riizu.blogspot.com

I'm moving…

2009-01-05T12:16:00.004-05:00

… to Wordpress!

I've had this blog for about a year now, and find that I really hate how blogger handles comments. I'll be moving all of my content over to my new blog at riizu.wordpress.com, though I will leave all of my old content here as well. So, as of today, I will no longer be updating here.

Please update your bookmarks! http://riizu.wordpress.com/

Thank you all for being there for me over the last year, and I hope you will follow me over to my new location.

Happy New Year!

Heels by Number

2008-12-17T15:04:00.004-05:00

I was wandering around the internet today, and found a great new resource; Heels by Number. Basically, she's created a chart where you can find (approximately) on her chart your stitch count, and she'll tell you how many you need for your heel, for various different kinds of heels.

This is really useful if you've in the process of modifying an existing sock pattern like I am right now. Isn't it great that I just stumbled across it, right when I need it? So, using myself as an example:

I'm knitting Hedgerow Socks. The initial pattern is written for about 8-8½ inches (20-22 cm) foot circumference and about 9½ inches (24 cm) in foot length, and recommends just going up or down a needle size to get the size you want. I really hate that with socks. I really think that the drape of the material is really important, and you lose that when you start messing with gauge. With socks, I would much rather just cast on more or less stitches to get the right size. This introduces problems when you get to the shaping of the heel, not so much with the toe.

Hedgerow starts with a cast on of 66 stitches. I did my gauge swatch, measured the desired foot which has a circumference of 9 inches, and did the math to learn that I needed to cast on around 78 stitches. I had to pick a cast on that worked with the stitch pattern, which is worked over 6 stitches. After making sure 78 is divisible by 6 (it is!), I cast on and made my happy way down the leg of the sock. Since all the measurements are for length up until the heel, I didn't worry that my stitch count was so much larger than the original pattern.

Well, I'm almost to the heel and realizing that I didn't have a plan for my altered stitch count. Woops. But wait! This chart may hold the key. I think I like the look of the round heel, and that may be the way to go. If this fails, I can always fall back on the flap heel that's in the 9 to 5 sock pattern which happens to have the exact stitch count I want anyway. XP Bear with me.

I just thought that this was pretty cool, and wanted to share my find. I'll keep you all informed on the socks, since I think I might be able to start the heel today or tomorrow. Cheers!

~ Elizabeth

Transit strike, delays, new friends, and socks!

2008-12-15T14:29:00.003-05:00

First off, I need to send out an apology to PDXKniterai. We're in the middle of a transit strike right now, and so my ability to get things done is severely limited. I'm getting paid today, and so I'm hoping to be able to get your package out by Wednesday at the latest. I am so sorry!!!

In happier news, Josiane (winner number 2) met up with me on Friday. We hung out a knit-knackers for a bit, then walked to Aunt Olive's for food where I met her boyfriend and we talked about all sorts of stuff. I gave her yarn, which she's hoping to weave into a scarf for her boyfriend. It was great to meet her!

Saturday was a Christmas party, and Sunday was laundry day, so not much knitting has gotten done. I have been working on my fiancé's socks, and I'm still hopeful I'll have them done for Christmas. I’m at approximately 6 inches in length for the leg. I’m starting to think about how long these should go. I’m pretty sure I saw somewhere that the leg should be about 8.5”, but now I’ve read other suggestions saying it should be about the same length as the foot, or an inch longer. That would make an 11” (ish) long sock. Is that too long? Or should I stick to an 8.5" length sock. I really have no idea what boys prefer in terms of sock-fit.

I'm also torn about what to start next. Either, Bella Paquita, or the garter stitch jacket from fleece artist. Those of you reading since last year (lol) will remember this gorgeous yarn from my fiancé's parents. I finally feel 'strong' enough in my kitting abilities to work with this awesome yarn.

Noro virgin, finished mittens!

2008-12-08T21:51:00.003-05:00

For the first time ever, I got to knit with Noro. In this case, Noro Kureyon. It's a pretty rough wool, and I understand that most people choose it for the colours… I obviously chose it for the price. There were only two balls left in this colour, but I really do love how it knits up.

The pattern I used is Berry Hill Fingerless mittens by Liz (not me… another Liz), only I made them full mittens, rather than fingerless. I just can't think of a good reason why I would need more than one pair of fingerless gloves. Anyway, they're crazy warm, knit up in just a few days, and I really do love them.

Pattern: Berry Hill Fingerless Mittens (free pattern)
Ravelry: Berry Noro Mittens
Source: thomasinaknits.blogspot.com
Yarn: 3/4 each, two balls of Noro Kureyon
Needles: 4.5mm
Started: December 3, 2008
Finished: December 8, 2008

Finished Knitting in 2008

2008-12-05T23:48:00.000-05:00

This is a re-cap of my 2008 knitting adventures. Read the blurb, and click the image for the original post.

I knit Bubby as part of my first-ever swap experience. I had only just learned to knit in the round, and had never made anything either so small, or so complex, before. On top of that, he was a gift, and so I had to make sure he wasn't too terribly made. He did end up being a little lop-sided ;) This was my first knitted item of 2008, and he was finished on January 10th, and shipped out a few days later. Click the image for the original post.

This was a quick and simple knit. I had left-over yarn from a Christmas project, and needed to sleep in the afternoons when I have migraines. I couldn't find a free pattern that suited my needs, so I made it myself. January 18, 2008.

I knit this baby hat using left over yarn from slippers at Christmas-time. It was for a baby girl, so I added embroidered flowers. It ended up working very well! March 1, 2008.

I knit this hat with my friend, Jeannine in mind. It was supposed to be "slouchy" but I mis-judged how much yarn I needed, and it ended up being more of a cap. March 2, 2008.

I bought this yarn with nothing in mind, other than me touching it and going mmmm soft. I was going to knit the Bristol neckwarmer pattern, but ended up ignoring it completely (well, not completely…). It's a great pattern, and I would love to try it someday for real! Finished February 26, 2008.

I knit this for my niece, Emma. She was born in May of this year, and looked adorable in the dress. She doesn't even fit in it anymore, but it's been mended and is now ready for baby number two (or any other future babies). Click the image for the original post. Finished March 17, 2008.

I had some left-over yarn from my neck warmer I knit early in the year, and decided to kit some slippers for Chris. They were warm and squishy, and now live inside of his other, purchased slippers. Finished March 25, 2008.

My very first sweater! All in all, I liked the pattern, and i think it was a great sweater but I messed up on the armholes. It's also REALLY warm, as it's made out of wool (go me), and a little on the small side. So, it was a good learning experience, but will probably revert to the vest it was before I added sleeves… maybe a little longer in the ribbing on the bottom. Finished April 3, 2008.

I knit some cabled arm-warmers for my friend Anna. These were long overdue, and so were sort of an early birthday present, even though her birthday was in November. The pattern is pretty much my own, and the cable pattern is borrowed from a book even if it is a really simple one. I intentionally off-set the cables and I think they look pretty cool. Finished April 16, 2008.
Download Twisted Cabled Armwarmers Pattern:

I had some yarn left over from the arm warmers (see above) and decided to put it to good use and make my friend, Anna a lace scarf to wear with her arm warmers ^^ It's a lovely lace pattern, and it turned out nicely. Finished April 20, 2008.

I was so excited to try something with the recycled sari yarn I picked up at my LYS; Knit-knackers. (they have bunnies!) I made the Paris Loop (rav link). I figured I had enough yarn since I had purchased two skeins. I decided I wanted it to be wearable since it's so soft, and opted not to do a bag or something. Shame it's so stinky. Finished June 18, 2008.

This lace pullover was my first garment. I am so happy that I successfully churned out something that I can actually wear without looking like a crazy knitting person. I get compliments, and unless they know I knit, no one wonders if I made it. I am so happy with it. Finished June 5, 2008.

I knit these slippers for my dad at the end of June (early christmas knitting). It's hard to know if they'll fit, though his feet are only half an inch longer than mine so I can guess based on how they fit me that they should be alright. They turned out well, but they're more like socks than slippers. I need to make him a pair in a really warm and soft yarn. Finished July 7, 2008.

These took me just under 1 week to finish. They're my very first socks, and super comfortable. The pattern was pretty awesome too. Wow my toes look weird! lol Finished July 12, 2008.

Knit a headband for my friend Alex for her birthday. Finished it in just over a day, and never had a chance to take a finished picture. Maybe she'll take one for me someday. Finished July 26, 2008.

knit this neckwarmer on a whim for my friend Rin when I was home visiting. Finished August 31, 2008.

Knit Muir in a worsted weight, instead of lace. I only did 7 of the 13 repeats and made it more of a lap-blanket. Finished September 1, 2008.

Lace shawl for one of my bridesmaids. Shawl 1 of 5. Finished July 22, 2008.

Knit for the second hat attack. I assassinated my target within the first week, and was assassinated myself the following Monday. Lots of fun. Finished September 28, 2008.

A hat for my brother for Christmas. I love it. It was fast to knit, it's soft and sqooshy and warm, and I think he'll love it. Hooray! Finished September 30, 2008.

I knit these socks for my mom for Christmas. These were my very first pair of wool socks, as well as my first pair of full-length socks. I actually love how the wool feels on my feet, and want to make a pair for myself. Finished September 29, 2008.

This hat marked the beginnings of my christmas-knitting for my fiancé's familiy. It's really warm wool from knit-picks.com and is super stretchy. It'll be a great warm hat. Finished October 12, 2008.

Knit with one skein of Mirasol Hacho, and another random yarn that I now hate. It pills and it's gross. I'm considering ripping it out and doing it again with a different contrasting colour. The mirasol is awesome and they keep my wrists warm. Finished October 10, 2008.

My very first pair of gloves with fingers. I knit a picot edged pair of gloves for my mother in law to-be, and I am very excited about them. The yarn is a mix of merino wool and silk, and they're really warm and soft. I'm sure she'll love them. Finished October 18, 2008.

December Knitting List

2008-12-02T00:14:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how well this Christmas season is going for knitting. I credit you, dear bloggers! I have knit 17 gifts for Christmas, including the one in progress right now. So I present to you, my December list!

1. Gift Item: Sherbrooke Cowl (ravlink)
Recipient: Gisèle (fiancé's grandmother)
Pattern: Sherbrooke by Lauren Weinhold (free PDF download)
Occasion: Christmas 2008
Finished: Dec 1/08
Notes: This cowl went a little slower than my other knits. Maybe it was because the stitch pattern was a teensy bit boring… maybe it was because I needed a break from knitting… either way, it turned out quite nicely. Yay! One gift down, one left before christmas!

2. Gift Item: Hedgerow Man Socks (ravlink)
Recipient: Chris (fiancé)
Pattern: Hedgerow by Jane Cochran (free)
Occasion: Christmas 2008
WIP: Nov 30/08
Notes: Finished the cuffs of both socks, and got them both on the needles for two-at-a-time. Man this yarn is tiny! I love it though, very soft, I’m sure he’ll love them. I can see this stitch pattern getting a little boring, but that will make them great for a travel project. I’m already a good couple inches into the legs.

Once those items are all done, I'll get to start working on birthday and wedding knitting for 2009!

3. Gift Item: Gloves or mittens
Recipient: Joel (brother)
Pattern: Ken Gloves or Tweedy Mittens
Occasion: Birthday
Due date: Jan 7/09
Notes: To go with his hat

4. Gift Item: Undecided
Recipient: Auntie Julie
Pattern: …
Occasion: Awesomeness
Due date: Feb 7/09

5. Gift Item: Lace knitting
Recipient: One of my bridesmaids: Lise, Rin, Ve, or Elsa
Pattern: undecided
Occasion: Wedding
Due date: September 2009
Notes: I would like to start one of these in December

Other gifts I'm thinking about:

Joel and Chantelle — Wedding Gift / May
Dad — Birthday / June
Auntie Julie and Auntie Linda — Thank you gift / September
Holly — Thank you gift / September
Fran, Pete and Blip — Thank you gift / September
Mom — Thank you gift and Birthday gift / September

Contest Closed: and the prize goes to!…

2008-12-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

Contest Closed!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered my Blogoversary contest in November. I had no idea there were so many of you out there! Your comments helped me get through my push to finish Christmas-knitting (only two gifts to go!), and I really appreciated everyone's help trying to decide what to knit for myself next (Bella Paquita).

On with the results! My final entry count as of last night, midnight, was 203 comments. Way to go everyone! I never expected the number to go so high. So, I've decided to draw TWO names, instead of one. I'm going to my LYS tomorrow to pick up something special for the second prize winner.

I took all of the entries from my spreadsheet and had random.org list them (randomly) for me in a numbered list. Then I had random.org select two integers between 0 and 203. Here are the results.

The first prize winner is Entry 63, and the second prize winner is Entry 15.

PDXKnitterati has won two skeins of Mirasol Yarn Hacho in Peacock Ripple 302. Congratulations!

Josiane has won a special something too. Congratulations!

If you could both email me your addresses and any allergies/health concerns, I'll send out your packages this week. My email address is aldron at gmail dot com.

mmmm granola…

2008-11-29T11:45:00.002-05:00

I made granola yesterday, and it turned out awesome! It's way better than the last batch I made. Not a sweet so it doesn't feel like I'm eating candy. It's really more of a cereal but I like it that way. Mods: I omitted raisins because I'm not a fan of them, sunflower oil instead of canola oil, Flax seed instead of sesame seed, dried apples for the fruit, and a smidge of sweetened coconut with the unsweetened stuff.

It's delicious, and you can find the recipe here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=390

In knitting news, I started a cowl for my fiancé last night. It's white which is a little scary for me. I'm always afraid I'm going to get it dirty before I even give to her.

Oh, and I have a question for you folks; If you ask your significant other to give you their foot for measuring, do you think they'll guess that you're making them socks?

Me: Give me your foot
Him: Why?
Me: Just give me your foot!
Him: (gives me his foot) You're making me socks aren't you?
Me: No! (In a sarcastic tone) No, I'm not making you socks! Goddammit! lol
Him: Riiiight… It's kind of obvious…
Me: Dammit! I'm not making you socks!

*sigh* I lost didn't I? Happy Saturday everyone, one more day in the contest!

Friday Fill-In #100

2008-11-28T21:56:00.002-05:00

Keep the comments coming! Only 2 more days until the contests is closed. Thank you so much to everyone who has entered!

1. My stomach is full of yummy granola.
2. Cookies are what I ate the most of on Thursday.
3. The yard doesn't exist.
4. With loved ones is where I'd rather be at any given time.
5. The smell of grass reminds me of home.
6. Knitting is what I need right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working on a christmas gift, tomorrow my plans include going to see one of my favourite bands, Ukrania, and Sunday, I want to bake bread!

Knittings Tips, Magazines and another FO

2008-11-26T13:19:00.007-05:00

I finished a hat for me yesterday! It's made from a crazy chunky yarn that Ikkleknitter (ravlink) gave me at the knit-night on Tuesday. It knit up really fast, and was the perfect thing for a bit of hat-improvisation. I didn't have a pattern, I just sort of did it. This is a new thing for me; knitting without a pattern. It can be a lot of fun, if you're not adverse to a bit of ripping. I love it, and I can't wait for it to get colder so I can wear it!

*****

I found some great tutorials over at Math4Knitters; how to do the duplicate stitch over different kinds of knitting. She has tutorials (with photos!) on how to do it with Stockinette, Garter Stitch, and Ribbing. I know this might be old news to most of you, but I was really struggling with how to do it with ribbing. Now I know :)

Whenever I find some useful bit of information, I stick in my side bar under "Knitting Techniques". Check it out! There's some really great tips there.

*****

Look what came in the mail today! Interweave Knits: Winter 2008.

Sometimes I'm lukewarm when it comes to some Interweave Knits issues, but not so with this one. There's lots I like about this issue!

I'm really excited about Blooming Cardigan, even if it does look like it's in need of some waist shaping. Personally, I don't think a sweater should call for BOTH buttons and a sash, but that's just me.

But that's not all for cardigans. There's also Ropes and Picots Cardigan and Marilyn's Bedjacket!

I am in love with Anne Kuo Lukito's Pfeiffer Falls Hooded Scarf. It's a scarf, a hood, and even has pockets! This one looks like a lot of fun ^__^

I've been eyeing Climbing Vines for awhile now, and I'm so happy it's in this issue!

But I think I'm even more likely to knit something as simple as the Dainty Pinstripes Pullover. Which really looks very pretty.

I'm not big on vests or pullovers with close necks, and there's also a pattern for some cabled pillow covers that look pretty nice. I had heard early on some criticism for this issue, but I'm pretty excited about it.

More finished knitting!

2008-11-25T23:23:00.003-05:00

There have been two FO's since I last posted. I finished a scarf for my fiancé's brother, and also a pair of mittens for myself. The scarf took awhile, since it was knit the long way. I knit it using the Gulp pattern (free) by Donyale Grant. Yarn was: Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed and Knit Picks Imagination Hand Painted Sock Yarn in Frog Prince. (rav link)

I also decided I needed mittens now that it's getting cold and my fingers need protection. I was at the LYS on Saturday and picked up some Mirasol Sulka to make some mittens. I did some embroidery on top so I could be sure to know which glove goes on which hand. This an improvised pattern.

There are still 5 more days left in the blogiversary contest! You have until Sunday at Midnight to get your comments in. Thank you so much for all of the support everyone!

Pre-Weekend Update

2008-11-21T17:07:00.001-05:00

I love how quickly I am getting through all of these gifts. I finished a cowl on Tuesday night for my fiancé's aunt (who I'm pretty sure doesn't read this XP) that turned out great. The pattern is the Quickie Cowl by Fawn Pea. The pattern is available for free on her website, and through ravelry. My ravelry project page is here. I loved this pattern. It was a quick as promised, knit flat and seamed (I did a 3-needle bind off because I'm lazy). It was easy to memorize and turned out really nice.

I just have to say that all of the comments have really helped me to keep up with the blogging, as well as the knitting. Not only that, but all of you that I've found your blogs, I have now started following you! Thank you for broadening my blogosphere :) We're at 145 entries. Keep 'em coming! I have a shout-out to Dogmommy4: Arbor is available for free here: http://indigomouse.net/?p=82

The next project will be a scarf for my FBIL to match the hat I knit for his birthday last week. The plan is to knit the Gulp Scarf by Donyale Grant. The pattern is available for free through her blog, as well as a free PDF download on ravelry. My project page is here (where you can see the yarn!) Oh, alright. Here is the yarn I'm using. Isn't it pretty?

I really should learn to read patterns before I start them. This scarf is knit the long way, not the short way. ((sigh)) This scarf has a confusing way of describing something as simple as dropped stitches, and it would have helped to clarify that before starting. ((sigh)) This scarf requires that you cast on 250 stitches. 250!!!!! ((sigh)) Overall, I still like how it’s turning out, but felt I should register that I’m annoyed with myself for not reading ahead.

I also finally managed to get some photos of the hat I knit for my fiancé back in October. I never thought I would want him out of the apartment so badly! I'm really happy with how it turned out too. Please ignore my spaced out look, I was having trouble getting a good angle on the hat lol. Pattern is loosely based on the Fibonacci pea cap (free pattern)

1. The last band I saw live was Ukrania!
2. What I looked forward to most on Thanksgiving was getting our apartment mostly unpacked, finally, after 6 months of living with boxes! (Thanksgiving is in October for Canadians)
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is not applicable? I'm knitting for Christmas this year.
4. Thoughts of tea fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear corn based knits.
6. Bagpipes can be awesome.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Rin arriving from Toronto, tomorrow my plans include brunch, the LYS and a knitterly afternoon and Sunday, I want to make pancakes!

Zig Zag Cowl FO

2008-11-16T23:29:00.003-05:00

First I have to say how AMAZING all the comments have been. We are up to 137 entries. Keep 'em coming! You can enter up until November 30th. You were asking about my FO of the day? lol here ya go!

Alpaca/Bamboo Cowl (ravlink)
Recipient: It's a secret! Shh! (though I don't think she reads this blog)
Pattern: Zig Zag Cowl by Mandy Powers (free)
Occasion: Birthday December 1st
Finished: Nov 16/08
Notes: I started the Gemma Beret pattern first, but got so frustrated with how the pattern was written, and with how it was turning out, that I gave up and started this cowl instead.

I do have a minor complaint with the pattern though. When it tells you to cast on, it really should tell you to do a provisional cast on. I know there are people out there who hate prov. cast ons, but isn’t picking up stitches for a picot hem EVEN WORSE? Anyway, it was a really quick knit, and I love how it turned out.

ETA: I took a few more pics last night! See it in action :)

Another contest, at another blog

2008-11-14T10:20:00.003-05:00

In case you're confused, the contest is still ongoing, so keep up with the comments. So far we have over 100 entries! Holy cow guys! But enough about me…

Georgi is having a 'just because' contest on her blog: To Knit and Write. To enter, comment on that post telling her your favourite yarn and your favourite project. For extra entries, comment on other posts on her blog, and link to the contest for another entry. You also get another entry for each person who sends you her way. First prize will go to she/he with the most comments, while second and third will be found via the random number generator. Good luck!

Birthday Toque in order

2008-11-13T23:44:00.001-05:00

So I'm crazy and I decided I needed to knit a hat for my FBIL for his birthday. Um… his birthday is tomorrow! **headdesk**. The wool arrived YESTERDAY, and I just cast off now. I'm going to be weaving in ends on the car ride over, but it's DONE. Gah. I don't know what possessed me… I'm fast at hats but now my hands hurt lol I think I need a break from hats. I know it looks tiny, but it stretches a lot, soo it fits, promise ^_~

Gift Item: Wool Toque (ravlink)
Recipient: Mike (Fiancé's Brother)
Pattern: Hat Fit For a Boyfriend/relative? (free)
Occasion: Birthday
Finished: Nov 13/08

Wow, decision made!

2008-11-13T09:52:00.011-05:00

Wow guys, thank you so much for your input! Here are the votes:

1. Wicked (Worsted Weight Version)

First choice votes: 4
Total votes: 8

2. Opulent Raglan

First choice votes: 2
Total votes: 4

3. Bella Paquita WINNER! With a total of 16 votes, 8 of them first pick.

4. Sweater with Wide Collar

No votes

5. Textured Tunic with Side Buttons

No votes

6. Cropped Sweater

First choice votes: 0
Total votes: 1

7. Central Park Hoodie

First choice votes: 4
Total votes: 8

8. Sweater w/round yoke (by rebecca)

First choice votes: 0
Total votes: 6

Now if I were to go with total vote, I would end up knitting Bella Paquita, hands down. Even if I go with first votes, it still wins lol I guess it was only a difficult choice for me! You guys rock! Once I'm finished my christmas knitting, this will be the first thing on the needles for me. Thanks!

Last night my knit picks order arrived, which is great news, because now I can start on a new project. Tomorrow night is my fiancé's brother's birthday part (sssh! It's a secret!) and I had wanted to knit him a hat for a gift. I was getting really worried that the yarn wouldn't arrive in time, but it did. I've been knitting like mad, and this is my progress so far. Please excuse the crappy camera phone quality.

I need your help

2008-11-11T11:14:00.003-05:00

In October, I won the quarterly challenge prize through the (AWESOME) knit all year community blog that I'm part of. Part of what I won was 10 balls of some lovely merino from WEBS. I have been trying to decide what to make with it, and I think a sweater is in order, but I need help deciding what to make. Here's where you come in :)

I'm going to list the patterns that I'm thinking of, and I'll number them to make it easy. Just post a comment of your top 2 or 3 (in order) and I'll tally the votes and see if it will help me make a decision. OH, and I guess it's just a bonus that these comments are eligible for entries in my contest for November. All of these patterns I either own already, are free, or I don't mind purchasing, so don't let that be a factor.

Thank you so much to all of my readers, I had no idea there were so many of you out there. Happy knitting!

1. Wicked (Worsted Weight Version)

2. Opulent Raglan

3. Bella Paquita

4. Sweater with Wide Collar

5. Textured Tunic with Side Buttons

6. Cropped Sweater

7. Central Park Hoodie

8. Sweater w/round yoke (by rebecca)

I am on FIRE!

2008-11-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

I ordered this yarn through my LYS, Knit-knackers, a few weeks ago. Originally I had planned to reverse the colours for the original pattern; a blue hat, with brown fair isle. When the yarn arrived in the store, only the blue had come in. I really didn't want to wait, so instead, I used white for the colour work. I love how it turned out, and I love the tassels.

My only real change to the original pattern was to knit it in the round, instead of flat. I also decided to use both yarn colours in the tassels, instead of just the blue. This hat took no time at all. A real quick knit!

Gift Item: Fair isle Tassel Hat (ravlink)
Recipient: Kim (Fiancé's Sister)
Pattern: Emma Hat by Louisa Harding (not free)
Source: BOOK — Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding
Occasion: Christmas
Finished: Nov 9/08

Emergency Birthday knitting

2008-11-08T09:02:00.003-05:00

My friend, Anna's birthday was last weekend, and a whole bunch of us are getting together tonight to celebrate. Being the knitter I am, I decided I wanted to knit her something. I bought some variegated yarn and tried to make a cowl, and I hated it. So I made a hat with it instead, and I really don't like how it turned out. Back to the yarn store I go, and I picked up some Louet Gems Chunky on sale and spent the last two days making a pair of mittens. ^_^ Love these! I'm sure she'll like them.

Everyone is doing well with the contest~! Thanks so much for the support everyone :)

1. My blueprint for success includes positive thinking.
2. Wintergreen Lifesavers was the last candy I ate.
3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is some brand that start with an 'N' lol
4. Pie can be good therapy.
5. I'd like to tell you about my emotional problems, but that would be boring, so I tell you about my knitting instead :)
6. p is my strongest characteristic.
7. And as for the weekend, last night I looked forward to a knit night, today my plans include celebrating Anna's birthday and Sunday, I want to relax!

Finished Christmas Present!

2008-11-04T23:51:00.003-05:00

I finished another Christmas item recently, and finally got around to uploading the pics to ravelry. Don't forget to check out my comment contest for the month of November! You can comment on ANY POST in November for entries ^_^

I started a pair of socks earlier in the week, but realized too late that I didn't have enough yarn to finish them. I did that thing that knitters do where they pretend that there's no problem and just keep on knitting. *sigh* I have come to my senses, ripped it out, and started again with a toe-up pattern. I also had the sense to divide the ball in half, so I would be sure to use the right amount. I'll probably get a nice pair of shorty socks. I'm much happier with the progress I'm getting now anyway.

1. Gift Item: Picot Mittens (ravlink) — Rollover
Recipient: Anik (Fiancé's SIL)
Pattern: Picot Edged Mittens by Carolyn (free pattern)
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: Dec 25/08
Finished: Oct 26/08
Notes: These were actually finished in October, but I finally got the buttons in the mail (which I purchased from pinksupply's shop on Etsy), and sewed them on. Yay!

Blogiversary Contest!!!

2008-11-01T08:21:00.008-04:00

Blogiversary Contest!!!

About a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to knit. It went badly, but I loved it, and decided to keep going. Last November, while scouring the web for free patterns, I discovered the wonderful online knitting community of blogs and forums. Everyone is so enthusiastic, and I wanted in on the fun. Last November I started my blog. It was around the same time I joined ravelry, and around the time when knitting took over my life.

In thanks to the love and support from all my readers and knitters everywhere, I'm hosting a contest for the month of November 2008. For every comment in November, I will put your name in a draw for a prize.

The Rules:
Comment on any posts in November (as many as you want).
Link back to my contest on your blog for an extra entry.

THE PRIZE!

Mirasol Yarn Hacho

I will probably add more to the package than just yarn, but the yarn itself is lovely to work with. Let the contest begin!

mittens progress

2008-10-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

2 days until the contest!

PSA: If you are family do not read this post!!!

I finished my very first pair of gloves with fingers. I knit a picot edged pair of gloves for my mother in law to-be, and I'm very excited about them. The yarn is a mix of merino wool and silk, and they're really warm and soft. I'm sure she'll love them. Christmas knitting has been plugging along. I've made it really far down my list, and think that I can get a few more done yet before Christmas.

I already have knits done for my parents, my brother and his fiancée, my niece Emma, and my future father-in-law. I'm working on a secret project for my fiancé and have so far been able to keep it a secret from him, and would love to make a pair of mittens for his brother and his brother's wife. A pair of mittens for me wouldn't hurt either.

As of last night, I finished my goals for October.

October Wrap Up:

1. Gift Item: Llama Striped Hat for my brother, Joel (ravlink)
Pattern: Turn A Square Hat by Jared Flood (free pattern)
Progress: I finished this hat in record time. I think I started it on the last day of September, and it was done by the following evening. COMPLETED Oct 1

2. Gift Item: Baby Jacket for my new niece, Emma (ravlink)
Pattern: Buttons Hat and Jacket from Naturally Yarns
Progress: The jacket went surprisingly quickly, and the hat too. I had to wait a few weeks for the buttons to arrive, but once they did, they were adorable! COMPLETED Oct 13

3. Gift Item: Simple Hat for my FFIL, Gerry (ravlink)
Pattern: Jacques Cousteau Hat by Typy (free pattern)
Progress: Another really quick-knit. The yarn is from knit picks, and it's a big, warm hat. I know he'll love it. COMPLETED Oct 12

4. Gift Item: Embroidered Gloves for my FFMIL, Diane (ravlink)
Pattern: Cashmere Picot Edged Gloves by Insaknitty (direct PDF download link)
Progress: These took longer than the others. The picot edging on the first glove took forever but once I figured out the picot, I was much happier. after the edging, they went quickly enough. doing the fingers were a lot of fun, since I'd never done them before, and I learned some embroidery!

5. Gift Item: Striped Hat for my Fiancé, Chris (ravlink)
Pattern: Fibonacci Pea Cap by Lisa Bennett (free pattern)
Progress: Chris keeps complaining about being cold, and I've never knit him anything before. So, I went and bought a skein of some lovely alpaca, used up some scrap yarn, and made him a warm hat. This hat is very loosely based on the pattern above, but I didn't really follow it at all. This item wasn't on my original list. COMPLETED Oct 24

It's done, but I haven't been able to get him out of the apartment, so I haven't been able to get a finished photo.

6. Gift Item: Mittens for FFSIL, Anik (ravlink)
Pattern: Picot Edged Mittens by Carolyn (free pattern)
Progress: These were fun to make, and a really easy pattern. Instead of seaming the cuff, I'm attaching buttons that I bought on Etsy. I'll post photos when it's done. This wasn't on my original list either. COMPLETED Oct 24

Knitting Meme! Here is a list of knitting techniques. Bold the ones you have tried, italicize the ones you want to try and leave the rest in plain text.

Afghan I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Mobius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child/teenager to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else's hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Knitting, Yarn, contests and weddings

2008-10-18T15:01:00.003-04:00

I am 22 days and 8 posts away from my blogoversary (and a contest too!). So, watch for November when I'm going to host a month-long contest and I'll be giving away yarn! Wonderful Mirasol yarn! And maybe you'll get candy too, if you're really good :)

Lots going on in my world these days. In knitting news, I'm working on my very first pair of gloves with fingers. I'm knitting a picot edged pair of gloves for my mother in law to-be, and I'm very excited about them. The yarn is a mix of merino wool and silk, and they're really warm and soft. I'm sure she'll love them. Christmas knitting has been plugging along. I've made it really far down my list, and think that I can get a few more done yet before christmas.

I already have knits done for my parents, my brother and his fiancée, my niece Emma, and my future father-in-law. I'm working on a secret project for my fiancé and have so far been able to keep it a secret from him, and would love to make a pair of mittens for his brother and his brother's wife. A pair of mittens for me wouldn't hurt either.

I did pick up some Mirasol Miski so that I could make myself a hat. It's going to be so cushy and warm. I'm so excited about it.

There's also wedding news! We are in the process of booking the Crowne Plaza for our wedding reception next year. We need to work out a kink or two regarding a DJ, but are pretty optimistic about the whole thing. I've also commissioned myv eil from amandaarcher on etsy. I'm just so happy about how well things are moving along on all fronts.

Hope everything is well in your worlds,
~ Elizabeth

And for some fun, even though it's Saturday

TEASER TUESDAYS ask you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers

“As we approached the gates, I heard a shout. Francesco stood out in front, his palm thrust forward, fingers spread out, indicating that we should stop. Beside him, draped in dark mantelli, stood his stooped father and three middle-aged dark-haired men: his brothers.”

- I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis

And…

1. Follow the yellow brick road.
2. Knitting is something I always take with me on vacation.
3. To achieve your goals, you must leave your comfort zone.
4. My stubborness is something I'd like you to know about me.
5. I have a sense of accomplishment.
6. Egg floats.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with Vero, tomorrow my plans include seeing a band with Fran and Pete and Sunday, I want to do brunch!

FO's and I won a contest!

2008-10-12T16:31:00.003-04:00

Plugging away at the Christmas knitting, I finished a hat for my fiancés dad today. I knit the larger size.

Gerry Cousteau Hat (rav link)
Pattern: Jacques Cousteau Hat by Typy
Source: http://pirouette.vuodatus.net
Recipient: FFIL
Occasion: Christmas 2008
Started: October 10, 2008
Completed: October 12, 2008

Yarn: Just under 2 skeins of Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Lava Heather
Needles: US 2.5 / 3mm

My October gifting Progress:

Turn a Square Hat for my brother — FINISHED
Baby Cardigan and hat for my niece — WIP
Jacques Cousteau Hat for my fiancé's dad — FINISHED
Picot Edged Gloves for my fiancé's mom — Have the yarn, need to start

In other news, I won a contest over at the knitallyear blog! Yay! I feel so special that I won ^_^ Apparently, I won 10 balls of yarn from Webs, and an autographed cartoon from Franklin Habit at The Panopticon blog! Yay!!!

My second FO this week was a pair of fingerless gloves for myself. This way I can knit while I'm waiting for the bus without getting (too) cold. I love the thumb on the pattern, and the yarn I used is really nice too.

Mirasol Valentino (rav link)
Pattern: Valentino by Emily Elizabeth
Source: EmilyElizabethKnits
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Cold fingers
Started: October 2, 2008
Completed: October 10, 2008

Yarn: Just 1 skeins of Filtes King Kiss (which was splitty, but created a nice fabric) in 510 Charcoal and Mirasol Yarn Hacho (which I LOVE!) in a red-orange variegation
Needles: US 3 / 3.25mm

Friday Fill-In #93

2008-10-10T18:44:00.003-04:00

I'm nearing completion on the baby jacket I started last week. I need to block and sew all the pieces together, plus knit the neckband. And I would love to knit a matching hat… guess I'm further away than I though lol. I ordered buttons from rabbitandtheduck's Etsy shop, and they should arrive sometime next week.

I've also ordered a new knitting bag that I'm very excited about.

I was trying to knit while waiting for the bus the other day, and my hands were too cold, so I made some armwarmers for myself. They're wonderful, and I love them.

1. One of the best concerts/plays/movies I ever saw that I really didn't think I'd like was John Mellencamp. One of the best shows I've ever been to.
2. Malaysian Beef Curry is a recipe I recently made (or meal I recently ordered) that was delicious!
3. It's time for pajamas.
4. Honesty is quite refreshing.
5. If I never hear the words "my bad" again, it'll be too soon.
6. To one side of the curving road was my health, and on the other was my work ethic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to checking out the last of the reception halls we have to choose from, tomorrow my plans include laundry and Sunday, I want to draw up a second comp for my brother's wedding invitations!

The (Not So) Socks from Hell

2008-10-02T09:54:00.002-04:00

At first I absolutely hated this yarn. I wasn’t very fond of the colour-way, it wasn’t all that great to work with, and none of the first three sock patterns I tried wanted to work.

It might have helped, if I had worked with the yarn, instead of against it. This yarn is not stretchy, and so it is very unforgiving. The fourth sock attempt, I chose a pattern that specifically mentions that it is stretchy, and this finished product is absolutely lovely. These socks are pretty, comfortable, and actually really nice. I’ve completely turned around on how I feel about this yarn. I actually love how it feels on my feet, and the colours are really quite nice. I now feel bad about how much I thought I didn't like it at first, and am sad I'm giving these socks away. Now I want a pair for me!

The (Not So) Hellish Socks (rav link)
Pattern: Go With the Flow Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (edesigns on ravelry)
Source: (book) Favorite Socks : 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave by Ann Budd and Anne Merrow
Recipient: My Mom
Occasion: Christmas 2008
Started: September 9, 2008
Completed: September 29, 2008

Yarn: Just under 2 skeins of Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka in Brown variegated
Needles: US 1 / 2.25mm

Hat for my brother!

2008-10-01T18:39:00.002-04:00

I finished the socks too, but more about that later. I finished a hat for my brother for Christmas. I love it. It was fast to knit, it's soft and sqooshy and warm, and I think he'll love it. Hooray! Quickest FO in awhile.

A Llama Squared (rav link)
Pattern: Turn A Square Hat by Jared Flood (brooklyntweed on ravelry)
Source: http://brooklyntweed.blogspot.com
Recipient: My brother
Occasion: Christmas 2008
Started: September 29, 2008
Completed: Setpember 30, 2008

Yarn: Just under 2 skeins of Mirasol Yarn Miski in Green and Jade
Needles: US 4 / 3.5mm

Hat Attack 2: I died today

2008-09-22T10:19:00.004-04:00

Thank you to cluelesswonder (ravlink) for a lovely hat, and some lovely extras in the package. I died before breakfast lol I guess this means that the hat attack is done for me this round. Maybe I'll knit faster next time ^_^

I've also made a lot of progress on my socks. No pictures right now, but I have a pretty diagram ^_^

FO: Finished Victorian lace shawl

2008-09-20T13:36:00.003-04:00

Victorian Lace wrap (rav link )
Pattern: Victorian Ruby by Jane Sowerby
Source: Victorian Lace Today (book)
Recipient: Bridesmaid
Occasion: My wedding next year (September 2009)
Started: July 22, 2008
Completed: Setpember 9, 2008

Yarn: 1 skein of Knit Picks Gloss Lace in 24179 Mermaid
Needles: US 7 / 4.5mm and a crochet hook for finishing (not done yet)
Notions: I'm very happy I decided to block it, I really hope it opens up quite a bit. I'm still toying with the idea of doing a crochet chain edge, but it may look fine after I unpin it.

Hat Attack 2: COMPLETE

2008-09-18T21:53:00.000-04:00

I finished the hat attack hat tonight. WoO!

2. Gift Item: Hat Attack (website)(ravlink)
Recipient: fairyknits(ravlink)
Occasion: crazy swap thing
Deadline: September 16
Notes: FINISHED!

Hat Attack 2: The Death Hat Knocks Twice

2008-09-17T22:26:00.003-04:00

I am partaking in the Hat Attack 2: The Death Hat only knocks Twice. We received our target assignments yesterday, and I am nearing the end of my hat. I'm having fun, but want to go knit other things! lol

I really need to finish the socks… just for my own piece of mind. Still no photos yet, sorry, but be satisfied with this WIP photo of my death hat, named Inigo Montoya. Cheers.

FO Parade

2008-09-01T13:45:00.004-04:00

Muir is DONE! She is blocking and blocker her was an adventure. Blocking involved some sweat and a lot of steam. I was very careful not to melt the acrylic, but I know I knicked a few spots. Here's a picture of her pinned down. So exciting!

I also finished one of the bridesmaid gifts this week to. I'll block it after Muir is done, but in the mean time, be satisfied with this crappy photo:

We're going camping this weekend, and so I will be bringing my socks with me. Hopefully they will go better than last time.

Love and pie
~ riizu

Silly meme I stole from someone else’s blog:

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Johnny Farina’s

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Pie

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Pineapple and bacon

What do you like to put on your toast? Butter

What is your wallpaper on your computer? Gazette

What color cell phone do you have? Black

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right, unless I’m playing pool, then I’m ambidextrous

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Just blood

What is the last heavy item you lifted? A box probably

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Not ‘knocked’, but last time I gave blood I passed out

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No, I wouldn’t want to taint my experiences

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Jayne, my middle name

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No, but I’d be tempted

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? None, I can’t stand having plastic between my toes

What do you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be a teacher, now I just want to be financially comfortable

Favorite Season? Automn

Favorite Holiday? My anniversary. It’s the only special occasion not tainted by consumerism. For me, anyway.

Favorite Day of the week? Thursday

Favorite Month? September. Probably because it always reminds me of a new start.

Missing someone? Pretty much all the time.

What can you not wait to do? Hat Attack 2!

What’s the last movie you saw? Helvetica, the documentary lol

Do you smile often? All the time.

We now return to the knitting!

2008-08-31T03:29:00.005-04:00

I gave up on the Saigon scarf (rav link). Not because there was anything wrong with the pattern per se, but I do feel that the photo was a little misleading. The scarf was photographed on a child (how did I miss that?) and so it looked about twice as wide as it actually worked out to be. I guess if I had read the dimensions, I would have realized that right away, but I didn't. So, I frogged it, and started over with a new pattern from a knitting lace book I purchased.

The pattern is called Victorian Ruby (rav link) and can be found in Victorian Lace Today. It's a fantastic book, and I'm really enjoying kitting this piece. I'm almost finished the first section!

I finally finished off a piece that's been hanging around for about a month. I knit this neckwarmer on a wim for my friend Rin when I was home visiting last month, and was waiting on buttons. I ended up ordering them from Prisma on Etsy. The buttons are awesome, and I'm mailing out the scarf next week.

There's more sad news on the socks. This is the second pattern I've tried with this yarn, and I've had to frog them again. It's just so disappointing. The yarn has absolutely NO give, and so if I'm off even slightly, I can't get them over my foot. I am so frustrated. This yarn did not want to be Jaywalker *sigh* I'll finish the lace piece above, then I might try a different pattern. Ugh.

In happier news, keep watching for my blogoversary contest coming up! I've been getting a lot more comments lately, and they've been brightening my day. Thank you.

Wedding news (sorry, no yarn)

2008-08-23T14:49:00.005-04:00

We're getting married next september (that's 2009, not this year), and I guess we probably should have started looking for venues sooner, but oh well, what can you do.
We went for a drive last weekend to Rockcliffe and found this AWESOME pavilion. The Rockcliffe Pavilion is a stone gazebo that overlooks gatineau and the river. It's beautiful, and we booked in on Tuesday for our ceremony. Yay!

I stole these pictures from various places around the web.

I have also started working on a plan for origami flowers instead of real ones. I made this (vastly oversized) cherry blossom today, with Chris' help ^^:;

I have been plugging along at Muir all week… I'm so sorry that I have nothing else to show for it.

Friday Fill-In #86

2008-08-22T20:03:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack up updates everyone. I have been doing very little knitting due to working 1.5 jobs. Leaves very little time for anything other than work.

Melanie saved me on Thursday night and took me out to the tavern for knitting. That was good. ^_^

1. Dancing to the music in my head while alone at home makes me happy.

2. The last time I made tea I nearly forgot about it.

3. When I drive I'm happy.

4. I saw a lot of babies while standing standing at the bus stop today.

5. Give me strength, give me confidence, give me patience.

6. Next week I am looking forward to finishing up this freelance contract.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to meeting a deadline, tomorrow my plans include knitting and Sunday, I want to talk to our friend Blip about music for our wedding coming up next year.

Hat Attack 2, and the stash grows on

2008-08-15T21:16:00.002-04:00

I forgot to mention! Susan B. Anderson is hosting a contest on her blog here! This give-away is fantastic!

And now back to other stuff…

I took the plunge earlier this week, and have committed to Hat Attack 2: The Death Hat Always Knocks Twice. I found out about Hat Attack 1 when it was nearly finished, so at least I was able to follow the assassinations, even if I didn't get to participate.

This time around, though, I get to join in the mayhem. I ordered my yarn on Thursday, and I hope it arrives in time for me to swatch it out. I'm a little nervous since she's trying to get us all going for a very specific tension. Nervous, but also very excited! Just you wait until September, we'll see how well I do!

I'll be sure to post a photo of the yarn when it arrives.

I also managed to accumulate more yarn this week. I was at Knit-Knackers on Tuesday, looking for yarn that might be suitable for a contest. Yes, I said contest! My blogoversary is coming up, as well as my 100-post mark, which I think is cause for some kind of celebration. Maybe you guys can help me get the word out… I'll post more info closer to the actual contest date. I'm aiming for October, so maybe I'll have time to make the prize(s?) bigger. ^__^

But anyway, I also bought some yarn for ME! Particularly, some Gems …

and some Mirasol Hacho.

Muir is coming along. Slowly but surely. I'm definitely getting bored with this pattern. It was helpful to attach the last ball of yarn today (albeit large balls of yarn). I'm also having trouble finding the time to knit, since I've been working during the day for my full-time job, and then freelancing at night. That means I can only knit on the bus and at lunch. And knitting on the bus is getting harder the closer to the end of the summer we get (more people on the buses). I need to find more time! Lace just takes up so much more energy than other knitting… *sigh* Anyway, It's time again for another progress photo:

And now for some end-of-week silliness. Stolen from another blog I read: Five on Friday. My top five favourite things this week:

My fiancé surprised me with a movie on Tuesday night; Helvetica (a documentary). It was fantastic.
Dinner and gelato with Poeticknits on Wednesday night
Watching some guy not know how to park as he proceeded to knock over a bike rack on the side walk.
Rain. I love rain.
Finishing another ball of yarn (and attaching the last one!) for Muir.

Friday Fill-In #85

1. The last meal I had at a restaurant was a CBC (Chicken, bacon and cheddar) sandwhich at the Elgin street Diner Wednesday night..

2. Stress is something I intensely dislike.

3. The full moon is pretty… is there one out tonight?

4. "For the Win" is one of my favorite local expressions.

5. Sometimes it's best to grit your teeth and bear it.

6. The Dark Knight is the best movie I've seen so far this year!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to more knitting, tomorrow my plans include a haircut and Sunday, I want to work (not really, but I have to)!

Knitting progress!

2008-08-03T16:34:00.004-04:00

Last you all heard of me, I was rushing out the door for a week off back in KW with family and friends. It was a great week off, and I got lots of knitting done. I was even able to acquire more yarn! (like I needed it)

I started off the weekend by knitting up a quick birthday gift for my friend Alex. It was well-received :) I hope to have a photo soon!

I was bad and barely touched Muir. I could convince myself it was because I didn't want to knit it in front of the receiver, but then I'm just lying and making up excuses. I've really come to the conclusion that I hate this yarn. Not so much the results of it, but physically working with it is just unpleasant when compared to the awesome fibers I could be knitting with otherwise.

Take, for example, the Saigon Scarf. Knit Picks Gloss Lace, Silk and Merino. It's lovely, soft, and moves through the needles alarmingly quickly. *sigh* I am in love with this yarn, and it's all I want to work on right now.

Close-up of chart 2:

Close-up of chart 4 (in progress):

Which might explain why this neckwarmer was so hard to work on. It was a spontaneous gift for a friend I was yarn-shopping with, and though it felt nice and soft in the skein, the 100% nylon got old real quick, and i just wanted it done. At least it was over-with fast, and I know Rin will be happy with it. She's picking out buttons so I can finish it off for her. :)

I'm late, but I was on vacation, so whatever XP

If I could travel back in time, I'd go to the land before time.
Give me love or give me space?
I am listening to myself for once.
Somewhere, someone is thinking of a new reality crap-show.
I'll always be five.
My idea of a good time includes yarn and pie.
And as for the weekend, Friday night I looked forward to flying home for the weekend, Saturday my plans included celebrating a birthday (not mine) and Sunday, I wanted to spend some quality time with family!

Miss Saigon, Muir, yarn and other new knitting

2008-07-24T13:17:00.005-04:00

I finished the triangle/swatch part of the Miss Saigon (ravelry link) last night. I’m confident that it will look great once blocked, but right now it looks a little small. It’s going great though. The yarn is soft and lovely (a nice break from the acrylic wrap I’m working on otherwise), and I think I may have decided who I’m going to give it to.

This is the first of lace bridesmaid gifts I'm knitting for next fall. I ordered the knit picks lace sampler a few months ago, with them in mind. I don't think they will all be scarves. I'm just going to let the yarn tell me what they want to be.

It's also been awhile since I photographed Muir (ravelry link). My last update was a while ago, in knitting time, and I have almost twice as much knit up as before. Miss Saigon is a wonderful break from the acrylic (even if it's nice acrylic), but now I'm feeling guilty that I'm neglecting Muir lol.

There is also cause for a bit of celebration. The company I was working with on a trial-basis, has decided to offer me a full time job. Not only does this solve most of my work-related problems, but it's also right down the street from Knit Knackers (hooray!). So, I treated myself to some yarn. It's nothing overly special; I picked up some sock yarn for myself and for a Christmas present for my mom, and some yarn from the sale bin for myself. But boy did it feel great to be able to buy yarn again!

I'm going away for a week to visit my parents, so I won't be blogging until I get back. Maybe there will be knitting news when I return… and maybe there will be photos of the aforementioned yarn. You will have to wait. In the mean time, you will have to be satisfied with my hastily taken WIP photos.

And in the nature of spontaneity, I decided to de-stash and do some birthday knitting. Hope I can get it done by Saturday.

Muir stole

2008-07-20T23:50:00.001-04:00

The Muir (pattern)(rav link) stole I am working on for my sister-in-law is moving, but very very slowly. I've only been able to work on it while on the bus, since I've been so annoyingly busy that I can't see straight. How did I miss the fact that knitting a lace chart on a bus is next to impossible? Argh. And the people on the bus are so very uncooperative with the whole thing. I mean, why can't I get you to hold my chart while I knit? That's not a problem is it? Some people! lol (jk)

Once I got past the first repeat, I was able to see more clearly what was going on with the pattern. It seems I way doing one of the stitches incorrectly. Well, at least I was consistent! I'm doing it correctly now, and have sped up quite a bit since I started since I don't need to keep going back and looking at the pattern notes to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong.

These photos were taken at the 10% mark, I have about twice as much knitted up now.

Friday Fill-In #81

2008-07-19T16:12:00.003-04:00

1. If I could be a fly on the wall I would be dirty.

2. Jealousy is an unfortunate fact of life.

3. When I see a shooting star my wish would be that things keep getting better, not worse.

4. I'd rather be sober than drunk any day!

5. Certain songs when I hear them make me wanna yell out loud.

6. If time were in a bottle it would be hard to get at.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Steph and Alex's going away party, tomorrow my plans include laundry & brunch with Steph and Ve, and Sunday, I want to finish hanging those curtains!

Swap stuff!

2008-07-16T23:06:00.001-04:00

I mailed my package today, and it should arrive by Monday. Hopefully Friday? Maybe ^_^;; Sorry for the delay. Hopefully the baking makes up for it!

I did receive my package in the mail today, which made my day! Lots of awesome goodies. Malabrigo (OMG!), hand made knitting needles from PEI, and really pretty earrings. So awesome. Thank you so much amyjobean!!!

Muir stole progress and other stuff

2008-07-15T18:56:00.003-04:00

The Muir stole I am working on for my sister-in-law is moving, but very very slowly. I've only been able to work on it while on the bus, since I've been so annoyingly busy that I can't see straight. How did I miss the fact that knitting a lace chart on a bus is next to impossible? Argh. And the people on the bus are so very uncooperative with the whole thing. I mean, why can't I get you to hold my chart while I knit? That's not a problem is it? Some people! lol

Since Muir isn't really in a proper state for photos, I will find other excuses for photos. Here we go!

For some reason, I'm extremely excited about my new curtains. I know it's nothing really special, but I've never had them in my own home before (since I moved out of my parents' house, anyway). So, I must share the awesome. Please excuse the mess ^_^;

I just love them!

In other news, I'm participating in a swap, and since my recipient is in Canada, I decided to bake them something, instead of sending them 'Canadian' food. Mmm chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I hope she likes them!

And since you guys are OH SO INTERESTED! lol For dinner, I made this awesome Malaysian Curry. It's so great, and so fast. Yum!

I promise knitting photos in my next post!

Finished Anklets!

2008-07-13T11:24:00.002-04:00

These took me just under 1 week to finish. They're my very first socks, and super comfortable. The pattern was pretty awesome too.

Selfish Footies (ravelry)
Pattern: Mom's Fast Florida Footieds by Lynn DT Hershberger
Source: ColorJoy!
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: First socks
Finished: July 12, 2008
Yarn: 0.5 skein of Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Aktion
Needles: US 1.5 or 2.5 mm circulars

Friday Fill-In #80 and WIPs

2008-07-12T15:15:00.005-04:00

1. Oh, I can't wait until I have a full-time job.

2. Leftover cake is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator.

3. I never leave home without my knitting.

4. If I were a condiment, I would be relish because it's slightly tangy and doesn't go with everything, and not everyone likes it.

5. Stupidity is really high up on my list of pet peeves.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was Sleep.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to a day off, tomorrow my plans include knitting and tea, and Sunday, I want to go do something with friends!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. I've been listening to a lot of Danko Jones lately. Good stuff. But more interestingly, I've made progress on the second anklet I'm knitting,

Even better, I almost have photo-worthy knitting done on a lace stole I'm working on for a Christmas present. Now if you're wondering if this knitting looks familiar, that's because it probably is. I frogged this blanket last week, because the fabric and the yarn and everything was not turning out the way I had hoped, so I started something new. I hope this goes better than the first attempt.

In work related news, I guess posting about job stuff is good luck, because I might have work in the near future. I'm doing a 3-week probation with a the firm I interviewed with last week,, and if all goes well, they might offer me a full-time position. This is great news!

EDIT:

Susan B. Anderson is hosting a huge contest on her blog. Go check it out!

Project 365 and socks!

2008-07-08T15:59:00.005-04:00

I've decided to dive into the 365 Project. I don't know how well I'll keep up, but it will be fun to try. The weekly challenges will help, I think. Here's my Flickr page, for those interested.

In knitting land, my socks from the camping trip are hibernating. I stole their needles and used them to knit up one of these!

I have one complete anklet! I also am very proud of the toe on this sock. It's actually comfortable, which is unprecedented with me and foot-wear. Now I have to make a second one … this is much less exciting, though when I do I can wear two socks instead of one. Wearing one sock is fun on it's own special level though.

If you were interested in the pattern, it is available at lynnh.com. She's has it up for free in size 5 ladies, and all other sizes are for purchase. It was easy enough to just make the size 5 longer for my size 9.5 foot. I guess it could be worth purchasing just to support her and her patterns. Check them out! I knit this one up in about three days.

I have a question for my readers out there. Am I posting too frequently? What do you look for in your blog reading in terms of frequency? I would really like to know!

Frogging Socks and a contest

2008-07-08T01:05:00.007-04:00

Monniblog is having a contest to celebrate 1000 posts! Head on over and celebrate with her, it's quite an accomplishment!

After talking about it with people and amassing advice, I frogged my socks. They just weren't going to fit, and if they shrank at all, I would never get them on my feet. So I'm starting over, and probably with a different pattern just to keep myself interested.

In my disappointment, I'm taking a break from that project, and have started some shortie socks. They're kind of cute ^_^

Xmas Slippers (also, Q3 Challenge) and my socks

2008-07-06T23:48:00.008-04:00

I started some slippers for my dad (Christmas knitting in July) at the end of June. I finished the first one on Sunday night. They're pretty good, I think. It's hard to know if they'll fit, though his feet are only half an inch longer than mine so I can guess based on how they fit me that they should be alright. The yarn I bought is enough to do five slippers. I've decided to do three for him (so he has a spare) and a pair for myself, but probably in a different pattern. I don't know if I can bring myself to knit five of the same pattern without going insane.

Anyway, here's the first slipper.

And completed slippers!

Toe Warmers — Footlets for Dad (pattern) (ravelry) by Patons
Source: Yarn Lover's Room (knitting-crochet.com)
Recipient: My Dad
Occasion: Christmas
Finished: July 7, 2008
Yarn: 0.5 skein of Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Aktion
Needles: US 2 or 2.75 mm circulars

This also marks the beginning of my Q3 Challenge knitting. It feels great to get such a good start on it. The rules were to knit an unfinished gift, start and finish a new gift, and knit something for yourself. This is probably the easiest of the three parts, and I'm probably making it more of challenge than it needs to be, but I really don't want to have any leftover yarn lol.

Now for my sock. I am trying to decide whether to keep knitting or to Frog. Go take my poll!

New techniques, yarn shopping, socks and an FO!

2008-07-05T23:19:00.003-04:00

Applied I-Cord Bind-Off:

CO 3 sts
K2, K2togtbl, Sl3 (from right needle to left needle)
* K2, K2togtbl, Sl3 (from right needle to left needle) *

repeat from * to *

I went with poeticknits to Wool 'N Things Thursday. She was doing a yarn run and I had some yarn shopping to do as well, so it was great to both go to an awesome LYS as well as hang out with an awesome person. She's a riot.

I successfully picked up the missing yarn for Arbor, and finished off the bottom of the piece at home that evening. Picking up the stitches along the neckline is taking FOREVER but it'll be worth it. Once I finished off the bottom, the rest of it fit better, so I was much less worried about how the bodice would fit. I did do an extra decrease row since I have pretty narrow shoulders. I shouldn't have worried, the neckline ended up WAY too small. I ripped it out once and did it again, and I'm thinking I may rip it out a second time too *sigh* At least it's wearable in the mean-time, just not as open as I would like.. Learning the I-Cord bind off was a bonus though! I must have glazed over that part when I read the pattern the first time through. One complaint about the pattern (though, not bad if there's only one) is that she doesn't mention how much the i-cord bind off pulls in the neckline. It's ridiculous.

I also managed to pick up some sock yarn for christmas slippers at the yarn store, as well as some cool toys for the swap I'm participating in. All-on-all a very successful day!

Friday I had a job interview. I think it went pretty well. I don't talk about what I do much here, mostly out of respect for fellow employers/co-workers. Since moving to Ottawa I've had a lot of different jobs in my field, but recently have really enjoyed contracting out to firms, rather than full time employment. Full-time is still my end-goal, but I'm happy with how things are going right now (even if that means I'm broke). Regardless, maybe this interview will turn into something, maybe not, but I'm trying to be flexible about it. No stress!

Back to the knitting! Not much progress has been made on the sock. I did turn the heel, and though it's quite tight, I think it's wearable. I think if I do this pattern again, I'll have to adjust the numbers a bit, make the sock a little bigger. Anyway, here's a progress pic.

I'm very excited about finishing Arbor. I'll be able to start something else. I've had some projects that I've wanted to do for awhile, and I have all these possibilities going around my head. I love this hobby ^_^

This first photo demonstrates the tight neckline

Another from the front, after a day of wearing (it hasn't stretched at all, which is awesome!)

And one from the back, where there might have been some slight stretching, but I'm not overly concerned. I still think it wore very well.

I was able to wear it Saturday for the first time. It wore well. I was happy with the amount of stretch over the course of the day; not too much, but a little in all the right ways. I stand by the fact that the neckline is still too tight. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I need to rip it out. Again. I'm very happy otherwise. I'm glad I decided to make the arm holes smaller, since they're perfect now. I'm happy I decided to lengthen the twisted rib by 2 inches, and think another inch wouldn't have been a bad thing. I think after opening up the neckline, I will have a near perfect item of clothing. What a fantastic experience!

Last month was some close friends of ours' first wedding Anniversary. To celebrate, I wanted to take them out for dinner. They suggested a movie as well, so we went to see Kung Fu Panda. It was a riot. You should all go see it if you haven't already! It was well above my expectations, and one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. On that note, if you can find a smaller theatre showing it, BenX is another fantastic movie that isn't getting nealry enough attention. It's Finnish with English subtitles and is one of the first movies I've even seen address bullying in a realistic light.

Look at this picture again

Verrry tight on the heel. Do I keep telling myself they're fine and keep going? Or do I rip them out and start again? They're wearable (most likely?), just tight. Please take this poll.

Knit-All-Year July list and Q3 Challenge!

2008-07-04T11:23:00.000-04:00

Wow, now that the Q2 Challenge is over, I can start to concentrate on other knitting. That was a marathon! I think some selfish-knitting is going to take place this month, but I do have some knitting plans for gifts:

1. Gift Item: Green Slippers in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton (pattern) (ravelry) by Sarah M. Hughes
Source: Pop Smear
Recipient: Dad
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 2008
Other info: I should be able to finish these fairly quickly. Maybe I can make two pairs?

2. Gift Item: Cozy stole in Bernat Super Value Solids (pattern) (ravelry) by Danielle Schoonover
Source: Knitty, Fall 2004
Recipient: Chantelle (Sister-in-law)
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 2008
Other info: Using up some stash yarn!

3. Gift Item: Bridesmaid Stoles in Knitpicks Shadow
Recipient: The bridesmaids; Anna, Rin, Lise, Elsa and Kim
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 2008
Other info: I haven't decided on the pattern(s) yet, but my hope is to at least start swatching them out this month.

Q3 Challenge!

I'm happy to say that most of the items on this list already qualify as Q3 challenges.

Finish a work-in-progress: The slippers for my dad (pattern)(ravelry) were started last week, and I will need yarn before being able to get to them again, but I'm reasonably sure I can finish them by Sep 30.
Start and finish a gift item: The cozy stole (pattern)(ravelry) will fit into this category nicely!
Knit something for yourself: I'm currently working on Arbor (pattern)(ravelry), and again, need more yarn before I can continue. But I think I can finish this. I do however want to make something else for myself, and have some Fiddlesticks lace yarn that could make a lovely wrap (ravelry)(pattern) for me ^_^. There's also the socks I'm knitting as well, which are going really well.

Here's the most current photo of Arbor. I don't have one with me in it as of yet, and it still needs a lot of work (1.5 inches added to the hem, finished sleeves, and finished yoke. And the yoke might be too big and have to be ripped back a bit.)

And the latest on my sock!

And I know I'm not American, but happy Independence Day to all my American readers!

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T21:48:00.003-04:00

Canada is 141 years old today ^_^

I wore red and I drank vodka, but it was Canadian vodka.

Happy Birthday Canada

Arbor progress and new year resolutions revisited

2008-06-27T01:31:00.005-04:00

I took Arbor out of hibernation today. I had another project that needed to be completed before I would let myself get back into this one. Frogging made a huge difference. It fits now (at least the bodice, and the waist). I’m a little concerned about the neckline and worried I’ll run out of yarn before the end…

Here are some progress shots. I still have about 8 inches to add to the bottom, and finishing needs to happen on the neckline and arms. I may need to do something creative if the neckline doesn't work out the way I hope it will. Regardless, I think it's turning out pretty decently. Progress shots anyone?

I did end up running out of yarn about 1.5 inches from the bottom *le sigh* I will have to track down another ball in this colour. Maybe I'll get lucky and get something in the right dye lot. Or am I dreaming?

I made more progress on my socks over the weekend. They now cover my toes, which to me is very exciting. Chris (live-in fiancé) laughs at me, but it makes me happy. Two photos, first is knitting while camping, second is my progress shot.

As July approaches, and we near the half-way point of the year, I started thinking about new year resolutions. I didn't make any "typical" resolutions, but I did have some knitting-related ones. Let's check them out and see how I did.

Finish this sweater this year. I don't know how ambitious this is, but I do know that I have a crappy attention span so we'll have to wait and see if I lose interest or not.

I finished the sweater in question in April. It doesn't fit quite right but I'm not losing sleep over it. It was a wonderful experience, and I was even more energized about knitting when it was finished.
Go to at least one knitting gathering a month

I've actually managed to do this. It makes me a little sad that I was right in assuming that only one a month was do-able. If I had my way it would be more of a weekly thing.
Participate in at least one swap per season

Well, I tried. I was in a swap for the Winter, but my swap partner never sent me my package. Not only that, she lied about it. *sigh* Lesson learned. I am in another swap for Summer, but I guess I missed the spring swap opportunities. There was just too much going on, what with losing my job and having no money.
blog at least once per week (to encourage knitting? Perhaps ^_^)

This is going so well. I've blogged at least 5 times a month every month this year so far. March was the best with a whopping 11 posts! I've only done 4 in June, but this post makes 5. So far, I'm doing really really well.
knit a pair of socks!

Definitely. I started my first pair of socks last weekend. These will definitely be done by the time it gets cold enough to wear them ^_^

I'm going to start over with the resolutions because these ones are pretty much covered!

Finish Arbor before the fall, so you can actually wear the thing.
Finish those socks by fall, so you can wear them!
You know those endpaper mitts you knit? Well, you only knit one and need to knit the second one already!
Knit something in lace using the Fiddlesticks yarn you bought on a whim before you start something else.
You know that pink young touch yarn you got from that nice lady at WWKIP day? Well, figure out what to make with it already!
You're getting married, so you'd better get moving or you won't have a venue!

First ever socks, camping and the mystery project

2008-06-23T23:17:00.004-04:00

Last Wednesday, the day of my last post, was full of knitting news and was mostly centered on WWKIP Day. (It was a blast, I tell you, and the next one will be too far away *sigh*).

Anyway, the weekend was fast approaching, and the "mystery project" was going nowhere fast. Now, why you ask, was the weekend such a bad thing? Well, we went camping! Now, camping is a fantastic adventure and I love it to bits, however, it was scheduled to downpour the entire weekend and the "mystery project" was not something I was willing to drag through the mud just because I have an unhealthy addiction to knitting.

I needed a camping-friendly project. I thought and I thought, and came up with an idea! Ah ha! I will knit those pair of socks that came to me through the hot cocoa swap in the fall! (Yes, it's been a long time since the yarn arrived, I just wasn't feeling it. Can we move on? lol) Anyway, I went to knitty, printed off the toe-up sock formula (rav link), packed my bags and we drove off to Bon Echo. It's about a 3 hour drive without making a pit-stop for dinner so I was able to contort myself in the front seat to get my measurements (that was fun!) and managed to get about a 2 centimeters of knitting done on the weekend. It doesn't sound like much, but I was very happy with the accomplishment. I took pictures of the lake there, and I tried to get a picture of my very first pair of socks on their very first knitting adventure. We had a wonderful time, and though I was buggy and filthy, I was sad to leave.

We came home, and I continued working on the socks, until I realized that the "mystery project" has a deadline and I should really be working on it instead. So, progress was made and completion is immanent! Well, all that hard work paid off because the mystery project is done!

If you're not mom and dad, click here for details.

Memes, new FOs, and the "mystery project"

2008-06-18T10:50:00.008-04:00

I was tagged by poetic knits (go read her blog!) for this meme. I don't often do them, mostly because I'm lazy. But this one looked like fun.

If you want to do it too, here are the instructions:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

Have fun! & let me know if you do this. I'd love to see your results.

Surprisingly, I have knitting updates for you! The mystery project that I'm working on is at the 89% point and I'm very happy with it. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of next week. I'm taking a small break the next day or two and trying to do something with the recycled sari yarn I picked up at my LYS Knit-knackers. (they have bunnies!) I'm making the Paris Loop (rav link). I figure I have enough yarn since I had purchased two skeins. I decided I wanted it to be wearable since it's so soft, and opted not to do a bag or something. Shame it's so stinky. It'll need a good wash before I can wear it.

Here it is, my Recycled Paris Loop

Pairs Loop (pattern) (ravelry) by Stefanie Japel
Source: Glampyre Knits and Magknits, Warm 2004 (no longer available on magknits)
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Destashing
Finished: June 18, 2008

Yarn: 2 skeins of Recycled Sari Silk from Knit Knackers
Needles: US 15, 11, and 7

WWKIP day was awesome. A group of us met at Major's Hill Park on Saturday and knit in the afternoon. It was a pretty good sized group considering it was a rainy day. 14 people in all. After the park, we went over the the Earl of Sussex pub for some drinks and more public knitting. It was a very good day. I've uploaded my photos to flickr. Enjoy!

I also won a de-stashing "door prize". Yay yarn! ^___^

Now onto the WWKIP Day photos.

Mystery knitting project 70% complete!

2008-06-10T17:39:00.002-04:00

Mom and dad, don't click this link. I'm making great progress! See here: http://knitallyear.blogspot.com/2008/06/elizabeths-q2-challenge-70.html

It's been very hot, which makes knitting a large project very challenging. I'm getting loads of laundry done… but that's not knitting. I should try and make progress on something so I have pictures to show you. I know! I can show you a picture of my guinea pig, mocha. He's cozying up to a ice pack wrapped in a tea towel to stay cool. Isn't he cute? He's two ^_^

Mystery knitting progress

2008-06-01T11:55:00.003-04:00

You know, it's very hard to blog about your knitting when your only project is a secret. We moved last weekend, and so Arbor has been sitting all lonesome and sort of frogged. I feel a little bad that I haven't touched it since I ripped it back. I've been working solidly on a Christmas project that is coming along very nicely. Maybe if I push myself I can finish this mystery project and actually move a bit on Arbor!

I'm sorry for the lack of knitting photos, so instead, I give you the view from my new apartment. You can just see the Gatineau Hills in the distance.

Gift knitting and contests!

2008-05-24T10:26:00.002-04:00

The Knitasaur is hosting a contest, in search of the perfect measurements of people's arms and hands! So, go enter in your measurements and say you found it through me!

In knitting news, Arbor has no changes since the other day, I'm moving and having panic attacks about moving my stash, and managed to make some progress on my blanket! (mom and dad, don't touch that link!)

Love and tea,
riizu

Semi-frogged Arbor

2008-05-23T01:06:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I put it on, and it was way too big. And it was going so well too! Thankfully, I'm pretty sure the bodice is fine, it was just too long, which I can handle, so I marked a spot and frogged back to my marker, and am started the ribbing earlier than the pattern states. Hopefully I'm not wrong and screwing myself over, because right now this is what I'm seeing and it makes me very sad.

The upside is this!

It really could be worse. I had it on, and it looks how I think it should look. I think my problem was measuring from my armhole, rather than the actual length of the piece. I would love to blame that on the pattern, but it's just not realistic. Anyway, so this is where the ribbing is going to start, once I get the pattern to the right spot for it. Big set-back, but I really want to be able to wear this one!

yarn, lace, books and blog contests

2008-05-13T23:21:00.004-04:00

First off, Strings and Purls is hosting a contest on her blog to celebrate her blogoversary! So, go on over and check her out.

Blog: stringsandpurls.blogspot.com
Contest: http://stringsandpurls.blogspot.com/2008/05/im-having-blogoversary-contest.html

Now onto other news. Nothing major to report in terms of knitting, however, I have made some additions to my yarn stash. I ordered the Knit Picks lace sampler, Sea View and it's LOVELY! I took pictures of it for my stash section on Ravelry, so I can post pictures of it here.

1) Shimmer — Bayou

2) Shadow — Spring Green

3) Alpaca Cloud — Tide Pool

4) Gloss Lace — Aegean

5) Gloss Lace — Mermaid

6) Shadow — Juniper

Very pretty stuff, and I'm very excited about what projects could come of them. I'm already dreaming of potential wedding ideas involving lace … mmm …

I also swung by Chapters after work today and picked up a new book (yes, we're still on the the lace topic). Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. It's lovely and has more to it than I initially noticed. Lots of patterns, lots of charts, a lot of instruction for those of us new to it, lots of pictures, and a whole section at the back dedicated to technique. It's awesome.

Check it out on Ravelry, or Amazon. You can probably get it cheaper in-store than online. I'm not too certain why it's so expensive on Amazon, when you can pay half that in a book store.

There's also knit-a-long for this book here: Victorian Lace Knit-a-Long
A pretty fantastic review by Grumperina on her blog.
And official corrections for the book as a downloadable PDF

Arbor: Major Progress!

2008-05-11T11:56:00.003-04:00

I've made major progress on Arbor (ravelry link) over the last couple of days. Not only am I nearing the halfway mark, I've managed to separate for the (short) sleeves, and am almost ready to finish the bodice. I believe the next step is to try it on to make sure I haven't messed anything up. The white/provisional cast on edge at the top of the picture below is where the neckling "will be".

And here is my sleeve cap. I'm very excited about the construction of this shirt. I'm hoping I might even have it done in time to show off at the next Carleton Knit night!

I feel the need to say, learning to do a Russian Join has been my saviour! You just can't do a spit and splice join with cotton, and I've barely had to do any weaving at all. Fantastic.

Better than before

2008-05-08T14:00:00.002-04:00

I feel guilty about my last post, and how sadly lacking in photos it was. To make up for it, I'm posting again, about my knit shirt. I'm knitting Arbor in a cotton dk yarn, and I'm nervous about this project. Last time I got over-confident so now I'm not so sure.

Well, I have made progress since the last time I posted about it, so here's an updated photo. I've reached the end of the first skein, but now the first repeat of the pattern. Check out my project page on Ravelry!

I'm still working hard on mom and dad's christmas surprise, but needed to work on something a bit more challenging, and Arbor's lace was just the challenge I needed. I think I'll work a bit on Arbor and then go back to the 'surprise' this weekend.

Christmas knitting update!

2008-05-07T13:04:00.002-04:00

I'm not posting about it here, because I don't want the giftee to see what I'm making them. If you're not mom and dad, see my progress update (with pictures!) here.

~ Liz

Cabled Arm Warmers — Free Pattern

2008-04-30T23:49:00.005-04:00

I have my first free pattern download up on ravelry right now, and it's getting fantastic attention. Lots of hearts, lots of queues, and lots of really warm and encouraging comments!

Lookee!

A PDF of my arm warmer pattern can be downloaded at this post ^_^

In other news, I'm posting my gift list for the Knit All Year blog for May. I won't post it here, but I'm very excited about the progress I'm making!

WIP, new toy, Russian Join!

2008-04-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm making huge progress on my gift item that I'm not posting about (not really, but if you're not my parents, click here for a picture~). If you want more details, check it out on Ravelry since I know they won't see anything there.

Now in other news, I bought a new toy! I keep hearing such helpful things about using scales to measure your yarn, and I managed to find one that wasn't too expensive and has measurements that go low enough to weigh yarn.

I also learned how to do a Russian join today!

FO — Cabled Armwarmers

2008-04-30T21:11:00.002-04:00

[Edited April 29, 2008: Added Pattern and download)
[Edited May 9, 2008: Pattern is being updated for the right-hand side… apparently my instructions of "reverse for right glove" are a bit too ambiguous for some. Stay tuned!)

I knit some cabled arm-warmers for my friend Anna. These were long overdue, and I'm very happy to have them done. We're going to consider them an early birthday present, even though her birthday is in November. The pattern is pretty much my own, and the cable pattern is borrowed from a book even if it is a really simple one. I intentionally off-set the cables and I think they look pretty cool.

Cabled Fingerless Armwarmers (personal pattern) (ravelry) by Elizabeth Martin
Source: Harmony Guide: Cables and Arans
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: Belated birthday
Completed: April 16, 2008

Yarn: 1.25 skeins of Knit Picks Essential in Grass
Needles: US 2

Download Pattern:

Free Patterns

2008-04-30T01:13:00.004-04:00

I'm very new at this, and any pattern I've come up with is really just me trying things out until they work. Hopefully someone else can get something out of them. The patterns are free, and I don't mind if you use them, but please give me some credit if you do ^_^

Cabled Arm Warmers

Knit Sleep Mask

WIPs and a contest

2008-04-23T22:53:00.002-04:00

First off, Studio Knit is having a contest to celebrate 500 posts. Wow. Just wow. Go check it out and make sure to say that you found her through my blog!

Now onto the WIPs!

I started Arbor earlier this week and haven't gotten very far I must say ^^;; The yarn is thick and a little stiff to work with so I'm having trouble wanting to push forward. I think I need another Knit knite to get in the mood. Anyway, here's a picture of my progress. The white edge is the provisional cast-on edge and is temporary ^^;;

I have also started a bigger project that I won't be talking about here because it's a holiday secret! If you're not mom and dad, click here ^_^ If you want to see the plan it's here! I apologize for the crypticness of this post ^^;;; If you're on the Year Long Gift-a-long blog, you'll get plenty more information out of me yet!

FO — Branching Out scarf

2008-04-20T01:53:00.002-04:00

Branching out into lace

I had some yarn left over from the arm warmers (see that post here) and decided to put it to good use and make Anna a lace scarf to wear with her arm warmers ^^ It's a lovely lace pattern, and it turned out nicely.

Gift Item: Branching Out Scarf (pattern) (ravelry) by Susan Lawrence
Source: Knitty
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: Belated birthday
Finished: April 20, 2008

Yarn: 0.75 skeins of Knit Picks Essential in Grass
Needles: US 3

WIP: cabled armwarmers / yarn excursion!

2008-04-11T23:13:00.007-04:00

Cabled Fingerless Arm-warmers Progress update
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 2008

I started these mittens at the beginning of April. They've been on my year long gift along list since the beginning of the year and I'm finally making progress on them. I think part of what helps is that I've decided to knit them both at the same time. I'd say they're about 30 % done. I'm using the Big Braid cable from Interweave's cables stitchonary and I'm very happy with how it's going.

I also went on a mini excursion to Knit-knackers today between work and meeting a friend for coffee. Sadly the bunnies weren't out today. I suspect because it was so cold and unpleasant and according to the lady working today he was all alone and probably wasn't feeling very social. I did end up buying some recycled silk sari hand-spun. It's lovely and I can't wait to try to make something out of it!

FO — Thermal, my first sweater

2008-04-03T20:33:00.007-04:00

My very fist sweater is complete! All in all, I liked the pattern, and i think it was a great sweater to start with, but now it's starting to get warm and I want to knit something I can wear. Also, it ended up being a little on the small side which was a good learning experience.

Thermal (pattern) (ravelry) by Laura Chau
Source: knitty.com
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: My first sweater!
Completed: April 3, 2008

Yarn: 6.75 skeins of Sandes Garn Sisu in red
Needles: US 2.5 and 3
Other info: I tried to make things a little longer than the pattern, because I was doing it in a smaller size. I wanted a more fitted sweater. Unfortunately I didn't make it quite long enough. Ah well, that's what I get for not swatching ^_^

Year long gift-a--long March Wrap up and April List

2008-03-31T17:32:00.001-04:00

March was a very good month for me with this yearl long gift-a-long. I managed to finish two gifts, and even have the yarn so I can start two others. I have the yarn and the patterns, now all I need is the drive to knit them! I did start the second sleeve of Thermal this week, and hopefully will have it finished in April! Here is the march wrap-up, and below that, my list for April. Happy Spring everyone! (Even if it is snowing today...)

MARCH WRAP-UP:

1. Gift Item: Tura Maeve Dress in blue (pattern) (ravelry)
Recipient: My niece-to-be
Occasion: Baby being born
Deadline: March 30 (shower date)
Other info: It was a huge hit at the baby shower this weekend. Thank you so much for all the comments and the support!

2. Gift Item: No Sew Slippers in Bohemian Green Tea (pattern) (ravelry) by Kate Pullen
Source: 10,000 Great Ideas
Recipient: Chris, my boyfriend
Occasion: Cold Feet are an occasion right?
Completed: March 25, 2008

APRIL LIST:

1. Gift Item: Thermal (ravelry)
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Because I haven't knit anything for myself in awhile and thought I was due
Deadline: This month baby
Other info: So I finally got off my lazy butt and started the second sleeve. Now there's even hope of me finishing this sweater in April as I had hoped! Pictures ^___^

2. Gift Item: Cabled Fingerless Mittens
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 2008
Other info: I have the yarn, and I plan to knit using a cable pattern from a book I got for my birthday. This item is being carried forward from March.

3. Gift Item: Hand bag or Purse
Recipient: Chantelle
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: December 25, 2008
Other info: something like the pics below

4. Gift Item: Voyager Lace Stole in JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk (pattern) (ravelry) by Shui Kuen Kozinski and Benne Ferrel
Source: Elann.com
Recipient: Rin
Occasion: Birthday
Deadline: June 7, 2008
Other info: I've purchased the yarn and chosen a pattern. Here's the yarn:

Endpaper Mitts progress!

2008-03-26T10:57:00.003-04:00

The first mitten is complete! whew! I delayed and procrastinated… I'm not sure why, but at least now I feel like I can move forward… onto the second mitten XP

Pink and Blue Endpaper Mitts (pattern) (ravelry) by Eunny Jang
Source: eunnyjang.com
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Bad circulation
Completed: First mitten completed March 25, 2008

Yarn: 2 skeins of Rowan 4 Ply Soft in Blue Bird (discontinued) and Tea Rose
Needles: US 1 and 2
Other info: I didn't make the edging near my fingers as long as the pattern. I like my fingers to be a bit more free.

FO — New Sew slippers for Chris

2008-03-23T23:50:00.003-04:00

The last couple days have been de-stashing days. I had some left-over yarn from my neck warmer I knit last week, and decided to kit some slippers for Chris.

Gift Item: Green Tea No Sew Slippers (pattern) (ravelry) by Kate Pullen
Source: 10,000 Great Ideas
Recipient: Chris, my boyfriend
Occasion: Cold Feet are an occasion right?
Completed: March 25, 2008

Yarn: 1.5 skeins of Patons Bohemian in a pretty Green Tea
Needles: US 11 and a crochet hook for finishing
Other info: I also added a crochet edging around the hole for the foot to keep the slipper on better.

Knitting Scouts, fleece artist and stashbusting blankets

2008-03-20T13:09:00.005-04:00

How many badges do you have? Here are mine ^__^

I think I'm most proud of the "knitting under the influence" badge XP

In knitting news, I received a belated birthday present from my fiancé's parents! A whole whack-lode of Fleece Artist yarn for a jacket pattern that I'm itching to try out!! OMG, I'm so grateful… I'm terrified, because it involvedl earning to double-knit, and I've heard scary stories about Fleece Artist patterns being hard to read, but I'm excited anyway ^___^ The colours are awesome, and the texture is just lovely. Thank you!

Enjoy the photos of the gorgeous yarn that has completely taken over my knitting basket

I also frogged the blanket (ravelry link) I was working on (for the umpteenth time) and am doing a completely different pattern. Still destashing, and I've gotten much further than any of the other attempts. I'm much happier with it's progress.

here's the before

and here's the after

And I know it's a goat, not a sheep, but it made my day

Happy Goat by DamaVerde on Deviantart.com

FO — Baby Dress

2008-03-15T20:41:00.008-04:00

After a couple hours spent finishing, seaming, and crocheting edges, it’s finally blocking! I had to block it in two stages, because of the ruffled skirt… and I have yet to decide whether or not to sew and create a picot edge or not. The open-lace edge is quite pretty on it’s own, and I don’t think I have enough yarn left anyway…

Gift Item: Tura Maeve Dress in blue (pattern) (ravelry) by Paulina Obregón (scroll down for English translation)
Source: All you knit is love
Recipient: My niece who is due born in April
Occasion: Baby being born
Completed: March 17, 2008

Yarn: 2 skeins of Garnstudio Safran in a pretty blue colour
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm and a crochet hook for finishing
Notions: I'm thinking of making crochet chains and leave it as a tie-back

This is disturbingly accurate

What Liz Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience.

You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along.

But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Your Shamrock Says About You

You are a high achiever. Success comes fairly easy for you.

At times, you can be slow to act. You don't like to be outside your comfort zone.

You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck.

You are stylish, in a classic sort of way. You are particular about how you like things.

The Shamrock Personality Test

FO — Bristol Neck Warmer, WIP — Tura Maeve Dress in blue

2008-03-13T19:33:00.010-04:00

Bristol Neck Warmer

I knit this up in one night using some yarn from my stash. I used the Bristol Neck Warmer pattern (free) as a guideline, really. I only used the pattern for dimensions and button placement… not a whole lot else. I also only did a garter stitch because anything else wouldn’t have showed up in the pretty yarn colour.

Pattern: Bristol Neck Warmer
Source: www.cabledsheep.com
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/riizu/bristol-neck-warmer
For: Myself
Yarn: 1.5 skeins of a Patons Bohemian in Green Tea that I bought at Wool Tyme on impulse
Needles: 5mm
Notions: I bought the buttons from MaggiesMess’s Etsy store.
Time line: Finished in one night in February

Tura Maeve Dress in blue

I received the Yarn (from Nordic Mart) on Thursday, and started it pretty much right away. I finished the bodice within hours of receiving the yarn in the mail, and decided to block it before going any further just to make my life a tad bit easier. You can see the pattern here (scroll down for English translation), and the Ravelry link here.

Pattern: Tura Maeve Dress by Paulina Obregón (scroll down for English translation)
Source: All you knit is love
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/riizu/tura-maeve-dress
For: My niece who is due born in mid-April
Yarn: 2 skeins of Garnstudio Safran in a pretty blue colour
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm and a crochet hook for finishing
Notions: I'm going to have to figure out something to fasten the back, since I don't want to use buttons for a newborn dress… maybe small strips of ribbon? Or maybe just a crochet chain…
Time line: This needs to be done by March 31st!

Endpaper progress and a new contest!

2008-03-13T13:44:00.003-04:00

First things first, head on over to MariKnit's blog. She's holding a contest to celebrate her 100th post! Woo!

As I mentioned in my last post, poor Endpaper was doomed to the land of the frogs, and I had to restart with larger needles. I was sad, but coincidentally, the Yarn Harlot posted on her blog about having to frog what she had been working on, and I didn't feel quite so bad about it. Anyway, here's a pic of how far I've gotten this time, and it fits now ^___^

Sick, Endpaper, and "stupid dead girl"

2008-03-11T04:09:00.007-04:00

I have a terrible cold. I'm coughing and not sleeping (hence the 4AM post) and I'm exhausted!!! At least there's Ravelry to keep me entertained. I would knit if I weren't so damned tired. I'm up because I was feeling so sad about keeping my fiancé awake. It's not his fault that I can't sleep, and he shouldn't have to suffer.

I frogged Endpaper on the weekend. It was very sad, but they just weren't going to fit. I had to go up a needle size, which hopefully will help them to knit up faster, since I'm very slow with fair isle. It is fair isle, right? Not intarsia? Anyway, almost done the first repeat of the pattern and as soon as it's worth showing, I'll take a progress pic or two.

I guess I can post old progress pics can't I? I don't want to leave this post photo-less so enjoy pics of a knitting that no longer exists. Yay~! You can see more info on my ravelry page.

So here I am, browing blogs, and I discover a post about "dead girl"… please enjoy the stupidity. I know I did. XP

Anyone hear of Mystical Creation Yarns? Apparently she's run a bit of scam involving crap orders and playing dead… she recently created a second business, Visionary Yarns…

read more about her here:
http://moderngypsy.livejournal.com/1648691.html

Hot Cocoa Swap 2007/8!

2008-03-04T09:03:00.016-05:00

Hot Cocoa Swap 2007/8!

So here's a sample of all the wonderful goodies my buddy sent me last week. There are a few items missing in the pic, but you'll see those things later on. It was a wonderful experience, and I would totally do this again!

The mug also came with some cookies that didn't last the evening mmmmmm as well as a container of hot cocoa:

The organic hot cocoa is delicious! It puts the other stuff I have in my cupboards to shame.

On a chocolate note, Chocolate scented soap? Great idea! She also sent me a chocolate bar with peppers in it that is also long gone.

This is awesome! It's smaller than the one I have and will fit nicely in my knitting bag!

And she's encouraging me to knit my first pair of socks! The photo doesn't do the yarn justice, it's very very pretty colours ^_^

Awesome stitch markers. I especially love the sheep with the "loves to knit" tag attached.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful swap!

More info:
Hot Cocoa Swap (blog)
My spoiler's blog
Questionnaire
Blog Challenge (Scavenger Hunt)
Blog Challenge #2
Blog Challenge #3
Blog Challenge #4

And just as reference, I knit Bubby for my swap recipient:

Dear Thermal / FO's / 2008 Gift a long / Sillyness

2008-03-02T13:21:00.007-05:00

Dear Thermal,

It's been so long since we were together, but I haven't forgotten you. Not at all. You just take so much of my energy and I got all excited with other projects and things that I knew I could finish in a night or two… and every time we're together, we just go in circles and never seem to get anywhere. My red sweater, I will finish you soon, I promise. Just let me get this need for FOs out of my system first.

Love Liz

ANOTHER FO: I finally finished a gift I've been meaning to knit since before Christmas! I've had the yarn, and the time, but everytime I tried to finish this hat, either I would run out of yarn, or it would end up looking really stupid. Well, I gave up on making it a slouchy hat, since I didn't seem to have enough yarn, but I think it's cute anyway. I hope she likes it ^_^

MORE BABY KNITTING: Finishing the hat for my niece-to-be felt really awesome. So awesome that I want to knit something else and even ordered the yarn last night. The only possible trouble is that the baby shower is at the end of March. It's not that I really think it must be done for the shower (Baby is due in April) but I would really like to have something to give her other than just the hat. I really want to knit this dress by Paulina Obregón Zayas (ravelry link). The original patter wasn't in English, but there was such a reaction from Ravelry users, that the author had it translated. Here's a photo of what I want to knit:

But imagine it in This colour:

And now for my Year Long Gift Along Monthly Post!

My list for February was:

Thermal / for me / Presents for me are awesome / End of March

still not done

Evangeline / Anna / Christmas or Birthday / November or December

revised

Cabled Hat / Jeannine / Belated Xmas / March

done!

Baby Hat / Niece / Newborn / Due in April

done!

MARCH LIST:

1. Gift Item: Thermal (ravelry)
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Because I haven't knit anything for myself in awhile and thought I was due
Deadline: My initial hope was to be done by April, and my optimistic deadline end of March. Well, I have one sleeve to finish, the collar, and some seaming, then I'm done. All I need now is some motivation *sigh*

2. Gift Item: Cabled Fingerless Mittens
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: is love an occasion?
Deadline: November or December 2008
Other info: I have the yarn, and I plan to knit using a cable pattern from a book I got for my birthday.

3. Gift Item: Tura Maeve Dress in blue (pattern) (ravelry)
Recipient: My niece-to-be
Occasion: Baby being born
Deadline: March 30 (shower date)
Other info: I've ordered the yarn and hopefully it will arrive in time for me to finish before the baby shower

4. Gift Item: Hand bag or Purse
Recipient: Surprise!
Occasion: Birthday
Deadline: June 7

5. Gift Item: lace shawl
Recipient: Chantelle
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: Dec 25

Silly Quiz: What year do I belong in?
Apparently 1959 which I don't think is entirely inaccurate.

You Belong in 1959

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

FO — Baby hat!

2008-03-01T12:18:00.003-05:00

I needed a break from Thermal and so I knit a baby hat from stash yarn (Mission Falls 1824 Cotton)… there colours were a little masculine, so I embroidered flowers on it ^__^;;; I also sort of changed up the pattern a bit… I thought such a large brim on a baby's head would look silly so I split up the colours to visually make it appear smaller and I think it worked!

Pattern: Isaiah's Hat by Ashley Shannon (ravelry link)
Date: mid February 2008
Knit for: Mike and Anik's daughter due in April
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton
Needles: I think they were 6US but I honestly can't remember.

quiz, silly knitted decor, and star trek

2008-02-19T14:04:00.006-05:00

Progress? What Progress?

So Thermal has been thoroughly neglected this week. I can't even blame it on "second sock syndrom" since I'm not even finished the first sleeve yet. I think I may be intimidated by the should er cap. Can I blame it on the ambiguous "knit these 4 rows 5 times more" part of the pattern. Which 4 rows??? I'm so confused… maybe someone will read this and take pity on me because I'm afraid to continue less I completely muck up a perfectly good sweater sleeve.

In other news, I knit a baby hat the other night ^_^ They're awesome 'cause they're so quick! I even manged to use up some stash that's been lying around since well before Christmas. I'm going to add some embroidery to it this weekend and then maybe I'll have some FO pics to share. As of right now, you'll have to be satisfied with other internet silliness.

I know it's Photoshop but it still makes me happy ^___^

Rachel Denny Knitting Fun:

I love this kind of thing, I'm just amazed at the creativity in some people.

And if you happen to have $600 to spend, head on over to Vitamin D(esign)

Stupid Quiz Fun

Who is your inner bombshell?

WAAAAAHH!! You're inner Bombshell is the zany Lucille Ball! You like making people laugh, but also know how to turn on the glamour when the time is right. To most guys you're the perfect all-around gal. But sometimes you get into trouble and have a heckuva time talking your way out of it. You may be accident-prone on the outside, but your a first class business woman on the inside. A pioneer, so to say. Lucy can still be seen hamming it up on her most famous television series "I Love Lucy".
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Thermal and the woes of gift knitting

2008-02-18T03:39:00.004-05:00

Thermal

The first sleeve is nearing completion. I am just about to start the cap of the right shoulder, and hopefully I'll be able to attach the sleeve by the end of the day! The cuff of the second sleeve is done, and this sweater is starting to look like I might finish it a month before schedule. You get pictures once I've attached the sleeve, cause right now it doesn't look much different from the last time I posted.

Other knitting

I really feel like I should be working on my other knitting. I joined the Year Long Give along and haven't even touched any of my gift knitting since the beginning of January. And that's not for lack of projects to knit, I just am way more motivated to finish my sweater than to do anything else right now. I have so many things that I want to knit for people too. There's no real excuse.

Gift knitting list:

Baby knitting for Mike and Anik who are going to be having a baby girl in April. I'm thinking something from Debbie Bliss' Essential Baby book but can't decide what since there are so many adorable things to choose from!

I also have two bleated requests for slouchy hats (one on hold because I failed to purchase enough yarn to finish it *sigh*)
As well as a request for fingerless mittens that are getting procrastinated on because of a poor yarn choice
I have two new requests for leggings out of Knitting Lingerie Style which are adorable, but I would end up knitting how many pairs? Not only that but I want a pair too!

And then there's birthdays and weddings and Christmas for that matter! What have I gotten myself into?

So after all of that, who can blame me for being happy knitting slowly away at my waffle stitch sweater? It's peaceful, it's on my timeline, no one cares if I mess it up but me, and when I'm done, I get to keep it!

Swaps and Birthdays and Valentines!

2008-02-12T15:13:00.001-05:00

Hot Cocoa Swap

I mailed out my package for the hot cocoa swap on Tuesday. I'm told it should arrive in 7 business days but they're often earlier than they say they'll be. On the flip side, my spoiler apparently mailed my package out on Tuesday as well. That's cool, and now I have something fun to wait for in the mail. I love getting mail, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I hope my spoilee likes her package! This is my first swap and I really want it to go over well.

Birthday

My birthday is on Valentine's day. Some people think I'm lucky because I get "double" spoiled on my birthday, but really, I think I'm missing out on something. Every year, we celebrate my birthday and Valentine's day doesn't get much of any reaction at all from me. So this year, as per my suggestion, we're going to have a Valentine's dinner with the just the two of us on my birthday. I bought a bottle of wine and I'm going to make a nice dinner. Chris is buying pie for dessert and I bought him a gift for Valentine's day which is something I've never done for anyone ever before.

I guess it's because it's always been my day and I think I held some resentment for this day of love. I often get neglected by my loved ones because they're off doing romantic things and no one has the time to come over and celebrate with me. We're hoping for a gathering on Saturday to do my birthday stuff and we'll see how celebrating Valentine's day goes. It's a unique experience for me, and a rare one for him. I'm nervous *lol*

I may have other news soon but that will have to wait until after saturday. Ha ha ha! You're left to wonder!

(I promise the next post will have pictures!)

Thermal Sweater updates

2008-02-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

I feel like I'm nearing the end of Thermal! I'm very excited. It's a little silly to think I'm almost done, but it's just because I'm at 75% completion. I have to keep reminding myself just how long 25% will take *sigh* It's going well though. The body is completely done, minus the collar and some end-weaving.

Thermal body complete!

I'm about half-way done the first sleeve. It's little rough around the edges. I think I just needed to get back into double pointed needles again and had to almost remind myself how to do it. I felt a little incompetent at first but it's getting easier. The biggest worry now is this: how do I attach the sleeves? Will they fit the body right? Will they be too long? Will they look retarded? Only time will tell. In the mean-time, it's Super Liz!

Super Liz!

I wanted to show off the sweater as it is to date, and the photo is a little amusing. I may need to stretch it out a bit when I block it to make it a little longer and it's quite warm so we'll see how much I get to wear it. I'm almost tempted to leave it as it is but I think that's my desire for spring talking.

Year Long Gift-a-long

2008-02-01T14:56:00.000-05:00

I got a late start to the gift-a-long due to email issues, but I'm here now! Here's my list so far, I figure it'll grow some as the year progresses.

1. Gift Item: Thermal (sweater)
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: Because I haven't knit anything for myself in awhile and thought I was due
Deadline: No real deadline, but if I finish by March at the latest that's not so bad
Notes: This is my first sweater and it's proving to be challenging but fun.

2. Gift Item: Evangeline (fingerless mittens)
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: is love an occasion?
Deadline: I'd like to finish them by mid-February

3. Gift Item: Cabled Rangoli hat (PDF Download)
Recipient: Jeannine
Occasion: more love
Deadline: I'd like to finish by mid-February

4. Gift Item: Something 'baby'
Recipient: my boyfriend's future niece
Occasion: Baby being born
Deadline: April

Gift ideas:

baby bonnet
baby booties
blanket
dish cloth
mug and cozy
neck warmer (tudora)
hat
lace shawl
scarf
tea cozy
yoga matt bag

Hot Cocoa Blog Challenge and Thermal

2008-01-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

What is your most memorable vacation? Where did you go? What made it memorable?

When I was 14 or 15, we went on a vacation to Presqu'il Provincial Park with some family friends. We went two summers in a row and stayed in a cottage on the water and stayed for a week. What made it so memorable? So many things… I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone on that kind of vacation with a cottage and everything. The family we spent those times with are as close as you can get to being family without actually being related. I will never forget the good times I had with them. The father, James, passed away from Cancer a few years ago. I think of them, and James, a lot, and I will never forget it or them.

In other news, I went to the gym Monday for the first time in MONTHS and discovered that I've lost 10 pounds. Woo!! Another five and I think I'll be pretty satisfied, and if I can manage to get down to 135 again, I think that would be quite a day for celebration ^_____^

Thermal

Now 45% percent complete, I am at 16 inches and have decided two things; I'm not doing darts because I'm scared of them and think that it will fit fine without them, and that I'm doing away with the split/buttons in the front of the pattern. So don't worry that it's just a tube at this point ^^;; I' about to split for the sleeves and I'm a little nervous so wish me luck!

Reflections on Thermal and book reviews

2008-01-23T23:52:00.001-05:00

Reflections on Thermal

The initial plan was to stick to the pattern. I am apparently incapable of doing that. Everything I've knit since the very beginning has been modified is some way or another; yarn, needle size, size of the object being knitting, etc, etc… So of course, Thermal is no exception. I started with deciding to make it longer.

Looking at people's FO's on Ravelry made me decide that I probably want a longer sweater than what's pictured. Just preference. Then I'm all like, oh yeah, I can do short row shaping and put in darts. No problem. Just ignore the fact that I'm completely new at this, have never done a sweater before, and just thinking about doing this is giving me panic attacks.

Okay, so, we have the lengthened sweater, the short row shaping, and then we're removing the "split" with the buttons. Yeesh… I'm afraid that I'm biting off more than I can chew here. I also don't like that I have to bind of the inside edge and pick up to do the ribbing later. I'm af raid that it's going to look like crap and these months of effort are all going to be a waste because I fail at the stupid neckline finish.

On a happier note: I am now officially 30%! Behold!

BOOKS! I love books. I read a lot. I'm very sad that since I started knitting, reading has very much taken the back burner. I guess I could get audio books, but it's just not the same *sigh*. To fill this hole, I have begun buying knitting books ^__^;;;; Here are some of my newest acquisitions.

Book Reviews

BOOK REVIEW:
Cables & arans: 250 stitches to knit Interweave Press; The Harmony Guides edited by Erika Knight

I was hesitent to buy any of the harmony guides after reading some reviews that though they are helpful, the photos left a little to be desired; too small, and didn't show enough detail with the patterns.

After looking at the lace guide, I completely understand what they were complaining about, however I found the cable guide not to have the same problem. IMO there are a lot of patterns in here that I would love to try, it includes written instructions as well as charts, and even the non-knitter boyfriend was interested and wanted to flip through and see what was there. I'm looking forward to modifying patterns in the future to incorporate some of the patterns from this book ^___^

BOOK REVIEW:
Knitting Lingerie Style: More than 30 basic and lingerie-inspired designs
by Joan McGowan-Michael

I was very excited with this book. I have been looking for a book with some nice, fitted designs. Ones that maybe I can modify, but don't necessarily have to. All of the designs in this book could either be made as lingerie, or done "appropriately" for every day wear. They are lovely and I can't wait to try out some of them!

Resolutions, first pattern and Hot Cocoa Swap Blog challenge #3

2008-01-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

More resolutions? Maybe. I read on someone's blog recently that they have resolved to not have more than 3 WIPs at any given time, and I think that sounds like a a really good idea. I could see getting bored with things, and then just never finishing them, but if you resolve to not start anything new until something is done, FO's will magically appear! Right? I think so.

In other news, Thermal is coming along. I have 7 inches or so more to go before I can do something "more interesting" like bust shaping and arm holes and the like so progress on that front will either be minimal or really boring to read about ^^;;. I did knit up a sleep mask because I broke mine and the apartment accross the way is way to bright and makes it hard to sleep. Pattern? I made one up cause I couldn't find one I liked.

Knit Sleep Mask (stash buster pattern)

Pattern by Elizabeth Martin

Pattern name: Knit sleep mask
Yarn: Worsted weight (I used left over yarn from another project and don't remember what it was)
Needles: 3.75mm knit flat (use a smaller needle than the yarn calls for so you don't get too much light coming through)
Gauge: 21 st / 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Abbreviations:
CO: Cast On
SS: Stockinette Stitch (Knit one row, Purl one row)
K: knit
Kfb: Knit front and back loop
K2tog: Knit 2 stitches together

CO 8 sts
Knit in SS for 8 rows
K to last st, kfb last stitch, Purl next row; repeat for 10 rows (13 sts remain on needle)
Knit in SS for 10 rows
K to last 2 sts, k2tog, Purl next row; repeat for 6 rows (10 sts remain on needle)
K 1 row
P 1 row
K to last st, kfb last stitch, Purl next row; repeat for 6 rows (13 sts remain on needle)
Knit in SS for 10 rows
K to last 2 sts, k2tog, Purl next row; repeat for 10 rows (8 sts remain on needle)
K in SS for 8 rows
Bind Off

I used a method of finger knitting to create something similar to an i-cord for the strap. You can knit a full strap and sew it on, or you can use elastic or ribbon, it's up to you. If you find any mistakes in this pattern, please feel free to email me as it is my first one.

Hot Cocoa Swap Blog Challenge #3:
What is the most 'random' memory you have from your childhood?

I'm not sure about random… wouldn't they all count as random? I think she means odd things, or odd occurrences. I think after awhile it all blends into a fabric of moments for me. Time where I was acutely aware of what I was doing, regardless of why. Like sitting under a gazebo making bracelets out of gimp at summer playground, or my first time riding a horse, or having the pants scared off me at an overnight camp by older kids telling horror stories.

Photo of Bubby and Progress pics of Thermal

2008-01-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

As promised, a finished pic of Bubby. I swear those legs are supposed to be that way. Just ignore them XP I'm pretty happy with him since he is my first try at a toy. He's cute, if flawed. Hopefully my Hot Cocoa Swap recipient won't mind.

Progress pic of Thermal. I started knitting this sucker on New Years Eve, and am about a ball and a half into it at this point. See that quarter there? I'm not that far in ^^;;; I'm averaging out at about a ball every two and a half weeks so I figured I'll be done by March. Wish me luck. I think I'll need other projects to keep me going in the mean time. Endpaper Mitts maybe?

In other news, I've been a very active knitter in the community this week! I went to two meet-ups (one at the Alta Vista Library and the other an Ottawa KnitNites at the Bridgehead on Third Avenue). There's also been a scheduled Spins & Needles craft night on Friday planned that I'd really like to go to. The only concern there is that I'm also hosting a tea party (tea stash busting party) on Saturday and need to make sure I'll have enough time to prepare. I'm a little concerned that if I go out on Friday night I'll run out of time. We'll see how it goes, I'll have to go by ear. Happy knitting everyone!

Cocoa Swap Blog Challenge #2

2008-01-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

Now that we're in the thick of 'Winter'... has your knitting changed to match the season? Are you moving on from dishcloths, and tank tops to afghans, hats and mittens? Has your yarn changed from silk or cotton to wool, superwash or heavier cottons?

Since I only started knitting seriously in November (learned mid summer), so far all of my knits have been "winter" oriented. Frankly, I'm looking forward to knitting something sumery like a cami or tank top. I think my knitting will change with the seasons. New inspiration, new purposes. It's a way of driving my creativity maybe… I hadn't thought on it too much until now.

And since I'm so new, I'm experiencing all different types of fibers this season! I've used straight up wool, yes, but I've also used some Misti Alpaca, Merino silk blends and some straight up cotton too. It's been a season for experimentation I suppose. I did use a super wash wool that I think turned out quite nice (mittens) and it was way more comfortable than I was expecting them to be for something that was entirely wool. Usually I find it scratchy, but not this time. I really do want to move into socks and start experimenting with sock yarns. Soon soon!

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
Take this quiz!

Yarn Contest? It's so pretty sparkle

2008-01-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

Clicky Clicky

Thermal Status:

The Recipe For Liz

3 parts Impishness
2 parts Fun
1 part Glamour

Splash of Fascination

Finish off with whipped cream

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Sheep Encounters? Sort of. Also; new WIP!

2008-01-10T14:43:00.000-05:00

No, those aren't the ones I saw, but aren't they cute anyway? Now when was it? I think it was Thursday night last week. Right! Dropping some friends off at home after a movie (GO SEE SWEENY TODD!) last week, we passed a transport truck full of sheep. ^___^ They were cute and awesome and we're not thinking about where they were going *lalalalala* Regardless, they had floppy ears and they made my day (aside from Sweeny Todd. Go see it dammit!).

And I know, I know. ANOTHER WIP? I'm crazy, but at least I'm having fun right? Right? Ya, okay, whatever.

I'm knitting Bubby (knitty Fall 2005) for my cocoa swap partner person or other. It's okay to post about it 'cause they don't know who I am mwa haha ha! (link on Ravelry)

His legs are supposed to be the same length so just ignore that XP

Mission Falls 1824 Cotton

It's Mission Falls Cotton 1824 so the toy should be soft. I plan to use white for facial features and haven't decided what's going around his neck as of yet. Probably ribbbon or something. So far, I have the body, the head (not stuffed yet, but will be soon) and one arm.

On this project, I have learned how to knit using the Magic Loop method, and how to graft (kitchener stitch). Go me! So far, he has most of his stuffing but has no legs. Oh Noes!. Poor Bubby needs some help.

No progress on the blanket, but I have been working tirelessly on Thermal (knitty.com) and now have a significant amount of 'body' knitted up! Yay! (link on Ravelry)

I had started a hat for my friend Jeannine, but I'm frogging because I think I need to use smaller needles for this yarn. Boo urns. Not to worry though, I'm sure I can find a pattern with a gauge to match (because I'm lazy and don't want to do the math XP)

Hot Cocoa Blog Challenge

2008-01-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

I'm still knitting away on Thermal from Knitty, I've also started some hats for some friends of mine, hopefully I'll have something worth photographing soon. The sweater is coming along really well. I'm almost done the first skein, so go me!

And now, the Hot Cocoa Blog Challenge thingy:

1. Who's favorite animal is an Otter? Criquette
2. Name someone who prefers whipped cream with their hot cocoa: Cindy W
3. Find 3 people who live outside of the United States: Amanda R., Devin H., Jenn S.
4. Name a fan of Harry Potter: Devin H.
5. Name someone who crochets: Charity R.
6. Name someone who DOES NOT have a healthy supply of notions: Kristen M.
7. Name someone who has NOT put up their questionnaire yet (just put a date with your answer in case they put it up after seeing their name listed somewhere ;-) ): Angela A-H (jan. 7)
8. Who likes to have Kahlua, Baileys, or Peppermint Schnapps in their cocoa? Carly S.
9. Name someone who knits fingerless gloves as a 'quick knit': Cindy F.
10.Name someone who's looking forward to gardening this spring.: Geraldine P.
11.Who's favorite way to drink cocoa is with a gorgeous Frenchman, while overlooking the eiffel tower from a French Cafe? (I'm right there with you... well at the table next to yours!): Kris L.
12.Name someone who's favorite animal is NOT a dog or house cat: Holly O.
13. Name someone who's favorite treat is NOT chocolate: Cathy D
14. Who plays Candyland? Criquette
15. Name someone who DOESN'T get the winter blahs: Kerry L.

mmm… hot cocoa swap (The Questionnaire!)

2008-01-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

The Mmmmm… Hot Cocoa Swap Questionnaire!!!!

Cocoa:
1. What is your favorite way to drink cocoa? Prepared with milk? Water? from home made recipe or store bought?, In a tea cup, or big mug? I love it with milk, in a mug that fits in my hands nicely
2. Marshmallows or whipped cream? mmmm whipped cream

Yarn/Knitting/Crochet
1. What is your favorite type of yarn? In what colors? I'm in love with soft ones with merino in them, and earth tones
2. Do you knit or crochet (or both)? I learned to knit in July and so crochet is pretty far off right now
3. What are your favorite type of needles, would you like to try something new? I don't really have a favourite, but I did get some size 6 bamboo needles for Christmas I'd like to try out soon
4. Do you have a healthy supply of notions? Sort of… I have one cable needle and one set of plastic stitch markers that I keep losing
5. What one thing do you keep thinking you need to buy for your knitting habit (outside of yarn)? A needle case of some kind.
6. What is your favorite 'quick knit/crochet' pattern (quick gratification) Calorimetry (knitty) or some fingerless gloves

Miscellaneous
1. What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter? I love tobaggoning but I never get to do it anymore
2. What is your favorite animal? Chickens
3. Do you get the 'winter blahs'? Yes, usually
4. What is your favorite way to beat the blahs? spend time with loved ones and drink lots of tea
5. What is the thing you are most looking forward to this spring? Being lighter (no coats, boots… etc.)
6. What are your favorite treat? small amounts of dark chocolate
7. What is your favorite board game? I'm not too big on them, but I seem to remember liking Rat Race
8. Do you have any children (furry or human)? we have two guinea pigs, mocha and bean
9. Do you have any allergies or special considerations you partner should know about? Not as far as I know in terms of fibers, but I do have sensitive skin to scratchy wools and I know I'm allergic to hay and cats