Knitting and Stress

Needless to say, the past month or so has been very stressful. Dealing with contractors and insurance adjusters hasn't been fun. I found myself very stressed - too stressed to knit even. I know, shocker. So, I've been thinking was I not knitting because I was stressed or was I stressed because I wasn't knitting?

I'm starting to think the answer is the latter, because I've forced myself to make a conscious effort to knit a little every day and I no long feel quite as stressed. I'm able to cope a little better.

As a result, I have some amazing FOs to show off.

First up, is this great little shawl. Its from the Knitspot Bare Naked Club. I loved knitting this shawl so much. It was knit with Brooklyn Tweeds Loft yarn in all natural colours. I predict I'll knit more of this pattern. I've always been a big fan of feather and fan lace.

And this beauty is my first forray into beaded knitting. Its called "My Hope" and it was designed by Laura Linneman of the Knitgirllls podcast to be used as a fundraiser for the Make a Wish Foundation. I enjoyed knitting this as well, but I totally messed up the beaded bind off. My fault for not reading the pattern correctly at all. I've put off weaving in ends because I've noticed several mistakes and I'm debating try to fudge/fix them or take it out and do it again. We'll see how it goes. But isn't it gorgeous? The yarn is Tanis Fibrearts blue label and OMG - Look at that purple. It nearly glows!

And my final FO is another Minty (Knitty pattern). This is the third minty that I've knit. It remains my daughter's favorite hat pattern. I started knitting this with her in mind, but it turns out that she isn't a fan of the variegated yarn. Oh well, I loved it. And I think it will likely be a gift for someone. The yarn is very unique. I've lost the tag (it came off in the washing of the stash that I could save because of the fire) but I know it came from a stall at the Farmer's market in Halifax. It came from Lismore Sheep Farm Wool Shop and it was a part of their "Easy Scarf Kit". Nat gave me this for Christmas last year. I'm not an easy scarf knitter, but I loved this yarn so much!

To make up for the disappointment that Amy felt with not having the hat that she wanted (ie solid) I started knitting Amy a Honey Cowl. She really liked this handspun (even though its not solid. Whats up with that Amy?) Its one of my Loop Batts. And boy, am I ever enjoying knitting this one. I think I'll be knitting more Honey Cowls this season. Maybe for Christmas gifts. I can see all my girls wearing these.

So, to sum up....lots of knitting going on....less stress. I can't say no stress because that would be nearly impossible - but certainly less. The moral of the story is to knit more, knit often, take lots of knitting stress breaks. Its good for your health.

Mittens for Me finished!

But they are unlikely to remain mine. Stepdaughter Nat has been bumming asking for a pair of fingerless gloves for quite some time now. She has taken up curling this winter and fingerless mitts are just the thing. So, I will give these to her with a good heart.

Her father is modelling them here, which just goes to show how stretchy this pattern is. The design is from Laura Lineman of the Knitgirllls podcast. They were doing a KAL on their ravelry board, and I find it hard to resist a good KAL especially one involving mittens. Lol. You can find the pattern here. The blue yarn is Malabrigo Sock that I think I got in Montreal, but am not 100% sure. The orange is Tanis Fibre Arts purple label (with cashmere) that I bought from Jenny at A Good Yarn in St. John's.

And in other news, I'm working on these after thought heel socks that Im knitting using the yarn from the last blog post. I love, love, love knitting this yarn. But I'm currently stalled on these because I didn't measure my feet correctly and they are too short after putting in the heel. I need to undo the toes and knit them longer, which is easy enough, but right now, I just couldn't be bothered.

They sure are pretty though, aren't they?

Great Mail Day!!!

I love it when I get parcels in the mail that I'm not expecting. I especially love it when those parcels contain yarn or fiber. Both of these bundles were etsy purchases.

I'm continuing my love affair with Loop bullseye batts.

I have never been so smitten in my life. As soon as a Loop Batt comes into my house I feel that I must spin it up right away. Usually when I buy fiber that I like, it tends to sit in the stash for months - years, even, until the urge strikes me to spin it - or until Tour de Fleece comes and I spin like a crazy lady. But this stuff.....no....I have to spin it straight away. But, I have stuff on all the wheels (and spindles) right now. So, I must finish some things first. And I'm doing a spin along!!

Which brings me to my next happy mail bundle!

Its from etsy seller The Sheep's Company Its my first time buying from this shop and I was very pleased with the service and the product. I love natural fibers and I love it in its natural state.

The spin along is hosted by my favorite video podcasters The Knit Girllls. We are spinning different fibers all year long. Every second month is a different breed of sheep and this months' sheep is Shetland. I'm really looking forward to spinning this stuff up. The roving is so nice to feel. You can feel that some of the sheeps natural oil has been left in and I like that.

Ok, gotta go and spin so I can have some free bobbins!!