FO: Charades and Pacafiesta!

I feel as though I've been working on these Charades for such a long time, and it's not because I didn't enjoy knitting them, other projects just seemed to get in the way. I started knitting these way back when we went to Montreal and Ottawa (where we saw Claudia and Nicole!), so they might look familiar to a couple of you.

Pattern: Charade socks by Sandra Park (rav)
Materials: two skeins of Oceanwind knits merino sock in Sienna
Needles: 2.5mm addi turbos
Started: April 27, 2008
Finished: September 27, 2008
Raveled here

Modifications: I extended the pattern to the heel flap just to add some more interest.

Verdict: I know I've extolled the virtues of Oceanwind knits sock yarn before, but I love it. It's the perfect sock yarn, as far as I'm concerned. And this pattern was fun, easy and addictive (even though it took me six months to finish them!).

Blogless Annie and I went to Pacafiesta over the weekend and super giddy on yarn. It was such a fun time. We saw real live alpacas and we might have hugged one or two . . .

And we saw alpacas wearing hats (!) because, frankly, what's an alpaca without a funky hat?

Of course we came home with some yarnz! I picked up this beautiful skein of handspun silk and merino, but the über talented UberWench. If I wasn't already married, I would consider eloping right now with this skein.

This skein of Black Lamb city silk (50/50 silk and merino) is destined to become a super secret knit.

And I also brought home with me a skein of fingering weight handpainted alpaca from Sunrise Mercantile. It's only about 60 grams, but I think I might pair it with the Koigu I picked up at London Wul and knit up a pair of socks with grey cuffs, heels and toes.

FO: Election Scarf

Ahhh, elections. I'm sort of going election-crazy here. Up here in Canada, we're in the midst of a federal election and four short days after E-Day, Nova Scotians go to the polls again to vote in the municipal election. To make things even crazier, the advance polls for the municipal election are the same day as the federal election! Aaaaaah! I'm trying to ignore the American presidential election because, frankly, my brain can't handle any more election fodder. The only saving grace is that we're not in provincial election mode yet, but since I work for the provincial NDP, I'm always gearing up for an election just in case.

But because I'm a good New Democrat, I've decided to embrace the election craziness and knit myself a commemorative scarf. The provincial and federal New Democrats have a thing for orange (just check out the federal site) and I had a skein of worsted Malabrigo in Bergamota in my stash, so I quickly knit up a doppelganger of Heather's Mabel's Scarf.

Pattern: Mabel's Scarf by Larissa Brown (rav)
Materials: one skein of Malabrigo worsted merino in Bergamota
Needles: US 8/5mm bamboo circulars
Started: September 18, 2008
Finished: September 22, 2008
Raveled here

The pattern says one skein will give you 13 repeats, but I only got 12 with fewer than three yards of yarn to spare. It is sort of short, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. The pattern is so ridiculously addictive, which is why I finished it in under five days. And the scarf is so deliciously squishy, soft and warm. It'll be great for all the running around I'll be doing on E-Day (the federal E-Day, not the municipal E-Day!).

Oh! And have you heard? Our own knitter-extraordinaire Whistlepea Amy is the NDP candidate in Ottawa-Orléans? I really, really wish I could drop everything and move to Ottawa for a few weeks to help her campiagn! Good luck Amy!

FO: Myrtle the turtle

I think I've started a tradition where I knit my brother a secret (well, maybe not-so-secret) stuffed whimsy of some sort for his birthday and Christmas. Last Christmas it was Naughty Lloyd and for his birthday I knit Myrtle.

Pattern: Sheldon by Ruth Homrighaus (rav)
Materials: bits and bobs of Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran in Lime (210) and Mission Falls 1824 Wool in 028 and 007
Needles: 3.25 mm dpns and 3.5 mm Addis
Started: August 28, 2008
Finished: September 3, 2008

Raveled here

Although the outcome couldn't possibly be cuter, this turtle wasn't the most fun thing to knit. I found the shell to be rather annoying, especially that goshdarned applied i-cord. A few screams may have slipped through my lips while knitting that i-cord. But, of course, it was so worth it. C'mon, my brother made me a swift! The least I could do is knit him a turtle.

Myrtle will be on display in the window at Hands On Crafts during the Craft Splash. Say hello to her if you see her!

Thank you Fleece Artist!

I e-mailed Fleece Artist and they sent me the pattern! I am as happy as a clam!

A plea

Okay, so I'm working on the Lady of the Lake (ravelry) coat and I just finished the body last night. I went to the hutch in the kitchen (where I keep some of my yarn) to get the pattern so I could figure out how it wants me to bind off and I couldn't find the pattern. I tore the house apart looking everywhere I could imagine it might be and I found nothing. It's a Fleece Artist kit, so it's not like I can just hop on the web and download it again or something. I am so mad at myself for losing the damn pattern!

So here's the plea: If you or anyone you know has knit the Lady of the Lake coat and has the pattern, can you please, please, please e-mail me the instructions on how to bind off the body and how to knit the sleeves and collar. If this doesn't work, I'm e-mailing Fleece Artist directly.

eta: I have e-mailed Fleece Artist. I'm just too impatient! I'll let you know what happens.

Crossed the finish line!

My Ravelympics cardigan is done in plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the games! It took me all of a week to knit this, but I did work on it nearly everywhere I went (including a game of kickball).

Pattern: Shalom by Meghan McFarlane (rav)
Materials: 1.7 skeins of Malabrigo worsted merino in Pearl Ten
Needles: 7 mm circulars
Started: August 8, 2008
Finished: August 14, 2008
Raveled here

Modifications: I added about 20 rows of stockinette st to the bottom before doing the garter st edge because it didn't quite look long enough. It stretched when I blocked it, but I like the length.

Verdict: I really, really like this. I realize it's not terribly practical as it doesn't have long sleeves or much of a front to keep me warm, but it does look nice over a turtleneck (which is probably how I'll wear it most often) in a decorative, vest-y sort of way. I love the colour, it's so beautifully soft and the fit is quite nice too! It's a winner!

Moustache insisted on being in one shot. But what he really wants is to get his paws on what's left of the Malabrigo . . .

FO: Rainbow socks

I picked up some Noro Kureyon sock yarn in Liverpool, of all places, earlier this summer. I had heard over the Internetz that a little shop called Ball N Skein carried Noro sock yarn and, lucky me, I had a gift certificate to that very shop from my swift-building bro. The yarn shop ended up actually being a photo shop with a little corner of yarn. They carry mostly Patons and Briggs and Little, but, tucked away on a shelf were a few skeins of Noro sock yarn. Score!

Pattern: just your basic 64 st, top down, plain stockinette sock with a short-row heel
Materials: 2/3 of a skein of Noro Kureyon sock yarn in #184
Needles: US 1.5/2.5 mm
Started: June 21, 2008
Finished: August 6, 2008
Raveled here

Since I am a type A personality, a control freak and a perfectionist, I couldn't have mis-matched socks. I had to do a bit of engineering to make them match, like adding a few metres of yarn here, taking a few metres away there, but it was all worth it. They still don't exactly match perfectly, but I don't think you'd really notice unless you were examining them closely. During regular wear, I think they'll look like matching socks.

Yesterday morning I cast on for my Ravelympics project while listening to Olympic coverage on the radio! I'm knitting the Shalom Cardigan in beautiful Malabrigo.

Trip to New Brunswick

Jesse and I went to New Brunswick over the long weekend to attend a music festival. We lived in Moncton for two years from 2004 to 2006 and this is the first time we've been back since then. It was great to see all of our old friends and all the bands that played the festival. I had just started knitting right before we left Moncton, so I never had the chance to visit London Wul in Dieppe when we lived there. This was finally my chance! As soon as we got there, we discovered that they have these great sheep cutouts outside the yarn shop!

Hello. I am a sheep.

I managed to pick up a few things at the shop. The had several skeins of "odd lots" of Fleece Artist yarn in a bin along with two skeins of this unnamed mustard-y merino sock yarn. It's buttery soft and much yellower in reality.

I had heard that London Wul carries Koigu (as per the Web site), but it appears that information is old because the sold out of the stuff several years ago. However, I did manage to find this lone skein of Koigu KPM in light grey after digging through that sale bin. It's only 45g but it was also only $3. Yup, that's $3 Koigu. I know, right? I snatched it up.

And, in other knitting-related news . . . I got a Ravelry t-shirt in the mail! Now I can show off my inner knit-geek.

Rockin' the Rav.

New camera strap!

I was tired of the old strap that came with my camera, emblazoned with huge white letters spelling "Canon." After I saw Caro's straps (I hear there are a few left in her shop!) I examined my own to see if I could duplicate her work. I grabbed some cute echino fabric and got to work. And this is the end result!

It was super easy! I just ripped the stitching on the little leather bits, removed the old strap, used it as a pattern to cut my fabric, left a 1/2 inch seam allowance, sewed up the new strap and attached it to the leather bits. Easy as pie.

My very own chocolate Hourglass

I finished it on Sunday morning and it two more than two days to dry. Two long, foggy days. I tried to will it to dry, but it was futile.

I just had to wait for the sun to come out today!

And now I have my very own chocolate Hourglass!

Pattern: Hourglass Sweater by Joelle Hoverson (ravelry)
Source: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts
Materials: nine skeins of Noro Cash Iroha #108
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
Started: February 19, 2008
Finished: June 29, 2008
Raveled here

Mods: The sleeves were going to be way too short, so I knit them to be 21 inches instead of the suggested 18.5 (Mum calls me "Monkey arms" for a reason). As it turned out, after blocking, the sleeves grew a bit in length, but I sort of like long sleeves since they're so rare on me. Because of that, I ran out of yarn shortly after attaching both arms to the body, so I ordered more (in a different dyelot, mind you, but it's barely noticeable). I also did four extra decreases along the neckline because the original pattern tends to look a little "Flashdance!"

Verdict: I really like this sweater. It fits really well and I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of it. It's also really warm, so I really don't want to have to wear it in the summer again -- I was getting quite hot while shooting these photos.

Party time!

It's the tail end of my summer vacation (we went camping in Keji for a few days and the rest of my holiday was spent reading and knitting. Good times.) and time for show and tell. "What did you do on your summer vacation, Ingrid?" I made an inedible cake.



I picked up The Softies Kit the other day. Unlike Therese Laskey's other softies book, this one comes with supplies: embroidery floss, felt, fiber fill and a pompom -- just enough for making a sweet little party cake!



It looks almost good enough to eat, don't you think?

Swift tutorial!

The best brother ever is doing his part to share his awesomeness with the world. He has posted a tutorial on making your very own swift! See it here.

And maybe you too can have the best brother/husband/boyfriend/Dad ever.

I have the best brother in the world!

I told Nigel about swifts a while back and he was interested in finding out more about them. He went to Hand On Crafts to check out their swift and took several digital photos for reference. One day later, he had a finished product for me!

It's a nice, full-sized swift on a stand (because he couldn't figure out how to make a clamp) made out of maple. It's a little fiddly to get started, but once the skein is on the swift, it's smooth sailing (rather, smooth winding). The swift itself is held up by a CD, a clothespin and a bulldog clip -- a little unorthodox, sure, but it works. I have already wound two skeins and I plan to wind some more this afternoon!

Thank you Nigel! You have no idea how many knitters are drooling with envy!

Mr. P's Sweater: The Reveal!

Way back in January, I finished a sweater for Mr. P's first birthday. I kept it hidden from his Mom and Dad until last week, when Mr. P finally became one year old!

He proved to be quite adept at opening presents.



And here he is, making a funny face, with his new sweater. The funny face is most likely due to the fact that he'll probably have to wait until autumn before he can wear his new sweater.



And finally, a full shot of the sweater.



I can't wait to see the little guy wearing this! Happy Birthday Mr. P!

I met Lolly!

Several months ago, Lolly posted this photo in her Flickr photostream. Right away, I asked her to consider visiting Yarmouth so we could meet in person. I've been reading her blog ever since I started knitting in the round (circa Nov 2006) and we had e-mailed back and forth a few times. When she said she'd love to come to Yarmouth, I started scheming. I knew that she and Kris were outdoors-y types, and since my Dad is the "Tern Man," I thought they might like to see Canada's largest colony of the endangered Roseate Terns. Dad agreed to take them out for a ride on the boat as assistants to monitor the colony.

Since I'm a bad blogger, I didn't get any shots of Lolly and Kris on the North Brother (the island the Roseate Terns call home), but I did pull out my camera when we reached our second destination, Gooseberry Island, just off the coast of Argyle Sound. There were lost of cormorants, a prehistoric-looking bird that kills tress with its poo. (I know, it sounds charming.)



And we saw baby Black-backed gulls. They were so fluffy and cute! Too bad they turn into dirty, garbage-eating seagulls. Dad encouraged Lolly to pick up one of the chicks, but he neglected to warn her that they "squirt" when they're nervous. Poor Lolly had a handfull of gull poo. (Another charming image, no?)



The island also has a small flock of sheep. Dad, being the witty guy that he is, proclaimed them "Marino sheep." This little guy was a little too slow to keep up with his Mum, so he stuck around while we photographed him. I think he may have been a little gimpy too . . . his front legs buckled under him a few times.



After the boat ride, we went to see the 17 windmills at Pubnico Point.



Then we visited Le Village Historique acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse, where we ate homemade molasses cookies, played an old pump organ, admired antique quilts, learned about lobster plugs, and . . .



. . . saw piglets! There was a sign warning that "Pigs Bite!" but, frankly, I don't think this guy could bite very hard. Interesting tidbit: Kris speaks piglet-ese. Every time he snorted, the pigs would run over to him.



The next day, we had breakfast at the Old World Bakery (I go there every Saturday morning) with Blogless Annie!



And then, the required stop at Hands On Crafts. Apparently we get giddy when we're surrounded by yarn!



Lolly picked up several skeins of Briggs and Little (the pride of New Brunswick) yarn for a sweater, I had a couple of gift certificates so I got the Lady of the Lake (ravelry)Fleece Artist kit and Blogless Annie bought some roving for her thrummed mitts.

I had so much fun with Lolly and Kris. I wish they lived closer (I tried to sell them Blogless Annie's house, but they wouldn't bite) so we could hang out more often! Lolly and I have so much in common (we both happen to be major klutzes, so we shared stories about broken bones and bruises) and Kris is really witty (dark humour, anyone?).

Enjoy the rest of your vacation in Nova Scotia guys and come back soon!