Friday, August 31, 2007

FO: Fetching

I had one ball of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran left over from when I knit Tempting and finally decided to hop on yet another bandwagon and knit Fetching.

This is me, trying to imitate the pattern photograph.

Pattern: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
Source: Knitty
Materials: one ball of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in Kingfisher
Needles: US 6/4 mm bamboo dpns
Started: August 27, 2007
Finished: August 28, 2007

I had almost finished knitting the gloves when I ran out of yarn. All I had left to knit was one thumb. So, I did what any resourceful knitter would do and unraveled a tiny bit of Tempting and used the yarn to finish the gloves. Don't worry, Tempting is fine. I didn't even have to unravel an entire round.


I wasn't sure if I should keep these mitts for me or give them away at Christmas, but when I realized they're an almost perfect match with my winter coat, I decided they'll stay with me.

I should also mention that the illustrious Kenneth took these photos. And, for those of you who read this on Bloglines, I've changed the appearance of the blog, so pop on over and take a look!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

FO: The Clap

I finished this a couple of days ago, but didn't get to take photos of it until now because the weather was kind of miserable. Kenneth came to the rescue again and set up a li'l photo shoot.

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
Source: Knitty
Materials: unknown Fleece Artist fingering yarn from a bargain bin
Needles: US 8/5 mm bamboo circs
Started: August 15, 2007
Finished: August 23, 2007

Modifications: I made it skinnier and longer than the original Clapotis because I wanted more of a scarf than a shawl to wear with my red autumn jacket.


Verdict: This is the best thing I've knit yet. I looooove it. It's so soft and airy -- I could pet it all day. It's absolutely gorgeous.


So, now that I'm over my bout with the clap, it seems I've caught a new infection: the ballband bug.


I am SO addicted.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

And the winner is . . .

Thanks to everyone for entering my contest (and for your kind words about hubby's health -- it means so much to both of us!). Hubby picked one of your names out of a bowl this morning and . . .


Congratulations Annie! You've just won a skein of delicious Fleece Artist Sea Wool! I had the pleasure of phoning Annie (who doesn't have a blog . . . yet!) this morning to give her the good news. We were just talking last night about how she's been getting so many calls that start out with, "Congratulations! You've just won a free trip to Tahiti!" and end with asking you for your credit card number. I tried to trick her by playing a telemarketer, but she knew it was me and was so excited I didn't ask for her Visa number.

Annie just lives across the harbour from me, so I don't even have to pay for shipping. She's actually going to pick the yarn up at my house!

Congratulations again, Annie! I know you're going to love knitting these socks.

quatre ans


Four years ago I married my high school sweetheart. Signing that marriage certificate felt like winning the lottery.


Happy Anniversary, hubby-bear!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

I've got the clap!

That's right, folks, I've got all the symptoms: I can't stop knitting and I'm dropping stitches like a madwoman. That can only mean one thing . . . I've got the clap. Clapotis, that is.


I know I'm late to the party, but I figured every good knitter needs her own Clapotis. Mine will be more scarf than shawl, but it's still a Clapotis. I rooted through my stash (you can hardly call it a stash as it's mostly composed of bits of yarn leftover from past projects just waiting to be recycled somehow) and found this autumn coloured Fleece Artist yarn that I picked up for nearly nothing in a bin of "factory defects" at Gaspereau Valley Fibres. I have no idea what kind of fibre this is, but it's soft and has a nice sheen to it, so I'm guessing it's a merino and silk blend, maybe? I wasn't sure why it was in the defect bin when I bought it, but when my hands turned bright orange after knitting a few rows, I figured it was a less-than-perfect dye job. Oh well, I can afford to have orange hands as I'm a proud NDipper.

I was overjoyed this morning when I was reading blogs and realized I won a spectacular load of loot on Julia's blog. This couldn't have come at a better time since my hubby was recently diagnosed with a kinda-scary-health-problem. We're hoping it's not too serious and that it can be treated and cured very quickly, but it's still quite stressful. I might not be blogging as often as I'd like in the coming weeks as we'll be making some trips to Halifax for more tests soon. So, a huge "Thank you!" goes out to Julia, Christy and Ashley for cheering me up with lots of crafty goodness!

And speaking about goodness, this is my 100th post! That obviously calls for a contest of my own. I have this scrumptious Fleece Artist yarn that I'm willing to give away. All you have to do is leave me a comment, I'll draw one of your names and you'll get some Sea Wool sock yarn, complete with a pattern for Bordello Socks.


I'll close the contest on Wednesday, August 22 at 5 p.m. Atlantic Time. Good luck!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Behind the curtains, the sun is shining

Those curtains that caused me to lose several layers of skin are finished and hanging up in our living room. Turns out, it was worth the injury to have such cute "window fashions" (don't you hate that term? I do).


It wasn't easy getting a decent shot of the curtains. I tried in the evening -- not enough light. I tried in the day -- too much light. That's why I opted for a close up of the tabs, so you can see how cute the fabric (purchased through Purl) is.


I used many of the tips I learned through Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing book on these curtains. I can't wait to try to sew one of her patterns. They're oh-so simple, elegant and cute. Check out Sherrie's beautiful quilt to see what I mean.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

FO: Argosy Scarf

I took some photos of the finished Argosy scarf at Mum and Dad's house. There was no way I was going to wear a wool scarf around my neck in August, so I got some kind trees to stand in as models.


Pattern: Argosy by Vyvyan Neel
Source: Knitty
Materials: almost 3 balls of Jaeger Wool Silk in colour #373
Needles: US 4/3.5 mm straights
Started: August 2, 2007
Finished: August 11, 2007


I got the yarn from Annie's humongous stash. I knew it was special yarn the moment I saw it. She kindly gave it to me and I started googling the yarn to find out how other knitters have used it. I quickly discovered that this yarn has long been discontinued and it has very little Web presence, so I set out to figure out how I could use it on my own. The silk and wool blend screamed lace scarf and after a quick search on knitty, I settled on trying out Argosy. I am very pleased with the finished product.


I am constantly fascinated by lace. I don't understand how someone can come up with a lace pattern -- it's just completely unfathomable to me. I know which stitches I'm knitting and I understand why I'm knitting them and how they work up into a lace scarf or shawl, but I can wrap my mind around sitting down and writing up an original lace pattern. It's fascinating and, who knows, maybe someday lace will all make sense to me.


I'm thinking about putting this scarf aside and keeping it for a Christmas gift because I definitely don't need a scarf in August.

Up next, photos of those injurious tab top curtains.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Safety first!

I learned last night that crafting is dangerous and all projects should come with a safety warning.

Hot, hot iron +


Tabs for tab top curtains =


Ouchie!


Aren't you glad this post isn't about taking out an eye with a knitting needle?

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Rock My Socks

I finished the toe-ups today and I'm kind of sad to see them off the needles because this yarn was blissful.


Pattern: A combination of this pattern and this one.
Materials: Silkie Socks That Rock in Walking on the Wild Tide
Needles: set of 5 US 1/2.25 bamboo dpns
Started: July 22, 2007
Finished: August 2, 2007


This yarn was gifted to me by Becky and it's a Rockin' Sock Club colourway. I was so thrilled to get it in the mail and even happier to knit with it. It's the yummiest sock yarn and I even love the crazy colours. But as much as I am smitten by these socks, I might just give them to someone very special. We'll see . . .


So, what am I casting on for next? Hmmm, well, I got some yarn out of a friend's stash and I might just be doing some lace knitting soon. We'll see about that too . . .