Knit Pixxie... Yarns and Tall Tails

2010-02-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

In 1988 I was 5 years old. I watched figure skating on TV with my parents while my mom explained the Battle of the Brians and Kurt Browning trying a quad. So began my love of this sport (as a spectator anyway). In 1993 I watched on TV as Canadians finished 1 and 2 in men's and 1st in pairs. At the time I told myself that one day I would be there when a Canadian stood a top the podium at Worlds. I did that in 2001.

When Vancouver was awarded the games in 2003 I was ecstatic. I believed that I would actually get the chance to see figure skating live at the Olympics. I looked forward to it. 2010 seemed so far away. Well it turns out that 2010 really was far away because in the intervening years I have had 4 different jobs, graduated from university, started a career and gotten engaged. Life is not the same as it was in 2003 (in such a good way). So when the lottery for tickets started I hemmed and hawed and in the end, didn't try for tickets. I told myself it didn't matter. I kept telling myself it didn't matter and got increasingly irritated and cynical about the Olympics.

Not all that long ago, I began to really realize how much I really did want to see the skating. I mean, I imagined such a thing as a little 5 year old. With a bit of patience and persistence (who knew Wollmeise stalking skills were transferable) I was able to get tickets, and tonight, attended the men's short program.

I wasn't sure it could possibly live up to the dreams of a five year old me but you know what, it really did. The skating was, for the most part, top notch and the atmosphere incredible. I was just about giddy the whole time and could scarcely believe I was there.

I brought my Ravelympics project of course. Progress continues.

Ravelympics: Day 3 of Competition

2010-02-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

Megknitficent is definitely the underdog in the Sweaterboard Cross competition. She competed in 2008 but got only a third of the way through before giving up completely. With that in mind, some expected that she would attempt an easier project this year. In a risky move, she instead decided to attempt a fair isle vest. If she is successful, it will be a first for her but it's a long shot. We spoke to her recently about her chances.

"I definitely didn't perform as well as I had hoped in 2008 but to be honest, I was coming off of a challenging few months and my heart just wasn't in it. This year I have focus and committment and I'm here to win gold for Canada."

In this third day of competition she seems to be on track. She has started the bust shaping and it seems to be going well. We must remember though that she has set herself a demanding schedule so we'll have to wait and see how the competition shapes up as we get further into the Games.

I Have a Podcast!

2010-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is something I've wanted to do for a while so I made it one of my 2010 goals. And what better time to start than at the very start of the New Year.

So I am pleased to announce that the premiere episode of It's Spelled P.U.R.L is now available on libsyn and ITunes.

Download it here. You can also search for it on ITunes.

2009 in review

2009-12-31T10:55:00.001-08:00

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Went to a big knitting convention, got engaged, knit a wedding veil, not in that order
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t think I made any
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
my friend Shannon had a boy in May
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the USA, I went to Seattle a couple times, Portland, Vermont and Massachussetts, with a brief and unexpected visit to Washington DC
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? a husband
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 20th
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
well getting engaged wasn’t an accomplishment exactly so I’ll say knitting my wedding veil
9. What was your biggest failure?
I prefer to think of them as learning experiences ;)
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had the flu for the first time in years, that wasn’t so fun but otherwise no
11. What was the best thing you bought?
my wedding dress!
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Augie, my family
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Over the past few years I have made a concerted effort not to let the behavior of others affect me in a negative way
14. Where did most of your money go?
the wedding
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
the wedding, Sock Summit
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
none
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? – happier, so much happier
b) thinner or fatter? - I wouldn’t say fatter but I put on a few pounds
c) richer or poorer? – the same I think
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
knit, spun, spent time with friends
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
being stressed
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family and Augie.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
yes, again and again every day
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Mayday
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. Hate is a wasted emotion
24. What was the best book you read?
none stand out. I reread the Anne of Green Gables series though
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
nothing comes to mind
26. What did you want and get?
a fiance!
27. What did you want and not get?
nothing stands out
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and I had dinner with Augie
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
can’t imagine a more satisfying year
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I need to do laundry chic
32. What kept you sane?
knitting, Augie, Ravelry (not necessarily in that order)
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
no one
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
the healthcare debate
35. Who did you miss?
I miss my cat Desi now that she doesn’t live with me
36. Who was the best new person you met?
all the knitting people at Sock Summit
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
the importance of prioritizing both time and money
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
none

Finished!

2009-12-22T16:48:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe it. After several months of work I have finished my wedding veil. Not just the knitting of it either. At the start of Sunday I had 20 repeats to go. My plan was to knit 10 on Sunday and 10 on Monday but when I finished the 10 on Sunday I just couldn't stop. I was so close. I even grafted the edges together very late Sunday night because I didn't want to put it down.

I blocked it yesterday. I actually had to go out and buy some more of those interlocking mats because I didn't have quite enough. I used 9 of them altogether and it took up the whole thing. It took up a huge part of our living room. You couldn't walk from the kitched to the dining room or living room without tiptoeing around it. So for dinner we passed things to each other through the kitchen and ate in the yarn room. Luckily cobweb weight dries really fast and I was able to unpin it by bedtime.

I don't have the greatest pics yet because of the light but this will do for now.

Specs:
Pattern: Spanish Peacock Shawl from Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen.
Edging Pattern: Classic Beaded Edging from Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury
Yarn: Baruffa Cashwool approximately 1.25 skeins. Had I chosen a less involved edging it would have taken a single skein.

Thoughts:
This project was by far the biggest undertaking in my knitting so far. I've had projects that have taken even longer to finish but they spent a lot of time hibernating. Other than a few weeks off here and there I worked on this pretty steadily. It was absolutely worth every minute and I love it.

The Spanish Peacock pattern is really not difficult. The key is figuring out where to move the start of the round so that the rows line up. I have more details on this on my projects page on Ravelry.

Finish Line

2009-12-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

As of this writing, there are a mere 10 repeats of edging left on the veil. That is a mere 120 rows. That may not sound like almost done but that is a 120 rows down from 1920. So very close.

This week I talked some of my knitting group friends into knitting rows on it. It seemed only fitting to have these people, who have seen this project from the start, get a few stitches in. No plain stockinette for them either. There are no plain rows on the edging pattern so they all knit lace. Many thanks guys.

I will probably finish it tomorrow and then need to face the challenge of blocking it. I can't say I'm really looking forward to that task but I bought blocking wires a while back in anticipation of the task.

Veil Update: December 13

2009-12-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

I've found my veil knitting mojo and have actually gotten a lot of work done on it in the last few days. I am down to 57 repeats of the edging pattern, down from over 160. I spread it out today to see the progress. I apologize for the crappiness of the picture but it's the best I could do with its size and the lack of good light. I'm really happy with it though and I'm looking forward to seeing it all blocked.

Hopefully this burst of motivation lasts until I finish and block it. Blocking it will no doubt be another endeavor.

Some Stash Enhancement

2009-11-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Clearly I fail at Nanoblopomo since I missed nearly a full week of posting but since I typically blog once a month or less I'm calling it a win.

Today has been a week of stash enhancement. First, something that has taken it's sweet time getting to me:

That's a sweater's worth of Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Black over Violet that I have been coveting to make Snow White for several months now. It is also some veil motivation as I am not allowed to do anything with it until the monster project is finished. (Please don't ask how that's coming along, it makes me all twitchy). I don't know why but it took a full 3 weeks for this to reach me even though it was sent air mail and shows no sign of being inspected by customs.

Then today I headed to the yarn store to pick up yarn for the swap put on by one of my knitting groups. (No, I'm not posting it). Somehow I also came home with this:

A skein of Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in the Snap Dragon colourway. I bought one of the first skeins of this base back when her studio opened and couldn't resist getting more.

And I also picked up yarn to make some things for Andrew, who had kindly kept me company on the outing. He picked up yarn for felted clogs and mittens.

Alright, back to knitting my swap knits.

2009-11-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

One of these days I will write a real post and not a oh crap I better post today post.

Today is not the day.

2009-11-14T21:44:00.001-08:00

We went back to the Circle Craft Christmas Market today to do some more Christmas shopping and spent a few more hours there than intended. At least we got a big chunk of our gift buying done. Hurrah for being almost done Christmas shopping before December.

I almost had a falling down over a beautiful decorative doll. I managed to resist but just barely.

I definitely enjoyed the market but boy is it more of an adventure than the smaller markets I usually go to.

Now I must get to bed for there is a busy day ahead of me. I have a house to clean, a 7 year old's birthday to attend and my parents' coming for dinner.

2009-11-13T23:36:00.000-08:00

I'm coming in under the wire on this one because I just got back from the Circle Craft Christmas Market. It was my first time going and I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming. I think I'll be going back tomorrow.

I did manage to buy two Christmas gifts though. I'll post more about it later. Right now, me too sleepy. (And slightly buzzed from the post-craft-show nosh)

Spinning in Progress

2009-11-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

As I wrote earlier in the week, I received my fiber for the All Spun Up Spin A Long on Monday. For the spin along, you sign up for however many bumps of fiber you want. The colourway is a surprise but the fiber is not. This was my first time participating and I'm so glad I did. I started spinning in up yesterday as soon as my wheel was free and I finished the singles today.

So far I've really enjoyed spinning this. It is beautifully prepared, a stark contrast to the fiber I've been spinning recently that was full of lumpy bits. The colours are less dark than the pictures and spin up beautifully.

Lest We Forget

2009-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

A lot of my peers remember hearing stories from their grandfathers who fought in WWII. Neither of mine did. My dad's dad was too ill and my grandfather wasn't old enough. Had it lasted another year he would have gone. He paid for that as an adult. He went out east to find work and no one would hire him. Finally, a manager told him he'd never get a job in Ontario with his German last name as long as there were veterans looking for work.

It would be nice to believe that that kind of prejudice no longer exists but one need only look at the comments on news sites about the last name of the man suspected of the Fort Hood shootings or the violence experienced by Muslims after 9/11. On Remembrance Day I think it is important to remember that these men and women fought and died to make the world more just and less prejudiced. We should be thanking them by not judging others by their last names or what countries they come from whether it's Germany, Japan, Iraq or anywhere else.

Happy Half-Weekend

2009-11-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, and a day off here in B.C. I personally like these mid week holidays. It makes it feel like two really short weeks which is kind of nice.

I started a new job at work this week. I'm figuring things out but it's a lot to learn and I'm glad to have the extra day to unwind a bit before jumping back in on Thursday.

Tomorrow I will hopefully use some of the daylight to take some photos of my new acquisitions so you will have a fibery post to read.

Big Box of Fluffy

2009-11-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

I've been known to occasionally talk in my sleep, usually random exclamations. A few months ago, shortly after I got my Lendrum actually, I apparently exclaimed "big box of fluffies!" in my sleep, complete with arm gestures. In our household spinning fiber is referred to as fluff. Apparently I was having a good dream.

Anyway, the reason I was thinking of this is because when I got home today, our mail box was stuffed full of packages containing fluff, the All Spun Up Spin a Long fiber and roving from Frecklefaced Fiber. No pictures yet unfortunately because of the lack of light, perhaps this weekend. I'm expecting a couple more packages.

FO: Tilted Duster

2009-11-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughn
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia 6 skeins
Modifications: None

I'm really happy with how this turned out and how it fits. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it. It is a pretty easy knit and a lot quicker than you'd expect from a long sweater. It only took me as long as it did because it spent a lot of time in hibernation. I think I actually spent about a month's worth of knitting on it.

2009-11-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

I had planned on doing a FO post for the Tilted Duster today but the rain prevented me from taking any good photos. Maybe tomorrow. So instead I am copping out with a 5 interesting facts about Megan post.

1. As a child I had an imaginary country instead of imaginary friends. I was queen. It was accessed via Patterson Skytrain station and was called Skatchina
2. I am afraid of stairs
3. I once auditioned for a reality tv show as part of a school project. I got an A
4. I've never watched an episode of the Simpsons and am strangely proud of that
5. I learned to knit so I'd have something to do on my long commute

On Stash

2009-11-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

A thread was recently revived on Ravelry about stashing and materialism. Someone pointed me in the direction of a post I made early in the thread over a year ago in which I stated that I didn’t really ‘stash.’ Obviously it’s safe to say that’s no longer true.

Let me say right off that I don’t feel one bit bad about my stash. It brings me inspiration and comfort. There is a reason why I have nicknamed the craft room the “Room of Happiness.”

I studied consumer culture as part of my degree so I am quite well versed in the academic theories surrounding materialism and conspicuous consumption. I won’t claim to be immune. In fact, I don’t think anyone in North America, knitter or not is immune. To a point we are all vulnerable to comparing what we have to what others have and many who make a deliberate effort not to consume conspicuously are actually practicing conspicuous non-consumption. That is, in my opinion, just another way of using your consumption, or lack thereof to define you. While conspicuous consumption may be far more prevalent in modern times than it ever was, humans have been defining themselves by their possessions for hundreds of years. We’re simply more aware of it now.

It is not wrong to have stuff. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with hanging on to stuff either so long as it isn’t causing you or others undue harm. My great-grandmother was extremely poor as a child. She married at 16 so that she wouldn’t be hungry anymore and throughout her life she filled her house with possessions. Those possessions brought her great happiness because she remembered when she had nothing. Yes, she was absolutely hoarding but her house was kept clean, her children and husband were always fed and clothed and no harm was done.

I’ve found that my stashing has highs and lows. There are times when I’m buying a lot (like Sock Summit or the great yarn acquisitions of January) and there are times when I don’t really feel a pull to buy yarn. I’ll likely continue to buy yarn and fiber. Some will be used immediately and some won’t. I’m okay with that.

Bet Progress

2009-11-04T21:39:00.001-08:00

Back at New Year's I made a bet with Andrew. If I finished 3 sweaters and 10 pairs of socks, I got an Addi Clicks set. If I failed, he got two pairs of socks. We later changed the terms and agreed that any sock yarn project counted and the veil also counted as a sweater. Here's the progress so far:

Socks and Sock Yarn Projects:

1. Japanese Vines Scarf
2. Baby Yours Sweater
3. Monkey Socks
4. Lacy Rib Socks
5. Leyburn Socks
6. Entangled Stitches Gloves (95% complete)
7. Argyle Socks (40% complete)

Sweaters and Veil

1. Owls
2. Tilted Duster
3. Veil (90%)

I'm cutting it close but it just might be doable. And perhaps the desire to win the bet will be the motivation I need to power through the end of the veil

Dear Buttons that I bought Yesterday

2009-11-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Where the heck are you? I dutifully bit the bullet and seamed the sleeves of my Tilted Duster and planned on finishing it tonight. I went to Dressew yesterday to buy you and put you in the yarn room. Why is it then that when I went to get you today to sew you on to the sweater you are nowhere to be found? I know you are here somewhere so please stop hiding. I do not want to buy more buttons, especially since if I do you will no doubt reappear the moment the last button is sewn on.

Please reappear. This is really not amusing. It is rare that I actually get something finished and do not like you standing in my way.

Love Megan

Day 2

2009-11-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

I can already see that this post a day thing is going to be a stretch. After all, the only post I managed to make yesterday was from my iphone. I do like a challenge though so we'll see what happens.

I'm nearly finished the Tilted Duster. I just need to sew up the sleeves and sew on the buttons and it will be ready to wear. The seaming is taking forever though. Ugh. My plan is to finish tomorrow. I'm also almost finished the first Entangled Stitches glove, fingers and all.

The downside to all this knitting productivity? I'm almost out of 'loophole projects.' I'm not allowed to cast anything on until the white behemoth is complete so soon I will be forced to just finish it. Not that that's a bad thing.

Mission: Possible?

2009-11-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

I've decided to attempt nanoblopomo. Given the lateness of this first post I don't have high expectations.

WIP Round Up

2009-10-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

I've stalled on the veil. Knitted edgings on circular shawls are truly the black hole of knitting. I have to knit two edging rows for every shawl stitch which adds up to a whopping 1920 rows. Yes you read that right. I think I'm about halfway done but I didn't touch it for 3 weeks. Here's what it looks like as of today.

The plus side to the veil avoidance is that I've picked up a number of my old WIPs and worked on them. I have a deal with a friend that I won't cast on anything new until the veil is finished. Enter a loophole: old projects are already cast on and therefore don't count. While avoiding the veil I have finished a pair of Leyburns

I started these several months ago but only worked on them sporadically. When I did work on them they went pretty fast. I used Shibui sock but I don't remember the colourway.

I finished the body of a Tilted Duster

I started this back in February and then spring came and a long wool sweater was the last thing I wanted to work on. It's definitely fall now so I am motivated to finish it. I'm working on the sleeves now. The yarn is Berocco Peruvia, picked up at the WEBS Brick and Mortar store last January. It's one of my favourite colours.

I've worked on some gloves

I started them last winter but they're very fiddly and I put them down when it stopped being glove weather. Once again the coming winter is motivating me to get them done. I finished the hand of the right glove and will finish the hand of the left glove before I work on the fingers for both of them.

Last but not least I have also been working on some argyle socks.

I took an argyle socks class at Sock Summit and cast on a full sized pair immediately while the technique was still fresh in my mind. I love the colours of these.

In other news, I recently received these in the mail from Slipped Stitch Studios.

A cute project bag and a matching interchangeable needle case. I love these. Check out her shop. She has awesome stuff.

Put a Spin on It

2009-08-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Look what came to live with me!

It is a brand new Lendrum DT spinning wheel, fresh out of the box. I picked it up a week ago.

I've wanted one of these wheels for quite a while. My Louet is okay but it is limited in its capabilities (or at least what I am able to do with it). The Lendrum has a huge range of ratios and is more versatile. A few months ago I inquired with a local company to see if they had any and they told me they had a shipment arriving in August. I decided not to put my name on one because I was going to Sock Summit and would need more time to save up for a wheel after that.

Last week the company emailed me to let me know that they'd received a shipment and one of them was unspoken for. Would I like it? I was torn. It took several monhs for this order to come in so if I didn't get it I could be waiting a long time. Then Augie said he'd buy it for me. Yay!

I've been spinning on it all week (and neglecting the veil oops) and I love it.

Sock Summit Finale

2009-08-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had Argyle Socks with Anne Berk. I've wanted to learn to knit this type of socks for a while and when the class list came out it was the first one I knew I wanted to take. The technique is very interesting and not as challenging as I thought. I got confused and messed up a few times and didn't end up finishing my mini sock in class but I cast on for a full-sized pair that evening. I wanted to keep things fresh in my head.

I also went to the Ravelry party, got there a little late but it was still fun. Afterwards I went with some friends to Voodoo Donuts, a donut store known in Portland for its unique creations. I had a donut with oreo cookies on it. I have to admit, the novelty is fun but the actual donut wasn't that great. They obviously focus on what to put on the donuts and not on the donuts themselves.

On Sunday I went to Powell's with Jen. Unfortunately neither of us could attend the Luminary Panel because of the timing of our flights. I was disappointed but in the end I was also glad to get home at a reasonable time on Sunday.

To sum up, Sock Summit was awesome! It was a totally cool experience and I am very very glad I decided to go after all. I think I would have regretted missing it. If there is another one in the future, I'm definitely going to try to go, no matter where it is.

Sock Summit Recap Day 2

2009-08-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

I got kind of lax about taking photos after the first day so the next posts will be photoless. I guess I was too busy having fun and learning.

Day two I had a morning class with Chrissy Gardiner called Textured Colorwork. This class was about the Bohus style of knitting which uses both knit and purl stitches in stranded colourwork to create texture. It was my first time doing stranded knitting and it really wasn't too hard, though I dislike purling in continental. I definitely want to experiment with designing some socks based on what I learned in this class. Some of the samples were just gorgeous. Chrissy is a really fun teacher too.

After class I went to the World Record Attempt. What fun to see all those knitters knitting together. I just knit a swatch because we had to use straight needles and all my current projects are on circs. I believe the count was 935 people which is definitely more than the current record but we don't know if we officially did it until the organizers hear back from Guiness.

I made a beeline from the World Record thing to the booksigning. It wasn't due to start yet but I wanted to get in line for Barbara Walker. This was my best shot and getting her to knit on my veil. I have to admit, I almost chickened out. She was very sweet about it, as were they all. I had a few more people sign books and knit on the veil before heading to the marketplace.

I have to admit, I was a little dazed after the booksigning but I did buy some more yarn. Then I went to dinner with some other knitters before arriving rather late to the Sock Hop.

At the Sock Hop, I was showing some Ravelry friends the veil when we noticed some dropped stitches. Horrors! Luckily knitters come prepared and someone got me a safety pin to secure the dropped stitched. I performed a quick fix there, in the middle of the Sock Hop and cleaned up the fix later on. It's not quite perfect but it's pretty hard to tell and it adds character anyway. Besides, as if I'd ever frog that round!

Sock Summit Recap

2009-08-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, Sock Summit was a pretty amazing experience. And I have to say that the true highlight was the experience of spending four days with 'my people.' People who don't think it's strange when you crouch on the floor to examine their socks and who (hardly) bat an eyelash when you ask them to knit on a wedding veil. It was truly incredible to spend that time with so many people with whom I share a passion.

Day 1

I got into Portland around 8pm on Wednesday. It might have been nice to arrive earlier but I was minimizing the amount of time I needed to take off work. The flight was quick an uneventful but I had a fun experience at US Customs. I was flagged for a bag check and it turned out the agent was a knitter. She was quite excited to see my handknit socks.

On Thursday Jen, my roommate and I headed for the convention center a little early so I could get all registered. I was expecting longer lines but registration was actually very easy. My first class was Dancing with Socks with Cat Bordhi and it was totally mind-melting. I learned a lot of cool tricks but mostly I learned that you don't have to follow the rules and architectures set out for you. There are limitless ways of knitting a sock. In class I knit a mini-sock.

The green one is mine. The multi-coloured one on the left is Mrs Quimby's. I think this is the first time I've finished a class project during class. We both knit the Upstream Sock.

Cat also talked about her new book. I can't give you any details because I am sworn to secrecy until it's published but I will say that I am definitely going to have to buy this book. It comes out in October. Look for it. Trust me.

After class I joined the other throngs of knitters to enter the marketplace. The market was only open to students that day. I made a beeline for the Yarn Love/Three Irish Girls booth because I had my eye on Father Time, one of the Dye for Glory winners. It took some effort to find it in the crowded booth but I did. I also picked up some Yarn Love. I also somehow managed to get a skein of Bugga. I certainly made a dent in my shopping budget.

That's the haul from Thursday's shopping. Not bad huh?

Next up was the opening ceremony, where Stephanie and Tina had us in stitches and tears over their journey bringing Sock Summit to life. It was great fun to hear how they put it all together and getting the chance to applaud them and all the others who helped make it possible. They put together an incredible event for us all.

The Adventures of a Veil at Sock Summit

2009-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am the 'veil girl' from Sock Summit and as promised, here is a post about who knit on my wedding veil.

I want to preface this by thanking everyone who agreed to knit on it and to say that everyone was completely awesome about it. I was visibly shaking the first few times I asked people but everyone was so nice, I got less and less nervous. I definitely trembled talking to Barbara Walker though!

The list is:
Cat Bordhi
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot)
Tina Newton
Anne Hanson
Meg Swansen
Jess (from Ravelry)
Mary-Heather (from Ravelry)
Chrissy Gardiner
Barbara Walker
Cookie A
Melissa Morgan-Oakes
Lucy Neatby
Anne Berk
The Sanguine Gryphon
Sheri from The Loopy Ewe
Jasmin from Knitmore Girls
Gigi from Knitmore Girls
Glenna C
Girlunravelled

The photos can be found on flickr here. I got pictures of most but not all of the veil knitters.

This whole experience was by far my favourite memory of Sock Summit. My classes were awesome. I had fun at the events. I love my new yarn. But all those memories can be duplicated in some way. I'll never get to do this again (particularly since this is definitely the only veil I'm ever going to knit and this is the last plain knit round in the pattern).

I love that people have been talking about it. Stay tuned for more veil updates and eventually a finished object picture.

Whoa Sock Summit

2009-08-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Back from Sock Summit after an amazing 4 days with 'my people.' Highlights include class with Cat Bordhi, an Opening Reception to remember and Barbara Walker knitting on my wedding veil. Many, many more details are to come as I process my thoughts on the past four days and upload photos.

All in all it was a pretty cool experience and I'm so glad I decided to go in the end. There is something about spending many hours with people who don't think it's weird to crouch down to admire someone's socks that is very affirming.

White Lace Hades

2009-06-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

We've set the date. We're getting married May 22, 2010. This means I really need to get moving on the veil knitting.

I consider myself a pretty competent knitter, certainly a pretty fearless one but this project may be my undoing. See that?

That is about 12 hours worth of work. Doesn't look like it does it? That's because I had to frog the thing more times than I care to count. Part of my problem was the DPNs. Every time I had to tink back I ended up dropping stitches, losing my place and having to start over. Using lifelines wasn't helping much either. I finally went out and bought a 16 inch circ and that helped quite a bit.

These are some of the swatches I did before getting started. I'm normally not much of a swatcher but figured it would be a good idea this time. I originally planned on using Jaggerspun Zephyr but decided it was too thick. I received an assortment of lace yarn for swatching from someone on the Ravelry With this String group (best wedding board ever) and decided on Cashwool by Lana Borgessia. It's frighteningly thin but it creates a very light and airy fabric.

Here is my progress as of today. I decided to use Meg Swansen's Spanish Peacock Shawl. It took me awhile to figure out the marker moves but I think I've got it now.

Sock Summit

2009-05-26T17:38:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided I could go to Sock Summit after all. Registration for classes and other events happened this morning. If you've been around Ravelry today you may already know that it did not exactly run smoothly. Some people, myself included, found themselves banging their heads against the keyboard at server issues. When I first got onto registration I only got into one class that I wanted and scrounged one more.

I was one of the lucky ones who was at the right place at the right time when the server coughed up spaces in previously sold out classes and eventually got the things I wanted. So take that as a caveat to what I am going to say next.

I am, frankly, disgusted by some of the behavior exhibited on Ravelry today. I know people are disappointed and I do not begrudge them their right to express as much but the personal attacks on the organizers, even suggesting boycotting their books or products, make me sad. Organizing an event like this is a lot of work and they deserve better than that. Here are some observations:

1. No system is perfect. Example, the Vancouver 2010 lottery system. There are thousands of people who were disappointed to not get a single ticket in that allocation. Each and every time there is more demand than supply, there will be disappointed people.
2. There is only so much you can do to increase supply. Sock Summit is limited by the number of hours available, the availability of teachers and most of all, the limits of the facility. Building/fire codes will only allow so many people in a room. Again, some Olympic venues hold over 20,000 people and they are still sold out. I believe that the SS organizers knew going in that classes were going to fill fast but short of holding them in a stadium, what were they supposed to do?
3. Servers crash. Technology fails. It happens sometimes despite our best efforts.
4. People make mistakes. Even if some of this could have been avoided through something Tina or Stephanie could have done, it is not fair to attack them. People make mistakes all the time, especially when they're trying something for the first time. They then take those mistakes and learn from them. I bet SS is doing a lot of learning at the moment.
5. No one is entitled to anything (notwithstanding the SS team's entitlement to a few stiff drinks) no matter how much they saved, how hard they worked or what they sacrificed in order to go. No one is more worthy than anyone else. In fact, we are not entitled to Sock Summit at all.

Is it strange that I am sorely tempted to try and organize a knitting event in Vancouver?

Big News

2009-03-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

I’m engaged! It still feels kind of surreal to write that but oh so great. He proposed on Friday. Actually, it started while I was still at work. For almost as long as we’ve been dating, he has sent me occasional love notes via email. At some point I started calling these gooey emails and the term stuck. So on Friday afternoon he sent me a gooey email about each month of our relationship. Some were sweet, some were funny and they all made my day after a very tense morning. Though I suspected something was happening (I’ve known this was coming since we bought the ring together a few weeks ago) I didn’t want to get my hopes up so I tried to remain calm on the trip home.

When I arrived home, I found flower petals leading down the stairs to our door, which had a flower stuck in the handle. Then, when I opened the door, the first thing I saw was a glass containing two tulips. Once I came inside he presented me with a large bouquet of tulips and a mysterious purple flower before getting on one knee and asking me to be his wife (squee!). He said other stuff too and I just wish I could remember any of it but I was too focused on the “it’s actually happening!” excitement.

Afterwards, we went out for dinner at the Red Door to celebrate. Good food and good atmosphere.

On Saturday I went to Fibreswest with Lara and Gabrielle from Thursday night knitting. I bought my first wedding purchase: yarn for my veil. Saturday evening we went to Maple Ridge to celebrate with my parents and a few family friends.

Those are the flowers his dad sent us.

WIPs

2009-03-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Although I have a number of projects officially on the needles, I’m only actively working on two: the Tilted Duster and Leyburn Socks.

I’ve been wanting to knit Tilted Duster for a while. I have a long sweater that I love but it’s getting old and worn and I decided to replace it with something I knit. I picked up the yarn at WEBS while on vacation and I’ve been dying to cast on ever since. I started it around the time I finished the knitting for CPH. It’s going quite fast. I finished the top parts (the back and both fronts) in a few days. I’ve sewn them together now and started the skirt. Picking up all those stitches was a bit tedious but I survived and I’ve now finished 3 out of 9 skirt repeats. This project goes surprisingly fast. Due to its size I’d expected it to be long and tedious. I think it helps that it is super easy to memorize.

I’m using Berroco Peruvia. It’s quite soft and the colour is beautiful but I do have this warning: it does not frog worth a damn. I completely messed up the right front the first time around but ripping it out was so frustrating that I decided to just start over with new yarn. Luckily the fronts knit up super fast and I have plenty of yarn. My goal is to finish this project by the end of the month and I think I’m on track to do that. That way I’ll be able to wear it as a spring jacket this year.

Stash Stash Stash aka Yarn Pron Galore

2009-03-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the unplanned hiatus. Time to get updated.

My yarn stash has grown substantially since the start of the year, mostly due to January being an excellent month for stash enhancement. First, I bought yarn at the Three Bags Full sale: 7 skeins of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair, 2 skeins of BSA Bulky that have turned into mittens, 2 skeins of Rabbitworks Toe Jam sock yarn and 2 skeins of Fiddlesticks Zephyr Laceweight.

Then we got to Vermont and my Loopy Ewe Xmas shopping spree order was waiting. In it were 2 skeins of Yarn Pirate Alpaca in Sweet Magnolia and Bitter Valley, 2 skeins of Tuscan Grove Venice in Eggplant and Mint Ganache, 1 skein of Enchanted Knoll Farm in Black Magic Woman, 1 skein of Gypsy Knits DK in Robin Hood, 1 skein of Spirit Trail Fiberworks in Harbor Fog, 1 skein of Indie Dyer in Golden Eye, 1 skein of Chameleon Colorworks I Black Cherry and 1 skein of Creatively Dyed Calypso in Promise. Yum, yum.

Among the odds and ends that I’ve acquired over the last few months are two skeins of Wollmeise in Baba Jaga and Baristo and my artist’s choice order from Sundara: I got Foreign Correspondent and Smashed Berries. I was a little nervous about getting surprise colours but I love these.

I better get started knitting socks!

27 hours of travel later

2009-01-12T18:33:00.002-08:00

I am in Vermont. Getting here was a bit of a fiasco. First, we had to catch a bus at 5am to get down to Seattle for the flight (it is stupidly expensive to fly to Albany from Vancouver). We arrived 4 hours early to Seatac so we checked in, cleared security and waited around. We learned our flight was delayed by 30 minutes and became concerned that we would miss our connection. Turns out that was unnecessary.

So we got on the plane and the flight was uneventful, even kind of comfortable since the plane was quite empty and we each had a row of three seats to ourselves to stretch out and sleep on. We arrived in Washington D.C. with 40 minutes to spare, only to discover that our connection had been cancelled.

To make matters worse, they didn't have any decent alternatives. The best they could do was a flight from D.C. to Philidelphia the next morning, with a connection to Albany that would have us arriving in the late afternoon: about 8 hours of travel to get an hour away. We found a train that left DC at 3:00am (it was around 11 at this point) and arrived in Albany at 9 in the morning. After some consideration we chose this option and did finally make it to Albany.

But seriously, 27 hours of travel? I could have gone to Australia.

A knitting new year

2009-01-12T18:33:00.001-08:00

Knitting Goals

I’m not going to make any ‘resolutions’ for my knitting this year. I resolved to do a lot of things in 2008 but due to the wonderful unpredictability of life, a lot of them didn’t happen. That’s okay but this year, I want to approach my knitting vision for the year without an element of obligation.

My first goal is to knit three sweaters. This has already been a particularly cold winter and I would really like more sweaters. However, because I am a knitter I don’t really want to go out and buy a bunch of sweaters.
Knit 10 pairs of socks. I have a lot of sock yarn. I do not however, have a lot of socks. I would like to remedy this.

Andrew has upped the ante on this. I get a prize if I accomplish goals 1 and 2 (I don’t think he thinks I can do it). If I don’t succeed, he gets 2 pairs of socks. I’m going to go about this honestly and state for the record here that these must be ten pairs of adult socks and 2 full sized adult sweaters with long sleeves. My Central Park Hoodie in progress doesn’t count.

Stash mindfully. I’m not going to not buy yarn. That way lies madness. After all, hasn’t the Yarn Harlot herself demonstrated that having a stash comes in handy in case of financial emergency? However, I want to pay more attention to what I’m stashing and why. I would like to consider what sort of project I would make with the yarn (not necessarily a specific pattern). I also want to try to visit yarn stores with a shopping list that takes my queue into consideration. And cut back on the sock yarn.

Spin every day. I’m not going to set a goal of ten minutes a day but I do want to try and spin, even just a little, every day.

Cast on mindfully. When I’m in the midst of a big project, especially a frustrating one, I get startitis and cast on a bunch of things that end up just sitting around until I either decide I don’t want to knit them and rip them out or I finish something and can pick them up again. The result is a collection of barely started WIPs.

Love knitting and remember I love it even when my project is driving me crazy

Blog more

Not quite knitting but related: get a digital SLR camera

Learn to dye yarn.

Keeping my knitting/stash organized both in reality and virtually. Ie, keep WIPs contained and add projects and stash to Ravelry in a timely manner.

A productive long weekend

2009-01-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

I went on a spinning kick this weekend. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was spin. I started with the Yummy Yarn roving in Ianto I bought when I first got my wheel. I spun two singles then plied them. I'm pretty happy with this yarn. I'm getting a lot more consistent, both with the thickness of the yarn and the amount of twist. Yay.

Yummy Yarn Roving Ianto colourway. 4oz

Once that was done, I still wasn't done spinning. I got this urge to spin some superwash wool fibre that I bought from Twist of Fate at Gibsons Fibre Fest. This stuff is just beautiful to spin with, wonderfully soft and drafts like a dream. I spun two bobbins and plied them together, all on Saturday afternoon. This morning my right leg is still sore from all the treadling but it's totally worth it.

Twist of Fate Superwash wool 100 grams

I've also been finishing things this week. I finished the socks for Andrew's mom. 52 stitches on #5 needles, using Dream in Colour Classy. These were a great quick knit and the thick socks will be great for chilly Vermont.

DIC Classy cast on 52 stitches on #5 needles

And I finally finished socks for me. I actually started socks out of this yarn last August. I picked up the yarn from the Unwind Yarns and Gems booth and cast on. I later decided that it would be too big so I frogged it. I cast on again just before we left for Paris and worked on the first sock on the plane. Then my needle tip broke. I glued it back together a few times and managed to finish the first sock but it broke a final time and I couldn't fix it. I recently received a set of replacement tips from knitpicks so I finally finished the socks. Now I have a new pair of warm wool socks. Good thing too since it's snowing again.

Unwind Yarns and Gems Merlot Sport sock yarn. 56 stitch cast on on size 4s

2008 in review

2008-12-31T16:48:00.001-08:00

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
2008 was an eventful year. I graduated. I met the love of my life. Then I moved in with him. Went on a last minute trip to Paris. Visited the Musee D’Orsay…
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I believe I resolved to be happy. I think I accomplished that.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I wouldn’t say we’re close but my cousin did
4. Did anyone close to you die?
A good friend of my grandparents. I had known him my whole life. Come to think of it, my mother knew him her whole life.
5. What countries did you visit?
I went to the US twice, both times to Seattle and I went to France
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
you know, 2008 was a very fulfilling year. I can’t think of anything that was really lacking
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
It’s interesting that the day I found out I had a new breast tumour and the days of the two surgeries aren’t high on the list here. Instead the days I remember most are April 1, my first date with Augie and May 11, the date I really started to fall in love with him
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduating! And surviving two crazy semesters to do so
9. What was your biggest failure?
I prefer to think of them as learning experiences ;)
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
The breast tumour that took two surgeries to deal with. Hopefully this is the last year I’ll be dealing with that
11. What was the best thing you bought?
my spinning wheel and lots of yarn
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Augie
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Over the past few years I have made a concerted effort not to let the behavior of others affect me in a negative way
14. Where did most of your money go?
spinning, knitting, travel (this is not counting rent or the car)
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
meeting Augie, Paris, going to France
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
La Vie en Rose – I sang that a lot in Paris for some reason
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? – happier, so much happier
b) thinner or fatter? - The same. This never changes
c) richer or poorer? – Poorer financially but richer in the ways that count
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
knit, spun, spent time with friends
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worrying about school
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family and Augie. We’re going East in January for belated Christmases with his parents
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
yes
22. What was your favorite TV program?
CSI
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. Hate is a wasted emotion
24. What was the best book you read?
Free Range Knitter – Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
nothing comes to mind
26. What did you want and get?
Augie, spinning wheel, a degree
27. What did you want and not get?
nothing stands out
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
The only movie I saw was Wall-E
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and I had dinner with friends
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
can’t imagine a more satisfying year
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I need to do laundry chic
32. What kept you sane?
knitting, Augie, Ravelry (not necessarily in that order)
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
no one
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
all the elections
35. Who did you miss?
I miss my cat Desi now that she doesn’t live with me
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Augie!
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
love will come to you when you least expect it, sometimes when you aren’t even sure you want it
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
this year was too much of a mixed bag to be summarized in a lyric

Momentum

2008-12-31T16:46:00.000-08:00

I’ll admit, for a while there knitting wasn’t all that fun. I became so focused on finishing the sweater that I lost sight of the joy of it, at least until I was in the home stretch. It’s another reminder for me that I am not good at deadline knitting. As soon as I think I have to do something I instinctively react against it. Although giving myself a schedule helped me get the sweater done on time, I think it also made me enjoy the process less. In the future I am going to try to avoid this. After all, I knit because I like it, not because I have to.

I’ve had a lot of knitting momentum since finishing the sweater. I completed the first sock of a pair on Christmas Day and knit a pair of felted clogs over the weekend as well. I have one more sock (half finished) and a hat to do and I’m done gift knitting. Which means I’ve been spending time on Ravelry contemplated what I’m going to make next. First on the list is a second sock out of Unwind Yarns sportweight. I need more socks! Knitpicks graciously replaced my needle tip so I can take the sock out of hibernation. I also want to finish my Central Park Hoodie (hibernating since August! Sheesh!). After that I think I’ll work on Icarus. Other projects I want to knit this year include the Nederland vest and Tilted Duster. I may also exchange the two skeins of Cascade Eco I have left from the Fog Sweater for another colour. I’d like to make Hemlock ring but I’d prefer it in gray or beige.

I have ten skeins of sock yarn on their way to Vermont, where they will be waiting for me when I arrive in January. Since I already have…. well let’s just say too many, skeins of sock yarn, I am on a sock yarn diet. At least until I’ve knit more socks.

Dun dun da DONE!

2008-12-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

It is done! The sweater is finished! It wasn't quite on time. I decided not to stay up all Christmas Eve to finish it but I got it done this afternoon so he did get it at Christmas! Needs to be blocked still but otherwise it turned out really well. I made a few mistakes but they aren't that noticeable and heck, it's my first sweater.

As you can see, it's good weather for a wool sweater. The snow this week has been unreal. I only ended up working one day this week. We got stuck out in Maple Ridge Sunday night, made it in to work on Tuesday and stayed home Wednesday. My parents ended up needing to come get us in Vancouver and boy was that a fiasco. We live off Cambie and our side street is just a mess. My parents' car got completely stuck. Luckily a number of neighbours came to help. Unfortunately, part of the problem was that snow and ice was collecting under the front bumper, causing it to drag on the ground. Eventually the front bumper just ripped off.

Poor car. I'm kind of glad my car spent the storm stuck in my parents garage where it's safe and dry.

I hope everyone has had/is having a good Christmas. Mine has been very nice so far. Andrew gave me a Loopy Ewe gift certificate for me to buy yarn and have it shipped to Vermont. Yay for free shipping! He also got me a cashmere shell and it is soo yummy. I've never owned cashmere anything (other than yarn). Apparently there is a store near us that sells nothing but.

I spent the afternoon finishing the sweater. For some reason I felt much less stressed about it today. It feels sooo good to be finished.

Now on to January Christmas knitting.

So much for the schedule

2008-12-19T17:54:00.001-08:00

I swore I wasn’t going to do it. I wasn’t going to become one of THEM. You know, the knitters who get all stressed out over Christmas knitting and spend the week before December 25th staying up all night and living off caffeine and/or alcohol to finish in time. No, I wasn’t going to be one of them. I had a plan. Knit 2 inches of sweater a day starting in the beginning of November and there would be plenty of time. No problem at all. And I was doing well too, diligently knitting at least the minimum two inches every day, finishing the sweater body on time.

Then it happened. The knitting deities decided I needed to be taken down a notch. I was getting cocky. So cocky I decided I was also going to knit gifts for the Christmas visiting in January, once the sweater was done of course. They hit me with a double whammy. First, they gave me the Monster Cold: a virus so vicious and nasty that for the five days I was off work sick I barely knit a stitch. Then they made me get picky about the increases for the sleeves so I ripped that darn thing out no less than 5 times. The combination of those two evil forces have put me woefully behind and though I am still operating under the delusion that finishing on time is possible, it is going to be tough. And if I don’t finish the sweater before Christmas, my odds of finishing the January gift knitting decrease greatly.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am stressed about it. I feel guilty when I am not knitting and that despite my best intentions haven’t been able to stay up past ten. I am possibly* placing too much importance on getting this done (*read: most definitely since it is the recipient of the sweater who would particularly like me to chill out).

8 years

2008-12-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

8 years ago I spent the day with my parents and sister at Granville Island. Every year around this time we would go on a ‘family outing’ and pick out a new Christmas ornament for the tree (or two when Robyn and I couldn’t agree on one). When we returned home that evening there was a message from a good family friend, asking my parents to call them and that it was urgent. When my mother called them, they asked to come over. It was immediately clear that something was going on.

When they arrived, one of them sharply requested that Robyn and I go upstairs. It was the first and only time that this person has spoken to me in that tone. I obeyed and a few minutes later my mom came into my room and told me that my sister was going to need a lot of support. Her best friend had committed suicide the day before.

The rest of that night is a blur but the image I will never forget is my sister coming back down the stairs. She was changed after that. My baby sister became an adult in the 30 seconds it took my dad to break the news to her. She was 15 years old, so was her friend.

The other thing I remember is going to the memorial and being just devastated that the crowd was standing room only, some were even standing outside, and knowing that this young girl had thought no one loved her.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years. At the time it seemed impossible that the sun would rise the next day but it did and it has done so each of the past 2920 days. But we'll never be the same.

Love is...

2008-12-04T19:51:00.001-08:00

Love is letting your girlfriend take photos of you wearing a half finished sweater and post them on the Internet.

Love is also knitting hundreds of yards of rib stitch in boring gray yarn when you could be knitting hats and scarves and socks and let's face it, things with colour.

The sweater body is now finished and I've cast on the first sleeve. I'm not getting overconfident about my chances of getting it done in time though, lest the knitting gods smite me. I have other gift knitting planned but luckily I don't need to get those done until January. Unfortunately that means I can't use those projects as excuses not to knit the sweater.

home

2008-11-21T12:16:00.001-08:00

The Yarn Harlot’s post about her daughter’s room struck a chord with me. I’ve now moved out of my parents’ house twice. The first time around my sister moved into my room barely after I left. She had her own perfectly good room but mine had the cool built in bookcases and window seat and apparently she had been coveting it for years. She didn’t change much about it. She put up posters of anime characters and koalas but the essence of the room stayed the same. Two years later when I moved back so that I could finish school without acquiring another 10,000 in debt I moved into the office/guest room, a space that was never really mine. When Robyn moved out in March I reclaimed my old room, the one I had painted with my own hands, the one with the bookcases that a family friend installed especially for me shortly after we moved in.

Last weekend I visited my parents’ house for the first time since the move and saw my old room. It’s recently been painted taupe and most of the remnants of my former presence there are gone. And I have to admit, it felt strange. I know this is totally normal (I am 26 after all) but it is still strange to think that it is no longer my home. See, even when I lived away before, my parents’ house was still always referred to as ‘home.’ I was living in either cramped spaces or with roommates and these places never felt like mine. Now however, my parents house really isn’t home anymore. Home is with Andrew and though I am excited and happy about that it's still a little strange.

While we were visiting my parents’ on the weekend my mom started talking about Christmas and the tree. For the past 10 years my family has had two Christmas trees: my mother’s theme tree and the family tree which was decorated with the miscellaneous ornaments my sister and I have collected over the years. For years now Robyn and I have discussed and negotiated over whose ornaments are whose and last weekend my mother asked if I would be taking mine and if we needed to have the second tree. I know I should say it’s time for Robyn and me not to have our tree since neither of us live there but I’m not ready yet. Maybe next year.

Bits and Pieces

2008-11-17T13:26:00.001-08:00

This was the weekend of the small project. I didn’t even touch Andrew’s sweater (sorry love). Instead I worked on my koolhaas and a sock I started ages ago. In my defense my head is getting cold in the mornings so I need a hat and I also need socks so that I can stop stealing Andrew’s. I don’t want to go out and buy more store bought socks of my own when I have plenty of socks. They’re just in yarn form that’s all.

I’ve started the second to last repeat of the koolhaas before I can start the decreases. I’ve finally learned that with my thick hair I need to knit the larger size for hats. Hats are the only item where I don’t knit the small version. I really enjoy this pattern, especially now that I have master cabling without a cable needle and have the pattern memorized. It goes really fast. And of course the Malabrigo I’m using is buttery soft.

As for the socks. I picked up the yarn at Gibsons and cast on a sock right away. Unfortunately I got almost half way through the foot before I could no longer deny that it was going to be too big. I guess I over compensated for my usual habit of making socks too small. So before we left for France I cast on another sock with fewer stitches. I made a lot of progress on the flight but unfortunately my needle tip broke and the sock went into hibernation.

For some reason, this weekend I was consumed with the desire to have some more handknit socks so I got out the super glue and fixed the needle and picked the sock back up. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I’d gotten farther along than I’d thought. I’d thought that I had done the ribbing and maybe a few rows of leg but I actually had most of the leg too. I finished the sock before going to bed last night.

Oh right, knitting

2008-11-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

Did I ever mention I was moving? Back in September Andrew and I made the big decision to move in together. We found a place shortly after returning to Paris. It’s located in a nice area, about 15 minutes by bus to work for me and about 40 minutes by bike (his preferred commuting method) to work for him. Once the Canada Line comes in next year it will be even faster. It’s a decent size but seems huge to me because I’ve never had free reign over so much space before. I’ve always either lived in tiny shoe boxes by myself or with roommates and somehow never felt very at home in the common areas. This time I was able to arrange the furniture mostly how I wanted it.

And the best part, this:

That is my yarn corner. I managed to convince Andrew to let me have half of the back room for yarn and fibre. It’s not huge but I have never had a dedicated place for this stuff before. I had a ball organizing my stash into the boxes. Though I had to laugh when after I ran our of storage bins before running out of yarn, Andrew looked at the pile of yarn and commented “you still have a lot of yarn,” then, looked in another box and commented “you REALLY have a lot of yarn.” An appropriate response from someone who’s just realized how much yarn he’s actually moved in with. Mind you I also realized just how much sports equipment I’ve moved in with. And yarn smells a lot better.

Now that the move is more or less over, I can get back to more knitting. Indeed I’ve been making up for lost time the last few days. I’m working on a Fog Sweater for Andrew. It’s a good mindless project at the moment and it’s growing a little faster now that I’ve switched to the larger needles. It felt like it took forever to get to three inches on the bottom ribbing. I had to go out and buy a new Addi needle because the one I had disappeared in the move but since I am now within walking distance to the yarn store that wasn’t a big deal. I’m also working a little at finishing my Central Park Hoodie. I’m working on the sleeves now. I really want to be able to wear this soon. To satisfy a lace itch I picked up the Icarus I cast on a month back. I hadn’t gotten far on it but I completed the first repeat of chart 1 yesterday. So far I’m liking it. I’m using Plucky Knitter’s silky merino laceweight in Hot House Orchid. I fell in love with this yarn on a visit to Village Yarn and Tea near Seattle. Gorgeous stuff.

I’ve also got some smaller projects, a hat and a few socks ongoing as well but those are mostly on the backburner at the moment. I’ll pick them back up once the Fog Sweater gets too big to take on the bus.

5 long years

2008-11-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

On October 9th the brutal workload of January – August paid off. After 5 long years I finally got to walk across the stage at SFU and graduate.

I was expecting it to be kind of anti-climactic. I’ve been working full time for over two years now and haven’t felt like a real student for quite a while. It didn’t end up feeling anti-climactic at all.

After many years of seeing the grads walking around campus in their blue gowns, it was finally my turn. Believe me, there were many times when I thought that day would never come. My last two semesters were a real struggle. I had a terrible case of senioritis and it was difficult to get motivated. I also felt disconnected from my fellow students since most of my peers had already finished.

The best part of the day? Sharing it with the people who mean the most to me. My parents, who stressed the importance of education early on in my life and helped provide me with resources to pursue it. My sister, who can be annoying as hell but is always there when the chips are down and Andrew, who put up a lot from me that last semester. Indeed, it could have been the downfall of our burgeoning relationship. There are a lot of people who wouldn’t have been happy to watch me study or let me hole myself up at their apartment writing a paper because I couldn’t concentrate at home. He has been incredibly supportive and patient and most importantly, incredibly encouraging. So it was very special to have the four of them there.

The five years of my undergrad saw a lot of changes to my life. It was more than just a chapter. In any case, I’m glad it’s over.

Ah Paris!

2008-11-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

I’ve been meaning to post about Paris for over a month but it’s been so hectic around here that I haven’t had a chance. Not to mention it’s hard to put the trip into words. It was a great but very busy trip. It was also so different from the last time I was there. Here’s some back story. I went to Paris twice during my solo backpacking trip a couple of years ago. The second time around a relationship I had been putting a lot of energy into saving came to a disastrous end. That, added to my homesickness helped cause a breakdown that took months to recover from.

Returning to Paris has always been something I felt I needed to do. I didn’t want my last memories of the city to be calling my sister in tears from the train station because she’d be the only one awake back home (she keeps odd hours). This trip certainly did an excellent job of overshadowing the less pleasant memories. The most important thing for me about this trip was going to the Orsay. It’s the museum I have wanted to visit more than any other and it is also the one I didn’t visit because I was too much of a mess. It was absolutely worth the trip. I saw paintings I’ve admired in books for years and discovered new ones. I got teary a time or two. Art galleries can have that effect on me. We spent four hours there and I give Andrew many many kudos for not wanting to rush through.

Even though I’d been to Paris before, there wasn’t a lot of repetition on this trip. I’d been to Notre Dame before but never climbed the towers (amazing view). I never went to the top of the Eiffel tower (worth doing once, probably not twice). And I probably wouldn’t have chosen to visit a few of the places we did but I enjoyed them.

Versailles was the other highlight besides the Orsay. The Chateau is nice but very crowded but the rest of the grounds were really, really nice. It’s too bad so many people focus on the Chateau. My favourite part was the little hamlet Marie Antoinette had built. It has all these quaint little houses. It was very beautiful and even better, we mostly had it to ourselves.

I visited two yarn stores while we were there: Cat’Laine and La Droguerie. I was at La Droguerie on a Saturday which may have been a poor choice. It was very busy and their system was confusing to me. You line up and wait your turn for someone to help you. They’ll help you choose your yarn and get it for you. You can’t take something from a shelf and go buy it like I’m used to. I guess it was a bit of LYS culture shock. I did get some nice alpaca and some linen yarn though.

I did bring knitting and had no trouble knitting on the plane in either direction. In fact, I went through security three times. I went through in Vancouver on the way to Paris with my bamboo DPNs and an addi circ without incident. On the way back I opted to take only my sock in progress on bamboo DPNs because I had read on Ravelry that metal needles can be a problem at Charles de Gaulle. I got my bag searched in Paris but they were more interested in the chocolates than in the needles. The screener didn’t say a thing about them. We had to claim our bags in Montreal to go through customs so I had a chance to reclaim my addi needle (and the hat on it). Once again it wasn’t a problem.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a whole lot of knitting done. I made some progress on a sock on the flight over before my needle broke. I tried to knit a bit of Empoisonnee but ended up ripping it all back. I’m pretty sure there’s an error in the pattern but I haven’t seen any errata for it yet. On the way back I started another koolhaas, for me this time because it’s getting cold.

Paris Bound

2008-09-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

I am leaving tomorrow morning for an 8 day trip to Paris. This is kind of a last minute thing so I'm a lot less organized than usual. When I went to Europe for 2 months a couple years ago I planned for months. I had pages and pages of information. I remember how I excited I was when my countdown hit 100 days. We only bought our tickets for this trip 3 weeks ago.

Nevertheless I am very excited to be returning to Paris. The last time I was there was kind of rough (nervous breakdowns in foreign cities and all that) and it will be nice to go back under entirely different circumstances. I'm excited to see the city of love with the person I love (as incredibly corny as I realize that is).

I'll be back with more knitting in 9 days. Hopefully I'm able to knit on the plane.

FO - Hanami

2008-09-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Is finished! This is my longest project to date: started April 19th and finished September 18th so almost exactly five months. I could have finished it a lot faster if I hadn't gotten so distracted by other things like school, life etc.

I've been off work sick with a weird sinusy thing which allowed me to finish it. I sailed through Chart G because there isn't really a chart, certainly not compared to the basketweave chart and charts A - F. It turned out about ten inches shorter than the pattern measurements which is fine because I'm short and I don't know that I want a stole that is six inches taller than me. I blocked it yesterday and since I am without blocking wires that was a bit of an undertaking (must get me some of those). The edges are slightly scallopy which I rather like. I think it suits this piece to not have a perfectly straight edge.

This was my second lace pattern and my first time knitting with actual laceweight. It isn't a particularly hard pattern. It is very well charted so there wasn't any guessing on my part. The nice thing about it is the hardest part is the first section so once you get through that it's a lot easier. I made a few little mistakes of course but nothing major.

One thing I found about this pattern was that since I couldn't memorize the chart I actually made fewer mistakes because I had to concentrate on it. I only made mistakes when I tried to work on it when I couldn't concentrate.

Specifications
Pattern: Hanami Stole by Melanie Gibbons (http://pinklemontwist.blogspot.com)
Yarn: unknown yarn by Botto Paola (an Italian mill), received in a Christmas Swap
Dimensions: 18inches wide, 60 inches long

I have no idea how many yards I used because I'm not sure how much of the yarn I had to begin with. It was admittedly a bit of a gamble. I have quite a big of yarn left too.

At last, an FO

2008-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I won't discuss how long it's been since I've blogged an FO. I finished the Koolhaas hat on Friday. I really like how it turned out. I was nervous in the beginning because it didn't look like I was doing it right but then the pattern began to appear and it was all good. I learned to cable without a cable needle for this project and it was definitely a godsend. Not only was it faster but I didn't have to worry about having a cable needle handy when I wanted to work on it (I tend to lose these things). It knit up very fast, taking only about two weeks of sporadic knitting to complete. And it fits its recipient nicely.

I knit it out of Malabrigo worsted in a brown/grey colourway. I can't find the tag so I don't know the exact name but it's a good masculine colour. I'm surprised I didn't get bored of this because I usually prefer more interesting colours. The slight variegation helped keep my attention I think.

I'm making good progress on Hanami. I just finished chart E so I have charts F and G left and then the ruffle. I want to get this done before September 28 because I am going to Paris for 8 days and won't be back until two days before the event I want to wear it for. That doesn't allow a lot of time for blocking and there's no guarantee that I'd be able to get it done in Paris anyway. I think September 28 is doable though so long as I stay mostly monogamous.

Just keep spinning, spinning spinning

2008-09-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

As a reward to myself for surviving school I signed up for a spinning class at Birkland Bros. I've dabbled with a drop spindle and have been playing with my new wheel for the last few weeks but figured a class wouldn't be a bad idea.

My first lesson was Wednesday. At first it was frustrating. I was having my usual problem of joining the fibre to the leader and joining new fibre later. The teacher showed me a way of doing it that clicked and it went much better after that. Below is the result after one class. It's definitely overspun in places but it's getting much more even. By the end of the class I couldn't believe 2 hours hand gone by so quickly. The fibre is corriedale from Shades of Narnia in Chilliwack.

This spinning thing might get addictive now that I'm getting the hang of it. I bought a new drop spindle too (my old one suffered a terrible accident while I was in Saskatchewan) and even that seems easier. I'm trying to practice both each day.

September and its new beginnings

2008-09-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Because of school, I didn’t get much of a summer this year so I made the most of the last few weeks in August. First there was Gibsons, then a weekend in Maple Ridge for the wedding of a long time friend. In fact, I helped her husband propose many moons ago. Then this past weekend I went to Ucuelet/Long Beach. There was a large group of my boyfriend’s friends (his name is Andrew by the way, I figure it’s time I referred to him by name). It was a good weekend, other than the car trouble. I had to jumpstart my car 4 times in 3 days for no particular reason. The car is only 15 months old so it will be making a visit to the car doctor as soon as I can get it to the dealer. Thank goodness for warranties though.

I spent the time in Ucuelet sitting on the beach, watching surfers and knitting. Camping with a large group is always fun too. Can you believe this was the first time in 11 years that I’ve been to Vancouver Island? Ridiculous.

And now September has come. There are many who hate this time of year: the end of summer and the start of school. Personally, I’ve always loved September. It is my favourite month. It’s always symbolized fresh starts to me. I had a pretty great summer. I think it’s going to be an awesome fall.

What’s on my needles? AKA WIP round up

Remember when I used to finish things? So Andrew mentioned rather innocently that I have not finished a project since I started dating him. I tried to refute this accusation but upon reflection I realized he was absolutely right. Whoops. I have started many things and frogged many of them, leaving far too many WIPs. So now is the time to make myself accountable. Just what am I working on?

Hanami: This is the priority right now. I want to wear this shawl for graduation in October. That was a long ways away when I started this stole but it isn’t anymore. Ugh, this was never supposed to be deadline knitting.

Central Park Hoodie: I want to work on finishing this once Hanami is done

Koolhaas out of Malabrigo – finished 1 repeat, 4 more to go

Unwind Yarns Merlot Sport Socks: Halfway done first sock

Shibui Socks: first attempt at 2 socks at once

Gibsons

2008-09-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

View from the hotel

Months ago I forwarded information about the Gibsons Landing Fibre Festival to a coworker. She thought it sounded like a great idea and we decided to make a trip of it. This was the first true fibre fest I’d been too and it was great. I took two workshops: 2 socks at once and Moebius Knitting. The sock class was a lot of fun. New local Rav friend Yarn Piggy was also in attendance so there was a lot of chatting and promoting of Ravelry going on. I would have preferred that the class have more demos instead of one on one instruction. I found that I was often waiting for the instructor to finish helping someone else. One method that might work would be to use step outs to demonstrate each step at the start of the class and then provide individual help as required. It is an interesting technique though. I don’t know how much I’ll use it though because I like socks for portable knitting and I haven’t found a good way to keep the two balls of yarn from getting disorganized and tangled.

The Moebius class was fabulous. I really enjoyed it. Venessa Bentley is an excellent teacher and Cat Bordhi’s techniques are of course incredible. It took me awhile to get the hang of it, partly because my cable was a tad on the short side. Serendipitously, I found a 47” knitpicks cable in the merchant mall so the afternoon went much better. It really is incredible how it works.

I spent break times on Thursday visiting the Merchant Mall. I always enjoy the opportunity to fondle yarns that I don’t normally get to see in person. Imagine my delight when I came upon Malabrigo sock yarn. I picked up one skein right away and ended up buying two more (I couldn’t resist). It is so soft and lovely and the colours are to die for. I also bought Merlot Sport sock yarn and Chiraz Fingering Sock Yarn from Unwind Yarns (Khetala on etsy), a skein of bamboo lace yarn, a large skein of silvery tencel lace weight, a skein of Twist of Fate sock yarn, assorted spinning fibre from Twist of Fate and a sample bag of spinning fibre from Homespun Haven. All in all it was a great trip.

Olympic Failure

2008-09-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

I must confess I was not among those knitters burning the midnight oil with caffeine and wine to get my project done. Nope, I threw in the towel by the start of week 2. It was clear that I didn’t have the time or even the motivation to complete the sweater within the timeframe. My life had been missing me during the semester and it was time to get back to it. I did get a decent chunk completed though: the back, left front and about half of the right front. It knits a lot faster than I would have thought.

Even though I didn’t finish, it was a fun excuse to cast on a project I’ve been wanting to try. I think I am really going to enjoy this sweater and will hopefully finish it sometime soon. Just in time for sweater season.

I did learn quite a bit from the Ravelympics. I learned that after a semester of having almost all my time spoken for, it’s hard to get motivated. I also learned that there are some serious overachievers on Ravelry!

Olympic Support Team Roles and Responsibilities

2008-08-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ravelympics Support Team Roles and Responsibilities

Dear Ravelympics Support Team Member,

You have ‘volunteered’ to be on the support team of a Ravelympian. We understand that your participation may be under duress but we thank you anyway. Below please find an outline of what you are expected to do during the games.

1. Provide moral support. At times your Ravelympian may become frustrated and/or stressed. Signs are cursing, throwing the pattern to the floor in a huff or angrily ripping out rows of knitting. When this happens, tell your Ravelympian that he or she is a good knitter and is totally capable of this project.

2. Provide first aid. If your Ravelympian’s shoulders, neck, back, hands get sore, provide immediate massage. Bonus points if you do this at regular intervals without the Ravelympian asking.

3. Administer legal drugs. Although Olympic rules on the intake of drugs are of course very strict, some substances are allowed. Keep your Ravelympian well supplied with chocolate and caffeinated beverages.

4. Be patient. Your Ravelympian will probably be neglecting other activities in favour of knitting. Time is of the essence in the Olympics. Refrain from commenting on the untidiness of the house or the unkemptness of the Ravelympian’s hair. It is only for a few weeks.

5. Do not mock the Ravelympian. Olympic athletes are sometimes known to go to great lengths to achieve victory. Should your Ravelympian begin exhibiting behaviour you might call “crazy” such as knitting while crossing busy intersections, smile while guiding him or her out of traffic

6. Set boundaries. While it is understandable that your Ravelympian wants the glory of Olympic success, he or she may become blinded by this goal and unable to think rationally. Watch out for signs that the Ravathlete has ceased to sleep or eat and act accordingly.

7. Stand-by for emergencies. During the Ravelympics, your Ravelympian may suffer equipment failure. Should this horrific event occur, volunteer to run to the yarn store to procure replacement needles, yarn etc. Put the yarn store number on speed dial.

8. Provide easy access to sustenance. Your Ravelympian will not want to lose precious knitting time to cooking, or, possibly to eating. Provide access to quick, easy meals. Finger foods are a good choice. Have a selection of take-out menus on hand. Extra points if you are cooking for the Ravelympian

9. Praise the knitter. Frequently tell the Ravelympian that he or she is doing great and the project is beautiful. A boost of confidence goes along way

10. Be the official photographer. He or she doesn’t realize it now but your Ravelympian will want documentation of this madness at a later date. No really, trust me.

11. Love the Ravelympian no matter how crazy he/she may get

What you get in return

Being an official Ravelympics Support Team member can be rewarding. In return for your efforts you will receive:

1. The love and appreciation of the Ravathlete.
2. The knowledge that you have helped the Ravathlete achieve greatness
3. The return to sanity (or something resembling it at least) once it is over
4. A card to play during any future negotiations (use wisely)

Olympics Day 3

2008-08-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

I suffered an Olympic setback before I even got started. I was staying in Vancouver Thursday after exams so in preparation to cast on at 5am, I packed up my yarn and needles. The pattern was already in Vancouver. Alas, I had forgotten that the CPH actually starts off with smaller needles, which I didn't have. This is the problem with so often being separated from one's army of knitting supplies. So I ceremonially cast on at 5am, knowing that I'd be ripping it out once I procured the right needle. Like a dedicated Olympian, I went to dressew on my coffee break. I managed to knit about two inches on Friday at lunch. There was no evening knitting because I went out for a lovely dinner. (There's a funny story about that to follow).

I did get quite a bit of knitting accomplished yesterday though. The pattern is nice and easy to memorize. Today I will be joining the Terminal City Yarn Wranglers for the biweekly meetup, the first one I've attended since summer semester started. Progress photo:

Not at all knitting related but it is kind of a funny story. To celebrate surviving the semester, my boyfriend took me out to a nice dinner Friday night. I just bought a new dress for a friend's wedding so I was going to wear that. Well I went to put the dress on on Friday, 30 minutes before I had to meet him at the restaurant, and the zipper broke. Like really broke, zipper was in the middle of the dress, not moving at all. In fact, I could barely get the dress off! What to do what to do. So I quickly went out and bought another dress. I am such an efficient shopper that I was barely even late! I would have been on time if it hadn't been for the Lions' Game actually.

And then, after dinner, I somehow forgot my purse on the bus. Eek! Knowing that the lost and found wouldn't be open until Monday, we got in a cab, raced to the end of the bus route, where the driver was calling it in. Purse was retrieved with everything in it. Yay.

Back from the abyss (aka school)

2008-08-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

To say it’s been a busy few weeks in my world would be a gross understatement. It would be more accurate to say it has been manic. This morning I wrote what I hope was my last final ever. I hope I hope. Finally (as my mother loves to say). It has been a bit trying, attempting to juggle career and full time school and a new relationship (yea, my timing on that one was brilliant). There have been more than a few moments when I have doubted my ability to accomplish everything that needs accomplishing.

Naturally that means there’s been a dearth of knitting. I’ve managed a few rows here and there on Hanami so that I am now about a third of the way through Chart D. I stopped trying to work on Hanami though when it because apparent that I was actually knitting about 3-4 rows for every row of actual progress. Instead I’m working on a couple of koolhaas’s out of Malabrigo. I’m figuring out how to cable without a cable needle which is also good Olympic training.

Yea, since the Olympics conveniently start the day after finals are over, I’ve decided to compete in the Ravelympics for Team Canada. I am competing in the Sweater Sprint and will be making a Central Park Hoodie. The cabling without a cable needle practice will hopefully speed things up. I’m knitting it out of some blue Cascade 220 that I bought a few months ago. And now I am itching to start.

Something came home to live with me last night. A Louet S15 spinning wheel, purchased from a fellow local Raveler. I am calling this my graduation present to myself. I haven’t had time to really sit down and get to know the ins and outs of her yet but I managed to spin something that resembles yarn. I can’t wait to have more time to really practice. I think I might take a class at Birkland bros in September, now that my evenings aren’t so occupied with school.

Pictures to be added later since I am not at home. I wanted to get this up before the Olympics start. I have swatched, gotten gauge and am ready to start.

Back from the land of no Internet

2008-07-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two weeks in Emma Lake Saskatchewan for a family reunion. My grandpa turned 80 so for the first time in 16 years the whole family got together. Surprisingly, the only absentee was my sister.

I thought I was going to get a ton of knitting done lounging by the lake but it turns out it's hard to get personal time when there are 19 other people around and a party for 48 to plan for. I think I managed two to three rounds of sock and that's it. Poor knitting, you have been sorely neglected. I got my first SP12 package the day before we left. My pal went with a knitting around the world theme so this package is knitting in the UK. I love getting yarn in the mail.

It was a good trip though and it was nice seeing my family again. It's strange seeing my "little" cousins as teenagers. They even called me old! Geesh. One day it will be their turn.

And now it is mid-July which means I have a term paper to write and exams to start thinking about. So it looks like knitting will continue to take the back burner for a bit.

Ribbit ribbit ribbit

2008-06-26T16:44:00.001-07:00

Secret Pal Question of the Week # 3 answer

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

I’m pretty happy with my stash as it stands. I have enough that if I for some reason couldn’t buy yarn for a good while I would still have plenty of things to knit but it still only takes up one bookcase. I still know everything that’s in there and have a good idea what I intend to do with it. Not that that means I’m not still buying yarn…

It’s been a tense few weeks. First I had two midterms and a nasty final and then a series of small assignments for Japanese. Now it’s into term paper/project time. I doesn’t help that I am going to be away for ten days with limited Internet access. Ugh. I’ve been grouchy since Monday. I can’t figure out how I can be more stressed out and irritable after midterms are over than I am while they’re happening. Oh well, hopefully I’ll never write midterms again.

Maybe that’s why I’ve been on a frogging spree lately, to ease a bit of ‘burden.’ I hate leaving things unfinished and I have had a few projects that have sort of been languishing. I realized I was getting less and less likely to finish them in their current configuration so rip rip rip. It’s kind of liberating to free all that yarn from the confines of a project and breathe new life into it. Now it is full of potential again.

What's that bright shiny thing in the sky?

2008-06-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

The sun is finally shining in Vancouver. Spring/summer sure have been slow out of the gate this year. The warm weather arrived just in time for WWKIP day (Worldwide Knit in Public Day on the off chance there are any non-knitters floating around this blog). There were a number of events hosted in the Vancouver area and I wish I could have attended them all. I went to the Kits event and sat on the grass knitting in the sun for a couple of hours. It was fun, particularly since it meant pulling out my knitting for the first time in a week. Sigh.

I’m just about done Chart C now so it’s coming along, just a lot more slowly than it was. I love it more and more as it progresses. It’s going to be so nice to finally wear it. One of the great things about wear I am in the pattern now is that it’s very forgiving. If I put a “cherry blossom” 5 stitches from the start of the repeat instead of 8, it’s not going to matter. After 7 repeats of the very unforgiving basket weave chart this is most welcome. Well, I’m driving to Saskatchewan with my family in a couple weeks so I should have lots of time to knit then.

I saw Twelfth Night at Bard on the Beach last night. Every year I say I’m going to go and I never do so it was nice to finally go. I highly recommend this interpretation of Twelfth Night. It’s got a lot of slapstick comedy in it that is very well done. We ended up with really great seats by sheer fluke. They recommend you get there pretty early to save your seat so we planned to have an early dinner. I guess we lost track of time because next thing we knew it was 6:30 and we hadn’t left the restaurant. Oops. We got to Bard just as they were giving the three minute warning and unfortunately, there were no seats left together. (As an aside, surely there is a way of managing this issue but it always seems to be a problem). That was disappointing but just before the show was to start the usher showed us to some sponsor seats that hadn’t been claimed. They ended up being some of the best seats in the house. Mind you, I’d still recommend arriving a little sooner than 3 minutes before the curtain.

Secret Pal Questionnaire

2008-06-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like? I love all natural fibers, particularly animal fibers and silk. I don’t have any particular favourite yarns but I really enjoy trying yarns I can’t easily get in Canada.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? a shoebox lol
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I’ve only been knitting since October 2007 but I take the concept of fearless knitting to extremes so I knit intermediate to advanced patterns
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No.
5. What’s your favorite scent? Any fruity scent, lavender, vanilla
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I try to combat my sweet tooth. My weakness is chocolate and skittles
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I am learning to spin and hope to acquire a wheel soon
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) LOL I have to admit I really hate this question, so much so that I am writing a term paper on it. I don’t like any particular kind of music so feel free to introduce me to new stuff
9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? I love colour. I especially like deeply saturated colours like dark purples, burgundies, dark blues. The only colours I don’t like are orange, yellow and bright red
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a cat
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I don’t wear ponchos but I wear everything else
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? All of it. I knit a lot of socks and shawls, hoping to start my first real sweater soon
13. What are you knitting right now? Hanami
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Love it!
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I mostly knit with circs or DPNs. I don’t have a preference between wood and metal. I love my harmony interchangeables and my small but growing collection of Addis.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes, both
17. How old is your oldest UFO? I don’t have any
18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and Easter. Wait, does my birthday count? lol
19. Is there anything that you collect? Other than yarn? Postcards and souvenir pins
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Hmmm. I’d love more back issues of Interweave. My Ravelry library is up to date on what I have. I would also like to have more knitting notions like stitch markers
21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? Fair isle and magic loop
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Definitely! I am a women’s 7. Most women’s medium sock patterns fit me well
23. When is your birthday? May 3
24. What’s your Ravelry ID? Megknitficent

Back on the blogging wagon... for now

2008-06-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for my absence. My very hectic schedule has left me little time for knitting and even less time for blogging about it.

I'm still plugging along on Hanami... slowly. I am about halfway through Chart C of the cherry blossom half. Boy is it ever a relief to be out of the basketweave section. This part is a great deal more forgiving. I am loving how the yarn and pattern are working together. I think it will be really stunning once complete. My intention is to wear it to my grand graduation celebration in October.

Speaking of, I applied to graduate this week which is oddly exciting. Even though I still have a very demanding semester to get through before anything is official it felt good to do it. Like saying hey, I really am almost done. There is a light at the end of all this.

Classes are going all right. I love one of them, it's all about music and I'm actually really looking forward to starting the paper for it. (Someone please remind me of this when it's 3 days before it's due and I'm in full school-induced-psychosis). The other two aren't as great but I'll survive.

Sorry about the lack of pictures. I am posting from school right now while I wait for class to start.

I promise more interesting posts sometime in the near future... I hope.

Happy Birthday to me

2008-05-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

I turned 26 today. Yay. Guess what my parents got me...

A swift! Since this is a knitting blog you all understand why this is a great gift. It's a nice wooden one too because it's all they had. Actually, my mom had to buy the store model because the order wasn't coming in for another two weeks.

I haven't done much knitting the last few days because I've been too busy. I babysat my friend's kids on Thursday, they're 5 and 1. I can't believe how big the baby has gotten. Time really does fly doesn't it?

I'm up to the fifth repeat of the basketweave pattern on Hanami. I'm really liking this pattern. I haven't memorized the chart so I have to pay more attention and make fewer mistakes. I've only had to rip back once. Still, I'll be glad when I get through this section and move on to the cherry blossom part. I probably won't be doing much knitting this weekend though because I have a friend coming over and then I'm going out for my birthday. Tomorrow is the first birthday of my friend's baby. As for next week... classes start. Eep.

A Harlot Road Trip

2008-04-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

My mom and I drove down to Seattle yesterday to see Stephanie Peal-McPhee aka the Yarn Harlot. We decided to spend the night in Bothell, not far from the venue to avoid six hours of driving in a single day. It was a fun trip. Before the event, we stopped by Village Yarn and Tea in Shoreline. I found out about this store via Ravelry and thought it sounded like my kind of store (tea being the other thing I can't get enough of) and was thrilled to learn that it's located someplace I travel to now and then. It was a lovely lovely store, with great tea and beautiful yarn. The ladies there were wonderful and welcoming.

I bought two skeins of The Plucky Knitter silk merino lace in the Hot House Orchid colourway.
This yarn just called out to me. 1400 yards of loveliness. I believe it is destined to be Icarus. Scrumptious.

I also bought 2 skeins of Shibui sock yarn.

And some Dragonfly Fibers roving.

The Yarn Harlot is hilarious. Even my mom, the non-knitter, enjoyed the talk. And never have I seen so many knitters in one spot. This poor man was wandering around lost. I guess the person he was supposed to meet had told him she would be the one with the knitting needles. I do hope she was joking. I thought it was particularly amusing when she talked about people thinking knitters were patient. It had me thinking: obviously these people weren't around any knitters when the new server was being installed at Ravelry! As always, it was fun to meet other knitters, you now, talk to my own kind. Considering how completely enthusiastic (okay okay obsessed) I am with this hobby now, it's hard to believe I only started in October.

Well worth the trip.

This morning I talked my mom into driving to another store to procure some Socks that Rock. I have been really wanting to try this yarn but cannot bring myself to pay 16 dollars shipping for a skein of sock yarn. It certainly looks wonderful. I chose Valkyrie, of the Raven series. I love the subtle tints to the black.

Now before anyone comments on my being on a "yarn fast" this is souvenir yarn and it doesn't count. None of it is stuff I can get locally. So there.

Hanami made me do it

2008-04-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

I cast on for Hanami last night. I bought the pattern months ago and have been wanting to cast on since before Christmas. Temptation finally got the better of me. I'm using an Italian yarn that I got in a Christmas swap. I think it's working really well in this pattern, even though the colour isn't exactly true to the cherry blossom theme! I'm loving the pattern so far. It's kind of addictive actually. I stayed up way later than I should have working on it.

Here's how it looks after one full repeat of the basketweave chart.

The trouble is, I am not a great multi-project knitter and other WIPs tend to get neglected when I get really into a project. I can't start neglecting the turquoise blob. Perhaps a rewards system is in order? I can knit Hanami when I knit a row of blanket?

I'm also knitting socks out of the new Noro sock yarn. It's different from other sock yarns. It isn't as soft but I love how the colours stripe together. I'm knitting them on 2mm needles though so it's slow going.

I'm feeling better after surgery except that my range of motion on my left side sucks. I hope that returns to normal soon because it's annoying having to twist around to reach for things with the other hand.

Sophie Bag - pre and post felting

2008-04-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

Here's Sophie after all the knitting was completed.

And here she is after 4 trips through the wash.

She doesn't look like much without handles does she? All in good time.

I really want to be spinning right now but alas, I think it will be a few weeks before my range of motion is back. I will have to be satisfied with knitting socks for now. I'm working on socks in my new Noro sock yarn. I love how the colours come together in wide stripes. It makes knitting on US 0s seem less tedious.

Third time's the charm?

2008-04-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

May that be the last time I have to do that. I had my re-excision today. It was early, 8am which I far prefer to the afternoon slot. It was also shorter than last time. There's a littler more pain because more tissue was removed and I have an odd side effect from general anaesthesia: hiccups! Nothing is getting rid of them either. Apparently that happens sometimes. Maybe from the pure oxygen? I hope they go away by morning because they kind of hurt.

Anyway, onto fun stuff. I got another swap package with some lovely dark sock yarn that will be great for work socks. Thanks Kristin. She also sent a beautiful handmade bag. Must resist casting on, must resist casting on.

Ever wondered how to stop people from thinking all that knitting at lunch is crazy? Bring in a drop spindle and spin on your lunch hour! Knitting will start to seem incredibly normal. No more spinning for awhile now though as I am back to not lifting my left arm. But maybe my spinning will improve exponentially in the interim!

I am all about the instant gratification projects at the moment. Last Saturday I made this Saturday Market Bag. What a lovely quick project. I am going to have to rethink my prejudice against cotton. I've always avoided it because I don't care for now it feels in the skein or ball but it was quite nice to knit with. I am very happy with how this bag turned out and think I will get a lot of use out of it, that is, if my mother doesn't steal it.

I am now knitting a Sophie purse, a magknits refugee. I haven't seen it republished anywhere yet so if you want it, I recommend going to the wayback machine or google cache. I'm using the Knit One Crochet Too I received in a swap. I love the colours though I did have some trouble with breakage with the first ball. Don't panic though, it sounds like this problem has been resolved except for a few bad balls floating around. I haven't had a problem with the second ball so I would be inclined to believe that's true. As the bag will be felted I'm not concerned. I'm close to done the bag part and have decided to make beaded handles. My coworker bought some beautiful beads at the bead store near Three Bags Full that she isn't going to use so I am going to buy those from her. I don't have a picture yet but I'll take one before I felt it. I am both excited and nervous at the prospect of putting wool through the wash on purpose. Hopefully I'll be done tomorrow.

Yarn Fast Confession

2008-04-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

I swear I have been knitting, despite the lack of progress pictures. The blanket is coming along, I am on the third out of seven balls of yarn so getting close to halfway there. It isn't a very photogenic project as it mostly looks like a turquoise blob lol.

I'm also working on koolhaas in some alpaca yarn I got for Christmas (need to get cracking on the 2007 stash as per the resolutions) but it's not a mindless project either. Enter, the saturday market bag.

When I learned magknits was closed I immediately did a search on Ravelry to see what projects I might like to make at some point so I could grab those from google cache. That's how I stumbled across this pattern. I was just lamenting that I didn't have any cotton yarn when a package came in the mail. It was a swap package that among other things included 2 balls of Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. So I cast on for that too. It's the perfect project for those days right after finals when your brain is still fuzzy.

Speaking of swaps, I have a confession. I had to go to the LYS to buy some yarn for a swap. While I was there, I bought yarn for me: some Noro sock yarn. I also bought some roving but that doesn't count. So I am going to invoke the "sock yarn isn't stash" clause so I can still get my wheel.

On that subject, do any spinners poking around here have any suggestions? I'd prefer something that's a little portable and easy to use for a newbie. And preferably available locally in Vancouver.

Spinning Confessions

2008-04-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit, I haven't exactly been spinning for 15 minutes a day. In my defense though, surgery prevented my from holding my left arm above my head for two weeks. Interestingly, my spinning improved anyway. Remember this picture of my first attempt, a thick and thing slubby yarn?

Here's the latest

The colour makes it hard to see but it's a much thinner, more even yarn.

Unfortunately, I'm not quite done with surgery. The margins were positive so they need to go back in. I'm not entirely surprised but it's definitely an annoyance. Hopefully third time's a charm.

Recovering Kitty

2008-04-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Very little knitting has been going on the last few days. Between the kitten crisis, term papers and lingering pain from surgery, I haven't been up to it. I am more bothered by post-surgery pain today than I have been since the first couple days, probably nerves waking up. Yuck. It probably doesn't help that my cat stood right on the incision last night (revenge?) She's home and recovering. Here she is showing off her scar, asking for sympathy.

She was spared the cone because of the wound on her neck from where the needle was sticking out but she doesn't seem to be licking the incision site. She has to take two different antibiotics for the next eight days. One of them is a liquid and the other a pill. I'll tell ya, giving that cat a pill is well, a pill.

2008-03-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

Things are looking up for little Desi. I called as soon as the vet's office this morning (obsessive mama much?) and the tech said she was awake, alert and moving around but the vet hadn't seen her yet so to call back then. I called at ten and he said he thinks she'll be fine and can come home tomorrow (a very bald and probably very mad cat) so now I just have to scrape together the other 600 dollars to pay him. Doesn't matter, it's totally worth it.

I also went to the surgeon's office today for follow up. She took the steri strips off so I can have a proper shower now (finally! I've been feeling so gross) but she didn't have the pathology back yet so I have to go in AGAIN on Friday. It would save so much time and money if they would just do these things over the phone.

Bad day

2008-03-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today hasn't been a good day. This morning I found out that a woman who was much beloved on a forum I belong to, lost her battle with breast cancer. She was 'mama Cath' to us and while we all knew it was coming, it's still a tough blow.

And then I discovered something wrong with my kitty Desi. She's been acting a bit off the last few days, though nothing really alarming and when I took her collar off I discovered a needle sticking out of her neck! Unfortunately there was thread attached so she had emergency surgery and we won't know until tomorrow if she's going to make it. She's just 10 months old and I am just devastated. I love that cat more than I have ever loved an animal. She's definitely my furbaby and I'll be heartbroken if she doesn't pull through. And of course I feel like a terrible kitty mommy over it.

Channeling the Yarn Harlot

2008-03-21T01:30:00.000-07:00

So I had the lumpectomy today. It wasn't so bad. Actually, while I would hardly recommend having this experience once, let alone twice, the second time around wasn't nearly as bad. For one, I knew what to expect. For two, they were actually ahead of schedule! When I had surgery in 2006 it got very backed up and I was 2 hours late getting into surgery. That's a lot of anxiety building time. For three, I remembered to tell the anaesthesiologist that I had some bad nausea from the general last time so I got gravol before I woke up. It is so much nicer to not wake up queasy.

Anyway, now for why I titled this post channeling the Yarn Harlot. You remember a few weeks ago when she wrote about packing extra yarn for her daughter's weekend away? I took the same sort of approach when selecting my knitting for the hospital waiting. I brought 4, yes 4 projects which my mother thought was crazy. You knitters out there probably understand though. I brought the two projects that I am currently working on: the baby blanket and Ice Queen. The blanket requires some concentration and Ice Queen is just fiddly with the beaded parts so I wasn't sure I'd be up for them. With that in mind I brought yarn and needles for a simple hat but what if I wasn't feeling the hat? So I also brought sock supplies.

I think all the yarn was good luck because I only had time to knit 2 rounds of blanket. Maybe that's the secret, if I bring a lot of contingency knitting there won't be any waiting?

Now I'm off until the 31st, another plus this time around. I rushed back to work last time because I was temping and only getting paid for days worked. That turned out to be a mistake. Now that I have sick benefits I can take the time I need to recover. And since there's a long weekend it only works out to 5 working days missed. Hopefully I'll get a lot of knitting done.

The rush is on for the blanket now. The baby, Audrey was born on Friday.

The wheels in my mind are spinning

2008-03-12T05:12:00.001-07:00

There’s a group of Vancouver knitters over on Ravelry called the Terminal City Yarn Wranglers. There is a get together every few weeks in Vancouver. Though I’ve been a member almost as long as I’ve been on Ravelry, I’ve never been. Something tends to get in the way most weekends. There was a gathering this past Sunday and I decided that this time I was going to make a point of going. I’m so glad I did.

There were 4 others there at a coffeeshop on Main Street and one of them, Louisa, was kind enough to give me a drop spindle lesson so I spent most of the time “spinning” or at least, trying to. It was fun and though I need a lot of practice, I’ve got a starting point now. I can already see this spinning thing becoming addictive. There’s something soothing about the spinning spindle and the transformation of fiber into yarn.

That’s the result of my first attempt. My plan is to try and get in 20-30 minutes of practice a day. There’s just one little problem, now I want a wheel. I’ve done a little bit of looking and the prices make my eyes boggle a bit. One of the cool things about taking up knitting is that it requires minimal financial investment. All you need to get started is some yarn and needles, and even going high end, the single purchase price isn’t likely to be huge. (Assuming you don’t want to make a handspun quiviut sweater or something). That makes the investment in a wheel seem quite substantial, though still a bargain compared to my kayaking stuff.

So I have a plan. I get paid bi-weekly and have an extra payday in May so the deal is if I don’t buy yarn between now and the end of May, I can buy a wheel. While my stash is minuscule compared to some, it has grown exponentially in the past few months and needs to be tamed. I had it all out on my bed last night. It looks bigger than I thought it was when it’s all together like that.

Wait a second, that sounds an awful lot like a yarn diet. I have steadfastly maintained that yarn diets are a bad idea because you’ll only end up on a yarn binge at the end which will counteract any stash reduction you may have achieved. Hmmm, then again, wouldn’t a splurge like a spinning wheel satisfy any yarn binging urges?

Maybe I’ll call it a yarn fast instead of a yarn diet. Sounds shorter term.

Fibrefest Damage

2008-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist going to Fibrefest 2008 in Abbotsford today. I was going to, because I really don't need more yarn but yarn love won out.

In the end I only bought two skeins of yarn from Shades of Narnia. Come on, they were 5 dollars a piece how was I supposed to resist??

All other purchases were spinning related and, as I said to my mother, don't count as stash until they're actually yarn.

I bought a beautiful spindle. The roving pictured with it comes from a farm in Aberdeen, Saskatchewan. It will probably be awhile until I attempt to spin it but since my grandpa was born and raised in Aberdeen I had to buy it. Aberdeen is a pretty small town even now so that was a neat small world moment. And besides, the roving is beautiful. The spindle is by Viking Santa and is maple and lacewood. The roving is 50/50 Wool and Tencel.

I also bought a kit of roving for socks from Funknits.

Now I just need to learn how to spin!

Oh and here's a photo of the yarn I dyed all wound up.

I can definitely see myself doing more dyeing. What a great way to combine my longtime love of painting with my newer love of knitting.

And in medical news, saw the surgeon on Thursday. I'll be having a lumpectomy on March 20th. I'm not entirely convinced of this course of action but the priority now is to get it out of there. I will be looking into finding a doctor around here who has some more experience with phyllodes and see what they think.

Just to clarify, phyllodes tumors aren't breast cancer, at least not the kind I have. But because they can grow very quickly and are rare enough that they aren't fully understood, they still require removal.

Socks and Blankets

2008-03-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

I finished a pair of Monkey socks over the weekend. I ended up frogging the sock I posted about a couple weeks ago because I got to the toe decreases and decided I didn't like the fit. Monkeys were a lot more interesting than knitting another plain stockinette sock. It was a fun knit. There was some pooling on the second sock so I had to switch to the outside of the ball but the pooling was mostly on the sole of the foot.

Jitterbug is short on yardage so I followed the lead of other Ravelers and did 5 repeats on the leg instead of 6. Turns out I wouldn't have wanted 6 anyway because I'm short and these socks are plenty long enough.

Now I've started working in earnest on the blanket for my cousin's baby. I fought with a circular cast on for a while, took no less than 12 tries before I figured it out. I started out with 2 DPNs because 3 was too awkward and it went much more smoothly.

I'm using one of my new ADDI bamboo needles and I LOVE them. The yarn slides like butter. They are so smooth. And the cable is flexible enough that I was able to switch to the 16 inch circular once I had 64 stitches.

I'm about to start on the pattern part which is a little scary. It's not like I can turn to the Internet if I'm stuck on something. It's just me and my own instructions. Eeep. I also have no real idea how it will look in the end so I hope it works out because it would really suck if I did all that work and then hated the result. This is what it looks like after 31 rows: Like a blob. Fingers crossed that the blob eventually transforms into a really beautiful blanket.

I had trouble finding a yarn I wanted to use for this project. Obviously it's for a baby so it has to be washable but I didn't want acrylic. I also needed a gender neutral colour because my cousin either doesn't know or at least hasn't divulged what she's having. I don't like yellow, pale lime green isn't much better and as for purple, I'm skeptical of its status as a gender neutral. I love this minty turquoise colour though. Good thing too cause we're going to be spending a lot of time together.

Colour your world

2008-03-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to try hand-dyeing yarn so when I spotted a Louet kit on sale for 40% off at Three Bags Full I took the plunge.

All the supplies set up on the table.

Yarn Bath. I lost count of the number of times I had to shoo the cats away.

Undyed yarn awaiting its destiny

Hand-dyed yarn drying.

It was pretty fun and definitely something I'd like to do more of. After all, I love to paint so what a perfect way to combine two loves.

Hodge Podge

2008-02-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

I'm making my first attempts at design right now. I decided I wanted to make a blanket for my cousin's baby and since I couldn't find a pattern that really spoke to me I decided to create my own. Seriously though, leave it to me to decide that my first original design should be a circular blanket with lace when I have never a) made a pattern or b) knit something that is a circle. I think I've got the chart mostly figured out and now I need to master the circular cast on. I may need to make a trip to the LYS for that because somehow it's just not working out for me.

I've got a serious case of senioritis right now. In my head I finished school two years ago when I took time off to travel. It was supposed to be a semester, maybe two but then I got a full time job and a semester turned into 5. I have 4 courses left, 2 this semester and 2 in the summer and I am just not interested. My usual I have to get an A or I will DIE attitude is gone, not necessarily a bad thing but I'm much less motivated than usual. I'm going to have to get my butt into some serious gear though.

Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary since my first surgery. It was sort of bittersweet. The chances of recurrence go down significantly after two years. I'm still mad that it's happening again. But that just means that there will have to be a huge celebration when the next surgery happens.

Anxiety knitting

2008-02-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

I knit half a sock foot today, mostly waiting at the doctor's office. Most of the time I appreciate public health care but when I spend an hour waiting to see a doctor when I have an appointment after waiting 3 weeks to see them in the first place it's hard not to be frustrated. But look... SOCK!

I'm almost ready for the two decreases so that's a silver lining.

In other news, and I hesitate to post this because it is a knitting blog and all but hey, it's my blog, I learned today that the phyllodes tumor I had removed just under two years ago has returned and I will need more surgery. From what I've read the options are either a wide local excision or mastectomy. We'll see what the surgeon says when I see her but I'm leaning towards mastectomy.

I'll be okay. As things go, it could be a lot worse and I'm more prepared for this time around.

And this time I have knitting, which I think is going to keep me sane.

I hope my few readers don't mind if there's some more personal stuff on this blog for the next little while.

Happy Valentine's Day.

FO: Socks for the sister

2008-02-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

It is a true show of love to knit socks for someone you know will abuse them. There will be no careful handwashing of these. My sister is not really a sock person normally. She's the type to wear barefeet and sandals unless there is actually snow on the ground (and there have been times...) so it was nice that she really wanted handknit socks.

I am such a project knitter. I have been dying to finish these so I could start on a pair of Colinette Jitterbug socks for myself. I can't stand having more than two, maybe three projects on the go at once and they have to be different types of projects, ie I can't have two pairs of socks on the go at once. My other project at the moment is the Storm Water shawl out of Seasilk. This is strictly at home knitting because I am too paranoid to bring it anywhere.

I'm also trying to design a blanket for my cousin's baby, which is due in March so I need to get going. I don't expect to finish before it's born but I'd like to get within a few months at least. It's my first attempt at designing so I hope it works out.

Swapping

2008-02-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

There were a few articles posted on Ravelry this week about swapping, including some pros and cons. In my brief time as a knitter I have participated in 2 swaps and am moderating another more ongoing one.

It's been a stressful few weeks. I've had midterms and deadlines at work and on top of that I'm waiting for results from a medical test. In other words, I needed a pick me up. A skein of sock yarn and some chocolate would have made me very happy.

But sometimes you get really lucky. I had my package delivered to my office because fedex always picks the two minutes no one's home to be at my house. Here's what was inside:

When my mom saw it she commented that it rivaled her Christmas present to me this year, and she's right. Among the many wonderful treats stuffed inside a gorgeous knitting bag were 6 (six!) Addi circular needles, 2 skeins of sock yarn, a fingerless glove kit, 4 skeins of Mauch Chunky and so much more that the mind reels.

It's not exaggerating to say that I was almost in tears. And while the quantity of stuff is wonderful, the response had more to do with the fact that someone I don't even know, took the time and effort and thought to put this together for me. To me, that is the great thing about swaps.

So if you happen to be in Wisconsin, please look up Maisyknits Yarn Shop. I would if it weren't so far away.

Two FOs and a sock in progress

2008-01-21T13:26:00.001-08:00

Hey look my first sweater! Okay so a sweater that is knit on big needles in a lace pattern with bulky yarn isn't the hugest accomplishment but I'm still proud of it. This is the first thing I've knit that needs to fit and I am happy to say that it does.

I subbed with Manos del Uruguay and really recommend this yarn for this pattern. One caveat though: Manos is not like the recommended yarn (Malabrigo or Handpaintedyarn.com) which are plied yarns while Manoes is a thick and thin unplied. Personally I like how this works up in the Cherie Amour pattern but not everyone will.

I made socks!

I had the opposite of second sock syndrome with these. I was so thrilled to finish the first one successfully that I sailed through the second sock. They're so comfy to wear and I love the bright colours.

Having gotten over the hurdle of my first socks I cast on for the pair I promised my sister. I knit most of this while attending the Canadian Figure Skating Championships which were held here in Vancouver this past week. There are a lot of breaks in skating so knitting and skating watching are highly compatible activities. I am almost done the leg of the first sock.

I'm knitting these in Fleece Artist sock yarn with size 2.5mm needles. I'm using a combination of a few basic sock patterns. I believe the colourway is Hercules and I am quite enjoying it. I may have to find some more of it to make socks for me!

Resolution Rundown

2008-01-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

I believe that if I am going to succeed at my goal of knitting all 2007 stash before 2008 ends I'm going to need a plan, so that I don't lose track of what is 2007 stash and what I want to do with it.

So at the end of 2007 my stash was:
3 skeins Manos del Uruguay in colourway Stellar (aka 110) - all used up for Cherie Amour
2 skeins Koigu KPPPM colourway p113 - this is in the process of turning into socks
1 ball Rowan Kidsilk Night - Became Ice Queen
1 skein Manos del Uruguay in colourway 119 - I think this is going to be either a hat or maybe mittens
1 skein Jitterbug in colourway Florentine - This will be socks naturally. Probably just basic ribbed socks
1 skein Fleece Artist merino sock yarn - socks for my sister
1 skein Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino - going to be hat of some sort
1 skein Fleece Artist Blue Faced Leicester - to become a felted bag
2 skeins Handmaiden Handspun 100% cashmere - This is pure luxury, no clue what to do with it. I don't want to waste it!
1 skein Handmaiden Sea Silk in purple and gold - potentially going to be a Clapotis
1 skein Handmaiden Camelspin in Paris - This is the first yarn I ever completely fell for so I must find a worthwhile pattern
1 skein Camelspin in Peridot - same problem as the other skein
1 skein Handmaiden 2ply silk cashmere in Peridot - one of the colours of this will be a Wavy weathers wimple
1 skein Handmaiden 2 ply silk cashmere in Vintage - see above
1 ball rowan Scottish tweed - to be a hat
4 skeins Handpainted Yarn.com merino bulky - originally purchased for Cherie Amour, thinking of maybe adapting the pattern into a cardigan
1 skein Estelle Wooly Bully - being turned into a scarf for mom
2 skeins Botto Poala laceweight - thinking of possible making a slightly shorter Hanami out of this.
2 skeins Lang Yarns Mille Colori - have sort of fell out of love with this stuff, maybe hats to donate?

I would also like to knit up the 1.75 skeins I have of Manos Stellar. I purchased two more to finish Cherie but only needed a little of the 4th skein. Maybe my so-called scarf?

A tale of amour

2008-01-12T13:04:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with the Cherie Amour pattern as soon as I saw it so even though I was short at least a skein of yarn, I cast on immediately after Christmas. I figured the additional yarn would arrive before I ran out. I wasn't anticipating just how fast this would knit up.

I finished the body within a few days. I love how the Manos Del Uruguay knits up in this pattern. The colourway is beautiful and I'm so glad my mom chose it for me. I wouldn't likely have been drawn to it myself.

Here's how it's looking so far.

There's the body patiently awaiting its sleeves. I managed to get the full body plus one sleeve out of three skeins. My new yarn arrived yesterday so I've finished the second sleeve. I'd say that the extra small size knit in Manos, requires 3 skeins and a quarter. The sleeves are blocking now so hopefully I'll have some FO photos tomorrow.

While I waited for more Manos I knit an Ice Queen.

This pattern (from the Winter 2007 Knitty if you don't already know) is a fun, fast knit. The finished product is also surprisingly utilitarian. I keeps me warm enough for Vancouver winters without the need for both a hat and scarf. I've already received one request to knit one for a friend. I knit version A (stockinette version).

I used Rowan Kidsilk Night instead of Kidsilk haze. The flecks of silver in the Kidsilk night add a nice shimmer that compliments the beads. I quite like the finished effect. I think next time I will try the picot cast on because doing the picot bind off twice is a little painful. (Especially if you've recently spent 5 hours doing the picot bind off for a Charlotte's web.

I finished my first sock today!

The pattern is mostly the one found on the ball band of a skein of Jitterbug. I used the heel instructions from Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks. I still have some trouble figuring out sock patterns so it's not perfect but look! it fits! I've cast on for the second one already. I can't wait to wear my first pair of handknit socks.

I had a few false starts with sock knitting so I am seriously proud of these.

And to finish, below is an FO photo of my second Charlotte's Web shawl

This is my new favourite accessory.

You've come a long way baby

2007-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Normally I like to take some time New Year's Eve to reflect on the past year. I didn't do that last year because frankly, 2006 sort of sucked.

To be honest, 2007 didn't start off any better, if anything, the first half was pretty ugly, ugly enough that at times I'm still sort of surprised I survived it. I guess that's why this year it is more important than ever to look back on how far I've come because it's a long long way.

A year ago I was fighting with everything I had to hang on to a friendship I'm now not sure ever really existed. I was fighting to hang on to something else to: hope. I lost it for a while there, hope that things could ever get better. I learned that when you're at the bottom it's hard as hell to be able to see the way out again.

I learned that some people will always disappoint you. I also learned that some people will come through for you when you need it most. Maybe most importantly though I learned that sometimes even the hardest things we go through are meant to bring us to the places we're supposed to be.

This is supposed to be a knitting blog right? I wonder some times if I would have started knitting if I hadn't been through what I did. Then other times I wonder if it would have been so bad if I'd had knitting to begin with.

My resolutions for 2008 are simple. In life, I want to never forget the journey 2007 put me on but I also want to move on from it. Time to close that chapter for good. I also want to remember that it is both okay and natural when friendships fade and to try not to let them go out in a cloud of resentment and hate.

In knitting, I want to knit everything I have in my stash today before the end of next year. I can still buy yarn but it's meant to encourage me to use what I already have too.

So here, at the end of 2007 I am grateful to be here and thankful that I am happy and healthy and hopeful that the dark corners of 2006-2007 are behind me.

Happy New Year.

Fo: Charlotte's Web

2007-12-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

I knit a Charlotte's Web shawl as my first project. It turned out all right but it wasn't perfect so I wanted to make another one, applying the things I'd learned.

I had hoped to have it done to wear on Christmas Eve but despite waking up early and knitting all day and I didn't finish in time to have it blocked and dry.

Here's a blocking shot

The prerequisite fence shot

I'll post a photo of me wearing it this evening.

Mods:

I used a US 7 this time around to make the lace pattern looser. I also used 6 colours instead of 5 and did an extra 12 rows.

I'm not a fan of fringe so I tried a picot bind off. It took forever but I love the effect.

I'm just loving this piece.

A Wooly Christmas

2007-12-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

I got yarn for Christmas! I knew I was getting yarn but I didn't expect this much of it. I'd originally asked my parents for a gift certificate from a yarn store but later my mom and I agreed that we'd go to the LYS, I'd give her some hints and she'd go from there. I'm not very good with gift certificates. I never want to spend them. Weird huh? It worked out in my favour.

First up: Some Manos del Uruguay in a blue colourway destined to be Cherie Amour. I'm going to need to more skeins so it's off the the LYS tomorrow.

Up next, my first skein of sea silk in a nameless purple-gold colourway. This is a nice treat since I love Handmaiden Yarns

Some unidentified cashmere in a very dark navy. I think this one is going to be another Odessa.

Fleece Artist Blue Faced Leicester to make a felted tote. I've never felted before so that could be fun.

And some Jitterbug sock yarn in pinks, blues and purples. Totally my colours

Oh and some more Manos in a different colourway. This one will be the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat

And last but certainly not least, a ball winder! So I spent the better part of Christmas Day winding yarn. Fun fun fun.

Here's the box it all came in.

A Gathering of Lace was from my sister. Her actual gift to me is a set of Harmony circulars and some metal DPNs but there was a delay and they couldn't come on time so I got the book as a bonus gift.

Introduction

2007-12-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

I think this is the part where I tell you about myself.

I'm Megan. I've been knitting since September of this year. More than one relative tried to teach me as a child and I had no shortage of knitted things but it never stuck. Then I started commuting by train and hour each way and wanted something to pass the time. Keeping my hands busy keeps me from falling asleep, missing my stop and waking up an hour away from home with no way of getting back.

I love a challenge so I am drawn to projects which are almost guaranteed to cause some frustration. My philosophy is that no one was ever killed taking risks in knitting. I love knitting lace and I'm itching to try my hand at sock knitting.

Currently on the needles:

Charlotte's Web Part Deux
Mom's scarf

Next in the queue

Cherie Amour
Hanami?
Another Odessa?