) and spent time with friends pets. Specifically Colleen's menagerie. Seriously, 7 snakes (plus wee little babies that are SOOO cute!), multiples of geckos (6??), a chameleon (yay Elwood!), a fish (yes, just one), and two of the craziest cats ever (Tigger and Rosco)! Fortunately I didn't have to feed the snakes (awww, poor frozen mice), but Elwood wanted his daily silkworms (not really a problem, they're not nearly as cute as he is), and the cats were demanding as ever. It was fun, and Colleen has a yarn stash bigger than mine!! But I restrained myself, I have so much yarn already.

Tigger and Rosco are just so danmed adorable they needed to make an appearance on this blog. But don't tell Coal, he'll be jelous and want more pictures of him!!

The oh-so-sink-your-hands-into-soft Tigger



The silky-smooth-yes-I'm-that-cute Rosco


Knitting. Yes, I even got some knitting done too. Along with finishing the baby blanket (see last post), I went on a premie baby hat binge with the left over white from the blanket and some matching blue from my stash (picked up as part of a garage sale box of yarn I believe). I made a set of three before getting bored of them, but now I'm not sure what to do with them. I suspect that they'll find their way into my baby box of stuff to get dropped off to a hospital/charity when I think I have enough stuff to make it worth while (I feel bad just dropping off one to two small things, I'd rather save them up and give a bunch of stuff to mix and match if needed).

So, pattern details:
Yarn: Patons Beehive Baby - blue and white, leftovers (really doesn't take much, excellent for stash busting, especially in stripes!)
Needles: 2.5mm double points (5)
Pattern: Cabled Baby Hats
Same as pattern: All the stitch counts and everything are the same
Different from pattern: The stripes in the 5-cable hats are done in multiples of 6 rows (patter is 36 rows, I love easy math!)

Pictures!!




I also started those pink/purple/white socks for Katie! I've been trying to find patterns that I like, that would also work for these, but it's been harder than I thought. So I'm using a woman's sized pattern with much much smaller yarn and needles. In fact, that's what's made this the hardest, is the fact that I can't find patterns in the right guage. Oh well. As soon as I get leg measurements from her mom, I'll measure what I've got. If it doesn't work, then I pull it out and try something else (omg, I might have I design my own... eeeeep).

So here's what I've got so far:
Yarn: Leithen Ombrero (3x 50g)
Needles: 2.5 mm double points (4)
Pattern: Socks in Three Sizes
Size: Woman

I'm about 7.5" down the leg... I'll wait for measurements before continuting.