Strings 'n Things

Productive!

2012-01-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

It’s about time I felt like I’ve been productive. I know, I do get things done, but sometimes it just feels like nothing’s getting done or there’s little to show for my time. At least, that’s how it feels to me.

Today, though, is different. Or, I should say yesterday. Looking over the things I did yesterday makes me feel that I’ve been productive. What have I been doing you ask? Well, let me show you.

Bandana cowls from the Purl Soho web site. I liked the one I made for my daughter so much that I wanted one for myself. Then, I found more Noro Silk Garden in my stash, so I made a second one. It’s a really quick knit; these two were made within a 24-hour period. Worsted weight yarn, 5.0 mm needles… yup, they knit up quickly!

While on Pinterest early yesterday, I came across a recipe for No Knead Dutch Oven Bread. Of course, I checked it out. It sounded really simple to make, so I did. To make the bread, you first mix up the yeast (only 1/4 tsp!), water, flour and salt; this sits and rises for at least 8 hours (no labour involved… doesn’t get much better, does it?). After that, the dough is turned out onto a floured board, folded on to itself a couple of times and then allowed to rest for about 15 minutes before shaping it into a loaf. The loaf is put on a clean tea towel, liberally sprinkled with flour or cornmeal (I used a combination). After rising for 1-2 hours, it’s baked in a preheated Dutch oven. When it comes out, it looks like this…

The only thing I can find wrong with this bread is that it got a little burned on the bottom. I can live with that; I just trim off the burned bits. The crust, when it came out of the oven is crisp; the bread itself is tender and chewy, like an artisan bread should be. Even this morning, it’s lovely and chewy and absolutely perfect with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I will definitely be making this again.

It would be perfect to start it before going to work in the morning, coming home and finishing it up. I can just imagine a couple slices of this bread with a bowl of homemade soup. Yum!!

One more thing inspired that feeling of production this weekend. Remember all the grapes we picked this past summer? We had turned all those grapes into juice and frozen it; some of it I had turned into a batch of grape jelly. John liked it, but decided that it really didn’t have quite the “grape-y” flavour he was looking for. According to him it was good, but tasted more like sugar than grapes (and we even used the reduced sugar Certo). He decided to remedy that and thawed all the juice, put it into a stock pot and reduced it to about half of what it had been. Yesterday, I turned four of the five liters of concentrated grape juice into this…

That’s a total of 15 jars of various sizes and, let me tell you, it’s very grape-flavoured! And it is very definitely John-approved! There is still one liter of juice that had to be re-frozen as it wasn’t enough for another batch. It will be the starter for next year’s batch.

Now, we’re eyeing the raspberries. After all, John ate all the jam and jelly I had made last time (I rarely have jam on toast; I prefer savoury to sweet). I don’t think I’ll be doing that today, though. Seeing as the berries are frozen, they’ll keep for a bit.

I think I’ll make some pasta next. I took some pesto sauce out of the freezer this week and some homemade pasta with homemade pesto sauce, along with some homemade bread would go down really well right about now. What else are you going to do when it’s snowing out?

I Love Eggs!

2012-01-22T11:39:00.001-08:00

Years ago, when I left my first marriage, my daughter told me I’d have a very simple grocery list: bread, butter and eggs. She wasn’t too far wrong. I like eggs just about any way you can make them… except pickled. I don’t like pickled eggs.

Boiled, poached, scrambled, coddled, fried, in a soufflé… I like it all. One of my favourite weekend meals is a soft-boiled egg chopped up on a piece of toast that’s been liberally slathered with butter. (See? Bread, butter, eggs.) However, getting that boiled egg to just the right level of soft can be a bit of a gamble. Until now, that is.

Imagine my pleasure when I found a link to a free egg timer app. The best part is, it’s put out by the Egg Farmers of Canada! And it’s free!

There are options for boiled, scrambled, fried, and poached eggs, with directions on how to prepare each. I tried it this morning.

I like my eggs soft so I simply slid the little egg over to soft, then hit the timer button. That takes you to the following screen.

As you can see, it tells you exactly what to do and when to start the timer. The timer itself is a sand timer. If you want to, you can even “play” with the sand. Turning your iPod makes the sand move and it doesn’t affect the timer.

And when your eggs are done to perfection, a clucking chicken lets you know (if you don’t want to hear a clucking chicken, you can also set it to a bell but the chicken’s pretty darned cute!).

My eggs this morning were perfect! The whites were completely cooked and the yolks were nice and soft on the inside, perfect for chopping onto hot, buttery toast.

If this app was just an egg timer, I’d be happy. However, to make it even better, there are hundreds of recipes!

All in all, I heartily recommend this app. The fact that it’s free is just icing on the cake; they could easily charge for the app and it would still be a good deal, as far as I’m concerned.

You can download it here. In a five star rating system, I give it five stars.

Not One Stitch

2012-01-21T08:59:00.001-08:00

That’s how much knitting I did this week… not a single stitch. I have no idea why I haven’t been inspired to knit, but there it is. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing things though.

Some of my knitting time has been taken up by Pinterest, that’s for sure. And, some of that time ~~wasted~~ spent did result in some inspiration to do something different.

I showed you the wrapped bracelets; well, so far I’ve made four of them. One of them, meant to be a bracelet for one of my granddaughters, has a magnetic clasp that just doesn’t feel strong enough for a bracelet so I’ve made one to replace it. All in all, I’ve made one for my daughter (part of Pay It Forward 2012), one for each of my two granddaughters and the one I’ve put around Little Monkey’s neck. (Remember Little Monkey? You can see it/him/her in this post.)

Then, yesterday, I sat down with string, beads and buttons and made these…

The necklace isn’t quite finished yet; I haven’t figured out just how to finish up the closure… perhaps one of the magnetic clasps that doesn’t work for bracelets, perhaps a loop and bead… I just don’t know yet. I’ll have to think on it for a while.

I’m having fun and feeling very “hippy”. (Macramé, of course, was a very hippy kind of thing way back when I was in high school… these kids think they’ve come up with all this newfangled stuff… HA!)

Ok, I Can Show You

2012-01-15T12:35:00.001-08:00

In regards to yesterday’s post… you know I said I wasn’t going to show you pictures of what I’ve been working on? Well, today is a whole ‘nother day and I have things ready for the mail. I can show you pictures; I just can’t say what goes to whom (or is that who?).

So, without further ado… and with thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration…

The Bandana Cowl, a free pattern from the Purl Soho website. I found a couple of balls of Noro Silk Garden in my stash and decided it would be perfect for this pattern; I was right! I love this cowl; I’ll be sending it off this week, but I really don’t want to. The colours, as always, are absolutely gorgeous and the yarn is so soft and cushy. Silk Garden, after all, is 40% silk, 40% kid mohair and 10% lamb’s wool, a very nice combination. It took a little over one ball of the yarn and I worked it on a 5.0 mm circular needle. Maybe there’s still some Noro hiding in my stash.

The second inspiration also came from Pinterest. For someone who always has cold hands, I found, and repinned, these little cuties.

These are polar fleece, rice-filled hearts. All you do is heat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds; then you tuck them into your mittens or gloves. They should keep your hands warm for about an hour. I love instant gratification; I made three sets in less than an hour. Two sets are earmarked for gift giving; the third set is mine!

Then, the last thing I made yesterday, another almost instant gratification project, is this little beauty…

Again, this was inspired by Pinterest. There are numerous links to tutorials for this wrap bracelet. I made this one with waxed cotton, dental floss and pearl beads reclaimed from a too-small necklace I’d been given many years ago. The button closure is one I found in my button bag. I will certainly be making more of these, both as gifts and for myself.

Kristie commented that she’d joined Pinterest but really didn’t understand how it works. Well, firstly, you can just look at what others have pinned, checking out the various categories. If there’s something you really like and want to remember, you can repin it to a board that you can set up for yourself. You can call your boards anything you want. For instance, check out my boards. When you click on a pin, it will take you to a page with that pin; from there, you may find a link to the original webpage. In the case of the projects I’ve made, each page linked to a tutorial or pattern.

And yes, it certainly can be a time suck. In all honesty, though, for all the time I’ve spent there, I’ve found numerous recipes I’ve already tried; I’ve found new hobbies to try; I’ve found inspirations for hobbies I’ve put on hold for years. I’ve always maintained that in order to be inspired, you need to expose yourself to things that inspire you – Pinterest does that.

Little Things Mean a Lot

2012-01-14T12:54:00.001-08:00

This has been a week of little things. Not a lot of little things, but little things, quick and easy things. Fun stuff!

I’m not sure I should show pictures yet. I’ll think on it while I’m writing.

On Facebook, there has been something called “Pay it forward 2012”. Basically, you make something for the first five people who comment on your post; they, in turn, must repost and do the same for the first five people who comment on their post… and so forth. You have all of 2012 to make something for each person; it can be as simple as a cup of coffee, as long as it’s something handmade. As soon as I saw my sister post it, I was all in! It gives me a reason to think about those who commented and to make something with each person in mind.

At this point, there are three people on my pay it forward list. It’s been a lot of fun to think about each person and try to figure out what each might appreciate. Thus far, I already have two gifts completed. Neither was a major undertaking; that’s not the purpose.

One of the more difficult parts of this endeavour has been finding inspiration. That’s where Pinterest has been of enormous help! If you’ve never checked it out, do! There’s a section there called DIY & Crafts that has some wonderful ideas; I found one idea there for one of the people on my list.

No, I think I’d best keep the pictures until each person has received their gift.

First FO of 2012

2012-01-08T14:46:00.001-08:00

A week into the new year and I have my first started and finished object. Or should I say objects. Gloves come in pairs.

The pattern is Treads, a free pattern I found on Ravelry. The pattern is written as tipless fingers, but I decided to turn them into full-on gloves. Hey, if you have to knit part fingers, you may as well go all the way, right?

The yarn, which is in reality far more purple than the picture shows, is Patons Classic Merino, worsted weight, 100% wool. The gloves were knit using 3.50 mm needles. All in all, they were a quick knit (four days total and I didn’t work on them every day) and they’ll be nice and toasty warm if winter ever decides to put in an appearance.

We did get a little bit of snow yesterday, but it’s already melting today. There is a 40% chance of flurries this afternoon, but I doubt they’ll happen. The sky just isn’t gray enough.

Because I’ve finished one project, I’m allowed to cast on for another one. And I did. (What? You seriously think I should be finishing some of my ufos???)

In 2008, a dear internet friend sent me two skeins of KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud that she had dyed. For some reason, she decided the colour (and the yarn) was for me. I love it! For one thing, the alpaca is SO soft. And for another thing, I happen to love the colour; Robbyn called it Pigeon’s Blood. It’s taken me this long, though, to decide just what to do with it. This weekend, things came together and I just cast on this morning, after weaving in all the tails in the gloves (there were a lot of them!)

The pattern is the Flutter Scarf, a pattern by Miriam Felton. It isn’t a free pattern; I liked it so much I decided I had to buy it. It’s been in my Ravelry library for a while now, but I’ve held off starting it. I’ve been patiently waiting for the yarn to tell me what it wanted to be and for the pattern to tell me which yarn it wanted to be made with.

Yes, my yarn and patterns talk to me. Don’t yours?

Pictures of the scarf will be posted when there’s a little more to show you. Right now, it’s all of 12 rows long, not long enough to show you much of anything but the colour.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange

2012-01-04T09:52:00.001-08:00

Everyone knows that Christmas time is mandarin time. I love mandarins! Well, one day before Christmas, I walked over to our local green grocer (Quality Greens, if you’re interested) and discovered mini Honey Mandarins.

Mini. Tiny. Want to see some pictures? I didn’t take any but another blogger did. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

See? They’re tiny! Four or five of them will fit comfortably in your hand. And they’re just as tasty as the regular mandarins or satsumas.

So, where am I going with this, you ask? Christmas is over, mandarin season will be over before long. Well… these little oranges aren’t seedless. I decided to take a couple of the seeds and see if I couldn’t sprout them.

I carefully brought two seeds home (yes, we finished the entire box at work… so what?), wrapped in a paper towel. Once home, I moistened a paper towel (no, I drenched it!), folded it and placed it into a small Ziploc container, covered it and left it on my sideboard for a couple of weeks.

After about two weeks, I checked the seeds. One had turned an ugly gray colour, but the second seed still had it’s whitish colour and had a little white “bump” at one end. I disposed of the gray seed and left the other… until this past weekend.

Much to my surprise, this is what I saw…

To say I’m pleased would be an understatement! Now, I need to get it into a small pot and soil soon, I’m thinking. John will be heading to the college later today and I’ve asked him to bring me back some good potting soil, just enough to fill a small pot. Once the soil is room temperature, I’ll make sure it’s nice and moist and I’ll plant the seed, with some very wet paper towelling, and hope for the best.

If you’ve ever started an orange from seed and have some advice, I’d certainly appreciate it. For me, this is an adventure in gardening!

Third Time’s the Charm

2012-01-02T10:49:00.001-08:00

After yesterday’s blog post was published, I decided there was nothing to lose by throwing the monster socks back into the washer for another round of felting. If they came out too small, they’d fit someone else. If they didn’t shrink any further, I’d lost nothing and I would have used them to make insoles (or outer soles) for my felted clogs, the ones with hole-y soles.

Well, they came out smaller than when they’d gone in to the washer and the fit is MUCH better.

If I were to make these again, I think I would: a) Use a different yarn, like Lopi or two strands of Patons Classic Wool and/or: b) Cast on fewer stitches. I would have liked them a little narrower all the way around but now, at least, they are wearable and my ankles are comfy. They’re definitely warm!

Now, on to food! Glorious food! I’ve been finding some amazing recipes these past few weeks. Let me share a few images with you…

Holiday Eats

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From the left… Roasted Brussel Sprouts with grapes and pecans, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Let me tell you, it was like a painting on a plate, colourful, and very tasty. The roasted grapes and the balsamic gave a pop of sweetness and the brussel sprouts, which can be bitter, were done to perfection!

Then, there’s the Pull-Apart bread, stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, shallots, garlic and cheddar cheese. I ran out of the mushroom mix so some of the pieces were filled with salsa and cheddar. The bread dough is cut and rolled into circles and each circle is stuffed with whatever you want to stuff it with. It all makes for a unique-looking loaf that’s fun and tasty. We had company when it came out of the oven and everyone was impressed.

Then there’s the Savoury Brie en Croute (or Brie baked in puff pastry). In this case, I used a small wheel of St. Andre cheese, a triple cream Brie-like cheese, very rich. It is stuffed with a mushroom and onion filling before being wrapped in the puff pastry. It, too, was really yummy. We had it with crackers and, later in the evening, some sparkling wine. Talk about decadent!

If you’re interested in checking out the recipes, here are the links:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Grapes and Pecans

Pull Apart Cheesy Herb Bread

Mushroom Stuffed Brie en Croute

Just a note on the Brussels Sprouts link – this isn’t the recipe I followed, but it is very similar. The one I used had no garlic and added 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar at the very end. The link to the recipe I used doesn’t seem to be working, so perhaps I’ll post the recipe to my food blog (link in the sidebar).

A New Year, A New Start?

2012-01-01T10:38:00.001-08:00

I refuse to get all pensive about the year that has passed and the year just begun. Suffice it to say, in truth it’s just another day… albeit a day that gets me an extra day off (I go back to work on Tuesday).

We did stay up to ring in 2012, staying awake by watching movies on the internet (Knowing, with Nicholas Cage, and Citizen Kane). We knew when the clock struck midnight by the sudden boom of fireworks in the neighbourhood. It went on for a while, we toasted the new year with a glass of prosecco, listened to the noise outside for a while, then went back to the movie. I went to bed at about 1:30 a.m., very unusual for me; I have no idea what time John joined me; I was up just after 7:30… not bad.

Over the past few days, very little knitting has been done. For one thing, I’ve been engrossed in a book (Daughters of Fire by Barbara Erskine); I want it finished now. Don’t get me wrong; it’s an exciting book but I always feel like I should be doing something else when I’m reading. You know… multi-tasking. Like knitting and reading. That’s hard to do with a 560 page paperback book. (That’s why I like audiobooks – I can knit and listen at the same time – much more productive!)

The knitting I’ve been doing over the last couple of weeks has me frustrated. Maybe that’s why I’ve been reading. In addition to the slippers intended for me being too big, the felted socks I knitted are also big.

The length is fine but they’re so wide that I almost walk right out of them.

They felted fine, the height is fine, they’re toasty but very roomy. I just don’t feel comfortable wearing something that roomy. Knowing me, I’d probably trip right out of them. I’ll wear them for now, but it’s back to the drawing board. I may just go back to the Bev Galeskas pattern for the felted clogs or her felted boot pattern. I like the extra height because it keeps my ankles warmer. My right ankle especially gets very cold at times (I’ve sprained it badly… torn the ligaments… at least three times in the past) so I want to do whatever I can to keep my feet nice and warm. Don’t tell anyone but I’m even considering leg warmers!

Another small project I have been working on, and that has me frustrated as well, is a pair of stranded socks. I found a nice pattern on the Drops website, a pair of dk weight socks. I bought some yarn for the socks, cast on and was happily knitting away. They look great. Really!

I’m past the heel turning now and, honestly, it’s looking good. There’s just one little thing that is really bugging me. When I knit socks for myself, using fingering weight yarn on 2.25 mm needles, I cast on 64 stitches. This pattern calls for dk weight yarn, 3.5 mm needles and starts with 60 stitches. Fine. The leg is a little on the loose side but, seeing as they’re meant to be slipper/house socks, I can live with that. However, after the gusset decreases, the foot is worked on 68 stitches. Are you seeing where I’m going? 64 stitches on 2.25mm fits my foot perfectly. 68 stitches on 3.5 mm needles? Well, they’ll probably fit John better than they fit me and they’re not meant for John.

I could continue the decreases down to 64 stitches, but I’m afraid they’ll still be too roomy for me. I haven’t done it yet, but I’m seriously considering frogging that sock and designing my own. Frustrating. All I want is warm feet!

Oh well. Life could be a lot worse. Minor frustrations, easily overcome.

Now, to all of you who read this blog, I wish you a very happy 2012. Thank you for sticking with me for so long (it will be seven years in March). I’ve met some wonderful people through this blog; it’s too bad we can’t all sit around a table, face to face, sharing good conversation and perhaps a glass of wine; that would be fun!

A Fail for Me is a Bonus for John

2011-12-27T09:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas is over for another year. The fridge is full of leftovers; the dishes are done and put away and our tummies are still feeling the effects of an overabundance of good food.

Now, it’s time to get back to normal. I go back to work tomorrow. *sigh*

Oh well, the last few days have seen more than just food. As you may recall, I posted earlier this year about the state of our felted slippers. Both John’s and mine have holes at the heels and the balls of the feet. I decided it was time to make myself a new pair; I’m more bothered by cold feet on these floors that John is, it seems.

I found a promising pattern on the Drops website… this one. I had no intention of making them in red with fuzzy trim, though. I went stash diving and found the remains of the brown wool I had used for the Brown Blob (um.. Quonset Cardigan). The pattern is a simple one, really, knitted flat, seamed and then felted. There was one small glitch. One sentence was somewhat confusing, lost in translation.

As a result, I added a few rows before realizing that I was supposed to continue in garter stitch, not knit in garter stitch to the finished measurement. I figured that the extra rows wouldn’t really affect the overall product as they’d be felted anyway, right?

Wrong. After putting the slippers through two complete cycles, they’re too long. They fit John perfectly. They’re just waiting for him to wear them. I have a feeling he’ll wait until his current slippers pretty much fall off his feet.

So, I’m back to the drawing board. I could just go with the same pattern I’ve been using all along, the Fiber Trends felted clog pattern. I’ve knitted that one a few times already; I’m bored with it. I went hunting and then remembered that Cat Bordhi has a felted boot pattern in one of her Treasuries of Magical Knitting (the moebius books). I didn’t want the moebius “handle”, so it’s been left off and I am, basically, knitting a huge pair of socks that will be felted down and, hopefully, fit.

The wool I’m using is akin to the old White Buffalo. I’m using two strands held together. The pattern calls for two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, so I’m hoping this will work. If they still end up too big, John will have two pairs of slippers and I’ll be investing in some worsted weight yarn and making the felted clogs again.

The Day Before THE Day

2011-12-24T08:14:00.001-08:00

It’s Christmas Eve and it’s just started to snow. We’re not expecting much; tomorrow’s weather forecast includes showers. At this time of year, I don’t mind snow; Christmas should be white.

This won’t be a long post, just long enough to wish all of you the very best of the season. I intend to finish up a couple of small projects and do a whole lot of nothing for the next four days.

(That IS my front door and not just a picture I found somewhere… just thought you’d like to know that.)

It’s a Handy Dandy Thing

2011-12-18T09:30:00.001-08:00

You’ve all seen towel toppers right? If you do a Google search for images of towel toppers, you’ll know what I mean. They’re kitchen towels, cut in half and a top, either crocheted or sewn (usually), for the purpose of hanging on your oven door’s handle.

Well, on Pinterest, I came across a link for a little item that can turn any kitchen towel into a hanging towel that won’t fall to the floor every time you use it. It doesn’t entail cutting up any of your kitchen towels. It looks like this:

Great idea! Now, I crochet… have done for about as long as I’ve been knitting. I decided I could do this quite simply. But! I really don’t like sewing buttons on to things. For one thing, that means I’d have to hunt for my button bag and ferret through all those buttons to find one that would work. For another thing, it means I’d have to use needle and thread to sew on said button, which takes time.

I decided to modify the design somewhat so that I wouldn’t need to do any searching or sewing. Here’s what I came up with:

As you can see, it has a loop at either end, rather than a button. And how does it work?

All you do is fold it over your oven door’s handle and slide a towel through both of the loops. That towel’s not going anywhere! If I were to make another one, I’d probably use a smaller hook, giving it a little more denseness, but all in all, I really like this little item. No more picking towels up from the floor! Feel free to steal the idea and/or modify it. If you do, though, let me know how it turns out.

Yesterday, John and I went to a friend’s home for a Christmas party. We never go empty-handed so I made a batch of hummus and pita bread (which we know they both love!) and John made mulled wine. At almost the last minute, I decided to bake a batch of speculaas. Have you ever had the Dutch Windmill cookies? Well, that is speculaas. In this case, though, the cookies are more like a square.

They’re made with a combination of spices and are absolutely delicious! I don’t make them often, but they seem to be becoming a Christmas tradition around here. If you’re interested, you can find the recipe for Speculaas, including the recipe for the spice mix, on my cooking blog.

Be careful, though. They’re totally yummy and highly addictive! I’ve already had two this morning and it’s only 9:30.

Silence is Golden

2011-12-17T09:16:00.001-08:00

I’ve been rather silent over the last couple of weeks, haven’t I? Well, I haven’t disappeared; I’ve just taken a short break. I’ve been occupied with other things and things have been getting done.

After having some fun with the Self-Intersecting Basketweave coaster, I’ve been working on a pair of socks for John. They are now done and on his feet. I think he’s worn them every day since Wednesday, when I finished them. I would take a picture but I can’t get him to stand still long enough.

I did discover, in making them, that 100 grams of Trekking XXL, which I love, isn’t quite enough to make the socks I usually make for John. For the second sock, I ended up alternating the Trekking with another yarn in a similar colour. I managed to get about halfway down the foot when I realized there was no way I’d have enough yarn. After scouring both local yarn shops, I had to go the alternating yarn route. I doubt anyone will notice; even John could hardly tell. I’ll try to get a picture at some point… if I can get that man to slow down!

Last week, one of our friends dropped by to invite us to a Christmas party (later this afternoon). I was in my recliner, working on John’s socks, when Mike said he wanted to commission me to knit him a toque… a watch cap. I asked him what colour he wanted it, knowing the answer before it was even out of his mouth. Black. I showed him John’s cap and Mike deemed it exactly what he was looking for. He tried it on, asking what was front or back. I explained that, because it was knitted in the round, in one piece, there were no seams and, therefore, no front or back, right way or wrong way. He was impressed.

Well, Mike was here yesterday, dropping John off (they’d been stacking wood and getting the “man cave” ready for today’s party). His cap was ready and waiting for him and he was wearing it when he left, one happy man.

The pattern is one I wrote back in 2006; it’s hard to believe it’s been THAT long!

Now, we need to eat. As I said, we have a party to go to this afternoon. I’m sure there will be alcohol involved so I intend to go with a full tummy. I’m also bringing a batch of hummus and freshly baked pita breads. And… no drinking and driving!

Huh? It’s Math, right?

2011-12-03T11:23:00.001-08:00

I’ve just finished an interesting little project that I’d read about in a Ravelry thread.

This little coaster is the “Self-intersecting Basketweave Coaster” by Brent Annable (it’s a free pattern on Ravelry). In the description, Brent writes “The basketweave pattern on this coaster is created by knitting two layers of fabric simultaneously and having them pass through each other to create the blocks. Aside from being an attractive and useful household item, it is also an interesting mathematical object: because the fabric is continuous around every edge, it actually forms a single self-intersecting plane.”

Once I’d read that, I had to try it. It is, of course, a double knit fabric, knitted on two straight needles. The knitting itself is very simple, a combination of knitting and slipping stitches (no purling, believe it or not). The cast on is a provisional cast on and the cast off is a stockinette and reverse stockinette Kitchener stitch. Confusing, yes?

It is also a lot of fun!

I am not at all mathematically inclined and this simply boggles my mind. I can see applications for it, though. Done in a lovely, cushy, colourful yarn, this could make a great scarf; it doesn’t curl, lies flat and has interesting texture. If you were so inclined, you could make it really big and make a really warm, double sided afghan (wouldn’t THAT be cozy??). Using worsted weight cotton, as I did, and a little larger, this would make awesome pot holders or hot pads. Incidentally, the pattern includes two sizes, the coaster size (40 stitches) that I made and a hot pad size (72 stitches).

If you want to try something really interesting and fun, I’d recommend trying this pattern. You’ll learn some new skills; I had never done a provisional cast on that wasn’t worked from the other end (you know, like starting a shawl, working one side, picking up and knitting the second side), nor had I ever done a reverse stockinette Kitchener stitch.

I’ve always hated math.

The Brown Blob is No More

2011-11-18T09:48:00.001-08:00

I’m home today, with a sore back, upset tummy and a migraine. Not fun. I am determined, though, not to let it stop me from doing at least a few things.

Earlier this week, I finished knitting all the pieces of the Quonset cardigan (there are only three). This morning, I threw all the pieces into a tub of hot water with a bit of Eucalan. After half an hour or so, the pieces were drained, squeezed out, towel-squished and pinned out onto a quilt laid over my bed.

Once it’s dry (which will be before tonight, I hope!), I’ll sew it all together and crochet a row of single crochet along the back of the neck. It will help keep it from stretching out too much; that’s the cast on edge. I should have it all put together some time this weekend. When I do, I’ll be sure to get pictures.

In the meantime, I’m watching it snow here. We have a snowfall warning in effect, with amounts up to 4” predicted (10 cm).

Now, though, I think it’s time for a nice cup of tea, a comfy chair, a Magic Bag at my lower back, my audiobook (A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin), and my knitting (a pair of socks for John).

And Now, Something Different

2011-11-08T14:03:00.001-08:00

Have you discovered Pinterest yet? Talk about a time drain! Basically, it’s a place where you can “pin” pictures to your own boards, which you can organize and name. You can also explore other people’s boards, repin, like and comment on their pins.

Last weekend, I was exploring there and came across a really cute idea, one that, because I work in a print shop, I could implement.

Now, I’m a grandmom. You all know that, right? I have seven grandkids and if I had all the pictures on my walls that I want on my walls, there would be very little bare wall space.

Check this out…

It’s a mini polaroid fridge magnet! How cool is that? And, with the right software, they’re really simple to make!

Basically, I made a box for a photo that measured 1x1”. Around it, I made another box that would give a border around the photo to represent the edges of a polaroid picture. Very simplistically, I made the outer edge look like it had some texture (an inner bevel), with a gray border around the picture itself. After printing my work of art on sticker paper, I mounted it on a magnetic sheet. To help protect it, I covered the front with clear packing tape, then cut out each of the magnets.

The result?

As I said, the idea is not original. The picture I saw on Pinterest led to this website and the tutorial. I did mine somewhat differently than she did and I’m quite happy with the result.

I can see myself doing this more often, with favourite “kid” pictures. They take no wall space and fridge magnets always come in handy!

The Brown Blob

2011-11-06T08:41:00.001-08:00

It’s growing! And not looking half bad, if I might be so bold as to say. It’s been a while since I’ve knitted with yarn this heavy. I much prefer knitting with finer yarns, but I must admit the knitting goes much more quickly with a heavier yarn.

As of yesterday, the body and sleeves of the sweater are finished (they’re knit in one piece) and I’ve started one of the front pieces.

And, just to show detail…

That’s at the very back, bottom of the sweater. The same “fagotting” (yes, that’s what it’s called… no snickering!) is down the center of the front panels, with increases along either side (the holes along the right and left). It’s a nice-looking way of increasing.

Already, I can tell that I will have to reinforce the neck edge somewhat. That’s the cast on edge and it’s quite stretchy. The pattern suggests using a single crochet along the neck edge, but I think I’ll use a crab stitch instead (basically, a backwards single crochet; it’s just a little prettier).

Hmm… I’ve just been studying the pattern schematic. I may have that front piece in the wrong place. Good thing it isn’t sewn in yet. I’ll keep you informed.

The Brown Blob

2011-10-30T13:39:00.001-07:00

For some time now, I’ve been scouring patterns on Ravelry, looking for something akin to a vest, a short-sleeved cardigan… I wasn’t sure what, but I wanted something I could slip on over a t-shirt, something to keep my shoulders warm while my hands and arms are still free.

I finally narrowed it down to a couple of options. Next, was the question of yarn. I have a fairly decent stash and I found some worsted weight yarn that might do. There was definitely enough of it; I’d purchased an entire bag (10 skeins) of the stuff.

The next question was: would the patterns be compatible with the chosen yarn? I swatched. I checked the patterns.

Ultimately, I was able to match the stitch gauge (but not row gauge) to one of the patterns and promptly cast on.

As the title infers, I call this the brown blob. It will not always be “blobby”. The pattern is a Berroco pattern, Quonset Worsted. The yarn is Earth Collection Homestead, 100% wool. The pattern calls for 4.5 mm needles with worsted weight yarn, but I’m getting stitch gauge on 5.0 mm needles. My row gauge is out slightly, but I’m finding that it really isn’t making too big a difference being out 2 rows every 4 inches. I can live with slightly deeper arm scyes.

As you can see, it will be a fairly casual little sweater, something easy to put on and take off as needed. When you’re cold one moment and having a hot flash the next, that is a good thing!

I Almost Forgot

2011-10-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

I have another finished object. I finished these a couple of weeks ago, but forgot that I hadn’t blogged about them.

These are the Kunigunde wrist warmers, a free pattern I found through Ravelry. The link to the pattern can be found here. I used some sock yarn I had in my stash. For some reason, I didn’t like this yarn as socks but it works well for this pattern. It’s a fairly simple knit and I’m pleased with how they turned out.

This afternoon has been fun. Earlier this week, the neighbour’s granddaughter (who lives with her grandparents) asked me if I could teach her to knit on Friday. Seeing as I work full time, I told her Friday was out, but she could come over on Saturday afternoon and I’d show her the basics. Well, today she and a friend came over, yarn and needles in hand. Well, K had yarn and needles. S didn’t and was provided with both.

Both girls caught on fairly quickly but K definitely got it. She managed to get six rows done and only made one extra stitch. For an absolute beginner, she did good! I started them out with 12 stitches and taught them only the knit stitch. Once they’re comfortable with that, I’ll teach them the purl stitch and then we’ll start on a simple project. If they’re still eager, that is.

Today’s “lesson” was about an hour long; they can’t wait for the next lesson and already have visions of knitting sweaters, hats, scarves…

Finished, but…

2011-10-23T16:11:00.001-07:00

I finally have another finished object. It just feels like knitting has been pushed to a back burner around here. This weekend, though, I decided that one small project was so close to being done that I’d just better sit down and get it done.

So I did.

This is the Mini Mochi hat #2. It shouldn’t have taken me as long as it did; it’s not a difficult knit. Other things just got in the way. I’m happy it’s done.

But.

It’s too big for me. It’s too long and it’s not the kind of ribbing you can turn up because it definitely has a wrong and a right side. So, now I’m on the search for someone who loves the hat and has a larger head than mine.

In other things, I got the deal of the month last week. If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I work near a thrift store. Well, earlier this week, I went there on my lunch break to look for an exterior light; we have (had) a sensor light at our back door but only one of the lights worked and the sensor only worked sporadically. It was rare for the light to stay on for any more than a few seconds. I found a light, marked at $5.00, and made my way to the front counter. When I got there, I saw a package with a Sansa mp3 player, still in it’s original packaging. I asked the clerk if I could look at it, made sure everything was included and checked the price. It was marked at $20.00. I decided it was a good price and made my way to the till.

There, the lamp was discounted by 50%, making it $2.50. When the clerk rang in the mp3 player, she asked a co-worker if it was on sale as well; she was told it was, making it $10.

I should tell you I didn’t buy it for myself; I have my iPod. John likes to listen to CBC radio while he’s working and his last player (a Sansa Clip) died earlier this year so I thought this would be a good replacement for him. The price was certainly right.

Included in the package is also a sports arm band. When I got home, I started doing a bit of research. The armband, a Griffin iPod Nano sports armband, retails for about $20. The Sansa player? Well, check out this Amazon link (Sansa e270).

Yup, I got a real deal!

Memories of Summer

2011-10-16T15:37:00.001-07:00

This year saw a good harvest of grapes from the vine out in the garden. We picked them as they ripened but didn’t have time to do much with them, other than turn them to juice and freeze the resulting juice. I think there are about eight tubs of frozen grape juice in the freezer right now; I’m not positive because John didn’t label the ones he froze. I did.

Today, while battling a migraine (which still hasn’t gone away), I decided to thaw some of that juice. I thawed two containers as one batch of jelly requires 5 cups of juice and the tubs are one liter tubs, which is about 4 cups of juice.

In all, I have 7 jars of jelly. The one in the picture wasn’t a full jar, just the end of the batch. There’s one other small jar like the one in the picture; the rest are 1 cup jars (1/2 pint, I think?). I did cut back on the sugar slightly. Normally you shouldn’t because it can affect how the jelly jells, but it wasn’t a problem. It’s lovely, perfect for spreading and very, very tasty.

The biscuits, incidentally, were made just so we could sample the jelly. In the middle of winter, we’ll be enjoying summer on our biscuits and toast. And there’s more juice in the freezer. Does it get any better than that?

One of Those Weeks

2011-10-15T16:04:00.001-07:00

All day today, I’ve been thinking about the blog and wondering what to write about. Knitting has been pretty much non-existent so there’s nothing to write about there. Work has been a bit on the stressful side, but nothing I really want to write about.

I could write about the weather, I suppose. It’s sunny but not terribly warm. Autumn definitely has us in its grip. John and our landlord have both been working in the garden, harvesting and cleaning up.

That brings me to the purpose of today’s post. I’ve just realized that there are two things that help me get past the stress of the work week (not that it’s all that stressful, but it’s work!). One, as you know, is knitting. Knitting, though, has not come easy in the last while. The other, which will likely come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, is cooking. I’ve just never really realized just how relaxing I find cooking… until today.

An empty bowl. I can tell you that it was wonderful! It was sublime! It was simple. And it made me realize that cooking, for me, is nothing short of meditative and grounding.

So, what was in the bowl? Well, allow me to back up a little. Last weekend, I made pasta. It’s gone. Today, I decided to make another batch.

When I make pasta, there are always little bits that really don’t qualify as “noodles”. They get piled in a little pile and never really come to more than about a half cup of pasta bits. That’s the cook’s portion. After making the pasta, setting it to dry, I put on a small pot of water and cook the little leftover bits. This time, I also chopped up one clove of garlic, melted a bit of butter and then tossed the cooked pasta in with a bit of parmesan cheese. At the first bite, I realized that all the stress of the previous week had just dissipated. It was a taste of… well… a taste of YUM!!!

I realize I’m going on and on about pasta but it came as something of a surprise to realize just how satisfying and fulfilling and stress-relieving just doing something this simple has been. I suppose it’s partially because it’s another creative endeavour. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of making something that others find delicious. Maybe it’s getting into the dough, feeling your food. I don’t really know. What I do know is that it satisfies at a very deep level.

Have I mentioned that I love cooking?

Speaking of Pasta

2011-10-10T09:17:00.001-07:00

Kristie responded to my last post (about pasta), asking if I had a special recipe that works. I’ve tried a couple of different recipes in the past; this time I used a recipe I found on Food.com (one of my favourite sites for finding recipes, incidentally).

I consider this one a keeper. I like the texture of it; I could have rolled it out a little thinner as the noodles puffed up quite a bit on cooking. The noodles have some “tooth” to them, a little chewy (perhaps a touch undercooked?) and have some body to them. It is definitely a recipe I’ll be making again, perhaps even today. That first batch has already been consumed.

We had company the night I made the pasta. They had, apparently, been eating off and on all day (they were in town for a granddaughter’s birthday party and Thanksgiving) but we hadn’t. John made a nice light tomato sauce with garden fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, fresh garlic and some of the last basil leaves from the garden. I cooked the pasta and served it with parmesan cheese and warmed homemade dinner buns and butter, served with a choice of red or white wine (I drink white). It was a lovely light meal and everyone agreed that the pasta was excellent.

Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Homemade Pasta Dough

2 cups white flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons warm water

Place flour in a large glass bowl and form a well in the middle. Add remaining ingredients into the well. With a fork, in a circular motion, stir wet ingredients just around rim of dry ingredients, bringing a little bit of flour into the wet, a little at a time until all are mixed together.

Pour mixture onto a floured board and knead until tight and glossy. It should be difficult to mix, to a point where no more flour will stay into mixture. Form into a ball and let it sit, covered, for 1/2 – 1 hour.

Cut into manageable pieces to fit into pasta machine. Flour pieces as needed; if dough is too sticky it will not go through the pasta machine smoothly.

Run three times through larger slot size, then once through decreasing sizes progressively until desired thickness. Run through pasta cutter of choice and dry overnight. Store dried pasta in sealed bags or containers.

The original recipe, from Food.com, can be found here: Homemade Pasta Dough.

What Makes YOU Happy?

2011-10-08T14:19:00.001-07:00

Now, why would an ugly table leaf like that make me happy, you wonder?

Well, since we moved into this suite (over a year ago), I’ve had nowhere to attach my pasta maker; the counter tops in here are way too thick to attach it. My table would have been perfect, but it’s too nice to clamp the machine to it, potentially damaging the surface.

When I bought this table, about 12 years ago, it didn’t come with the leaves, even though there are brackets for leaves on either end. I’ve been trying to get someone (anyone!) to make me at least one leaf ever since. I even drew out a blueprint for it. I didn’t want anything pretty, just functional.

John finally took it upon himself to construct it for me. He did have an ulterior motive; he wanted fresh pasta. Now, I have an ugly, but functional table leaf and John and I will be feasting on fresh pasta with fresh tomato, onion and basil sauce for dinner.

What makes YOU happy?

Incidentally, I put a plastic table cloth on the table before clamping the pasta machine to it. The wood John used is treated plywood and is not food safe.

At Least 10,000 People Helped You

2011-10-08T08:33:00.001-07:00

With Thanksgiving Day looming, I wanted to share something I came across recently. John owns a cookbook that was copyrighted in 1934 and printed in 1943. The Mystery Chef’s Own Cookbook is a fascinating book; the author, John MacPherson, was the host of a Depression Era/wartime radio recipe show and was, at that time, very popular.

In the introduction of the book, he has a section entitled At Least Ten Thousand People Help You To Prepare Each Meal. I present it here for your reflection. Thanksgiving Day is, in my opinion, the perfect time for such a reminder. Keep in mind, as you read this, that it was written sometime in the 1930’s. Production and delivery methods differ somewhat now, but the message is still the same.

When you sit down at your dinner table tonight, think for a moment of how many people were employed in the growing and preparation of the ingredients you used in cooking that dinner.

When I say ten thousand men and women help us to prepare each meal, I believe the estimate is conservative; and I think you will agree with me when we have traced through the people involved in the production of just one ingredient from its source to your table.

Let us take a pan of hot biscuits. What are the ingredients required? Flour, butter, baking powder and salt (the liquid used can be water). You and I have all these ingredients in our kitchens, ready for use at a moment’s notice. But how did they get there?

Suppose we trace just one of these – flour – from its source to you. The farmer has planted the seed and it has grown to maturity – a waving field of golden grain in the Northwest. Give your imagination free rein as we follow the grains of wheat from that field in the Northwest to your kitchen, where it arrived in the form of a sack of flour. I do not have to fill in all the details, but let me trace in a very superficial way a picture that will show some of those employed in the work of placing that flour in your hands.

First there are the men who sowed and cultivated the grain, and then the threshing machines and the men who run them. Now the trucks are hauling the wheat to a ship on the Great Lakes. Follow that ship – watch the stokers as they shovel coal (and don’t forget the miners who mined the coal which drives the ship’s engines). The ship carries the grain to a great flour mill with its roaring machinery, and here a vast number of men is employed. Then there are the cotton pickers in the South who pick the cotton that feeds the looms that weave the sacks in which the flour is put. And there are the printers who print the name on the sack in order that you and I may be able to recognize the brand of flour we want – an important service since all flours are not alike and the flour we use makes a great difference in the success we have in baking.

I am not going to fill in this picture further, more than to ask you to follow the flour from the mill as it makes its way to you by rail or ship. Think of all the changes of locomotives on the railroad and of all the railroad men that had a part in handling the flour on its way to the grocery store.

Then remember that flour is only one of the many ingredients used in the preparation of a dinner. Trace all these ingredients from their source to your kitchen.

The grocer’s boy is only the messenger bringing to you the fruit of ten thousand other hands.

What are you going to do with these ingredients? Throw together a careless meal? Or are you going to be the artist – one worthy to receive the work of these ten thousand hands, and with loving care prepare a meal so delicious that you will be repaid a thousandfold for your work by the enthusiastic praise of those who are fortunate enough to dine at your table.

Happy Thanksgiving

to all my Canadian friends and family

It’s Kokanee Time

2011-09-25T11:39:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve gone for one of my walks. When the temperatures are in the mid to high 20’s (Centigrade), it’s a bit too hot for me. Today was a good day for renewing that habit. It’s dry (so far) and not too hot – perfect walking weather! September is Kokanee spawning season and Mission Creek is a spawning creek; I wanted to check it out.

The Kokanee are definitely running (for more information on kokanee, click here). I saw quite a few red bodies in the creek and many dead salmon, the ones who had already spawned and laid their eggs, completing their life cycle.

As well, autumn is beginning to show her colours. It was a good walk and I leave you with a few pictures taken today.

Spider, spider

2011-09-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

No, this isn’t really a post about spiders. It does have to do with cobwebs, though. And yes, there are probably more cobwebs around this house than there should be, but I’m not talking about that kind of cobweb.

Almost two years ago, I started (and frogged) the Cobweb Doily from the lovely book, A Gathering of Lace. You can read about it here if you’re interested in what I wrote back then. When I first attempted it, I was using a hemp lace weight yarn. At one point, I made a mistake or put it down and couldn’t figure out where I was… or something. It was frogged and the yarn turned into something else.

This time, I’m using the same lace weight wool I used for the Queen Silvia shawl. And, this time, it’s working up quickly and beautifully. You’ll have to trust me on the “beautifully” part; right now, it doesn’t look like anything beautiful but, once blocked, it will look completely different. Hopefully, it WILL be beautiful.

I’ve even been planning the blocking of this little piece. The doily consists of seven sections; when finished, each of the sections will be finished with three “leaves”, making a total of 21 “points”. I want to be sure that each of the points is blocked evenly. To that end, I wanted a 21 point template. How do you divide a circle evenly into 21 sections? I went to my trusty Draw Plus program and made a 21 point polygon, which I printed up at work. It’s easier to show you what I came up with than it is to describe it.

The only reason I’m even doing this little project is to help psych myself into starting the Shetland Christening Dress. The weather is beginning to cool and the knitting season is nearing rapidly. Yes, there are other things I could (and should) be finishing, but I like lace. What can I say?

Life Gets Back to Normal

2011-09-18T10:52:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all your condolences. My Dad will always be remembered with joy by those of us who knew him and loved him.

Now, as cold as it may sound, life gets back to normal. We all still have to go to work, to eat, to sleep, all those little things that make up our daily lives.

We all know that knitting is a part of my daily life and there has been knitting. More specifically, there has been finishing. The Queen Silvia shawl came off the needles earlier this month but the blocking had to wait until we got home from Abbotsford. That happened yesterday (the blocking, that is).

This isn’t a large shawl by any means. I probably could have blocked a little harder, but it’s the perfect size for a scarf or shoulder cover. Finished size is approximately 46” x 18”.

In other things, the garden is still producing but it is beginning to slow down. While I was away, John kept picking beans and yesterday I froze another two bags (about 4 meals worth) of them. The tomatoes… oh, the tomatoes!!

I think John has 7 or 8 litre containers of stewed tomatoes in the freezer and there are still more coming.

The basil is still going strong, but we have more than enough pesto to last us until next year so I’ve decided to give some away. A friend didn’t have much luck with her basil and, since she’ll be around the house for her grandson’s birthday, I’m letting her have as much as she wants to pick (or I might pick it for her). It is slowing down somewhat as the nights are cooling down, but there’s still enough there for a good batch of pesto.

And, while I was away, John even canned nine quarts of peaches! We did give a couple of jars away and we had to sample one (it wasn’t a full jar) but there are still a few jars that will not be touched until the dead of winter, when we’re craving summer. Or maybe we’ll open one to have with our Thanksgiving dinner. I can already imagine THAT feast!

All in all, we have our small freezer almost full of produce from our own garden. It’s a wonderful feeling!

In Memoriam

2011-09-17T09:57:00.001-07:00

Sjoerd (Johnny) Teyema, born in Garijp, Friesland in the Netherlands on August 20, 1929, died at Menno Home in Abbotsford, BC on September 7, 2011.

My Dad leaves behind his wife of 58 years, 5 daughters and 2 sons, 16 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

I leave you with excerpts from the memorial service program, collaboratively put together by his daughters.

“Dad was trained as a carpenter and took military training but just missed being deployed to Indonesia.

Soon after their marriage on June 4, 1953, Dad and Mom emigrated to Canada. They settled in Winnipeg and, in 1966, moved to Abbotsford. They also lived in Salmon Arm for a while until they moved back to Abbotsford in 1987.

Dad had many jobs in his life time, including picking vegetables, steel foundry making train wheels and general handyman. After moving to BC, he worked at building homes with Mattie Homes. He was then self employed, building many barns throughout the Fraser Valley. Finally, he worked as a custodian at Abbotsford Christian School and volunteered as a crossing guard.

During retirement, Dad enjoyed talking, making wooden toys, gardening, and his daily walks. Alzheimer’s took a firm hold on Dad in the 2000’s and gradually he was unable to do all of the things he loved.

Dad moved into Menno Home in 2007, made friends in a way that transcended barriers and lived there until his passing.”

He may be gone from us, but his legacy will live on in his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He has left an indelible mark on all our lives.

Love you forever, Dad.

September Already?

2011-09-03T10:00:00.001-07:00

What happened to August? It was just here and now it’s gone! I know I haven’t been blogging very regularly this summer; it’s been pretty busy around here. Between the garden and numerous birthdays, the month has slipped by far too quickly.

Knitting has been almost non-existent throughout the month of August. I have been working on the Queen Silvia shawl, but only sporadically. It’s been quite a hot month, with temperatures in the low to mid 30’s (mid to high 80’s F); knitting and sweaty, hot hands do not mix well.

As for Queen Silvia, I’m working on the border now. That’s 800+ stitches. I have 6 rounds left to knit and it will be done. Now that the temperatures have been dropping slightly, I’m hoping to have it finished soon.

In the garden, things are doing very well! So far, we’ve frozen corn and green beans and the beans are still producing. I’ve made, and frozen, three batches of pesto and will be making another batch today. The tomatoes are starting to ripen now so we’ll be processing them before long, too. And then, there’s the lettuce. There is so much lettuce in the garden right now that we could be eating salads for the entire year! Unfortunately, there’s no way of keeping the lettuce that long and there’s not really much else you can do with lettuce, is there? Hmm, I think I’ll try to persuade John to make a Caesar salad today.

We found out last night that J, who lives upstairs, will be leaving town for the foreseeable future (up to a year and maybe longer) and we will be “inheriting” his part of the garden. That means there will be potatoes, peppers and a variety of other things to harvest before long. We’ve also been given numerous zucchinis, which has been turned into zucchini soup, which has also been frozen and will be savoured some time this coming winter. You know, even though I’m not much of a gardener, I must admit that I love the fact that we can grow our own produce. It feels so good to be eating things that we’ve grown!

Book Review–Knitting Brioche

2011-08-28T10:13:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I put in a Knit Picks order. Seeing that their book sale was still on at the time, instead of just ordering the circular needles I needed, I also ordered two books. One of the books is “Wrapped in Lace” by Margaret Stove; I’ll review that one another time. The second book, the one I’m reviewing today, is “Knitting Brioche” by Nancy Marchant.

First impression? This is a visually beautiful book. It’s inviting. The book has five sections and the page colours are different for each section, making it very easy to find each. I’ve done a little brioche knitting in the past (I made a vest for John, a Nancy Marchant pattern from Interweave Knits… years back). It’s a reversible fabric that can be quite warm. It’s more known in Europe that it is here in North America. In texture, it’s very similar to Fisherman Rib, but the technique is different.

The description of the book (from the back cover) reads as follows:

Knitting Brioche is the first and only knitting book devoted exclusively to brioche stitch, a knitting technique that creates a double-sided fabric. This complete guide will take you from your first brioche stitches to your first (or hundredth) project, and even to designing with brioche stitch, if you desire. Whether you’re new to brioche knitting or experienced at “brioching”, author Nancy Marchant provides the information and inspiration you need.

Ms. Marchant includes a new set of abbreviations and symbols for brioche knitting and the first section includes a description of all of these. For instance, brk (or bark) is brioche knit, brp (or burp) is brioche purl. For the symbols for brioche knitting, Ms. Marchant was inspired by Japanese knitting symbols. All of the explanations constitute the first section of the book.

The second section is a step by step journey through brioche knitting, going from the plain brioche stitch in one colour, casting on and off, working brioche in the round to doing it all in two or more colours.

The third section is a brioche “stitchionary” that includes approximately 50 pages of different stitches. The fourth section explains design elements in brioche knitting, including points, lines, form (motifs), texture, and colour.

The fifth, and final, section contains patterns, some of which are highlighted in the above photo.

Yesterday, I started to work my way through the book, knitting the pink swatch in the top picture. Ms. Marchant’s instructions are clear, well-written and well illustrated.

This is not just a book of patterns by any means. In fact, the patterns almost feel secondary; she had to include some patterns to go along with the instructional part of the book. This book is primarily a primer on brioche knitting and, as such, it’s a magnificent resource. I’m very happy to have it in my knitting library.

The Big Chill

2011-08-21T09:37:00.001-07:00

No, I’m not referring to the movie. This past week, I made the long trek to our local thrift store, the one that’s about three doors down from where I work. I’ve been on the look out for one specific item and I’ve been waiting for over a year to find it. Imagine my surprise when I found what I was looking for!

I’m talking about an ice cream maker.

It’s completely manual and uses no ice and no salt. The aluminum basket has liquid in it; you freeze the entire bowl and then put your ingredients in, turn the handle every few minutes and, before you know it, you have something absolutely scrumptious!

Like this…

If you’re interested, you can find the recipe over at the Food Network. It was easy to make and, believe me, it tastes amazing. I’ve never had homemade ice cream before; this will not be the last time I have it, that’s for sure!

This Past Week

2011-07-31T10:42:00.001-07:00

A few images from around here this past week.

Some of This and Some of That

2011-07-23T07:44:00.001-07:00

What a difference a month makes!

The top picture was taken a month ago, just after planting my herb garden. The bottom picture was taken this morning. After taking the picture, I pulled out the onions as they’re definitely ready for harvesting and enjoying. Everything has just gone crazy! We’ve already been harvesting some of the herbs and drying them (curly parsley and thyme, most notably). Now, I need to figure out what to do with the Italian parsley. It has really taken off. Any ideas?

Looks like something alive, doesn’t it? The pattern is Barb’s Koigu Ruffle scarf from Churchmouse Yarns, located on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The yarn is Koigu, 2 skeins of it. All in all, it was a very quick knit, a mostly mindless knit. I have a feeling I’ll probably knit more of these eventually. I still have a fair bit of fingering/sock weight yarn in my stash. I think these scarves would make great little gifts.

It’s Here!! Finally!

2011-07-22T08:27:00.001-07:00

Back in May, I wrote about finding the perfect yarn for the Shetland Christening Dress. Remember? If not, you can read about it here. A few days later, I did put in an order for the cashmere lace weight yarn. I received confirmation of my order and a PayPal receipt and I waited. And waited. And waited.

By the beginning of July, it still hadn’t arrived. We did, however, have a postal strike so I thought that, perhaps, it had been held up somewhere. Two weeks ago, I decided to email Colourmart and let them know that my yarn still hadn’t arrived.

I got a lovely email from them after they went back through their records and files. It seemed that my yarn had never been sent. My order hadn’t been printed and passed on the the shipping person. They asked if I still wanted the yarn. Um…… yeah, of course I still want it!

Well…

Now, I need to finish a couple of projects before I’ll allow myself to start the dress again.

Speaking of finishing projects, I did finish the Ruffle scarf last night. It turned out really cute! I’ll post a picture of it this weekend. I’m still debating whether or not to press it lightly, just to tame the ruffles a little. It’s very “ruffly”.

The garden is finally coming along. This week, I picked a bunch of basil (nearly half a pound!). The 20 or so plants I have are finally thriving.

For dinner last night, we had spaghettini with pesto sauce, left over chicken, sautéed mushrooms, and stir-fried vegetables (walla walla onion, red pepper and beans fresh from the garden). It was absolutely delicious!!

It’s a somewhat unusual combination, I know. I was going for maximum flavour! We had mushrooms in the fridge that really needed to be used; they were starting to dry out and they’d frozen slightly. I sautéed them in some olive oil and butter (butter for flavour only), threw in a teaspoon or so of chopped fresh thyme, a big clove of garlic, a sploosh of white wine and a bit of salt and pepper – flavour, flavour, flavour!

The vegetables were lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil, beans first and then the onion and red pepper. I decided to try something I’d never done before; I didn’t add any salt to the vegetables. Instead, I squeezed about half a lemon’s worth of juice onto them and lightly peppered them. I can tell you that I WILL be doing that again! The flavours of the vegetables shone through and the light tang of the lemon accented the dish perfectly.

And the pasta with pesto sauce? Well, there’s just nothing like fresh pesto you’ve just made with basil you’ve hand picked. We ate like kings last night!

Just a Quick Post

2011-07-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

What a day! It started out just fine. I started a new (small, quick) little project.

The pattern is Barb’s Koigu Ruffle, from Churchmouse Classics. The yarn is… Koigu. You never would have guessed that, would you? I’ve been working on it off and on today and it’s making good progress. As it is right now, I’m over half way on it. Basically, it’s two ruffles with a straight piece in the middle. I’ll post pictures of the finished scarf when it’s done.

As I said at the beginning, the day started out just fine. Then, this…

… did this…

Man, did that hurt!!! I was helping John figure out how best to close in the stairs that go upstairs so that we could have some covered storage space (my dad was a carpenter; I learned a few things). We had it closed with cardboard but, with the first rain, it sort of disintegrated. I was pointing out how to put in the last piece of plywood, turned around to go back into the house and walked, full force, into that little shelf.

I only hope I don’t wake up with a black eye.

Lemony Greek-style Rice

2011-07-11T16:53:00.001-07:00

Having posted the recipe for the prawns yesterday, Sandie asked for the recipe for the Greek style rice with lemon and dill. I’m more than happy to oblige.

I should let you know that the recipe is a variation of one I found at Food.com (one of my favourite recipe web sites). The lemon and dill flavours go very well with any kind of a Mediterranean or Greek inspired meal. The original recipe also calls for feta or parmesan cheese to be sprinkled over the rice just before serving; I didn’t do that. It also calls for 1-2 teaspoons of black pepper. That was a bit much for me, but feel free to use as much, or as little, pepper as you’re comfortable with. We’ll be having the leftover rice tonight with leftover pork chops.

Here’s the recipe:

Greek Style Lemon Rice

3-4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (or to taste)
2 cups long grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh, if possible)
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1-2 teaspoons pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the rice and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes or so. Add the broth, lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the pepper and dill and reduce the heat to low for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

Hello!

2011-07-10T13:23:00.001-07:00

We’ve had a couple of busy weeks around here! Last weekend, the Canada Day long weekend, John and I drove to Edmonton to spend a couple of days with his boss. While there, we also visited my brother, whom John had not yet met (we’ve been together almost 10 years!).

Yesterday, we hosted his boss, her son and daughter-in-law and their two little girls. We had a lovely little dinner party. John and I split the cooking duties and it all went off without a hitch (except for one broken glass and a broken tea light holder… no biggie!).

Instead of a knitting update this week, you get the rundown on our menu and a recipe. We started off with Gambas a la Ajillo (Garlic Prawns). Oh my!! They were awesome! Then we had some pita with tzatziki before being called to the table. Dinner was ribs with Jack Daniels glaze (yum!), Greek style rice (rice with onions, lemon and dill), sautéed Mediterranean style vegetables (red pepper, mushrooms, Walla Walla onion and celery drizzled with oil, balsamic vinegar and a bit of fresh oregano and thyme… from my herb garden), and a watermelon mint salad. For dessert, we bought a lovely chocolate layer cake from Costco; everything else, incidentally, was made from scratch, including the rib glaze.

Everything was absolutely perfect and it all tasted good! As I said, I’m sharing a recipe with you. Here, not on my cooking blog. In our local liquor stores, we’ve been picking up and collecting a free magazine, Flavours. It’s a liquor and food magazine and there are often very good recipes. My Spanakopita recipe came from one of the magazines, too. As a matter of fact, it's the same issue the following recipe is from.

The Gambas a la Ajillo is a simple, and very tasty, way of cooking prawns. John bought 25 tiger prawns and they were consumed in minutes! For your culinary enjoyment, here’s the recipe:

Gambas a la Ajillo (Garlic Prawns)

12 tiger prawns
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
Sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
Chopped fresh parsley

Season prawns with dried chili flakes. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until it sputters. Add garlic; let it turn golden and add prawns and sea salt. Turn the prawns once. Add white wine and sprinkle with parsley. Serve sizzling, with a few slices of bread for dipping.

Serves 6.

Thank you, Kristie!

2011-06-26T09:34:00.001-07:00

After posting about my beautiful harvest of parsley yesterday, Kristie left a comment about her own parsley. As a quick aside, if you want a good blog to read, head over to Kristie’s blog, North of 49. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. Anyway, Kristie wrote, “It seems to be a good year for parsley. I just cut a huge bunch yesterday and made a quinoa tabouli salad with it. Yum!”

I’ve never had tabouli (also spelled tabouleh and a variety of other ways) before so I headed off to Google to find out how it’s made and what’s in it. I discovered that it’s really quite simple to make, especially if you already have a tub of cooked quinoa in your refrigerator. Also included in the recipes I found online were things like sweet onion, garlic, cucumber, tomato, parsley, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. We just happen to have all these things at hand.

It also happens that the garden here contains a beautiful stand of medicinal-quality peppermint, which I’ve never seen anyone use. I’ve been picking and drying it and have even made a jar of mint sauce for John.

And so, this morning, I put this together…

It’s in the fridge right now so that the flavours can meld, but I can tell you that it is already tasty, refreshing and even John, who pulled up his nose at first, was impressed with the flavour. I can hardly wait to try it for lunch later.

Once again, thank you Kristie for the wonderful suggestion. I’ll be making this again… for sure!

Check It Out!

2011-06-25T14:38:00.001-07:00

I LOVE the scent of fresh-picked parsley and it’s even better when it comes from my own herb garden. My little herb garden is really doing well. I’ve already dried a couple of handfuls of parsley, some thyme and some mint from the garden.

Incidentally, Susanne asked whether or not I’d soaked the sweet pea seeds before planting them; I did. Only one single, solitary seed came up. I will certainly appreciate the flowers that will, eventually I hope

Technorati Tags: garden

, bloom.

Moving Day

2011-06-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

It’s moving day around here. No, we’re not the ones moving this time (thankfully!). We live in a fourplex and two of the suites were recently vacated. Today, a young couple is moving in to the suite beside us; they have a six-month old daughter and are expecting another child. They also each have a son from previous relationships, meaning that, at times, there could be up to four little ones next door.

Over the next month or so, another couple is moving in upstairs on the other side. He is an uncle to Rob (who’s moving in today); apparently the house they were living in was sold and they were told they had two months to move out. According to Mark, he’d already put in his garden. Today, he’s been busy getting a part of the garden here ready for transplanting some of his plants from where they’re living right now. They have my sympathies.

The house will definitely have a different vibe before too long. John, J and Mark are all gardeners (hobby gardeners, not by profession) so I have a feeling the yard will really be improved this year. Nice!

Speaking of gardening, my little herb garden is thriving; I’ve already been picking and drying thyme and parsley. The oregano is finally starting to grow (looking really good, though) and the green onions are coming in nicely. Today, I planted three little Italian parsley plants and I’m hoping they’ll do well.

The basil I planted in the flower bed a couple weekends ago is looking good, too. The tomatoes are finally starting to grow; it was almost like they didn’t want to grow because it’s been so unseasonably cold. And out in the big garden, the beans and corn are growing well. If the weather would just warm up a little, we might even be able to eat from the garden before too long.

Herding Bunnies

2011-06-11T08:39:00.001-07:00

Well, that’s a couple of weeks that have gone by very quickly. Between working, gardening, and hockey playoffs blogging just didn’t get done.

I have been knitting. I have been gardening. I have been enjoying the companionship of neighbours who’ve just moved out. I have been busy. Today, though, I intend to (sort of) take it easy.

The Queen Silvia shawl/stole is seeing good progress. I’ve completed 12 repeats (as of last weekend), with another 8 repeats to knit before picking up stitches all the way around for the border. In the picture, I’ve loosely pinned the shawl out on a sheet so the nupps and the design are easier to see. Once fully blocked, this is going to be one beautiful shawl!

I just realized that I haven’t blogged about this project yet. This is the Queen Silvia shawl from Nancy Bush’s exquisite book “Knitted Lace of Estonia”. I’m working it in Jamieson & Smith’s 2 ply Shetland Supreme on 3.25 mm needles. The yarn, incidentally, is the one I had ordered for the Shetland Christening Dress that wasn’t white enough. For this project, it’s perfect! And, I should add, it’s a wonderful yarn to knit with.

I’ve found that after a couple of repeats, the pattern is an easy one to read and it’s working up fairly quickly. As always, with nupps, the secret to working them is to knit them loosely, very loosely. I’ve seen Ravelry projects where knitters have decided to use beads because they didn’t like making the nupps, but they truly are not difficult to do if you keep them loose.

Gardening. *big sigh* Yes, we’ve been gardening. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a garden. I’m a little disappointed. My seeds just didn’t start off as well as I had hoped they would. In all fairness, some of them were about 3 or 4 years old but even the seeds purchased this year just seem really slow to germinate.

I planted sweet peas under my kitchen window… an entire packet. One seed came up. Just one! I planted lettuce in the same bed. Nothing came up. Not a single plant. I had lettuce in starter pots. They came up and I put them in the garden last weekend. They don’t look like they’ll make it.

On the other hand, the basil that I started indoors and put in the ground last weekend is looking good and beginning to take off. The radishes and green onions are coming up and looking good. My little herb garden is thriving and I’ve already been trimming back the parsley and drying it.

Out in the big garden, the beans are looking good and the corn’s already up. A tomato, given to me by a co-worker, has numerous tomatoes just waiting to ripen. The strawberries are turning red finally, but the ones I’ve tried just don’t have the intense flavour they normally do. The weather’s just been too cold and the lack of sunshine has inhibited the sugars in the fruit.

We do know that everything is about three weeks behind this year. Even at the college (where John works as a gardener), everything is way behind compared to last year. He keeps a journal there; it’s interesting to look back and compare one year to the last.

And finally, today is World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP Day). Our little Sit & Stitch group will be meeting at our usual location, but sitting out on the patio this time. I will not be among them. I will be going for my walk this morning (bought some running shoes this week… finally) and this afternoon, I will be herding bunnies here in the house. Dust bunnies, that is. They’ve taken over and we need the space!

Apps for Knitters

2011-05-14T17:24:00.001-07:00

While at our local Sit & Stitch this weekend, I was mildly teased about the apps I’ve downloaded. It seems I take the adage “There’s an app for that” somewhat seriously. Well, I HAVE found some good apps for knitters.

One that I’ve recently come across is 1, 2, 3 Knit. It isn’t a free app; it is, as far as apps go, a fairly expensive one at $2.99 but I’m really appreciating it.

As you can see, I have another lace project on the go. This counter is set up for the Queen Silvia shawl, from “Knitted Lace of Estonia” by Nancy Bush. In this case, the pattern is a 16-row repeat. Count A is my pattern count while the main counter, at the top, is the total number of rows completed. You can track up to 10 different pattern counts with this app. It also includes a built in calculator and you can take a photo of your project to use as a background for your counters.

At the moment, I have only two projects in the app, but I can see this being a very useful app, especially for something that has multiple patterns in the project, like an Aran sweater perhaps?

Yes, there are other row counter programs. Yes, there are free row counters out there. I have to say, though, that I’m impressed with this one. It is intuitive and, in my opinion, pretty good looking. I’ll be using it more!

And it begins again…

2011-05-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

Call me crazy. I went online to find a replacement for the Skacel Merino Lace weight yarn I’d been using for the Shetland Christening dress. I ordered some from Heirloom Knitting and it arrived this week. Unfortunately, it’s too natural, more of a beige than white. I also received a packet with samples from Colourmart. There were four samples. Two were too beige, one of which was also too heavy.

There were two, however, that were perfect. The best of the two is the Cashmere (yes, cashmere… it’s the little ball). It is by far the whitest of the samples and I think I’ll be putting in an order… as soon as I can find it on their website! (I did find out that this yarn isn’t posted on their site, it has to be requested. I’m in the process of doing that.)

And the swatching has begun. I don’t think I really need to swatch, but I do want to reacquaint myself with the pattern before I start over for real.

If at first you don’t succeed…

2011-05-07T13:50:00.001-07:00

…try, try again.

That’s where we’re at right now. This is the first time in a number of years that we’ve had the opportunity and space to do a bit of gardening. We’ve both been planting some things, hoping to enjoy the fruits of our labours later in the season.

John’s planted nasty urchins (that’s what he calls nasturtiums) and has put together a hanging basket with geraniums, lobelia and, when they come up, nasturtiums. I’ve been planting herbs, lettuce, spinach and green beans.

This is where the lack of success comes in. John got some corn gluten from work. It’s used to inhibit weeds in the lawns by preventing germination. He mixed it in to some potting soil, added some fertilizer and distributed it between the pots we have. He also threw some in the small garden bed outside the back door, where I planted lettuce and spinach. I used the same soil for starting the seeds. Did you catch that?

It’s used to inhibit weeds by preventing germination. Yup. None of my seeds came up. These were seeded two weeks ago and have been kept primarily indoors. They should have sprouted by now.

So, last week I tried again with different soil. However, when John asked where I’d taken the soil from, he reminded me that it also had the corn gluten in it.

And so, this morning, I had to start all over again.

In Response

2011-05-01T08:38:00.001-07:00

In response to yesterday’s post, Colette asked the following:

Can you remind me the source of the christening gown pattern. I'm looking for something similar now, not for an existing baby but as a technical project which perhaps someday if I'm blessed with grandchildren will become an heirloom.

The pattern is out of Sarah Don’s lovely book, “The Art of Shetland Lace”, which, unfortunately, is no longer in print. It isn’t the easiest pattern to follow as all the instructions are in an old form. For instance, what we know as k2tog (knit two together), she uses T (together) and our YO (yarn over) is O (over). I did manage to chart out the edging, but not the rest of the lace.

As well, this is true lace knitting. There is patterning on each side, making the lacy sections challenging.

Yesterday was a lovely day. I went to get my hair cut and afterwards spent part of the day knitting. We did other things, too, including some social time with the neighbours, knocking a few golf balls around the yard, watching hockey and drinking wine (no, I didn’t overdo it). After the second glass of wine, though, the knitting was put away.

It is going well, though. The picture above is after two repeats. This, again, is true lace knitting, with patterning on both sides. I’m really liking the look of this. It’s an enjoyable knit, but definitely requires concentration.

Cast On!

2011-04-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

Even though I have a few projects on needles right now, my fingers have been itching for lace again. Never one to resist temptation too strenuously, I gave in. I found some lace weight yarn in my stash, pulled out “Victorian Lace Today” and decided on a pattern. This time it’s the Myrtle Leaf Shawl With Willow Border.

The border will be knitted on after the body of the shawl (stole, really) is finished. The colourway I’m using (Knit Picks Shadow, Kettle Dyed) is called Grasshopper and the shawl is being knitted on 3.5 mm needles. I’m already liking how it’s looking and I haven’t even completed one full repeat of the pattern.

I wonder if any of you remember this scarf, also from Victorian Lace Today…

If you’re interested, you can read about it here. I finished it in 2007 and gave it to my mother. I know she loved it and wore it often. Apparently it was worn so much that it needed to be washed.

It was with some embarrassment that she admitted that she’d thrown it in the washing machine… yes, the washing machine! She now has a felted lace scarf. All I could do was shake my head. I was sure she’d know better than to wash wool in the washing machine. Apparently, I was wrong.

On the christening dress front, I’ve ordered some yarn from Heirloom Knitting in England and it should be arriving within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, it’s a nice bright shade of white and will be fine enough for the dress. I’ll also be receiving some samples from another yarn company, Colourmart, also in England. Once I have the yarn, I’ll be starting the dress all over again. And you know what? I’m looking forward to it!

Exercise in Futility

2011-04-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

I’ve been working on the Shetland Christening dress again this morning. It has not been going well.

Yup, I’ve taken it off the needles. I’m giving up on it. I fear that the yarn just doesn’t have the strength to survive the inevitable blocking process so I’d rather give up on it at this point than attempt to finish it and not have it make it through the blocking. Perhaps, one day, I’ll decide to knit it again but, for now, this project is a no-go.

Incidentally, I can see no evidence of critter activity in the ball of yarn, so I do not understand why it’s simply breaking (pretty much every other row at this point).

Spring has… Or has it?

2011-04-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

Spring has definitely arrived… I think. All month, the temperatures have been on the cool side; we’ve even seen snow at slightly higher elevations as recently as yesterday. However, we’re seeing flowers in the garden. The Star Magnolia is blooming and the tulips are opening. The Forsythia is in full bloom, and the grass in a sheltered area is looking lush and almost ready for it’s first cut.

With the arrival of spring, a restlessness has also arrived around here. Knitting has been sporadic and un-inspired. I did, however, pull out the Shetland Christening dress. I wanted to work on something that required no thought and, seeing as it’s all garter stitch, it fit the bill. There’s a problem, though.

I was happily knitting away when I ran out of thread; it had shredded! I thought that perhaps I’d hooked the yarn on something and it had snapped so I joined the tail to the ball and merrily knit on. It happened again, three rows later. I’m not sure what’s going on, but the yarn has been shredding, almost as if it’s been… dare I even think it?… nibbled. I’m not sure it has, though. I didn’t see any sign of little critters in the yarn and it’s been stored in a cloth bag, in a storage container in a room that has no carpeting. I’m hoping that it may just be breaking because I poked the ends of the needles into the ball (I do that… I shouldn’t, I know). I will continue on, but if I encounter any more of these very thin spots, I may just abandon the entire project. That’s drastic, I know, but I wouldn’t want to finish something so special only to have it fall apart. That would just be sad.

It’s All Good!

2011-04-09T18:01:00.001-07:00

This week has absolutely flown by! I guess it helps that I had last Friday and this past Monday and Tuesday off. A three day work week does go by quickly.

Both of my daughters are now settled in their new homes (yes, both of them moved… one the previous week – her place flooded – and the younger one moved the weekend I was there). I visited all three of my kids and got to see all of the grandkids (the ones that live in town, at any rate). My new car made it safely home, in spite of the snow that was falling up at both summits of the Coquihalla Highway and the Connector.

In the remaining part of the week, I did manage to get some knitting done. It wasn’t much but I did work on the Mini Mochi hat #2. It came along with me to Sit & Stitch today, where progress was made.

This is going to be one pretty hat, I can tell already. I have a feeling it will see a lot of wear next fall and winter.

I’ve also been playing with my iPod this week. I’ve downloaded a couple of photography apps and have been having some fun with them. One that I’m really liking is FX Photo Studio. With it, you can add photo effects to any picture you either take or have in your iPod photo album. Here’s one example of what I mean.

And yes, the tulips are up, but they’re not quite blooming yet. Speaking of growing things, we found out that J (the upstairs neighbour) and his son will be heading north in a few weeks. He intends to get a job in a mine. That means, however, that the job of looking after the garden falls to us (D, his partner, has absolutely no interest in gardening; seems she doesn’t like to get her hands dirty). That’s not a bad thing. We have intentions of growing a good crop of vegetables, mainly things like beans, corn, tomatoes (we already have almost 40 seedlings started) and some herbs, most notably basil… lots of basil. The garden already has strawberries, raspberries, grapes and several herbs (sage, marjoram and who knows what else?). Our landlord was even suggesting that we exchange produce. If he has a bumper crop of something, he would share with us and we could share our excess with him. I like that idea. With the cost of produce going up and up, it just makes sense.

FO!

2011-04-05T15:45:00.001-07:00

Normally, I blog on the weekends as that’s when I have time to sit and think about what I’m going to write. This past weekend, however, I was down at the coast picking up a car from my Mom and visiting my kids and grandkids. It was a very busy weekend!

Now, I’m home. I took today off as I was really tired after yesterday’s drive home. It’s been a very restful, quiet and productive day. It was, however, a day with no knitting (the day isn’t over yet!).

I did want to share my hat with you, though. I finished it before I left for the coast, which is why you haven’t seen it yet.

I like this hat! It fits well and the colours work. I have every intention of starting a second one. Actually, I did start the second one and worked on it a bit at my Mom’s. However, I noticed a mistake about 4 rows down and tried to correct it (somewhere in the row my colours got reversed). I dropped too many stitches and couldn’t get it right so I ended up frogging the entire thing (about 3” worth). I haven’t re-started it yet, but will… probably tonight. I’ll make the second hat a little shorter, I think.

Ok, short post today. I can’t sit in this chair any longer!

Didn’t Mother Nature Get the Memo?

2011-03-27T09:29:00.001-07:00

This is what we woke up to. Now, please don’t think I’m whining. Over on the east coast, the weather is far more wintery than we have here. They have my sympathy. This little bit of white stuff is already gone and the rain has taken it’s place. It was just a little surprising to see white again.

About the slippers… I think when I make more, I will have to put leather bottoms on them. The last pair I made John lasted two years, even with wearing them outdoors, so I didn’t expect our slippers to wear out as quickly as they are.

Do you think I can use some leather I have on hand? A number of years (and more than a handful of pounds) ago, I bought a pair of Danier leather pants. One day, they got caught on a store display and tore. The store realized they were partly responsible and offered to pay for having the pants repaired. I was given (and still have) the lower half of that pant leg, beautiful soft black leather. There’s more than enough there to make soles for the slippers, but I wonder if it’s suitable. Any thoughts?

I have been knitting this week. Both the cardis for the girls and the Western Seas sweater have seen some progress, but none is ready for a picture update. With yesterday being Sit & Stitch day, I wanted to start something else and there’s been a small project I’ve been wanting to sink my teeth into for quite a while. Friday evening, I cast on!

This is the Mini Mochi Fake Isle hat from Crystal Palace Yarns (straw.com). The pattern is written for Mini Mochi, a yarn with long colour changes, similar (I believe) to the colour changes in Noro. Each hat is worked with a single ball of yarn, working from both ends of the ball. I am working it in two different fingering weight yarns, one, as you can see, with long colour changes (Marks & Kattens Fame Trend) and a gray sock yarn. It will be a fairly muted fake isle (as opposed to true fair isle knitting) hat but if I like it, I have more yarn waiting in the wings to make another, more vibrant, hat (which I may do anyway).

One of the nice things about knitting this hat with this yarn is that if I don’t care for the current colour combination, I can just wind off the colour I don’t like until I get to a colour I do like. It’s a simple fair isle pattern, an 8 stitch, 6 row repeat. If, at the end of the knitting, I don’t really care for it, it will go into my box ‘o knitted stuff and will eventually be given away to keep someone else’s ears warm.

Holey Slippers, Batman!

2011-03-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

We have holes! Does this mean I have to make more slippers? Not that that is a bad thing. They work up quickly and they’re fun to knit. I’m just surprised that we’ve gone through the soles (well, the left soles) so quickly. It hasn’t even been a year!

Maybe this time, I’ll knit something different for myself. Hmm… off to see what’s available “out there”!

Ramblings on a Rainy Day

2011-03-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Last week, I reviewed the app, Knit Hat Designer; the following day, I picked up a ball of yarn, a circular needle and, with the app, designed a simple hat for myself. Even using sock yarn (Marks & Kattens Fame Trend) and 3.0 mm needles, this was a really quick knit. I started it Saturday evening and finished it on Sunday. It’s only today that I’ve gotten around to taking pictures of it.

I like it! It’s light but warm, fits easily into my jacket pocket and it’s colourful! There should be two buttons where the brooch is but I haven’t had the time or inclination to dig through my button bag yet.

I think I’ll get a lot of use out of this app. I have quite a few orphan balls of yarn and with a swatch and the app, I can turn a few of those balls of yarn into hats.

This hat was about the only knitting I’ve done this week. Well, that’s not entirely true; I did knit a few rounds on the next Western Seas sweater and a few rows on the turquoise cardigan for Oceanna, but knitting has not come easily this week. I’ve simply been far too restless. John accused me of suffering from spring fever; he could be right. I’m having a difficult time just sitting still!

On the fitness front, I’m still hanging in. With the help of LoseIt!, I’m eating more healthily, I’m getting more exercise, drinking more water and seeing some results. My weight fluctuates, but, after one traumatic day (a gain of 5 lbs in one week???), I know that it took years to get to this point and it will take time to get to where I want to be. That said, I’m already finding that some of my clothes fit better than they have in some time and I’m noticing that I have more energy than I have had in a long time.

I even dusted off the bike this week and went for my first bike ride in a very long time! If I think back, the last time I had a bike was when my daughter was small (I remember because she got her foot caught in the spokes on one bike ride). She’s 31 now.

I cycled around our local sports field (where I usually walk), a 20 minute ride. By the time I got home, my legs felt like rubber! It was fun, though! Even though the weather isn’t the nicest today (a bit of rain, wind and very overcast), I enjoyed getting out.

This week, I also picked up a balance ball and an exercise guide to go along with it. It’s supposed to be good for building your core muscles, which, at my age is probably a good thing. I love just sitting on it while at the computer, too.

Enough about my attempts at fitness! How about a bit of cooking? Well, baking. Over at my cooking blog, I’ll be posting a recipe for some heart-healthy bran muffins that I’ll be baking today. The original recipe came from the hospital my mom was in when she had her bypass surgery. I intend to modify the recipe a little, so do head over to check it out. The link is in the sidebar.

A Bit Early, I Know

2011-03-15T18:45:00.001-07:00

I’m not Irish. I never will be. However, I couldn’t resist posting this picture; I took it on my Sunday walk.

Click to see full-size image

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Irish friends… and those who wish they were!

App Review

2011-03-12T08:47:00.001-08:00

Not a lot of knitting happened around my house this week. It seems that every time I picked up my knitting, John would have something lined up for us to watch on the computer (we no longer have cable and watch TV on our iMac, over the internet). Even though my current knitting is predominantly stocking stitch, the low light makes it difficult to see when I need to so the knitting was put aside.

I do, however, have something knitting-related to share. This week’s post is primarily a review of a new app I downloaded this week.

I came across talk of this app on Ravelry. The app is Knit Hat Designer; on the iTunes page for this app, the description reads:

Knit Hat Designer is a hat pattern design application for all knitters with a basic skill level. Our app was built with the creative knitter in mind. Why continue to buy single use patterns that are designed for a single gauge of yarn? We think that, with a little help from a computer, normal people should be able to design simple hat patterns by themselves. Knit Hat Designer helps you to do exactly that!
How does it work? Knit Hat Designer has simplified the creative process by breaking down a hat pattern into six key traits: Style (the crown or top part of your hat), Ribbing (the finish, or bottom part of the hat), Gauge Height and Width, and Head Height and Circumference. You design your hat by telling Knit Hat Designer what to use for each trait. When you press "Knit", Knit Hat Designer will do a little bit of thinking, and then -- voila! -- it will provide you with a pattern that's ready to knit from!

It isn’t an inexpensive app; the price is $5.99 and that alone could turn people away. However, with the promise of 99 possible hat designs, I can live with the price, especially if you figure that a single pattern can cost anywhere from .99 or more.

Screen shots

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

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(I love my Timmie’s mug!) Above are some screen shots from the app, not necessarily the best pictures, but enough to give you an idea. Basically, you input your information and it puts together a pattern for you. Each style has a photo and when you tap the picture, you’re given different views of the same hat (front, left side, back and right side). Once the pattern is created, you can email it (to yourself or anyone) or you can knit it directly from the information saved in your iPod.

There’s also a “send feedback” option, so you can interact directly with the app designers if necessary. After I’d first downloaded the app, I tried to email a pattern to myself and was immediately kicked from the app. I tried to send feedback and the same thing happened. I posted my disappointment in the Ravelry thread where I’d read about the app and was answered directly by the app designer who suggested that my email had to be set up and working or, failing that, he asked that I contact him directly with information about my device type and IOS version. Once I configured my email, though, the app worked just fine.

I know there are books out there (Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Patterns comes immediately to mind) that are great for anyone wanting to design their own hats, but none of them are as portable as an iPod or iPhone. Price-wise, considering the number of available permutations, I don’t think the price is out of line even though it isn’t a cheap app. All in all, I like this app. I think I’ll get plenty of use out of it, even though I’ve been designing my own hats for a number of years.

The details:

Knit Hat Designer by Jessica Hedrick and her husband Dave

Price – $5.99
up to 99 possible hat designs
sizes from baby to adult large
multiple yarn gauges
email capability

My humble opinion? Worth it!

Is Winter Finished Yet?

2011-03-05T08:10:00.001-08:00

I’m sitting here, with my fingers poised over the keyboard, and nothing… absolutely nothing comes. There! Now that I have the first sentence down, the fingers can start moving.

There has been some knitting this week. For some reason, knitting hasn’t been very high on my priority list, but I did get some done. The backs of the cardis for Trinity and Oceanna are done… well, one’s done, the second is a few rows from being done.

Ethan’s Western Seas sweater has seen some measurable progress, too. I’m really loving the colours in this yarn and it’s knitting up nicely. I think this will be a very nice little sweater indeed!

In case anyone wonders, the cast on I used is the Channel Island cast on, a wonderfully stretchy and very nice looking cast on. If you’re interested in learning more about this cast on, click on the picture and it will take you to a picture tutorial by Jolene Treace. And if you Google “Channel Island cast on”, there’s also a video tutorial available on YouTube.

There’s been a thought niggling around in my brain all week, a design idea. Last weekend, and the beginning of this past week, was a cold one. We had some snow, it’s been windy, and it’s been just plain cold… for here! I still like my walks, though, and was determined to get a couple of walks in. I had a small problem, though.

I use my iPod Touch as a pedometer (there’s an app for that!). Unfortunately, glove-clad fingers cannot interact with the touch screen and you have to remove your gloves in order to use the screen. When you’re all bundled up and your sleeves are velcro’d snugly at your wrists and you’re holding an iPod trying to pull your gloves off with your teeth, it can be a little inconvenient. That’s where the niggling thought comes in.

I’ve decided I want to make a pair of fingerless gloves that will still keep my fingers as warm as possible. I also wanted to make them a little different. A few years ago, 2003 to be exact, in the winter issue of Interweave Knits, there was an article by Pam Allen featuring four thumb gussets, a basic gusset and three variations. I’ve always intended to try the Palm Gusset in a design and this is the time.

Thinking about these mittens over the last week, I came up with a design for what I think will be a well-used pair of fingerless mittens that will still keep my hands and fingers warm while giving me the access I want. This is what I have so far.

The yarn I’m using is a leftover skein of Cascade 220, 100% wool and I’m using 4.0 mm double pointed needles. I’m making notes as I go along and will publish the pattern once I’m finished, just in case anyone else would like a pair of these.

I have to say, I’m already thinking about the possibilities of using this thumb gusset in other mitten/glove designs (colour work comes to mind... 14 or so stitches of blank canvas! Can’t you see it?) So far, I’m really liking the fit and feel of this thumb design. I may need to do more experimentation!

Insanity & Knitting

2011-02-27T11:27:00.001-08:00

Do they go hand in hand? Perhaps, at times. This time, though, they’re quite separate.

A package arrived at work this week. That’s nothing unusual, really; we have packages arriving almost daily. We’ve been expecting this one for a couple of weeks. Or, I should say, I’ve been expecting it.

Inside this box, we found this…

…which contained a white paper bag about the size of a lunch bag…

Here comes the insanity part. Inside that paper bag?

A small packet with three sticks of Drill-ease (a drill bit lubricant), each about the size of a stick of chalk. All that packaging for those three little sticks of drill-ease! I was appalled at both the waste of packaging and, probably, the cost of transporting that nearly-empty packaging. Absolute insanity!

Now, the knitting. I finished another hat this week, but I’ve been told that it really doesn’t do anything for me, so I won’t show you a picture of me wearing it.

It’s a very cute hat, but it just doesn’t suit me apparently. That’s fine. It will go into a box, eventually making its way to someone on whom it does look good. The hat is Grantham, a free pattern available through Ravelry. As for yarn and stats, I posted all of that in last week’s post, so I won’t repeat it here.

Even though the hat doesn’t suit me, it really is a nice little hat. The yarn knitted up to a very nice fabric, firm without being stiff, touchable and warm. Sigh. Too bad it just isn’t me.

With yesterday being a Sit & Stitch day (for me… there’s usually someone there every Saturday, but I don’t attend every week), I wanted to start something new. Last week, after teaching at the yarn shop, I splurged and bought two balls of sock yarn (100 gm balls) to make another Western Seas sweater for another one of my grandsons. This time, it’s in a blue-green colourway and I think the patterning will show up better. At this point, there’s not a lot to see, just one of the lower bands. I haven’t even taken a picture of it yet, so the details will just have to wait. Next week, I promise.

On the weight loss front, I’m doing really well. I’ve been exercising almost daily, using a resistance tube (like a large tubular elastic with handles) and a skipping rope (not daily, 3 times per week is all I can handle… felt like I was about to get shin splints at one point). Between the increased exercise and changes to my eating habits, so far I’ve lost 4 lbs! I was thrilled when I stepped on my scale yesterday and realized I’d lost that much, three pounds in one week!

I must say that I really do feel a lot better, physically. Already, I have more energy and a much more positive outlook. And, there have been other results… John has really come on board in helping me to eat healthier. He does a lot of the cooking since he’s not working yet, and he’s been making an effort to use less fat, more vegetables and smaller portions. Both of us have pretty much stopped drinking alcohol, although he does like his beer on the weekends.

As well, my daughter has also joined LoseIt. We’ve been encouraging each other and it feels really good to know that we’re both working at getting healthy!

Where to Start?

2011-02-20T09:35:00.001-08:00

It’s Sunday. Yesterday was Saturday, my usual blogging day. I, however, was busy with other things. I was asked to be the substitute teacher for two knitting classes yesterday and I did it gladly, and enjoyed myself.

Ok, this is where the post takes a slight detour. We will get back to Saturday. On Friday, we received some mail for the person who lived here before; it was a T4 slip (needed to file income tax returns here in Canada, it’s a statement of earnings), originating from a hotel not far from where we live. John decided we should drop it off there, letting them know that the intended recipient no longer lived at the address on the envelope. I delivered it, then told John I’d walk the rest of the way home. The weather was gloriously sunny.

It was, however, a little on the cold side, even with my jacket, alpaca scarf and gloves. When I got home, half an hour later, I decided I wanted a hat that would come down over my ears and stay there. Most of my hats creep up a bit or don’t quite cover my ears. I went hunting. It just so happened that in my “friends activity” that afternoon, someone had posted a picture of “Minty”, a free hat pattern, available through Knitty. I went shopping in my stash and found a dk weight yarn that I liked (Fleece Artist Silk Stream…50% wool, 30% silk, 20% nylon… discontinued), made some alterations (Minty calls for worsted weight, a heavier yarn, so I had to change the stitch count and slightly modify the pattern) and cast on.

Now we’re back to Saturday. Minty was my knitting project. Even though I was supposed to be teaching, in reality, I was there as more of a hand-holder, advice-giver and help-I-screwed-up fixer-upper.

Once I got home, I kept working on the hat, a very simple project, by the way, and finished it that evening. I like it! It’s kind of funky; John described it as “hippy-ish”. And it covers my ears nicely. I’ll give it a test later today.

As I was searching through Ravelry, I also came across another hat I thought would be eminently suitable for my walks. This one has earflaps, but not like some of the earflap hats that seem to be ubiquitous these days. They’re just large enough to cup the ears, something I think would be just right. While at the yarn shop, I looked around for the perfect yarn and ended up with Berroco’s Vintage DK, 50% acrylic, 40% wool, and 10% nylon. This is a really nice yarn, soft without being sloppy. I can see myself using it more often.

The pattern, if you’re interested, is Grantham and is available as a free Ravelry download. You can find it by clicking on the name. This hat is my project for today. I love making hats; they knit up so quickly!

I’ve also been working on the cardigans for Trinity & Oceanna. After last weekend’s fiasco, I’m back on track and alternating between the two cardis.

At this stage, they’re perfect listening-to-audiobooks knitting, nothing but stocking stitch until I get to the neck shaping.

Speaking of audiobooks… which I listen to on my iPod… which brings me to iPod apps. I know, I know. However, I found a couple of apps this week that I really like. All are paid-for apps (all .99). The first is Water Your Body. It helps you track how much water you’re drinking during the day. You input your weight and it tells you how much water you should be drinking per day; then, each time you have a glass of water, you tap the screen and it puts another glass on the table. John thinks it’s kind of silly, but I like having the visual reminder to drink more water, something most of us need.

I found my second app as a result of being very disappointed with All-in’s Pedometer app. Every time I went for a walk, it would count about 6 steps and stop. Very frustrating. I went hunting and found Run Pedometer. It’s a simple pedometer that shows your number of steps, calories burned, distance travelled and elapsed time. And it works well.

The third app I purchased is Best Timer, a really pretty kitchen timer, stop watch, countdown/up and sand timer. I just thought it was a really nicely done app and couldn’t resist.

There! Enough for this week. I have every intention of getting out there today and enjoying the sunshine, even though it’s pretty chilly out today (-9C/15F) – the perfect day to test the new hat!

Two Steps Forward…

2011-02-14T18:03:00.001-08:00

So, how did I mess THAT up? I was almost finished the back of the turquoise sweater. I was up to the point of casting off for the neck and my stitch count didn’t work.

It seems I missed one of the increases somewhere, maybe two. I thought I was keeping track, but apparently not. Now, both sweaters are at the point of increasing for the sleeves. And I’ve set it up as a check-off list in Evernote. Hopefully, I don’t screw it up again!

Oh My! I’m Amazed!

2011-02-13T11:45:00.001-08:00

When I asked for app recommendations yesterday, I wasn’t expected to be blown away. Nicola recommended Be-earthed, which I did check out. As she wrote in her comment, it is now a paid app, not one I’ll download at this time. Bejeweled, on the other hand, might be one I’ll think about.

(click the image to take you to it’s iTunes page)

The app that has amazed me is Kristie’s recommendation, Evernote. Even if you don’t download it (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t… it’s free), check it out. I have it on my iPod, my pc laptop (or the Mac) and the free web account; it syncs all of it. I can make notes on my laptop, sync it and access it anywhere! It has a browser addition called WebClipper, which gives you the ability to highlight anything on the web and save it as a note.

Incidentally, ignore the customer reviews; apparently, things have changed since those comments were posted. One of the tutorials I watched even commented that the user had been using the free version for some time and wasn’t even curious about what was different in the premium version as the free version was all she needed and more.

When I did a search for reviews of Evernote, I came across this one on AppAdvice. It gives a good overview of what the app can do, as well as it’s pros and cons (there aren’t many). The verdict? “If you’re not using Evernote already, go download it right now and at least try it out. You have nothing to lose.”

I’ve even showed it to John and he was impressed. Even he can see how useful it would be for his online research and note-taking. With the click of a button, he could take information from the numerous websites he haunts, clip it, add tags, and store all of his notes in any number of customizable “notebooks”. If HE is impressed (I’m the technophile around here), I think you will be, too.

And it’s free… did I mention that? Check it out here! Go! (Just don’t forget to come back, ok?)

I mentioned yesterday that I would tell you about my current time waster. Oh dear! Even though I want to be knitting, there are two games that have snared me. One is Angry Birds, a game that involves physics, something I’ve never been good at. It’s fun and frustrating at the same time.

The one that’s really trapped me, though, is Sneezies.

It’s just so cute! The premise is that you have to free the sneezies from the bubbles. You tap the screen and release sneezing powder. As they sneeze, they’re freed and parachute down to safety. It’s simple, it’s pretty and it’s highly addictive. I played it for two hours straight last night! As I said, it’s a time-waster; not much knitting got done last night.

Now, it’s time to get some knitting done… no Sneezies, just the knitting and the book I’m listening to at the moment (Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva).

Knitting and iPods

2011-02-12T09:28:00.001-08:00

Another week has flown by; we’re almost halfway through February! I’ve made some progress on the little cardigan for Oceanna; the knitting is simple stocking stitch, almost meditative, so it moves along quickly. As well, having made two cardigans for myself, working on a little person’s garment just seems to go so much faster!

The colour, incidentally, is much closer to the actual colour in this picture than in the last picture I posted. This has been the extent of my knitting for the week. It will be coming with me to Sit & Stitch this afternoon, and I’m hoping to get the back done this weekend.

In other things, having finished two sweaters for myself and having had John photograph me in those sweaters, I’ve realized that there’s more of me than I’m comfortable with. I’ve known for a while that I really should lose some weight, but seeing myself in pictures and a Ravelry thread about must-have apps really brought it home.

One of the apps mentioned numerous times in that thread (among others) is Lose It!, a weight loss app. I’ve downloaded it and have been using it this past week, religiously inputting everything I eat and drink and any and all exercise. You start out by supplying information about yourself: gender, age, height and weight and your goal weight. The app tells you how many calories to eat per day in order to reach your goal. I have mine set to lose one pound per week. In addition to installing it on your iPod or iPhone, if you set up an account on the Lose It! web site, you can sync the information (I find it easier to input data on the laptop than on the iPod’s small screen).

I have to tell you, it’s been interesting and eye-opening. I’ve never been on a diet before; I’ve never needed to. And, have I lost any weight this week? Sadly, I’ve gained a pound. Must cut back on wine… must cut back on wine… must…

Yeah.

Last week, I asked you if you had any apps you’d recommend. Louisa recommended Knit Minder. I’ve had it on my iPod and deleted it. It was far more than I wanted in an app, but I can see the usefulness. I can remember thinking that, for me, the ability to track all your projects was somewhat redundant because of Ravelry and my blog. As well, the thought of typing in all that information on the iPod’s tiny on-screen keyboard was a little intimidating.

Anyone else? What’s your must-have app? It doesn’t have to be knitting related. Next time, I’ll tell you about my newest time waster.

What Happened to Spring?

2011-02-07T14:50:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I posted a couple of pictures I had taken on Saturday. Well, the picture above is what the fence looked like a couple hours after I posted. We got snow! I’m not sure of the final numbers, but it looked like about 4-6”; it was a lot for one day, that’s for sure.

Today, it’s melting and it’s sloppy out there; it’s supposed to go below freezing again tonight, with the possibility of more snow. Apparently, spring may be coming but it isn’t here yet.

Because of the snow, John was called in to work for a few hours. That gave me time to work on, and finish, the Western Seas sweater. It is off the needles, ends are woven in and the few little seams there were (the overlapping neck band and borders on either side of the waist band) are sewn in. All it needs now is a wash and it will be put into a box, ready for mailing to one of the grandsons.

Now, on to the little cardis for the girls. I’ve been swatching; even though I had started it in stocking stitch, I wondered if it would curl up too much, even with a crocheted edging, so I frogged it and started over in garter stitch. I didn’t like it… at all. It felt too much like a knitted dishcloth and that’s not what I want to make. I think I’ll go back to stocking stitch.

Since I’m home early today, that’s what I’ll be doing for the remainder of the day. That, and listening to a book.

Does This Mean Spring?

2011-02-06T08:39:00.001-08:00

If so, why is there white stuff falling from the sky? And why are we under a snowfall warning?

We’re supposed to get 5-10 cm, but the temperature is supposed to hover around 1º C, going up to 4º C by tomorrow, which means the snow won’t stay around for long.

All in all, this will probably be a good day to stay inside and knit.

There Has Been Knitting

2011-02-05T10:00:00.001-08:00

I love my iPod. I love the fact that I can download audio books from the library and listen while I’m knitting; right now, I’m listening to, and enjoying, “the Book of Spies” by Gayle Lynds. Listening and knitting means I make good progress on my projects.

Like this one…

…the Western Seas pullover. One sleeve is now finished and the second sleeve is on the needles. It could… possibly… be finished this weekend. I’m not pushing it, though. There’s no rush to get it done and I’m enjoying the process.

This week, as I had hoped, the yarn for the little girls’ sweaters came in.

Both are Knit Picks Comfy fingering, 75% pima cotton and 25% acrylic (the tealy-blue yarn is really difficult to photograph!). Wow, is this yarn ever nice! Comfy is a good name for it; it’s nice and soft and cushy. I have a feeling these little cardis will be go-to sweaters. I think I posted a link to the pattern, but in case you missed it, it’s a Drops pattern. Here’s a picture…

The entire sweater is worked in garter stitch, but I’m doing it in stocking stitch; I much prefer the look of stocking stitch over garter stitch. The only thing that concerns me (other than the fact it might curl at the lower edges) is the crochet edging all around the body of the sweater, as well as the sleeves. Crochet has become a method of torture (my thumb doesn’t like it at all), but I think if I take it slowly, I should be ok. It’s just a simple picot edging, after all.

I wasn’t going to cast on for this until the Western Seas sweater was finished, but it is definitely not TV knitting at this point (working patterning and decreases at the same time) while the little cardis start out with 18 cm of straight knitting, much more amenable to watching CSI.

Speaking of iPods, this week I splurged and bought myself an iTunes App Store gift card just so that I could download a couple of apps that I’ve had my eye on for a while.

The first one I bought was Knit Counter. I’d had the free version for a while, but you can only input one project and we all know that I NEVER have just one project on the go. If you’re a knitter and you have an iPod, I can definitely recommend this app. You can input all your increases, decreases, stitch patterns, link counters… pretty impressive.

The second one I bought was the iKnit Needle Sizer, a very clever little application and quite handy because most knitters don’t always carry a needle gauge.

To find your needle size, you lay the needle over the white lines. If you can see the red lines on either side of your needle, but no white, you’ve found your size. (I know, it’s a little difficult to see the red in the photos, but you get the idea.) Very clever!

I bought a few other apps, too, but these two were the only knitting-related apps. What about you? Do you have any favourite apps, knitting or other? Anything you can recommend?

Just Another Day at the Office

2011-01-31T17:27:00.001-08:00

You just never know what will come through the door of a print shop. Today, this gentleman came in to have some printing done. When he returned to pick up his order, he asked if we would like to see on of his birds. The girls up front said “YES!”. My camera lives in my purse, so I got it out and snapped a few pictures.

What an amazing creature! This is a gyr falcon; he also uses a peregrine falcon and his two dogs to help control the Canada goose population in local parks and landfills.

For anyone interested, I also found a YouTube video that a local reporter put together about this man, Dennis Ingram, and his birds. Like I said, you never know what will come in the front door! It definitely made for an interesting day.

Happy Dance!!

2011-01-30T15:28:00.001-08:00

What else is there to say? I love this cardi! It turned out even better than I’d anticipated. I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of this sweater. It’s comfy, it fits well and… it’s ORANGE!!!

What’s Going On??

2011-01-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

I’m not sure what’s going on, but see that pile of knitting? That’s the Orange Sherbet Cardi. All five pieces. You know what that means? It means that I’ve finished the knitting. Thirteen days! That’s how long it took.

So, what’s so special about that, you ask? Well, if I’m not mistaken, that’s the quickest I’ve ever knit a garment for myself. Heck, the Ropes & Picots cardigan took a year!

It’s not sewn together yet; I’ll be doing that tomorrow because today is Sit & Stitch and I don’t think that’s the place to be seaming a sweater. For some reason, I’ve really been into knitting one project at a time right now, unusual for me. With the first Drops cardi, I was motivated to finish it before H, I’ll admit it (she’s finished the knitting on hers now); with this one as well, once I started it, I so enjoyed the process that it went far more quickly than I’d ever thought it would. And I must admit, it feels good!

I’ll be taking the Western Seas sweater along to Sit & Stitch today, after I pick up the stitches for the collar. That’s the next project to finish. All that needs to be done on it are the collar and the sleeves, which are picked up at the armholes and worked down on double-pointed needles.

By the time this little sweater is done (it’s size 4-5 years), the yarn for the little girls’ sweaters should be here. I did get an email this week informing me that my KnitPicks order is now in the Canadian postal system, so it should be arriving some time this week.

As much as I enjoy the instant gratification of small projects, I have to say that finishing full size garments, no matter the size, is even more gratifying. And yes, I’ll post pictures of the Orange Sherbet cardi on me once it’s all put together.

I’m happy!

Wearing (& Loving) It!

2011-01-22T08:11:00.001-08:00

The first part of this past week was very slow at work (it has since picked up dramatically) and I took Tuesday off. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s waiting for work to show up. There’s plenty for me to do at home so I told my boss I’d rather not waste my time and his money.

I spent the morning finishing up the cardigan. Yup, finishing it. It’s completely finished, sewn together, buttons on, ends woven in. Done!

The buttons are some wooden buttons I bought a long time ago for another project. I debated about whether or not to stain or paint them, but I think I like them as they are.

I did lightly wet block the ribbing at the waist; 3x3 rib pulls in quite a bit and I was afraid that if I didn’t block it, it would gap open at the buttons. All I did was pin the cardi down to the carpeting (on a sheet) to my waist measurement, laid a couple of wet/damp tea towels over the waist section and let it dry while I was finishing up the second sleeve.

I have to say, I’m REALLY pleased with how this cardigan turned out. I love the yarn, I love the colour (Sandie, green is one of my favourite colours, too!), love the style, love the way it feels on… just love it!

As a final recap, the pattern is Drops 123-1, the yarn is KnitPicks Gloss Fingering weight in the Parsley colourway (discontinued). I bought eleven skeins and have two complete skeins left. The cardi was knit on 3.0 mm needles. The only modification to the pattern was to start with the stitch count after the second pleat/cable, rib to where the third pleat/cable was to be and continued with the pattern as written (did that make sense?).

Now, I’m on to my next project. I’ve started another cardi for myself, one that I started and frogged once before (August ‘09). It’s another Drops pattern, 112-26. As of last night, the back is about 10 rows from being finished.

The yarn for this one is Lerici Fein, by Schoeller & Stahl, a cotton and acrylic blend that is wonderfully soft and drapey. It’s knit on 4.0 mm needles and, after working on 3 mm needles, is working up very quickly. I’m making the 3/4 sleeve version. I think this will be just right as a spring/summer cardigan.

This week, I also ordered some yarn to make a couple of special little sweaters. More on that, though, when the yarn comes in.

Before I finish up and hit the “publish” button, I just want to wish my daughter, Kristen, a very happy 31st birthday. It’s her birthday today. Happy Birthday, sweetheart… we love you and hope your day, and your year, are as special as you are.

Nearly There!

2011-01-15T10:23:00.001-08:00

It’s been two weeks since I blogged! Where has the time gone? There’s been progress in that time; I’ve been knitting on the cardigan pretty much daily. Interestingly, I really haven’t wanted to work on anything else and that’s unusual for me.

I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but one of the ladies I work with, H, is making the same cardi as I am. She’s making hers in a cotton blend, also from Knit Picks, in the smallest size. Her husband was pretty sure that she’d finish hers before I finished mine and he would probably have been right if H hadn’t decided to modify the sleeve cap. She thought the pattern was wrong.

H came into work this week with her knitting in hand, wanting me to look at it and figure out why it wasn’t looking right and why it wasn’t fitting in to the arm scye. In the end, I told her that I’d have a sleeve finished that night and would sew it in and let her know (and see) in the morning whether or not the pattern was correct.

Let’s just say that I’ve rarely had a sleeve go in as smoothly and easily as that one did. There is nothing wrong with the pattern.

I brought my sweater in to work yesterday, just to show H that she should have simply followed the pattern. Then I told her what I’ve told numerous customers in the yarn shop… trust the pattern! (You can’t always trust the pattern, but Drops has been in the knitting business for a long time and their patterns are pretty good, if a little bare on detail.)

I’ve cast on for the second sleeve and hope to make good progress on it this weekend. Once that sleeve is done, it’s just a matter of weaving in the ends and finding buttons. I do intend to block it; I’m finding that the 3x3 rib pulls in so much that I’m afraid the buttonholes will stretch out and I’ll look like a sausage. I just need the ribbing to relax a bit.

At least I know it fits. And it’s looking really good, even if I do say so myself! I think I’ll get plenty of wear out of this cardigan.

Now that this project is almost finished, I’m thinking about the next project. I’ve been poring over the Drops web site, looking for summer cardigans. I’ve found a couple that I like and will winnow it down to one pattern over the next days (or I’ll make them all, eventually). I’ve also found a lacy sleeveless top that I’d like to make and wear as a vest. Which one I’ll start first, I don’t know yet. And once I’ve decided which one to make, I’ll have to decide on the yarn and the colour… Or I could finish something that’s already in the works. Decisions, decisions!

The First of Many

2011-01-03T16:45:00.001-08:00

The first finished object of 2011 is off the needles! I’ve been having a lot of fun knitting the Rectangly hat!

I’m really pleased at how it turned out, even though it seems I can’t read a chart very well (there are a few little “mistakes”, but you’d only know if you compared the hat with the pattern). This little hat is really cozy, warm and cushy. Unfortunately, it’s a touch small for me. It could be a little longer. For it’s purposes, though, it did what it was meant to do; it was meant to be a learning tool for the technique of double knitting. I’m comfortable with the technique now and am much more comfortable purling in the Continental style of knitting.

The hat will go into my box of finished objects and will, eventually, be given to some worthy person with a smaller head than mine.

I’ve also been working on another small project. You may remember that this suite has ceramic tile floors and, now that it’s winter, the floors can be quite cold. To that end, John and I decided (yes, WE decided… he even suggested it!) that we need to have a stash of house slippers at the door for guests. Most of our friends are really good about taking their shoes off, but with the floors as chilly as they are, I feel a bit guilty about wearing my felted slippers and having our guests suffer cold feet. I know, we could get some rugs, but we really don’t want them.

John suggested I make a bunch of the felted clogs, but I wanted something a little quicker and less personalized (felted clogs are felted to size; it’s a little difficult to make “one size fits all” kind of slippers), so I went on the hunt for patterns. I’ve bookmarked a few and cast on for one pattern.

It’s a fairly simple pattern, basically just the foot of a sock. The pattern is Marilyn Van Keppel’s Faroese Footlets. The pattern has different options, including a colourwork option, but I’ve decided to make a plain pair first, just to get familiar with the pattern. Personally, I’m finding the pattern easy to work up, but a little disjointed and a bit confusing in places. I’ll try a colourwork pair next. In the meantime, at least one guest’s feet will be a little warmer.

Oh.. the yarn? It squeaks!

First Post of 2011

2011-01-02T11:34:00.001-08:00

With all the time I had off over the Christmas season, I’ve been getting a lot of knitting done. Not all of it has been the cardigan either, as I’m sure you realize (what? me knit on one project only???).

As of yesterday, the body of the Western Seas sweater is finished, except for the collar. Because it was already dark by the time I got to that point, I wasn’t going to even try to pick up stitches. It’s looking good, though.

I have been working on the cardigan, but I’ve also been working on this double knit hat. I really can’t work on the mittens because of the fineness of the yarn and the small size of the needles, but I have found that I can work double knitting on dk weight yarn and 4.0 mm needles. This hat, the Rectangly Hat, designed by Catherine Hughes, of Spinstar Creations (available as a free Ravelry download), is well written, geared to double knitting novices. I’m about halfway at this point and it’s so cushy!

Don’t ask me about the yarn; all I know is that it’s a superwash wool that has been in my stash for a long time. I’ve used this brand of yarn (Luxury Yarns, perhaps?) for numerous items in the past, predominantly while I was working at the yarn shop. It’s a nice soft, very cushy yarn that knits up beautifully. I may have to, at some point, invest in some more of this yarn.

There will be more knitting this weekend; I still have today and tomorrow off.

Enough of Christmas!

2010-12-28T12:27:00.001-08:00

There has been plenty of knitting throughout the past week. The cardigan is making good progress. The back is finished and I’m past the armhole shaping and into the collar and v-neck shaping on the left side.

I was a little worried, when wrapping it around myself, that it might just be a little too small, but it shouldn’t be. I’d hate to put all this work into it and discover that it doesn’t fit as I expected it to. When I hold the sides and hold it to myself, it does fit just fine. I should stop worrying, right?

Yesterday, I went through my unfinished projects and came across this one, Western Seas, an Alice Starmore pattern that I started a long time ago. It was 3/4 finished, but I had no idea where I was in the pattern, so I frogged it. And, obviously, restarted it. The one thing I do know is that it was the smallest size in the pattern. This time, I’m making the 4-5 year size, guaranteeing it will fit one or more of the grandsons for quite some time. I know I’ve been ignoring the cardigan, but I’m very much enjoying the knitting of this little sweater. I’m now thinking of making a few more of these and, eventually, sending them out to the grandkids.

The sweater is a simple gansey, worked in the traditional style, from the bottom up, with a split welt (waistband). I’m working it in a sock yarn on 3.0 mm needles and it’s working up very quickly, considering that I’ve had nothing but time on my hands this week. Even now, I’m inches further than the picture show; I’m now up to the start of the underarm gusset shaping.

I’ve also been playing some more with double knitting. I bought a pattern online for a pair of double knitting mittens, and have started them… twice so far.

As pretty as it is, I’m afraid I’ll have to frog it. As a matter of fact, I’ll have to turn my back on this technique. Because I’m using 2.0 mm needles (I could and may try using slightly larger needles) and using both hands, holding one strand in each hand, it has been really hard on my thumb. It’s been so hard on my thumb that I’ve had to use a tensor bandage (I use the brace, too, but this time the tensor felt better) and Naproxen. Proving to myself that I can do this technique effectively is not worth the pain. For that reason alone, I’ll be frogging this mitten and putting it away for now.

Luckily, knitting English style (throwing vs picking) is much less painful so I can still knit. And, as you can see, I have plenty to work on. One less project will not be missed. :)

Christmas Reflections

2010-12-28T07:31:00.001-08:00

After I’d posted yesterday’s post, I read it aloud to John and he asked me, “Why isn’t Christmas your favourite time of the year?” We chatted a bit about that and I came to the realization that it isn’t so much the fact that it’s become so commercialized, although that has a lot to do with it.

It comes down to “hafta” and “wanna”. There are so many expectations on people at this time of year: you have to get together with family, you have to go to church on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas morning, you have to buy presents, you have to send cards, you have to plan a dinner, you have to… fill in your own “haftas”. That’s what makes me crazy and makes me want to say, “No, I don’t have to!”

This Christmas was about “wanna”. I wanted to bake buns and treats to give to my neighbours and co-workers. I wanted to send cards; I wanted to MAKE those cards. I wanted to have a nice quiet day with my husband. I didn’t want to visit friends, make a lot of phone calls (I did call my mother) or do anything out of obligation.

Yes, it would have been nice to have family around, but that brings along with it a lot of “haftas” of it’s own. If there are grandchildren around, I’d feel obligated to buy gifts. If there was family coming over, we’d be obligated to spend a lot more time in the kitchen and less time with our guests. All of a sudden, you’re caught up in the “haftas” and you’ve lost the “wannas”.

Christmas should never make you feel obligated to do something you don’t really want to do. It should be a time of “Peace on Earth, goodwill towards all people”; how can you have that kind of sentiment when you’re feeling pressured with the “haftas” and resenting every moment of it?

I’ve just now realized that my gift to myself this year was the best one I could have given… the gift of “want to”, not “have to”. For the first time in a very long time, I’m coming out of the Christmas season feeling much more relaxed and peaceful than I have in a very long time. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T09:44:00.001-08:00

Christmas is over for another year; there’s just New Year’s Eve to get through now. That makes it sound like it’s something to be endured, doesn’t it? I don’t mean it that way, but I’ll be honest, this isn’t my favourite time of the year.

That said, this Christmas has been a quiet one, relaxing and peaceful. Allow me to share a few images from Christmas here, Chez Skae.

I baked on Christmas Eve. The buns were shared with our neighbours; we kept a half dozen and each of the other three tenants received a half dozen. One neighbour, on hearing that I’d made them, commented that they even looked like “real dinner buns”! Another neighbour simply salivated!

The weather was gorgeous, hovering around freezing, but sunny. it was perfect for a nice, long walk while the turkey was cooking. We walked for about an hour and a half. By the time we were headed back home, this is sort of how we felt…

…A little tired, but happy.

And then, we feasted. Amazingly, even after that long walk and working up an appetite, neither of us could eat even half of what was on our plates. We’ll be eating turkey for weeks to come!

Milestone Reached!

2010-12-19T08:03:00.001-08:00

The cardigan is moving along very nicely, thank you for asking! This weekend, I reached a milestone in the knitting of this cardi. I’m past the armholes! That’s exciting. Well, it’s exciting to ME! It means that I’m about halfway through this project.

I’m really enjoying this yarn. To refresh your memory, it’s KnitPicks Gloss, a combination of wool and silk. You can see some of the sheen of the silk in the picture above. And, the yarn is as nice to touch as it sounds. I think I’ll get plenty of wear out of this cardigan.

Incidentally, now that I’m at this stage and the stitches for the left and right fronts are on cables, I can tell that it will fit comfortably. I always worry about that.

With Christmas being just a few days away, and the neighbourhood decorated as most neighbourhoods are, I decided to mount my camera on a tripod last night and head outdoors to experiment. Keep in mind, this is just a little camera, a point & shoot.

This is what my street looked like last night…

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If I don’t blog before the big day, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or whatever it is you celebrate) and a prosperous and happy 2011, filled with friends, family and all the good things life has to offer.

One More FO… just a little one

2010-12-11T08:57:00.001-08:00

The snowy weather we’ve had over the last couple of weeks have definitely inspired me to knit cold weather accessories. Last Sunday, I cast on for another hat, for myself. It was finished on Tuesday; it could have been finished on Monday, but my thumb has been acting up again.

The pattern is “A Better Bucket” by Amy Swenson (available here). I used the Cascade 220 wool that I’d bought for the Harmonia Rings cowl that I made a few weeks ago. It’s a cute hat. It just doesn’t look cute on me. I had hoped that the brim would flare out a little more than it does. Oh well, it will look good on someone, I’m sure, so it will be going into the giveaway box.

I did see on Ravelry that many knitters have knit this hat using modifications designed by a specific knitter (Solaris, mods here). Apparently, she’s redesigned the brim to be more flared. I might just try knitting the hat again using the modifications, if I can decide on a yarn.

In the meantime, I’m going to try working on my cardigan this weekend. With all of the moving things around at work this week, my thumb and wrist have been annoyingly painful, so the only knitting I’ve been working on has been small projects. Or reading.

Speaking of work, we’re going through some major changes at the print shop. Almost all of the production (presses, cutter, stuff like that) has been moved to our other location. We’ve dramatically downsized the storefront, keeping only the customer service, graphics, copying and some bindery (my department). It has meant a lot of moving things around, a lot of accumulated dust (they’ve been in that location for almost 25 years!) and still trying to get work done. It’s no wonder my hand has been hurting!

It’s All About the Little Things

2010-12-05T12:35:00.001-08:00

There are just some things that give you pleasure far beyond the effort they take to get done. That door handle is one of them. A couple of weeks ago, our bedroom door handle came apart; we’ve not had a door handle since. Earlier this week, we came across a spare door handle at work and my boss was about to throw it out but gave it to me instead after I told him we needed one.

The type used in the directions was a little too small for John to read comfortably so he didn’t even try to tackle the installation. I was going to do it yesterday, but the hole in the door was too short. I told John late yesterday that he had to enlarge the hole and I’d install the handle. He had until 10 a.m. this morning. A few minutes later, it was installed and I’m feeling very proud of myself!

There’s another little thing that gave me a lot of pleasure and will continue to give me pleasure, hopefully, for many winters to come.

The gloves are the Knotty gloves I made last winter. Last week, while perusing patterns on Ravelry, I re-discovered this hat pattern, the Knotty But Nice hat, available through Knitty. You can find it here. I picked up the yarn earlier this week; it’s Cascade 220. I cast on yesterday and just finished it within the last half hour.

Some of the comments on Ravelry stated that the cabled section should be worked on larger needles than called for. Some said the hat was too small or too tight to be comfortable. I was a little concerned but knitted the hat pretty much as written. The only very small change I made was to use a smaller needle (4.0 mm) for the first inch of ribbing, then switched to the called-for 4.5 mm needle for the remainder of the hat. I also made sure I worked the cabled section loosely. The hat fits perfectly, even slightly loose. I love it. And I love the fact that it matches the gloves perfectly.

And… just to show you that there truly is progress being made on my cardigan. I’m into the waist shaping now and it’s mostly stocking stitch now rather than the never-ending ribbing.

John’s outside putting out some Christmas lights and I’m planning to bake some cookies… after I put the dishes away. Then, I might even address some Christmas cards. Maybe.

Double, Double

2010-11-27T10:35:00.001-08:00

No, this post isn’t about coffee*. Nor is it about gum**. Honestly, it’s about knitting. Double knitting to be precise.

Some of you may be asking, “What IS double knitting?” Double knitting can be a yarn weight, but it can also be a knitting technique that results in a double thick piece of knitting that’s also completely reversible. It can be knit flat or in the round.

I’ve known about this technique for a long time; every few years I try it just to see if I can remember how it’s done. It wasn’t until I saw the work of a specific designer on Ravelry that I became even more interested in trying it again… seriously this time. If you’re a member of Ravelry, check out tina13’s project and pattern page. She has some amazing scarves!

This is just the beginning of a project, a toddler’s scarf, but already you can see that the two sides are reversed. I’m looking forward to seeing how this comes out. There’s another advantage to playing with this technique. I’m working with both yarns on one finger, knitting continental-style. The thing is, every second stitch is purled. I’ve never quite gotten the knack of continental purling, but that’s quickly changing. Even after four rows, it’s already becoming much more comfortable.

As far as learning this technique, I’ve been hunting for books on the subject; I found one at KnitPicks (it’s made it to my wish list), Double Knitting by M’Lou Baber. However, I don’t want to spend $30 on a book if I’m not going to enjoy the technique. I’ve taken another tack. I’ve ordered a mitten pattern through Ravelry. I figure that if I enjoy making a single pair of mittens and the scarf, I’ll get more out of the book. The first mitten is already underway, but temporarily on hold. At the moment, I’m working it on two 2.0 mm circulars, one an Addi turbo, the other a Knit Picks Harmony. Last night, while getting it all set up and on to the needles, the Harmony (laminated wood… very pretty) splintered. A splinter almost 2” long peeled off the needle, making it pretty much useless. Today, on the way to Sit & Stitch, I’ll be stopping by the yarn store to pick up a longer (36” minimum) 2.0 mm Addi turbo. (It’s being knit with the Magic Loop method.)

It sounds from the above that I’m not making any progress on other projects. I am. My cardigan is moving along, albeit slowly. I try to do a couple of rows on it every day. I must admit that I’m getting really bored with the seemingly endless ribbing. It will get done!

* Tim Horton’s Double Double is coffee with double sugar, double cream or milk.

** Double Mint gum used to use lyrics in their ads that had “double, double, double mint gum” in it.

A Winter (mostly) Photo Post

2010-11-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

…my toes (you don’t need to see that picture) and ankles stay chilly… no, cold!

First Snow!

2010-11-20T08:26:00.001-08:00

Our gorgeous autumn has suddenly given way to the chill of winter. The leaves that were so glorious in their shades of yellow, red and green are now remnants of the year gone by, some clinging tenaciously to the branches, most, nothing more than memories. being trampled underfoot or under tire.

It’s not a pretty snow picture, I know. This is right outside our back door and was only taken to give you an idea of what our first snow fall looks like. The snow started Thursday night and has continued on and off since then. Even now, it’s snowing… a very fine, light snow. There’s nothing fluffy about this snow. The forecast is for more of the same for at least the next week. Winter has finally arrived.

Of course, being winter, and cold, and snowy, it’s the perfect time for cuddling up indoors with a mug of something hot and some knitting. I’ve been doing just that.

The mug of something hot, earlier this week, was John’s infamous NeoCitran toddy (NeoCitran, lemon juice, honey and a generous dose of dark rum); I was feeling a cold coming on and John has absolutely no patience for colds so he medicated me. I must admit, it seems to have stopped the cold in it’s tracks, but I’ve also been fighting some kind of stomach bug and migraine. I was home for a total of two days this week (1 full day and 2 half days). By Friday evening, I was able to eat again without feeling nauseous.

In the meantime, though, I rested in my recliner with my knitting. I have to say, I’m making good progress on the cardigan. I think it helps that one of the girls at work is knitting the same pattern and is further along than I am… can’t have that!

Little Monkey is monitoring my progress very closely. As you can see, I’m past the first buttonhole. What is a little more difficult to see is that I’m up to the point of putting in the pleat/cable, which means I’m nearly to the waist shaping.

Even though there are what seem to be miles of k3, p3 ribbing, so far, because I’ve taken out two of the three pleats, it’s almost an hypnotic knit. As long as I remember to check the length every now and then (for buttonhole placement), I can work on this project almost in the dark. Not that I would. John wouldn’t allow that… not good for the eyes, and all.

Last weekend was our Sit & Stitch weekend and I decided not to work on the cardigan. That meant that I had to find something else to work on and there was nothing around here that I really, really wanted to take along. So, I went hunting. And shopping.

There is a pattern on Ravelry that I’ve kept coming back to over the past months and I decided to finally just buy it. The pattern is Harmonia’s Rings by Sivia Harding. Of course, once I had the pattern downloaded, I needed yarn for it. Believe it or not, I couldn’t find anything in the stash that I wanted to use for this pattern. So, it was off to the yarn store before heading to Sit & Stitch. I ended up with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a gorgeous deep orange. The yarn is 50% alpaca, 50% wool and is so soft and luscious!

Again, this isn’t a great picture, but it does do justice to the colour.

Lampshades simply don’t make the best models, you know? What you can’t see is just how cushy and stretchy and yummy this cowl is. Being a moebius, it’s also a really fun knit! The only complaint I had, and it’s a very minor one, is that the needle I used was a little too long to be comfortable to work with. The pattern calls for a 47” circular; I’m not sure what length I had (the longest KnitPicks cable I had in my needle stash), but it could have been a little shorter. That’s it. Minor.The pattern is very well written and I had this finished within three days.

I’ve worn the cowl a couple of times now and I love it. Now, with the extra skein I have (I bought 3, the cowl required 2), I’m thinking of making fingerless mitts, or maybe a pair of mittens. That’s for another day, though. Today, I’m working on the cardi. And staying indoors with a hot cup of something and watching the snow fall.

Oh My!!

2010-11-13T11:15:00.001-08:00

I love almonds! At work, I regularly fill a small canister with hickory-smoked almonds that I pick up at the bulk store next door. They make a great little snack. Before anyone says anything, I only eat a handful a day; the usual amount I buy lasts me a couple weeks at least. And almonds are good for you.

I will admit, however, that I prefer almonds that are flavoured. I’m also continually on the look out for yummy nut recipes; I have collected a few.

So, how do you turn this…

… into this…

Well, all it takes is water, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and almonds.

Let me tell you, these are YUMMM!! They are Burnt Sugar Almonds and they’re easy to make and a real treat to eat. Having said they’re easy to make needs a small proviso. Don’t even attempt to make these when there are small children or distractions around. You will be standing at the stove, concentrating.

I could have posted this on the food blog (In Ev’s Kitchen), but I’m not going to post the recipe. I’m going to point you to the recipe. You can find it over at the Tasty Kitchen blog, this particular post.

This recipe would make a great hostess gift (put them into a pretty bowl or a clear gift bag), a yummy treat for your co-workers (if you really want to spoil them), or anyone you want to impress. Heck, they’re best when you make them just for yourself. Just make sure you hide them.

Oh, make these and your house will smell heavenly, too!

In My Knitting Basket

2010-11-11T08:24:00.001-08:00

With the Willow Cowl on it’s way to Minneapolis, I’ve been working on my cardigan. I’d almost forgotten how nice this yarn (KnitPicks Gloss, 70% wool, 30% silk) is to knit with. The knit 3, purl 3 rib is almost hypnotic to knit at this point, and I still have inches of ribbing to go.

All of that ribbing is great for TV knitting; too bad we don’t have cable anymore. It’s just not the same watching shows and movies over the internet.

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, Veteran’s Day in the US. John will be going to work for a while, then heading over to the cenotaph for the Remembrance Day ceremonies. I’ll be staying here, but I’ll be listening to the CBC coverage while I’m knitting.

It’s good to be reminded now and then that the freedom we enjoy today cost the lives of many people, men, women and children, who went before us. Last night, John and I watched “Defiance”, starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber. If you’ve not seen it, it’s about a family of four brothers who fight the Nazis in Poland. They, and over 1200 Jewish refugees, make a home for themselves in the forest and fight to preserve their freedom. It’s based on a true story; the brothers, in the end, saved the lived of 1200+ people.

As much as I dislike war movies (I walked out on “Saving Private Ryan”) that do nothing more than glorify violence, this one made me think. What would I do to protect my own freedom and the lives of others whose freedom was being threatened? These were ordinary people, not soldiers. They were farmers, students, teachers, carpenters, philosophers, children, country folk and city folk. They did what they had to do in order to survive, in order to stay alive. Many of those who lived in the forest didn’t survive, but they never stopped fighting for their freedom.

Would I do the same? Would you?

Please, take some time today to remember those who paid with their lives so that we can enjoy what we have today. Remember the soldier who died, but remember as well the civilians who died fighting a battle they didn’t ask for but were forced to fight.

Again, an FO

2010-11-07T11:09:00.001-08:00

The Willow Cowl for Wendy is finished, washed and will be mailed out this week! I think I’ve said it already, but I have to say it again – I love these shades of green!

I was, however, very disappointed in this particular ball of yarn. There were three knots and one complete break. The ball was, essentially, two balls of yarn. Two of the knots were knotted in sequence, but one knot was completely out of sequence and I had to unwind a ball of approximately 2” before I got back to where it should have been knotted.

When you’re paying $16 for a 100 gram ball, that shouldn’t happen, in my opinion at any rate.

Now, I’ve started working on my cardigan again. You remember, right? It’s a Drops pattern. I had started it already, but when the order for the Willow Cowl came up, it was put on hold.

In the interim, I frogged what I’d already worked. Between John and myself, we decided that the ruffled lower edge would simply put too much of an accent on a part of my body I’d like to minimize. I’m modifying the pattern a little to make it a little more hip-friendly.

The cardigan starts out with three cable pleats, which create the ruffled lower “skirt”. I’ve reduced the stitch count to what it would have been after the second cable pleat and will work the ribbing up to where the third pleat will be. I will work that pleat, which is close to the waist shaping. That will give a little more hip to waist shaping and, I think, will look alright in the overall design.

Now, it’s turning out to be a lovely day here in the Okanagan and I think I should get out and enjoy it while we have it.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

A blog post almost didn’t happen this weekend. It’s been pretty busy and I should be absolutely exhausted. Last night, John and I (mostly me) bartended a Halloween party. One of the guys I work with was involved with organizing the party and I’d bartended for his club once before. It was a crazy busy night. We got there at 7 pm and didn’t get home until about 1:30 am. Of course, I couldn’t sleep right away, so I had a glass of wine, chatted a bit with John about our night and then, hitting the bed, fell right to sleep.

I don’t usually stay up that late. I was up at about 8:30 this morning with the intention of doing nothing at all. Well, except knitting, that is.

I’ve been working on this during the past week. It’s intended recipient lives in an area where winter is for real and this is a Christmas gift for her, from her father, who happens to be John’s cousin. It’s the Willow Cowl, which I’ve made for myself before, a pattern I really love. The yarn is Marks & Kattens Fame Trend in a gorgeous green colourway. Unfortunately for me but fortunately for my wallet, the yarn store had only one ball of it left; if there had been more, I would have bought a ball for myself, too. The shades of green in this yarn are the exact shades of green I love and wear.

I will be sorry to be putting this cowl in the mail.

Gotta Love Cute FOs

2010-10-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

I have a feeling this little character could be popping up all over the place. The possibilities are endless.

Now, I want to make more monkeys! The pattern is Jacobus, available through Ravelry (not free, but well worth the price of $5.00US). The yarn is some kind of sock yarn that was in my stash, without a label. The pattern can be made using any weight of yarn; you just have to choose a needle size that will give you a firm fabric. Because I was using sock yarn, I used 2.25 mm needles.

Incidentally, the picture on my iPod is of Trinity and Ethan, who had been eating raspberries right off the bush. It is, essentially, a photo of two monkeys. ;)

Can Sock Yarn Monkeys Be Rude?

2010-10-23T10:05:00.001-07:00

I’m having fun knitting on Jacobus, the sock yarn monkey (I think I’ll have to start calling her Jacoba, though… it’s more girlish). Trying to pose her for her first real portrait, though, was a bit of a challenge.

For one thing, she only has one arm; the second arm has been started, but I’m only 7 rows in, so there are three stainless steel needles where an arm should be.

For another thing, she hasn’t been stuffed yet and her body seems to have parts that aren’t really there. That made for a giggle or two on my part. Once she’s been stuffed, though, I’m sure all will be fine.

This really is a fun pattern to knit. The hardest part so far has been keeping track of the rows knitted. Her legs are 50 rows and her arms are 40 rows, not easy to keep track of when you’re being interrupted by someone who wants to tell you about the book he’s currently reading. Thankfully… there’s an app for that!

I love my iPod! I can have as many row counters as I want or need with this little app. And it’s free! For counting, all I have to do is touch the little plus sign and to frog a row, I just hold the “frog” key and the plus sign turns to a minus sign; click it while holding down the “frog” button and a row disappears. If you have an iPod or iPhone, do check out this app; just go to the iTunes app store and search for Knit Counter Lite.

Well, we had planned an outing today to get some more of the photo assignment finished, but the weather’s turned rainy and gray, not a great day for picture taking, or cameras, unfortunately. That does, however, give me more knitting time, which suits me just fine. I can certainly use a day of doing next to nothing. I might just get Jacoba finished today.

Oh, while I think of it, I’ve rejoined Twitter. If you would like to follow me there, you can find me as EvelynSkae (all one word) or you can click on the button in my sidebar. I hadn’t intended to join again, but my boss asked me about Twitter yesterday, wanted me to help get an avatar up there for our work account. I figured that if my place of employment was going to be on it, I might as well be, too. Feel free to find me there.

Now, time for more coffee and time for knitting… I’ll post pictures when the monkey’s finished.

Of Cardigans and Monkeys and Pictures

2010-10-17T08:54:00.001-07:00

Wow! This week has absolutely flown by! I’ve been very busy at work this week (and will be this coming week, too) and there hasn’t been much time for anything else. With the work I’ve been doing, the thumb has been aggravated, so there hasn’t been much work on my cardigan. There has been some, though!

I’m just about to work the next pleat (cable, technically), which means I’m almost up to the waist. I think, though, that with my thumb being a little tender, it will have to wait until next weekend so I can give my hand a chance to recover. Working that cable is really hard on the fingers. I think I’ve mentioned before that this is the most difficult (fiddly) cable I’ve ever worked. It requires two cable needles, one at the front and one behind and stitches are knit off all three needles at the same time.

The colour in the picture is, finally, pretty close to the original. At least, it is on my monitor.

Yesterday was Sit & Stitch day. I haven’t been in a couple of months, and I had to get out to take some pictures, so I decided to go. I had to have something to knit, though, as the cardigan is a little heavy to take along and the next row is the pleat row, not something I want to be working on while trying to carry on conversation. Earlier in the week, I’d purchased and downloaded a pattern through Ravelry (it’s becoming an even more dangerous place!), a pattern from one of my favourite toy designers, Annita Wilschut (her website is in Dutch, but if you’re on Ravelry, you can look her up there). This one is named Jacobus, a monkey.

He is absolutely adorable and can be knit out of any weight of yarn. In the past, I’ve made her teddy bear pattern (Carolus) and the mouse pattern (Suzie). They were both fun to knit and this one is proving to be the same. The entire monkey is knit in one piece, with very little seaming. Here’s how it’s looking so far…

Once he’s finished, or rather she’s finished (there’s a lot of pink in the yarn and she’ll have a pink muzzle so it’s decidedly more female than male), I’ll post a picture. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the process.

If you ever decide to knit a toy, do check out Annita’s patterns on Ravelry. Her patterns are very well written, with plenty of pictures. And the fact that there’s very little seaming is also a bonus.

I think that, today, John and I will be getting out for a bit. I still need to get some pictures taken for work and I think he wants to spend some time at work (which I don’t mind… gives me some uninterrupted quality knitting time). Speaking of taking pictures for work, did I write about my assignment?

We have a client who wants marketing materials printed. He asked whether or not we have a photographer we like to work with and both of the women who’ve been dealing with him recommended me (they have such confidence in me!). He’s given us a list of about a dozen places he’d like pictures of, places his company has dealt with. They’re all in and around Kelowna, with the farthest one being a golf course near Vernon, about a half hour drive from here. My boss has lent me his Nikon DSLR and John and I have been going out to the places on the list to take pictures. It’s really been fun so far; I’m getting to places I normally might not even know about.

So far, I’ve photographed one golf course, one winery, a school, a sports field, and a residential complex. The client has seen some of the pictures and has, thus far, been very happy with what he’s seen. I can’t tell you how good that feels! It helps that we live in a beautiful area and his company does work outside (irrigation systems).

It’s looking like another gorgeous autumn day in the Okanagan. It would be wasteful if we didn’t get out there while we can. It won’t be long before it’s too cold or miserable to enjoy the outdoors. I hope that, wherever you are, you enjoy your day!

Being Careful Not To Twist

2010-10-13T19:07:00.001-07:00

You know those patterns that are knit in the round? You know how they always repeat the warning, “join in the round, being careful not to twist”?

Well, here’s why they tell you that…

Twelve rows in, and I never noticed it was twisted. Damn!

Done Like Dinner

2010-10-10T13:00:00.001-07:00

Just a few minutes past noon, and my slippers are off the needles, seamed up and ready to toss into a hot wash. By 1:00, they’re felted to size and drying. I am one happy girl!

Yarn & Food

2010-10-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

Last week, I wrote about the yarn that I was given and the swatch I’d made with the Condon’s 1 ply wool. It has, obviously, been released from the pins and ready for a review. My first reaction was that this is not a yarn you want next to your skin. I had hoped it would lose some of it’s scratchiness, but it really didn’t. It did, however, block beautifully. Now, I’m not really sure what to do with this yarn. I posted about it on Ravelry and someone there suggested it might be considered a weaving yarn as Condon’s did make yarns for weaving with and that, perhaps, I might be able to trade it for something I could and would use. One thing I don’t do is weaving and I’m not about to start.

I might consider that, or I might make a shawl or two, but something to be worn over a jacket or coat, not something worn next to the skin. Someone else suggested that it might be a great yarn for felting. I think that will be the next test.

I also wrote last weekend that I would be making apple jelly and some bread sticks. I did both, but didn’t make any dinner buns. Both turned out very well, if I do say so myself. John thinks the jelly is a bit too thick, but I don’t mind it being a little on the firm side. It tastes marvellous on a piece of toast and the colour is gorgeous, so clear and jewel-like. This batch is just plain apple jelly; yesterday I made a small batch (about 1.5 cups of jelly) of lightly spiced apple jelly. It’s spiced with a cinnamon stick and a couple of cloves and tastes like apple pie.

The breadsticks, too, turned out really well! The recipe came from someone on the Breads forum on Ravelry and sounded so good that I just had to try them. They did not disappoint! They’re filled with a mixture of minced garlic, olive oil and grated parmesan cheese. The only thing I would do differently next time is to sprinkle them with a bit of coarse salt before sealing the filling between the two layers. The majority of these are in the freezer; they’ll be perfect with a pasta or soup dinner, warmed in the oven. I will definitely be making these again, perhaps adding some herbs to the filling as well. I’ll post the recipe to the food blog (In Ev’s Kitchen).

In the knitting department, one of my slippers is finished! Completely! And the second slipper has been started. As John said last night, I could have a new pair of slippers by Monday night, knitted, felted and dry. Yup, that’s doable!

I very much like the combination of these two yarns, both Cascade 220. The picture doesn’t really do the green any justice. It’s a much nicer green “in person”, not as washed out as it appears to be in the picture. Even the brown is more golden than the picture shows. Seeing as my nightgown is green and my robe is white, these should work quite well. When John saw that I was making 2-colour slippers for myself, he was a little envious, commenting that he only got ONE colour and how come he didn’t rate two colours? I laughed.

Ok, this post is getting a little windy now. I’ll leave you with one of the pictures I took yesterday. One of the places I had to go to take pictures was a local school. At either side of the main entrance were large pots of flowers, mostly chrysanthemums and dusty miller. The flowers are beginning to fade but the contrast between the mums and the dusty miller was just too much not to photograph.

For those of you in Canada, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Some Things Just Take Time

2010-10-09T08:30:00.001-07:00

I had to go back through the blog to find out when I started these slippers for John. It shocked me to discover that it was way back in March 2007! We were living in a basement suite at the time and the slippers never did get finished because: 1) summer was on it’s way and you don’t need felted slippers in a Kelowna summer 2) we were busy with John’s Dad who eventually moved back to Vancouver and 3) we moved out of the suite, first to Gibsons and then into a 3rd floor walkup that was warm enough that felted slippers were superfluous and 4) I wasn’t about to use coin operated washing machines for felting. Well, seeing as we’re back in a basement suite with ceramic tile floors, felted slippers are necessary again; and seeing as we have an in-suite washing machine, I have no excuse not to felt.

When I pulled the slippers out of the storage bag, I realized that all that was left to do was the second sole (if you haven’t made these, there’s a double sole, inner and outer, making them nice and cushy and extra strong) on both slippers. I had that done in pretty short order. After stitching up the soles yesterday, I immediately threw them in the washing machine and after 1 1/2 cycles (with an old pair of jeans), they were felted to size. Now, they’re drying, which will take a couple of days given their thickness.

And John will be happy. Now, it’s my turn. I need slippers, too, so this week I bought wool for me. As John said, right now I need slippers more than a cardigan so they’re the priority. The cardigan is on hold for a few days, but coming along. I just need to be careful not to aggravate my thumb, which has been bothering me a bit this week because of what I’m doing at work. Because of that, I’ve been limiting my knitting time.

Speaking of work, even though it’s a long weekend here in Canada (our Thanksgiving Day is Monday), I’ll be spending some time outdoors, working on a photo shoot for a client at work (his company sells irrigation equipment). I have numerous sites in and around town that he wants pictures of for his company’s brochures. It’s gray out today, but I think I’ll be able to get some good pictures. I just hope it doesn’t rain.

I’m also hoping to film a tutorial this weekend. The nupps tutorial is still in the queue, but first I’d like to make one on the crochet cast on, which can be used as a provisional cast on or as a nice-looking, stretchy cast on that mirrors the cast off. It’s perfect for something like scarves, where you’d like both edges to look the same. It’s also great for projects that have a ton of stitches to cast on… like my cardigan, which has a cast on of 915 stitches.

Now, though, it’s time to get myself going. Let’s see… tripod, 3 cameras, fingerless mitts, warm socks, sturdy shoes… Am I forgetting anything?

Oh Bother!

2010-10-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

I love blogging. Really, I do. That said, though, I really, really, really hate it when you have a post ready to publish and the program you’re using decides to crash. That’s what happened earlier. I had my post ready to hit “publish” and I got that error message. You know the one.

So, now I have to remember what I wrote or start over completely. I’m starting over, trying to remember everything.

There has been knitting this week, but not really much to show. The cardigan is coming along nicely, with about 4” finished, and the first buttonhole inserted. The rows are getting shorter now; after the current pattern row, I’ll be down to about 500 stitches (from a cast on of 915). Yesterday, not much knitting happened because of a migraine (kept me in bed pretty much all day), but I did work a few rows on the Shetland Christening dress. It’s all garter stitch at this stage, so there’s no brain work involved. Perfect for those days when thinking hurts… literally.

This week also saw the growth of my stash, thanks to Ann (once more, Ann, thank you so much for thinking of me). She stopped by the shop with a bag of yarn for me, a bag that contained this…

The yarn in the first picture is a cotton/linen blend from Denmark. I’ve never heard of the company, but I do like the feel of the yarn. One of the ladies I work with suggested a tank top or light cardigan perhaps. I’m not sure yet what the yarn wants to be, and until it tells me, it will wait in the stash. The second yarn is two 4-ounce cones of 100% wool lace weight yarn from a Canadian company, Condon’s Yarns from Charlottetown, PEI.

I’ve done a little research into the company and didn’t come up with much. I did find an article about them that was interesting; I also did a search in the extensive yarn database on Ravelry, but only came up with one hit. There were also two threads started, with one post to each thread, hardly qualifying them as discussions. To find out a little more, I’ve emailed the Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce, asking about this company.

If/when I hear anything, I’ll pass it along here. This morning, I also took the time to knit up a swatch with the yarn. It feels rather scratchy, or raw (it even smells like wool, telling me that it has a fair bit of lanolin in it??), but it does knit up well. I wanted to see whether or not the wool would soften up after it’s washed. It’s still drying, so the jury is still out. Once it’s dry and released from the pins, I’ll post a review of the yarn, even though it’s a yarn that has (likely) been discontinued. I’m hoping it softens up quite a bit because, as I said, it really is nice to knit with.

Ok, now it’s time to get my apple jelly going. Last week, we were given a box of apples and I made a batch of juice, which I froze because I didn’t have the time to finish making jelly. Right now, it’s thawing on the stove (low heat) and I’m forcing myself to deal with it. I also intend to make a batch of dinner buns and some bread sticks, so I’d better get moving.

Peace of Mind and Progress Made

2010-09-25T12:03:00.001-07:00

After yesterday’s post, I did go to the doctor. I’m glad I did, for more than just peace of mind. I did get that. Apparently, it could take a month or more for the swelling to go down completely and I could become even more bruised-looking than I am now. According to the doctor, everything is progressing just fine, nothing to worry about. I told him I’d keep using the arnica oil to help keep the bruising to a minimum. He smiled and said to go for it. Peace of mind!

The clinic we use is about 2 km (just over a mile) from where we live; it was a cloudy but dry day, not cold, so I decided to walk. I’m glad I did. I discovered a walkway between two roads; the walkway included a lovely green space with trees, a marsh, a wooden bridge and a nice dose of peaceful quiet.

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Walking through this idyllic little pathway just felt so… good! I’m glad I had the camera with me (I always have it with me now).

Once I got home, I decided it was time to relax, time to knit. I plugged myself into the current audiobook (Da Vinci’s Code) and knitted the afternoon away.

I really like this yarn. I can already tell that I’ll enjoy wearing this cardigan. The fabric feels so soft, so cushy, so smooth. I’m already into the second skein and down by almost 200 stitches. A part of me wants the sweater to be done already, just so I can wear it!

All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing, productive day.

915 WHAT??

2010-09-24T10:10:00.001-07:00

We’ll get to the title of the post in a moment. First things first. John’s brown socks are finished.

And, as you can see, I did run out of yarn. Kristieinbc suggested making the second sock slightly shorter but that wouldn’t have worked because I was already halfway down the foot by the time I’d finished the first sock. I work on two socks at one time, on two sets of needles, alternating them. It was John’s suggestion to use any brown sock yarn to finish the toe. He has no problem wearing them like this. They may not be pretty, but at least they’re finished.

You may notice that this post is marked Friday, some time in the morning. I did go to work yesterday, worked on one task all morning, a job that needed to be delivered by Monday. By lunch time, I was exhausted and went home. The bus trip, which shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes, took nearly two hours (seems the buses come every half hour at that time of day, not every 15 minutes as they do in the morning and late afternoon). In addition, I realized that John had my house keys (long story) so I had to hunt him down at the college, which happens to be the transfer point for my ride home. I never did find him, but his co-worker and I found my keys on their workbench. Thankfully. By the time I got home, I was almost numb.

Today, with John’s encouragement, I stayed home; I will probably be going to see the doctor later today, not because anything’s wrong, but just to have my hand held. The swelling just doesn’t seem to be going down as quickly as I think it should and last night, it seemed to be affecting my ability to swallow. I just want to be told I’m being a hypochondriac and that there’s nothing wrong. Taking today off will give me just that little extra time to get stronger. All of you who have emailed or commented about the bruising, thank you so much for your concern. It really isn’t as painful as it looks. It’s tender, but certainly not T3 worthy anymore.

One of the good things about going to work yesterday was that which was waiting for me there. I had put in a KnitPicks order just over a week ago and it arrived while I was off. It included this little notion…

…a darning egg. I don’t do a lot of darning, but I decided it would be a good thing to have for those times that I DO want to darn a sock or a glove’s finger.

The package also contained some yarn.

It’s KP Gloss fingering weight (70% merino, 30% silk) in the (now discontinued) colour, Parsley. I bought 11 skeins to make a cardigan for myself. I’d picked out the pattern over a month ago now. It’s a Drops pattern #123-1 (available free here). Going by the yardage of the Drops yarn used in the pattern, I figured that I would need 10 skeins of the KP Gloss. When ordering discontinued yarn, I like to play it safe and order an extra skein. You just never know! I started it yesterday afternoon.

This is where the title of the post comes in. The cast on for my size (done on 3.0 mm… US2… needles) is 915 stitches! 915! That is a LOT of stitches to cast on. It took me almost two hours just for the cast on and the first row! And the best part? I only had to cast on once. Incidentally, the cardigan is worked in one piece from the hem to the armholes and is shaped; that’s why it’s such a large cast on.

For a cast on of that magnitude, I chose to use a crochet cast on (should I do a tutorial for the crochet cast on?). I placed a marker every 50 stitches; then on the first row, I replaced the markers at every 100 stitches, just to double check. I’m really proud of the fact that I got it right the first time. I’d hate to have to redo a cast on of that many stitches.

The first section of the cardigan is k3, p3 rib and even though there’s just over an inch of it, it’s taking a long time. I’ll have to time it to see how long a row takes, just for the sake of curiosity.

Wow, this has turned out to be a long post. I hope you don’t mind. Now, though, I think I’ll go back to knitting, icing my neck, and listening to my latest audiobook download.

The Taste of Pink

2010-09-22T08:41:00.001-07:00

There is one thing I’ve never liked… liquid medication. Whether cough syrup or, as in this case, liquid antibiotics, I hate taking liquid meds. Even though they’re liquid, I’ll often gag on them. I think it has to do with the fact that I can actually taste the medicine. I can swallow large pills with no problem; I can swallow 3 or 4 large pills at one time. But, give me liquid medication, and I choke.

Have I ever mentioned that I really don’t like the colour pink? Add some orange to it to make it coral and I love it, but I don’t like pink.

This medicine is pink. Very pink. Bubble gum pink. And it tastes pink. I suppose it has to have a candy (strawberry? cherry? what IS it?) flavour so children will tolerate it. I hate it. Thankfully, with one dose remaining, I’ll be done with it today.

Bring on the vitamins!

Too Close for Comfort

2010-09-21T08:16:00.001-07:00

Since I’m not working right now, I have time to knit and to finish a project or two. This pair of socks for John is one of the things on the “To Finish” list; they’ve been hanging around long enough. Last night, while listening to an audiobook, I finished the first sock. (The foot on the second sock is half finished, so it should be done by the end of day today.)

It was, however, as the title of this post implies, a little too close for comfort. That’s all the yarn that was left when I finished the final round. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that close to running out of yarn!

Now, I worry about the second sock. The yarn was a 100 gm ball that I wound into two 50 gm balls. Hopefully, the second ball has an equal, or slightly longer, length. I’ll let you know.

In other things, the healing is coming along pretty well, I think. I’m off most of the Tylenol 3 now; I’m only taking them at night, when the incision stretches a bit and begins to hurt (I’m still sleeping on the recliner as it’s more comfortable for now). During the day, I don’t take anything. The bruising, as you can see, is quite extensive. When my mother saw it (she and a friend who lives in the same building drove to Osooyos to visit her friend’s daughter and on the way home came through Kelowna and stopped in for a cup of tea), she assumed it was the iodine wash. It isn’t. It’s bruising. It was tender all the way out to the extremities of the colour. As you can see, there’s still a bit of swelling and once that goes down even more, I’ll be going back to work (possibly by tomorrow).

Going through my scarf drawer yesterday, I found the perfect scarf. It’s a very soft, loosely woven square kerchief that drapes nicely around my neck without irritating the incision. It has now become my go-to scarf for going out. Next comes the task of figuring out what I can wear that won’t irritate the incision.

I have to be honest, though, and say that I’m quite enjoying the time off; I just wish it was under different circumstances.

Saturday’s Over

2010-09-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

I have a feeling that yesterday was the hardest day of the healing process. By the time 4:00 came around, I was feeling pretty rough, emotionally. I’d been rather absorbed in constantly monitoring the swelling around the incision, hoping to see it reducing but seeing no progress at all, wanting to feel better RIGHT NOW!

I was restless, not wanting to read, not wanting to rest, not wanting to do much of anything (I didn’t even want to knit!), but wanting time to pass by quickly. Thankfully, a couple of weeks ago I picked up this little toy. It has been invaluable over the last few days. In the hospital, the music and audiobooks I loaded on to it got me through the night when I couldn’t sleep because of the lights, the sounds, the unfamiliarity of the hospital and the comings and goings of the nursing staff (the room I was in was directly across from the nursing station).

It was the first thing I unpacked when I came out of surgery and stayed close at hand, and still does. It is, as you probably recognize, an iPod Touch, and was on sale at London Drugs in their back to school flyer. This one is the 8 GB version and I’m very happy I bought it. I have since been told, though, that I have enough toys now! I’ve been having fun looking at apps and have downloaded a few of them, including a knitting row counter, a flashlight (who’d have thunk it?), an e-reader and a level. Yes, a level, like they use in construction. It’s just cool! By the way, if you know of any other cool apps, pass on your suggestions.

I’ve also discovered that our local library system has audio and e-books available for download. I love it! It’s great to have while I’m convalescing, but it’s also great for those mundane tasks at work. Thankfully, my boss doesn’t mind. As a matter of fact, he even suggested numerous times that a radio or mp3 player would be a good thing to have for those jobs that were mindless but necessary.

As far as the healing is going, today is a much better day. The swelling has gone down noticeably and my neck isn’t feeling as tight as yesterday. There’s still a lot of bruising, but that will fade with time. I am still having to take pain killers every four hours, but I think that I’ll try reducing the amount or alternating with regular Tylenol rather than just Tylenol 3 (with codeine). Now, it’s a matter of keeping the incision clean and lubricated to reduce scarring. There are no stitches on the outside; all the sutures are subcutaneous (under the skin) and will be absorbed in time. My doctor says the resulting scar, while raised and red to begin with, should become nothing more than a thin white line, about 4” in length, in time.

Yup, today is a much better day than yesterday.