She Knits Too

Ishbel - Done

2010-02-20T16:26:00.003-05:00

I thought mistakenly that this was going to be an easy knit compared to the Nefertiti shawl that is currently awaiting new yarn. Did I mention that I contacted the Hand Maiden people and they are dyeing a skein of yarn just for me so I can finish it? I misread the pattern and simply didn't have enough yarn to finish it. So while awaiting the new yarn I started Ishbel.

I had it almost finished when I decided that it would look nicer on larger needles. So it got frogged. I restarted it last Friday night during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Yesterday it was done and blocked.

It's currently drying on the spare bed.

It is a nice pattern.

A Change Of Pace

2010-02-17T13:24:00.006-05:00

I love my Swiffer, it gets a lot of use in this house with all the hardwood floors we have. I am tired of spending money on the disposable cloths plus the fact that they are not reusable. Being a little tired of lace knitting I was flipping through the Mason Dixon book last eve while watching the Canadian Men's hockey team decimate Sweden. I decided a little mindless knitting was in order.

So here it is; my Swiffer cover...
It will work wet or dry. I think I'll make a couple more and save some money.

Darn It, That Hurt

2010-02-12T21:46:00.002-05:00

Yup, I did it...I frogged the almost completed Ishbel Shawl and I almost bawled all over the yarn as I was winding it. I went up two needle sizes and I hope that makes a difference. This is not a great pattern I must say, I only knit 8 rows and had to tink back 4 of them. A sign of what's to come.

Frogging Day

2010-02-12T14:14:00.004-05:00

So I was pretty excited about this pattern and don't get me wrong, I still am. It's just that I'm not convinced this is the right yarn. I've had this Sea Wool in my stash for a couple of years and it looks really pretty in a skein.

I don't think it looks quite so pretty when it's wound and knit. Kind of blah actually, in my view.
The pattern itself is lovely but I think my needles are too small to do it justice. The yarn calls for 3mm and the pattern for 4mm so I used 3.25 mm.

There is one other thing that's bugging me about this pattern. You can knit this in two sizes and the smaller one calls for 330 yards. I have 350 yards and I'm just about finished and still have half the yarn left. It doesn't really tell you how much yarn you need for the larger size in other than laceweight which this definitely is not. So, I am seriously considering frogging it and either putting the yarn back in my stash or attempting the larger shawl and see if I have enough yarn. Of course if I do that and run out of yarn your going to hear a lot of cursing from this part of the world.

On a more positive note I finished knitting a little cardigan for my housekeeper, without whom I would be in a whole lot of trouble. She is my savior and deserves this. It's drying now and I'll spend the weekend putting it together as I watch the Olympics.

My Nefertiti Wrap is still on hold until I get more yarn from the company in Nova Scotia. I had email communication with them and they asked me to send them a strand of yarn. They said they would dye one skein for me and send it. Wasn't that nice of them?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend...

Nefertiti Wrap On Hold

2010-02-02T12:56:00.003-05:00

It's on hold for two reasons. The first is that my operated eye is not working very well yet but hopefully that will improve soon.

The second and most important reason is that I don't have enough yarn. I was gifted two skeins of Hand Maiden Sea Silk from my DIL for Christmas. I bought the pattern after assuring myself that 800 yards of yarn was sufficient. It's not, at least not if you change the needle size one up although I'm not totally convinced about that either. There are 18 charts to the pattern and I've just finished chart 7 with one skein. Around row 14 you start decreasing stitches so there I was last night counting rows and stitches to see if the second skein would do it. So it looks like 800 yards will do two thirds of the shawl only using size 4.5mm needles. Had I used the 3.5mm as given in the pattern do I really think it would have been enough yarn? Nope, I'd still be short. So until I can figure out the next move this is going into my unfinished basket for a while...

Where Has The Time Gone?

2010-01-18T21:10:00.005-05:00

Wow, it seems like just yesterday that I posted. In reality it's been a long time. I have been doing a little knitting but not as much as normal. Most of my readers know that I'm pretty much blind in one eye and I'm waiting for cataract surgery. Well the wait is almost over. One week from today it will be a done deal. My only issue is still which lens to have implanted and I don't have that sorted out yet. My ophthalmologist and I are in disagreement at the moment.

Meanwhile there has been some progress on the Nefertiti wrap. I have just started chart 4 of 14 charts in total. I know it doesn't look like it right now but this shawl will be a rectangle according to the pattern. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Yes, that's a lifeline you see. I made an error in chart two which the designer figured out for me and a little further on, on one of the k3togethers, I dropped one of the three. Of course that only became evident after I'd knit 6 more rows. I tinked back six rows and decided then and there that there would be lifelines in this project. I really know better but I got lazy and whenever I am it comes back to bite me in the bum.

I also knit up a quick hat for youngest grandson who plans to pass through T-dot for one night next week. He asked for one and I hope he likes it.

I'll post after the surgery and let you all know if I can see...

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T18:41:00.004-05:00

I'm hanging out in brrrr cold Calgary for the holidays, I mean really really cold. Something like -21 Celsius (-6F) give or take with narry a Chinook in sight.

For Christmas I was gifted this lovely yarn from my DIL. I have 400 grams (800 yards) of the most lovely Sea Silk colorway Storm Water.

This is much to lovely a yarn for socks so off we went to a local yarn shop called Make One Yarn Studio with the intention of finding a nice pattern and winding some yarn on their ball winder.

Life's never that simple for a knitter is it. As I walked out the door I said to my sweetie, "not buying any yarn today, really" and I heard him chuckle in the back ground, "sure"...

I got a little carried away and not only bought the lace pattern called Nefertiti Wrap, which has 14 separate charts, I also bought a lovely shawl pin, some Addi Turbo lace needles and at the same time also bought an inexpensive generic sock pattern for my DIL. I know, I know, they are all over the Internet for free but we don't have a working printer here so I said, what the heck. It was just seven bucks or so. The owner made an error on the bill in my favour of about 28 bucks and I pointed it out to her. She seemed grateful.

I also looked at a lovely knitting bag by Namaste that I had every intention of buying, just not that day.

So here's what spoiled it for me. We found a pretty easy, descriptive generic sock pattern and didn't need the one I purchased. The next day I went back to the shop and asked if she'd take the pattern back as a credit towards yarn or the bag. Can we all guess what happened? Nope, not taking it back, so sorry... even though I assured her I hadn't copied it.

Funny how something so trivial can ruin it for me. I came awfully close to packing up the yarn, yarn pin and Addi Turbo lace needles that I purchased there and returning them for a full credit. I realized that this is a pretty childish reaction and I'm letting it go, but I will say that this shop will not get any custom from me in future, sadly...

Follow The Leader

2009-12-21T19:57:00.005-05:00

It all started over here. I should never read this blog when I'm looking for ideas of things to knit when I get bored with socks. I held back a few day because I had to buy this pattern and as another knitting blogger buddy of mine, I hate paying for patterns. I bit the bullet and last week purchased the pattern. They are a breeze to knit but they do require sewing them together, yuck.
Bits and pieces...

Ready to felt...

All done and drying. I still have to sew the tabs on and find a couple of cool buttons.

Because I'm kind of stingy I knit this bucket hat so I could felt both items at the same time. Sadly it didn't quite work out well. The slippers are done with Patons Classic Wool and take about 15 minutes. The hat below was done with Noro Kureyon and took more than half hour. At one point I took it out, rinsed it and actually tossed it in the dryer. Didn't work out either, it really needed to be felted again. More hot water and more electricity, yuck.

Pre felting...

All done and drying. Still looks a bit big but I'm hoping for the best.

To all my friends, an absolutely wonderful Christmas. We're off to visit the offspring in Calgary. See you all in January...

Rositta

A Little Busy

2009-12-11T10:22:00.004-05:00

I have been knitting but not nearly as much as I'd like. Until I get my eyes fixed in January all knitting is done in little bits. No more knitting for hours at a time, it's just too tiring.

Because we are heading to somewhere very very cold for Christmas and because I just got my hair cut very very short, I'm rushing to finish the cowl pictured below. It needs to be about 19 inches high so I think I'm one pattern repeat away from finishing it. That's just 28 more rows.

I finished another little pair of socks for Ellie with leftover yarn and I have one more pair on the needles. I couldn't get the colors to match up with what little yarn I had left but I think it's okay.

Now here I did a little better on matching leftover yarn but that's because I had a little more of it. These are plain vanilla socks but I loved the idea of not having leftover yarn and I hate waste.

These are brand new yarn and I love the pattern. These have a turned over cuff which I won't do again. I had trouble lining up the live stitches with the cast on stitches to keep everything straight.

So that's it for this year. I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah, and an incredible 2010.

A Productive Weekend

2009-11-11T21:09:00.003-05:00

A weekend away at a cottage produced a couple of things. I finished the scarf that I half heartedly started last week... I find the yarn a bit rough and hope it will soften when I wash it.

And a pair of socks for Elliotte from leftover yarn. I have so much pretty yarn left I suspect there will be a couple of more pairs before Christmas.

I have to take a break from knitting and do a little housekeeping before things go to hell in a handbasket here. Unpacking the rest of the suitcases from our trip to Greece would be a good start it guess. Oh well, there's always tomorrow...

It's About Time

2009-11-05T16:44:00.006-05:00

I've been back in Canada for a week now but getting over jet lag has been harder than in previous years. I think the older you get the harder it is.

Anyway, I do have some stuff to post. I did a lot of knitting in Greece since a; my husband was otherwise occupied and b; the weather wasn't the greatest. I knit five pairs of socks. I only have photos of four since one pair I gave away to our wonderful neighbour Sophia (see my post on my other blog) before I got a chance to photograph them. They were nice though and I'm certain they were appreciated.

I've started another pair of socks since returning home but his pair will not show up here until they are finished. They will be very colorful since I've decided to stripe them using every leftover sock yarn I have. I hate waste...

I've also started the Noro Scarf. I'm late to this project since just about everyone in Ravelry has done this one. Better late than never I figure and it is going to be nice. I will gift this to someone special since it's pretty pricey. The yarn alone was over forty bucks.

Closing Up For A While

2009-08-19T16:23:00.002-04:00

Every year at this time I put this blog on hiatus for a couple of months. It's because we travel to Greece and getting dependable Internet is always a bit of a struggle. I find keeping one blog going is just about enough. Anyone interested can follow my comings and goings on my other blog while I'm away. I'm closing up a bit earlier this year and that's mainly because I have many things to do before we actually leave at the end of the month. Having my foot out of commission has put me behind the eight ball and we have also been travelling around southern Ontario for the last 18 days and that didn't help. It was fun though and there was knitting...

Wool socks for my brother-in-law Stavros. Now I had no idea that he would have liked wool socks and never made him any. After all, he lives in Greece. Who needs wool socks in Greece? When my mother-in-law passed away in the spring I had just sent over a new pair of socks for her that she never got to wear. Stavros immediately claimed them as his own. Seems it gets a bit cool on that boat of his in the fall. I decided to gift him another pair.

These socks are knit with Noro sock yarn. I loved the colors and hated knitting with this yarn for a couple of reasons. Firstly it is difficult to knit on bamboo needles and slides off steel needles and secondly because it is a single ply yarn and has a lot of thin spots which required what I call cut and paste. Lots of ends to sew in.

This pair is for me as well and it's done with Classic Elite Yarns, Summer Sox. It's a blend of cotton, merino and nylon. I decided to change up the basic vanilla sock pattern by doing a frilly cast on.

And while we were bumming around I couldn't resist buying yarn in the little city of North Bay, Ontario. Great yarn shop and I had to stop myself. I had planned on buying more in the town of Parry Sound but never did make it to the yarn shop, sadly.

So that's it then until November. I will knit in Greece and will post pictures of both my travels and my knitting on The View From Here.

Taking My Knittin On The Road

2009-07-30T17:30:00.006-04:00

My sweetie has decided that he doesn't feel like working a whole lot this month so we're off on a bit of a road trip. We're starting with a couple of days at the cottage and then heading both north/west and then further north to visit other friends cottages. Should be fun. I have lots of stuff to take with me including that darn log cabin blanket that doesn't want to get any bigger no matter how much I knit. I seem to be stuck on the square that is 132 stitches for 132 rows. I think I'm half way through that block but it's tough slogging. Meanwhile a finished project...

Forest Canopy Shawl

I liked this pattern so much I'm doing one more but in a lace weight yarn. What I like so much is that the instructions are both written and charted. Those who know me know that I'm a total dummy when it comes to charts. I think that part of my brain just simply doesn't work. The pattern is for a shoulder shawl and I did about 6 extra repeats because I wanted it larger. I also ran out of yarn and had to dye some more. I didn't get it quite right but it doesn't look too odd. I can't decide whether to keep it for myself or take it to Germany for my elderly aunt.

These socks in progress are knit with Noro sock yarn. I love the colors hate the way it's spun. It's a single ply yarn an has very thin and thick areas. I've had to cut some of the very thin stuff out because I don't think it will wear well. In spite of the lovely color it's not a yarn I will buy again.
The pattern is from Knitty.com called Broadripple and is easy to memorize.

And last but not least, I found a lovely sock yarn in pretty colors that I'm anxious to start. I haven't decided on a pattern yet but they may end up just plain vanilla.

So that's it for now. There will be no Internet access where we are going so for the next ten or twelve days or so I'm out of the loop...ciao for now

24 Hours

2009-07-22T11:26:00.007-04:00

Just 24 hours from now the cast and wires on my foot will disappear, I hope. It's not guaranteed though really, first there will be an x-ray to make sure everything is healed. If it's not then the cast goes back on. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

If the cast does stay off then some of these knitting projects will stop for a while so I can concentrate on doing other stuff.

Out of boredom I have started too many things one of which is the Forest Canopy Shawl. I used some yarn I had dyed myself and unfortunately I don't have enough. The pattern says 100 grams, 350 yards and that would be good for a little shoulder covering but it's not what I want. So I'm going to have to dye up some more and hope I get it right. It's a pretty easy pattern and it has both written instructions and charts. I'm not very good at reading charts so this suits me. I don't really know what it is about charts that freaks me out but they do and I don't bother fighting it. I may do this pattern again using lace weight yarn.

Yesterday my options needles arrived from KnitPicks and I was able to transfer the log cabin blanket to a longer cable which makes it easier to handle. It has grown quite a bit.

The blanket...

There are still socks happening as always but they are not ready for pictures yet.

Somewhere In That Pile

2009-07-14T10:40:00.006-04:00

You'd think that somewhere in that pile of circular needles I'd have the right size and the right length for the log cabin blanket wouldn't you? You'd be wrong though...I went through that pile three times to reassure myself that my wonky eye (yes it's still not good) didn't miss anything.

Alas, I did not and I'm frustrated. There's a ton of money invested in those needles and not one was the right size and length combination, including two new very expensive Addi turbo's, sigh...

The blanket is now at the stage where 132 stitches on a 24 inch needle is crowded and makes it hard for me to handle. After hinting for the last two years to all and sundry about the options needles from KnitPicks, that I wanted to be gifted to no avail, I finally ordered them for myself. Now I just have to wait patiently for them to arrive.

Meanwhile, the blanket grows slowly. It is pretty mindless knitting, just a plain old garter stitch. But it is a good stash buster.

There are as always socks on needles but I'll save those for another post. Oh yes, I think I saw a moth this morning and we all know what that means.

I've Been Led Astray - Again

2009-07-07T12:02:00.004-04:00

First the finished stuff. Another pair of socks of course, they are so easy to knit while waiting for medical appointments and trust me, I've done a lot of waiting recently. This yarn was gifted to me for my birthday and my photography doesn't do the pattern justice.

The little Henley Tank from the Interweave Knits Summer 09 issue. That's now two things from the same magazine I've knit which is amazing. I don't usually find more than one thing in a magazine that I like. The Spidery Tank also comes from this magazine.

As for being led astray, well below is the beginning of the Log Cabin Blanket as per the Yarn Harlot. I have tons of Patons Classic Wool hanging about from previous projects and decided to put it to good use. It's also pretty mindless stuff, just plain old knitting so it's ideal for the car, at least until it gets too big.

Only 16 days to go before the cast and wires are removed from my foot...

So Much For Good Intentions

2009-06-16T11:21:00.008-04:00

I broke my rule of not buying any yarn until my stash was at a manageable level. I didn't break it just a little, I broke it big time this week. My only excuse is that I'm going to be kind of house bound for 6 weeks after tomorrow. I'm having my foot operated and I'll be in a cast for most of the summer, yuck.

So I blew it, on 14 skeins of Nuro Kureyon...

Three skeins of Nuro Silk Garden...

And one skein of Noro sock yarn...

This of course is being done mostly from the stash and should be finished by the end of the week.

The other big purchase this past weekend was a 42" Plasma tv for the living room. Our old tv had lost half the picture and went to the dump about a month ago. I have all my movies piled up ready to watch while I knit and recover from tomorrow's surgery.

Just helping out the economy...

I'm Still Knitting

2009-06-11T19:48:00.011-04:00

I started this cute little spidery topper a couple of weeks ago and overall I'm quite happy with the way it looks. What I'm not happy about is the yarn. I've been knitting from the stash and I had the KnitPicks CotLin in a Moroccan Red and decided to use it. As I was knitting I found that it left fuzz everywhere but hoped with washing it would go away. It was worse, when I washed this thing the color bled out something fierce. Too bad really since I wanted to wear it with a white t-shirt underneath. I hope I never get caught in the rain.

Because I had more of this stuff and before I knew it would bleed, I knit a swatch with two other cotton yarns intending to buy a little of a lighter color to make the project below. I had the purple and black and thought to use the red and maybe buy two skeins of a lighter color.

That idea of course got blown away and I had to go buy a little more cotton yarn in two different colors for this project.

Both the spidery t-shit and the striped tank above come of the Interweave Knits Summer 2009 magazine. This is the first time I've gotten this magazine and the fact that I'm able to find two things to make from it makes this my new favourite magazine.

I've also been really really bad. I ordered 14 skeins of Noro Kureyon from Webs. I just couldn't help myself, I was just browsing through the colors and before I knew what happened I'd bought the stuff, bad me. Now I'll just have to find a nice project for it.

Time To Block

2009-05-18T19:18:00.002-04:00

Finally, done...it's been a while with this little cardigan. You wouldn't think something this small would give me so much trouble but it did. It got frogged three times and because I really didn't have gauge I had to adjust the sleeve cap to fit. Even though I blocked the pieces before sewing it together I decided to give it a little wash and see if would shape up better. Now I need to track down three really special buttons.

Meanwhile I cast on for this little lacy top which I would love to have finished by the time we head to Greece. This is a cotton/linen blend yarn which is not my favourite to work with. I'm a wool kind of gal and anything cottony bugs my fingers. I have had this stuff around for a couple of years now, in fact it was an almost finished lacy cardi when in a fit of pique I frogged the sucker and tossed this in the frog pond. Now though guilt has taken hold and budgetary reasons force me to have a look in that pond for something to knit, sigh...

Now because my friend Rudee thinks I can knit lace I've cast on a little triangle lacy shawl. I had to stop after 12 rows though, the needles I have are not for lace. Note to self, find a pair of Addi Turbo's tomorrow, can't knit lace with bamboo. No photo's yet, I'm going to wait for a while and see how it goes. I'd hate to post it and then have it end up in the froggy pond...

There Has Been Knitting - Spinning - Frogging Too..

2009-05-01T19:26:00.006-04:00

I know I've been gone a while but there has been knitting going on. I did this half leg waiting for x-rays a couple of days ago. Pretty long wait, two hours actually. The picture really doesn't do the yarn justice and I might try again when it's a sunny day outside. The yarn was part of my birthday present and it's Sirdar Crofter Dk, Fair Isle. It's a little heavier yarn than I normally work with but luckily vanilla sock patterns are easy to adjust. These socks are for the Christmas present box so I don't know yet who will get them.

So then there is the little cardigan I started for myself. I had to frog this twice. The first time I was up to the armhole decreases of the back when I realized I didn't have gauge and it was going to be too small. See me bad... didn't do a swatch.

The second time I changed needles size and had knit about either inches when I realized, nope not going to work, too big.

Third time lucky, maybe... I now have the back finished and the two fronts done. No photos, I don't want to jinx it. I'm going to start the sleeves tomorrow. I'm not sure it will actually fit me for sure, but my cleaning lady saw it yesterday and put dibs on it just in case. She is smaller than I am so I'm sure it will fit her but darn it, I wanted it for myself.

And because all this stuff really really upset me I sat down and did a little spinning. It really calms me down and lowers the blood pressure. I'm not terribly good at this yet and my yarn is a bit on the thick side, but I think this will lovely warm mittens for someone.

I've ordered a whole wack of yarn for summer knitting since I'm going to be sitting around in a cast half of June and all of July. I'm finally getting my foot operated. I have a lovely covered padded swing out in the yard that I can even snooze in if I want. I suppose that's where I'll spend a lot of time knitting.

Can You Imagine...

2009-04-18T20:32:00.003-04:00

Knitting like this...

I can't even fathom it.

More For Gift Box

2009-04-13T11:59:00.003-04:00

And something for me too. I spent the weekend going through knitting magazines (of which I have hundreds), note to self, do not buy any more magazines. Anyway, trying to line up a pattern that I like with yarn in my stash is no easy feat. But since I'm on a yarn diet I persevered until I came up with this little cardi. It's from Knitsimple Fall 2009 issue. A little playing around with needles until I got gauge but I cast on and hopefully I'll get through this without having to frog.

And for the gift box, another pair of Jaywalkers finished.

And just for the heck of it, there's little fish being knit whenever I have some leftover yarn and I'm bored with everything else. To make a really nice blanket I suppose one should wait until all fish are knit in order to make a nice color palette. Tough, I don't relish the though of sewing hundred's of fish together and dealing with ends so I'm doing them as they happen. However it turns out doesn't matter, it will be warm

I'm still getting daily updates from Greece where my husband still sits by his very ill mother's bedside hoping for a miracle.

Oh The Stress!

2009-04-08T20:06:00.002-04:00

For some unfathomable reason Megan at Before Our Time decided to link to one of my posts. It was a post some time ago about unfinished projects and highlighted a crochet tablecloth which she thought worthy.

I am flattered but now feel stressed. I don't consider this blog to be all that special in the greater scheme of things. There are so many better, faster and more creative people out there. But today I checked my stat counter, which I do once in a while, and noticed a huge increase in traffic.

So now I feel I have to post more often and produce more stuff, sigh... maybe something more than socks. This weeks I promised myself to go through my entire stash and organize. The yarn stash seems to have taken over my later mother's bedroom and now that I want to turn it into our master bedroom it's time to organize. I know my sweetie likes the things I make, I'm just not sure he wants to sleep with yarn on the night table...

It's Been A While

2009-04-04T20:19:00.004-04:00

Those of you who read my other blog know the reasons for being absent over here.

Now that I can see again I'm doing a little knitting. I suspect that in the next couple of weeks I'll get lots of stuff done since my husband is in Greece. I don't have to do anything else except take care of myself.

I finished the Socks of Kindness and the recipe can be found here.

I also started another pair of Jaywalkers. I really like that pattern and it's easy to memorize. Just what I need right now with all the stress, something mindless.

I've already turned the heel on the first sock and I only started these on Thursday just after my sweetie left for Greece.

Popsickle - Done

2009-03-17T16:33:00.002-04:00

It is so hard to find cute buttons these days but I think it works with white ones. Instead of button holes I did an I-cord and sewed it on as a loop. I think it's a little more substantial. I also did a little beret to go with it.

Still working on these socks. I'm liking this yarn it's a silk/merino blend and super soft. Nice for winter.

And look what I got for my birthday... more sock yarn from my good friend Liz along with a pattern and some needles.

Progress On Popsickle

2009-03-10T11:04:00.005-04:00

I've had a few issues with the Popsicle cardigan related to the pattern. It's knit in the round to the underarm. The sleeves which I knit at the same time on one needle are then supposed to be sewn up before attaching to the body. There are also 8 stitches under the arm to be left on stitch holders for later grafting. That together with 8 free stitches from the body are meant to be grafted with the Kitchener method. I suspect that will allow for more freedom of underarm movement. It's actually pretty clever. What doesn't work is sewing up the sleeves before attaching to the body. It becomes too cumbersome and I had to undo the sleeves and leave them free.

The instructions for the right and left front stitch counts didn't line and I didn't notice it until I had the sleeves knitted in, grrr. Lots of tinking to remove the whole mess, go back to the body and recalculate both fronts. The pattern was badly written and I probably didn't read it correctly but now it's fixed.

I'm now at the last stage where I'm knitting three more inches before the cast off. Other than that I'm liking this cardigan and may make a hat to match.

I've had a request from my offspring for this...

I bought the Mason-Dixon Knitting, Outside The Lines for this pattern and was shocked to see that it uses sock yarn, grrr. That will make this a long project.

Yes, there are socks, are there ever not socks on needles?

And just because I spend so much time sitting on my bum knitting I'm using this fairly frequently now. Gotta get that heart working.

It's Bright

2009-03-06T19:23:00.002-05:00

Definitely colorful dontcha think? But I think this colorway that I've named popsickle will make a pretty cardigan for a pretty little girl.

It's worked in one piece to the armpits and that's finished. Now I will do the sleeves (both on one needle) and attach the whole mess together. We will see how it turns out.

There is a couple of rows of eyelet at the bottom but I didn't do as much as the pattern called for. I just didn't want it to be so holey. The pattern came from the April issue of Knit 'N Style called Rose Lace Jacket. Obviously it's not rose and not too lacey.

The Jaywalker socks are finished. They feel nice and I hope they wear well. They are going in my gift box. I'm starting early this year with the gift knitting.

Apologies for the bad photos but we've had a lack of sunlight recently. Although the temps went to 15C (59F) the sun didn't want to come out. It sure was nice to have the warm spell though.

I Think I'm Blind

2009-03-02T19:10:00.005-05:00

Really, I must be in order to do this to some poor unsuspecting yarn. I used food coloring instead of Kool Aid for this batch.

Ready for the microwave.

Looks a little weird hanging like this.

All done...I'm naming this Popsicle. I think the name fits. Now I just need to find a project for it, I have about 300 grams and 660 yards. I'm sure something will turn up.

There will be socks...yes there are new socks there on needles. I cast these on before finishing the pair from my last post (although they are now finished). I just can't help myself. In fact I'm in the process of casting on new ones already and these aren't finished yet. This pattern is called Jaywalker and can be gotten over here. for some weird reason I always have to have two pairs of socks on the go, always.

I used Tofutsies yarn from SWTC and it's interesting yarn that has some crab and shrimp shell in it and when my palms became itchy after using it the first time I thought maybe I had an allergy. Must have been something else though because I didn't have a repeat of that first episode. The yarn does split though and I had to switch to metal needles instead of my favourite wooden ones. I probably won't buy it again, I think for $20 for a pair of socks it's not worth it. There are better yarns at that price around.

Some Finished - Some In Progress

2009-02-22T15:27:00.002-05:00

Yes there are socks, there are always socks somewhere in my knitting basket. These are knit from Regia Galaxy "Saturn" and I brought two balls back from Germany. It was such a good price I couldn't resist, I'm a sucker for bargains.

This yarn cost half as much as some Tofuties I recently bought and seems a lot nicer to work with. I started some socks with Tofutsies and last night my hands got red and itchy. Am I allergic to the shrimp and crab in this yarn? Maybe... I may have to abort those socks. Meanwhile I'm in nor hurry to finish these as this is my sit and wait in doctors office project. Keeps me sane while I'm waiting.

I'm finally finishing the cardigan for Steve and I'm embarrassed how long it took me. It was started last spring for crying out loud. But by the end of summer since we were heading for the warmer climes of Greece I simply relegated it to the bottom of the pile. Now I'm into finishing stuff.

All those ends to sew in, grrr...

All done just needs a little blocking. I'm going to wash it a bit warmer than normal and hope it shrinks down just a little. My husband is not really that big. He likes it though and that's important. There was no pattern for this cardigan, it was just loosely based on the Central Park Hoodie without the cable and without the hood. I had all this yarn leftover from other projects that I wanted to use up. I couldn't get enough of the beige in the same dye lot so I simply alternated the dye lots between brown stripes and you really can't tell.

That's it for now. I now need some new projects but I might wait until my eye gets sorted out. It really is hard to knit with blurry eyes...

More Stuff To Finish

2009-02-06T16:26:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of finishing objects I decided it was time to finish this tablecloth. Before knitting, my first love, dare I say it...was crochet. Not the normal blankets and granny squares, although I've done my fair share of those as well, no what had my heart beating faster was filet crochet with nice really thin cotton yarn and a 1.5 mm needle. That's the size of hook that hair dressers use if they are pulling you hair through a cap for highlights, really, really tiny.

Filet crochet is really just a series of triple crochet and spaces to create flowers, leaves, birds, whatever and this table cloth did fit my previous table.

It's not quite wide enough for the new table and my intention was to add a border to both sides of about an inch. When the knitting fever struck it was relegated to the back of the shelf. Today it's time to finish it.

Once it's washed, starched and blocked, I think it will look a lot nicer and I'm going to enjoy using it. It's not to every ones taste and I know my offspring's not crazy about it but it suits me

Compulsivley Obsessed

2009-02-04T22:36:00.006-05:00

I have this compulsion to finish every single work in progress before my appointment with the Retinal Surgeon next week. I have this awful fear that he won't be able to help restore the vision in my right eye. To say that I'm scared would be an understatement.

I started this Lace Shaw over a year ago and finally finished it last night. In the picture below it is unblocked.

Below it is washed and blocked. See how it grew in size.

I really love the pattern.

This pattern is a freebie from Knit Picks and is the first lace I ever attempted. It's called Dimple Shale Lace Scarf and was just meant to be a scarf but I had about 600 grams of Alpaca/Wool hanging about that cried out for something pretty, hence this shawl. The pattern calls for a cast on of 53 stitches for a scarf but I used 155 stitches for a nice width.

Now I'm back to my husbands cardigan. The back is done and the two front panels, which I'm working on one circular needle is just about finished. I'm going to do the sleeves at the same time on circs so I get the increases and stripes in the right spot.

There's also a crochet project, yes I do that too...that's just about finished. I'll have pictures of it real soon, as soon as I find a really good place to photograph it. It's really, really big...

There's A Car There - Somewhere

2009-01-29T19:50:00.003-05:00

Really, can you see it? It's buried under a few inches of snow and I'm not going to get it out any time soon. I can't really drive anyway so it's probably not a big deal right now although I really need to get this eye fixed.

It restricts me from knitting for any length of time, I get really tired. I did start the dreaded second sock but put it down to start a little neck warmer.

I misjudged the size and today I frogged the whole thing and started again with 11 stitches less. It was way to big. I hope to get it finished tomorrow and since it's meant to get really cold again, that will be a good thing...

Work In Progress

2009-01-20T23:12:00.003-05:00

Because of an eye problem I'm not doing a lot of knitting. This shawl has traveled with me to Greece twice, to Germany once and most recently to Calgary. It's also spent a fair amount of time in the bottom of a basket hidden away from sight.

Because it's a fairly easy lace pattern I pulled it out from it's hiding spot, mostly out of desperation. There's nothing else I can knit right now with my impaired vision. It has grown this week and is now about 48 inches long. I want it to be 60 inches when it's done. The way I' going it won't be long now.

Last Minute Gifts

2008-12-18T20:02:00.002-05:00

I've been knitting up a storm trying to get some last minute gifts finished. That together with the baking has been a bit stressful. Next Tuesday weather permitting we get on a plane for Calgary to spend Christmas with the offspring and family. There are two snowstorms predicted, one tomorrow and another for Monday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Meanwhile a couple of neck warmers of nice undyed merino. A really quick knit where you can pretty much use any stitch pattern you like as long as you have around 90 or so stitches. Knit in the round one has decorative buttons just for a change of pace.

This hat and neck warmer is from the yarn I dyed and I have fingerless gloves to go with them. I'm not sure who is getting these yet but I'll figure it out.

I want to wish all my knitter friends and families a very Merry Christmas or happy whichever holiday you celebrate. Be with family and friends and hold each other tight. It is the most important thing in this volatile world we live in.

As always when we travel I wont be blogging here but you can always keep up with what were doing on my other blog...

Second Sock Syndrome

2008-12-05T20:58:00.008-05:00

Second sock syndrome has hit before I even finished the first sock. This sock followed me from Toronto, to Athens, to Germany and the Peloponnese this past fall always in my backpack waiting to be knit. I did give it a few rows from time to time but my heart just wasn't in it.

Now I don't know if it's the pattern which is called Dolomite or if it's the yarn which is Patons Stretch Socks and is a really nice light summer yarn. But the bottom line is I'm either going to frog this sock or hide it away somewhere to maybe be resurrected someday.

I used my hand dyed yarn to make a pair of fingerless gloves and a hat. I just can't find the darn hat right now so no picture. I don't know where it's hiding but it probably saw me coming with the camera and got shy, sigh...

Les you think I cant finish things, yes I can... Nice plain vanilla socks.

I'm also working furiously on a striped cardigan for my sweetie which I'd like to get finished before Christmas. It's a toss up right now if I'll make it.

I've Been Led Astray

2008-11-18T20:14:00.003-05:00

It all started with this book that I ordered from Amazon last week. It arrived in an unprecedented two days.

I have lots of Knit Picks bare merino lying around and I really needed to do something to occupy my mind. The skeins are not as long as the instructions called for so first I had to ball them up.

Then they had to be re skeined to the right length. Use acrylic yarn to make lots of figure eight ties along the way so it doesn't tangle.

I soaked the yarn for an hour in vinegar and water for an hour and mixed the dye. If you are using acid dye be sure to wear a dust mask.

Even though it looks like the same color it's actually two shades of blue and I've alternated the pots. I left the yarn in the pots about an hour and then transferred them to a plastic covered surface where with a sponge brush I added some black on the spots left bare. No picture of that since I really couldn't do it myself and I was alone.

I gently wrapped in plastic wrap and nuked it 3 minutes on high, 3 minute rest for a total of 9 minutes with the 3 minute rest in between.

I let the whole mess sit for about three hours to cool off on it's own and then gently rinsed it in the washing machine until there was no more color in the water. I did NOT spin it, I simply used the machine because it was larger than a sink.

Hung the whole mess up to dry.

The finished product.

Now I have 200 grams of pretty blue variegated yarn, about 480 yards. Now I just have to find a project for it.

Just In Case - A Spare

2008-11-16T14:28:00.004-05:00

I'm doing a hat for my grand daughter Elliotte and I'm a little confused on sizing. She's 18 months old but is big for her age, after all she was over 10 pounds at birth. The fact that she's not around for fittings doesn't help the situation much either.

I found a bowl that seems to be the right size. I knit one hat and when I finished it it looked too small. I used Bernat Soy which I will now say I will never use again. It splits like crazy and doesn't stretch a lot. I just simply don't like it.

So back to my trusted Patons Classic Wool for the second hat.

One of these two hats will fit, I'll have to wait until Christmas to find out which one.

There will be ear flaps added when I get around to it, meanwhile I've cast on another pair of socks...

Is Anybody Still Out There?

2008-11-01T16:15:00.003-04:00

Probably not since I've been gone from this blog for over two months now. Kind of hard to keep two blogs going when your travelling. That doesn't mean that I gave up knitting, quite the contrary. Stuff did get done en route although not nearly as much as I'd have liked.

I started what I thought would be cute little cardi on the plane to Greece. It is a pattern I bought and it looked great on paper. In real life, not so much and I ended up frogging it...

Now I don't know what to do with this yarn so I guess it will end up in the stash for a while.

The next project was a pair of vanilla socks that travelled with me from Greece to Germany and finally back to Greece were I finished them out of desperation. It was cold and they needed to be pressed into service.

I've been back for a couple of weeks now but haven't had the energy to post. I was laid up for a few days with a back issue but that didn't stop me from starting a couple of new project.

While we were in Greece there were a couple of times when my husband jealously eyeballed my Central Park Hoodie (without the hood) and I knew if it would have fit him he'd have stolen it from me, it was so cold at times so I decided to knit him his very own cardigan with leftover wool.

So far I've managed the back to the armholes and since I don't really have a pattern I hope I can make it fit him.

I have more of the beige wool than the brown so I'm doing progressive stripes. Should be interesting when it's done.

Meanwhile there was a request from my offspring for mitts and a hat for my granddaughter so I started fooling around with these last night. I really have no idea how big or little her hands are at the moment so I hope they fit.

And just because I wanted to have some fun and had this yarn left in my stash, I did a curly scarf for myself. It's kind of fun...

There, I'm caught up now. There are other WIP's around but I'm not prepared to talk about those right now. I may someday get them finished.

The Central Park Hoodie

2008-08-25T22:22:00.004-04:00

Finally I have a picture of "the girl" wearing the hoodie sans hood mind you but doesn't matter. I knit this for her birthday in July and I'm sure she will get lots of wear out of it and she looks great in it. Ti has just recently learned to knit and it won't be long before she starts making her own sweaters, wanna bet?

Today a dishcloth tomorrow a sweater...

I'm putting this blog on hiatus until the end of October. We are leaving Tuesday for 7 weeks in Greece and Germany. I am taking some yarn with me so I suspect I'll get some knitting done. Updates on where I am and what I'm doing will be found on my other blog.

I'll try to update that one a couple of times a week depending on the Internet access and will definitely read all my favourite blogs. I'll see you all in the fall, happy knitting...

For iPhone Users - Check This Out

2008-08-15T19:49:00.002-04:00

Since I don't have any knitting to share right now I thought I'd share this with you compliments of my offspring. It looks like a neat little stitch minder but since I don't have an iPhone and am not getting one anytime soon I'll just stick to my old method, ticking them off on a sticky note.

But hey, if I had one for sure I'd try this freebie out.

I Hate Felting! Part II

2008-08-05T20:32:00.003-04:00

So did I already say I hate felting? Yup, I hate felting and will never do it again. Well maybe under duress or something, it just doesn't work for me.

So before I left for the cottage last week I felted this bag and let it dry over the weekend. The only knitting I did over the weekend was the drive up and the drive home. At the cottage I did this.

Today I found some appropriate fabric in my fabric stash, yes, I have one of those too, and lined the sucker. I even found some nice red with little polka dots that might be hard to see in the photo. Because it decided not to stand up on it's own I added an iron on backing to the fabric before inserting it in the bag. Now it kind of stands up, certainly better than before. I might even use this bag.

Can you see why I hate felting? It didn't felt straight and I hate that. It seemed to deform and no matter what I did I couldn't get it back into a nice rectangular shape. I suspect but am not sure that it probably spent a few minutes too long in the washer.

New socks on needles but I may have to frog, so no picture at this time...

I Hate Felting!

2008-08-01T21:47:00.002-04:00

I don't know why I get into this, I really don't like felting. So far my success is limited with a couple of hats that turned out quite nice but larger objects always come out too big, too wide or not straight. Beats me what I do wrong, but here is my market bag.

Before felting...

After Felting...

Now maybe once it dries and I find some nice solid fabric for the lining it will be fine, I guess we'll have to see. Next week, we are heading to the cottage for the last long weekend of our summer here. September 2 we leave for 7 weeks in Greece.

Having A Little Fun

2008-07-28T18:18:00.003-04:00

No Rudee, it's not the Booga Bag, well not exactly anyway. It's going to be bigger and have different handles. I have doubled the stitches on the pattern so we'll have to see how it turns out. I don't believe I-cord handles are strong enough so I'm going to cast on a 100 stitches or so and knit an inch, give or take for the handles. I'm also going to line the bag with some funky red fabric. I'm sure I have some somewhere...

Haven't decided if I'm doing another pattern near the top, we'll have to see how I feel and how much yarn I have. But really, you got me thinking about a bag and it seemed a good way to get rid of some left over yarn that always kind of hangs around, so thanks...

A Little Update

2008-07-27T11:50:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy two weeks what with cottaging, potting and a little knitting thrown in but I did get some stuff finished.

The shawl for my mother-in-law has been blocked and actually got too big. I threw it in the dryer for five minutes to bring it back down to a manageable size. It think it's much better now.

The Monkey Socks also got finished and I really have enough socks now to last me a lifetime. Does that mean I'll stop knitting socks...NOT, I've already cast on a new pair, details at another time. The yarn for these socks is Gloss from KnitPicks and is 70 percent Merino, 30 percent Silk. They were a joy to knit and I'm sure they will feel lovely on my feet.

I've also started a new project and the fault lies strictly with Rudee. Pictures to follow soon.

Problem Solved

2008-07-13T20:42:00.002-04:00

In Fridays post I vented about my problem of yarn color. The yarn I dyed didn't match the yarn I bought on Ebay and I was fast running out. Seems these triangular shawls take a lot more yarn than I thought, sigh...

My friend Rudee suggested I frog the whole thing and incorporate the new yarn into the shawl. I had seriously considered it but really, I didn't like that option one bit. After all, I had a few hours of time invested in this thing already and just a little more than a month to finish it. Heck, I'd have to stop knitting socks.

So, I did a little thinking, yes I do that sometimes... and decided if I couldn't dye the yarn to match the shawl, heck I'd just dye the shawl to match the yarn. Guess what... it worked and the results are below. Pretty darn close right?

Life is good...

Not Just Socks

2008-07-11T12:10:00.009-04:00

Some time ago I bought this yarn on e-bay with no clear idea of what to do with it. I decided after a couple of false starts to knit a triangular shawl for my Mother-in-Law who is elderly and lives in Athens. I hoped to have it finished we travel there early September.

There's just one problem...I had absolutely no idea how much yarn this type of shawl actually consumes and since I didn't have a pattern I had no guide. I just picked up the stitch pattern from a magazine and the rules for making this type of shawl from The Yarn Harlots book, Knitting Rules. So I ran out of yarn.

No problem, right...after all I now knew how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid, I'll just order some bare from Knit Picks and all will be well. NOT...

As you can see from the photo below, I really did not come close. The dyed yarn although in the same color range is way brighter. What do I do now?

Did you really think I didn't have socks? That would be foolish. Those of you who read this blog know I can't not knit socks. I think I need to have some counselling for that issue. Anyway, below are my Monkey Socks which are so much fun to knit.

One sock is done and I've cast on the second. This lovely yarn is Knit Picks Gloss, 70 % Merino and 30% Silk. They will be nice and warm for our cold winter.

So what shall I do about the shawl, use the yarn and hope it blends in or frog it and start again with new yarn?

For Lack Of Anything Better - More Socks

2008-07-03T20:18:00.002-04:00

Pretty soon your going to think that socks is all I knit but you'd be wrong. I am working on a shawl that keeps ending up at the bottom of my pile. I seem to have lost interest in it but every once in a while I pick it up and really get into a groove.

But for being in the car socks are a way better project. The pattern is less complicated and if I make a mistake (which I do frequently), it's generally not too difficult to fix, whereas with the shawl, if I didn't have a lifeline I'd be royally screwed. If you need to know what a lifeline is you'll have to read At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. Even with a lifeline, the pattern is so complicated that I need serious quiet time to work on it. It will someday get finished though.
Meanwhile I present these cute little summer ankle socks made from Knit Picks Risata which I adore. There is just the right mix of cotton, superwash wool, polyamid and something called elite. That must be what gives it the stretch.

The pattern is from knitty.com and is called "Vog on"...whatever. I don't know how they come up with these names but it works for me. It has a really nice picot cast-on that's done using a knitted cast one and is quite simple once you get the hang of it. This is now the second pair I've made with this yarn and this pattern and they fit nicely.

Guess what, I already cast on for a pair of Monkey Socks...

Central Park Hoodie - Finished

2008-07-02T11:50:00.002-04:00

In reality this has been finished since the end of April but I have been unable to post it until today. It was a birthday present for my son's spouse.

Happy Birthday Tina, wear it well...

I will be posting a picture of Tina wearing it soon...

Finished Objects And Other Fun Stuff

2008-06-21T14:35:00.002-04:00

For some bizarre reason these socks don't photograph well. I think it's because their just too colorful. They are great little summer ankle socks and they are a present for me friend. She'll have them today.

Of course I already have new ones on needles, god what an obsession I have with socks. These are also ankle socks and I made a pair last summer in beige and wore them constantly, well between washings anyway. I definitely need more than one pair. The pattern is called Vog On and is from Knitty.com. I love the lace and absolutely adore the Eye of Partridge heel, in fact I love it so much I might incorporate into other socks.

This is the yarn I dyed with Kool-Aid last week and it started out mostly red and white. I decided to add a little grape to the mix and this is the result. I have five more skeins which I will do the same color and possibly this will become some sort of sweater. haven't really decided yet but I did do a swatch. It is superwash was it feels lovely and soft.

My offsprings' spouse is just learning to knit and the absolutely best advice I can give, is always make a swatch. I learned the hard way that if you don't swatch don't be shocked if things don't fit. The other thing I do is always down size the needle by half a size especially if your new and end to knit loose. It will be fun to see what she does and how far she's gotten when I see her this August.

Can't Stop Knitting Socks

2008-06-17T17:44:00.007-04:00

After the mess that was SockWarsIII I swore off socks for a while. But not too long, I need to finish these for a birthday present by Saturday.

Love the yarn, its by Regia Cotton Color and it's super easy to knit with.

I also finished the Central Park (non) Hoodie and was able to get a reasonable photo in between rain storms. I did it with a collar instead of a hood deciding that hoods don't really work for me. Loved the yarn which came from Webs, Northampton in a warm brown heather color.

Back to the socks, oh yes...I did get a delivery from KnitPicks today, a whole shitload of sock yarn...

Having A Little Fun

2008-06-14T22:54:00.005-04:00

I've had this bare yarn lying around for a while and finally decided to experiment with dyeing it. First I soaked it in water with a shot of white vinegar for about half an hour.

I mixed up some Kool-Aid without the sugar of course, 1/4 cup of water to one package of Kool-Aid roughly depending on how strong you want the color to be.

Wring out the yarn and put in a microwave safe container and coat your yarn with as much or as little color as you like. I used condiment containers that I got at the dollar store.

Microwave on high for two minutes, let rest for two minutes and microwave once more for two minutes. Remove from microwave and put somewhere to cool off. Once it has reached room temperature rinse in water of the same temperature until it runs clear.

Hang to dry.

So there it is and I will probably redye it since has a bit too much white to suit me so I'll let you know how that turns out. I'm not sure what I'll do with it but a little curly Q scarf attracts me somehow.

I have of course started another pair of socks but don't currently have a good picture to show. I'm already on the second sock. The pattern is from a friend Dipsy Doodle called Lacertilia Socks and can be found here.

I Am Tired Of Socks

2008-05-21T23:05:00.003-04:00

For the first time in a very long time I don't have a pair of socks on needles. Not even the pretty yarn I bought this weekend in Haliburton can tempt me to cast on. This stuff by Regia was terribly expensive, almost 20 bucks for one pair of socks but after that horrible experience with Sock Wars III I wanted to treat myself.

I am undecided between the Monkey socks, which are really pretty, or maybe the Lombard Street socks (can't find the link). So as long as I am undecided I can't cast on. Or maybe I'll just have to cruise through Ravelry to find something brand new.

This is a nice basic wool yarn from Patons, Kroy, which will make someone a nice pair of socks for the winter. I don't need anymore winter socks, I have a whole drawer full. I always liked this yarn for durability. My husband has socks made from Kroy that are 10 years old and still have life in them. They don't always have the prettiest colors but the one pictured below is a new one.

So until I decide which yarn and which pattern I am desperately trying to finish the Central Park Hoodie. I have decided though that I will eliminate the hood and make a nice collar. Caveat here, I have to figure out how to do that first. I have decided though that a hoodie is a bit too young for me. I'm also making it a fair bit longer than the pattern, I really like my backside to be warm.

I'm also doing a little triangle shaped shawl with the hand dyed yarn from a previous post. I had started a scarf but didn't like it very much. I retrieved it from the frog pond and it has started a new life. Pictures later when there is more to show.

I've Been Elimnated - Sock Wars III

2008-05-20T19:47:00.003-04:00

In this mornings mail I received these socks from Eliza Broom and they are just lovely. Thank you Eliza I will enjoy wearing them.

Sock Wars III was not as much fun as I had anticipated. The concept was great but when there is a monetary prize involved, people behave in strange ways. Granted it's cut throat but it is supposed to happen without cheating and following the rules. For a lot of us even the start of the competition went wrong.

The "secret" pattern together with a dossier of your target was to arrive in our email in box at 12:00 Pm GMT which was 8:00 AM here in T-Dot. I along with many others set their alarm clocks, bailed out of bed and waited by our computers, and waited and waited and waited some more. There were message boards and lots of people were complaining and wondering what was going on. On the other hand, lots of people already had their patterns and were merrily knitting away. I personally only discovered the pattern listed on the members page some time in the afternoon. The pattern itself was confusing, poorly written and full of errors but most of us sucked it up and knit away, at least I did.

It wasn't until late Saturday night when the elusive dossier finally made an appearance in my in- box with my targets name and foot size. The pattern was also corrected. Some people didn't get their dossier until Sunday. Does that give unfair advantage to some?

When a target is eliminated, the rules state that the eliminated target most post their unfinished socks to their assassin immediately which gives said assassin the opportunity to hit another target. I only stay alive until I receive a pair of finished socks but having the opportunity to do away with another knitter affects the outcome of the game further down the line.

In my instance even though I eliminated (I hate the word kill) my target on May 14th, thus far she has not even mailed the socks. That is completely against the rules. It is not possible to determine how long it takes them to reach their destination once they are in the mail and some people use regular post, others use courier or even hand deliver them, they must be sent out ASAP.

To stay alive in this war the knitter behind you has to be slow thus allowing you to get further down the line all the while hoping the one behind you gets eliminated. It doesn't help if you don't get anything to knit.

For me personally, it was an experience, I got a beautiful pair of socks, but I also have my original assassins' assassin chasing me all spaced out that I have nothing to send her. She left innuendos on the chat that "somebody" might be cheating by holding on to socks! Actually I found that offensive especially since it's not my fault; that lies squarely on my original targets' shoulders.

There were over 1200 knitters signed up for this thing and they are all competing for about $500 + worth of yarn. Thus far 305 knitters have bitten the dust and I just know that things will get far nastier than they been so far. Happy Knitting...

Would I do this again? Not in this lifetime, thanks...I'll just work on my own projects at my own speed and be a happy camper.

One Target Down - Many More to Go

2008-05-14T19:26:00.007-04:00

Rowan Falar has been eliminated, she posted her demise on the Sock Wars III fallen warrior board today. These socks went into the mail yesterday just before the 4 PM deadline and I was absolutely gobsmacked that she received them so quickly. I wonder if Canada Post knows about this battle. I hope her unfinished socks make it back to me just as quickly so target number two can be eliminated.

This is probably the fastest pair of socks I ever knit but the wounds of this war are very real. Lots of ice, ibuprofen and no knitting for a couple of days and I hope to be back in top form.

Well, I might cheat a little, I really want to get my Central Park Hoodie finished before it gets too warm to wear it....

The Socks Are In The Mail

2008-05-13T19:43:00.002-04:00

Rowan Falar, I'm putting you on notice... by Thursday I hope to hear of your demise, he he he... Now I just have to hope that my Assassin is a slow knitter and I can knock your Assassin off too.

Doesn't look good for me though really, my target and I have been exchanging friendly emails and my Assassin has been dead silent. That can only mean two things; either she's dropped out of the game or she's keeping real quiet about how fast she can knit and her bomb is on the way.

Either way, it was an interesting experience and kept my mind thoroughly occupied during this past very difficult weekend and for that I'm grateful. There is a post coming about what went right and what went horribly wrong with this contest but my friend The Knitting Nurse wrote about it here and here. Actually I think she says it better than I ever could...happy knitting

You Won't See Me - Until...

2008-05-08T12:37:00.002-04:00

I finish a pair of socks or I'm knocked off...What say you, what is going on over there in T-Dot. It's this stupid thing I signed up for called Sock Wars III, grrr.

Now what's at stake besides my reputation as a sock knitter? Well, just $500.00 worth of yarn, that's what. Some how though, I don't think I will make it past round one for two reasons, 1. I just cut my finger and it will slow me down, and 2. It's a busy weekend and this thing starts at noon tomorrow.

But I won't go down without a fight, so cheer me on...

Watch Your Heading

2008-05-06T19:35:00.006-04:00

This is a little update...my previous heading was Instant Gratification, I should have known better, right? I had a comment that I deleted because when I went to their site I found it objectionable. I then checked my stat counter and found that I had 75 hits in two hours. This blog gets maybe 20 hits a day max. Dummy, it's the heading, it attracts some strange characters so I changed it. Lesson learned.

I'm currently bored with all my knitting project so whenever that happens the only solution is to start something new.

Pretty colorful, I think I'll call it a tutti fruitti scarf...

I'm resting my fingers for the big SockWarsIII starting soon...

It's Been A While

2008-05-04T23:48:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize how long since I've updated this blog but I do have a good excuse. I spent a couple of days in hospital getting a little "work" done. Details on the other blog.

I spent most of the night at the hospital knitting and I got these finished shortly after getting home. Sorry for the bad photo, it's been dark, rainy and dreary here. They really are prettier than the picture shows. These are not for me, they are going in my Christmas Gift box. Haven't decided who they are for yet.

I bought some yarn on Ebay recently and it was waiting for me to make into little cakes. I love doing that it is so relaxing, sometimes too relaxing.

So all ready to knit up into something, not sure what yet but I'll think of something.

Lots Of Knitting Going On - I'm Practicing

2008-04-21T20:30:00.003-04:00

For those of you who read my other blog will know I've been feeling kind of pissy recently, hence not much blogging. I have been knitting though and have the Central Park Hoodie pretty close to finished. The back, two fronts and one sleeve are done. I hope to have it done soon.

Whenever I get bored with it I start new socks. I'm practicing for the Sock Wars III that starts May 3rd. I may start knitting some stuff for baby Elliotte again soon. I'm thinking of a little dress maybe, well see what her Mom thinks though before I start.

I bought a cone of this yarn, it's pure wool so there will be more than one pair made.

I've Joined The War - The Sock War

2008-04-05T21:50:00.001-04:00

My friend A Knitting Nurse encouraged me to enlist in this war so I did. The deal is to kill your opponent with a finished pair of socks, got that? I didn't quite get it either but you can read about it here and maybe enlist yourself, if you like knitting socks that is.

Since I knit a lot of socks and I think I'm pretty quick at it, unless it's a horribly complicated pattern I should get at least past the first round, I hope. I better go practice a little...

Knitting Update - WIP

2008-04-02T12:19:00.001-04:00

See, not just socks are getting knit around here. This is the back for my Central Park Hoodie and it's almost done. I have never had a cardigan in a brown tone but I think it will suit me and goes with just about everything I own color wise. I'm not very good at knitting larger things, it tends to hurt my hands and my shoulders so it is a slow knit. I hope that by the time we leave for Greece again it will be finished.

I'm also still working on this shawl from last year. I tend to do this one in bed at night while were watching Leno and manage about 8 rows a night. Someday it too will be finished.

And the socks, of course the socks always get finished... Seems to be the easiest thing to knit. The colorway, although beautiful presented a problem. I had a really nice pattern picked and after doing the entire leg I realized it wasn't going to look nice. So it got frogged and just done in stockinette stitch. Now even though I started my cast on for the second socks on exactly the same color it didn't come out the same. Why is that? This is not the first time this has happened to me. Anybody else have that issue?

So here they are, the finished socks.

My Mood - My Knitting

2008-03-27T22:19:00.000-04:00

I've got the flu and this is the view from my sofa. It's been raining, snowing and sleeting off and on for days with more to come tomorrow.

Lying around though is conducive to knitting though, between the snoozing so I did get one sock finished and the second one started.

I did have the whole sock leg done in a pattern, the name of which escapes me for the moment but it didn't lend itself to the colors of the yarn. So I frogged it and started again in a plain stockinette stitch.

I've also done some work on my Central Park Hoodie and about 12 inches of the back are knit. I hope to finish the back this weekend and take some pictures.

Gosh that tired me out, time for another snooze...

A Little Update

2008-03-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I won a contest given by another blogger and won this wonderful sock yarn along with some other goodies, thank you Helena, I'm finally knitting up this yarn.

I have been waiting to find a special sock pattern and have tried a couple and promptly frogged them. This yarn is just best worked in stockinette stitch. So that's what I'm doing. We all know I can't not have a pair of socks on needles in spite of all the other projects.

These will be the most colorful socks I've ever knit but it's making me smile and that's really important right now. This is a sad time of the year for me since it was this time last year that my Mom got ill and the downhill spiral ending with her death in May began.

This yarn was calling me, now...

Finished Socks - Time For A New Project

2008-03-17T15:02:00.001-04:00

There, I finally finished Steve's socks and he's quite happy to have them since he has a lot of snow left to shovel. It's only March and I'm sure there will be at least one more snowstorm. It's also still cold out, about -2c today with colder weather still forecast for the rest of the week.

I did these from some left over yarn I had, hence the stripes. I had just a little left over after finishing these socks. I did them in a 2 x 2 rib so they will stay up nicely.

Since I have now finished my "secret" project, which I can't show to anyone until it's safely on it's way to the destination I've run out of projects for the moment. I decided to make something for myself and my new project is the Central Park Hoodie in a lovely wool bought from Webs Yarn and is the Northampton wool in the Chestnut colorway. I think it will look nice on me and can hardly wait to start it.

And then of course, there are new socks to start with the lovely yarn I got for my birthday.

A New Book

2008-03-05T11:32:00.003-05:00

Last week in spite of the freezing weather I went to a book launch. I met the Joanne Yordanou, the author and bought the book. This is one of the nicest books in my knitting library, there are many great things to projects in it. Now I just have to find time to knit some of these things.
Joanne also has a blog, check it out.

The first thing I want to knit from this book is the bikini. Not to wear in public of course but on the deck of our cabin where no one but the bears can see me...

The party was at a trendy little yarn shop/cafe in the west end of town with lots of yummy yarn. I stuck to my resolution though and didn't buy any. I have too much in my stash that needs to get used up first.

There has been some progress on the striped socks I'm doing from leftover yarn for Steve. One is finished and the second is cast on. Hopefully I will get the stripes on the second sock to match, if not too bad...

Nothing much else new in this neck of the woods other than our usual weekly blizzard. There's 15 cm of snow as I type this with more to come later in the week.

My Merino's Gone For A Walkabout

2008-02-23T15:51:00.004-05:00

I have somewhere in this house 10 balls of beautiful navy blue Merino from KnitPicks that has gone astray, or maybe run away from home, who knows.

Now I have to admit that I didn't love it a much as I should have, in fact I have started two different sweaters with it and frogged them both times. I suppose it had good reason not to feel my love. But yesterday I found a pattern for a triangular shawl that I thought would work for this wool but the wool is elusively missing.

After hubby went to bed early (he was really tired), I started searching everywhere for it to no avail. There are only so many places in this little house where it could be hiding but thus far it remains elusive.

If your out there and can hear me, please come home...I promise to love you this time.

I Just Can't Help Myself

2008-02-13T20:01:00.002-05:00

Those socks just keep on coming. I'm a little late of course they were meant for Valentines Day but I think my sweetie is patient. After all he just got a new pair two weeks ago so waiting for these is not so bad.

This is how I show my love, I knit socks...

I Made Some Yarn

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last week I got this new toy; my husband just shakes his head and asks me if I'm nuts. It tell him it will relax me and keep my blood pressure down, although at the moment, not...

I took these photos with the tripod and self timer and of course 10 seconds doesn't really allow me the time to get a spin on, but you get the point. Maybe someday I will get the technique right but for the moment it's kind of uneven.

It is a little bit of yarn though...

Not Socks For A Change

2008-02-10T23:00:00.000-05:00

I have started a new project but it's a secret. So on that note, this is the only picture I will be able to show until it has been received by the lucky recipient, who shall remain nameless for now.

Of course I will post it on Ravelry where those who are members can find me under Rosimom...

But since I love knitting socks and I have some time to finish the above project I'm also starting some new socks this week.

If you've noticed, I've changed the template on this blog I hope you like it. I did try the new Blogger but was quite stumped on those little taggy things so reverted back to the old Blogger. I did get to keep this template though. I did want to change my other blog but at this time I'm inclined to say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I'm such a computer chicken, sigh...

Look What I Got Today!

2008-02-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

A spindle and some roving together with an instruction book. This should be fun, stay tuned...

Good Customer Service Still Exists

2008-02-07T13:23:00.001-05:00

This arrived in the mail today less than one week after my initial email to the company telling them about my experience with Seawool. I was finding a lot of splits in the yarn and after having to cut and connect the fourth time I'd had it.

The company apologized and insisted on sending replacement yarn. This morning it arrived and it looks gorgeous. From a quick view it looks like it's pretty perfect. I don't think the colorway lends itself to the Monkey sock pattern though so I may have to look for another pattern.

Nice surprise on a snowy day...

Monkey Socks To Be Frogged

2008-02-04T20:27:00.001-05:00

The lovely yarn that I got as a present from my friend is not working for me. The problem is with the spinning I think, although not being a spinner I can't say for sure. I sent an email to the suppliers Fleece Artist and they insist on replacing the yarn.

Now maybe I'm picky but for the price of this yarn I don't want to be constantly cutting out the bad bits and reattaching my yarn. I only took a picture of one piece but in the 6 inches of sock I knit I cut about 5 pieces out. I'm sure these things happen from time to time and it's really cool of the company to offer (unsolicited) to replace it.

So I will wait for the new yarn and start the socks again. I might use this yarn to knit a little cowl that only needs 100 yard. I think even after cutting out the bad bits I'll have enough since this hank was about 115 yards. I'm told that seawool is hard to spin and since I'm not a spinner I can't say. I think there is seaweed in it. Anyhow while I'm waiting I will work on my shawl a little more.

I also ordered a spindle and some roving on line and when that arrives I will try my hand at spinning...as if I didn't have enough hobbies!

More Socks

2008-02-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Remember this yarn? The most expensive sock yarn at 28 bucks for a pair of socks. Well, I've started knitting them.

So far though, I'm not feeling the love... I love the sock pattern which is from Knitty and can be found here. What I'm not loving is the yarn and I don't think it will wear well. I hope I'm proven wrong.

The pattern name is Monkey and I love the way the pattern just flows. This time I'm doing one sock at a time because there is enough interest in the pattern to keep my mind occupied. I just know I will get the second sock done. I started this one yesterday and look how far I've gotten. I guess the fact that it's snowing outside and I can't really go anywhere has a little to do with it. Happy weekend and happy knitting all...

Seeing Double - Finished

2008-01-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

These are the fastest socks I ever knit and they would have been finished on Monday if I hadn't taken the weekend off to galivant a little, you know socialize and have fun.

So being a little behind I didn't finish them until this morning. The nice part of the entire operation was that both socks were finished at roughly the same time. I think I will do this again. My only problem was the yarn, Fabel from Garnstudio, which simply wouldn't match up. Both balls were somewhat different and I ended up having to cut the yarn and search for a match, grrr. And of course the miserable Kitchener stitch to graft the toe. That one always gives me a little grief.

So here are the finished socks all ready for my hubby. He really needed a new pair.

I have a lot of little bits and pieces of wool left over from various projects that is starting to clutter up my life. I have decided to turn those bits into squares.

There is a rehab hospital here in Toronto where I was lucky enough to go after my hip replacement. There are now a lot of Canadian soldiers recovering from serious injuries incurred in Afghanistan. Most have family and friends nearby but some do not. My plan is to make a blanket for as many as I can, to give a little comfort. Just a small one to fit on a lap while sitting in a wheel chair, I'm thinking.

So this is my new project...

Seeing Double - Take Two

2008-01-25T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is probably the easiest pair of socks I've ever knit and they will be finished at roughly the same time. I've turned the heel, which is probably my favourite part of knitting socks. I know, I know, other knitters hate that part but for me personally I hate the mindless knitting of just going round and round.

My only problem with this yarn is it doesn't line up color wise. The turned heels are different and I had a huge issue finding a starting spot on the second ball. I might frog it back just to get a good match, haven't decided yet.

They won't get finished this weekend though it's a heavy social one for us. Saturday night we're out for dinner with our regular Bridge group and then and evening of playing and Sunday it's off to dinner with some other friends. That's fine though, we need to get out once in a while. Have a lovely weekend all...

Seeing Double

2008-01-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what you pick up from other bloggers isn't it? I absolutely hated knitting the second sock and it has on occasion happened that a single sock hung around for months before I would get to it's partner. Something about being tired of the color of the yarn I suppose.

Yesterday while I was browsing some of my favourite blogs I came across Dixie Peach who had a cool solution. She got the idea from Ravelry, which is an online knitting community.

I immediately latched onto the idea and these are the new socks. It's a lovely yarn from Garnstudio called Fabel and the only issue I had a fair bit of waste on the new ball to find the correct starting color. I sure hope I can integrate it into the toe later one or one sock will look a little off.

I'm Knitting - Really I Am!

2008-01-20T12:12:00.001-05:00

I had big plans this weekend but unfortunately a 24 hour migraine got in the way. So here I sit with a drug induced hangover putting this together. I also wanted to switch to the new Blogger this weekend but I really am a big chicken when it comes to doing it. I am afraid that I will loose stuff, sigh...

On Friday after my appointment with the Heart Clinic I went for lunch with a friend and then on to our favourite yarn shop in Unionville. This little town is now surrounded by new sub divisions but the actual town has been preserved and was actually used to film one of the last episodes of the West Wing.

This is Mary's Yarns where my friend treated me to a gift.

At 28 bucks for 115 grams of yarn this is the most expensive socks I will own.

I am still working on this shawl which is taking longer than I anticipated. I guess getting sidetracked with other project might have something to do with it.

I am trying to knit at least two full patterns a day now so it is growing a little. That blue thread you see is my "lifeline". This pattern is so complex that if I had to rip it back I'd never be able to pick up the stitches. Of course with the lifeline in place I haven't made a single mistake. The pattern if anyone is interested is called Dimple Shale Lace Scarf and comes free from Knit Picks. It is a scarf pattern but I tripled the stitches to make a shawl.

Just in case anyone out there thinks I'm perfect, here is my goof...

This was more than half finished. Just the right front and two short sleeves when I realized it wasn't going to fit and there was no way I could block it to fit. This is an absolutely gorgeous Rowan Cotton Wool blend and it stretches but springs right back. So today with heavy heart, I will frog it, later gater...

Hapy New Year - Let The Knitting Begin

2008-01-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's time to knit some more although I never really stopped. These are some of the little things I worked on over the holidays although I don't know who the recipients will be just yet.

Both of these hats are really warm for our freezing weather and I haven't decided weather the blue one should have ear flaps or not.

These socks are for me, a girl can never have enough of them me thinks...the pattern is called Lombard Street Socks and can be found here and I found them through another blogger, sorry I don't remember who anymore. I particularly like this pattern because it's not done from a chart. I am still a real dodo when it comes to charts, I just can't figure them out and prefer reading the pattern. Nowadays though it reduces immensely what is available to me.

All ready to go walking...

This bit of yarn was left over from some ankle socks I made in the summer and make great little wrist warmers. They are nice for me and reduce the pain of arthritis somewhat...maybe it's all in my mind.

These little socks are for baby Ellie and I did post them on my "spouting off" blog, but what the heck, here they are again.

I am still working on my pink shawl in Alpaca Wool blend that I started last year and am trying to do at least two full pattern rounds a day, that's eight rows. I have also started a little lacy cardigan in royal blue using Rowan Cotton Wool and I'm almost done with the back. Maybe I'll have some photos soon.

Last Post Until 2008

2007-12-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

This will be my last finished project until after my gallbladder surgery later this week. It's just a little hat, scarf and mitts for my wonderful cleaning lady's grandson. I'm sure they will keep him toasty warm.

A very Merry Christmas to all my friends and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year.

Rositta

Some Finished Items

2007-12-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

These are little gauntlets I made for a friend as part of a Christmas present. Her office is a little chilly so I think she might like them. I didn't really have a pattern for these and ended up ripping the second one back to the cuff three times. I couldn't line up the cable pattern and I suppose taking codeine pills for my gallbladder pain didn't help much. Last night at midnight I finally had it lined up correctly and I finished them this morning.

Another little hat with ear flaps for baby Elliotte and some mitts to go with it. I added a little I-cord string to make sure they don't get lost right away. I remember how easy that is with a baby.

This hat looks small but it actually fits my 22 inch head but since I have enough hats for myself not it is being gifted to someone. I just don't know to whom yet but I will figure it out.

I started another baby hat today for my housekeeper's new grandson. I will make a scarf and mitts as well and I have a pretty pale blue wool yarn. I'm doing the same pattern as above because I really like cables and they add some density to the hat. Pictures of that next time. I really would like to finish my pinks socks and have almost reached the heel so maybe they will get finished this weekend as well, we shall have to see. It's kind of hard to knit when you in pain or taking codeine. Kind of messes up the concentration a bit. That would be my report for today, later kiddies...

Work In Progress - One Finished Item

2007-11-26T20:13:00.001-05:00

I finished one sock and cast on for the second, when I got a little sidetracked.

I spent the afternoon watching the rain come down and knit this itty bitty hat. I wonder who would like to have it for Christmas...

Now I can get back to the socks, I am really enjoying knitting this pattern. I particularly like the fact that I don't have to work it from a chart. I prefer when patterns are written out for me, I somehow find them a lot easier to follow. Am I the only one who hates charts? Why are all the nice sock patterns written in chart? Most annoying...

Tomorrow I am going to visit a woman in the neighbourhood who gives spinning lessons. It is something that has fascinated me for some time and I'm going to give it a try. Mostly I want to see if I can physically do it before I commit myself to lessons having been told it might be a little difficult for my knees and hip to handle. I guess I'll find out.

Some Finished Objects And More Socks

2007-11-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

On this gray, overcast and snowy day finding a spot to take a picture was a challenge. This is the best I could do. I didn't really want to move my poor clown for more light, he gets moved around enough as it is..

So this is the finished hat and the little clutch. I think they are kind of cute and I'm wondering which of my friends would like them as a Christmas present?

I have wanted a pair of pink socks and I took this yarn with me to Greece and never got around to starting them. Last night I cast them on and they work up pretty quickly. Lovely little cable pattern with eyelets, very cute. The pattern has been kicking around for a while and it comes from magknits.com September/06 and should be easy to find. It's called Lombard Street Socks.

I also have some wrist warmers to make as a Christmas present so I hope to get those started soon. That's it for today, happy knitting...

Almost Finished And Finished

2007-11-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

I'll start with the almost finished, does anybody know what the heck I'm doing here? This is a little clutch bag that I whipped up to go with the hat that is waiting to be felted. No wait, I did that last night but hasn't dried enough to photograph on my head yet.

This is a four, yup, I said four needle cast off. Two layers of knitting with an I-cord in between. I picked up the stitches on the I-cord and cast everything off together. A bit of a challenge for arthritic fingers though...

This is what it looks like before felting. See how pretty the I-cord looks now.

And these socks go back to August before I left for Greece. I finally finished them last night and I sure am glad. The weather has turned really cold and I need all the woolies I can get on my feet.

Heeeere's Ellie In Her Hoodie

2007-11-11T20:55:00.001-05:00

Almost 7 months old now, isn't she a sweetie. And that Hoodie, sheer genius on Omas part, right? I may have to make another one for spring in a larger size. She sure is growing. The offspring says it's her nicest piece of clothing, he wouldn't say anything else, right. Any negative comments wouldn't bring any more knitted stuff.

Now if she'd only grow some hair.

Finished And Ready For Felting

2007-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

I have this cute hat all done and ready to felt. But being the cheapie that I am I would really like to make something else to throw in the washing machine with it so. It's such a shame to waste hot water so I'm looking through all my patterns to see if I can find a little bag or something that knits up really quickly. I think I'll head over to Ravelry and see if there is anything suitable. Just a little clutch type bag will do. Any ideas anyone?

I also have a pair of socks that are almost finished, just the toe left and hope to have pictures later in the week. Now that I'm back from my amazing trip and have some of my health problems under control I can knit again. Although soon it will be time to start the Christmas shopping, which I hate but has to be done. Most of my friends don't like home made gifts (silly aren't they) so I have to shop.

I'm told by the offspring that the little Debbie Bliss hoodie I made for baby Ellie back in the summer now fits her. This was the hoodie without Ellie in it and I'm hoping to see a photo soon with her wearing it. (Hint to the offspring)

I have just received the new Knit Picks catalogue and my head is spinning. There are so many yummy yarns and books and with the Canadian Dollar now worth more than the US buck, it's going to be a great time for me to shop.

Hope some of my old readers are still around, I know two months is a long time to disappear but it sure was a great trip...

I'm Back

2007-10-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

After almost two months I have returned and hope to get some knitting done soon. Interestingly, I took a lot of wool with me to Greece, half of one suitcase full actually but hardly any knitting got done. I think I might have done a couple of inches on a sock and even after smuggling bamboo dp's onto the plane in my eyeglass case (Olympic bans knitting needles), I never once took them out either going or coming.

So now I'm back, project are running around in my head and unfinished objects to be completed. I hope I have something to show soon.

If you don't know what I've been up to for the last two months check out my other blog The View From Here.

I'm Leaving - Well Soon Anyway

2007-08-21T14:01:00.000-04:00

In twelve days we will be winging our way across the Atlantic towards Greece. I just realized today how much work is actually involved in getting ready for this trip, I've been in a bit of denial here and had to deal with some health issues so now I need to get organized. So because I haven't had much time to knit anyway and because I'd like to keep my other blog going I'm putting this on on hiatus until I return at the end of October.

If you want to know what I'm up to, where I'm going and where I've been come look over at The View From Here where I will be posting photo's and writing little commentaries about what I've seen. Ciao and happy knitting... Rositta

There Has Been Knitting Happenin...Honest

2007-08-11T21:20:00.001-04:00

There hasn't been a whole lot of time recently to knit but some stuff has been getting done. I finally finished one green sock and cast on the second. I got kind of bored with it, I guess green really isn't my color. But I had the yarn and I need to knit from the stash.

Also from the stash is the little blue cardi that will be perfect in Greece if I can get it finished on time, you know for those cool evenings. The yarn is also from the stash and it's Rowan Wool Cotton in a pretty dark blue.

For the first time I did a swatch...and since the gauge was perfect, I cast it on.
The pattern is called "spring fling" and it's from Knitty.

I also had a little Risata yarn left from the little socks I did so since I hate was I cast on these little wrist warmers. Their kind of cute, don't you think?

See, I've been busy. I also placed a large order with Knit Picks which hopefully will arrive before we leave for Greece. I don't know what's available over there and I'd hate to run out of yarn...

It's About Time

2007-08-03T12:17:00.002-04:00

I have been working on this book bag of and on for a couple of months. The reason is that large needles are difficult for me to work with. Also, the larger the project the heavier it gets and the end result is I get really sore shoulders. So this will be my last large project for a while. I'm not sure I like it but it will hold a lot of books.

I also finished the little socks. They are nice and lacy and I suspect I'll wear them a fair bit on my trip. They are made with Knit Picks Risata, in the Buttermilk colorway and are made up of Cotton, Superwash wool, Polyamid and Elite whatever that is, but they are nice and stretchy and when washed go back to their original shape.

I have yarn left over from these sock project and since I hate to waste yarn I cast on for some little wrist warmers. I don't have a pattern, I'm just kind of winging it and using the same lacy pattern.

No posting this weekend, I'm heading to the cabin for a little decompression after getting the news about my health. I wrote about that yesterday on my other blog so I won't go into it here. There is no DSL at the cabin so I won't even be tempted. I will return Tuesday, hopefully with another completed pair of socks. I wish everyone a lovely long weekend.

One Down, One To Go!

2007-07-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

This is the cutest little short sock, I really love it. I'm going to have to make another pair as soon as these are done. They will work well with tennis shoes or walking shoes when I'm on my trip. I absolutely hate being barefoot in shoes.

This yarn from KnitPiks is so easy to work with and is stretchy so if you don't get it quite right, it's okay. Fortunately for me, I had my foot right there to check and it turned out just fine.

Since I never just buy one of anything I already have some in teal for the next pair. Of course this yarn was meant to be for my plane trip so I guess I'd better order some more real quick...

No Knitting Pictures Just A Little Quiz

2007-07-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

No knitting pictures today, but I did finish one little lacy sock and cast on the second one. I just haven't had the right kind of sunlight for a decent picture so tomorrow, I promise.

Meanwhile, have fun with this quiz. I'm not sure this is really me, but I didn't cheat on the questions so who knows...

Your Power Bird is an Eagle

You are spiritual and able to soar to great heights.
You are a true inspiration, and many people look to you for guidance.
And you are quite demanding in relationships... but you're worth it.
People know that you will become even greater than you imagine.

What's Your Power Bird?

I Need More Yarn

2007-07-21T21:15:00.000-04:00

Because I'm really, really tired of knitting this stupid bag, or what is supposed to turn into a bag after felting....I'm not sure it will ever felt to the right size but I should know in a couple of days. Only the handles left to knit.

And I'm really tired of green socks...

I started something new. That happens every time I get a new yarn and this stuff arrived this week from KnitPicks and is new. It is elasticized so the socks will stay up and stretch just right. Last night I cast on for a pair of little ankle socks and I'm using horrors of all horrors, five short needles. I hate those things, I'm constantly stabbing myself, but I'm practicing using them because I hope to smuggle these on the plane for the trip to Greece.

My plan is to put them in my eyeglass case and hope for the best. It will be a long 12 hours without something to knit.

One part of the trip has been booked. We leave the first week of September for 6 weeks in Greece. I haven't booked the Germany part of the trip yet or the cruise. Still looking for that perfect

What's My Hidden Talent?

2007-07-17T00:01:00.000-04:00

Well it doesn't appear to be knitting but I'd say this one is spot on. I tend to be a bit of a shit disturber. You try it and see...

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system.
And while this may not seem big, it can be.
It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes.
You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

There Is Some Knitting Going On

2007-07-10T19:46:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on the messenger bag and it's slow going. The yarn is doubled up, the needles are too large and it's way too hot and humid for knitting. I only need 3 more inches before I can start the flap. I sure hope it felts down to the correct size.

Also on the needles are another pair of socks, one can never have too many.

Were leaving for Greece early September and Olympic Airlines has a ban on knitting needles. Can you imagine 12 hours on a plane without knitting? Neither can I, so I'm trying to figure out how to smuggle my 6" dp bamboo needles on board so I can at least quietly knit socks.

I did have one more picture of the bag but blogger is not cooperating tonight. I keep getting error messages, oh well...

Grrrrr...The Laptop is Down

2007-07-09T23:06:00.000-04:00

What can I say...

Madonna - Live Earth Live from London 07.07.2007

2007-07-09T18:17:00.001-04:00

Let's try this one, maybe it will work...

Look At My Molomakarouna

2007-07-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

Bet you don't know what they are? Well they are the most delicious Greek Semolina Honey cakes and since it was a rainy day in T-Dot, I got this urge to be domestic.

I hope it doesn't last...

After much measuring, beating and shaping this is was the result. This was my first attempt at these cookies and I only tried them because Steve loves them. It is difficult to find really fresh ones here.

And after baking, ta da...here they are...

Actually, the truth is, I love baking. I hate cooking with a passion but baking, well I should have opened a bakery in my past life. It would have been a hoot.

The problem now is that with Mom not here only Steve eats my baking. I'm usually good for one piece of whatever and that's it, I don't touch it again. I really don't have a sweet tooth and my figure is thankful for that.

Next week it will be raspberry pies. I think there will be a bumper crop this year the bushes are just hanging full of berries. Should be fun...back to some knitting.

Take It Easy On The Knitting

2007-07-04T21:35:00.000-04:00

That was the advice of my Rheumatologist today, "just lay off for a while" she said. Not a good news day for me. Today was my quarterly appointment with Dr. L and we talked about lots of things including my foot. The foot I broke two bones in two months ago and walked on it for one month before seeking treatment is not doing well. I wear a walking cast ninety percent of the time but during the ten percent I find the foot very painful.

I had new x-rays today and Dr. L. informed me that what was actually hurting was the adjacent toe that had arthritis in it. Not your run of the mill arthritis but a "particularly virulent strain of rheumatoid arthritis" is how she put it.

I also had some blood work done a week ago and seems that my immune system is over active and when I get stressed or injured it "sends out the little soldiers to fight" and according to the good doctor, "doesn't know when to quit". What does all this mean in real time, well it means that we have to stop the immune system from doing that because it's destroying my joints and I will loose more than my hip, which has already been replaced.

The treatment options are really limited here and the first thing we're trying is six days of high dosage of Prednisone on a tapered schedule. I've done this before and the side effects aren't pretty. I get all puffy, irregular heart beat (which will send my monitor crazy), insomnia, hyperactive, and lots of abdominal pain. But I guess for those few days I have no choice, I need to walk pain free again soon.

If this doesn't work, then there is the cortisone shot right in the foot, which I really, really don't want. It hurts, I'm a wimp.

The third treatment option, the one that scares me the most is the one she actually recommends the as the best. This would be chemotherapy in the form of a drug called Methotrexate. The side effects of this drug are pretty scary.

I'm not making any rash decisions here without doing a lot more research. I do know for sure that I don't want to go through another joint replacement surgery, the first one was plenty for me. I don't like hospitals, I don't find the treatment of patients in most hospitals to be very good and after what I went through with my Mom recently, I'm staying far away from them.

Having said all that, the heart monitor has been in place one week now and beeps at all hours of the day and night. I guess my heart does stuff even though I'm not aware of it so I guess this two week monitor is a good thing. The downside to this loop monitor is that I have to phone in the results nightly and it takes about 45 minutes to send through the phone line. That of course means no one can phone us during that time. So anyone of my friends phoning after 9:30 at night, too bad I guess.

I am cheating a little and working on my messenger bag and it should be ready in a few more days. Meanwhile, thanks to Amanda Cathleen for the tip of the Puffy Paint.

That's kind of hard to find here in Toronto since there aren't a lot of craft shops left but I did locate some in the little town of Haliburton, Ontario, which is close to our cabin. I will try it out on a pair of socks first before putting it on my good felted slippers....

Finally Some Pictures - The DSL Is Back

2007-06-29T01:23:00.005-04:00

What a pleasure to have high speed internet back on line, it was the pits without it. Meanwhile I did get some stuff done as the following pictures will show. Other pictures and stuff will be posted on my other blog. The knitting went well, unfortunately for me, I can't seem to get the felting right.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, or maybe it's just the wrong wool but for whatever reason the bowls didn't come out quite the way I thought they would. For one thing they are larger than I was expecting and they are not stiff. I will try felting them again when I finish knitting the messenger bag and see what happens.

Meanwhile, I knitted up a pair of slippers and again they looked like they weren't going to felt well.

Surprise, surprise, they came out really well and actually fit my foot. Now I will make a pair for my sweetie and hope for the same result. These will be great in the winter when we get cold feet.

This is the messenger bag that I'm working on and it will be a while before it's done. It needs to be 20 inches by 20 inches before felting and then a flap of the same dimensions. I suspect the only knitting that will happen in the next few days will be on the drive up to the cottage and maybe on the drive back. We're having visitors for the weekend at "chez cabin" so not much knitting will happen.

For all my Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day on July 1st and for all my American buddies, Happy July 4th...

We're Having A Heat Wave

2007-06-27T17:57:00.000-04:00

The DSL is back thank goodness which means of course I can post pictures of my recent knitting projects. Unfortunately you'll have to wait another day or so, I'm just plain beat today.

I spent the afternoon going for blood tests, getting the heart monitor attached to me and visiting the doctor. For the first time I had a 45 minute wait to see him, which is very unusual.

It was exhausting because I'm still dragging this foot around and when I want to go anywhere I have to take the cast off to drive and when I get where I'm going I have to put it back on to walk. Together with my quick trip to the grocery store on the way home, it came on and off three times. Very tedious and to top it all off, the temperature this afternoon hit 35 c which is about 95 F. With the humidity it feels a lot hotter but still nothing like some parts of Europe. We are under a severe weather alter though which should cool things off a bit.

Still it was hot enough to make life difficult and I think the air conditioner on the old van is going, it just wouldn't/couldn't cool down...sigh. Now I'm crashed out on the sofa and I don't think I will moved from here any time soon.