Winter Wonderland

Just when we thought we were finished with winter, we woke up on Friday to everything covered in snow.  It was hard to get upset considering the destructive earthquakes and tsunamis in other parts of the world.   I took this opportunity to stay cozy under my mohair throw and knit like the wind.  And wouldn't you know it, I finished my cardigan, and then I spent an insane amount of hours seaming the pieces together and weaving in the gazillion ends on Sunday.   So I'm giving myself a well-deserved break, and I've cast on a simple stockinette sock with some pretty striped Black Lamb fingering weight superwash wool.  It's my first and most favourite sock yarn.  And I'm wearing my cardigan today.  It's so warm and toasty.  LOVE.

I have a few days of work this week and then a long weekend in store for me.   I've planned some 'making' and a trip to the sugar bush for pancakes and syrup.  MMmmmm . . .  Fingers crossed that no one gets sick.

Happy Monday!
N

Happy Fr'Aidez

I now have two sleeves and the left front of my Aidez cardigan complete.  This project is moving along nicely thanks to the bulky yarn.  Have I mentioned that it feels like dryer lint?  Someone needs to spin that shizzle and make themselves bazillionaires 'cause I'd buy it.  Dryer lint is gold to touch.  I'm always sad to throw it away.  I should collect it and stuff pillows with it or sumpin'- sumpin'.  I'm sure if I googled ways to recycle your dryer lint, I'd come up with a mountain of ideas.  Oh dear.  I was right.   Apparently you could stuff your bra amongst 21,000 other links.

Just some stuff to get you thinking on this super freezy Friday.

N

Knitting Faster

The Ptarmigan cowl is finished - blocked and ready to be gifted.  The recipient I have in mind has felted many of my knitted gifts to her, so this puppy knit in a soft superwash wool will be absolutely perfect.  Since this came off the needles, I've knit two Early Morning Berets, and I've cast on a sleeve for the Aidez cardigan.  It's imperative that I find my cable needle.

Of course, I'm still plugging away at the Featherweight Cardigan, but a girl can take only so much stockinette before she pulls her hair out.  I've paused to wind another Malabrigo lace cake.  Isn't that pretty?

Today is a snow day, so I'm home with the girls.  I have a little bit of office work to do, but at some point I must sew up some hearts like this.   My windows need them. :)   It's also a potato leek soup and artisan bread day.  Mmmm . . .

Listening to this over and over and being reminded of wolf blankets-slash-curtains:

Keep warm!
N

Ptarmigan In Progress

I am knitting another cowl.  I have enough cowls to keep me and my hundred closest friends in cowls until the end of the world.  So it only makes sense that I would cast on for another.  I'm using a dk-weight superwash wool for this project, and I am following Jared Flood's Ptarmigan pattern which is so very, very pretty and well-charted.  It's a good knit for those times when you have a little more attention to give, but one that you will also find more rewarding in the end.

Happy Thursday!

N

Warding off the Chill

The office in which I work can be a bit frosty at times.   I believe I need to make about twenty pairs of these pretty handwarmers for all the ladies.  You know, for health and safety. :)   Details such as yarn and pattern can be found here on ravelry.  To speed things up, I think I'll modify the pattern for dk or worsted weight.

Ron Sexsmith is playing at the Aeolian in March.  I think we all need to go.  'Cause there's gold in them hills, and I like dandelion wine.

N

Nantasket

This cozy little sweater came together in THREE days!  I'm talking a couple of hours each night by the light of the Christmas tree because during the day, we were out skating, going to the library, visiting friends, hosting a dinner, and cleaning house.  It helps that the pattern is fairly simple, and the wool was bulky.  Nantasket is a new free pattern from Berroco.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for my Bumblebee, and I have had ten balls of Sandnes Garn Alfa wool for a year and a half in the stash - just enough for a child-sized sweater.  It's soft and stretchy and warm as well as a pleasure to knit. My only modification was to add an extra three inches to the length of the sleeves, and obviously I only needed to maybe add one tops. I think the sweater will look absolutely lovely with her skinny jeans, her leggings, and her flouncy skirts.  Best of all, I think the kid actually likes it.  She may even wear it.  I LOVE this sweater.

Now back to my neon green feather-weight cardigan.  If I ever finish it, I vow to wear it every day.  I'm serious.  Note to self, that Christmas tree NEEDS to come down.  I'm done with the holidays.  It's back to work and school tomorrow.  And packing lunches.  Ick.

N

Christmas Knitting

These seed stitch bracelets from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts take an hour from start to finish.  They take just a titch of sock yarn, and they're so sweet.   I think they would make a lovely little last minute gift for a hip teenager.  Thankfully I have a hip teenager, and she has many friends.

N

PS. The bracelets were knit exactly the same except I stretched the bottom one when I was testing it out on my wrist without undoing it (like a lazy teenager).   Now you probably think I have chunky wrists.  I assure you they're normal-sized.  After I took this picture, I stretched the heck out of the top one, so now they look the same again.  Huzzah.

Pi Shawl Progress

Popping in to say hello!  I'm still very much consumed by this shawl.  I'm two-thirds through the third part, and I'm eager to double my stitches and start in on Part 4.  At this time, I'm ignoring housework, cooking dinner and the children.  The children are surprisingly happy to be doing their own thing - the littlest is cutting up empty cereal boxes and constructing what seems to be a hamster mansion with a wild disco theme.   I bet you wish I had taken pictues of that in place of this cream blob.  I promise it gets better. :)

Cheers!
N

Pi Shawl

Last spring my parents went on a Baltic cruise, and they brought me back the most wonderful gift.  A giant skein of undyed sheeps wool from Estonia.  This was the best gift I've ever been given besides the three snow days in a row that Mother Nature just presented us AND the Mike Milbury autograph my dad brought me back from a baseball trip when I was in high school.  Don't ask.

I have spent months researching Estonian patterns -  borrowing books from the library and browsing the patterns on ravelry.  I just knew that the project had to be very special and worthy of the wool.  And then December came, and I was gettting anxious about my EZ project.   I need to finish a few last Elizabeth Zimmerman patterns in order to pull it off.  And then I found Wendy Johnson's Shetland Pi Shawl that she had designed to celebrate Elizabeth Zimmerman's 100th year.  It is more than worthy of my precious wool, and it is written in 5 easy-to-follow parts.  I finished part 1 yesterday before heading to bed, and I finished part 2 shortly after lunch today, and now I am into part 3. 

Of course, I should really be knitting Christmas gifts, but I can not stop knitting this shawl for the life of me.  I am loving it.  It's highly addictive.

And that was Snow Day #3.

N

Snow Days

We're on a second snow day here in southwestern Ontario.  No one is complaining.  There's been baking, playdates, cleaning, laundry, knitting, lots of shovelling, building snow forts, pyjamas, hot chocolate, movies, and lots of relaxing.  It's been a gift.

On the other hand, I'm very cognizant of the work piling up on my desk in the office, but it will have to wait.  The weather has other plans. :)

Cheers!
N

Alpine Mitts

I bought this mitt kit at the Wellington Fibres booth at the Fleece Festival this year, and it didn't take long to cast on these puppies.   There were many colour combinations, but I picked blue and orange because I think they pop out together.  And there wasn't a kit with blue and white. :)   Dang it!  I'll make them match something.

For the most part, this is a simple pattern that doesn't require a lot of counting stitches.  That's what I like most about it because, to be honest, I like mindless knitting, and usually colourwork doesn't equal mindless for me.  The plaited cuff did throw me for a loop.  I've never used that technique before, and I was infinitely glad that it was only four rows, but I figured it out, and after that it was smooth sailing.  Now that they're finished, that little plaiting may be my most favouritest part of my new mittens.

And although I probably have amassed a giant pile of handknit mittens now, I think everyone deserves a pair of bright, new shiny mittens every winter.  Don't you?

N

Pebble

This one has been off the needles for over a month now.  I was slow to sew on the buttons and mailing it off to Quebec.  This is the day she opens all of the gifts her blog friends sent, so it should be safe to post today.  I love this pattern.  It really is simple and quick, and I used a smidgeon more than one 50g ball of dk-weight wool.  All the deets are on ravelry here.

As for what's happening on the homefront, I'm sitting on school council, volunteering in a newcomer youth program teaching needlecraft, playing indoor soccer, madly knitting gifts, cooking up applesauce, baking bread, and slow-cooking some spicy tomato soup - not all at the same time.   I've made some big decisions recently - wear more sweatpants and build a caring community.  I'm really into the sweats.  It was I all I could do today to not drive to the store for more sweats.  I wonder if it's a cold weather thing.  I wish I could wear them to the office.  Could you picture me sitting in on Board meetings wearing sweatpants and a hoodie all curled up and cozy recording the minutes?  It would be my luck that it would end badly like the time George got the security guard a rocking chair.

Ooh, I nearly forgot. Mr. J and I went out this week to see a concert at the Aeolian.  This never happens.  We never go out.  We like to be in our jammies by 8 p.m.  We're pretty boring.  However, I was able to pick up some tickets for cheap while also giving to charity, so I youtubed some of the upcoming performers, and I stumbled upon this video.

I fell in love instantaneously.  One of the musicians in the ensemble is the lead singer of The Weakerthans, and I didn't even know this until after I got home.  Apparently I was already in love with this band, and I didn't even know it.  See, I have this friend who makes me mixes - fabulous mixes - without liners.  I have no idea what I'm listening to EVER!  It's weird and brilliant at the same time.   There's a lot of music out there that I absolutely adore, and I haven't a clue what it is.

Speaking of jammies, I think I'll go get mine on, grab a cup of tea, and settle on the sofa with some knitting.

N

Thanksgiving

Yesterday while the turkey cooked all afternoon, we went for a long hike in the woods as we do every year.  Despite being a third into October, the sun was shining, and it was quite hot.  I wish I had worn a light cotton skirt and a t-shirt instead of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.  Thankfully I left the sweaters in the car! :)  And today is just as warm again.  The littlest had to run back home from the park to put her shorts on.  It's all so lovely!  The colours of the leaves, the leaves sprinkling the ground, the smell of turkey leftovers, sipping on cinnamon spice tea, and knitting in the sun.  The girls are out playing with their friends.  The house is so quiet.  It's making me a bit sleepy.

 It's been a while since I've posted any finished knitting!  Last week I did finish another Meret beret for a gift, and I am only a handful of rows away from finishing a third Mara shawl.  These are two excellent patterns that I am destined to repeat knit.  After some thought, I realized that I do have some stand-by projects to which I keep coming back.  I'm thinking the clapotis, anything Elizabeth Zimmermann, the purl bee cowl,  the mittens from Knitting Pretty . . . 

Here's a few freebies on my to-do list:

• a Very Braidy Cowl
• Pebble Vest
• Lacy Shell Cowl
• Simple Yet Effective Shawl

So much gift knitting to do!

Here's to another week.  Cheers!
N

A Grey Meret Beret

Once again, for the record, she was very happy to pose with the hat on her head, but apparently 'serious' was the look she was trying to achieve.  And achieve she did.  The grey Meret beret was two days of leisurely knitting, and believe me when I say the pattern was mindless.  Using a hank of Berroco Vintage - a wool/acryclic blend - I cast on the medium size, but followed the large size body with an extra pattern repeat for extra slouchiness.  It was meant for the oldest, but she has thick, long, curly hair that can not be contained with this size of beret, so I will be casting on for a second extra, extra, extra slouchy Meret beret.  I can do this.

N

A Month of Socks

I could get used to churning out a couple of pairs of socks a month.  Sure, they're plain ol' vanilla stockinette socks, but they're even easier when they're knit to fit an 8-year old.  Only 52 sts on my 2.5mm addis!  Oh how a world of difference only 8 less stitches makes. :)  Please note that my model couldn't even stand up to pose.  She never even took her eyes off the laptop to pull the socks on.  Oh dear.  It's time for a walk to the park.

Happy Sunday, friends.

N

My EYES!!!

What does one do when her projects in progress are blinding her?  Cast on another florescent number of course.  On the top we have a new pair of stripey socks for the Bumblebee that I hope to have finished in time for her birthday early September, and on the bottom is a featherweight cardigan for myself.  I hope to have the cardigan completed by the end of my life.  Knitting a cardigan out of lace is insanity, but so soft.   What you don't see pictured here is a fair isle vest that I am about to start.   I still need to accomplish steeking this year, so I have chosen EZ's fair isle vest from her Knitting Workshop.  The Bumblebee loves vests, and I am too lazy to knit an adult-sized vest.  That's the truth of it.  I found some old Quebecoise 2-ply wool in the stash in bright raspberry pink, bright orange, bright green and bright turquoise.  Are you seeing a pattern?  This may be a good time to get my eyes checked.

N

EZ #9

I started this spiral hat on what would have been EZ's 100th birthday  (8.9.10), went to work, and finished it by bedtime.  The next day I started another, and again, I finished it before bedtime.  Then I did it all over on the third day.  Now I have three, and I'm still itching to cast on another 10.   The best part is that the girls love them.  Success!   I think I have my go-to for gift knitting this winter.  Thanks again, EZ.

Cheers!
N

EZ #8

Tomorrow is what would have been Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100th birthday, and I find it fitting that I just finished one of her most classic designs - the Baby Surprise Jacket.   I used a few cheater row count sheets I found online to keep track of what I was doing, and I doubt I would have done as well without them.  However, next time I knit this pattern (and I definitely will make more!), I think I'd be okay without the spreadsheets.  I get it.  It's genius.  I did get a lot of weird looks while knitting this floppy piece of garter stitch.  I also want to make a crazy wild stripey jacket next time.  This one is a bit boring knit mainly with Patons Classic Merino Wool in paprika and a grey stripe of Cascade 220 - all leftovers from past projects.  Now on to find some sweet wooden buttons

Happy Sunday!

N

Pretty Peninsula

The Bumblebee's stripey socks are so worn out that she has holes in the toes.  So the EZ project was paused once again for a new pair of stripey socks.  I started the socks on the first day at the cottage, and I finished them the first day back at home.  They've been met with approval.  Sweet!

It's back to work tomorrow and some much needed soccer practice! 

N