After Eight

2009-05-01T22:35:00.005-06:00

I just can't get enough of this fiber and spinning craze I'm in at the moment. I do admit that it is a craze at the moment because I think about it most of my non-busy time. I love looking at other spinner's yarns that they have made as well as unspun fiber hand dyed by such creative and talented people.

I've had the opportunity to spin different dyer's fibers and have made myself a member in a few fiber clubs.

First club which I'm very excited to be in for a second round is the Pigeonroof Studios fiber club.

Here are a couple of skeins of yarn I've made with PRS fiber.

Pigeonroof Studios March Fiber Club Colourway.
"Cherry Fondant"
116 yards from 4 oz BFL
8 wpi, 3 ply

Pigeonroof Studios
"Depth Charge"
80/20 Merino/Silk 4.2 oz
14 wpi, 306 yards

Sesonal Spinning

2009-02-16T19:12:00.002-07:00

Well, this is more wishing this was seasonal...

Beautiful BFL dyed by Poppy Flower Fibers in "Green Thumb" colourway. I've done this in a 2 ply and got 166 yards in a worsted weight from 4 oz of fiber.

Now this one is definitely seasonal...
More BFL in "Cherry Bomb" from Poppy Flower Fibers. I've done this in a 2 ply and got 390 yard in a heavy fingering weight from 4 oz of fiber.

More spinning

2009-02-15T15:11:00.004-07:00

These are a couple more braids of fibre I've spun up:

This Merino is another one dyed by Poppy Flower Fibers and named "Harvest Collection #14"

I love the variation of purples in this. This is a 2ply. I haven’t counted the yardage yet but it looks to be a dk-worsted weight.

I've plied the last little bit of singles with some plain white merino.

This one is 4 oz of Merino called "Puff" and dyed by Squoosh.

I 2 plied this one as well.

And I've spun up the last of the singles with some plain white merino.

a needed break and a not needed break

2009-02-12T11:06:00.004-07:00

In January I used up some of my Lieu time for a vacation to Ontario. I stayed with my sister and her family in their new house they just finished building. They did a great job on everything. Lovely kitchen, family friendly, and lots of room for company! I can't wait to go back! I really needed that time off as work was getting to me and I was feeling run down. I also had one more week of Vacation time to use up before the end of February and so now I'm on a manditory vacation. - Not needed. I had actually requested to use my time off in January as vacation time but I had too much lieu time built up that they wanted me to use that for it instead. Now they find out that all unused vacation time needs to be used before the end of February so that's what I'm on now. Oh well, I'm getting lots of time in with my wheel and some knitting projects are so close to being done. I'm feeling quite productive.

Here is some fiber I recently spun up:

This is called "Fraises" and it's superwash Merino/Tencel 50/50 from Squoosh Fibers and Yarn. I did a 2ply and ended up with 350 yards.

This one below is 50/50 merino/soysilk dyed by Pigeonroof Studios. I love this one so much! It's called "Morrocco" and I did this in a 2ply and got 288 yards. I had to spin it up as soon as I got it in the mail and didn't get a photo of the fiber unspun.

Three plying

2008-12-11T21:10:00.006-07:00

Thank you everyone for your kind comments on my spinning. I love seeing everyone elses yarns too both on their blogs and on Ravelry.

3ply handspun merino fibre from All Spun Up.
6 oz.
284 yards -about a worsted weight.

I really enjoyed spinning this one especially when I plied them together.
So, I'm thinking about making a scarf knitting it lengthwise.

More improvement

2008-12-04T23:56:00.004-07:00

This is my favourite one so far. Love Love LOVE!

This is handdyed by Squoosh Fiber and Yarns
4 oz Merino
Colourway is "Choco Love"
324 yards 2ply.

Of Course It's Green!

2008-11-22T16:52:00.004-07:00

The Merino top is 4 oz and is dyed by Poppy Flower Fibers. The colour is called "Harvest Collection #16. It's around a fingering weight and I got about 480 yards out of it.

I'm extremely happy with this one!

So, I've made some yarn...

2008-11-18T22:04:00.004-07:00

So this is my first go at it. It's BFL in the Natural colour. It was so soft! As you can see, it was all over the place but it taught me a lot.

This is my second attempt with the same fibre. So much better! I was really encouraged with this go at it. In these photos you can see the improvement I've made.

Well, more improvement has taken place since and you'll see it soon!

Now I Can Make It Myself!

2008-11-11T14:31:00.004-07:00

I have joined many other knitters who spin their own yarn. I purchased a Lendrum Double Treadle Spinning Wheel in October. I've been admiring the beautiful handspun yarns on other people's blogs and also on Ravelry for a couple of years and knew that it would be something I'd want to try at least. I saved up and got it from a shop just 30 minutes from where I live. So, I've been having lots of fun with it and of course the fibre part of it all is great too... all the colours are just wonderful.

SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Green Vesticle

2008-11-01T15:27:00.005-06:00

I was asked back in April by a friend to make a vest for her. So I when she was over one night I brought out all my pattern books and magazines and we went through many of them looking for a suitable vest. She earmarked a few of the ones that she liked but none that really "got" her. So I logged on to Ravelry and we had another browse there.

She settled on the Cambridge Vest.

Pattern: Cambridge Vest by Martin Storey
From: Rowan Classic Alpaca Book 13
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in Herb 3.5 skeins
Needles: 3.5mm & 3.75mm

I've used this yarn before and loved it. I love the different flecks of colour especially the two colours of blue in this colourway along with black and white.

A Rare Gift For A Baby

2008-10-27T21:48:00.008-06:00

I rarely knit gifts for children. There are a few reasons why I don't: kids grow fast and soon outgrow whatever I've made, parents don't know how to wash hand-knitted items and they tend to shrink or felt over time, I don't always know the exact size the child is and fear that the item may not fit, and lastly, I fear that the gift really isn't appreciated to my expectations (purely selfish on my part but hey, I put a lot of effort into my knitting).

All that said, I knitted a pair of booties and a sweater for my boss's baby girl back in June.

These are Saartje's Booties and there are well over 3200 pairs out there. They used about half of a skein of Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe. Very cute!

And very quick!

Pattern: Child's Placket-Neck Pullover by Joelle Hoverson (Last-Minute Knitted Gifts)
Yarn: Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe 2.5 skeins
Needles: 4.5mm
Size: 6 - 12 months
Recipient: J. L. B.

So I got the reaction that I had hoped for from not only the parents but also everyone in attendance at the little girl's baby shower. Which may change my mind about knitting for children.

Tree Jacket

2008-09-19T19:21:00.004-06:00

The next completed project I have to show is my very green Tree Jacket.

I loved working with the Malabrigo Merino Worsted. So soft!

Pattern: Tree Jacket by Zepher girls Sarah and Rachel
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Verdes
Needles: Addi Turbos in size 5mm
Size: xs 4.25 hanks used
Time to knit: February - April 2008

This is another favourite. Very comfortable to wear and warm. Of course the yarn pills a bit but I can live with that. These photos were taken before the sweater was blocked. After blocking the collar folded down and it now lays quite nicely. I think I increased the length in the body and in the sleeves. I tried not to take out the biasing in the body during the blocking -I kind of like it sideways.

I think I would knit this again... Malabrigo is great and I would use it again but I would also use Dream in Color Classy in maybe a blue.

Finished Fay

2008-09-15T23:49:00.002-06:00

The next completed item that I will show you is my Fay. It took me a little over a year to finish but I found that in the beginning of it I found it really hard to keep focused on the pattern. Until I reached that "I've got to get this done already" point I really didn't get it. After a couple of pattern repeats it all made sense and I really didn't need that pattern to create the fabric... only the decreasing and increasing.

Pattern: FAY by Kim Hargreaves "New Beginnings"
Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Soft in "Marine" 4.8 balls
Size: XS
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.25mm
Time: March 2007 - April 2008
You can find the pattern on www.kimhargreaves.com

I love this sweater. Really love it. I put a lot of hard work into it and it looks impressive. The impressive factor is important of course, sometimes that is the only thing that keeps the knitting happening.

It looks great with a collared shirt underneath, I haven't tried anything else with it yet. I wanted the yarn to be in the same colour the model is wearing on the website but it was discontinued and Kim didn't have any left so I opted for the navy (which I do love) and then I did find 10 balls in "Goblin" from another source so I got them too. I Love my greens! I'll probably use it to make another lacy sweater. I have lots anyways.

Still Here

2008-09-14T20:47:00.006-06:00

So , I'm still here. I've been reading other people's blogs a lot lately... knitting blogs and more recently spinning blogs. And I don't know why but I have the need to start blogging myself again. Ravelry IS great but I'm finding that it really isn't satisfying the need of updating my thoughts on my projects and logging my thoughts on future projects. As well as commenting and linking to other's projects. When Ravelry happened I thought "Great, this will be easier and better and I won't have to spend that extra time writing a post, uploading pictures and replying to comments etc. etc.

There is a need for Ravelry and I do Love It but there really is no limit with blogging. I could post about quilting and show all the quilts I have in my home, or write about my obsession with hand-dyed roving and other's hand-spun yarns. Wow! I'm so inspired! And then seeing the hand-spun then hand-knit into beautiful socks, mitts, shawls, sweaters and cowls! It's all so wonderful!

So, here are some finished projects that have come about since my absence last year. Let's see if I can remember how to do this...

Central Park Hoodie

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky in Knitscene Fall 2006
Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed 6 skeins
Size: 32
Needle Sizes: 4mm, 5mm
Time: June 2007 - October 2007

I love this cardigan! LOVE IT! It fits just right, the yarn is hard-wearing so I don't feel like I have to treat it with too much care. I love the colour... even though I was going for the green like the pattern.

I am knitting another one for my mom and I will be adding buttons and a button band to hers. This is what hers looks like so far:

For hers I'm using Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran in a fabulous purple with fushia tweediness in it. I really love this one too but I know she'll like it more. Besides, I could always knit another.

So that's it for now, next I'll show you my finished Cherish cropped cardigan. To those who are still subscribed to After Eight, thank you and sorry for neglecting it. And to those who have popped in every now and then or have come here by means of surfing, glad you made it and I hope to keep things active if not interesting.

Thanks,
jen

Finished Knitting Blogging

2007-10-15T20:59:00.000-06:00

Hello, I've been away for quite a while. I have been knitting though... Here are some finished projects:

Central Park Hoodie
Tahki Donegal Tweed 5.5 Skeins

Alisha's Irish Hiking Scarf
Malabrigo Worsted 2 Skeins

Pictures will be coming soon. I'm having trouble uploading them right now. If you are on ravelry you can check out all my knits. I'm "jen8"

The race begins!

2007-07-08T21:53:00.001-06:00

So, I've joined the Tour de France KAL. It will be fun... I got into watching the race thanks to Jason and like following the cyclists on the tour. I'm going to knit my sock pal's socks. Yes, I know I've already posted about my pal's sock. I decided against them as my pal's feet are longer than what I'm used to kniting for and I feared that there may not be enough yarn for a nice length on the leg. I bought some nice sock yarn with more than 400 yards in it.

This is my first attempt at trying out a pattern. Turned out too tight and I wasnt having fun with it. I think it looks great though. Just not a great knit for me.

Here is my second attempt. I worried again that it would be too tight and I guess I just wasn't keen on the striping going on.

So, I found a pattern that I think will work out alright. And I really hope she likes it cause this is my last and final attempt. That's not a bad attitude now is it?

Jarrett is done!

2007-06-14T12:56:00.000-06:00

Pattern: Jarrett by Kim Hargreaves from "Vintage Style"
Yarn: Rowanspun DK in Mouse 6.5 skeins (I think) for size 38
Needles: Addi Turbos 3.75mm, 4mm and 3.25mm for patches
Mods: None.
Started: August 2006
Finished: June 2007

I'm so glad it's done. I blocked it before Jason tried it on and I stretched the sleeves a bit too much. I'll have to remember that when I wash it again.

The buttons are great! At first they looked like petrified wood but I think they are some kind of horn. You never really know what they will look like until they are on the garment. I was afraid that they would be too large but I think they are perfect.

Here are some others that inspired me:
Aren't they all just wonderful?

Jarrett is on his way...

2007-06-13T01:42:00.000-06:00

I am still here. Just busy -and then not so busy -but without a camera so no posting (boring without the pictures). So I got promoted at work and am very pleased, very happy, and it's what I've wanted for a long time! Jason and a couple of my kids are in Ontario and have been for about a week so I've had a lot of time to knit and get some house things done and spend time with Sebastian. Tonight I finished seaming Jarrett! All the ends are even woven in! Too bad the camera isn't here. I'm going to wait to block it until Jason has had a chance to try it on and then if I need to block it to a certain length or width I can do that then. I'll take a picture and post it before I do the blocking though. I'm so GLAD to have that one done. I thing it has been one year exaclty since he picked out the yarn with me. Pretty sad.

Slowly but Surely

2007-05-16T22:14:00.000-06:00

Look at my lovely Fay...

In this shot she's blocking nicely.... I've started on the sleeves and will probably want to get the seams of the front and back sewn up sooner than later.

Laura B got it right. They are the Madder Rib socks (Vintage Socks - Nancy Bush). And Pixie, they very well could be the Nova Scotia colour way. I would have knit my pal a pair of Monkeys but she already has a pair. Oops, a little hint!

My Pal's Socks

2007-05-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

Well, along with the other one thousand plus knitters, I joined this years Sockapalooza 4. I'm very excited about it all and already have a good start on my pal's sock.

I already had this yarn and was planning on socks for myself... I figured that my Pal would enjoy this yarn too. It's Fleece Artist 100% Washable Merin Wool. I tried to find the colour name or number on the band but there's nothing.

It's a nice mossy green with a marine blue through it. Lots of depth.

Can anyone guess which pattern it is?

April UFO Resurrection

2007-04-30T21:15:00.000-06:00

No photos today... You wouldn't see much of a difference. Except that I have COMPLETED (!) the back of Fay. I have started the front and have done the bottom lace detail, the waist decreases and am increasing from the waist shaping. I'm enjoying this pattern and Rowan 4-ply Soft is great to knit with. Unfortunatly, I still have more than half of the front and two entire full-length sleeves.

Jarrett is still on the side lines....

Baby Knits Planning

2007-04-12T20:02:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to say that my little sister had her second baby at the beginning of this month. Her first boy and he is such a cutie! So I'm planning some baby knits for my little nephew Owen. I won't be out to see them until August at the earliest so I've got lots of time and he's got some growing to do too. Anything I'll make him will be for a size 12 months anyway so he will have room to grow. I have a feeling he'll fit a 12 month size before his first birthday.

I bought this Debbie Bliss Book when I first learned to knit in 1994. It has a lot of cute patterns and I'm SO glad I hung on to it after all this time.

This is the yarn I'm thinking of using. The Grey should be quite familliar to those who have visited my blog before. It's Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK in "Mouse". I'm quite confident that I'll have lots left over from Jason's cardigan. The other one is the same yarn in "Drizzle". Love it! I bought this yarn for myself and would like to make something fitted similar to Salina. I could totally do another Salina. So I may have enough of this left over to do a little something for Owen.

This is the pattern I've wanted to knit ever since I bought this book. In fact, this is the pattern that I bought the book for. The book really has a lot of neat patterns and covers a larger range of sizes... 1 yr to 10 yrs. You don't find a lot of patterns for 7 to 10 year olds.

So what do you think? Mouse or Drizzle? Liz? How about Mouse?

Old to Me, New to You!

2007-04-05T13:55:00.000-06:00

Here's a sock that I made last year. I can't remember when I started it... probably in the summer. I finished it in September I think. This sock does have a mate I just haven't taken a picture of the pair.

The yarn is Lorna's Laces "Mixed Berries" and I love it. Reminds me of the Super Man colours.

They are a bit roomy for my liking but they are very comfortable and warm... I usually put them on after a long day at work after comming off City Transit and walking home. I need to warm my feet up.

Update on Jarrett....
The first sleeve is too baggy. The second sleeve I fear may be too tight but I believe in my heart that it can be blocked out. My verdict is to rip out both and knit them cuff up and flat as the pattern told me to. But they are going to have to wait while I digest this change of mind. Jason is happy that the sleeves will match and that they will both fit so he is giving me my time away from this project without mentioning Jarrett... for a while.

UFOs -March Update

2007-03-31T20:27:00.000-06:00

Well here it is the end of March. It's been quiet around here this month huh? Well that's okay... I've been a bit busier than usual. I do have some progress pictures on Jarrett though.

Sleeve number one is done. I had to rework the decreases because the original pattern is for cuff-up, knit-flat. But the length is perfect.

I even managed to start sleeve number two. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Jarrett is comming along nicely!

The Green Month

2007-03-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

It supposed to be Green right? St. Patrick's Day is a couple weeks off. I have always loved the colour green... when I was 6 and 7 years old I remember that green was my colour. I had an outfit that was green -green pants, white blouse with green flowers, the best part of it all, a green vest to match the pants. I loved the outfit so much I'm sure I wore it a couple times a week. Probably even two days in a row (I was a kid and didn't care... and really, I still don't)! Of course then my "favourite" colours turned to pink and mauve and then to baby blue. In highschool it was navy. Now I'm lovin the green again. And when given a choice between the yellow, blue, green and pink cup, Sebastian chooses the green one too.

The sweater fits him perfectly... which means that next year it will be too small. But hey, you know what I thought? Since it's knit from the top down including sleeves, I can always add a couple inches to the length when needed. Probelm solved. Not that there was a problem. I still am going to add that hood so you'll see a FO soon. Just in time for St. Patty's.

Shy Sebastian... So cute!

UFOs -February Update

2007-02-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that today is the last day of February. And I don't mind a bit. Winter is starting to get to me. I need warmer weather. So here is what I have done to turn my UFOs into FOs.

I guess I would say that I doubled the size of Fay this month. I knit enough on it to not have to constantly be looking over at the pattern for every row so it's getting faster. I'm still loving it but just don't get to spend a lot of time with it.

And here is Jarrett. Still looking like he did last month... but I knit 1 row on the sleeve last night. I had Jason try it on just to make sure that we chose the right size to knit and make sure there is enough room in the arm holes. Everything seems fine so I feel I can continue on.

That's what the hold up was with it. I just wanted it to fit well. I wasn't sure about it for a while so I didn't want to go any further just to end up having to rip it all out --or never be worn.

So we'll see how busy March is and that will determine how much progress will be made on these two beauties.

Camo Cast On

2007-02-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since I have been making some excellent progress on Fay, I allowed myself to start a pull-over for Sebastian.
The pattern is the Child's Tunic from Knitting Pure and Simple and I am making the size 2-4. This is my first top down sweater and I am very impressed. I see more of these in my future!

Love this yarn! It's Artyarns Supermerino in "Green Multi" 131. I'm not sure if I'll have enough yarn for the hood... I'm planning on going to the Knit Night tonight at my LYS and could pick up another skein along with the new Interweave Knits Magazine.

UFOs

2007-01-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Before January ends I should update what I have done for my UFO Resurrection 2007. Here is lovely Jarrett...

The last time you saw Jarrett he was only a back. between that time and December he had grown front panels and then the growing had stopped. Mostly because I wasn't sure how I wanted to tackle the sleaves. I had an uneasy time with inserting Salina's sleaves and wanted Jarrett's to be better. I ended up short-rowwing them in and so far am happy with the results. Now I just have to figure out the decreases.

I have also been slowly working on Archernar

It's a great pattern and I was able to take it along to the Tuesday Knit Night at Make1 and not have to rip anything out.

Finally, I have made slight progress on Fay.

I love this sweater but I need dedicated and uninterupted knit time with it. I finished about 10 rows the other night... but honestly it's just been sitting there since I don't know when. Actually, I do... ever since Jarrett was cast on for. Hopefully soon I can finish up Jarrett and get moving on Fay.

Freshen for 2007

2007-01-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Nevermind my sad attempt at a title for this post.

These are some of the boxing week bargans I came home with last week. I need a fresh new colour to knit with in between working on hubby's Jarrett. I LOVE this blue! Love it! Especially after all that red and green we all dealt with. A nice fresh New Year Blue.

It's turning into a scarf... not that it's needed at the moment with this warmer than usual winter. It's going to be nice and soft. Thanks to Yvonne at cogknition for the pattern for Achernar!

My So Called Scarf

2006-12-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Love this Scarf!! I used one skein of Malabrigo and I have to say that this is the softest scarf most will ever feel. I could have made it a little longer but the person who will recieve this has a little one and a little one on the way.. last thing she needs to get strangled by it.

Pattern: My So Called Scarf free pattern from Sheep In the City found here.
Yarn: Malabrigo 1 skein
Needles: 8 mm straight Areos
Recipient: My Sister! Merry Christmas!!

Salina

2006-12-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

At long last, I made time to download these pictures of my finished Salina to my computer. I love this sweater! I've been wearing it out more than I thought I would and it just so happens that it is very comfortable!! I've done almost all my Christmas shopping in this sweater.

A close up on the great buttons...

Pattern: Salina by Kim Hargreaves from Rowan's Vintage Style
Yarn: Rowan's Felted Tweed in Herb (146) 5.25 balls for XS size
Needles: Addi Turbo circulars 3.25mm and 3.75mm
Mods: I increased the length of the body by 1 cm before the waist shaping as well as the sleeve length by 1 cm just before working the increases. I also sewed down the buttonhole flap at the bottom because my 5 cast on stitches seemed a little tight and pulled up a bit. I really enjoyed knitting this sweater. The felted tweed made the plain stockinette stitching interesting. And I LOVE moss stitch! I could knit this again... although, if I were, I think I would figure out how to make the arm holes not so big. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the turn out.

Warm Woolies All Around

2006-11-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

I made this ipod sweater way back in February. Jason needed something to protect his precious ipod so I volunteered my services. I used some left over Lett-Lopi from a sweater I made way back in 1995! I bought a skein of Atacama varigated 100% alpaca yarn to stripe it. He loves it. So do I.

Blankies for Babies

2006-11-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

I'm really REALLY slow at getting gifts out. I really don't know what my problem is but I know that I inherited this trait from my mom. It's really awful... I have good intentions but some how I have set backs when it comes to following through. Our next door neighbours had a baby near the end of September and I'm just getting around to gifting them. When I had our baby a year ago, she made us a blanket and a snow suit for her. In return, I'm knitting a little hat and sewing a quilt. The hat is just about finished and I got the quilt top done last week on my days off.

This quilt is mostly purples and greens. All the blocks are pinwheel blocks. I just need to put a border on and then I'll back it with flannel and bind it with flannel. To quilt it I may stitch in the ditch or stitch 1/4 in from the block seams. I'll see what I feel like doing.

This next quilt top was put together the same night as the purple and green one and it is for friends of ours that had their first baby in August. I've already gifted them with a hat identical to the one above. This quilt is made up of pinwheels and square in a square blocks. I'll do the same and use flannel to back it and bind it.

With the cold snap Calgary has been having, these babes I'm sure could use the extra warmth. Daytime temps of -29C with a windchill factor making it close to -40C. Exposed flesh freezes in 2 minutes.

Erin's Cardigan

2006-11-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Pattern: 28b. Blouson from Phildar's Pitchoun ete collection 2006
Size: 6 years
Yarn: Phildar Aviso in Campanule (7 balls) et Blanc (3 balls)
Needles: 4mm & 4.5mm Addi Turbos

I finished this cardigan a while ago... maybe in early October. She was able to wear it for her school pictures. I enlisted my mother to sew in the zipper and 4 broken needles later it was in. Thanks Mom! One little difficulty that I (we) had was getting the zipper in. The side trim is very thick and the sewing machine didn't like going through all that knitted fabric. But it fits her and she likes it a lot.

Salina is Seamed!

2006-11-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

I finished seaming Salina last night while watching TV. I really had to think about how to sew on the cuffs on the sleeves because they are ment to be folded up. I got the first sleeve on okay but I guess my brain was a little preoccupied when I was pinning the other cuff to the sleeve and I ended up having the seam on the inside of the sleeve. So this morning I was back at it and got it put on the right way.

I bought these buttons a while back for Salina. I found them at WalMart. Unfortunately, Calgary does not have a great selection of retailers who sell great buttons. When I went to visit my family in Ontario one of the things to do on my list was to go to Ottawa Street in Hamilton to pick out some buttons for my husband's Jarrett. I found some great ones made of petrified wood! They did cost a little bit but he really likes them. So do I. I'll post a picture of them next time. These are my buttons.

I love how they blend with the different colours of the felted tweed. Speaking of felted tweed.... it sure does smell like a barn in my basement! The sweater is blocking right now. Fortunately, we have some nicer, warmer weather and I can air out the house.

Let's just get Real Here...

2006-10-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm definitely NOT going to make my goal I set in my previous post. Working this past weekend really sucked everything out of me and I really didn't do much after eight. Oh well, I guess I have something to take with me to Ontario to work on while I'm chillin' at the Folk's place.

I'll amuse you with this little quiz I took. My results are actully quite amusing as I graduated from the Funeral Director and Embalmer Program. Heh heh. Yep. That's right.

action=take&quiz_id=1589>What Disney Ride Are You?

The Haunted Mansion

You're probably dead...at least on the inside. You're the Haunted Mansion!!

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Salina

2006-10-26T14:48:00.000-06:00

I have been working on Salina from Vintage Style off and on since March. Not really being in a rush to get it done, it was worked on slowly when I needed something else to do for a while. I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed in Herb and I'm doing the XS size with a few modifications.

As you might be able to see, I'm knitting both sleeves at the same time. I am lengthening them a touch and want them to end up being the same. So to avoid any error, and to get them done seemingly 'quicker' they are both on the needles.

My goal now is to have it done in time for my trip to see my family on the first of next month -just under a week away and I'll be working four of those days. We'll see if I can manage it! I love a challenge.

Yay Me!!!

2006-10-22T19:40:00.000-06:00

Here but not Here

2006-09-21T12:48:00.000-06:00

I will not be posting for a while as I am preparing to write my board exams in about a month from now. No Knitting = No Blogging. (Well I shouldn't be anyways.) After this month long study break I may have to make one of these.

Kendra's Daisies

2006-09-04T22:36:00.000-06:00

This is my 2 year old Niece in her new jumper. As you can see, she has lots of room to grow in it over the fall, winter, and spring.

New Sweater for School

2006-09-04T19:50:00.000-06:00

This is my daughters sweater that I'm trying to finish in the next couple of weeks or so. Hopefully not too much longer than that. Work is keeping me quite busy lately and home life is going to start getting busier with school starting again so I'm really hoping that she can wear it before fall is over. We picked out this pattern from Phildar's Pitchoun ete 2006 magazine. The yarn is Phildar Aviso which is 60% cotton/40% Acrylic. It's a pretty thick yarn and reminds me of fat noodles you can get in Asian cuisine. Also, it's so soft. So far, no complaints about it. I love the colour she picked out too.

This is the front of the cardigan. I just have to find a zipper for it and of course seam it all up and weave in all the ends.

All the many little pieces... so much sewing to do...

Jarrett

2006-08-13T19:05:00.000-06:00

My husband, Jason, is wanting a new cardigan for the fall. He's pretty picky about clothing. I wouldn't dare get him anything without consulting him first he's so picky. I showed him the Jarrett Cardigan from Rowan's "Vintage Style" back in the end of Winter and it didn't really do much for him then. Then I showed him Brooklyn Tweed's Jarrett and he really liked it. We went to the yarn store and picked out some Rowanspun DK in Mouse and it turned out to be pretty reasonable for Rowan.

So this is the back and is about 5cm from being completed. So far so good. Jason is happy... so I'm happy. Rowanspun is considerably soft even though it's 100% wool. I think the colour name is perfect for it too.

In other knitting news, I heard back from my sister and she and my niece both love the little jumper. Yay! When I get a picture I'll post it.

A Jumper For a 2 Year Old

2006-08-01T09:41:00.000-06:00

Finally! I finished this late last night after talking with my sister. All I had to do was put the last pocket on. Not a diffficult thing to do but I didn't enjoy putting the first one on. But now it's done and on a plane to Ontario and soon to be worn my my niece. I used Elann's Den-M-Nit again for this one and I really love the way it looks. It was washed and dried before being put together and the yarn is nice and soft now. It also looks more like the denim it should be after the wash. Lovely. I had a hard time giving this one up but I had no one to wear it here so there was no point keeping it. It was made for the niece anyways.

Blue Daisy

2006-07-17T21:36:00.000-06:00

So here's a sneak peak of a birthday knit for a soon-to-be 2 year old niece. All that is left to do on this is a button loop and sewing these daisies on the main body.

I'm finding joy in knitting kids clothes. They are quick and usually easy and for the most part colourful. I have a hooded jacket on the needles for my daughter. It's from Phildar's Pitchoun ete collection and is just about done. All that is left is the hem on the hood and the front and sewing up the many pieces. I need to take pictures of it to post here.
Stay tuned!

Bomber Cardi

2006-07-15T18:17:00.000-06:00

15 balls of elann's Den-M-Nit in ecru can make one of these...

The "Bomber" cardi found in Rowan's Denim People by Kim Hargreaves.

I made this cardigan for my lovely sister for her birthday. It was the first knit I have made after about a 6 year break. I had forgotten how theraputic knitting is. I'm in love again.

Elann's substitute yarn worked wonderfully and I got perfect guage which is always encouraging. I washed, dried and blocked this knit and I am so pleased with the results. I was only taught how to knit on a pair of mittens before I moved away from my teacher, so I learned the rest on my own. I didn't know about blocking back then but I see how it really can make the difference between a "homemade" sweater and a "hand-crafted" sweater. So, it's a success. My sister has already worn it and she says it's a good fit.

Next post I'll show you something I made for my niece (my sister's daughter) once again featuring Den-M-Nit in Navy.

New Beginnings

2006-07-14T23:14:00.000-06:00

I thought I would start a blog to journal my progress as a knitter and to document what I have done and where I would like to go. Now that I am done school, I feel that I can spend some of the little time that I have to do this. If you find yourself here, I invite you to leave a comment and enjoy your reading visit.