Technology - Can't Live Without It, Can't Shoot It

Episode #4 of the podcast should be up; it isn't. It seems mypodcast.com is having problems. From some of the comments I've read in their forum, this is a weekend problem. As I said  to John, I can't get it up (the podcast, that is). I'll keep trying, but I may not be able to upload the podcast  until Monday. There's got to be a better way!

On the knitting front, I have been knitting! I've been working on the Estonian Garden wrap and making good progress. The pattern calls for 41 repeats of the Little Flowers chart; I have 15 completed. This section really is the perfect tv knitting. There's just enough pattern to keep it interesting, and it's an easily remembered stitch pattern. The back side is purl, which makes it completely mindless. The yarn (Knit Picks Gloss lace weight) is scrumptious and feels so nice to work with. All in all, this time around, it's working up just right! 

You may remember that a few weeks ago, I started the Gail/aka Nightsongs shawl (Ravelry link). Well, I frogged it. It just wasn't going to be big enough with the amount of yarn I had available. Yesterday was a slow day at work, and I got off early enough to stop by the yarn shop on my way home. I came home with this...

It's HandMaiden Yarn's Sea Silk in the peridot colourway; peridot just happens to be the birthstone for the month of August, and that just happens to be my birth month... meant to be? If you've never seen this yarn, it's truly lovely. It has a beautiful sheen to it, seeing that it's 70% silk (and 30% seacell). 

The colour in the picture is pretty close to the actual colour, but still doesn't do it justice. I bought one skein and had a second put aside for me, to be picked up in a couple of weeks. I've done a bit of swatching for the Gail shawl and I've decided to go down a bit in the needle size; the pattern calls for this yarn on a 4.5 mm needle but I found that a bit too loose for my liking, so I've gone down to 4.0 mm and am liking it much more. 

Knowing me, I'll probably start this shawl later today... or when I'm done here. 

The Aeolian shawl, #2, is still being worked on, but with so much hockey happening this past week, I haven't worked on it much. I picked it up again yesterday and did a few rows. It will be very pretty when it's finished. I anticipate that I'll get quite a bit done on it this weekend. It's a long weekend here in Canada (Monday is Victoria Day.. a statutory holiday), but John will be working. He had yesterday off and will be working with his boss, who's in from Edmonton, on Monday, which gives me the day to myself. Care to guess what I'll be doing???

Knit Happens!

There has been knitting! The baby dress is at a standstill, though. I could have had it finished this weekend, but the pink yarn I ordered for the bottom edge and the cast on edge of the sleeves didn't show up. Apparently, it's been backordered. Thankfully, this baby's not due until August. Hopefully, the yarn will show up before too long.

All that needs doing at this point is one row and the cast off in pink, on both the front and back. Then, the sleeves, which are cast on with pink and patterned in the chevron lace all the way up. Seeing as I'm doing the smallest size, the sleeves will knit up very quickly... once the yarn gets here.

Having gotten to this point means that I have no tv knitting right now. You know what's coming, don't you? Uh huh, I've cast on another project. And, surprise, surprise, it's lace. This is the beginning of Evelyn A. Clark's Estonian Garden Wrap. I'm using Knit Picks Gloss Lace, in celery, on 3.75 mm needles. I had originally ordered this yarn to make the Luna Moth shawl, but just wasn't happy with the way it was knitting up. 

I've started this pattern before, once in an almost-cobweb weight red yarn (didn't like it) and once in Drops Alpaca (too folk-shawlish-looking.. is that a word?... wrong yarn and needle for this pattern). Both, obviously, were frogged. This, though, is a good match. I like how it's knitting up; it just feels right. This part of the pattern is almost mindless; it's an 8-row pattern repeat that's easy to remember, and the wrong side is purled. So far, I've completed 4 repeats and the pattern calls for 41. Then, there's a lily of the valley edging (complete with nupps) and a final edge that looks similar to the edging of the Swallowtail shawl.

Seeing that hockey will be coming on soon, this wrap should show good progress over the next few days. Go, Canucks, go!!

Out and About

After doing some grocery shopping yesterday, John and I went for a drive. We wanted to see the Arrowleaf Balsamroot in bloom. It's one of our favourite Okanagan flowers. Now, before anyone says anything, I realize it's not just an Okanagan flower; thing is, I'd never seen them before we moved here. 

They are, in fact, indigenous to the western part of the continent and were widely used by the aboriginal peoples for food and medicine. And they're beautiful. We saw one property that was almost completely yellow with these cheerful plants.

If you look carefully at the picture below, just above the flowers, you can see something that John was surprised to find... wild asparagus! There wasn't a lot, but we each had a couple of stalks of freshly picked wild asparagus. How does it compare? Well, the stalks were lovely, with a slightly stronger flavour than cultivated asparagus; the heads I found to be a little bitter. That could be because they were already beginning to open up. Nonetheless, it's the first time I've eaten wild asparagus.

The second picture was 180 degrees from where John was picking the asparagus. This is a view of the lake, looking toward the city of Kelowna. If you look carefully, you may be able to see the new bridge (look towards the left side). Kelowna is on the right hand side of the picture.

Incidentally, the picture in the header of the blog shows the old bridge and the new bridge, side by side. The old bridge, in the foreground, is no longer there from what I understand. (We don't get out that way much).

Knitting... oh yeah, I've been doing some of that, too. Mainly, I've been working on the baby dress. It's coming along nicely, a little further along than the picture in my previous post shows.

The front is now at about 4" and the back at about 3"; it's my tv knitting, or when I don't feel like concentrating on what I'm doing. I'm not rushing this little dress; the baby's not due until August.

The periwinkle Aeolian is coming along nicely. I've just started the Final Agave chart. Again, I'm not rushing this one; I have one done and the second one is just for fun (like most of my knitting, really). It doesn't photograph well at this stage, so I won't show it to you until it is off the needles.

Episode #3 is up!

Go! Check it out; episode #3 of the podcast is up.

John and I are taking the day off. I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but we're getting out into the glorious sunshine! 

We're having a baby!

At work, that is... not John and me, not my kids, no new grandbabies! 

Last week, my boss and his wife drove to Vernon for an ultrasound. They're expecting their second child and wanted to know whether they'll be welcoming their first son or their second daughter. Apparently, our local hospital/ultrasound clinic will not tell prospective parents until after the 25th week, but the clinic in Vernon will. (I make no judgements; they have their reasons.)

When he came back to work, I asked my boss if I'd be knitting with pink yarn or blue yarn. He told me... pink. They're having another little girl! Well, if that isn't just the perfect opportunity to knit something pretty, I don't know what is!

So, I started going through my pattern stash. After whittling my choice down to two or three items, I decided on one that I've made before. No, you haven't seen it on the blog... ever. I made this little dress 25 years ago, once for my own daughter and once for a neice. I love the pattern; it's cute, it's simple, it's classic. It doesn't get much better than that.

The pattern is from an old Scheepjeswol magazine, Journal 45. The first two times I made this dress, I used Paton's Beehive Baby crystal, the one with the shiny thread spun into it. I don't think they even make it anymore, but even if they do, I didn't want to make it in an acrylic yarn. I'm using Sandnesgarn Lanett, a lovely, soft, washable wool, perfect for baby clothes. The dress is knit on 3.0 mm needles; it's started at the waist and worked up to the shoulders, then stitches are picked up (and instantly doubled) and worked down for the skirt. Later, a ribbon will be threaded through the small holes made by the increases. At this stage, you can see I'm working on the skirt; this part is perfect for tv knitting as it's 5" of stocking stitch. 

The bottom edge of the skirt will be finished with a pretty pale pink, which I have on order. The yarn store didn't have a pretty pastel pink in stock, so they've ordered some for me. The pattern is written for three sizes, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year; I'm making the 6 month size. I figure that she'll be able to wear it right around Christmas. Perfect or what?

Of Bobbles and Butterflies

As some of you may know, I've posted a bunch of my patterns on Ravelry. One pattern, the Butterfly Garden Hat, has elicited a few requests for better pictures of the actual "butterflies". Well, I would have been more than happy to oblige, if I was able.

The original hat, however, was sold to a woman from Alaska. It was on display in the yarn store I used to work in and she wanted it... badly! Eventually, I gave in and sold her the hat. Because of that, though, I was unable to take any more pictures of the hat; and it was the only hat I'd made in this design.

That is now being remedied. A couple of months ago, I ordered some of the original yarn I'd used, Fleece Artist Blue-Faced Leicester DK. It came last week and the hat is now on the needles. This isn't the same colour as the original hat, but that's not a big deal. The black yarn is Pingouin 3.5 (50-50 wool and acrylic), and I'm using 4.0 mm needles. 

Bobbles, slip stitch ribbing, butterflies and beads - this is the perfect hat for someone who loves something different. It's colourful, it's different, it's just plain FUN! I know, there are no butterflies and beads yet; that's the next section. I'll take more pictures when the hat is complete. As well, I'll try to put together a tutorial about the butterfly stitch. It's simple, really; it's a slip stitch pattern that just looks so pretty, especially in a variegated yarn like this one. 

The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download; if you're not on Ravelry and would like the pattern, email me and I'd be more than happy to send you the pdf. (If you're a knitter and you're not on Ravelry, why not???)

Don't forget about the contest on the podcast. Tell your friends, tell other knitters, spread the word. Listen to the podcast, leave a comment, win lace yarn. What could be easier? The deadline for entries is Friday, May 1/09; the winners  name will be chosen on Saturday and announced in the next podcast (the address is in my sidebar).

It's More Lace!

Are you getting tired of seeing my lace? I sure hope not, because I just can't seem to stop knitting it!

Aeolian #2, aka the Periwinkle Aeolian, is coming along nicely. This one won't have nearly the amount of beads as the first one, and will be smaller, more scarf-sized than shawl-sized. I really like this yarn. It's so soft and cushy; it is, after all, baby alpaca lace-weight. 

And I've cast on ANOTHER shawl... are you surprised? Finish one, cast on two; isn't that how it works? This one is Gail aka Nightsongs. I found the pattern for this shawl through Ravelry; it's a free download. That's always a good thing! I have no idea what the yarn is. I do know it's a fingering weight sock yarn, 100% wool, but that's about all I know. It's been in my stash for quite some time, but has been wound into cakes and has no tags. It is very nice to work with and I love the colours in it; does anything else matter?

Without giving anything away, I have a recipient in mind for this shawl. I do not often give my shawls away; to date, I've only given away two of them and it almost feels like giving away a child. But, in this case, I think it will be the right thing. It just feels right. 

This pattern is "different". If you've listened to the podcast, you'll have heard about this shawl. Most of the shawls I've knit to date have been, more or less, "built" the same way. There are two or three edge stitches, with a yarn over, knit one, yarn over at the center to separate the two halves. (You can sort of see that in the Aeolian picture.) If you look closely at the picture of the Gail shawl, you won't see a center line. You will see a double yarn over, and that is it. (The tail at the top is the center of the shawl.) It took me a while to wrap my head around that, but once I did, well... the rest is easy! It isn't a difficult pattern, but I do find that I have to pay attention. 

As far as my health goes, this cold has really knocked the spit out of me. I woke up this morning with a terrific sinus headache, but drugs have helped. Drugs are good. I'm finally feeling a little better now; I did go to work the last two days even though I probably should have stayed home. There were, however, jobs that needed to be done, and in the doing, I kept busy. I wasn't working directly with anyone else, so I did what needed doing, but did leave early. I'm pretty sure I'm over the worst now, thankfully!

Now, there's a man who wants to get on to the computer for research purposes. I suppose I should let him; it means he'll leave me in peace while I knit. Does it get any better than that??

Episode #2 is up

Just a quick note to let you know that Episode #2 of the podcast is up. You can find it at:

http://stringsnthings.mypodcast.com

Oh, and Sandie, you don't have to download it to listen. Just hit the "play" button and you can listen to it. :)

More blogging later. Right now, I want coffee and a hot shower!

What's next?

Now that the Aeolian shawl is off the needles, blocked and draped over my favourite chair, I'm a little at loose ends. I know, I could be working on Aeolian #2, and I have been. Today, though, the charts and my brain just did not play well together.

I was craving some plain, knit-without-thinking kind of knitting. I had started a pair of socks for John at last week's Sit & Stitch, intending to work on them only during S&S. However, today they came out of the bag and I spent a couple of hours on the first sock. Here's how it's looking so far...

John actually requested a pair of blue socks, so who am I to say no? The yarn, as you can see, is Lana Grossa Meilenweit, Mega Boots Stretch in colour #721. It has some variegation in, but not too much colour because heaven forbid he should have "wild" socks! :)

These will be very basic socks, 72 stitches on 2.5 mm needles, 1x1 ribbing for about 1", then k3 p1 rib for the rest of the sock. I'll probably carry the ribbing over the foot as well.

It's nice to be knitting something mindless again.

Nicola's Right!

Nicola commented yesterday that I love my lace; she's so right! 

I went to Michael's yesterday and found beads very close to the beads I used. They're slightly lighter in colour, but not enough to be noticeable. I decided to take my time finishing the last few rows; it didn't help that I had a kink in my neck, but a nap and some pain killers took care of that long enough for me to finish this project. The shawl came off the needles at about 7:00 last night, with much fanfare on my part. 

John has been following it's progress from the beginning and suggested that it might be easiest to block this one on the bed; the bed is also the largest piece of "floor (blocking) space" in this apartment. When he got up this morning (I was already up), he stripped the bed and let me know that it was ready to use. I do love him! (He has since taken the sheets to the laundry room and has two loads running... gotta love a man who does the laundry!) It took me over an hour to block it and I'm not sure just how many pins I used; suffice it to say, there are a lot of pins holding this shawl in place!

I probably could have blocked it more severely, but I don't think it needs it. It's quite a large shawl already (approximately 42" long and 56" across). As much as the bed is the perfect place to block this shawl, I'm not sure I like using it. The height is not the easiest on the back, if you know what I mean. An hour hunched over, putting pins into a piece of lace is pretty hard on the back. But it's done and I love it even more!

Now, I'll let the pictures do the talking...

So Close, and Yet So Far

The Aeolian Shawl could have been finished, should have been finished, would have been finished but for one thing... I ran out of beads. I'm on the second to last pattern row, about halfway through the second half and I have no more beads. 

That means a trip to Michael's to see if I can find something similar. I'm pretty confident I'll find something there, but if not, Kristen, you'll be getting a phone call. :)

In the meantime, because I can't be doing nothing, I started another one. Aeolian, that is. This one will be a smaller one, a shawlette. I have two skeins of this yarn, 400 metres/50 gram skein; it's from the Diamond Luxury Collection, Baby Alpaca laceweight, in a lovely periwinkle. This stuff is lovely! It's soft, it's cushy, it's just... mmmmmm! And, on my monitor, the colour in the picture is very close to the actual colour of the yarn.

This shawlette will have beads, instead of nupps, but not nearly as many as the shawl. I have the beads, more than enough of them, at the ready. They're kind of a purply bead with a blue lining, very interesting, and will go quite nicely with the yarn; no contrasting beads this time. Right now, I have one more repeat of the yucca pattern to go before I start the transition chart into the agave pattern. Because I'm not doing as much beading on this one, I have a feeling it will go very quickly and will be very pretty.

About the podcast... thank you to all of you who've given me feedback. It is so appreciated and has been very much taken to heart. I'm planning the next podcast for next weekend, so be on the lookout for it (probably sometime on Saturday afternoon/evening). I had some opportunity to work on it this week and I'm hoping you will enjoy listening to it as much as I've enjoyed working on it so far.

As a teaser, I'll be announcing a contest, there will be a Trinity story, and a book review among other things. I hope you'll tune in.

For now though, I wish you all a Happy Easter.

Knitting and Talking To Myself...

There hasn't been much time spent with the Aeolian shawl this week, for some reason. I'm still loving it, but this week just hasn't been a knitting week. I'm not sure why. Well, no, that's not exactly true. 

I think there has been a little bit of resentment happening around here. Perhaps I've been spending too much time on the knitting and not enough time on the man??? He's probably right; I've been a little obsessive about this project. The shawl will get done and it won't take forever. That I know. 

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again... I really love this shawl. I was a little concerned at one point that the beads might be too much of  a contrast, but I 'm liking the contrast more and more now. I was concerned, too, that I might not have enough beads, but it's looking like I'll probably be alright in that department. Phew!

On the podcast front.... thank you so much to those of you who have given me feedback. Your comments have been read, studied, seriously thought about and I've decided that I WILL jump into the podcasting pool. It may take away from knitting time, it will surely take away from John time, it will be a lot of work. All that is true. If, however, I let that stop me from doing this, I've been defeated before I even get started. I know that I'll probably never interview anyone famous; that's alright. They've all been interviewed ad nauseum, I'm sure (but if anyone famous reads this blog and would be willing to be interviewed by me... feel free to contact me); I have some ideas floating around in my little brain and I've taken to keeping a notebook handy for jotting them down. As well, I'm open to ideas from you. You've already given me a few ideas and I thank you!

In the interim, a website has been designed for the podcast the software is waiting for my input. Now, it's just a matter of getting John out of the apartment so I can talk to myself for half an hour or so. Then, I'll put the whole thing together and present it to you, neatly packaged, with a bow on the top. 

Soon.

...............................................

Well, colour me embarassed! I had this post published... I thought. It seems I saved it as a draft this morning, rather than hitting the "publish post" button. I guess I wasn't as awake as I thought I was.

It's been a few hours since I wrote the above and things have changed. I now have a podcast up and ready for download!! I'm excited! You can find my podcast at:

Strings'n Things... the Podcast

Check it out and let me know what you think. Keep in mind, this is the very first installment and it wasn't easy to sit in a room, talking to yourself. *grin*

Tell Me What You Think

I have been mulling over an idea this week and I'd like to run it by you. 

Since we got this new computer, I've been thrilled at having up to date technology at my finger tips (well, okay, as up to date as any computer technology can be two months after you've brought it home). As well, I've been listening to several podcasts. One of them mentioned a friend who used Garage Band as her pocasting "equipment". It just so happens that iMac comes with Garage Band.

And so, my little brain has put two and two together and I've been contemplating jumping into the podcasting pool, as an adjunct to the blog. What do you think?

Do you think I have what it takes to be a podcaster? If I do this, what kinds of things do you like in a podcast? What don't you like in a podcast? What's the best length for a podcast? (The ones I listen to are anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.) Should I put together a test cast first?

Give me some feedback; let me know what you think.

Aeolian Update

This shawl is addictive! It's really difficult to tear myself away from it. As of this morning, I've completed the Agave charts and have started on the edging. According to the designer, the edge of the larger size (which I'm making) takes 45% of the total amount of yarn. That means, I'll have to wind up another skein.

Each row now takes about 1/2 hour to complete (over 500 stitches). I can't wait to see it off the needles and blocked!

And the nupps? No problem! As long as they're done loose enough, they're really not a big deal at all. Only one thing is worrying me. I'm not sure I'll have enough beads to finish the shawl. I bought the beads in Abbotsford, while visiting my daughter, so it's not like I can go back to Woolaroo for more. I'm hoping Michael's will carry something close enough that no one will notice any difference... IF I don't have enough, that is. (keeping my fingers crossed) And if Michael's doesn't carry anything acceptable, I may have to get Kristen to make a trip to Woolaroo on my behalf, and then mail the beads to me. That, however, would mean putting the shawl on hold until the beads arrive. Ack, I can't bear to think of it!  ;-)

On another note, yesterday I washed and re-blocked my Flower Basket shawl. I made that one a couple of years ago now and after my trip to the coast, I decided it needed a wash. I was really surprised at how much colour bled out into the water, even though it's been washed and blocked before. The water was a really pretty shade of green. It did worry me a little, though. Is it going to bleed each time it's washed? If so, what will that do to the original colour, which is sooooo pretty?

I must stop worrying!

All That and A Bag of Chips

This Aeolian shawl is addictive! 

I've done the first section, the Yucca section. On the wrong side, it DOES look like an egg carton! This part worked up quickly; it's easy and rhythmic to work, very intuitive. Now, I'm on to the second section, the Agave section. This takes a little more concentration. This is also where the beads come in, which slows things down even more. 

So far, it's a fun, fun project that I'm really looking forward to finishing. I want to see what it looks like blocked!

Potato chip, anyone?

Still Here

It feels like forever since I've posted. I have, of course, been away; last weekend was spent with my daughter, granddaughter and grandson. I got back home on Monday afternoon (the bus ride was uneventful and even pleasant... both ways) and have been busy with work since. Today, though, I have time to sit down and post.

First off, I have knitting to share with you. I confess I've been charmed into starting another project. Every now and then, a pattern comes along that you just HAVE GOT TO start, and it usually gets finished quickly. This project is like that. I want desperately to see what the next section will look like, so I'm working exclusively on it. So, what is it??

Well, the spring Knitty is up (you know the address... knitty.com) and there's a beautiful shawl by Elizabeth Freeman, Aeolian. It really is gorgeous and I couldn't resist casting on.

The yarn I'm using is, once again, the Jarbo Garn Gastrike 1 ply in the natural colour. I'll be using the copper coloured glass beads you see in the plastic bag. The pattern actually calls for beads throughout, but I think it would be too heavy, and I'm not sure there are enough beads for that. I'll just be placing the beads in the lower half of the shawl, where they'll give drape and elegance. 

I'm a little farther along now than I was when I took the picture; I have six repeats completed and need 12 for this first section. As I said, I'm really eager to see how the next section comes out.

So, I went to visit my daughter (thanks again for the ticket, Kristen!) and had a wonderfully busy weekend. I got to see all the kids and grandkids and we also visited my mother on Sunday. Here are a few of the pictures I took; I didn't take all that many pictures, by the way, only 40 or so.

My mother, with Ethan, six weeks old...

A very loving and precious big sister, Trinity with her baby brother, who just happens to be wearing a sweater his grandmother made for him. As an aside, when she got up on Saturday morning, the first words out of her mouth were, "Grandma Evelyn, could you teach me to knit?". Does this kid know her way into a grandmother's heart, or what? So, I did. I had a ball of Malabrigo and some 4.5 mm needles with me for just that purpose. She got the principal of it very quickly. If we lived closer by, I'd have her knitting in no time!

Finally, my favourite picture... mother and son. And yes, he IS that cute!

Second post of the day

Since we’ve upgraded the computer, I’ve made some discoveries. Now, these are not new things. Others of you have discovered these things a long time ago. So, what have I discovered? Podcasts and You Tube.

Don’t laugh. Our old computer couldn’t handle all that technology. This one can. So far, thanks to You Tube, I’ve discovered that I’ve been doing Cat Bordhi’s moebius cast on wrong. I’ve since used one ball of yarn from the stash to do an experimental moebius… correctly. It’s nothing fancy, nothing worth even a picture.

And then there are podcasts. There’s a part of me that doesn’t like having “noise” happening while I’m doing something else, but podcasts are definitely a diversion. So far, I’ve subscribed to four podcasts, three of which are knitting related. The fourth is from CBC, The Vinyl Café, with Stuart Maclean.

One of the three knitting podcasts is Cast On with Brenda Dayne, who, in the last one, had a conversation with Tara Jon Manning, author of Men in Knits and Mindful Knitting. I listened to that podcast while I was in the process of knitting the Inga hat. It did inspire me to slow down and really pay attention to my knitting. You know what? The second half of that hat looks much better than the first half. I tend to rush things; slowing down a bit really made a difference.

I must admit I wasn’t doing any kind of meditation, but I was definitely more aware of the needle and yarn creating each stitch… more mindful knitting. Try it sometime!

In other things, the eyes are feeling better, but still a bit itchy. I must learn not to rub my eyes when they’re dry and itchy, especially not if I’m at work. I know that it’s a reaction to something environmental this time. It happens occasionally; I just don’t know what triggers it, apart from one of the drops my optometrist uses.  I should be back at work tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep.

Do you listen to podcasts? What are your favourites? Any you recommend over any others? What about You Tube? Any recommendations? So far, I’ve only been checking the knitting stuff, but I’m open to other recommendations, too. 

FO and... Where are my sunglasses?

Hopefully this works. I'm back to using Photobucket, but it's taking a bit of time to get used to it again. We've had to upgrade our computer and now that everything goes nice and fast, I'm trying to get used to using some of the software again.

Anyway, this won't be a long post. I'm home 

from work today because of this...

Yes, they're tender and sensitive. I'll be putting on my sunglasses very soon because it is a lovely, sunny (but cold!) day. I'm not sure what I reacted to this time, but it happens occasionally. Right now, my eyes are even redder than they were when I took the picture. It hasn't stopped me from knitting, though.

Here's the finished Inga Hat. When making the decision to make this hat, I read a lot of comments in Ravelry. A number of them stated that the hat came out big. Maybe they were using a heavier yarn, larger needles? If anything, this hat is a little on the tight side. It's long enough to cover my ears nicely, but it certainly isn't big.

The details, in case you've forgotten.. Sandnes Garn Alpakka, 3.5 mm needles, Inga Hat, available as a free download through Ravelry.

Now, back to vegging. Where did I leave my sunglasses?

Inga - A Learning Experience

I love projects that teach me something.  This little hat is one of those things. Meet Inga. I've seen the braided edging on numerous glove/mitten and hat patterns, but had no idea how it was done. That's why I wanted to make this hat.

And you know what? It isn't difficult at all! As a matter of fact, it's really quite simple and ingenious. It is, however, a somewhat slow and tangled technique. Basically, what you're doing is twisting the yarns above or below each other, while knitting reverse stocking stitch (purling all the stitches). 

The details? The Inga Hat, available here (it's free). The yarn is Sandnes Garn Alpakka, a lovely, smooshy dk weight alpaca yarn from Norway. I'm using a 3.5 mm circular needle. What you see so far is one evening's worth of knitting. So far, the only downside I can see is that I used the 3.5 mm needle on the braided edging, where I should have gone down to a 3.0 mm. However, I couldn't find a 16" 3.0 mm circ, so I used what I COULD find. It does curl up, but I think that, once on the head, that should fix itself. As well, I'm not that far into the hat yet; it may well straighten itself out as I go along. We'll see. If not, I can always tack it down slightly to keep it from curling.

Ruba'iyat Mittens Update

They're done! I finished up the thumb last night and immediately washed and blocked the mittens. They're still not completely dry but, let me tell you, they are warm, even damp! I love how they turned out. I love the colours, I love the warmth. There is just nothing I don't love about these mittens.

As a recap, the pattern is Heather Desserud's Ruba'iyat Mittens, available as a free Ravelry download. The yarns are Louet Gems Pearl (the brown yarn) and Fleece Artist sock (the coloured yarn, obviously), both fingering weight yarns. The mittens were worked on 2.5 mm circular, using the magic loop method. The only modification I made was to start with a picot edging rather than the ribbed edge that Heather used. 

Now, I have plans on making a stranded hat. It probably won't be in these colours, even though I still have plenty of this yarn at my disposal. Hmm... I probably could design a hat using the same motifs, couldn't I? At least that way, for once, my hat and mittens (or gloves, as the case might be) would match! I'll have to think about that a little more. In the meantime, I have a pattern in mind, and yarn to work with. It will be a project that includes something I've not done before, a challenge. More another day.

Right now, though, it sounds like John's moving furniture again. I'd better go and check up on him... and the status of dinner.

Sorry, but I've just got to rave!

If you like granola.... if you've ever... or never... made your own granola... check out this recipe. I downloaded it last weekend and had the opportunity to make it today and I'm ecstatic! This is, by far, the best granola I've ever tasted. (And right now, it's still warm!)

Here's the link... make some!  Granola (Food Network.com... Alton Brown's recipe) I may never buy granola again! No, I WON'T buy granola ever again! :)

I did modify the recipe somewhat; we had no maple syrup, so I used honey; I used sunflower oil and I added pecans, sunflower seeds in addition to the cashews and almonds; instead of just raisins, I used a mixed dried fruit blend that includes raisins (3 kinds), cranberries, papaya, apple, mango, apricot and pear. There is a lot of room for doing your own thing with this recipe. Do try it and let me know what you think.

Would it be greedy of me to refill my "bowl"???

Small solutions for small problems

I have a small problem, so I've come up with a small solution. The first thing I do in the mornings, after pouring a cup of coffee for myself, is log on to my computer. That's when the problem manifests itself; my right wrist gets really cold. Not just chilly, but bone-chillingly cold. 

I've been wanting to make myself a cuff for a long time now, but have taken to wearing a fingerless glove without putting my hand in the hand part. Know what I mean? Well, I've been wearing it like a cuff. I don't like my palm covered while I'm on the computer because it interferes with mouse/trackball use. And we can't have that, can we?

Yesterday, I stopped by my LYS and picked up a couple of balls of  Sandnes Alpakka, dk weight 100% alpaca. It's lovely stuff; couldn't stop fondling it in the store, so I knew it was coming home with me. It's a very simple pattern: cast on 48 stitches on 3 mm dpns, work k2, p2 rib for about 4", then about 1/2" in 1x1 rib and cast off. I've made one; I'm not sure I'll make a second, but it's probably a good idea, don't you think? My left wrist might get jealous. 

And, you ask, does it keep my wrist warm? Oh yeah! As I'm typing, I can feel the warmth radiating inward and my entire body is getting warmer... oh wait, maybe that's just a hot flash. 

On another note, I've been gifted with a ticket to the coast! On the 13th, I'll be getting on a bus and going to Abbotsford to visit my daughter. It's her way of ensuring that I get to meet Ethan (my newest grandson) before he's no longer a baby. I'll be there just for the weekend, but I'm excited!

Saturday

I don't really have much to blog about today, but I feel like I should. Know what I mean? It's just one of those weird days; I'm just a little 'off'.

One thing I would like to share with you... Over at Clicks 'n Things, there's a photo series happening. My sister (she of Capricious Cogitation*) challenged me to join her in her Lent project. Last year, she posted a picture every day except Sunday. I've decided to take her up on her challenge. Feel free to check out both blogs.

My photos are pictures that I've taken in the past (with a REAL.... film.... camera), and scanned into my computer. This week, I went through almost 10 years of photos, threw out a lot, and intend to scan a bunch of the remaining. 

Knitting has been pushed to the backburner much of this week because of the photo project; as well, I just haven't felt like picking up the needles, even though I want the mittens, among other things, done. Like I said, I'm feeling a little 'off', for some reason.

Oh well, today John and I have every intention of just getting out for a while. Maybe that will help.

A Quick Post

I've decided to change the look of the blog.... just slightly. I hope you don't mind too much. More little changes to come as time permits.

Nothing Like A Mental Health Day!

Today, I'm taking a "me" day. Work, at least my share of it, is slow at the moment, so I decided that today would be the perfect day to take off. So far, I've gone through all my old photos and tossed out a lot of them. I'm left with one much smaller box of pictures and I have every intention of going through that box photo by photo. Some I'll scan, some I'll put aside for each of the kids, some will be tossed.

As well, I've made a pan of cream of mushroom soup that turned out spectacularly well. It will become part of dinner (which I have planned.... Crab Stuffed Sole Meuniere, served over rice, with vegetables on the side), as well as some for tomorrow's lunch. Incidentally, the crab stuffed sole recipe is from Foodnetwork.com. I'll let you know how it turns out; it certainly sounded good.

I've also been working on the Ruba'iyat mittens. The second one is coming along very nicely, thank you very much, and here's the picture to prove it. I've also been working on a mitten design of my own. One day, I may even knit it up! I must say that this fairisle/norwegian style mitten knitting and designing is very addictive. Coming up with the designs is almost like colouring is to a child. Fun, fun, fun!

This second picture is a tv-knitting item. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but it is intended to be a wrister, no thumb opening, no fingers, just a tube of knitting to wear around my wrists when I'm on the computer in the mornings. I find that my wrists, especially the right one, gets very cold and achy. Just a cuff of knitting around my wrist helps immensely. The yarn I'm using for this k3, p1 rib wrister is, once again, the JarboGarn laceweight that I love so much. I'm using 2.25 mm dpns, 64 stitches. 

While I think of it, Nicola asked where Stacey and her husband got married. It was Mexico. And apparently, it rained the day of their wedding, so it was in a chapel rather than on the beach as originally planned. She did, apparently, get many favourable comments on the dress (that's a good thing!)

I was also asked about the yarn I'm using for the Ruba'iyat mittens. The brown yarn is Louet Gems Pearl and the coloured yarn is Fleece Artist sock yarn. Don't ask me about the colourway, as the tags were lost way back. Both yarns have been living in my stash for at least a couple of years. I must admit, it is nice to have a stash to knit from. :)

Now, it's time to prep for dinner. We won't be eating for a few hours yet, but there's prep work I can do now. Then, I'll have some more time to knit on the mittens. All in all, I'm having a good day!

Nothing to Report From the Home Front

I don't really have much to blog about right now, but I wouldn't want you to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth or anything. 

The second of the Ruba'iyat mittens is about half finished and looking good; I was hoping to have it done this weekend but the weekend was spent on other things.... like getting my mop cut. I'm much happier now.

I'll get back to the mittens this week.  (Forgive the mess behind me; this room is our office/sewing/storage/ironing room.)

One Down, One to Go

One of the Ruba'iyat mittens is off the needles. I love it! It fits perfectly, the colours are gorgeous (the pictures really don't do justice to the colours)... what's not to love? The second mitten is now on the needles and I've just about completed the wrist band. And it's snowing. I'll probably get some use out of these mittens before spring arrives.





Earlier this past week, Stacey emailed me a couple of wedding pictures. You will remember that I made her wedding dress. As promised, here are the pictures of Stacey and her new husband.



Now, back to mitten #2.

Mittens Revisited

I've found my mittens! That is, I found a mitten pattern that I really like and that is going to fit me nicely. Thank goodness for Ravelry!

I was going through some old posts in a group I recently joined ("I Make Mittens") when I came across a post offering a free pattern. As soon as I saw the picture, I was smitten. I printed up the pattern and headed straight to my stash. My first choice of contrast colour was a bust.. there just wasn't enough contrast. Then, I remembered that I still had more than enough of the Fleece Artist sock yarn that I'd used for my Swallowtail shawl. I found it, tried it and was thrilled with the results.


I love this contrast. I think I'm going to love these mittens.

The pattern is by Heather Desserud and is called "Ruba'iyat Mittens". As specified in the pattern, I'm using a 2.5 mm circular needle and working the Magic Loop method. The yarn I'm using is Louet Gems fingering weight in brown and Fleece Artist Merino sock in shades of turquoise/green/purple. I'm following the pattern as written except for one small modification. Heather starts her mittens with 4 rounds of ribbing; I chose to start with a picot edging, giving the mitten a double-thick cuff. I think it will compliment the mittens nicely.

At this stage, I'm a little over halfway through the first mitten and it fits perfectly around my hand. I'm pretty sure that the length will be just right, too. See the diamond shaped motif? Well, it's to be repeated for the top of the hand and when I took the picture, I wasn't quite up to the top of that motif.


I love it when it all comes together!

Adventures in Mitten Knitting

When it comes to knitting, this has been a disappointing week. Maybe it's nothing more than the February doldrums, but my knitting has been slow, frustrating and very little of it. Granted, it didn't help that my wrist was sore and aggravated by things at work, but still...

I've worked on the Norwegian mittens a bit this week. It's a little on the small side, I'm afraid. Once blocked, it may be alright, but right now, I find this one a little on the snug side. Hmm, that seems to be a pattern this week... more on that later.

I like how it looks; I like the warmth of it; I don't like the fit of it. I'll finish this one and I'll block it, but until then, I won't start the second one. As you can see, all that's left to do is the thumb and then the picot cuff needs to be stitched up.





In my last post, I asked for your input and Nicola suggested EZ's Mitred Mitts from "Knitter's Almanac". Seeing as I just happen to have said book, I looked it up and decided I'd try them. I'm using Noro Silk Garden on 4.0 mm needles. I started with an I-cord cast on, which EZ suggests as an option. I've never tried this cast on before; I like it. It gives the mitten a finished look. I'll have to remember this cast on. (See the end of this post for the how-to.)


EZ (Elizabeth Zimmermann, for those unfamiliar with her) suggests just snipping the yarn where you want the thumb, but in case I decide to frog these (and, yes, I might), I used waste yarn instead. Here, you can see that I've started to pull out the waste yarn, after threading the thumb stitches onto more waste yarn. Why? So I can try this mitten on for thumb placement/cuff length and to see how I like the look and feel.




And the prognosis? Well, first off, again I find the mitten on the snug side. That's alright for the cuff, but not for the hand. Secondly, I have a feeling that the base of the thumb will not be the most comfortable. Can you see how the stitches are stretched apart? I'm afraid the corners of the thumb, especially the outer corner, will become a stress point, making it a touch uncomfortable. One thing I know about myself is that any little thing that causes any kind of irritation will cause me to throw a garment to the other side of the room and never wear it again (I'm the same with scratchy labels in clothes).

*Big sigh* I'm afraid this mitten is destined for the frog pond. Back to the drawing board.

The I-cord cast on... basically, all you do is knit an I-cord. The number of rows in your I-cord should be the same as the number of stitches required for your cast on (in the case of the mittens above, that would be 48 rows). Finish off the I-cord and, with your working yarn, pick up and knit the required stitches from the I-cord. Once your project is complete, sew the ends of the I-cord together. Simple, clean, finished.

I've been thinking...

So, if you’ve been reading this blog lately, you’ll know that I’m into mittens and gloves right now. In looking at and trying out different patterns, something’s caused me to wonder. Thumbs.

In particular, thumb gussets. I know about peasant thumbs, almost like an afterthought thumb, which has no increases for the thumb. Basically, they’re like a buttonhole, usually on the palm side of the hand. Stitches are put onto waste yarn at the place where the thumb will be, and the same number of stitches are cast on and the rest of the mitten is worked. This is one thumb I’m not particularly fond of because I think there would be way too much stress on both sides of the thumb opening. I know about the standard thumb gusset, with it’s increases every third round or, sometimes, every other round. Once you have the required number of stitches for the thumb, they’re put on to waste yarn and picked up later when the rest of the mitten or glove is finished.

Lately, though, quite a few of the patterns I’ve perused have a different kind of thumb gusset, one that I’ve not knit before. They’re increased every round until the required number of thumb stitches have been worked. Then, the mitten is knit upwards until the whole mitten is at the right length for the thumb opening. That’s when the thumb stitches are removed to waste yarn. From there, the mittens are worked the same as those with other types of thumb gussets.

Also, thumb gusset placement isn’t uniform on all patterns. Some, like the basic mittens and gloves in Ann Budd’s book “Handy Book of Patterns” are what are known as ‘sore thumbs’; in other words, they stick out like a… well, you know. In other patterns, the thumb is offset towards the palm by a few stitches.

I’d post pictures of all these different thumb gussets, but I haven’t knit all of them. What’s your experience in mitten or glove knitting? Which methods of thumb gusset, or lack thereof, have you tried? What’s your favourite, or preferred, thumb gusset and thumb placement?

That reminds me… Interweave Knits had an article in it’s Winter 2003 issue on thumb gussets. It includes descriptions of the basic, wide, palm and asymmetric gussets. What I’m talking about here are variations on the basic gusset.

Talk to me.

I'm Stoked!

Yesterday being the lovely, sunny, crisp day that it was, John and I went for a walk. On our way back to the apartment, I insisted that we stop in at the used book store just up the street.

I like to drop in there now and then, just to see what they've got in the way of knitting books. I was not disappointed this time. There, on the shelf, in pristine condition, was a copy of Alice Starmore's "Book of Fair Isle Knitting". This book has been on my wish list since I borrowed it from the library last year. The marked price was $9.95, but when I brought it to the till to pay for it, I was informed that all crafting books were 30% off. I got this book for about $7.00! It was only after I'd paid for it that I let the clerk know that I'd seen this book online, through Amazon.com, for up to $120. I'd say I got a deal, wouldn't you?

I can see more fairisle knitting in my future.

Now, I leave you with a picture of Trinity with her new baby brother, while I get to my knitting.