Knittingupastorm: September 2005

Friday, September 30, 2005

I am working on a felted bag using size 8mm needles, and man, my left hand is killing me. Did I stop knitting? Oh God no, so I gave the continental knitting method a try. I can do it now (aftermany failed attempts) and my left hand doesn't hurt as much, but now my right hand is hurting more than my left hand ever did.

I just can't win. On a good note, I can knit continantal. I can't purl, I am working in the round and I only need to knit. The bag is almost done. Wow, maybe I am faster knitting continental , or maybe it is because I'm using 8mm needles. Naw - I'm knitting faster.

I'd show you a picture, but I didn't take one and how wants to see a plain old bag before it is felted. Maybe I'll show you on Monday. Maybe. If I can't it done.

Family stuff - my wonderful nephew is one year old today and the parents are having a birthday party tomorrow for him. Yeah. I bought him one of these. Not from that company, but you get the idea. Both my girls have one and I love giving them. Fantastic gift.

Have a good weekend folks.

posted by Lisa @ 9:06 a.m.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Don't you love when most of the clothing you are wearing is made by you?

Today I am wearing:

This

and

This

and

This

Just thought I would share.

posted by Lisa @ 11:37 a.m.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

I have finished knitting the vest! Yee Haw. The next step is to block the sucker. But I can't do that until I get my blocking board and fabric back from a friend.

So I thought I would work on the Flower Basket Shawl to celebrate the finish of a great project. And guess what? I screwed it up, so the whole thing (3 or 7 repeats) was ripped off this morning. Crap.

I now have nothing on the needles. Not much to finish up. And a whole bunch of knits on the list that I don't feel like starting for one reason or another. Must be PMS. Lets blame it on that.

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 10:58 a.m.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Remember when I said I hate knitting fair isle? I've changed my mind. Maybe it is due to the fact that I only have 28 rows over 19 stitches left to complete. It is getting easier, and the I'm actually memorizing the pattern. I guess it is not such a huge feat considering I've done it, oh I don't know, a gazillion times. Blocking, seaming and neck and arm holes' ribbing and then, I will have a finished vest.

Just in time, as Toronto weather has changed quite a bit. Our weather has gone from 34 degrees down to 20. Freaky. Good news is, I actually wore my ribby cardi for the first time today. It was lovely. I believe I'll knit another one of these cardigan, but I will make it longer and ribbed all over.

I am also wearing my broadripple socks. They are stretching quite a bit, so with the other two balls of Tess Designs I plan to make socks with, I'll take that into consideration. Nonetheless, they are like wearing clouds on my feet.

Going to Brenda's house tonight for the weekly SnB and I'm bringing the vest to finish and sew in the ends. By the end of the week, there will be another FO in the house.

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 12:24 p.m.

Monday, September 26, 2005

THRUM MITTENS ARE DONE.

Two birthday parties in one day, what the hell was I thinking? By mid afternoon I was dead tired. Thankfully the 2nd party of the day was with family. Maddie was so good - she loved her parties. Both of them - did I mention I threw two parties? Oh yeah, I did. But it was worth it - it is all done now. Now I just have to put away all of those freaking gifts. On to knitting.

The thrummed mittens made their way home with Christine yesterday:

Click here for the picture. Freaking blogger is giving me a hard time inserting the picture.

She loves them. One is a bit wider than the other, but that is what you get when you knit them 6 months apart. Christine understands and loves them nonetheless.
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BTW - I can not believe how much my friend resembles Alison from the blueblog. It is uncanny. Am I nuts?
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The vest is at the part where I separate the neckline. This is great, as I only need to work the fair isle over 24 stitches vs. 68. So I should have a finished vest soon. And then what next? I will start the poncho kit I recently bought from Shelridge Farm. It is a smaller project that I will get alot of use of in the fall/winter time. I have decided to plan my next knits a bit better, so that when I am finished, I can wear it immediately. This also gives me incentive to only work on one project at a time.

Oh yeah - my stash count is now at 241 balls. I would like to get this number down to under 200, but have not set a target date yet. I'll have to plan my knits a bit better, as it appears the next ones on the list, really only decrease the number by a few balls each. To get the number to a more respectable level, I will need to add a sweater or two to the list.

What did I do with it all? I gave all the crap yarn to my daughters' day care to make crafts. I hated seeing all the crap sitting there - and now it has found a great home. Not to knit with, but for the little kiddies crafty endeavors.

Thats all for now folks.

posted by Lisa @ 10:09 a.m.

Friday, September 23, 2005

I said I would never knit anything with thrums again. I don't like knitting with them, pain in the ass, and so on. But, yes, there is a but - I only have the thumb to finish on the 2nd mitt - and I will have so much yarn and roving left over it would be a shame to let it sit in the stash. With the left over, I will knit my one year old nephew a pair. How much work is involved to knit a one year old a pair of mitts anyway? Not much. I'll use up the left over, he will have a very warm pair of mitts and best of all, his mom will not have to worry whether he has warm enough mitts on.

I have a daily knitting schedule - in the morning I knit a few rows on the Flower Basket Shawl (this morning I knit 6 rows - taking the total of repeats completed to 2 out of 7), during the morning and evening commutes I knit on the vest and at night I knit on the thrummed mittens. There are days I feel I am not getting anywhere close to finishing any of the three, but today, I feel the end is near.

Once these three projects are off the needles - I'm concentrating on one project at a time. I've said it before, and I never seem to be able to keep my hands of starting another knit, but I am sticking to it. Why? I want to loose 10 pounds and can't work out if all my spare time is spent knitting.

I understand 10 pounds doesn't seem like alot, but if I don't start now, it will be harder, and I might have more to loose than just the 10 pounds. Now that I have documented my plan, I have no other choice but to stick with it.

I won't be posting this weekend because I'll be a cleaning machine on Saturday to prepare for Maddie's party and hosting her party for her friends and family on Sunday.

Have a great weekend.

posted by Lisa @ 10:01 a.m.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Last night was curriculum night at the girl's school. The school had a BBQ for the parents and kids. Once dinner is over, we get to discuss how the kids are doing with the teachers.

I must have been in a time warp last night as the things coming out of the mouths of the teachers, I really thought they were talking about me.

First talk was held with Maddie's teacher:

ME: "How is Maddie in class?"

TEACHER: " She is adjusting just fine, except I have to remind her often to remain seated, and to talk lower"

ME: "OH, I see, we have to to do the same thing at home"

TEACHER: "Don't worry, she will get it"

Now I am thinking, I'm 34 years old, I am still loud and find it hard to remain seated for long periods of time. I just smiled at the teacher with that knowing look - yeah, she'll get, and thinking all along - I highly doubt she will, but if you want to delude yourself, go ahead lady.

Next stop - Julianna's teacher:

ME: "How is she doing in class?"

TEACHER: "She is just fine, ahead of the game, at this point I don't have worries about her learning ability"

ME: "Okay"

TEACHER: "But if she would just stop talking, she could accomplish alot more than she does"

ME: "Don't worry, she will get it"

I hardly shut up! And yes, I could accomplish more if I would stop talking. I know this, and one day Julianna will too.

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After putting the kids to bed, like a good little girl, I picked up the thrummed mitten. Yep - I did. Worked about 12 rounds, so I'm well on my way. It really isn't that bad, now that I am on the hand section, and only need to work straight up. It would be fabulous if I could finish them to give them to Christine on Sunday.

I will try, but on Sunday, we scheduled a kid and family birthday party for Maddie. One starting at 12pm til 3pm, then a family one starting at 4pm. So with all the prep and cleaning I need to do, I might not have time to knit at all.

I'll keep my fingers crossed I'll have a bit of time.

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 9:36 a.m.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Happy 4th Birthday Maddie!

Today is my younger daughter's 4th birthday.

WOW, WOW, WOW! How the hell did the last 4 years go by so quickly? Maddie was difficult to carry as she moved almost every second of the day. The labour went quickly and was extremely painful. She is an outgoing, loud, funny little girl. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! She is giving, thoughtful, and little things like the sight of a purple shelf that was just nailed to the wall gives her immense pleasure. She will do well in life. Everyone who meets her LOVES her. She has that kind of face.

I love you baby!

The first thing Maddie asked me this morning - "am I getting my cake?" That girl has her priorities straight!

Knitting update - here is a picture of the Flower Basket Shawl:

Not very far along, but I have not been working on it, and when I do, man am I ever slow. I am using 100% cotton I bought at the Maryland W&S Festival in May. It is so soft and very nice to knit with. For the life of me, I can not remember who I bought it from.

And the back of the vest:

I am about to start the fair isle for the front of the vest and this should go faster then the back did. It has a deep neckline, so I will work on the two fronts separately for a most of the front. Thank goodness. Maybe it will be done by the weekend? Maybe.

Have a good one!

posted by Lisa @ 8:56 a.m.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

I have finished the back of the vest! Thank God....In the end knitting the fair isle wasn't as bad as I thought. I guess hindsight really is 20/20. The front is started so I am well on my way!

Tonight my friends and I will be Stitchin' and Bitching at The Second Cup in the Beaches - if anyone one is interested in joining us, please do. It is always nice to see new faces.

Last night was spent making thrums. God I hate making thrums - and the torture doesn't stop there, I have to knit with them. What was I thinking? Way back last winter, I started a pair of thrummed mittens for my very good friend Christine. I believe she has the coldest hands I have ever touched. So I thought she would be the perfect person to receive these mittens. So I knit one and started the second. Put them away for 6 months and finally picked them up last night.

I know she'll appreciate and love them.

But man are they a bitch to knit. I really don't like knitting mitts to begin with, then throw in the prep work required for the thrums....aaahhh...let's just say, it is a good thing for Christine that I am on a finishing spree and want to get these puppies off my list.

Maybe I will bring the mitts to SnB tonight.

Maybe, just maybe.

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 11:21 a.m.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Not much knitting to report - as the vest is taking way too long to finish the freaking back. Not sure if I'll attempt fair isle in the near future. I guess it will depend if I like the finished product. Time will only tell. I have about 2" left of the back, so I guess that's not too bad. Then onto the front. Thankfully the vest has a deep neckline, so the fair isle on the front will not be as bad. Yeah, I know, what ever gets me through the day.

I am hoping to get a better picture of the Ribby Cardi, as the one that is shown below doesn't do the cardi justice. But finding the time is difficult. Work really seems to get in the way. For lack of knitting photos, here is a picture of my cat, Meeko - a.ka. Fatty:

My neighbour gave Meeko her nickname - Fatty! And you can see why. She probably doesn't appear that big here, but believe me, she must wear at least 20lbs. When we got her from the shelter 3 years ago, she was this tiny little thing, and now, well, a picture is worth a thousand words.

We finally allowed her to go outside in hopes of her shedding some pounds, but alas, I don't think she has.

Hopefully in the next few days, a better pic of the ribby and the completed back of the vest.

Have a good one.

posted by Lisa @ 9:24 a.m.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Thanks guys on all the nice comments on Kate. I love this sweater and so look forward to the cooler weather to wear it. And Brenda - yep you are right, I'm a finishing spree. I hated looking at the pile of unfinished knits.

I seamed the armpit of Sitcom Chic and sewed the button on. I also seamed one sleeve of J's cardi and knit the edges of it too. One sleeve to go and then the zipper installation and the girl will have a new cardi for fall.

Oh yeah, I finished the Ribbi Cardi in elann.com Peruvian Highland Wool -ice green/eggplant colours. I tried to get a close up of the sweater, but my girls INSISTED to be in the picture. I couldn't get rid of them. Plus I look horrible, but anyhoo, here it is:

And in other good news - I was Heather's at pixiestikz 1000th commenter! So what does that mean? Heather is sending me a prize. Wow. I NEVER win anything. Never have, but I guess there is a first time for everything.

So thanks Heather! I look forward to your little surprise.

I'm off now - to hopefully finish the back of the vest. Yeah, I know, I am dreaming in colour. I must be on a high after all my FOs.

posted by Lisa @ 8:32 a.m.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Trumpets Please

Okay, maybe trumpets aren't required. But here is Kate in her finished state. I used 4 balls of Lion Brand Wool Ease, and I love it. I hope it doesn't pill like crazy, as I hope to get alot of wear of this sweater. It looks and feels pretty darn good. I might just have to make another one.

The only change I made to this sweater - was not include the hole and button. I didn't want to have to worry about which bra to wear, therefore limiting the amount of times I can wear it.

BTW - I finished the Sitcom Chic, and half way finished sewing the zipper in the Ribby Cardi. I hope the Ribby is finished today and will have a debut for you all on the weekend.

Have a good one.

posted by Lisa @ 12:35 p.m.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Knitting Breaks

After reading Wendy's post about where and when she knits, I gave it a bit of thought as to where I would like to knit. Why can't we have mini knitting breaks at work? The smokers of the office have, what 2 smoking breaks an hour? People accept this - employees who go outside light up, and then go back to work. No questions asked. NO ONE! But if I were to go outside to knit, say one time in a day, people would be up in arms. I would be asked to stop, it doesn't look right. But not smokers. NO WAY JOSE!

The way I see it is, knitting is my stress reliever, very much like smoking is for others. I know smoking helps you relax as I took up this nasty little habit for 9 years. BTW - I quit 10 years ago, cold turkey. As you can tell, I am proud of this fact.

But alas, the work place would not understand. Such as life. Rant over.

Knitting? Well, last night I went to the Scarborough SnB. It was nice to travel 20 minutes round trip, as usually I travel 45-50 minutes to the Beach SnB. Normally it is worth it, but I had an appointment and wouldn't have enough time to knit and relax,

Only one person was there - Rochelle (blogless). She is quite nice and man, does she give new meaning to the phase - 'Knitting Up a Storm'. She was knitting a lace shawl and not looking at her hands while they were flying away. I chalk it up to the fact that she is a more experienced knitter than me. Yeah right - I need an excuse you know.

Knitting content today? You betcha - I am about to start the armhole decreases for the back piece of the vest. The fair isle section is taking WAY TOO FREAKING LONG. I'm knitting tightly, I have all these ends to weave in and it is taking too long. I said that already, but it is pissing me off.

I have to say though, when I look at it, the more I like/love it, so I am going to keep plugging along.

If it is not too hot in the house tonight, I'll throw Kate on and give her a debut tomorrow.

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 3:35 p.m.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

During the day I"m knitting and during the night, I'm seaming. Heres a recap of last nights seaming adventure:

Weaved the ends in of Kate and she fits beautifully. Pictures soon.
I seamed one underarm of Sitcom Chic and will seam the other one tomorrow night.
Put the fringe on my SIL's Fleece Artist scarf

Boy, does it ever feel GREAT to actually finish some things and not have to look at the big pile of objects waiting for attention. Even thought the pile is getting smaller, I do need to turn my attention to:

J's cardi. If I dont seam this puppy soon, it will not fit the older, and have to go to the younger. Oh the shame.
Ribby Cardi - oh man. My approach to this one is completely and utterly pathethic. I finished knitting this cardi in about two weeks, and have taken over 6 months to seam and sew in the zipper. LAZY! That is what I am. I'll get to it soon as I want to wear it this fall.

Tonight? Well I'm going to a SnB I have not attended before, but I believe there are quite a few GTA Knit Bloggers who are regulars, so I am looking forward to meeting them. My current project is pattern number 25 from the Fall/05 Vogue Knitting magazine. Mine will not be as long (I am quite short), the ribbing is in black, and the fair aisle pattern will be, orange, purple and green. I have finished the back's ribbing, and started the fair aisle this morning. I'm not sure how much I will accomplish tonight as it is not the easiest of project to bring to a SnB. But we will see.

Thats it folks. Have a good one.

posted by Lisa @ 8:26 a.m.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

I'm Back

I am back from the The Waterloo Knitting Fair. My overall impression was well, just okay. It wasn't as grand as I had hoped. To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect. But all in all, the whole weekend was fan-freaking-tastic, if I do say so myself.

It started out with my girls getting their soccer trophy:

Then, Chris drove me to the fair, and while I wondered up and down the aisles he went on a 27km bike ride through the Kitchener bike trails. He was happy about his afternoon, that is for sure.

At the fair, I saw the Yarn Harlot, but didn't approach her as she was busy talking to other people and didn't want to interrupt her. Maybe I should have, but I was so tired, I couldn't think of a thing to say. Saw Laura, but she was busy working the Lettuce Knits booth - and again, couldn't think of a thing to say. My head was a bit in the clouds due to the 1 hour sleep I took in the car, and couldn't seem to shake the sleepies.

Kim and Michelle - I looked for you guys, but couldn't locate you. We will have to plan to meet another time. Kim - I think you won a door prize. The lady who was drawing names, called yours, so you might want to get in touch with them, if you have not claimed your prize yet.

I talked to a lady named Deb who was spinning at the Red Bird Knits booth, and asked her some questions regarding the spinning wheel I just purchased. She advised me to call this man who is married to the president of the Ontario Handspinning Assoctation, who will revive my wheel. So that converstaion was worth going to the fair.

As there really isn't a whole lot to do in Kitchener, Chris and I decided to drive to Niagara Falls. What a fantastic time we had. Dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe, then we slept in one of the most comfortable beds at the Sheraton, and last but not least, we had breakfast at 10:30am the next day WITHOUT the kids. They were at home with granny. Got to love grannies.

So what did I buy? I bought a poncho/capelet kit in Chocolate from Shelridge Farms. I will knit the version that is NOT off the shoulder and without that little stringie thing in the front:

And just like I said on Friday, I was going to finish the mini sweater. And I did, here's proof:

I made just a few changes to this wonderful pattern. I de-puffed the sleeves with Laura's instructions, knit the wrap around ties, and knit yarn overs for the increases. All in all, I am extremely happy with this finished object.

And the best part of our trip? Visiting the place where Chris proposed to me 8 and a half years ago - Fort George. Still happy after all these years. Yeah!

Hope your weekend was as grand as mine.

posted by Lisa @ 5:44 p.m.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Shh! She's Finishing Things.

Yep that's right. I'm on a finishing role.

I will not start anything new until the following are completed:

1. Seam Kate. I seamed the raglins last night, neckband tonight, sleeves and body on Sunday.

2. Finish mini sweater by end of Saturday. This is achievable.

3. Figure out how to sew the rectangle to make a mobius. Why I can't get how to do it, is beyond me. I'll ask Chris (my husband) to figure it out. When? by end of Sunday. Yeah, okay, I live in colour, but it is a good place to be.

Those are my goals for this weekend. Let's hope I can do it. The cooler weather is coming to Toronto shortly, and I want to be prepared for it. I have three sweaters in the queue to be completed. It may have taken 8 months to finish these puppies, but on the bright side of things, when I put the finishing touches on them, I'm ahead of the game for fall 2005.

Please don't mention I intended to finish and wear them last winter. I got distracted with other projects, you know how it goes. Not an excuse, just telling the story as it is.

Oh crap. I just remembered. I have to finish the 2nd thrummed mitten for my friend before winter is upon us. Crap and double crap. Well, that will be next - after the seaming party.

Have a good weekend folks.

posted by Lisa @ 8:46 a.m.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Pics!

My girls on their first day of school:

Let's hope the great smile you see here continues through to the end of the school year. One can only hope.

And the 3 OSWs. The black one is J's, the green one is mine, and the purple one is M's. The girls wore them to school today and I'm crossing my fingers they come back home.

My mini sweater, (glampyre.knits pattern) ala Laura is almost complete. I just need to knit the ties. I'm using Debbie Bliss Cotton Demin Aran and it is a joy to knit. I've tried it on, pre ties, and I think this one might be a winner. If I'm ambitious, it could be done tonight. If not, I have a long drive to Kitchener on Saturday for THE WATERLOO COUNTY KNITTERS' FAIR. For sure I'll have enought time to complete it

I am bringing my wheel to the fair with the hopes of buying the missing parts. Once it is put together, I'll just have to figure out how to use it.

Have a great one!

posted by Lisa @ 10:10 a.m.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Thanks for the warm welcome back. After such a long break, I actually enjoy blogging again. As you can see, I did not finish that many projects, so there wasn't much to blog about. And since this is a knitting blog - if there isn't any knitting - why blog?

I forgot to include the 3 OSWs I finished. There is one for me, J and M. I'll take a picture soon. They are quick and easy to finish, but I am not sure if they are that comfortable. It kind of sneaks up your armpit and feels like a big ball of yarn squeezed up in there. My body temperature tends to be on the hot side as it is, so anything extra under the pits makes me hotter. So usually half way through the day the thing comes off. And the relief I feel is indescribable. Mine maybe made out of cotton, but it will be a winter item. The half is half full theory? I am head of the game for winter knits!

Other news? My oldest started grade 1, and my younger daughter started JK today. Pictures tomorrow of the two cuties. I am so proud of the two of them. They walked into their respective classes with confidence exuded from them. Yeah girls!

Have a good one folks.

posted by Lisa @ 10:20 a.m.

About Me

Knitting Up A Storm!

THRUM MITTENS ARE DONE.

Happy 4th Birthday Maddie!

Trumpets Please

Knitting Breaks

I'm Back

Shh! She's Finishing Things.

Pics!