Wrapping Up the Year
Yep. 2009 is over as of midnight. Is that loud cheering I hear? I think it might 
Suffice it to say that it’s been a tumultuous year for us and practically everyone we know. Thankfully, we have survived and are beginning to see bigger and brighter things coming to fruition for 2010.
But before we ring the old year out, there’s some final things to show you:
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I promised to share this year’s crop of holiday gifts and now that they’ve all been distributed, I can!
(I won’t go into too much detail or else this post will turn into a novel, so click on the links to go to each project’s Ravelry page for additional info)
Mom’s Mystery Slippers & Dad’s Lopi Slippers of Doom
BD’s Winter Socks & Dad’s Diamond Socks
Maine Morning Mitts – Pairs #1, #2, & #3
Happy Stripes Tea Cozy, Garter Mug Cozies & Noro Coffee Sleeves
Overpass Cowl, Frosty Ottawa Morning Cowl, Chunky Dean Street Cowl & Jade Infinity Cowl
Rock Out Guitar Strap Sock & MIL’s Fancypants Apron
Joseph, The Amazing Technicolour Octopus (for baby grand-nephew) & Roxie’s Bunny Nugget (who’s pompom didn’t last 2 minutes LOL).
She loves it though 
.
~~~
BadgerDan spoiled me rotten this year with a much needed Royal Ball Winder, a set of Addi Clicks and a replacement foot pedal for my 1950s Singer Sewing Machine.
Among other wonderful gifts, I also received some precious family heirlooms to look after. My Grandmother’s mink stole (circa 1950s), antique drop leaf table (circa 1920s) & my great-grandmother’s tea table (circa 1900s). The furniture looks wonderful in our “parlour”
In other good news, Hubby has finally gotten our Jeep insured and on the road – The Mork & Mindy Mobile Lives!!!! Woohoo!!!!!
(Photo will be added later)
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On Christmas Day, I started a pair of socks from some leftover yarn and completed them yesterday:
Pattern: Burning Rings of Fire Socks by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Lang Super Soxx, grey/brown; Sandnes Garn Lanett Superwash, black; Lady Galt Kroy 4-ply, col 118 (brown)
Needles: 2.5mm circs (magic loop)
What a great little pattern! (It’s a free Ravelry Download, btw.) Fits like a dream and works great with handpaints, self striping and stashbusting – I think this one might just become my go-to travel sock pattern.
I wore them all day yesterday – lovelovelovelove!
Being in total stashbuster mode, I also cast on another pair:
Pattern: Niagara Falls by Janel Laidman (from The Eclectic Sole)
Yarn: Lang Super Soxx, col 630.0045 (41.6g); Paton’s Scotch Fingering 3-ply, white (8.3g) (for the heel & toe)
Needles: 2.5mm circs
So far so good
And my last cast on of the year is in support of talented designer and Plurk/Ravelry friend, Lisa Dykstra (aka YenforYarn), who’s just started chemotherapy.
Pattern: Periwinkle Socks by Lisa Dykstra (from Crystal Palace Yarns)
Yarn: Kroy 3-ply from Stash, Burgundy/Blue/Green Twist (27g); Solid Burgundy (40g)
Needles: 2.25mm circs
This is one of the free patterns she did for CPY, but she has also done some fantastic work for the WoolGirl Sock Club and has a great sock pattern called Manhatten that I’m planning on casting on for in January.
Grab those needles, choose one of her patterns and send her lots of healing thoughts and good will!
~~~
On the shawl front, I have 12 more rows to go on Wings of Horus which I hope to finish sometime in January. These last rows are taking *forever*! (Did I mention that this shawl is huge?)
Mystic Waters and my Shetland Faroese haven’t been touched in a while, but I’m going to be firm with myself and not cast on another lace shawl until they’re finally off the needles.
So the WIP count going into 2010 is a whopping 2 pairs of socks and 3 shawls. I’m doing pretty well, I think 
.
~~~
In Yarn/Fibre Pr0n news…
For our wedding anniversary, BD bought me these to make the Mystic Embers Stole:
2 skeins of Cables & Lace Frog’s Hair (70% Merino, 30% Silk 2-ply laceweight, 440yds) in “Rusty Hull”
Simply Gorgeous!
Note: Knitting Dragon has put his dyeing on hold for a while as he pursues a degree in Fiber Arts & Fashion Design – All the best Eric!
When I first saw this roving, I completely lost my mind and stalked TisJewel until she had it up in her etsy shop:
4oz of Merino/Tussah Silk Combed Top, “Jekyll & Hyde”.
You know when all rational thought goes out the window and all that’s left is your inner child screaming “MINE”? Yep. Totally what happened.
And when it arrived, I was totally speechless…
Then I immediately went to her website and ordered the other one, as NO ONE ELSE MAY HAVE IT!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
ahem.
A few other wonderful fibery things will be arriving in the new year … of which I will fill you in later.
Lastly, I won another prize from the Sock Knitter’s Anonymous Group!
This time for the 2009 October Challenge, donated by SandraSingh – a copy of Chrissy Gardiner’s Tangled Vines Socks:
Very cool! Will have to figure out what yarn I want to do them in…
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So, are you ready for the final project talley?
Got your smelling salts handy? Sitting down?
Okay, here we go:
Pairs of Socks: 52
Pairs of Slippers: 4
Pairs of Mitts/Gloves: 7
Hats: 7
Scarves: 7
Cowls: 5
Shawls/Apron: 3
Sweaters/Tops: 7
Afghans/Blankets/Rugs: 7
Pillows: 2
Bags: 3
Dishcloths: 9
Placemats: 4
Cozies (Teapot or Otherwise): 8
Accessories/Ornaments: 4
Stuffed Toys: 2
2009 FINAL TOTAL: 131 Completed Knitting and Crochet Projects
I think I might need a stiff drink.
~~~
Wishing you all a Safe & Happy New Year!
See you in 2010!
Retro Awesome
Well, I made it! Cast off the last gift last night and everything is wrapped and ready to go. So, guilt-free, I can now devote a little time to catching you guys up with the massive amounts of stuff coming off my needles/hook over the last month and a half.
(I’ll share all the holiday gift knitting/crochet insanity with y’all tomorrow.)
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Wow. Where to start?
How about some socks…
BadgerDan’s Vintage Intarsia Socks (aka Regent Hose for Hubby) came out pretty well I think – he just loves them This was his anniversary gift this year.
The Miss Marple Mystery Socks turned out just as awesome as I thought they would be. Star Athena encouraged us to play with ideas for the toe, so I modified the heel chart to make it work for the toes. (For the record, I omitted the lace pattern on the foot due to gauge issues.) What a great pattern – tons of fun! Thanks Star!
These are the Slipstitch Rings Socks I mentioned in the last project post and are knit out of the last of my Fleece Artist “Cosmic Dawn” & the Black Lanett Superwash. I threw in some Acid Green Scheepjes Invicta Extra for good measure.
I call them my “Alien Abduction” socks.
Beam me up! *snicker*
(I swear I had some socks in these colours way back in the 80s…)
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Hmm, what else?
BadgerDan got the matching December Sampler Pillow to go with his Afghan:
I literally used up *every* inch of the yarn to finish that pillow off. Couldn’t have planned it better.
This is the completed Mayrose Mystery Hat (aka Woolly Wormhead 2009 Mystery Hat “B”) out of Auracania Atacama Alpaca (try and say *that* ten times fast – I dare ya).
The tam is lovely and warm in the alpaca – fabulous drape. Very few designers will get me to do that much Feather & Fan (*not* my favorite lace pattern) – but I love Ruth’s hats to a fault. The “A” pattern – “Everglade” is queued and I’m still trying to decide on a yarn for it.
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Are you guys sitting down?
Good.
‘Cause look what I finished!
The Windsbraut Spitzbergen Shawl!
Not only did I keep up and finish, but it was done and blocked before Yule and I was able to wear to a holiday party the next day!
Squee!
~~~
I’ve needed some little stashbusting comforts for myself during the holiday gift madness – some quick stuff that saved my sanity and made me smile
Using up some of the soft brushed acrylic from my stash, I chained 200, worked out from the centre and went on instinct for the stripes.
All told, I think it came out quite elegant
A much needed accessory as my coffee kept going cold!
[Pattern is a slightly modified Cabled Mug Cozy by MyFairKatie and knit entirely while watching "Alice".]
I also made myself a crazy-ass pair of slippers:
Using both wool and acrylic stash yarns that really had no purpose. Certainly not the most colour-coordinated project I’ve ever made, but really, does it matter?
These just crack me up to no end and are very warm and cozy.
Chinese Emperor, Ali Baba or Munchkin? You choose (LOL).
[They're actually called Peter Pan's Slippers by Gabriela Ordenes.]
~~~
I *can* share a few gifts with you as they have already been received.
Our friend Lou needed a scarf, and I was more than happy to oblige him:
It’s made out of wool from a frogged Icelandic fair isle sweater and the Windy City Scarf pattern from the Stitch n Bitch Handbook. I’ve made a bunch of these over the years and it still rocks.
Jerry (our electrician buddy) received a manly neckwarmer:
This is the Fourteen pattern by the talented John Brinegar. So simple, so fab – and FREE!. The yarn I used really doesn’t show how cool the pattern is – go see his original and be inspired!
I also did a bit of crocheted threadwork and made some snowflake ornaments for our building managers and the lady I cat-sit for.
I even put little iridescent beads in the middle – they thought they were great.
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A little bit more Retro Awesomeness is the fact we were given a *pristine* vintage couch in a rather loud print fabric (totally my colours, but seriously early 70s) and a fabulous solid wood dining set including credenza, hutch and *3* leaves! All this from a neighbour who was moving into a retirement facility. I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am to her and hope that the Universe rains many blessings on her.
~~~
This is getting pretty long, so I’ll leave all the yarn pr0n for a later date. In the meantime, have yourselves a wonderful holiday.
Holiday Wishes
Blessed Yule and Holiday Wishes to you all!
Winter Solstice already? I can hardly believe it!
How this time of year snuck up on me so fast, I have no idea. I’m still frantically working on gifts and hoping they will be done in time. I’ve barely had time to cook, let alone blog!
I promise that I will do a complete update as soon as all the gifts are done (and boy, will it be a good one!)
In the meantime, from our family to yours, however you choose to celebrate the season – we raise our glasses to you all and bid you Peace, Happiness, Warmth, Light and a Bountiful Table.
Blessed Be.
Falling Off The Proverbial Wagon
Yarn acquisition has been running rampant Chez Alynxia lately. Mostly within reason, but I have strayed enough from my stash rules to feel incredibly guilty about it.
The recent happy arrival of the following gifts from some Plurky friends certainly has done nothing to quell the addictive fire:
KatKoe of Paper and Yarn sent me one of her cute little Copper Stitch Bugs (which seems to be hiding on me at the moment, so here is a photo of one of them from her store)
And TheChicksWithSticks sent me 4oz of GORGEOUS custom-dyed BFL roving in my favorite colours and 2 bars of her yummy homemade soap as a KAL prize from the KnittingPurls group on Ravelry. (You can also find her stuff here – please, someone buy her out of the Brandied Apple before I completely lose my resolve!)
LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE!!! Thank you both soooo much
~~~
I shall now confess to you the extent of my yarny shame:
A ball of creamy Marks & Kattens Soft Mohair (40% off) from Needles & Knits in Aurora.
It goes with the 2 balls of Estelle Watercolours (actually it’s the same yarn with a different name) already in my stash.
See? A couple of balls of grey and I’ll have enough for a decent sized project.
Totally justified.
Next came a couple of thriftstore sweaters for frogging:
Both are handknit – the first one I’ve identified as Bernat Softee Chunky (in Grey Ragg) and has already been frogged to make BadgerDan’s requested cardigan. It was $6 from the Goodwill.
All ready to go.
That second one is a huge, 100% wool Cowichan-collared zippered jacket and was only $2.99(!) from the Salvation Army. BD is using it until his cardigan is done. The jacket is very “retro Grampa sweater” and has grown on me so much that I might keep it as is instead of frogging it .
~~~
Also found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store:
~ Mary Maxim Northland Wool – Black
~ Lion Brand CottonEase – Violet
~ 35g Mystery Ball of Worsted Weight Merino (probably Debbie Bliss Merino)
~ 87g Mystery Ball of Chunky Alpaca Blend, Blue Marl
All 4 balls for $2.99.
Not bad, not bad at all you say… why all the guilt?
This is when I fell down and bought full price retail.
*GASP*
Hear me out now…
I have instituted a new rule – if the full price yarn is necessary to complete a project that removes 1 or more skeins from the stash it can be considered. Logically, they cancel each other out!
I have been wanting to knit myself the Cowl sweater by Diana Rupp (from Stitch ‘N Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook by Debbie Stoller) for years now… (the red one on the right)
and decided long ago that I wanted to make out of the Cascade 220 in #7811 Purple Jewel Heather in my stash. (It just *wants* to be purple!)
Problem was that I only had 4 skeins of it. Why not make it without the cowl? Sorry, not an option.
After much deliberation, I finally made the decision and ordered that single skein from The Loopy Ewe – and look what it arrived with!
My friends, I am now a Loopy Groupie! Squee! (Maybe now I’ll finally be able to score me some Wollmeise…)
In addition to the purple C220, I also received a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK in “Northern Lights” (which is totally going to make a pair of Woven Ridge Socks by Cat Bordhi), the “Brick by Brick Hat and Socks” pattern also from Cherry Tree Hill & a Loopy Ewe tote bag which is now completely filled with “queued” yarn. There were also some Tootsie Rolls in there, but they didn’t last long enough to make it into the photo. Thank you Sheri (and elves) – you ROCK!
(I hope to start the sweater after all the holiday knitting is done.)
~~~
Also purchased for full price (from Needles & Knits) were:
A ball of Lanett Superwash in black (which I’m pairing with the last of my precious Fleece Artist Sock in “Cosmic Dawn” for another pair of Cat Bordhi socks -Slipstitch Rings.)
and a skein of Shelridge Farms Handpainted Soft Touch Ultra 3-ply (col.SU0107N-093) to use with these 4 from the stash:
for the new Monika Eckert (Wollklabauter) Mystery KAL Shawl – Windsbraut Spitzbergen.
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Thus bringing me to another admission…
I’ve started another Mystery KAL project. Actually… make that 3 Mystery KAL projects:
Windsbraut Spitzbergen (which translates from the German to “Bride of the Wind” – Spitsbergen, a Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean) and since it only calls for 800yds of yarn and Moni’s KALs usually run to 8 clues, I think I can keep up.
It started on October 31st with Clue #1:
and we’re now up to Clue #2:
It totally looks like Arctic tundra .
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November 1st marked the start of the new Sock Knitter’s Anonymous Mystery Sock KAL – a mosaic sock pattern written by the wonderful Star Athena and called “Miss Marple”.
There was no way on Earth I wasn’t going to do this pattern – Agatha Christie fanatic that I am, so using a stock photo as inspiration for my colour theme, I chose these stash yarns:
Those would be a ball of KnitPicks Palette in “Merlot Heather” and the leftover frogged 2-ply wool from my Peacock Track Scarf (which, incidently, I’ve been wearing constantly now that the temperature has dropped dramatically) again, held doubled, on 2.5mm needles.
I just finished Clue 2 earlier today:
They are most awesome – can’t wait for the next 2 clues .
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The last mystery KAL is a pair of hats (I bought both patterns) by Woolly Wormhead.
I started with Pattern “B” using 2 balls of Araucania Atacama Alpaca (say *that* 10 times fast!) and 3.75mm needles.
It doesn’t look like much now, but reserve your judgement until the beret is done and blocked.
I’ll be starting Pattern “A” (a slouch hat) after I finish this one, as they take the same needle size.
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Well, that’s a load off my conscience.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that I also started a crocheted sweater for my brother?
Hey, what do you mean “Intervention” and “Rehab”?
It’s only a little yarn… and I can handle the new KALs – really
New Pattern – Classic Crocheted Shawl
I am very happy to finally announce that my Classic Crocheted Shawl pattern has been thoroughly reviewed (thank you testers!) and is now available for purchase in my Ravelry Store.
It is a fairly simple, classically-shaped shawl with a lacy border.
Crocheted in the round and worn folded in half, it drapes over the shoulders beautifully.
I used approximately 2200yds of laceweight alpaca (Misti Alpaca 2-ply) held doubled on a 4mm (G) hook for my version, but 1100yds of any fingering/sock weight yarn will yield a similar result.
As the shawl is worked in the round, it lends itself very easily to striping and “stash-busting”.
Gauge is not critical for this project. If you decide to use a heavier yarn for this shawl (and there is no reason why you can’t), simply go up a couple of hook sizes from recommended gauge on the ballband.
Instructions are also included for a shorter version of the shawl.
Have fun and enjoy!
Classic Crocheted Shawl from Alynxia Designworks
$3.00 (CDN)
Tunnel Vision
Yet again, I find myself falling behind on my blogging due to a sudden desperate case of “Finishitis”.
UFOs have been dropping like flies off my list to make room for new projects:
The February Lady Sweater for my sister was first off the list.
I opted for a couple of handcarved wooden buttons from Equador that matched better than the plastic ones I had originally picked out and I did end up having to rip back the entire body of my Zen Pullover to do the sleeves, but, no matter…
I like my newer version much better .
Using 8mm needles and increasing at the sides whenever I felt like it resulted in a well fitting comfy sweater that I’ve already been wearing quite a bit.
LOL – I guess they can truly be called “sister sweaters” now.
~~~
There was a bonus square pattern included this month for my Afghan CAL, so I cheated a little and finished off the 2009 Sampler Afghan a bit early:
These squares were quite fast and fun to do – great for a stash buster all-over motif afghans if you’re looking for a pattern.
November 2009 Bonus Square
(“Julia’s Flower” by Melinda Miller)
November Square
(“Gem Star” by Chris Simon)
As for the blanket’s recipient, Danny is thrilled with it – as evidenced by his stretching out on it and napping in front of the TV every night for the past week.
The December CAL square (or squares if there’s another bonus pattern) will become a matching pillow for him – which seems to be needed .
~~~
Not really a UFO, but a FO nonetheless, last week BadgerDan requested a scarf for a buddy of his who was just getting out of hospital after successful treatment for prostate & colon cancer (menfolk, please get thyselves checked!) and I was more than happy to oblige:
Pattern: Misti Alpaca Chunky Diagonal Rib Knit Scarf by Alicia Fleitas
Yarn: Mystery Chunky Blue Wool from Stash
Needles: 10mm
I cast on 20 sts and made an 8 row keyhole about 12” from one end of the scarf.
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And last but not least, the decision was made to call it quits on the idea of the Forest Witch Mittens due to time constraints. With an additional cable repeat and some clever decreasing, the mitten in progress became a pretty awesome camera cozy:
Those bobbles still crack me up.
~~~
Some other UFOs have been taking a bit longer, but progress is slowly being made:
LOOK! A COMPLETED INTARSIA SOCK! AMAZING!!!!
(And it only took me how long to knit? *groan*)
This is what the leg looked like before the heel:
The cuff for the 2nd one is finally done and I’m on to the leg of it later today. Alcohol might be involved, just sayin’…
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Wings of Horus is in the final stretch, and like most large shawl projects at this stage, is taking FOREVER to knit (beads not withstanding).
This is how it looked after Clue 5:
and here is where it is now (Clue 6, Row 230), only 16 rows from completion:
So close, yet still so far…
~~~
In the next posts – a new pattern for sale(!) and what other things I’ve been getting up to.
Stay tuned .
You know it’s a frosty morning when…
… your husband wakes you up, not with a “good morning”, but with “I need a cardigan”.
My uncaffienated brain tries to reconcile this statement with the fact that Dan hates cardigans and is always overheating. In response to my muffled, groggy request for clarification from under the covers, he said “you know, a smoking jacket with patches on the elbows – for around the house”.
Now this totally threw me. Elbow patches do not mesh with the image of the Thurston Howell III red velvet number that immediately springs to mind. It took a minute or so to sink in that he was talking about a late 60s chunky shawl-collared cardigan with leather patches.
Well, I’m quasi-awake by this point – mentally doing an inventory of the chunky wool stash and trying to remember which magazine in her extensive library has that pattern.
I mumble something about stripes and Lopi.
“Fine.”
Apparently, it doesn’t take a cold day in Hell him to get him into a cardigan, simply a frigid October morning on our 5th floor balcony.
I’ll go have a rummage through the stash later and see what I can come up with.
* * * * *
Now that I have a steaming mug of coffee beside me and motor skills returning to my extremities, I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been working on this week.
Building duties have been keeping me busy, but I’ve still somehow managed to finish a couple of pairs of socks:
This photo shows the actual colour:
Pattern: Hidden Hearts by Jeannie Cartmel
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, P818183; Broder Medicis 2-ply lace, Midnight Blue (held double)
Needles: 2.25mm
You’ll notice that these socks actually have a short-row heel – not my favorite heel, but the lace pattern is stretchy enough that it does accommodate my high instep. I had been going to change the heel, but decided to keep to the pattern instead of driving myself crazy.
Other than lengthening the toe to 3″, the only other modification I made to the pattern was to do a twisted rib (K1tbl, P1) instead of the regular 1×1.
The colours remind me of African violets – gorgeous.
The other pair I whipped off sprang from a “What the heck am I going to do with you?” moment with a big ball of partially felted, variegated Lopi-ish wool from a frogged thriftstore scarf (originally purchased for my Vintage Vertical Stripe Afghan project, but the variegation looked weird.)
I had been assessing potential sweater yarns in my stash and this ball just stuck out like a sore thumb. Doesn’t match any other yarns, too rough, too felted, too … hey, wait a minute… worksocks!
BadgerDan can felt a pair of socks simply by looking at them, why not make him a pair that’s already half-there? Nobody’s going to see them in his boots anyway and it gets the eyesore out of the stash.
A bit of swatching, pattern browsing and calculations later, I came up with this:
Pattern: Thuja by Bobby Ziegler
Yarn: Recycled Icelandic Wool, Variegated White/Grey
Needles: 5mm DPNs
There were definitely some changes made for gauge with these (14sts per 4″!). Ultimately, I cast on 28sts, did 2″ of ribbing, 8″ of leg, 18 rows for the heel flap and reduced to 26 sts on the foot.
Not the most attractive of socks, I admit – but they’ll keep the hubster’s feet warm.
Work has also been progressing on my sister’s February Lady Sweater:
I’m actually almost finished the main body right now and should be on to the sleeves later today – might actually finish it this weekend.
There is one sad realization that I had to come to last night while knitting Robin’s sweater.
I’m running out of yarn.
It looks like the body of my Zen Pullover (same yarn) will have to be sacrificed for the sleeves of the FLS.
**sigh**
Oh, well – it needed to be re-knit anyway.
I dug around last night and found 2 balls of really chunky cream Shetland that will work for the new body of the pullover.
Yep. With some 8 or 10mm needles, those should do nicely.
TTFN.
Things That Make Me Happy
On this weekend of numerous fiber festivals (Rhinebeck, Creativ Festival, etc.) that I (yet again) will not be able to attend, I have decided to focus on some simple things that bring me joy (not necessarily in this order):
1. Electric Purple Koigu Socks
(It might not look it in the photo, but I do assure you that the yarn is, indeed, electric purple.)
Pattern: Hidden Hearts by Jeannie Cartmel
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, P818183; Broder Medicis 2-ply lace, Midnight Blue
Needles: 2.25mm
I’m using the leftover laceweight yarn that I dyed for Mystic Star held doubled for the toe (elongated to 3″), heel & cuff of these socks because the colour was perfect and I only have one single gorgeous skein of the Koigu.
(Trust me, if I could’ve, I would’ve cleaned Lettuce Knit completely out of this luscious yarn.)
2. The Magic of Blocking Lace
The transformation of crumpled mess to gorgeous lace never ceases to amaze.
My Autumn Leaves Scarf blocked out to about 7″ wide and 61″ long.
It also looks fantastic with my Levi’s jacket:
Pattern: Feuilles by Eric Hinsch
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette, Autumn Heather; Patons Kroy 3-ply, Col. 305 (Khaki Green)
Needles: 4mm Brittany Straights
3. Trees That Match My Wardrobe
This is the view from my 5th floor balcony. Oh, how I love this time of year!
4. Wool Blankets, Sweaters and Socks
It’s October in Ontario. See above.
5. My New Haircut
I feel so sophisticated. And a little like Audrey Tautou.
6. Lace & Ruffles in Chunky Yarn
There is just something deeply satisfying about knitting lace in thick wool on chunky needles.
Pattern: Ruffled Lace Christmas Stocking by Kathy North
Yarn: White Buffalo Elenka, Cream; Reynolds Lopi, Gold
Needles: 6mm DPNs
Hook: 6mm
That crocheted ruffle just cracks me up.
7. The Perfect Beads
I finally picked up the beads for my Wings of Horus Shawl this week – they’re #8 Miyuki beads in a matte gold colour that works incredibly well with the cotton/ramie blend yarn.
They remind me of Egyptian jewelry, which is entirely appropriate.
8. Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
I use the recipe from “Eating Gluten Free” by Shreve Stockton.
(A really good basic GF cookbook, btw. The buckwheat pancake recipe is the BEST! I just sub out the buckwheat with teff flour as it’s a no-no for me.)
9. A Place For Everything & Everything In It’s Place
Those of you who know me well, know that I abhor doing dishes and laundry. However vital, it simply takes too much of my valuable knitting time.
This week, I have actually managed to thoroughly clean & organize my kitchen, keep up with the dishes & get all of the piled-up laundry washed, dried and put away. We can actually see the floor in the bedroom – it’s positively amazing!
An uncluttered house = uncluttered mind. Or at least in theory… it sure as heck feels like a weight has lifted off of my shoulders.
10. My Wonderful Husband
Tomorrow will be BadgerDan’s and my 11th wedding anniversary and as much as I like to grumble about him, he is the love of my life.
We’ve been through quite a lot together these past years and marvel at how we’ve (a) survived and (b) haven’t killed one another yet as we are both *quite* headstrong individuals who think in very different ways. (We have been known to have some very loud arguements, only to find out afterwards that we were actually arguing the same point.)
He is the Mathematician to my Visionary, the Costello to my Abbott and the Yang to my Yin.
And even though we won’t be going out for dinner tomorrow night (we’re actually on duty this week & next while the building managers are on vacation), we *will* be cracking open the bottle of 2007 Folonari Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso in the cupboard.
I love you Honey. Have a cookie.
From Books to Nuts
Or rather from Nuts to Books…
So, with no further ado, I present to you the long awaited pattern for the “Little Knitted Acorn Project Bag”!
Little Knitted Acorn Project Bag
Click on the above link for the PDF instructions and enjoy!
My humblest thanks go out to my testknitters and the people who have been patiently waiting for me to get around to writing out the final copy… and then re-writing it when the original died along with my Dell laptop. You guys rock.
I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that things are finally settling down enough for me to start transforming my patterns and ideas from jumbled notes & sketches into tangible instructions that others can follow. That and having a computer that can not only keep up with me, but actually do what I tell it to do, when I tell it to do it! (If only the husband was as well trained…)
As of right now, the pattern for the Classic Crocheted Shawl is being tested and should be available for download soon. Progress!
In addition to my new computer, I’ve acquired another couple of useful items recently that have made me squee with joy:
This would be my “brand new” Singer 306K (circa 1955) picked up for $20 at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store. It fits in my Nana’s sewing machine table perfectly and BadgerDan is on the hunt for a new pedal (the current one is kinda wonky) and some of the missing attachments for me. Colour me happy
However, not as happy as my new spindle makes me!
I picked up this gorgeous little guy from Butterfly Girl Designs over on Etsy. Now I just need to get some fiber worthy of spinning on it!
Now to bring on the yarn pr0n…
As I mentioned in my first blog post of the year, I have given myself some rules for stash enhancement and that also entails that I share with you my yarn acquisitions, full price or otherwise, lest the guilt monster haunt me for life.
In the spirit of full disclosure, the following was a bit of a splurge – but it was a special occasion. And I felt entitled as I completely missed WWKIP day.
Cables & Lace Dragon Toes in “Strife” and Lizard Toes in “Beltane”. Incredibly, it was the first mail we received at our new address. (They are destined for a pair of socks & a scarf – as soon as I’m able to stop petting them.)
I also ended up purchasing the yarn for the Lover’s Knot Wedding Afghan (2 (400g) balls of Phentex Worsted in “Natural” and 1 (125g) ball of Loops & Threads Impeccable Solids in “Chocolate) due to a lack anything suitable in my stash for it. As it was for a wedding gift with next to no yarn leftover from the project, I think I can let myself off the hook for this transgression.
However, what follows now is the Yarn Score of the Century found at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store:
20(Twenty!!!) balls of Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb and 4 200g hanks of Worsted Wt Wool (I think they’re Romni Wools house brand, but could be wrong.)
All for the grand price of… $16 CDN.
(I’ll allow you a moment to do the math.)
Needless to say, I think I broke the landspeed record getting from the cash register to the car and after getting home, spent a good 3 hours jumping up and down.
Deciding to share the joy, I subsequently gifted about 10 balls of the Lacey Lamb to various knitterly buddies of mine over on Plurk, still leaving me with at least 5 shawls-worth. (That delicious wine colour has Mystic Roses written all over it.)
There has also been some forays into dying, both project-related and otherwise:
Not having enough yellow yarn in the stash (read: next to nil) to do the Sock Knitter’s Anonymous September 09 Mystery Sock (the challenge this month was the colour “yellow”) written by the illustrious Nancy Bush, I had to improvise. A little digging around yielded a couple of skeins of cream mystery 2-ply “workhorse” wool and a box of Gold Tintex Dye.
The resulting combination henceforth officially dubbed “Mango Margarita”:
Not too bad for a fabric dye. (The socks, btw, have been worn and washed with little to no colour-bleeding – so far, so good.)
Yesterday, after colouring my hair, there was quite a bit left over and inspiration struck. I re-skeined 2 balls of some seriously ancient laceweight wool and had a bit of fun.
Following the same directions as for hair – I did one in solid and one “a la Jackson Pollock“:
It worked – who knew? (lol)
Last, but not least, some books magically made their way into my library…
In separate trips to the local Value Village, I scored these (both in hardcover and $3.99):
Family Album by Kaffe Fassett & Zoe Hunt
Thus, bringing my Kaffe book collection up to 9 (not including Rowan publications.) MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! One day they will all be mine!!!!! (Ahem.)
My friend Betty (of Sheeps of Egyptian Cotton) sent me her extra copy of A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen and earned my ever-lasting love and devotion.
And on the “free for the taking” bookcase in our building’s party room I found a copy of this:
Knitted Shawls, Stoles, and Scarves by Nancy M. Wiseman
Note to self: check bookcase every Wednesday after little old ladies needlework group.
Wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians (and happy Diwali to those celebrating it).
TTFN.
{Note: *Wince* I realize after reading this entry that my writing style leaves plenty of room for improvement. I’m working on it. Really.}
A Parade of Projects
Okay, time to update you on the rest of the little stuff I’ve been up to these last months… and there’s a lot of it, so stay with me here…
I decided to opt out of the Dishcloth KAL group I was involved with, but did complete the KAL cloths for May:
A summer top managed to make it off my needles:
Pattern: Coachella by Fathom Harvill (Knitty, Summer 2007)
Yarn: Teal Braided Cotton from Stash
Needles: 3.75mm, 4.5mm, 5mm Circular needles
I used the Extra Small size instructions, worked the first 3 rounds of collar on 3.75mm and the last 2 rounds on 4.5mm to transition to the larger needles.
We needed a rug for our “Library” (dining room area):
Pattern: Tweed Shells Rug by Katherine Eng (from Scrap Yarn Rugs)
Yarn: Chunky Thick/Thin Acrylic blend from frogged 2nd hand, handknit sweater-coat; Olive Green Cotton (Sleeves from frogged Sweater) – Yarn held double throughout.
Hook: 10mm
The cats just love it.
I did a wee bit of spinning with my Rakestraw spinner and decided to make a flower pin with it:
Pattern: Crocheted Rosettes/Flowers by Lion Brand
Yarn: My own handspun, 8.5g 2-ply lt worsted wt.
Hook: 4mm (row 1); 5mm (row 2)
The Oddballs Ravelry Group was doing a CAL for the awesome Inga Bag and since I found had all these little pieces of DK acrylic in my stash (don’t ask – NO frickin’ idea) I made them into a “magic ball” and voila:
A new project bag! I even lined it:
The liner is made from an old black t-shirt. The bottom of liner is square and double thickness for strength.
It seems I’ve been on a bit of a hat kick lately…
I improvised this baby hat for one of BadgerDan’s clients who just had a baby girl.
Spring Cap was the Woolly Wormhead KAL hat for September. I’ve actually been wearing this one alot.
The Emerald Star Cloche is my version of the her October KAL hat.
This beret was made to match these mitts, which the husband dubbed “Dr. Suess Mittens”. Aren’t they hilarious?
I whipped off a pair of wristwarmers (aka knittin’ mitts)
and… a few scarves…
This last one is a great mystery CAL scarf by Charles Voth (aka StitchStud of the Stitch Stud & His Bride Podcast).
There have also been socks. Many socks.
Plus one holiday stocking:
My 2009 Sampler Afghan is almost done with just 2 more squares to go:
Pattern: Eliot Square by Julie A. Bolduc
Pattern: Kingfield Square by Julie A. Bolduc
Pattern: Jupiter Granny Square by Patrizia Pisani
Pattern: Amazing Grace by Bonnie Pierce
Pattern: Carousel Square by Priscilla Hewitt
You will note that I have changed to single monthly squares. This is due to running low on the lighter main colour wool. The 4 singles will make a transition row in the middle of the afghan – see? Design feature. I’ll be starting to sew these babies together fairly soon.
Thus finally bringing us to my current projects:
My sister recently saw my Noro/Kathmandu February Lady Sweater and made with the grabby hands, so I promised her I’d make her one for Christmas.
I’m making Robin’s FLS in Cascade 220 “Dune Heather” for the yoke and Briggs & Little Heritage “Sheep’s Grey” for the body and sleeves.
So far, so good.
It’s soon to be mitten weather around these parts and I’ve begun a pair of Jared Flood’s Green Autumn/Druid Mittens (aka the cover mittens from Vogue Knitting, Fall 08).
I’m calling these my Forest Witch Mittens and they have been quite the challenge so far. After swatching AND knitting a cuff twice, I finally ended up going down 5 needle sizes to Size 0/2mm so that the mitts would fit my relatively small hands. The yarn is a dark green heather 3-ply wool from a frogged 2nd hand sweater-vest.
Knitting is slow – but with all the cables, to be expected. Got to say, against my better judgement, I’m finding those itty bitty bobbles amusing as hell.
The Sock Knitter’s Anonymous October Challenge calls for, among a couple of other options, “Socks for Men” and, being a good knitter wife, I allowed BadgerDan to choose a pair from some of my vintage sock pattern books.
He chose the last pair on the right – Regent Man’s Socks No. 2058 (from Hand Knit Socks by Regent, Vol. No. 20)
Yeah… once I picked my jaw up off the floor, I asked him
“Really?”
He replied
“Go large or stay home”.
Lesson learned and challenge accepted.
Regent Hose for Hubby in all their intarsia glory are being made on 9″ long 2mm DPNs using the following stash yarns: Opal Designer Uni 4-ply, Dk Brown; Lang JaWoll Color, 82.0198 (Green); & Patons Kroy 3-ply, col 390 (Taupe).
Yep. Bobbins. Up to 9 of them at any one time. On 2mm needles.
He’s lucky I haven’t stabbed him with one yet.
My newest project is a great little lace scarf I’m test knitting for my friend KnittingDragon (of the Sweaters for Dragons Podcast & talented dye-master of Cables & Lace) which I’m calling “Autumn Leaves“.
Pattern: Feuilles by Eric Hinsch
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette, Autumn Heather
Needles: 4mm Brittany Straights
I will be using a yet to be determined contrast yarn for the end lace sections as I’m a little short on yardage.
Project update complete.
**THUD**
Tomorrow… yarn pr0n & a free pattern.
As for now, I need to go prepare a peach crisp and some gluten-free biscuits for Thanksgiving Dinner at the parents.
