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!

Birthday fun

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes! I had a great time at the awards show, even if I didn't win the award (I wasn't expecting to win, so I wasn't disappointed!). In lieu of the award, I got some great birthday presents! Jesse got me the Cadillac of tripods with a crazy joystick head to match. Now I no longer need to perch my camera in a tree to get a decent shot.

The in-laws also got me something I have long been yearning for. A ball winder. Yes. Now I can wind centre-pull balls to my heart's content. (or is it "til my heart's content"?)





Worsted Malabrigo in bergamota. Delicious.

Blogless Annie, when are you coming over to wind up some yarn?

somebody's birthday . . .

is today!



No, I'm not in my "birthday suit," I'm wearing my fancy awards show dress!



Wish me luck at the ACT Awards tonight! Here's a pic of my birthday cake. Mmmmm. Chocolate cheesecake . . .



It was delicious!

FO: Swiffer cloth

Sherrie mentioned wanting a reusable Swiffer cloth, so I checked Ravelry, found a pattern I liked and in no time, I had a finished object!



Pattern: Swiffer Re-Usable Cloth by Birdy's Knits
Materials: Casco Bay worsted cotton in Olive
Needles: US 6/4mm
Started: May 14, 2008
Finished: May 15, 2008
Raveled here



I should have taken more photos, but I'm sure Sherrie will post some. It has little bobbles that slip into the grips to keep the cloth on the Swiffer. It seems to work really well too. Just when I was taking these photos, it picked up bunches of cat fur. I had to pick it all off before I brought it over to Sherrie's house!

Linen clutch

I'm going to an awards ceremony this weekend at our local theatre. They're giving out awards for each of the productions over the past year and I'm nominated for Best Actress for The Boyfriend. I'm quite sure I won't win, but I'm excited nonetheless since it's an opportunity to get all gussied up for a party.

I bought my dress from a Canadian designer through the online shop, Maison de Moi, but I needed a handbag to go with it. I saw this great pattern, but I didn't have any fabric that would match my dress. That's when I spotted some neutral linen in my stash. I figured if I made a linen clutch, then I could add a few decorative buttons and make it match my dress. I also happen to have an "in" with a button collector.



I think I've mentioned Gramie's button collection before. She has scads of buttons in a drawer in her sewing room and they're all sorted by colour. I asked her for her red and gold buttons and she delivered. Check out those piles!



I picked some buttons that match my dress, sewed them on and, voilà! A clutch that perfectly complements my fancy togs.

FO: Hand Towel

I whipped this up last night for Mum for Mother's Day. She has a couple of knit hand towels and she mentioned how much she liked them. I had planned to make one out of the Ecoknit organic cotton yarn I bought in Montreal, but I had this idea that Mother's Day was further away than it actually is. So, I searched Ravelry really quick and found this pattern.

Pattern: Kitchen Hand Towel (pdf) by Clara Masessa
Source: Kraemer Yarns
Materials: every last bit of one skein of Ecoknit organic cotton in Coffee.
Needles: US 6/4mm
Started: May 8, 2008
Finished: May 9, 2008

Mods: I made the towel part an inch shorter because I didn't want to run out of yarn.

I gave the towel to Mum today and she loved it. The cotton is really soft -- not like that crappy Bernat cotton yarn. I'll probably make another one of these for me, because I found it kind of hard to part with this one . . .

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!

Bloggy meetup v2.0!

Last Saturday I met my second "Internet friend," as hubby calls them. I've been reading Nicole's blog ever since her first post. If you're not familiar with her, please check her out! She has knit some beautiful garments, like this.

We met in downtown Ottawa and went out for a lovely lunch at Wasabi. We sat and talked for a long time, as if we were old friends. It was great! Apparently all the good yarn shops are just outside Ottawa and neither of us had access to a car that day. Nicole felt bad, but I didn't really mind. I mean, I didn't really have any room in my suitcase for any more yarn! But she mentioned a shop within walking distance called Knit Knackers that has Malabrigo. Wait, what? Did you say Malabrigo?

I went straight for the worsted stuff. I touched it. I fell in love. I left with this incredibly smooshy, soft, cushy skein in Bergamota. It's like buttah. Bright orange buttah.

As I was swooning over the Malabrigo, something else caught my eye. I think both Nicole and I rushed over to the same shelf at the same time. What did we see?

Yup. That's Noro Kureyon sock yarn. I had only ever seen this stuff on the Internet! Apparently they just got it in at Knit Knackers. Neither Nicole nor I could leave without a skein. I got this beauty (#188) in purple, navy, grey and green.

One of the kind shopkeepers took a photo of us fondling the Malabrigo lace weight yarn. It turned out a bit blurry, but I like to say we were in a "yarn fog."

It's a good thing yarn is squishy. I was able to squeeze the two skeins into my suitcase without too much difficulty (okay, I had to stand on my suitcase in order to close it). Thanks again Nicole for a fabulous visit!

A post-script to my bloggy meetups: I was also supposed to meet Amy on Sunday, but we unfortunately ran out of time. I'm hoping that since she is originally from Nova Scotia, we can meet next time she comes home to the East coast!