An almost-finished object

I didn't start anything new. Let's get that out of the way right up front. I wanted to. I didn't. That's a good thing, right?

Yesterday, I managed to get all the pieces of the Citrus Punch cardigan knitted. Now, all I need to do is sew it all together, weave in the multitude of ends (I know, I should have knitted them in as I went along, but you know what they say about hindsight), and work the button and neck bands. And find buttons. This little sweater needs just the right buttons. I guess that means a trip to the fabric store this week and if I don't find anything there, I might just head over to Michael's and look at some of the craft buttons.

Oh, you'd like to see how it's looking? I did promise to take a picture when the body of the cardi was done and I didn't (it's been a crazy weekend), so here she is.... Oceanna's Citrus Punch cardigan...

...and a close-up of the ruffle and sleeve edging.

The button and neck bands will be the same edging as the sleeves. Two rows each of orange, green, yellow, green and orange. I thought about doing a ruffle at the neck edge, but that might be a little much, especially with this type of ruffle. It would have to be a collared cardigan in that case and I'm not really big on collared (ruffled) cardigans for babies.

Today, I'll be attempting to sew the sweater together and getting at least the button band (as opposed to the buttonhole band) and the neckband finished. I say 'attempting' because it's a glorious, sunny, warm day today and I may not feel like doing much knitting. Add to that the fact that I seem to be developing a cold (which I'm trying to stop in its tracks) and feel like crap, plus the fact that I'm trying to put something together which will earn me a little income on the side (if it all works out...more on that later), I'm not sure how much knitting I'll manage to do today.

On a different note, Lakewatch 2006 is finished, I think. The lake seems to have reached it's high point. If it does go any higher, I'll make sure to post pictures. I do know that the snow in the hills has not all melted yet and we've been getting rain, so it could go a bit higher yet, but right now it's staying steady.

On with my day...

It's finished!

I made myself sit down and finish Trinity's Chevron top yesterday. It's been washed and blocked and here's how it looks now...

If you ever need inspiration, pick up a copy of Ann Budd's "Handy Book of Sweater Patterns". I use that book as a basis for all of the sweaters and tops I knit now. I can't recommend that book highly enough. Get it!

Now, I can't wait to see how it fits Trinity. Oceanna's Citrus Punch sweater is coming along nicely. I've got 5 1/2" done on the body, another 2" or so to go before separating for the front and back. This part is all stocking stitch, so it gives me time to think about the sleeves and what they'll look like. It's a bright little sweater, that's for sure. I'll post a picture once the body is done, just so you can see how it's coming along. I must admit, it's the perfect knit for a bright, sunny day. It just.... fits.

Just a couple of things

I was hoping to have Trinity's Chevron top finished by today so I could show it to you. It's not quite done yet, but I'm showing you anyway. When I got to the store yesterday, I had two hours to work on something before opening, but I just couldn't get into sewing the sleeves in. Add to that the fact that I should have taken both colours of yarn to work with me, but only brought white... well, I just put it aside and did something else. This morning, I've sewn the first sleeve in but have had a difficult time sitting still long enough to sew in the second one.

There. When it's completely done, I'll post another picture. The neckband will be a garter stitch band worked in turquoise. I think I'm happy with it; I'll know for sure when I see how it fits Trinity... IF it fits Trinity. (They're arriving some time on June 13 and staying for five days.) I'll take pictures. Duh!

So, I mentioned that I worked on something else at the store yesterday. Let me know what you think so far.



I could tell you what it's going to be, but that might spoil it, don't you think? For now, I'm calling it Citrus Punch. The colours ARE bright. Oh, ok.... so I can't keep a secret. It's going to be another toddler sweater, this time for Oceanna, who, apparently, looks really good in these kinds of colours. (They're my colours, too.) I'll take more pictures as I go along. For this one, I've not even written anything down, but it's sort of along the lines of this drawing...

From what my daughter tells me, my youngest granddaughter is a big little girl. I've been told to make this sweater "big" so it will fit Oceanna for a while. I'm making it the same size as the ones I've been making for Trinity, 2-3 years.

On to the lakewatch. I know I didn't post pictures here last week, but I did post pictures here. I found it a little difficult to really see the difference from one week to the next until I put all the pictures in one place, one after the other. The lake has really come up fast.



Towards the dock. The rocks that were completely out of the water a month ago are now completely submerged and the water is creeping up the sides of the dock. From here on in, any time a larger boat goes by, the water will be splashing up between the planks of the dock.

The barbecue pit... now completely submerged under almost a foot of water. We won't be having a bonfire until the fall now.

And that's it for today. I have every intention of getting a bunch of stuff done today, very little of it involving the computer. It's sunny, it's warm. Guess where I'll be.

Oh, just had a thought. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good beginner crochet project? I'll be teaching a 3-week crochet class and I have no idea what to make. It needs to be something that is interesting, simple and uses a variety of crochet stitches. I could design something, but why re-invent the wheel if there's something out there already. I need your suggestions. What would you make if you were teaching this class?

A quick note for Jan

Hi Jan,

Thanks for asking about the ZigZag Trellis scarf. Row 22 (in the second section) and all wrong side rows, should be purled. I guess I was assuming that would be obvious, but we all know what happens when we assume. Let me know how your scarf turns out.

Ev

P.S. I'll post tomorrow with some pictures of a completed Chevron top and a new project. Yes, yes, I know. :)

Almost No Knitting Content...

... but plenty of pictures. I don't think I'll be able to do much knitting today as my wrist is bothering me again. If this keeps happening, I may have to go see the doctor. I'd rather not. I'll do other things today.

Let's jump right into the photo album.



From our hotel room in Banff. If you have never been to the Rockies, this is what you've been missing.

Again, around Banff. I think I took this one from the car window (open).

More mountains. I never get tired of scenery like this.

I think I wrote that we had to make a detour because of a rock slide outside the city of Golden. It was a 2-hour detour through the town of Radium (where there's a hotspring). Leaving Radium, we had to go through this little pass. The picture was taken on our return trip, on which we had to make the same detour.

There are more pictures, but generally, it's more of the same. Then, this week, there was the rainbow. It's been a little unsettled around here, weather-wise. We've been getting a fair bit of rain, some hot weather and some near-freezing nights. All in all, the weather has contributed to the fast melting of the snow in the mountains. There's been some minor flooding in our area (well, the other side of the lake, mostly). Nothing too serious.

Anyway, with the storms and the sudden clearing, we've been treated to this....

I've never seen a rainbow as close as this one was. Or one that was, at the same time, double. Pretty awesome! (We were almost tempted to search for the pot of gold.)

Updates

Phew! Finally a moment (and I do mean a moment) to sit down and post. Without further ado, a picture of Kiri #2.

The colours are pretty close to actual. I'm impressed that the picture came out as well as it did. And for Jeanie, who asked about the Crystal Palace Kid Merino, a picture of the yarn.

It is 28% kid mohair, 28% merino wool and 44% micro nylon. I'm working it in combination with Skacel's Merino Lace, a 100% merino lace weight yarn in a deep green. The resulting "fabric" is lovely and soft, with a nice halo to it. Very cozy. The Kid Merino, incidentally comes in 25 gram balls, and has about 240 yards. Not bad for the price (much, much less than something like Rowan Kid Silk Haze). The only critique I have about this yarn is that when you're working it on it's own, the mohair and wool tend to bunch up on the nylon. It's fine when it's in combination with another yarn, but on it's own... well... I'm not sure I'd want to work an entire shawl in it, yanno?

What's this, you ask? You didn't know I'd started something else? Yeah, I did. This will be a little top for my granddaughter. See the picture? It's a neat feeling seeing the drawing come alive. It will be a pretty quick knit. I'm hoping to have it done before my daughter and granddaughter come to visit in June (it WILL be done by then). I'll be able to give Trinity her cardigan and this little top.

Ok, I have to run. I did say I had only a moment, right? Tomorrow, I'll post a few scenery pictures; some from our trip to Red Deer and a couple of pictures I took of a spectacular rainbow yesterday. Till then....... enjoy your day!

Call Me Crazy

I am. I can't help it! I love starting projects and I did again yesterday. The yarn just kept calling me. Over and over. What choice did I have?

So now, in addition to the Icarus shawl from IK Summer '06, the Donegal Tweed cardi for me, various and sundry other projects, I've cast on for another Kiri shawl. For me, this time. I'll post pictures when I'm ready.

Someone keep me from starting anything else!!

Home, Safe & Sound

We got home last night, after a weekend that included a LOT of driving. The trip itself was, generally, uneventful. We did have to make a 210 km detour because of a rockslide, but the roads were good. We left Kelowna at about 2:30 p.m. on Friday and arrived in Red Deer at about 1:00 a.m. (BC time; Alberta is in another time zone and is one hour later than BC). We spent most of Saturday morning and part of the afternoon at the annual general meeting and left there before the last seminar. Saturday night was spent in Banff, where we slept in a bed we wanted to take home with us. Yesterday was spent on the road again and we arrived home at about 7:00 p.m.

All in all, I think the trip was worthwhile. We learned a few things we didn't know before and that was the hope and intention.

I did do some knitting while sitting and listening to the different speakers. I think I'm about an inch farther along on the t-top than I was a couple of days ago. The top didn't even come out in the car. I was too busy admiring the scenery along the way. On the way up to Red Deer, we saw a lot of deer along the road and even a few elk, but on the way home, we saw only one deer and a few mountain sheep. I'll post some pictures in a few days; I've got 118 pictures to sort through and organize. Taking a trip like this one makes you realize just how "lucky" we are to live where we do. It's a vast, beautiful and rugged country.

There was only one thing that has become an eyesore and a blight on this magnificent land. Everywhere we went, I saw plastic. Plastic bags were caught on fences everywhere; plastic bottles, beer cans, Tim Horton's coffee cups littered the roadways. It saddened me incredibly to see it. More and more I agree with one woman's local initiative to tax plastic bags. To see them in the middle of nowhere, miles from any human habitation, angers me. What arrogance some people have; they prefer to keep their vehicles garbage-free, but have no qualms about throwing that garbage out their windows where it is visible for all other travellers and a risk to wildlife instead of stopping at any of the plentiful rest stops and putting their trash where it belongs--in a trash bin where it can be collected and properly disposed of. That's my rant for today.

Now, on to the lake watch for this week...

The bottom rung of the ladder is no longer visible above water. Last year, this ladder was my gauge; within the next couple of weeks that dock will be replaced and the ladder will no longer be there for me to use as a reference.

I think I might set up a separate web page for some of these pictures. Again, this is more for myself than anything and if the pictures are all on one page, it will be easier to see how the lake is rising.

And that's it for today. There's a lot to be done in this house today. Well, not a lot but there are some things that need doing before I can justify sitting down and knitting. You know what I mean?

It's good to be home.

On the road again

But before we go, an update or two. I've been steadily working on the Regia t-top. It's coming along nicely, even though I've had to take it easy. My right wrist has been bothering me a bit again, so I knit for a bit, then take a break. I'm forcing myself to do that.

Anyway, here's a picture of where I'm at right now. This will be my "car project". We'll be on the road a long time this weekend, so I need a travel project. Fairly mindless. I'll still be able to keep my eyes on the scenery.

By now, you all know that I simply can't have less than six projects on the needles at any given time (give or take three or four projects). To that end...

Oh, that Interweave Knits! They went and put this little beauty in the Summer 06 issue and do you honestly think I could resist it? I mean, I have other shawl patterns. I have at least three of Evelyn Clark's patterns through Fibertrends. I have the yarn to do at least two of them. But IK had to go and put this one in this issue. I love it!

It's simple, yet very elegant. They've done it in a lace-weight alpaca. Mine's in Skacel's Merino Lace, a lace-weight merino. Very nice to knit with. And so far, it's a simple knit. I was almost tempted to take it on the road with me, but that could be tempting fate, wouldn't you agree?

Now, did you really think I'd just leave you with a picture of a blob of lace knitting? Naw, I wouldn't do that. Here's what Icarus looks like stretched out. So far, I've done Chart 1 and one of five repeats of rows 19-42.

This part is fairly repetitive and easy to remember. Charts 3, 4 and 5 are a little more involved. Starting this one made me realize just how much I really do enjoy lace knitting. I think I'd take lace over colour-work any day. Already I'm impatient to see it blocked.

Now, I need to go put gas in the car, then pack everything up for this road trip. As soon as John's off for the day, we're heading out. Hopefully, he'll be able to get off a little earlier than he has been. I'll "see" you all next week.

Oh, before I forget, to all of you mother's out there, I hope you have a very happy Mother's Day!

Because you asked, Leslie

Here you go, Leslie... and anyone else interested.

Click here

Edited on May 15 to add:

Oops, my bad! Try it now and let me know if it works. I had forgotten to upload the pictures with the page file. It should work now.

Monday Morning Ramblings

It's a chilly, damp day in the Okanagan today. John even turned the heat up this morning to get the chill out. Hopefully, for his sake, it will warm up a bit; he's working in landscape maintenance. Wet, chilly days are not good for his joints. Arthritis, yanno?

Anyway, in the meantime, I'm here at home today and it's the perfect day to curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea, a comforter and my knitting. I started a new project.

And a closeup...

So, what is it, you ask? It's going to be a t-shirt style top for myself. It's worked in Regia Tip+Top Cotton and done in k3, p1 rib. The whole top will be ribbed, but I'm toying with the thought of doing the sleeves in stocking stitch with a k1, p1 rib armband.

I've already changed needles three times; not needle size, but needles. I started out on an Addi Turbo (3 mm) and for the first time ever, I did nothing but fight with the Addis (it wouldn't straighten up for some reason). So I put the top on a Pony circ. I fought with the join; my work just would not slide easily over the join. Now, it's all on an Aero circ. If this one fights me, I'll be going to the "other" yarn store and getting a shorter Addi, in the hopes that it will be better. We'll see. So far, the Aero needle seems to be ok, but I've only worked one round on it. I'll be taking this project on the road with me this coming weekend. We have to drive up to Red Deer, Alberta for a business meeting on Saturday. (For those of you unfamiliar with this area, Red Deer is about a 10 hour drive from us; it will be a loooooooong day!)

The lake... it's definitely on the rise.



That's the same angle as last week's picture. Here's the same retaining wall, but looking at it from the opposite side of the beach.

That's our firepit. The barbecue belongs to J & K, our housemates. It won't be long before the firepit is below water. Next week's picture won't be until Thursday; I'm working Monday-Wednesday.

Now, what SHALL I do for the rest of today? Hmmm.... Oh, yes, I have something else to share with you. Today's post is getting to be a long one, but I have to tell you about our early morning visitor.

Early Friday morning (3:30 a.m.), John and I were awakened to the sound of someone dragging something down the street outside our bedroom windows. It wasn't a particularly loud noise, but it was persistant. When we heard kind of a snuffle (I don't know how else to describe it), John got up to see what we could see. There's not a lot of light at that time of the morning, but across the street, on the rise, he could see a light coloured "blob" with a dark shadow... a black bear. The light coloured "blob" was a bag of garbage he had pulled out of one of our garbage cans and dragged up the rise.



That top bit of white is where the bear was sitting, rummaging through the bag. John told me to watch out the window; he was going to turn some lights on downstairs. I watched as one light came on; the bear didn't even twitch, just kept on "exploring" our trash. A second light came on; still no reaction from the bear. It was only when John opened the back door that the bear galloped away (it's amazing how fast they run!). Later that morning, this is the scene that greeted us...

We've not seen or heard the bear since, but we've let the neighbours know about him. Incidentally, from what we could see, this bear was about 3' tall, sitting. Not a small bear. Hopefully, he didn't find enough to make him come back.

Now, where's that cup of tea?

Something New

I've decided to add something to the blog. It's not just for you, but as much for John and myself as for anyone. We've been watching the lake begin to rise, using the neighbour's dock (ladder) as a gauge. John suggested that I make a note of when the water touches the bottom step of the ladder; I'm taking it a step further (sorry about the pun).

I'm adding a video tracking of the lake's water level. Once a week or so, I'll post a picture or two, taken from the same angle, so you (and we) can see the water level rising. Here are the first pictures.

This is our dock. Last summer, I'd sit on the dock and, as boats would speed past, the waves created by the wake would come up between the planks on the dock and wet the entire dock. Now, there's almost two feet of space between the bottom of the deck and the surface of the water.

I think this picture will probably be the better gauge of the water level. It's of the retaining wall on our property. A week ago, the far rock was completely dry.

As for knitting content, does there have to be knitting content every time?

Oh, Leslie, I haven't forgotten your request for a recent picture of John and myself. I'm still working on it. He's become rather cagey when the camera's around. ;)

Another Day, Another FO

Yup! I finished the Country Style vest for myself last night, modelled it for John and got his seal of approval.

It's plain, which is what I wanted. It's simple, which is what I wanted. I wanted something I could wear over a white shirt, of which I have a few, that do not suit me. White washes me out. I got the shirts when we were with the restaurant; white shirts with a tie and black slacks was/is their "uniform". I do not look well in white. In addition, the white shirts, over the course of the last couple of years, seem to have shrunk slightly in the closet. A vest covers a multitude of sins, wouldn't you agree? And, because the vest is brown and brown looks good on me, I can wear the white shirts under the vest and still look good. Makes perfect sense, n'est-ce pas?

This morning, I've been swatching for the Ruffles cardigan (that's the working name for the new toddler design). The cotton yarn is a joy to work with. I'll be using 3 mm needles, which gives me a gauge of 7st/inch. The initial cast on is going to be something like 540 sts, if I've figured it out correctly.

Speaking of swatching (something I don't often do, really), a while back I read an article in one of my knitting magazines that showed how to design a swatch sheet in Word for Windows. I'm finding it quite helpful and I decided that if I find it helpful (she who rarely swatches), you may find it equally helpful. If you'd like it, you can find it in the sidebar, under "My Patterns".

Now, back to the kitchen. This morning, I made a batch of cabbage rolls, enough for three meals for the two of us. This afternoon, I intend to make some BBQ relish from this great book I bought a couple of years ago. If you're a small family, or perhaps just you and your mate, check out a book called "Small Batch Preserving". The recipes are interesting, tasty and easy to follow. I've made numerous preserves out of that book already and nothing has flopped.

And, I'm off.....

It's already May!

Can you believe how fast this year is going? And I'm still knitting.

This one crawled in just before the turn of the month. I finished it on Sunday morning. The pattern is not my own (I'd love to take credit for it but Lucy Neatby beat me to it), it is Lucy Neatby's Equilateral Hat. It's a fun knit, simple really. The Noro Silk Garden I used was a rather dull combo, not something I'd necessarily choose for myself. This hat is now residing at the store as a sample to show some of the Noro colourings.

If I make this hat again, and I probably will, I'd use a brighter colourway and go down one needle size. The hat is a little big for me. The picture on the pattern is a little deceptive as it shows a child wearing the hat. Most people think it's a child's hat pattern. It isn't. She made this pattern to fit a 22" head size. The pattern, though, is well written, almost to the point of being overwritten. Everything is explained very well so even a fairly new knitter should have no problem understanding it.

I've still not finished my own cardigan (one of these days... *sigh*), but I've almost finished a simple, basic, V-neck pullover vest for myself. It's knitted in the round, then separated at the arms with the front and back being worked separately. I have one of the armbands almost finished, then have just the second armband and the neckband to complete. If this headache goes away, I'm hoping to have it finished today or tomorrow. I'll post a picture of it when it's finished.

In addition to actual knitting, I've also been doing some more designing.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up some Petit Mandarin cotton at "the other" yarn shop in town. I bought three colours, lime green, lemon yellow and a variegated with green, yellow and coral. Beautiful yarn. I've been mulling over design options for it. At first I wanted to do a toddler sweater with a feather and fan pattern, but the yarn I was using didn't want to be that. Then I bought the cotton with the intention of trying the feather and fan with it, but the more I looked at it, the less I wanted to do it.

On Sunday afternoon, I was inspired! I sat down and drew out the little cardigan you see in my sketch book, complete with colour. I'm ready to swatch, but haven't had the opportunity to do that yet. I'm in no rush. The intended recipient is only eight months old and the cardigan will be for a 2-year old, I'm thinking. That gives me a bit of time.

And that's it for today. The sun is shining, my head hurts, my knitting is calling. I think I'll just relax in the sunshine with my yarn close at hand.

Let's see what Blogger does today

Yesterday, I tried posting several times and nothing happened. So, I tried later. And nothing happened. So I turned the computer off and came back later in the day. My post had published five times!

On to knitting...

I finished the little cardigan for my neighbour's nephew yesterday afternoon. It's blocked and drying outside at the moment, but here's a picture of the finished sweater, buttons and all (Trinity's cardigan still doesn't have buttons).

And a close-up of the stitch, with the chosen buttons. I don't think I could have found more perfect buttons for this yarn.

So, why doesn't Trinity's cardigan have buttons yet and this one does? Well, someone in one of the Yahoo groups posted a link to a Knitty Gritty show featuring Lily Chin and her method of "sewing" on shank buttons while you're knitting the button bands. I didn't see that until after Trinity's cardi was all knitted.

How, you ask? Basically, you use a crochet hook (the largest one that will fit through the hole in the button), slide the button on to the hook, pick up the stitch where the button needs to be, pull it through the button using the crochet hook, place the stitch back on your needle and knit it in pattern. It works! Beautifully! And no hand sewing!

Now, I'm tempted to re-do the button bands on Trinity's cardigan. Looking at the bands somewhat critically, I think I could have added a few stitches anyway. I hate decisions of that kind. Do I want to redo the bands or should I just leave well enough alone and just sew the darned buttons on and get it over with?

Not a lot of knitting content

I HAVE been knitting all week, but there's nothing terribly exciting to show you. The second Ripples cardigan should be finished (and almost is), but isn't yet. The weather has been so nice that I've been spending more time outdoors.

Yesterday was so nice (in the sunshine; in the shade it was still quite cool) that I went down to the dock with my camera in hand. The pictures I took were nothing special, but I did catch a fish...

...on film, that is.

I also went for a short walk. On Saturday, I had gone up into the bush behind our house because we needed some rocks for a planter. I knew where there was a boulder with a bunch of rocks strewn around it. While there, I noticed a little flash of red.

That is one single tulip. All by itself. It seems that someone disposed of some yard waste there and in the waste was a single tulip bulb. That single red tulip? Now, that says spring!

Now, Peg on Vancouver Island (definitely another beautiful place to live or visit... my baby brother lives on the Island) asks how I knit, English or Continental. English. And apparently, I use a lot of wasted motion, according to a couple of my friends who knit Continental. It works for me and I don't really think I'll change now.

I learned to knit when I was about seven years old. Somewhere I even have a picture of me knitting back then; if I ever find it, I'll post it for you. I learned how to crochet at about the same time and do both equally well. My mother also taught me how to embroider at about that time. Over the years, I've done a lot of different handicrafts and also did none for many years.

When my children were very small, I started with cross-stitch and did that voraciously. I couldn't get enough and there weren't enough hours in the day. When my youngest daughter was born, I took up knitting again and haven't stopped since. It's only recently, though, that I've gained enough confidence to stop using patterns exclusively. That's been very freeing and I'm loving my craft even more than I ever thought I would.

I have one last picture to share with you today. My daughter sent me this picture of Trinity last night. Yesterday was Little Miss Trinity's second birthday.

For Leslie

Wow! That IS personal, but I don't mind sharing that story at all, Leslie. For any of you who haven't checked the comments, here's what Leslie wrote:

"Well, since you ask what we want to know about Ev: I've peeked at your wedding photos but would love a current photo of you and John as well as the story of how you met. I'm such a nosy romantic soul :) "

I'll try to get a picture up soon. Do keep in mind that the wedding was just two years ago, so the pictures aren't that old. As well, there's a more current picture of me in the Bernat Shrug pattern. We don't really have any recent pictures of the two of us together.

As for our story... First a bit of history. After my separation, I moved to Calgary for two years and was then transferred to Kamloops where I managed a craft store. At that time, I was also engaged to a Brit who, I felt, was using me as his ticket to stay in the country (he was here on a visitor's visa, but was working). I'd had enough and kicked him and all his stuff, out. By that time, I was quite prepared to stay single for the rest of my life. I did, however, sit down one night and wrote out a list of everything I wanted and felt I needed in a man. I was as specific as I could be, right down to hair colour and amount of hair (and everything else I could think of... use your imagination).

Now, I'm not the type who frequents bars and clubs. I'm a little reserved when I first meet people. I am, however, quite comfortable with a keyboard and monitor. I had joined Lavalife a while back, while still in Calgary. After I got rid of the British fiance, I went back to Lavalife, if only to find interesting people to talk to. I kept coming back to this one profile. His information said he lived within 45km of me, but his profile said he lived in Vancouver. I messaged him.

It turns out he lived a few blocks from me, in the same town. We chatted for a while, a week or so, if I remember correctly, then decided that it was kind of silly to be chatting via computer when we lived, literally, just blocks from each other. We met for drinks one night at a local pub. We didn't hit it off right away, but a few weeks later, we did start dating. It was March when we first started talking; by August, we decided to move in together and have been together since.

We moved to Kelowna three years ago to help open and run a restaurant. Before it opened, I suggested to John that it would be appropriate to be partners in every way, not just business partners. We decided to make the relationship a permanent one, but with all the busy-ness of opening and running an upscale restaurant, the wedding never happened. After a year, we left the restaurant. We talked about a wedding, but neither of us really wanted the whole "wedding" thing.

The following summer, my daughter and two-month old granddaughter came to visit. At the same time, John's best friend (from Prince George, BC) was also in town, so we decided to "just do it!". The entire wedding ceremony was arranged on the weekend and Monday morning, before Stuart had to leave town, we were married.

I have never looked back.

It's more than just how we met, Leslie, but it's all part of the story. As you can see, we're one of the internet success stories. I do have to say, though, that if I hadn't written down what I wanted or needed, I think I'd still be single. Incidentally, I did show John that list one day and he recognized himself instantly. He met every single one of my "requirements".

One week later and...

There just hasn't been much to blog about.

I showed my neighbour the Ripples cardigan for Trinity. She liked it so much she wants me to knit one for her nephew. The ripples stitch, though, in my opinion, is too girly for a little boy, so I asked her if she minds me changing the stitch. At first, I was thinking a cable of some kind, but I like this better...

It still looks rippled, which is the effect I wanted for this colour of yarn. The cardigan pattern is the same as Trinity's, just a different stitch pattern.

That's what I've been working on this weekend. We've been doing a bit of garden work, but mostly it's been a quiet, relaxing weekend with not much going on. In my mind, though...

Well, let's just say there are a lot of ideas floating around in there. One idea has to do with some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino I picked up the other day. I'm thinking of a pair of socks in that yarn. As well, I picked up some very nice cotton yarn (did I mention this already?) for a sweater for Oceanna. At first, I was thinking cardigan, but now I'm leaning towards a pullover. The idea keeps evolving the more I think about it. We'll see where that goes.

I'm going to do something different here today. I'm going to open things up. What would you like to know about me? IS there anything you'd like to know about me? Is there anything you'd like to know about where I live? Anything you'd like to see pictures of? Here's your chance to get to know me better. If you'd like to, that is.

And, on that note, I'm off to enjoy the gorgeous day we've been given. The sun is shining and it's going to be beautiful! I hope you enjoy your day as much as I intend to enjoy mine.

Productive Morning

It's not quite 10:00 a.m. and if the rest of the day goes as the morning has gone so far, there's no telling just how much I'll accomplish today. I forced myself to sit down at the keyboard with notes at hand and write out the pattern for the Ripples Child's Cardigan. It's done. My eyes are crossing, but it's done.

Do you realize how good I am to you? I could be making money on these patterns, but I'm sharing them with you. Do I get a medal?? Actually, I enjoy sharing my patterns. I figure that if I can do this, anyone can, so why ask for money when anyone could do this?

Anyway, I've written the pattern to include a chart of the stitch pattern (multiple of 5, plus 2 sts), written directions for the stitch pattern and a picture of the cardigan. As well, I've put just a chart for the stitch pattern in the sidebar. It's in Excel format, so you will have to have a program that opens Excel files (I guess that would be Excel, right?).

I should let you know that there are some basic skills involved in this cardigan. You should have a working knowledge of picking up stitches for neck and button bands. As well, the pattern does not walk you through the raglan shaping row by row. You are expected to be able to maintain the continuity of the stitch pattern while working the raglan and neck shaping. Because of that, it is not suitable for a beginner project, even though the cardigan itself is a very simple knit. You've been warned. :)

There ya go! Do I love you, or what?

Just another FO

Trinity's Ripple cardigan (that's what I'm calling it) is complete. Well, the knitting's done. I need to find just the right buttons yet, but that entails a trip to the other side of town. I'm calling the sweater done.

I'll be typing the pattern out, but I will let you know right now, it's only in one size. It will, of course, include the ripple stitch pattern. From what I can tell, this should fit a 2-3 year old. The finished chest size is 26". The yarn? Well, I gave you the details in the last post. Any DK weight yarn will work. A solid colour yarn will show up the ripple pattern quite nicely, too, I think.

Something I forgot to tell you about. After I was paid for knitting the plain, boring, off white, stocking stitch vest, the money earned went towards books, books I've had my eye on for a while.

I have a feeling I'll be using the Vogue Knitting book a fair bit. I particularly like the design section. There is some excellent information there. Right now, it's on my dining room table, where I've been working out the pattern for another little sweater, this time for my other granddaughter, Oceanna. Her cardigan will be made out of sock yarn and done in a Feather & Fan pattern. I'll post pictures this week. I'm sure by now, every knitter knows what the F&F pattern looks like. Working it a self-patterning sock yarn, one with broad bands of colour, makes it a striped F&F. The sleeves will be in a solid, complementary colour. You'll just have to wait for the pictures.

My cardigan, the Donegal Tweed one, is patiently waiting for all the other design ideas in my head to move out. It's languishing on the same dining room table, watching me, wondering when it will make its way into my wardrobe. Soon, I promise!

On other fronts, we got some gardening/yard work done today. John's been very good with keeping up the yard, so there hasn't been a lot of spring clean up to do. This morning, we went to the nursery and picked up a few flowering plants for some baskets. They've all been planted and are waiting on a sheltered part of the deck for the sunshine and warmth to kick in. As well, the herbs I chose (English thyme, sage, mint, and parsley) have been planted in the planter on the lower deck. They join the rosemary and lovage plants I planted there last year. Once the daffodils and narcissus are finished blooming, I'll be getting a couple more herb plants for my herb garden. I've always wanted a herb garden and this planter box is just right for it. I'm so looking forward to cooking with fresh herbs this summer and fall, as well as drying some for winter usage. (Lovage dries really well and is awesome in soups.)

Now, dinner. We need to eat. I think this may be a movie night; that means popcorn and Coke for dinner. We do eat healthy around here... most of the time. *grin*

Lots To Write About

First of all, thanks to Heike, the Java Ribs pattern is now in German! She approached me to ask if she could translate the pattern into German and publish it on her blog; of course I said yes! You can find her translation here:

http://myblog.de/strickwelt/page/702095

I will also put a link to it in my pattern section so that no one will have to go hunting for this link in the archives.

Then, here's the promised picture of the front of the Donegal Tweed cardigan for yours truly...

The stitch I'm using (Mock Rib Cable) is from the Barbara Walker Treasury also visible in the picture, the Fourth Treasury. I'm very pleased at how well the cable actually shows up. Considering the texture and colour of the yarn, I honestly didn't think it would show up as well as it does. I have a total of 13" to knit up until I reach the armhole shaping. The pattern is a 16-row repeat and I try to finish one pattern repeat each time I pick up the sweater. That way, it should work up fairly quickly, right?

For anyone who's beginning to know me, you have probably realized by now that I can't have just one project on the needles. That would never do. Just don't ask me how many I DO have on the needles. I refuse to count them all. And, as of yesterday, there's another one.

This yarn was calling me yesterday. I just happened to have my Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns with me at the store. We have some stitch books at the store. I started this at the store. The yarn just struck me as looking rather "watery" and so I wanted to find a stitch that made me think of ripples on water. I think this works.

Don't ask me which book it came out of. Off hand, I don't remember. It's a 5-stitch, 8-row repeat, very easy to remember after the first pattern repeat. I'm thinking this should fit a 2-3 year old child, so it will be suitable for little Miss Trinity (Kristen, are you reading this? Could you measure her for me and let me know her chest measurement?). I'm working it as a raglan, all in one, as per Ann Budd's book. Have I mentioned just how much I love her books? Get them! They're worth it!

Anyway, I'm having fun working on that little cardigan; it's working up very quickly. The yarn, you ask? It's James C. Brett's Marble, 100% acrylic, machine washable (which is great when you've got toddlers), DK weight (but I think it would be just fine on a 4.5 mm needle rather than a 4.0 mm). The yarn comes from England; I'd never heard of it before.

Finally, a special hello to Debbie and her sister (you didn't tell me her name, Debbie). Debbie came into the store yesterday and, after a short while, introduced herself as one of my readers. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta and her sister lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia (not far from where most of my family lives). Her sister introduced her to my blog while in Yuma, Arizona. Did I get that right, Debbie? If not, let me know.

It was a real treat to meet you; you completely blew me away! What a wonderful world we live in. Knitters are a friendly group of people. Those of you I've never met, those of you I have met, those who leave comments, those who don't (please feel free to leave one now and then).... I consider all of you as friends, some as friends I've not yet met. We share a common bond... sticks and strings. Ain't life great?

Another Pattern Posted

Thank you, Shirley! She emailed me this morning to ask when I was going to post the Lacy Cantata Cap pattern. Silly me, I thought I already had. Imagine my surprise when I checked and realized it wasn't there. Well, it is now. Just go the the section entitled "My Patterns". It's at the bottom of that list. It contains both the written pattern and a chart, for simplicity's sake. Hopefully, there are no errors.

I've been having a couple of frustrating knitting days this weekend/week. I picked up the lacy camisole again (started last spring, out of Regia Silk sock yarn, from Knitters Stash). I did the shaping for the armholes and I'm five stitches short. I have, again, put it aside for now. I do NOT relish tinking that sucker. The entire front is lace. Knit in the round to the armholes. I'll have to tink it back, probably back to the beginning of the armhole shaping. *Big sigh*

To make me feel as if I'm actually accomplishing something, the Donegal Tweed cardi is back on the table again, too. I've got the stitch pattern for the front charted and am 12 rows into the first 15-row repeat. The fronts are the last pieces of the sweater to do; the back and arms are already finished. It feels good knowing that the end is in sight on that project. I'm looking forward to getting a lot of wear out of that cardigan! I'll post pictures of my progress when the pattern is a little more visible... 2 or 3 repeats, perhaps?

For now, I'm waiting on the cable guy. The kids who've moved in with us would like cable hooked up in their bedroom and that's happening some time this morning. More caffeine required.... I'll be back when there's an update.

Where DOES Time Go?

It feels like forever since I last posted! So much is going on around here that I haven't had as much time to blog as I might have liked. That, and there really hasn't been a lot to write about, knitting-wise.

I did finish a small project yesterday...

I'm not sure what to call it, but for now it's just the Lacy Summer Scarf. John's first comment (smartass that he is) was that it would never keep me warm. Hmph! What does he know? Sometimes, a scarf is just a substitute for jewellry, right? The stitch used in the scarf is the same as the one in the Lacy Cantata Cap, worked on 24 stitches with 4.5 mm needles. The yarn used? Well, now, that's a whole 'nother story. We got this yarn in at the store a week or so ago. When I first touched it, I thought it may have been a cotton/silk blend. It's bamboo! I never thought bamboo would be that soft a yarn, but it's gorgeous! It's silky, smooth, incredibly soft. Splits a bit, but the feel of the yarn more than makes up for that slight annoyance. It drapes beautifully, too. What more can I say? I loved working with it.

It is, incidentally, Rosarios 4, Bio Bamboo. It's from Portugal and if you can get your hands on some, do it! The scarf took one ball. Here's a closer look at the scarf...

For those of you who read over the Java Ribs Pattern and couldn't quite figure out how the sock was supposed to look, here are a couple of pictures that should illustrate them a little better. The first sock, as you can see, is now off the needles, but the second one has not yet been cast on. That will happen, not to worry. I like this sock so much, I want that second one... soon!

Does that help?