EZ #1

I knit the heart elbow patch from Knitting Workshop last night in an hour.  Not my most pleasant hour mind you.  I cast on three times, and I cast off two rows too late, so the middle dimple at the top isn't as prominent as it should be.  Still not too shabby for one hour.  And with Valentine's Day two weeks away, it was a timely project.  I used a smidgen of red Patons Classic Merino Wool, and I have plenty for another heart.  I can't just give one kid one.  That would be rude.

N

Newfie Hat & A Proclamation

I told you I was casting on asap!  Every night I knit what seems like a thousand rows, and I have about half a hat so far.  It's going to be a warm hat.  That I know.   I pray that 220 yards of wool will be enough.

I've been thinking of a project to work on this year, and given that we are now a month in, I have procrastinated the sufficient amount that is just my style.   I am going to knit 12 Elizabeth Zimmermann patterns.  Although it works out to be one a month, some patterns might only take a few days tops; whereas, a sweater is going to keep me busy for longer than a month, so it should even out quite nicely.  I am not going to make this a tricky project for I am lazy, and I truly believe it's cruel to set up anyone for failure - with me being at the top of the list.   That being said, I am also up for trying lots of new techniques however ugly this might get.  I stayed up late last night thinking of my 12 projects, and I have a list, but I have not yet determined the exact pattern for each project.

• Baby Surprise Jacket (this should be no surprise - it's her most famous pattern)
• Child Tomten Modular Jacket - for the Bumblebee
• Seamless Yoke Sweater
• Last Minute Sweater
• Nether Garments (I never thought I'd consider these in a million years, but yeah . . . )
• Mittens
• A Shawl
• A Blanket
• Something Aran
• Seamless Hybrid
• Heart Elbow Patch/Hat
• A Vest

Rules or what I prefer to call "Best Practices"

•  Knit from the stash.  EZ makes it hard for you to make up excuse not to knit from the stash 'cause she writes the majority of her patterns to work with any weight.  Dang it.
•  Must knit twelve PATTERNS, not projects - meaning I can knit the same pattern twelve times and call it a day.  No repeaties!
• At least one pattern must include steeking.
• At least one pattern must include gads of fairisle.
• Must knit gauge swatches. (I'm going to be honest.  This one is going to be the hardest rule to abide.)
• Must finish by December 31, 2010.
• Completely allowable to knit patterns, I've previously knit.  This could be the lifesaver.  These patterns include the February Baby Sweater, the Practice Fairisle Hat, the 36-Stitch Mittens, the Ganomy Hat, and the Christmas Fiddle Faddle.
• Must blog my evidence that I am indeed making progress on "the project".

I may have wrangled Kat to join along (I gave her some pills), but I would welcome more company in what I believe could only be a barrel of fun.  Anyone else in?

N

Little Ditzy's

Remember in the 80's when "cross border shopping" was the cool thing to do? I guess going over to the U.S. to shop is still a fun activity for Canadians but it doesn't have the same popularity that it had in the 80's. I remember crossing over into Houlton, Maine with my mom every once in awhile as a child. It was not the Guess jeans that I was excited about, or the over-sized Chip and Pepper t-shirts, it was the food that we couldn't get in Canada that I really looked forward to. America had different fast food chains, chocolate bars, and most of all, different snack cakes. In the town where we lived we did not have access to a certain snack cake brand with a little girl on the box in a straw hat. Those were my favourite and if I was lucky, we would come home from a trip across the border with a box or two.

Store bought snack cakes were a treat for the kids in my family because we usually only had homemade and the grass is always greener (or sweeter and more artificially flavoured) on the other side, right? So over the weekend I decided to indulge in my nostalgia and also make my mother proud by making my own oatmeal creme pies. These turned out much tastier than how I remembered the store bought ones tasting and although still full of sugar, these contain a lot less preservatives and other unpronouncable substances. The recipe that I used is here. So even though I now live across the border and can have as many snack cakes as I want, I think I'll stick to making them myself.

Swings

The Bee and I went on a photowalk on the weekend, and a good time was had.   Somehow we ended up at the playground.  Surprisingly, playgrounds are as fun if not 'funner' in the winter.   And although I have no pictures to prove it, I am slowly learning how to crochet, so that my dear friend is not alone on the dark side.  I really just want to make a ziggity-zaggity throw blanket in crazy stripes.  I believe that once I accomplish this, I shall have 'it' out of my system.   Any bets?

N

Oops.

I've discovered an excellent reason to photograph my knitted works in progress.  Lately it's been the only indication that I have gone drastically astray from the pattern.  This scarf is no exception.  It's pretty, right?  The pattern is very easy.  It's only two rows.  I started out on the right track, but I noticed from the pictures, that the scarf was getting narrower and the rows were no longer as tall.  I consulted the pattern again, and I discovered that I was to repeat the two rows twice before alternating the yarn.   You can see that I began the scarf doing just that, but about halfway I switched to alternating only two rows of merino with only two rows of mohair.  And rather than rip it out, I've concluded that this narrow little section will become a design element.  I'm lazy like that.  It actually doesn't bother me.  It reminds me of a nice evening over the Christmas holidays spent with my knitting friends, and how I paid more attention to my company than to my knitting.  There are worse things than that I suppose.  Now if it was to be a gift, I suppose I might consider starting over, but that is not to be the case. :)   As an aside, that mohair is a pain to knit.   Bleh.

N

Bella's Mittens

The oldest is a crazy fan of Twilight.  These will be perfect for an upcoming 14th birthday.  I'm using leftover Cascade Eco wool from the Hemlock Ring Blanket.  They're so soft and cozy.  She's lucky to have me.

N

Hang ups

A couple of weeks ago I attended a housewarming party of a friend of mine who moved in just a few blocks away from us. Her house is small and cute and all hers, which is fantastic. Upon touring the home and ending in her bedroom I noticed how she had stored her jewelry, necklaces in particular. I am always getting my necklaces tangled so I end up laying them out all over the top of my dresser. Effective for not getting them tangled but not so tidy looking. So over the long weekend I grabbed an old cork board that I had stored away in the basement, cut a length of fishing line and bought a pack of picture hangers et voila---necklace storage!
I added the ribbon at the top for decoration and it hides the fishing wire that is used to hang the cork board. There's plenty of room for more necklaces and the beauty of the cork board is that you can rearrange it at any time.