All the things!!

I can't help myself. I want to knit all of the things. We were away on vacation. We took Max to Prince Edward Island for a week long hockey camp. While Max was at camp I had quite a bit of downtime which I used to do a little painting and a little reading and a little knitting.  Overall it was a wonderful time. And I got to spend ample time with my oldest grandson. We went tuna fishing and zip lining and we visited a wax museum and a  Ripleys believe it or not museum. WE went to amusement parks and water parks. And we even spent the day at Parlee Beach in Shediac, New Brunswick. My grandson Max hamming it up. It's getting harder and harder to get a decent photo of him 

I managed to do a little yarn shopping. Downtown Charlottetown has a lot of unique shops. I was overwhelmed when I walked in to what I thought was a little boutique selling handknits. It's called Northern Watters Knitwear - and it's so much more than selling knitwear. At the back of the store is a full fledged knit factory going on. There are huge knitting machines cranking out the most glorious hand knit sweaters I've ever seen. And there are handknits sweaters ready for purchase in just about every style, colour and size you can imagine. They also sell woven fabric, pottery, and souvenirs. But for me, the big attraction was the wall of locally dyed/milled yarns. Loads of Fleece Artist and Hand Maiden but others too that I hadn't heard of. They are definitely worth checking out.  I bought two separate Fleece Artist mitten kits.  One called the "Favorite Soft Mitts" which basically involves holding a strand of brushed mohair with a regular spun BFL DK yarn. The resulting fabric is amazing and soft and cushy and warm. Of course I've started already.

This pic doesn't really do it justice but I'll be sure to take a better pic once their finished. I'll write about the other things/kit I bought as I knit them. 

I finished a pair of socks while traveling. These are my standard after thought heel socks 

I love them. The yarn is from Turtlepurl girl or at least I think that's her name. She is a Canadian dyer currently based out of Moncton. She does these fabulous kits called turtle toes and they are wound into individual cakes for each foot. That way both socks should match perfectly.  As you can see mine are a little off. It started right from the cast on. Oh well. If I wanted perfect socks I wouldn't be knitting them right?

2017 - Finishing Old FOs

Today is January 17, 2017.  We are already over half way through the first month in the new year.  Sadly, I have just finished one knitted object.  This year was rang in unlike others.  I wasn't gung ho to start a new project.  I didn't cast on anything new on New Year's Eve.  I just knit on the half dozen or so little projects that I've got squirreled away in various stages of completion all over the house. 

I have SO.MUCH.YARN!  You think I'd be embarrassed by it, but I'm not.  I'm quite proud of it, to be honest.  I jokingly say that I'm getting ready for retirement.  But, when I actually think on this, it might really be true.  Kevin is retired already.  Granted, he is A LOT older than me (not really, just 10 years) and he did start work very young and worked for the provincial government for many many years.  He also is incredibly hard working and managed to save a lot. As a result, Kev has a decent pension and was able to retire comfortably  He's been asking me to consider retiring as well, or at the very least scaling back on my hours so that we can do things together - travel being the biggest thing on his mind.

Until now, I haven't given it a lot of serious thought.  I love my job and can't imagine not doing it.  It is nice to know that if I were to stop working then I'd have enough yarn in my stash that not only would I not need to buy any yarn for many years, but I'd also be able to try new yarn out on a regular basis.  It is a little ridiculous how much I've accumulated.  One day I'll be brave enough and actually post pictures of it all.  Until then it is my own private embarrassment. 

So far this year, I haven't felt driven to start something new.  I have felt the need to finish off some of those half completed projects that I have everywhere.  I'm actually thinking of not starting ANYTHING new, unless I finish an older FO.  Meaning, I can't cast on anything new until I've finished something old.  Maybe by doing this, I'll get a bunch of things finished.

My first FO is a simple pair of after though heel socks that I've knit for Amy's boyfriend Maxime.  He really loves handknit socks and really appreciates them.  He's an easy guy to knit for and so knitworthy.  The yarn is a worsted weight, self striping by Regia or Opal - I cant remember where.  His birthday is in March and Amy may even be going to visit him during his March break.  He is currently doing his PhD in Maryland USA.  Not really worsted weight sock weather there, but he is a native Montrealer, so he can appreciate things to keep warm.



Now, I'm able to cast on something new, but the desire is still not there, so I'm going to go with it.  I want to finish up some more things.  I'm thinking that Quiviut Cowl that I've been knitting forever may be the next up for completion.  I've been savoring the quiviut because it is a joy to knit and its so expensive that I'm doubtful I'll be knitting with this yarn a lot.  Jessie and I purchased a skein of this each a while back.  She knit up her yarn pretty quickly, whereas I've been kind of dragging on the project.  Partly because I want to savor it, but mostly because that's the kind of knitter I am -  casting on whatever strikes my fancy. 

The cowl is very beautiful.  The pattern is in Romi Hill's recent books called New Lace Knitting; Designs for Wide Open Spaces  I've currently got the body of the cowl finished and am working on the short rows for the back of the neck.  Then its on to the lace edging and I'm done.  After that, maybe I'll cast on two new projects.  Or maybe I'll take a look around and see an aran weight cabled cardigan that is 1/3 done, or I'll see those striped mitts that have one finished and the cuff done on the second.  Or, I'll see the bulky weight dropped stitch cowl that's half done.  Sadly, I could go on and on and describe about a dozen other projects.



So, here is to 2017 and the hopes that I will clean out some of the old half finished or even barely started projects.  And, who knows?  Maybe, I'll get bitten by the 'startitis' bug and cast on a dozen new projects between this post and the next one.  I'll be going with the flow in any case. Wish me luck!!

I've Been Sewing

I know I've mentioned Craftsy on this blog before. It is such a great place to learn new things. I love their format and the fact that you can access your classes forever!! 

They have a lot of sewing classes on Craftsy. The first sewing class that I took was a freebie!! It's called "Bag Making Basics" by Kristin Link. The class walks you through making a drawstring bag and a bucket bag. 

I made this cute little drawstring project bag using the techniques learned in this class. I am first and foremost a knitter and a knitter can never have too many project bags. 

The "W.I.P." is embroidered and stands for Work IN Progress. Most knitters would recognize this terminology and would not need to have this explained. 

There are a lot of other little abbreviations that knitters use on a regular basis such as LYS and FO ... But this is a topic for another future blog post.  I wonder is this type of thing found in other hobbies? 

I encourage you all to check out the classes on Craftsy. You are sure to find something that interests you. They have classes on drawing and cake decorating. Photography, calligraphy and bread making! And of course there are loads of knitting, crocheting and quilting classes. They even have classes on spinning! As someone who discovered the magic of spinning entirely online and as such am entirely self taught - the spinning classes in particular make me so happy. 

Living this far north and in a town that is very isolated, I don't have many opportunities to take classes like this. But  Craftsy makes everything so accessible.  I love it. 

I'm so happy with this little bag that it is already housing a new WIP. Any guesses?

If you guessed self striping socks - you are correct!! That seems to be all I want to knit lately - which is really a blessing given the size of my self striping sock yarn stash. 

It really is a little shameful. But, isn't this yarn beautiful?? It's called "Purple Haze" by White Birch Fibre Arts.  This dyer is on etsy and is definitely worth checking out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some bags to sew. 

A Labrador Spring

Spring is one of my favourite times of year in Labrador. Most people in North America herald the arrival of spring with the melting of snow and the growth of new flowers. Not so in Labrador. 

Here is a photo that I took last night from our backyard. Yes, that bit of fence peeking through is a six foot fence. 

We mark the coming of spring by ice fishing!! It is at long last finally warm enough to go outside and enjoy all that snow. Easter weekend is a time in Labrador when everyone seems to be on the ice. Fishing, riding skidoo, games, a boil up (Newfoundland and Labradors word for a picnic) are just a few of the things that most families tend to do around here. 

My son in law Blair is drilling a hole in the ice with his gas ice auger. There is an extension on it and he still just barely made it through the ice. 

 

This is me with two of the trout that I caught. We had such a good time. It was so nice to be outside after being inside all this long cold winter long. 

I accidentally stepped into a fishing hole that was covered in snow and slush and I went over my boots. My feet stayed warm because I had on a pair of my hand knit socks. But I wished I had taken a second pair of dry socks. Kevin told me to take some too. Oh well. 

I did finish knitting another pair of socks. These will do into my sock drawer. And they will keep my feet warm and dry the next time I go ice fishing. 

I love them. They are DK weight which is a little heavier than I like but they are sure to work well inside a winter boot.  We (Newfoundlanders and Labradorians) call short thick socks like these vamps. I think this is word is unique to this province but I could be wrong. I need to knit more of these. For myself and my whole family. 

2015

It's 2015. It's hard to believe how fast the past year went. In retrospect it was a great year - crafting and otherwise. We seemed to travel a lot in 2014. We bought a motorhome! Kevin had some health issues but thankfully all is well now. And I guess the biggest news is that he is retired. 

People keep asking me when I will retire. I'm a good 10 years younger than Kevin and I'm not quite there yet. I love my job still. I enjoy going to work every day.  I guess when it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it.

I've included some photos of the handknits that I made for Christmas gifts this year. 

First up is this hat that Max is wearing. He's wearing it incorrectly. He has the seam in the front. By the way, this is my daughter's boyfriend Max - not my grandson Max. I don't have a time machine. 

It's a Woolly Wormhead pattern. She has the best hat patterns. This hat is for Lucy of course.

These socks I made for my nephew Jordan. The yarn is called perfect turtle toes. The hand dyer is from New Brunswick. She dyes wonderful self striping yarn. And she winds them into two perfectly matching little cakes so that your socks will turn out perfectly.  This color is called dream room.

And this color is called Gatineau fall. It's based off of a famous painting. I did look the painting up but I can't remember the artist but indeed those colors are prevalent. These are for big Max as he's been known around these parts lately.  Some of you may notice that this is his second pair of socks that I've knit. 

He is such a wonderful recipient that I do feel inclined to knit him more pairs. Amy tells me he wears his first pair all the time - even to bed. One time he left them here on a visit and I had to mail them back to Gatineau. Amy said he was so happy to get them in the mail that he hugged them to his chest and said "my socks, my socks." Now I ask you how is a knitter to refuse someone who really appreciates socks like that? Not me.

Time lapse

Totally purloining the yarn harlot here. She recently did three blog posts showing photos of an in progress sock during a couple of trips she made. Well,here is my time lapse sock since I too am travelling. Kev and I are enroute to Newfoundland through Quebec and the maritimes. 

This last one looks mangled but I assure you it's all good. Doing an afterthought heel sock courtesy of Laura Linneman. Here we are are the ferry terminal in Godbout Quebec. Kind of exciting because I can see whales here from the shore. 

Another from the ferry. Sock is done and teo needs grafting but I've left the tapestry needle below deck. And visiting your vehicle while transversing the St Lawrence River is forbidden. Yikes. Should I do a three needle bindoff and go back and Kitchener it later?

So I did the three needle bindoff and am now knitting the afterthought heel  - which is essentially the exact same thing as a toe! Who knew. Perhaps I'll have one sock finished by the time this ferry docks.  

Crazy about Crochet

When Kev was in Montreal earlier this month, he brought me back a new book. 101 One Skein Crochet Wonders by Judith Durant. I haven't been crocheting in a long while. And for some reason, my knitting mojo has reached an all time low. So this was just the thing I needed. There are so many really cute things in this book and I'm sure its one I'll turn to time and again when the mood to crochet strikes me. One thing I noticed about this book is that it seems to make use of yarns like Noro that utitlize long repeats of colour. Those are some of my favorite yarns, and I have a lot of them in my stash - single skeins that I'm not sure what to do with.

I couldn't resist crocheting up this cute bunny. He seemed to progress so quickly. I couldn't stop crocheting the little pieces. They came together so nicely. And notice how the colours line up so perfectly on the different parts. This was a happy accident! They yarn is acrylic - Bernat Mosaic. Not a yarn, I'd normally chose but for a toy, I think it works perfectly.










And in other news I finally finished the Leaflet sweater that I started back in November. I like it a lot and I'm not sure why it went into the 'hibernation' pile.





And I'm still plugging away on these Hope Springs Eternal Socks. I'm enjoying the pattern and the yarn. These will be finished soon! I just love how the colours are pooling and swirling around the leg of the socks!

I lied

As you can see from the date of the last post and the date of this post (an entire month later!) that my pledge to blog more and to take more pictures was in fact A BIG FAT LIE. What is it that they say about the road to ....somewhere being paved with good intentions. Yeah. Well, it seems that I'm heading down that road. But enough about that....lets get to the knitting. Because yes, I have been knitting.

Its baby time around these parts. I showed you the little hat that I'd knit for Lisa's baby Addison. Shame on me that it hasn't been gifted to her yet. Good thing that she's teeny tiny and it will fit her for a while. And to make matters worse, we live on the same street now. So, even though Lisa is on maternity leave and I don't see her as much, there is absolutely no excuse why this little hat and sweater set hasn't been given to her yet. Well, there is an excuse I guess. I haven't sewn on the buttons yet. Yikes!! I've had them for over a month now. Procrastinate much?

I was very excited that I joined Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club in January!! I think this must be one of the most well known knitting clubs around. I didn't sign back up for Ann Hanson's Bare Naked Knit Club this year. I enjoy her clubs. I've done two of the Fall into Full Color Clubs and one Bare Naked Knitspot, but when I evaluated what I had knit from each club, I decided not to sign up for the Bare Naked one. As interesting as it sounds, it has nothing to do with knitting bare naked, but the yarn was in fact bare naked. That is completely undyed and in its natural colour. The yarn was beautiful as were the patterns, but I was craving colour during this long long Labrador winter. Hence the switch to the Rockin' Sock Club.

My first shipment arrived and it did not disappoint. The yarn is a medium weight sock yarn and it is so plump and round. I loved knitting with it. There was also a cute bumper sticker and some buttons proclaiming how proud I am to be a sock knitter. This yarn is very well known and well loved. I can't believe its taken me this long to knit with it. I forsee a big order in my future. I'm not sure if I can wait for club shipments. All my other sock yarn now feels.....I don't know ....almost flat in comparison to this. And the two patterns that came with the shipment were great too. I had a tough time deciding which one I would knit, but I had promised Morgan some socks. So here they are. The colour is called Portland Plaid and I am smitten. So is Morgan. After trying on the first sock he demanded that I finish the second one right away. He wanted to sleep with the one sock on and I had to fight him a bit to get him to take it off so I'm calling it a success.

Here they are. Gorgeous aren't they?

I Can't Believe.....

I can't believe that I haven't blogged yet this month. Its been an incredibly busy, productive month. I went to visit Amy!!! She had her final graduation recital and she rocked it! She was beautiful and amazing and everything that a I knew she would be. I was beyond proud! My daughter is so talented, I have no words. We had a really great time - lots of great food and some great shopping in Sherbrooke and Montreal. Of course I went to a yarn shop. I went to Mouline this time around. I bought a sweater's worth of Madenline Tosh chunky! I can't wait to try it out. I'm debating on which sweater it will actually become, but time will tell. Here are a few photos of some of the things that I've made recently....mostly knit while travelling. First up....a hat made from 100% yak fiber. The pattern is Anne Hanson's of Knitspot. I'm a member of her Bare Naked club and I love it so much. Yarn in its natural colour. This yak is divine. So soft!

And then I made a sock ... and a half. The pattern is Cat Bordhi's and its from the book 'The Knitter's Book of Socks'. This sock is knit toe up and has a really interesting arch expansion construction. And its extremely comfortable to wear. Here's hoping that I don't come down with second sock syndrome and can manage to knit the second one...well, there is more travelling in my future so I'm sure that it'll get done...eventually. Lol. The yarn is from esty seller lollypop yarns...and I love the self striping. I love this sellers stuff, but getting some of her yarn has proven near on impossible. I have to stalk her website like a crazed lunatic and even then you end up getting cart jacked. I've almost knit up the two balls I have and well, I neeeeeed more... I think I have a problem. Yes, I do...this girls shop and Loop. I'm not even linking the shops here just in case I have a reader that might be interested...lol...selfish much?

And finally, the best thing that I've ever made....the project that I'm most proud of....my magnus opus if you will.

Isn't she beautiful??? I just love her so much!

Off the Needles!

I've finished a couple of projects. I've decided that my New Years resolution in knitting is to not cast on anything new until I either finish something or frog something currently on the needles. And, every second project that I cast on has to be in handspun! Hows that for a resolution that I can keep?

So, I finished a couple of things. First up...this little dude.

Or dudette? The pattern is Harriet the Habberdashery Hippo by Rebecca Danger and I love it!!

I'm so tempted to buy her book - the big book of knitted monsters I don't knit a lot of toys, but I think I could be easily swayed to knit more if they all turn out as cute as this. And can you believe that this is the second hippo that I've knit? I'm not sure which I like best.

I also finished a pair of socks and I've been wearing them a lot eversince. I especially like wearing my handknit socks to bed. I am on my feet a lot during the day and often will wake up with pain in my feet. It seems if I rub foot lotion and wear these socks to bed, I don't have this problem nearly as much.

The yarn is Berocco Sox and the pattern is The Knitmore Girls Vanilla Socks. This has become my go to sock pattern and I've already cast on for another pair. I need to build up my stash of knitted socks since most of my older ones have developed holes or have become slightly felted. Maybe its time to do some mending.

Just keep knitting

I've been knitting away trying to finish my symmetric cardigan. I've gotten to the sleeves and have finished one. But now, I've started the 'Owls' sweater for Amy. I got the yarn from Elann and I must say, it is quite nice and soft. Here is how it looks so far.


In other news, I've finally gotten the Webs order. This was placed before Christmas, but apparently they were waiting on a shipment of malibrigo. I told them to send the order on without the malibrigo. I did get Noro Kuryeon sock yarn that I've been dieing to try. Here is what I've done with it so far.



The jury is out on this yarn. It is much like the worsted weigth version, except sock yarn. I do love the colour transitions, but there are quite a few thick and thin spots. I'm not sure how that will wear with a sock yarn. By the way, the pattern is called 'Magic Mirror' and it alot of fun to knit and follow the charts.

Anyone Remember Finnegan?

Well, I've made a green Finnegan. You know, the grey hand puppet dog from the old 'Mr. Dressup' series. Its a Canadian thing.

He came about by accident. As you can likely tell, he is made from a sock, a hand knit sock. The other sock was felted. On Ravelry, I'm participating in the 'Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup'. I'm taking transfiguration this month. The assignment was to 'transfigure' a WIP or a thrift store find using steeking, embroidery, sewing etc. into something else. Well, here is my something else. I like him.

Moving right along

I'm up to the heel on these toe up socks. I must admit that I much prefer the heel flap method of turning a heel than this short row business. But, I must broaden my knitting horizons by trying new techniques. They sure are pretty though.

I'm also moving right along on the handspun scarf. I can tell how overspun this stuff is as I'm knitting it. Its not something overtly apparent by just looking at it, or even just touching it. But knitting with it, is a different story. This pattern is a perfect fit for handspun yarn.

I have a new computer!

Lalalalala! Yes thats me singing. I'm so happy. Pictures load so quickly. Now, I have to get my good camera back from repairs at the Future shop, but I'm hopeful. In the meantime, my old standby camera will suffice.

I've finally bitten the bullet and have decided to actually work with my handspun. I'm knitting the sea and surf scarf from Interweave's Spin Off magazine. I do believe this pattern is available free somewhere on the internet too. It really highlights handspun yarn very well I think.



I also finished my sock club socks.


They are called Flying South, and they are in Fleece Artist. I love them. I got my second installment of sock club yarn too. It is droolworthy.



The pattern that came this month is called 'Twisted Licorice'. Its a nice cabled rib pattern. I will be casting on shortly. This is my first sock club and I'm really enjoying it. It is so nice getting surprise yarn in the mail. So far I have loved the two skeins that I've been sent.

I've been bad.

I bought $180 worth of yarn. There. I said it. I'm not apologizing, but I just glanced through my stash and it is seriously getting out of hand. I blame it on the stress. I went to Bathurst with Amy for her orthophragnatic surgery. She had her top jaw broken in two places and her bottom jaw broken on one side. It's a very unpleasant experience to see your only child in such misery. But I used yarn as a coping mechanism.

I also cast on for two new projects. I bought a kit for thrummed mittens - which I've been dying to try ever since I learned that this is a Newfoundland technique. Who knew? I've seen (and likely owned) thrummed things all my life, but never knew that it originated here.

We have a very rich knitting history. I also cast on for another pair of plain vanilla socks. I'm not even sure what the yarn is. The truth is that I only bought it because it has aloe vera in it, and I really wanted to give it a try.


I also finished my Spring Forward socks from knitty. They are lovely and blocking as I type.

Monogamy?

Me? Monogamous? Hard to believe, but I haven't been able to knit on anything except the 'Draw String Raglan' from Interweave Knits Summer edition. I don't know what it is about this particular project that makes me desire it so. I even had a bunch of yarns come in from www.pickupsticks.com . Am I tempted? Not a bit. Now I look and fondle a little. It is malabrigo after all. But I can't seem to put my raglan down.

I'm going out of town on Sunday for a short trip and the raglan isn't condusive to travel knitting, so I will be forced away from my beloved. Maybe I'll knit socks. Knitty's 'spring forward' is calling me a little.

Does this make my feet look fat?

I just posted this FO on ravelry and noticed how chubby my little tootsies look in this photo. I'm not a small girl by any means, but my feet aren't fat! I guess its just the angle. Thats my story anyway.

Simple sock pattern from collingnette. The yarn is jitterbug - really nice. The colour is fruit coulis. I like 'em.

Why is there no joy in sock knitting?

I ponder this a lot. Other people love it. Other people obsess over sock knitting. Not me. I love the yarn. I love the finished product, but I hate knitting the damned things. I thought this time would be different. I tried entrelac socks. Now, I love entrelac. You only need to look at my long line of 'Danica's' to figure that out. So I thought just this one, I would find the joy. But, sadly no.

I am determined to find a sock pattern that I love. One that I don't dread knitting. I'm thinking a plain stockinette, in a larger weight yarn might do the trick. Old fashioned vamps. Or maybe something with an interesting construction. I might even try magic loop next time. We'll see.

On the bright side though, they are pretty aren't they?