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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!

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

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!

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:

1. My fiancé surprised me with a movie on Tuesday night; Helvetica (a documentary). It was fantastic.
2. Dinner and gelato with Poeticknits on Wednesday night
3. Watching some guy not know how to park as he proceeded to knock over a bike rack on the side walk.
4. Rain. I love rain.
5. 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)!

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.

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!

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!

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

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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 ^_^

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!

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 *

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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.

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.

1. 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.
2. Start and finish a gift item: The cozy stole (pattern)(ravelry) will fit into this category nicely!
3. 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!

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?

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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.

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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.

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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!

1. Finish Arbor before the fall, so you can actually wear the thing.
2. Finish those socks by fall, so you can wear them!
3. You know those endpaper mitts you knit? Well, you only knit one and need to knit the second one already!
4. Knit something in lace using the Fiddlesticks yarn you bought on a whim before you start something else.
   
5. 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!
6. You're getting married, so you'd better get moving or you won't have a venue!
   

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.

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.

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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

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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.