Off the Clock

I remember a vacation we took to the east coast many years ago when the kids were about 1 and 3. We drove through the states and went through New York State and Maine before heading back to Canada in New Brunswick. One of the highlights of this camping trip was to buy a fresh lobster in New Brunswick and cook it for myself; the very first time. After listening to the advice of the well seasoned lobster-meister I put about an inch of water on to boil to steam this bad boy. Well, I dropped him (or it could have been a her I suppose) into the pot where he immediately tried to climb out. Can't say as I blame him. Feeling just a little sick I pushed him back in and held the lid on until the required amount of time went by. I didn't enjoy this feast nearly as much as I thought I would. In fact I don't think I've eaten a whole lobster since. Giddy with the success of the rolled brim hat I started a matching scarf, but I wondered if there was enough yarn left for a pair...

That's it! The Christmas knitting is officially DONE! Of course I haven't done any wrapping yet, or even finished the shopping for that matter. But now I get to knit for me; woohoo! ;) So I whipped up this hat. I needed a hat because a) I live in Canada where owning a hat is mandatory by law and b) because it's been really cold out this last week. I guess it's not that I didn't have a hat already, it's just that the hats I own aren't very flattering, to the point I'd rather freeze my ears off. Then comes the rolled brim hat. I've never had a rolled brim hat before. Never even tried one on. But can I say that I love this style of hat? I find the rolled brim very flattering compared to the "usual" hats I get with ribbing that just looks wierd on me. All hail the rolled brim! Of course DD says it's ugly and made fun of me, to which I had a not-very-nice reply that I won't post here. What do 17yo's know, anyhow! Now I...

A comment on yesterday's post by April has inspired me to post on "where I'm at". Where Windsor is in relation to our north american geography is sometimes a little surprising, even to me! On the map I'm at the little circle the arrow is pointing to (at the bottom of Michigan). So what this means: I'm at the same latitude as northern California or Des Moines Iowa. I'm south of at least 16 U.S. states. I'm probably 750 miles south of London England (where I was born). I'm literally a stone's throw from Detroit (which has some great restaurants!). Mmmm. Like Greektown. Or Mexican Village. Ok, school's out. Now I have to head over there for supper tonight. In knitty news, I was up until 3:00am working on one of my Christmas projects, I finished up another one this morning and by George (and who's George now?!) I'm pretty much ALL DONE my Christmas knitting! Now I do have someone I thought about knitting something for but didn...

Can you believe this? It's not even Christmas yet. This isn't North Bay, it's Windsor for Pete's sake. (and just who the heck is Pete, anyway?) We're supposed to be the sunbelt of Canada. You know, "down south". Just look at all that snow. And this is the winter that I said I'm not putting the sleds (that's snowmobiles for all you non-snowmobilers) on the trail. But do you notice the nice clean edges on that snow? That would be because of my new toy, the snowblower. About time I broke down and bought me one of those babies. So while I've been working on the Christmas knitting I was thinking that I'm going to get stoned (as in hit with stones, not smoking pot; sheesh!) when people see what little knitting there actually is. All this talking about knitting you'd think I'd have a whole wardrobe knit up here, and I'm going to be a little embarrassed when you all say "what, that's it?!" when the post Xmas pi...

Well, maybe not on the shopping. Or much with the decorating. But I've been sampling the Xmas rum (just to check for quality, I swear!), and the knitting is coming along nicely! I haven't been posting much lately, mainly because (a) my lovely offspring have been very busy reminding me of why some animals eat their young (to the point that it warrants bold emphasis on the very), and (b) because all the current knitting is for Xmas and I don't want to ruin any surprises. I did make it to Prattes (one of my LYS's) yesterday. I bought some 2.25mm round needles now that I've discovered I much prefer magic loop to dpn's (if for no other reason than they're much more transportable in my purse without feeling like I'm trying to pick up a porcupine every time I reach into my bag) and while I was there I picked up a couple of balls of St. Ives sock yarn. (Boston begged me to let him model it; really!) It's a really pretty brown with blue tinges, perf...

I was up in Toronto last week for CAW Council, and decided to visit one of the country's largest yarn shops; Romni Wools . I did my homework online before leaving Windsor and apparently it's only 5 short blocks from the hotel! Well, at least I thought it was only 5 short blocks. Apparently just because the street address is only 500 higher than the hotel doesn't make it a "short walk"; it was a brisk 10-15 minutes - brisk because I was trying to get there before they closed. Then as I walk up to the door to enter "Nirvana" I notice a little hand written sign on the door; "Closed for inventory - Dec 1". Aaarrrggghhh! SO went in to see if they would let me in anyway, and I'm not too sure exactly what they said in return, but he was not a happy camper when he came out again. (I wisely stood outside out of the way to peer in the windows!) We did get a fabulous dinner of raw oysters and arctic char at Rodney's (or is it Big Daddy'...

After searching through every store in the mall, every store online, Ebay, and every other thing that came to mind, I finally found a replacement for Old Faithful. Now, bear in mind I've been looking for a replacement for these shoes since at least June because I wanted to get a pair in black. And I've found nothing; I mean NOTHING. Even when I'd find something not quite right but at least in the ballpark they didn't have my size. Since when did size 10's become so popular? I thought I was the only sasquatch out there! Anyway, here they are. Yes, the colour could be a little lighter and the heel could be a little higher. Yes, they're Doc Marten's. Yes, they're made by exploited little children in China. Yes, they're HUGELY overpriced. {sigh} And yes, I feel enormously guilty about buying them. Therefore I went ahead and bought two pairs; black and brown. Besides, I got the original shoes back from the shoemender's today and they...

DS had his championship game last night... in the middle of a blizzard! It was a great game; both teams played hard and gave it their all despite the weather. This pic shows where I renamed him "The Snowplough"; he plays offensive tackle, and here he not only took down his own target but managed to push him and the whole crowd of players with DS's teammate with the ball over enough yards to make their first down. It was priceless to watch; he just dug in his heels and away they all went! It really was an exciting game. DS's team got the ball first and made a touchdown on their first play about 30 seconds into the game, then went on to win the championship game 27-7. Go Green Griffins! Woohoo!

I've worn these shoes for about 2 years. I have a hard time finding just the right thing when it comes to shoes, and these were perfect. They weren't expensive, just basic brown leather lace-up shoes with a 2" platform sole and stitching around the toes. I live in these shoes! Sure, I have other shoes I wear for special outfits or stuff like that, but these were my "real life" shoes. I polish them faithfully (just bought a new tin of polish for them), and they look great with my jeans; not too casual like running shoes and yet not too dressy. What's happened is they've split across the sole. I'm taking them to the shoe-repair guy but I have to face the fact that I'm going to need a replacement pair. I've been looking for a pair just like them in black, but they're no longer on the market. I can't believe how upset I am over this! Of course this comes on the heels (hehehe) of me losing my prescription glasses at the Harry Potter movie ...

What Kind of Knitting Needles Are You? You are "turbo" charged. Fast moving and classy, you get things done with power and grace. Your expensive tastes can be deceiving, since what you really value is quality and efficiency. As you're careening around those corners in life, finishing a dozen knitted objects each month, stop and smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of process! What kind of knitting needles are you? brought to you by Quizilla _____________________ Also I gave my girlfriend her birthday present, Winecozy with a nice bottle of wine in it. I think she really liked it! (the Winecozy too, not just the wine) I also made some headway on my first Christmas gift last night. Can't show you any pics yet, will have to wait until after they've opened them.

I finished this last night! I'm really pleased with the fit. Of course that's because I frogged the Alpha version (when I was a good 6 or 7 inches into it) when I miscalculated the gauge for this sweater. Do you think I'll ever knit something that I don't have to rip apart halfway through it because I can't measure my gauge swatch properly?! Although in all fairness I wasn't sure how much to stretch the gauge swatch because of the ribbing. I'm still not sure about that ribbon, that just might change yet. Anyway I was knitting up a storm all week to get this done to wear to a function tonight. Now I can get moving on the Christmas knitting I'm SUPPOSED to be doing. {looking guiltily at the little progress bar on the side} But I did add some more past fo's to the Gallery. That erases a little of the guilt.

Named for the yummy moss coloured Sirdar Salsa yarn I just got in last week. It's going to be based on Knitty's "Tempting" . I'm not sure I like that big bow thing though, I might come up with something different there; we'll see. The yarn's more brown than it shows on their site, but it will still go great with my green leather pants. It's knitting up pretty quick, I just hope I ordered enough yarn (7-50g balls). I want to get this book to help me figure out future projects. I like to make my own patterns and/or make yarn substitutions, but never know how much to buy!

NOTE: I HAVE ALTERED THE HEEL IN THIS PATTERN SINCE FIRST POSTING IT! Here's the finished socks. Have I said how much I love this Briggs and Little wool yarn? It's nice and warm without being too thick, and it's so soft and squishy in my shoes! lol Anyway, I promised to post the pattern. The reason I had to come up with my own pattern is that this yarn is "Sport" weight, which is slightly thicker than sock yarn. I wanted a lace and cable design that would work with the number of stitches I was using. I use a toe-up design using the figure 8 cast-on, and a short-rowed heel. So without further ado... THE LACEY SOCK PATTERN NOTE: This pattern is sized for my foot which measures 8 1/2" diameter around the ball of the foot. The finished sock measures 7 3/8" diameter. For a smaller/larger foot adjust needle size accordingly. Materials: 1 skein Briggs & Little Sport weight yarn 2.75mm dpns or long circ if using magic loop method Gauge: 7 sts and 11 r...

And I can't even really call it "snail" mail; I only ordered it Thursday evening, and it's here on Monday! It's Sirdar Salsa in Moss, a 50/50 Merino wool/acrylic blend in DK weight. It is REALLY soft. (I can't keep myself from petting it!) I'm going to make a top based on Tempting to go with my green leather pants (background in pic). I can't wait to have at it! Must... finish... second... sock...

This is the before shot taken last year. The sweater is way too short and loose in the waist (which explains why I'm holding it in). So I added 2" in the front but 2" was not enough in the back, so I added another 2" in shortrows (a scathingly brilliant idea if I say so myself!) for a total of 4". Then I reknit the ribbing on smaller needles this time. Check out the "after" pic; I'll actually wear it now! ;) Thanks for frogging the ribbing for me Mom!

I've been off work this week and making lots of progress on the solid socks. This is sock number one. I did the extra row on the shortrowed heel in the middle and it's the best fitting heel I've ever done! I'm really pleased with how this is turning out. I've only used this yarn for heels and toes before and I knew it was a little thicker than the sock yarn I've been using, so I had to work out a pattern from scratch. The other thing I'm working on is fixing the sweater I made last fall. It's a little short and too baggy at the waist and it never looked "quite right". So Mom frogged the ribbing for me (yes, she's awesome!) yesterday and I'm adding a couple of inches to the length and working the ribbing on smaller needles to bring it in a little. I'm hoping it will fit better so I'll actually wear it.

Ok, I know this isn't knitting, but this is the birthday gift I got from my best friend tonight. Is this not the coolest or what?! Not to mention that she FLIES! She's going in my office at work. That'll give the guys something to talk about! lol And what's that say on her stand? "Justice League"? Somehow seems appropriate for the office, I'm thinking.

But first a word from our sponsors. My girlfriends took me out for my birthday tonight and spoiled me rotten, including getting me "The Cool Girls Guide to Knitting". Do I not have the best friends in the whole world? This adds to my blossoming knitting library that Mom started for me the other week. Now back to our regularly scheduled program- ming. I've joined another "Along" with the Solid Socks Sock-Along (button on the sidebar). I've chosen a skein of Briggs and Little Sport sock-weight wool in light green out of my stash. I'm getting better at this de-stashing thing! ;) I haven't made up my mind about the pattern yet, but it'll probably be either a basic rib or else the lacey pattern I did on my last two pairs.

And not a minute too soon! It's 39F and rainy outside right now. I call this the 26 year scarf because I originally bought the yarn 26 years ago to make a scarf which didn't turn out, and have started many different projects with it over the years before finally making it into the scarf it was destined to become. Here it is posing with the beautiful flowers my honey bought me for my birthday! Here's a close-up. I used about 140g of Donna by Wendy, 77% acrylic, 15% mohair, 6% polyester and 2% nylon and it measures about 6" by 7'6" including 5" of fringe at each end. I wasn't originally planning on making it that long until I saw Cameron Diaz' scarf in "In Her Shoes"; I loved it! I just did a basic k2 p2 rib over 32 sts with 4.5mm (U.S.#7) needles. I cut the yarn for the fringe before joining the last ball so I could just knit until I ran out of yarn. Isn't that great? An FO with NO leftover yarn! B) And here's the "...

I've finished "Diced Tomatoes"! Since I've had a couple of requests for the pattern already, I've posted them here . I have to say I'm looking forward to making a couple more; it's the perfect size for me, and I'm really pleased with how it's holding it's shape with no added support.

So I took my little numbers and made my calculations and have actually come up with a pattern. These were my inspirations: Winecozy from Knitty, my favourite little green purse I bought in the Eaton Centre in Toronto, and a can (or two) of Diced Tomatoes. Can you see where I'm going with this? Do you think the wine in Winecozy had anything to do with why I ended up with the Diced Tomatoes being part of this project?! Then I knitted up this baggy thing and 10 feet of I-cord for the handles that I finished knitting this morning watching Corner Gas" dvd's. Emma knits and crochets on that show, not to mention that it's Canadian and it's FUNNY! Eric Peterson who plays the crotchety old man in it is also in a serious video I use for harassment training at work. Now I can't do a training session without getting the giggles when I see him on there! The purse is in it's first run the wash right now, so hopefully I'll have more to report soon. But while ...

Since I've got a couple of balls of Paton's Classic Merino left over from Blaze , I've decided to make another felted purse. I picked up some more yarn last night in black and off-white to go with it. I'm working with two strands of yarn on U.S.15 needles and I'm making it up as I go. So first I'm making a swatch. I've got 20 stitches and 28 rows, and that gives me 7 3/4" wide by 8 1/2" long. Now I'm throwing it in the wash along with my Booga Bag since I've decided it needs more felting too! To the right it's gone through it's second "heavy duty" wash cycle with a squirt of dish soap and one rinse and now it's felted up all nice and tight. I didn't put it through the spin cycle, but I'm thinking I probably could have. It now measures 6" wide by 5 1/2" long. Now it's time to do the math and come up with a pattern. Stay tuned, kids, there's more to come!

I have three WIP's at the moment; the VK Lacey Shawl, the 26 Year Scarf and the 4x Homespun Top. I've just figured out how to do the little "progress bars" at the side of the page, have a look-see! So I've been thinking about doing some stash-busting. The 26 Year Scarf is yarn I bought 26 years ago when I was at my first full-time job, travelling and selling magazines door-to-door (ugh! It was an AWEFUL job! lol) Anyway being very bored during the endless hours on the road and more than a little homesick I bought some very pretty purple tweedy mohair-blend yarn and some needles to knit a scarf. It didn't work out and I ripped it. Over the years it's been started into a whole bunch of different projects and frogged as they each didn't turn out the way I wanted for whatever reason. I recently figured out that I've moved 10 times since I bought this yarn and it's still with me! It was a very extravagant purchase for me at the time as I had virtual...

And is it ever soft. And pretty. And thin! lol I was thinking this would be like sock yarn when I ordered it, but this lace weight is about half of that. I might still have a go at socks by doubling the yarn, or I might see how it works for Clapotis . I ordered this from handpaintedyarn.com on Tuesday and it was at my door on Friday; that's all the way from Uruguay to Canada. I'm very impressed with both the yarn and the service. It's the laceweight in Lorro Barranquero on the left and Citrus on the right.

Yep, I've been knitting up a storm. And what do I have to show for it? Really sore hands; I really need to get better at taking my meds for my rheumatoid arthritis. :( But I also have... pics! Wheeee! First up is a shrug I knit up last weekend out of a ball of cotton blend left over from a sweater I made for SO about 10 years ago. I'm not sure if I'm a shrug person or not, or if I even like it. DD says "don't go out in public with that on". :o I have to admit it does keep my shoulders nice and warm. Then I finished a pair of socks with the Sock It To Me yarn I bought from Elann. I had made the first sock too long in the foot and it sat in knitting pergatory until I finally got up the resolve to frog it and start over. The toes and heels are sock wool from Briggs and Little. (Or is it Briggs and Straton? No, they're the small engine people. lol) I'm wearing them right now! And last night I finished up Winecozy from Knitty, which I'm ver...

I'm not very good at this blogging thing, haven't updated since MAY! {blush} Anyway I've finished my Blaze from Knitty. I finished it a couple of weeks ago but it kept falling off my shoulders and didn't feel quit right. I ended up adding some extra rows and decreases around the neckline and now it looks much more like the pic. I am happy with it! And just to show how bad I've been about not updating this blog, I did eventually finish Soleil , also from Knitty. I had some gaping at the front of the armholes, so instead of ripping it and adding short rows I thought I'd save a few brain cells and frustration and add a little elastic instead. I'm currently working on "Green Shawl #15" from the Fall Vogue Knitting in a varigated yarn that I think is going to look pretty. Hopefully I'll be a good girl and post pics when I'm done!

Soleil-Along I've started my Soleil, I wasn't able to use my reclaimed re-dyed cotton as it was too bulky. I'm using some other German cotton I had in my stash that I bought years ago at Mary Maxim. As usual I have to go down several sizes to get gauge, 3.25mm in this case (instead of the 4mm called for). I find the lace easy enough to work, I placed markers every 40 stitches and then added more every 20 stitches when I screwed up a few times occassionally forgetting to psso. Of course I wouldn't find the error until two rows later when doing the next pattern row, so I'd just frog those two or three stitches back a couple of rows and fix it. {whew!}

Inspired by others on the Knitty board, I bought a second-hand cotton sweater to recycle. First I frogged it... and dyed it... And now I just have to come up with a project to make with it. I'm going back and forth between a summer cardigan or a tank top with a matching bag. Can't make up my mind. {sigh} I've got a few other WIP's at the moment, not to mention the Sock It To Me self-patterning sock yarn I've just ordered (that I can't wait to play with!) so I've got lots to keep me busy. I'm supposed to be making some more soap and lotions, but I can't seem to put the needles down lately!

I bought this cone of eyelash last year at the Spinrite tent sale. I weighed it and it's over 2,800 grams! I'm making a sweater (pullover) with it. It's going to be fun trying to join the pieces, though. You can't see the stitches for the fur! Maybe I'll just leave it sleeveless. Will have to see when I get that far. Here's a pic of the cone and the front.

I am a knitter and a soapmaker among other things. Here's some of things I've created lately. This is a loaf of soap made with moose tallow with calendula leaves including some sprinkled on top, and swirled with Australian green clay. It's scented with Bay Rum. This one is made with deer tallow and scented with Yuzu. Yummy! Think grapefruit. Here's a loaf of Amaretto getting sliced up in the cutting guide I made. And this one is a fabulous soap made with shea butter and scented with Lovespell. To see more about my soap making check out my soap site here. And after not knitting for several years I got back into it with this quick-knit sweater jacket. I think it took me a couple of days to whip up! That was quickly followed up with this yoked sweater inspired by an episode of Gilmore Girls. Which has led to my sock making frenzy; I'm on sock number 5, and three of them (2 that even match!) are keepers! Woohoo!