Knitting and Spinning and Crochet…OH MY!!

I have been busy this week…..

Lewis' Coat

Knitting Lewis a new coat for the cold since he outgrew his old one.  This pattern is from the I Can’t Believe I’m Knitting book I bought many years ago.  It’s interesting, I’ve actually learned some new things I didn’t know how to do before.  It’s actually a really fast pattern…I only started it on Friday and it’s now Monday afternoon, and I’m already at the shaping section, should be done later this week!

Merino spund on Spindle

100% wool from Wellinton Fibres

I finished spinning the Merino on Friday and started the wool on Saturday…I plan to ply them together to make “Blue CandyCanes” to use for a special project…not sure what yet though.

Sydney's Puff

Cody's Puff

I’ve got Cody and Sydney’s shower puffs done for Christmas, I just have do finish Mia’s and make one for Ethan and Ryan…they’re really super easy to make!!

Star for Guild Ornament Exchange

The KW Knitter’s Guild is having an ornament exchange at the next meeting on Dec 8.  You take a handmade ornament and you get a ticket…then they call the number on the ticket and you get to pick one to take home.  These little stars are really fast to make and it works out nice since I’m using scraps to make them.  The one in the picture I made with a 4.5mm hook, but I think I’m going to make them with a 5mm hook from now on, they seem to be really squished.

Laptop Bag!

I finished a project today!!!

As I type my laptop bag is drying after being felted.  I can’t wait for it to be dry so that I can start using it.

Spinning on a Spindle

If you remember a post or so before this, my friend Johanna gave me a spindle for my birthday.  I’m playing with it and I really really like it.

My Spindle

I thought that this blog would be a good place for me to keep record of my spindle’s details…cause we all know that I’m gonna eventually loose the little taggy.

Compact Deluxe Spindle form Edward’s Spindle Shop

Whorl: Tulip Rosewood, Shaft: Hickory, Weight: 36.5g/1.29oz

Woodturned by:

Edward Tubachek, Winnipeg MB, tabachek@mts.net, www.mts.net/~tabachek

You’ll see there is a little bit of spun fiber, yarn actually, on the spindle, that’s my first real try at spinning and I’ll do another blog post about it when I’m done playing with it.

For now, I’m off to play with my spindle some more….

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

My awesome knitting buddies had a surprise birthday party for me on Sunday.  My birthday was yesterday, Nov 9.  Anyway it was so cool, but I was so pre-occupied with the big furry dog (that might just be a relative of a polar bear) and spinning and bread and fruit and cake, that I forgot to take pictures.  BUT I did take pictures when I got home of all the lovely presents I got.  I truly feel spoiled because everything I was given was stuff that I never would have bought for myself.  Are you ready to be bombarded with pictures??  Here we go:

All my lovelies!

From Anne!

Bernat Black…it’s Sooooo soft! (From Anne)

KnitPicks yarn such a pretty colour (from Anne)

KnitPicks…I wonder if it’s enough for socks? (from Anne)

Sock yarn! Now I have enough for Knee-Highs (From Anne)

Cascade 220 Heathers (from Anne)

I forget what this is, but it’s SOFT (from Anne)

From Lindsey (KniftyKnitter Hat Loom too YAY!)

Handspun/Handyed yarn-Fuzzy Navel (Made BY Lindsey!)

Roving called Stormy Seas (Made BY Lindsey)

Close up…I LOVE this roving soooooo soft (From Lindsey)

From Johanna

Roving samples (awesome!), Project bag (woohoo) and a spindle (SO COOL!) From Johanna

There will certainly be more pictures of these lovelies in use, but that all for now!

Yarnie Gifts!

 

My Birthday is on Monday.  I’m gonna be 30.  Yep, 30, the big 3-0!  Kinda not looking forward to it.  Seems that the grey hairs are popping up a little faster then they used to.  Anyway, here’s hoping for a good day on Monday and a happy and healthy year to come!

Hungarian wool and needle stash

 

My Grandparents brought back these lovlies from Hungary for me.  The colourful yarn is acrylic sock yarn and I have enough to make a pair of knee-high socks or 2 pairs of regular socks.  The blue yarn is 100% Merino and I have 15 – 100grm balls.  I think most of it’s going to be a shawl and the rest is still going to be another pair of socks.  The needles and cable you see are actually Tunisian Crochet hooks with interchangeable cables.  I love them, they’re so pretty and nice to work with.

 

Birthday Present from Belgium

This little package came from Belgium.  I joined a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) group on Ravelry and a very kind lady name Sarie sent this too me for my birthday.  The silver coins are white chocolate, the gold coins are milk chocolate and of course the little do-dads are stitch markers.  I like them, I only have one fancy one like that so it was nice to get them.

 

Knitting to Remember

October 27 was the 6 year anniversary of my Dad’s passing.  Definitely not an easy day to deal with.  February 3 will be 1 year that my step-dad, Mick, passed away….another hard one.  I HAD to do something this year…something to remember them by.

About a month ago, I remembered that I had read about prayer shawls and how you pray for the person you are making it for, while you are knitting.  What a wonderful idea that is.  But I didn’t need to pray FOR my Dad and Mick, but I needed to remember them and pray for myself and my mom and sister, and the others left behind.

As some of you know, Forget Me Nots are my favorite flower, so I decided to make the Forget Me Not Shawl by Elann.  I have some beautiful Hemp Wool that I’m using.  It’s pale blue with white flecks, and almost looks like faded blue jeans.  It’s also really soft.

If you look at the pattern, you’ll notice that it’s actually rated as an intermediate pattern but I’m plugging away and I’m actually ahead of schedule.  Yes, I made a schedule showing how far I have to get each day to make sure that I finish it on time.

Anyhow, here is how far I’ve gotten so far…this is the end of Row 28, first repeat!

Nerve-wracking Knitting

Have you ever sat down to cast on for a new project and known it was going to be easy and almost brain-less?  I aboslutely LOVE projects like those.  Those are the ones that you take in the car, or to craft group, or the ones you work on while you’re watching TV.

I got an order for 24 dishcloths the other day.  Awesome, right?  Right, because dishcloths are my easy and almost brain-less project that I love to do.  I’ve gotten 5 done, not bad considering I’ve been sick, eh?  Anyway, yesterday I was working on number 5, and I’m about halfway through it, when I realize that there is not nearly as much yarn left in the ball as there should be.  I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the cloth with only this single ball of cotton.

That’s when it become Nerve-Wracking Knitting.  Every row you get closer and closer to being done, but on the other hand, as every row passes you also have less and less yarn left.

Normally, using 6mm needles and making a dishcloth that is about 9 1/2 inches square, I have about this much yarn left at the end.

Left over yarn...about the size of my palm

This time, as I’m getting closer and closer to the end…I’m thinking there is no way that I’m going to have enough to finish.  And I HATE joining new yarn when I’m so close to the end.  So, what did I do?  I kept on knitting, and praying that I wouldn’t run out.

Lo and behold, I did have enough, but just barely.

Finished dishcloth with about 1yard of left over yarn

Now, projects like these are kinda fun since it’s exciting to see if you actually WILL have enough yarn, but they also drive me bonkers because you don’t know if you’re going to run out!

Anyway…here’s to some easy almost brain-less knitting!

2009 Woodstock Fleece Festival

Me and Lindsey went out the first ever Fleece Festival in Woodstock yesterday.  It was a beautiful day to drive and we saw some neat stuff.

Right side of room when you walked it.

On the Right side there, you can actually see the Shall We Knit booth!!  Lin and Karen were there too!

Left side of room when you walk in

Now, my review and opinions are based on the fact that I am everything BUT a spinner.  This was a fair mostly for spinners.  There were some pretty yarns, many that I would have bought if they didn’t scare me so much (read: if they weren’t laceweight and looked thinner then dental floss).  There was lots of fluff there (which Lindsey has taught me is actually called Roving, which for any body who doesn’t know is the stuff that Spinners use to make the actual yarn), and all kinds of different spinning devices…wheels and spindles and even a thing that you just swing around with your hand!  That was neat to watch.

There were some woolly animals outside too…unfortunately, the alpacas (I think they were alpacas) were kinda freaking out because of all the people…but they were still cute!

White Alpaca

Black Alpaca

Another bunny

Bunnies

Goat

BaaBaa black sheep!

I did buy one skein of yarn…very pretty (though the picture does NOT do it justice) and very neat, it’s actually 2% silver (combined with 63% SW Merino, 20% silk and 15% nylon).  I bought it from the SheepStrings Yarn Art Studio booth, though the actual spinner wasn’t able to be there.

Like I said this was the first year for this festival and I think it was meant mostly for Spinners, so there is no way you can compare it to the KW Knitter’s Fair.  I would like to return next year to see how it’s grown and possibly gotten better…and you never know…next year I might be a spinner too!

The Sweater is DONE!

I can’t believe it’s finally done!! I started it May 28, 2009 and I finished it yesterday, Oct 13!  Four and a half months to do it.  And with the last sleeve, I really put the hammer down.  I started working on the last part of the sleeve Friday night, and that’s all I worked on until I finished it last night at 7:30pm, which happens to have been exactly 24hours before I needed it to be done!

Why did I need it done at a certain time, you ask??  Because….last month I went to my first ever KW Knitters’ Guild meeting.  I found they have a part at the end, where members can go up and show what they have made that they are proud of.  So I told Anne (the Guild VP) and Suzanne (I forget what she does in the Guild, but I know it’s important) that by the next meeting, I would be done this sweater and go up and show it off!  That next meeting is tonight, at 7:30pm!  I’m done the sweater and I can show it off.

Now, in the process of finishing the sweater, it has also changed owners.  It DOES fit me…but I can’t breath when it on, and I really like breathing…and Mia really liked the sweater….soooo it has become Mia’s, except on her it’s a dress and not a sweater!

So without further ado….here’s a picture!

The Finished Sweater-Dress!

You’ll notice that in this picture the LifeLines are still in, but Mia just really really wanted to try it on so I let her….I’ll try to get better pictures if I can, but you get the idea…

Here’s to finishing projects that you never thought would end!

Christmas Knitting

I’m such a procrastinator….I always wait until the last minute to start working on things.  I have a list of Christmas Knitting for people, but I know there is NO way I’m going to get it all done, especially since some of it has to be mail to Newfoundland.  That means that I would have to have it done mid-November to get it there in time!! NOT happening.

Mom ~ red Two Needle Slippers, knitted blue roses

Charly ~ Winter Hat and Wavy Lace Scarf

Ryan ~ Two Needles Slippers, Winter Hat and Sweater

Ma ~ Chunky Blanket

Aunt Phenie ~ Wavy Lace Scarf

Aunt June ~ April Lacey Scarf

Cody ~ Scarf

Ethan ~ Orange slippers, probably using the Two Needle Slipper pattern also

Mia ~ Hat

Sydney ~ Poncho

As I start getting the projects started/done, I will post actual pictures because I know some of you are not members of Ravelry.  Some of them, I’m not too worried if I get done for Christmas, like my Grandma’s blanket or Cody’s hat.

After these projects are all done, I also have some baby knitting to do.  Our friends are having a baby in March and I want to make them some pretty things for the arrival.