Miso Crafty

Ch-ch-changes

2012-01-24T05:20:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have noticed, there's been a few changes made to the blog. I've been wanting to clean up and simplify this space for a while now but the final push to do so came when last week I spent half the day trying to fix a blog post due to formatting issues (which I have mentioned in several posts leading up to this one). I knew it then that it was time to give the blog a li'l makeover. So I changed the template to something simple, cleaned up my sidebar, and got rid of the funky fonts. I had major hopes that all my housekeeping would be the key to fixing my formatting issues. It kinda worked. I really liked the changes that I had made but I still spent a few hours trying to write and fix a post that just ended up not happening. Ugh. It's definitely time to switch my game plan here.

I've been thinking long and hard about this, had arguments with myself, weighed the pros and cons, and finally came down to the decision to re-brand and to buy my own domain. Yup. That last one was a huge decision for me to make, but one that I've been thinking of doing for the past few months. I finally just bit the bullet and did it. So this will be the final post on this blog. Don't worry, I don't plan on ever deleting this blog, and all previous posts will still be up for your viewing pleasure. I'll still be keeping an eye on this blog, you know, to make sure the comments are being spammed and that the photos and links are still working. I know that some people have posts and videos that link to this blog and I don't ever want people to not be able to find my work, nor do I want people to have to go and re-link everything. But from now on you can find me at:

www.misocraftyknits.com

Starting tomorrow I'll be posting at the new blog! So don't forget to update your feeds, readers, bloglines, and/or blog lists with the new website address. If you subscribe by email, head on over to the new site and sign back up on the new blog. Oh! And while you're there, don't forget to follow me! Once on the new site you will notice that the old blog and the new blog look eerily the same. I guess you can say that I used this blog's last days as a guinea pig, and I wanted the transition from old to new to be easy...on me. I know, I know...how selfish am I? To make it even easier I had also transfered over all posts, just to make it easier to find stuff. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of having a million browsers/tabs open just cause I'm searching for one little thing.

Ok, well...I guess that's it for me! Ok little blog. We had some moments together...the good, the bad, the ugly, and now it's time for me to say "smell you later!".

As for you blogging friends, see you on the new website!

♥ Melissa

Down Time

2012-01-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well hello there! Fancy meeting you here! It's been quiet around here lately, hasn't it? Yeah...and trust me, it wasn't by choice. I've tried to make a post, twice, but it just wasn't in the stars for me. The first attempt I had written a longish post and had all my photos inserted and everything. It was awesome. But sometime during the writing process Blogger or something must have signed me out because when I clicked the 'publish' button I was taken to a page that told me that I needed to sign in before I could perform such activities. I had lost the entire post. I was so not impressed. Defeated but determined to post, I wrote another post but a much shorter version of the original. This time I made sure I was signed in, I had saved a million times, all was good in the hood. Until I went to publish the stupid post.

I'm actually surprised that I still have hair left on my head. Yes, the post looked good in the draft stage but when I checked it out in the preview...that was another story. I know I've mentioned it before, but I've been having major formatting issues lately. My posts have been appearing in three different fonts with text of varying sizes, major spaces between paragraphs and photos, and photos themselves are showing up either super big or really small but always un-centered. All attempts to fix these problems in the "normal" way were fruitless and I would have to go in and html the crap out of the post, and trust me when I say it was pure hell. I don't know html at all, but can tell that within one sentence there were at least 6 different commands...for text and size, sometimes for position. Now imagine an entire post having each and every sentence like that. Oh yeah...I was sitting there for hours trying fix the one post! I got fed up and decided to nix it altogether.

I noticed that I started having these issues ever since I tried to make a post via mobile. Then it got worst when I messed around with the fonts in my blog layout. Sadly, all my issues are due to settings within the computers that I've made posts from. Yeah...apparently my phone has settings but that is all within the app. So even if I do figure out the settings on my computer, the phone settings are out of my control. Even deleting the app doesn't help. Trust me, I tried. I'm not saying don't download the Blogger app, cause it does work. I had it on my old phone and have blogged from it before and it had worked just fine. I guess the combo of the camera apps mixed with Blogger mixed with whatever else I had done was something that Blogger didn't like. At all. And now I must pay for it. With each post. Le sigh.

Ok. Enough of my blogging issues!! I promise! Onto some knitting content. I've been knitting like a fiend but not getting anything finished. Why? Well, I was in denial for the longest time and finally admitted to it last week. I had a bout of Starteritis. It wasn't pretty. Let's just say that I have used every single cable I own for my interchangeable needle set, all my sock needles in my favourite size (2.25mm/US 1), plus a few fixed needles from other sets...all occupied with projects. I am not proud. This is why lately I've been feeling like a chicken with my head chopped off when it comes to my knitting. I seriously had wanted to cast on every.single.project I plan to knit this year, and then some. My house looks like a yarn shop had exploded, you can't look anywhere without spotting a skein or cake of yarn sitting there, attached to some needles that have had only a few rows knitted up. Although a while ago I finished my Orchid Audrey cardigan, so I do have one project off the needles. It still needs the ends woven in and a good blocking. I'm hoping sometime next week I can head over to Button & Needlework Boutique and find some buttons for it. I had taken my cardi to knit night on Friday for some opinions as to what kind of buttons I should get. The lovely ladies all had wonderful ideas, so now I know what I'm looking for. Just hope B&N has it!

Since I was having blogging issues I was kinda turned off of the computer for a bit, but it's amazing just how much knitting you can get done when you're not busy staring at photos of yarn, surfing Ravelry, checking your email every five minutes, and having your time sucked in by ~~Crackbook~~ Facebook. I hadn't even bothered to upload photos from my camera either (I'm still trying to take photos of the stash)! And I'm usually always on top of that! Brett will be leaving for the mainland tomorrow and will be gone for a handful of days, so I'm not sure just how much knitting will get done in the next few days. I think the Starteritis has tapered off for a bit cause yesterday I was actually able to knit and concentrate on just one project! If I keep it up, I just might be able to get it finished by mid-week! Yay! Something to show you guys!

Speaking of which, maybe I should get off the computer and get back to the needles...

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

PS: Cause I'm sure someone will email me and ask, the yarn in the photo above is Madelinetosh Vintage in Steam Age. I heart this colourway so much! I think I have a sweaters worth in this base but am still trolling for patterns that will mesh well with the colours. Any suggestions?

Snow Day

2012-01-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say we had an awesome time in the snow yesterday. Actually, I wish I could say we had an awesome day in general. But sadly, we didn't. Not at all. If anything, it was probably one of the worst days that we've had in a long while. I had woken up to the scene of a beautiful winter wonderland with snow still sprinkling to the ground. I had immediately envisioned frolicking in the snow, building snowmen, having snowball fights, making snow angels, giggling, laughing, and basically staying outside until our cheeks are red, our hands are so cold you can't feel them any more, and our feet are blocks of ice. I had envisioned coming inside for mugs of hot chocolate, snuggling under blankets on the couch, playing a few video games in an attempt to warm up. Maybe do a little baking. Maybe do a little knitting. Yes, I had envisioned a wonderfully perfect winter day.

Um...yeah. Envisioned is the key word here. What really happened?

Tantrums. All.day.long. Over putting socks on. Over putting snow pants on. Over putting the new snow boots on. Over wanting to wear sneakers, not the boots. I want the brown sweater with the orange stripe, not the orange sweater with the brown stripe! I don't want to eat apple slices, I want a bowl of cereal!

And that was just with the Munchkin. I won't go into the gory details of it all but let's just say that a few adult tempers flared and I guess you could say that everyone in the family had at least one tantrum throughout the day. But the majority of the tantrums were by those who are 3 feet tall (FYI: I'm 5 feet tall). Some people had grand plans of doing absolutely nothing, since they too were having a snow day. This also involved doing minimal help in the child care department. Others just simply wanted at least a ten minute break.

Suffice to say that it was just a bad day for everyone all around. Yes, we did end up going outside. Yes, the Munchkin had fun. Yes, hot chocolate was had. No, baking did not happen. Neither did the knitting. No video games were involved either. The house was beyond cold all day long, even though the heaters were on full blast. We all went to bed extremely early.

Sigh.

I hope you had a much better snow day than we did.

Shiny Things

2012-01-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a tip on how to keep the motivation for knitting going: get your hands on some darn pretty stitch markers! Like these gorgeous ones from Liisuuka. Obviously I gravitated towards the pink ones! I couldn't decide between the hot pink or the cotton candy pink markers, so I did what any insane knitter would do. I got both sets. Then I spotted the beautiful turquoise set (sorry, my photo does not do the colour any justice...I just can't seem to get my camera to like blues) and bonus, they were on sale! You just know I added those bad boys to my shopping cart!! I had to quickly checkout before I went too crazy and added the whole shop to my cart.

I very impatiently waited for my new stitch markers to arrive. I'm one of those people who buys something online and then expects it to arrive at my doorstep the very next day. Admit it, you're like that too. Sadly, when my package arrived in Victoria my postal worker didn't put it in my mailbox. I'm all frowny face about that. Instead my lovely stitch markers went directly to the post office. Luckily for me I've developed quite the relationship with all the ladies at my local post office, and so when one of them had spotted me at the grocery store across the street from said PO she kindly informed me that I had a package waiting for me. She and the rest of the crew were wondering when I was going to pick it up since they hadn't seen me in a few days. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad one.

Here's a geeky factoid about me: I absolutely love foreign stamps and packaging. If it weren't for the fact that I already have a few hobbies that take up a lot of my time and space (and my obsessive attention), I would totally have a stamp collection. The ~~hoarder~~ ~~pack-rat~~ sentimentalist in me didn't have the heart to recycle the envelope that my stitch markers came in so it currently sits on my dresser, propped up against a picture frame, serving as a gentle reminder that maybe one day I'll be able to return to Finland. Geeky factoid #2: I have a major soft spot for all things Finnish. Seriously. The pulla, the riisipiirakka, the architecture, the designs, the language (my favourite saying - "haluaisin poikaystävä". Not that I was looking, I just liked how it sounded), the paying the washing machine to do my laundry via mobile phone, paying for my orange Fanta at the vending machine via mobile phone, doing anything via mobile phone. Really, if it's Finnish, I'll probably love it. Ok, maybe not so much salmiakki. That's a Finnish thing I don't really care for.

Since I was Liisa's first customer I also scored a sweet little present: a handmade crochet reflector! She even made it in pink for me! How incredibly awesome is that?? Kiitos paljon Liisa!! ♥

I know a lot of you are thinking "WTF is a reflector? Do I need one? Is this a new knitting tool?". Ok, I'll admit that I'm kinda cheating here. The only reason why I even know what a reflector is and what it is for is because of my time in Finland. In my first week in Helsinki, my fellow Canadian and good friend Kat, and I had ventured out of Pasila (we were still quite jetlagged) and had stopped by an S-Market for some groceries. While at the checkout we were scoping out the section of impulse buys and had spotted a box of random gadgets that looked like they belonged on a bike. Not knowing what they were for but knew it was too cute to pass up, we each bought a little doohickey solely because it was Finnish. I'm sure our cashier judged us thoroughly by our purchases: a package of coffee, a box of tea, apples, toilet paper, a household cleaner of sorts, a scrub brush, various packages of noodles, a can of what we thought was tomato sauce (it wasn't), several Geisha bars (ok, that was just me. I think I gained at least 5 pounds just from constantly shoving Geisha bars into my face. We won't talk about the flatmate that worked at a cafe that let her take home day old pastries...let's just say we had an endless supply of pulla, cinnamon buns, and danishes...my mouth is watering at the memories), and that random thingy. We took our cool looking thing to school the next day and asked our "Finnish Mommy", Mauri, what it was. He laughed at us (he was always laughing at us...but in a good way, I think) and told us that it was a reflector for our bag. Since Finland gets dark really early in the winters it was best to practice safety in making sure we could be seen at night.

The reflectors that we had bought were Moomin themed. Mine in particular was a character called Little My, a mischevious little thing that lives with the Moomins. My Polish flatmate used to tell me that I reminded her of Little My all the time. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, but she would always tell me it's because I was always "so tiny" and hyper, and would always have a smile on my face that made me look like I was up to no good.

My Moomin reflector is still on my backpack, my new reflector is on my knitting bag, and I have cast on a new project just so that I could use one of my new lovely stitch marker set. But I'm thinking I should cast on another project just so that I can break open another set...this could be the Starteritis talking.

Helter-Skelter Tuesday

2012-01-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone? I can't believe the weekend has already come and gone! I feel like I haven't posted in ages. Guess what I was doing this entire time? Knitting. Who would've thunk it? A knitting blogger, actually knitting? Anyhoo, I woke up this morning feeling a bit discombobulated. Most likely from being so scatter-brained all weekend and not being able to concentrate on one thing. At all. So I give you yet another post about random thoughts. That, and I'm having a hard time keeping my attention on the task at hand.

- for the past few weeks I've been waking up at un-godly hours. Like at 4 or 5am and not being able to fall back to sleep. As a result I've been falling asleep at like 8 or 9pm at night. It's messing up my crafting time...oh yeah, and my solo time with Brett.

- I kinda like being up so early in the morning. It's very peaceful. I feel like I have the house all to myself and I can enjoy my first (and sometimes my second and third!) cup of coffee without any interruptions, I can knit for an hour and not worry about doing the dishes or the several loads of laundry. And most importantly, it's nice to have the "me time" that I desperately need.

- I find that 9am is when I've been feeling the most energetic, which is saying a lot considering that I still feel like I'm in slo-mo 99.9% of the time. 9am is when the lethargy lets up just a smidge that I can actually do something without fighting the heavy eyelids.

- so what have I been doing at 9am pretty much every morning this past week? I dance. To Dance Central. And BEP Experience. I kid you not. I think I've even lost a few pounds. I've been working up such a sweat that there's been a few times where I had to peel down to nothing but a tank top and shorts. But I'm going to put it out there that whatever you do, DO NOT put on high heels out of curiosity and try to do a dance routine in them. Just don't. Let's just say that I have a whole new respect for Fergie for not only singing and dancing at the same time, but for doing it in such restricting outfits and killer heels.

- my feet still hurt.

- I lost my battle with Starteritis.

- I've been fighting the Starteritis since the beginning of the month, but should've known that it was going to happen one way or another. A hint that it was going to hit: when I had started a pair of socks, a scarf, and a sweater in one day. Another hint: you have have cast on three new sweater projects in a week.

- one of the sweaters that I had cast on was going along swimmingly. Then I hit a bump. I turned to Ravelry to find some answers, only to find out that mathematically the pattern in my size just doesn't work. Knitters who have made my size improvised the entire time. The designer even commented that she was going to work on the pattern over the weekend. So I put the project down and started another (so clearly, the designer is at fault for why I started another sweater!). Then I discovered this morning that my size was omitted from the pattern. Crap.

- I'm way too far into the pattern to frog the whole project.

- I don't think I'm experienced enough to fudge it to make the pattern work.

- I think I'm going to try anyways. But am going to have to wait to give it a go for another early morning, when I have complete and total uninterrupted time to concentrate.

- as if starting three new sweaters wasn't enough knitting for my plate to handle, I picked up a long forgotten WIP that was part of a KAL a few of the girls in my knitting group and I have started. I'm now entranced with this project and have now abandoned the freshly cast on projects.

- I may or may not have joined the newest round of the Vesper Sock Yarn Club by Knitterly Things that will commence February. I am not at fault here. I have a major weakness for self-striping yarns. Technically this does not count towards my "no-buy" months, as this is a club. Um...can you say loop hole!

- speaking of self-striping yarns, I received a few skeins at knit night on Friday from my friend Em of Everything Old. These yarns also do not count in my "no buy" policy because we were in talks of doing these skeins since November.

- I told you I could find loop holes in anything. Even within my own rules.

- I recieved some more yarn in the post last week that's part of a yarn club. It's staring at me, begging to be turned into something. Now. I'm finding it extremely hard to resist its allure and want to wind up a skein of it...just feel the yarn glide through my fingers...and maybe knit up a swatch...but I will NOT cast on a new project.

- this grey and gloomy weather is really putting a damper on my photography time. The natural light in my place currently sucks and so I will have to dig into the "archives" and see what I can find. I'll apologize now if you keep seeing the same photos over and over. Anyone have any tips on how to get decent photos indoor? So far the natural light bulbs are doing nothing for me. Le sigh.

- I'm also having some major issues with Blogger in the formatting and font. It's kinda turning me off of blogging. My Google-ing has not turned up anything valuable in terms of how to fix these issues and am wondering if I'm going to have to live with having blog posts that are written in several different fonts and sizes, without having to manually go into each post to fix it.

- I think I'm going to dance to Poker Face to let off some steam.

Fresh Off The Needles: Neither Here Nor There Hat

2012-01-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yes! The first FO for 2012! I'm sure you were expecting Brett's cardigan to be the first but I really needed a break from that thing. Maybe it's the time of year, y'know new beginnings, fresh starts, and all that jazz, but I couldn't even wait a full day into the new year without itching to cast on a brand spanking new project. So what does a knitter do when that feeling arises? Wind up some yarn of course! I knew that I wanted a quickie project that could be whipped up within a day (or two) just to get that Starteritis edge off my back and so that I could continue on with the regularly scheduled program once done. I already knew what pattern I wanted to make, as it was one that has been on my mind ever since I saw it. A hint that I knew I was going to eventually knit up the pattern: I already had the yarn picked out in my head and was mentally winding it into a yummy yarn cake while I was still sitting at the computer desk staring at the pattern.

When I first laid eyes on Veera Välimäki's newest collection, Follow The Lines, I just knew that I would most likely be knitting that entire collection. So I'll forewarn you now that this will be the first of the four from this collection! Veera Välimäki is one of my favourite knitwear designers, and I know that along with Jane Richmond's, I can pretty much guarantee that I will like whatever they design. They both have clean and simple aesthetics that I love, and when paired with the right yarn, whatever pattern you knit of theirs will become an instant classic in your wardrobe. I love their no-fuss pattern directions too and most importantly, their consistency in everything.

Anyhoo, back to the hat. So this here is the Here and There Hat. I used SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Worsted in the Riptide colourway and leftover Tough Love Sock (held double) in Slate that I had used for my Northwind Hat. I was actually saving the Superwash Worsted to knit another Northwind Hat, but after seeing the Here and There Hat, I knew it had to be that instead. I absolutely LOVE Riptide in the most unholiest of ways. So much so that I just have to have it in every SweetGeorgia base. Remember how I mentioned in my Stashdown 2012 post that yarn can make you go crazy? How you can see an absolutely gorgeous yarn that you just had to make it yours, just to go home and find out that you already had three skeins of that yarn in your stash? Yeah well, Riptide is one of them. The sad part of it? I didn't return those extra skeins. The yarn hoarder in me kept them. I'm not proud.

I've never knit with SGY Superwash Worsted before and I'll say it now, for the record, this will definitely not be the last time. I love the squishy-ness of it and how it gives such great stitch definition. It makes me super happy to know that I have more in the stash, I'm so tempted to cast on another project using this yarn! Is it wrong that I want more Riptide?

This project was completed last week and I've only gotten around to taking photos of it now. I couldn't pin down Brett long enough to get his help, and when I did we had our...ahem, artistic differences. So I've resorted to jimmy-rigging the camera for some self-portraits (note to self: find out where Brett hides the tripod). I give much kudos to people that can do self-portraits and can do it well. I felt like some weird internet hoochie trying to hock my wears while kneeling on the bed, trying to get my camera remote to work. Half of my photos came out with me looking extremely uneasy with the whole process!

This pattern is super quick and easy...that is, if you pay attention to the directions. I was a bad knitter and didn't swatch. I'm so glad that the hat ended up fitting me! Although I did get gauge, I could have gone down a needle size, especially on the brim. I like the brims of my hats to be a little on the snug side cause hats tend to slide off my weirdly shaped head, and I know that over time the hat can stretch a little. Having the brim slightly tighter than normal usually helps out in that department for me. Speaking of weird heads, I always thought I had a ginormous head (not freakishly big like Brett's, just bigger than average) so I thought knitting a extra inch in the length would help. Um...no. I had knit the hat, bound off, and tried it on. The hat was freakin' huge. And not in a good way. I have a feeling that I mis-read how long to knit the hat to and had knit way past the 8.25" mark. I measured and re-measured and had to rip back so that the length from the CO edge was 6.25" before re-knitting the decreases.

I've been wearing this hat non-stop ever since it came off the needles. I didn't even care that when I went to knit night last week that my entire outfit didn't make any sense. Yes, I did wear stripes and houndstooth at the same time. I'd like to say that I was trying to be fashionably avant garde but really, I was just being lazy. This hat couldn't have come at a more perfect time too. It's time to wash my Northwind hat and the drying process will most likely take a few days. This hat guarantees that my head will still stay warm during that process.

I have half a ball of yarn leftover in the Worsted and have no idea what to do with it. For a while there I was tempted to knit another hat using a different contrasting colour, but something tells me to save it for next winter when the Munchkin is a little older (and will hopefully be more appreciative of hand knits) and will need a new hat. Actually, I think I might do that. In the meantime, I have other patterns calling my name...

Hat Details:
Pattern: Here and There by Veera Välimäki
Yarns: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Merino and Tough Love Sock
Colours: Riptide and Slate
Needles: Denise Interchangeables in 4.5mm and 5mm (US 7 and 8)
Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Neither Here Nor There

WIP: Orchid Audrey

2012-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning at 4:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour before whipping out my iPhone and started playing Bejeweled Blitz. After five minutes of that I made a really sad attempt at trying to fall back to sleep. I gave it fifteen minutes of my time before coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be getting any more shut-eye. So I got up. I made coffee. I had my third cup by 7am. I'm contemplating on making another pot since Brett had drained half to bring to work with him (he had to leave for work über early). It's kinda nice being up so early. So peaceful. And quiet. I think I'm actually going to get a good hour of un-interrupted knitting time in before the Munchkin wakes up and makes his way down the stairs. This early wake up time might become habit. I said might.

So what am I working on? Remember how I mentioned in this post how there were a bunch of WIPs that I had yet to blog about? Yeah well, this is one of them. This here is my Audrey in Unst that I had started back in October, took a hiatus on in favour of quicker projects in November, and knitted on for a week before putting it down again for the month of December to knit on Brett's sweater. I'm still not done Brett's sweater but I do need a break from it. So back to Audrey in Unst. This pattern is not at all a boring knit per se (although this pattern does reiterate the fact that I'm SO not a fan of twisted ribbing), there is a lot of stockinette involved. I have no explanation as to why this project is taking me so long to knit, after all, it's a cropped cardigan with 3/4 length sleeves! Seriously, what's the hold up? The pattern is extremely well written, the yarn is absolutely lovely to work with, and I'm using my favourite needles. So weird. It's one of life's mysteries, I guess.

Aside from taking forever to knit this up, I really have nothing to say about this project thus far. The pattern is pretty darn straight forward. I've been pleasantly and wonderfully surprised whenever I got stitch counts right and on the right side row, and got the exact number of stitches needed to pick up around the armholes without worry. This rarely ever happens to me! I felt mighty clever each and every time. The only issue that has come up is purely all on me - I decided to not do the full amount of twisted ribbing at the hem, and since the sleeve hems are to match, not on the sleeves either. To compensate I had knit rows/rounds of stockinette to the length given in the pattern's specs. I thought about making the cardigan a little longer since it would make it a little more practical and in my opinion more wearable, but decided against it cause I didn't think I would have enough yarn to do so. Well...let me tell you how so wrong I am.

The yarn I'm using is SweetGeorgia Yarns (surprise, surprise!) Merino Silk Fine. I had purchased three skeins directly from Felicia a few years ago with the intent on knitting this pattern (see? That's how long this pattern had sat in my queue!). The yarn is pure luxury and has been a pleasure to knit with and the colour...oh my, the colour! Such a gorgeous, perfect shade of pink. My pink! I could have a whole closet full of nothing but this exact shade of pink. Really. I have nothing but pure love for this colour. Anyhoo, this is a hand-dyed yarn and I thought getting a fourth skein so late in the game would be out of the question since it most likely wouldn't match my skeins exactly and knowing my luck the difference would be quite noticeable. So the idea was nixed. And I'm glad too! Cause then I would have that one solo skein stuck in my stash. I've already finished the body and one sleeve with plenty of the second skein left. As I type this I am close to finishing the second sleeve without even needing to touch the third skein. After this sleeve all I have left to knit are the button bands and the collar. Yup. I'll have plenty of yarn left over. Which means I could have totally added way more length to this cardigan. Le sigh. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda...right? I guess in the future I'll be knitting some pretty lux hexipuffs for my Beekeepers Quilt!

PS: Is it just me or is Blogger really messing up on the formatting front of posts?? Lately my posts have all been publishing with random fonts here and there and I would have to go in and html the crap out of it. Then there's the double spacing action. What's the deal? My Google-fu powers are weak and can't seem to find out what's behind this. I've switched from the old to new back to the old interface, and I've even switched from Firefox to Safari to Chrome to see if that helps. Nope. Le sigh. I just might have to look into other blogging websites if this keeps up.

Hello, Lover!

2012-01-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

In between rounds of Fruit Ninja, Play-Doh fun, and having mini dance parties (ok, this last one is just me...and Dance Central), I broke out one of my Christmas presents and messed up the kitchen a bit. Nothing major. Just a lot of chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to get a feel for my new kitchen toy and since chocolate chip cookies are always in demand in this household (mainly by Brett, the Munchkin doesn't know any better...yet) I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to whip up a batch...or two...or three. Cause y'know, I gotta see how well this mixer can handle cookie dough.

I'm hoping that maybe next weekend I can really have a go at it and see what this bad boy can do. Brett had to work all weekend and was stuck doing work related things when he wasn't actually working, and since the Munchkin has yet to reach that stage where he can be occupied for longer than 5 minutes (if that) at a time, I really didn't want to try anything adventurous in case my attention was needed elsewhere...like when said three year old just needs me to watch him make his Mario stuffed ~~doll~~ toy (Brett was very adamant that boys don't play with dolls...they play with "toys" or "figurines") do death defying stunts off the window sill in the living room. Yeah, not really a good time to say, have condensed milk boiling away on the stove and you're waiting for the right temperature before it's considered burned. Or to have a bowl full of egg whites whipping away until it's at "stiff peaks".

Brett's still worried that I don't love my new mixer. Or even like it. I know, he's crazy. He thinks the fact that it's a black Classic stand mixer and not the Komen pink Artisan stand mixer that I've been lusting after forever, is the reason why I would shoo it away. Um...why would anyone who likes to bake, in their right mind, turn down a stand mixer? Any kind of Kitchen Aid stand mixer at that?? Yes, it's not my beloved pink. True, it won't matched the rest of my kitchen stuff. Yes, it's not the Artisan. But the thing is, I've always wanted a stand mixer to call my very own since high school. There have been several times where I myself have almost purchased the black Artisan because it was on sale at a very, very, VERY good price. But had to practice restraint due to the fact that I spent my budget on yarn. So as you can see, black was my next choice anyways.

I still remember my Mom's mixer, she's had it since the 70s and it's this weird browny green mustard colour and after how many decades it's still going strong. She used to churn out six loaves of banana bread at a time. I used to come home from school to the amazing smell of baking banana bread and find at least twelve loaves cooling away on our kitchen table. Don't worry, they weren't all for us. All my aunts, uncles, and cousins used to circle our house like hungry vultures whenever they caught wind that my mom was making unusually large banana purchases. Sadly, my mom no longer bakes banana bread. This fact makes me cry.

So I'm making it my mission this year to perfect my mom's banana bread recipe (if I can get it out of her head, that is...after over 20 years of baking at least six loaves every couple of months I'm sure the recipe has been tweaked and embedded in your brain). Another mission: to perfect the Madeleine cookie. I read somewhere that you should have a dish that you are known for. That you should pick a recipe and own it. Whilst I have yet to perfect lasagne (although, I'm rethinking that dish and wondering if I should pick something else...since technically the recipe given to me came from my friend Tyler, who seriously kills it), I think I could master the Madeleine. As if my plate wasn't full enough (ha ha ha...) I'm thinking of also getting down a marshmallow recipe down pat too. Over the holidays when the Rice Krispy treats were flying around here, a few mini marshmallows may have gone rogue. The Munchkin has developed a liking to them (yet doesn't like the regular sized marshmallows...so weird). I'm not really thrilled with him eating such soft pillows of corn by-products and stuff that I can't pronounce, and figured that if he's going to eat such things then I should make him a somewhat better-for-him version of it. Like using kosher gelatin. It would just make me feel a whole lot better about it all.

Completely off topic but topical to this blog, I've also been busy knitting away. I even had my first FO of the year come fresh off the needles last week! I have a few other projects pretty close to be done too. I'm so excited! I even wound up a few skeins of yarn when I woke up this morning. I think a new yarn winder and possibly a swift is in my near future. I've had my yarn winder for a few years now and it has served me very well, but now I think it's on its last leg of life. The poor thing can no longer handle anything heavier than a DK weight yarn (if I'm lucky), and has been winding up pretty messy cakes. You can just hear the contraption struggling to wind. As for my swift, it was my first major knitterly purchase (other than my interchangeable needles set) and it too has done its job for me fairly well. Unfortunately it can't handle the weight of yarn any more and needs the key to be jimmied with some tissue to make it stick. I think I can rig it so that it can last a few more months or at least bug Brett to make me one. I'm thinking the winder is on top of the priority list between the two and I'm hoping that with all this money that I'm "saving" from being on a yarn diet will be able to aid me in the purchase of a new winder. Anyone have any recommendations for a winder that can handle heavy use? I'd give my left nut for this one.

Anyhoo, I'm hoping to get some photos taken this week to show you some of my current WIPs and my lonely FO. The dreary grey weather that we've been having lately has put quite the damper on my photo taking opportunities. Today is suppose to be a nice day, but we'll see if I'll be able to get away long enough to snap a few pics. In the meantime, I have some yarn calling my name.

Chicken Dinner

2012-01-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

What a weird name for a post title when all I'm doing is announcing the winner of my Stashdown yarn giveaway. But all I could think of was "winner, winner, chicken dinner"...sometimes I wish I could just turn off my inner dialogue.

First off, I just want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who entered the giveaway!! I wish I could give yarn to everyone who left a comment! But then I realized just how much that would cost in postal charges (it would seriously be up the wazoo) and in the end I would probably be dishing out more money to Canada Post than what all the yarn prices combined would be. And trust me, I think I've given Canada Post enough of my hard earned dollahs these past months!

Anyhoo, I digress. Some of your comments made me laugh right out loud, and I'm really glad that some of you have been inspired to "stash down" too and want to use a few ideas. I say go for it! I also love the different project ideas that came up. I think my most favourite answer by far came from Liisa, who claimed that she needed the yarn so that she could "make all the non-english speaking girls at work cry". I was taking a sip of tea when I read that and snorted, causing hot liquid to swish back and get stuck up in my nasal cavity. Ah, good times.

So, because a three year old toddler made it quite apparent that my undivided attention was completely vital to his very existence that I had to watch him do some sort of weird dance that involved random twirls and leg kicks to the sound of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song lest he shriveled up and turn into a wisp of smoke, I made Brett run the random number generator to pick a winner. The man makes me question his thought process sometimes.

To this moment I still don't know how he managed to get an answer that involved a decimal. I'm at a loss for words at this.

Ok, enough stalling! The winner is...

Comment #16:

Laura (culabrat)!!!

Since I got free yarn in the post the other day with another freebie skein soon to be on its way to me, not to mention that I've been feeling/seeing/hearing the incredible RAKs (random acts of kindness) lately on Ravelry and through other knitters in general, I decided to draw one more name! Hells yeah! So...

Comment #20

Kelly. K!!!

You get the other skein of yummy SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock! How you like them apples?? (You don't have to answer that).

Ok ladies, expect to hear from me sometime this weekend about where I should send these yarny yummies to. In the meantime I've got to do the Hotdog Dance with the aforementioned three year old before he loses it on me.

Happy weekend my yarn loving friends!! ♥

Two Against One

2012-01-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Universe and the Yarn Gods are both scheming against me. They both want me to fail. The day that I posted about my Stashdown 2012 goals and plans, I got mail. Good mail. Well, what would normally be considered good mail on a day where I wasn't planning on reducing my stash. The mail? Check out the above photo.

Oh yes, that's a skein of yarn in a mug. A free skein of yarn. I can't even return it for a refund cause I didn't even buy it. The yarn is a gift. The icing on the cake: see this scratch ticket?

That's right. I won a free skein of Squoosh yarn, in any base, any colour of my choice. I won't lie, deep down I'm doing cartwheels of joy cause who can turn down free yarn?? Yummy free yarn at that? Only a freakin' crazy knitter who likes to knit with nothing but Red Heart yarn, that's who. If there is a person out there like that than I would like to meet them, solely so that I could slap them across the face with a skein of cashmere. Oh wait, that's not a punishment! That would be heaven. Ok, I'd slap them with a wet skein of Red Heart. Oh yeah. I could possibly be put in jail for that.

Both of these items came from the same company, in the same box. I think I'm being set up for failure here. You want a close up of what the yarn is?

That there, my friends, is a beautiful skein of Malabrigo Worsted. What am I going to do with it, I don't know. I have to be truthful here and say I'm not the world's biggest fan of Malabrigo Worsted. As sinfully buttery soft as it is, the single ply of this yarn pills and felts way too easily for my liking. I once had knit a project with this yarn back in my early knitting days and halfway into my scarf I saw that it was looking a little weird. It was starting to felt in the spots that were being handled a little more. Yeah, I wasn't impressed to say the least. Who knows, maybe I should give it another go? I've been eyeing up Veera Välimäki's newest collection, Follow the Lines, which uses nothing but Malabrigo yarns in all four patterns. But you know what that means. I'm going to have to purchase another skein of this stuff if I want to knit any of the patterns.

And this is how the vicious cycle begins...

How many more months until 2013? Oi...

Stashdown 2012

2012-01-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure a lot of you are well aware that I've had yarn on the brain for quite a long time now. I'm sure a lot of you are sick and tired of me talking about my stash and how I am feeling a tad bit smothered by the sheer amount of yarn that I have in my possession. I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why the hell am I complaining about having this "problem". Some of you don't even consider this is a problem. Well I think it is. Not only is my stash getting out of control, but so are my spending habits.

I've been organizing and re-organizing, and then organizing the stash some more in fruitless attempts at Tetris-izing it all to somehow make it fit within the confines of the closets they've been designated to. And yet, there are still piles of yarn at the foot of the bed, behind the couch, and under the computer desk. Bags of yarn have been stuffed into all the crevices on my side of the closet and caution must be given to anyone who dares to open the closet in the Munchkin's room, as yarn has been known to spring out in an almost comical way. Basically, my stash is starting to become a physical burden.

Then there's the psychological side. Oh yeah, yarn likes to play mind games with a knitter. Having so much yarn at your fingertips could make a knitter go crazy. You're constantly thinking about all the pretty yarn that you want to cast on. Like, yesterday. Nevermind that you already have 6 projects on the go. Why not cast on just one more project? The (evil) yarn is calling and before you know it, the wool fumes have gotten to you and you find yourself casting on for yet another project. Crap.

There are moments when your stash makes you have temporary amnesia. You are planning for a project and all of a sudden you can't think of a single.yarn.in.the.stash.that.will.work. So you go and buy some more yarn. You get it, knit it up, bask in the awesomeness, and then you see it in the corner of your eye - some yarn in your stash that is exactly like the yarn you just used. Or even worse, you see a gorgeous shade of yarn in a base that you know you'll just love. So you purchase some. Then when you go to ~~dump it into the black hole that is your stash~~ add it lovingly to the rest of your yarn collection, you realize that you already have 6 skeins of yarn that look exactly like the yarn you just bought. Want to turn it into a nightmare? That yarn you just bought IS the yarn that's already in your stash. Oh yeah. It's happened baby, and it wasn't pretty. Not pretty at all. You want to wake up screaming all sweaty? How about this: you.don't.return.the.yarn. You convince yourself that since you love the colour and base so much that you bought it twice, that you'll most definitely will be able to knit two (large) projects with it. I'm losing my freakin' shit here.

But then there are times where you don't even think about the stash. You have so many pretties that all of a sudden you get consumed with the thought that you need even more of the lovelies, which then turns into the crazed idea that you need to own ALL the yarn. Sharing?? What the hell is that??

Deep breath. See?? See?? What did I tell you? Yarn makes a knitter do crazy things. What's that? No, no...I'm not rocking back and forth, whispering all the names of yarn companies and their yarn-y line-up in alphabetical order. No, no. I'm just um...LOOK!! SQUIRREL!!!

Woah. Aaaanyways...

So what's a knitter to do when they find themselves in such a predicament? Well, in order for me to curb my yarn shopping and accumulating, I'm partaking in Stashdown 2012 (imagine a deep, Hulk Hogan-like voice saying stashdown, with the end echoing a bit...and maybe throw in the sound of something really heavy crashing down at the same time). What is Stashdown, you ask? Well let me tell you, my dear friend. It's dedicating a certain amount of time (in this case, the entire year) to whittling your yarn stash (or any other stash you may have...I'm thinking of also doing a fabric version) down to either a pre-set amount or percentage, or to as low of an amount as you can humanly do so. There are tons of groups on Ravelry that are hosting a Stashdown of sorts and I was thinking of joining as many as I possibly could in hopes that being in so many groups would help me in my quest to well, get the stash down. Then I realized that having too many groups to check in with throughout the year would just turn me off and I will most likely fail in the most epic way known to man in the end. I foresee it not being a pretty sight. So I opted to join only one group's stashdown in hopes of avoiding such an epic downfall. Stashdown hint: You know you need to do a stashdown when you start padding the stash in preparation for the stashdown. Seriously, WTF? Who does that? Me. And I'm sure there are a whole lot of other knitters out there that have done the same.

The group that I joined decided to not have any complex rules, just simple guidelines with the main goal to reduce your stash down to "slightly hoariffic levels". You set up your own goals and you be the judge as to whether or not if you're failing. Easy peasy, right? Well maybe all down on paper! As the cliche saying goes: easier said, than done. I don't really have a set amount of yarn that I want to get rid of per se, my main goal is to have more yardage leave the stash than enter by the end of the year. Think it'll be hard? For me, I think so (I know some crazy people ahemMaeahem, that can totally do this challenge. I'ma thinking that I'll need to channel their willpower throughout the year to help me out). In general my rule is to knit more, buy less! But to break it down even further, here are some goals I'm going to work towards:

- the months of January and February are strict No-Buy months.

- instead of trolling for more yarn, these months will be dedicated to nothing but knitting (although, I just discovered that I have one bag left in the shop so I'm going to have to use a few knitting days to replenish my inventory)

- I'm allowing myself to keep my yarn clubs and spending the money to renew subscriptions - but no new clubs, unless I have moved out a lot of yarn from the stash

- I can only buy yarn if, and only if I need it to complete a project

- with the last goal said, I know myself well enough that I can't go cold-sheep and tell myself I can't buy any yarn whatsoever. This will only cause me to fail miserably. Therefore I'm giving myself a monthly budget of $50 for yarn. I can roll over this amount to the next month and ultimately "collect" enough to spend on a sweater quantity, but I CANNOT borrow from the next month's budget. Again, I know myself too well to know that this will end up in horrible failure. You might think that $50 is a lot for a monthly yarn budget, but really, you can't get a sweater's worth of yarn for that much (unless there's an epic sale going on or someone is destashing their yarn to the point where they are practically giving the yarn away for free), can you? Because my next goal...

- absolutely NO Knit Picks yarn purchases!!! The only Knit Picks purchases I am allowed to make are for more cables, tips, and as a complete, total, and utter dead last resort for yarn when knitting something for Brett or the Munchkin. But seriously, what does Knit Picks have on Patons Classic Wool, Cascade 220, or even Berroco Vintage or Weekend?? Absolutely nothing. Well, other than the fact that it can be much, much cheaper. Yet I need to remind myself that: I still have copious amounts of City Tweed in a lot of sweater quantities, I do not need more; I have a lot of their sock yarns, and I'm not even a fan of how thin their sock yarns are...the colours is what sucks me in; and even though Knit Picks yarn is friendlier to my wallet and I feel I can buy way more than if I were to buy a more expensive yarn, I always feel horrible when I get my order because the quality really doesn't compare to some of my snobbier yarns. Knit Picks yarns can be totally hit or miss. So far, there's been more misses than hits. I need to remind myself that it is definitely worth it to shell out a bit more money on a higher quality yarn - it's all about quality, not quantity. Knitting is so tactile that when you spend hours, days, weeks, and sometimes months knitting with the yarn you would want something that you love to touch, hold, and ultimately wear. Like my friend Andi and I agree on, in the end it's better to have spent a few more dollars on a quality yarn that will look good, wear well, and hopefully will last longer.

- cut down on single yarn purchases!! Unless I am needing a skein for a project. I have so many solo skeins in the stash with more coming from the yarn clubs, that I have plenty for socks and shawls so there really is no need for me to be buying any more. This will help out my $50 monthly yarn budget and will help me to save up for a purchase of a really nice yarn for a sweater. It's a win-win situation.

- minis swaps are ok. Cause that means I'll be swapping an entire skein of something from stash for a bunch of mini skeins in a variety of yarns in return. This could possibly help curb my urges to purchase one skein of sock yarns with the idea of using it towards my Beekeepers' Quilt.

- actually, swapping is ok. I haven't been swapping much anyways since postal costs can really add up but swapping isn't adding to the stash...just switching it up.

- if I really must buy a sweater's worth of yarn and will die if I don't have the yarn in my stash, then I must get rid of an equal amount of yarn from the stash either by destashing, donating, or...a giveaway!

Reasonable and realistic goals, no? We're only four days into the new year, so I can't say for sure. Ask me again at the end of the month. I think the keys to my success will be to avoid going to my LYS "just to see what's new", avoiding all online yarn shops and all yarn shop updates (I'm looking at you Wollmeise!), and stop looking at destashes. I'll also forewarn you all right now too that if it's a bit quite around here this month, it's because I'm busy either knitting or sewing...and maybe dancing (that damn Xbox is luring my attention away from my crafty endeavours!), so please, no hate mail as to why I haven't been around lately. Ok?

To help me kick off Stashdown 2012 I'm going to do an impromptu quickie yarn giveaway! My yarn hoarding will be your gain! The yarns I chose for this giveaway is one that I love dearly. Alas, whilst going through the stash I realized that I had several skeins of a certain colourway and the other I have already knit a project with. I also chose this yarn because I know several of you have either commented on this here blog, on my Ravelry project page, or had sent me a PM via Ravelry regarding the fact that you have not yet knit with this yarn but would like to.

So without further ado, the giveaway and the deets....

*** This giveaway is now closed...Thank you so much to everyone who entered! ***

The Prize: one lucky reader will win one of the above skeins! Those lovely skeins are, you guessed it, SweetGeorgia Yarns Tough Love Sock in colourways Boysenberry (left) and Nightshade (right).

How to Enter: leave a comment letting me know which colour you like the best AND what you would knit/crochet/weave with it.

The Rules: all comments must include either a valid email address or your Ravelry ID. Comments not containing either of these will be disqualified. Giveaway is open until Friday January 6, 2012 midnight PST (I told you it was going to be a quickie!). I'll contact the winner sometime the following day.

Good luck!

2012

2012-01-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my wonderful blog friends!

This is coming to you a day late. Oh well, better late than never, right? I had every intention of posting yesterday but then the day turned into one epic family day. How could I blog when my family and I are having such moments?? Exactly! We had a lovely day playing video games (even the Munchkin played...it's actually quite funny to watch a three year old trying to river raft and having the Kinect only capture his head half of the time), watching Gnomeo and Juliet (such a cute movie!), playing with all of the Munchkin's new toys, cuddling on the couch, and even taking down the rest of the holiday decorations turned into a fun event! I even managed to sneak away for half an hour to organize the stash a little (more on that later this week). Needless to say that the three of us were pooped by the end of the day and ended up going to bed before 9pm! I guess the Munchkin didn't want the great family day to end because I woke up this morning to discover that he had crawled into our bed and was asleep between Brett and I. So cute!

Anyhoo, now that the winter holidays are officially over, we'll be making the attempt at getting life back into a routine. So today is going to be spent running errands and getting the house back into tiptop shape, ready for what 2012 has in store for us. Since I haven't had much a chance to do any knitting the past few days I'm planning on squeezing in some knit time in the car while out and about today. I'm also hoping to get some baking done and trying out one of my (very generous) Christmas presents...a shiny new Kitchen Aid stand mixer!! I'm so excited!!

I'm even more excited that I feel a lot more energetic today than I have all December long. I know I should take it easy and not over exert myself, but there's just so much that I want to do! What's everyone's plans for 2012? Are you as excited as I am?

Happy 2012 everyone!!

PS: Note to self - I think blogging via iPhone isn't smart. It really screws up the formatting of the post. And it drives me insane that the font doesn't match the rest of the blog. Grrr....I hate html sometimes!

The Crafts of 2011

2011-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

Or should I say 'the knits of 2011' since I really didn't do much else other than knit this year. Yes, I did a ton of sewing but it was all project bags for my shop. So they really don't count. I think I should make it a goal for next year to do more sewing that doesn't involve project bags. Yeah?

Anyhoo, when I first wrote down the list of projects and then made the collage I was kinda taken aback about having only 30 projects for the entire year. I mean, really? I had knit my ass off all year long and out of the 30 projects I only have 26 knitted items to show for the year?? But then I smacked myself. Knocked some sense into me. First off, I'm knitting. As all you knitters out there know (and you non-knitters should take note) that knitting is one of the most labour intensive crafts out there. Yes, you can fudge things left and right but really, unlike sewing, you are the one making the fabric. Knitting a sleeve could take hours of work, but in sewing those very same hours could get you an entire garment already...and then some! So really, I shouldn't be all hard on myself for only having 26 knitted FOs under my belt. Last year I only had 14 knitted items! I've almost doubled that amount in a year! I should be darn proud of myself!

I also need to remind myself that these 30 items are completed projects. Cause trust me, I have UFOs (unfinished objects) left and right all over the place! Throughout the year I had started a bunch of projects and either still have them on the needles or frogged them before they had a chance to even resemble anything. There's soooo many projects that I haven't even blogged about! Talk about secrets! Hmm...still on the needles...well, remember Phinney? I had started that pullover at the very beginning of the year. It was suppose to be my first project of 12 in 2011. Technically she's off the needles. All pieces have been knit, the only thing holding me back from completing her is the sewing up and then picking up the stitches for the collar. That's it. Really. What else is still OTN? A capelet, a pair of stripey knee-high socks (it was for a sock KAL with Hayley), 4 pairs of socks (a test knit, a stripey Skew similar to this pair, a variegated Skew like my first pair...can't you tell that I love Skews? Oooohhhh...maybe I should just frog the stripey knee-highs and turn them into knee-high Skews??? The wheels are turning...oh! I also have an ill-fitting-should-just-be-frogged-now pair of crap socks on the go too. Something tells me I should have a day where I do nothing but frog unloved projects that I didn't have the heart to deal with at the time).

Ok, where was I? Oh yeah, projects still OTN...let's see...well there Brett's cardigan (which is a shoulder, collar, and buttonbands away from being done), the Dahlia cardigan (I was obsessed about it back in September and October, started knitting it as part of a KAL with some ladies in my knitting group, and never blogged about the actual knitting of it), an Audrey in Unst cardigan (again, not blogged...like, at all), and remember this bad boy of a yarn cake?

The blue one next to the normal sized cake? Yeah, that's currently being turned into a shawl slash wrap. Again, I haven't blogged about this project but I'm not even close to being even halfway finished and looks like a blob of blue. Doesn't make for pretty blog photos, that's for sure.

Then there's the projects that just need some finishings...like the jacket for the Munchkin (it just needs the icord closures) that I haven't had the heart to finish since he won't even wear the Thorpe I had knit for him, and another hat for the Munchkin (which again, I don't have the heart to finish...see previous item's reason for not finishing). My Hooray Cardigan should really be added to the FO list but it's still awaiting for some grosgrain ribbon to be sewn onto the button bands...and oh, some buttons too. We won't even talk about the projects I had knit in 2010 that just needs some simple sewing done to them that I thought I would do at the beginning of this year.

I've been trying to give myself pep talks about clearing out the proverbial knitting basket and clearing the knitting WIP clutter. I think it's starting to work cause I'm slowly getting antsy about turning those WIPs into FOs and reclaiming all my needle tips and cables back. Who knows, maybe I'll finally have a full set of interchangeable needles again? Wouldn't that be something?

I have a lot of plans and ideas for 2012. So much so that January is already looking to be a tightly scheduled month. I think I better go get a new day planner and start penciling in my plans and hope that my schedule is do-able. I hope someone somewhere will discover a way to add a few more hours to the day in 2012. Or am I the only person who's ~~stupid~~ crazy enough to put themselves on an intense crafting agenda?

A Mission Accomplished!

2011-12-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

S-U-C-C-E-S-S, that's the way we spell Success!

Yes, I'm channeling my inner cheerleader cause boo-yeah! I've accomplished the 12 in 2011 goal! Ohhhhh yyyyyyeah! Actually, I had accomplished this mission back in September but didn't realize it 'til now when I was going through all my lists and was trying to figure out the things I've completed this year. How awesome is that? It's always such a boost to find out that a goal you've been working towards all year finally comes to fruition. Even more so when you don't realize it until after the fact. Man, I feel good!

And to prove that I'm not lying I've made a list and linked them all to the finishing blog post. Without further ado, the projects:

1. Shalom

2. Ishbel

3. Queen Jaywalker

4. Sweet Monkey Socks

5. Plain Hummingbirds Socks

6. Blue Maile

7. Pebbles Maile

8. Sunshine Sunnyside

9. 220 yds. of Retro Heaven

10. Tahitian Tea Leaves

11. Georgia

12. Emelie

There's also a few "beyond 12 in 2011" in which I used really old stash yarn with patterns that were free, like:

The Munchkin's Thorpe

Stockholm

Both projects were knit using yarn that I had before I even considered myself a knitter! Yowzas! I'll admit it's an awesome feeling to get those out of the stash, even though I didn't even know that they existed. I'm thinking I need to do a complete and total overhaul of ALL my crafting supplies and do a thorough inventory. It also wouldn't hurt to toss the stash every now and then to remind myself of what I have.

I'm actually quite surprised at myself for keeping up with the whole 12 in 2011 goal. I honestly thought I would give up halfway through the year. I was definitely tempted to knit up every single new pattern the second they came out and was itching to cast on with newly purchased yarns the moment I got home or when they arrived, but I persevered and stuck with the plan. I mean, I had queued these patterns ages ago and for a reason (such as I really like them, or why else would I have queued them?), and have been wanting to knit them up for-evah. I would always feel guilty about casting on newer patterns that were at the bottom of the queue, so it does feel quite awesome to finally knit those 'top of the list' patterns! I'm also quite pleased that I did my 12 projects with three months to spare, even though I feel like I kinda cheated by knitting three baby sweaters. Oh well. I could have spent the entire year knitting nothing but dish cloths, wrist warmers, and bookmarks and then go around claiming that I'm on my two millionth project of the year. That's not what 12 in 2011 is about, but sadly some people started to view it as a competition. I'm just happy that I had knit every project from stash (most of the yarns were from when I was just starting to have a stash and when I was starting to shop at my LYS rather than Walmart), and that all of the patterns were either at the top of the knit-list, free, or were bought and then quickly forgotten and ditched when an even newer pattern come onto the scene. I had a game plan and I stuck with it. Changing only a few projects...like Shalom. The original pattern in mind was something that I had started knitting and ended up frogging before the yoke was finished - when I realized that the design was just all shades of wrong for me. The three baby sweaters were all suppose to be different, but who can predict that everyone was going to have their baby at around the same time? Not to mention that one of the patterns I had bought yarn for (gasp!) and therefore didn't count.

Since 12 in 2011 was such a success for me, I think I'll do a similar goal for 2012. This time around I plan on mixing up the patterns I queued ages ago with newer patterns...cause who knows how much longer my will power will last! I'm also thinking of going bigger...as in a sweater a month big. Oh yeah. I plan on going there. I guess that means I'll have to go through my Ravelry queue and really weed it out, add tags, and all that jazz and figure out what is do-able. While I'm at it, I should also go through my stash page and update everything. Ahhh...can't you tell that the new year is almost upon us? Is anyone else planning their 2012 knitting schedule? I can't wait to get started!!

December Obsessions

2011-12-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm still recouping from the Christmas weekend. I think my stomach has stretched enough to fit an entire turkey in there. Seriously. I think I have also eaten double my weight in chocolate and cookies. Oomph! That's the sound of me trying to adjust myself in the computer chair. Not a pretty sight. Trust me.

WTF? All of a sudden I'm holding a turkey sandwich in my hand! Before I pass out in a food coma, here are the five things that I've been obsessing about all December long:

1. Dance Central 2. I shit you not. Maybe it's the Asian in me. Maybe it's the gamer in me. Maybe it's both. But I LOVE dance games and would always go nuts whenever I see them at arcades. So when I heard that this was coming to an Xbox near me, I knew I had to have it. I'll confess right here, right now, I'll be up 'til the wee hours of the morning and will possibly spend my days the next few ~~weeks~~ months playing this game. I guess it's one way to burn off those holiday pounds!

2. The Black Eyed Peas Experience. Yeah, I could've clumped this with the first obsession but really, it deserves it's own place on the list. I know the ladies of my knitting group laughed at me when I told them that all I wanted for Christmas was one thing and one thing only. The Black Eyed Peas Experience. Seriously. No jokes. Although, both Hayley and Natalie admitted that they laughed only cause they want to play it too. I've been bugging Brett about getting an Xbox with Kinect just so that I can play Dance Central. Forget Wii, I'd break something with those controllers. There's a wristband on those bad boys for a reason. I wanna be able to get my groove on and not have to worry about whether or not if I'm holding the controller tightly enough so that I won't be destroying my TV, windows, or anyone's sheer amazement at my dance skills. Don't laugh. You'll see. If I ever get challenged to a dance off in some dark alley somewhere, I'll be prepared. If the Black Eyed Peas find themselves down a back up dancer all of a sudden. Yo! I'm ready. Don't hate.

3. Crofter's Organic Fruit Spreads. Holy crap, do I ever love this stuff! I seriously cannot.get.enough.of.it. I really don't like to buy store bought jam and try to get homemade whenever possible. It was a summer goal to learn how to make my own jam but never got around to doing so. Mainly cause I kept missing the prime fruit picking times at my local U-pick farms. I guess I could always use frozen fruit. But I think that'll ruin my first jam making experience.

Last winter I discovered Whimsical Preserves at a craft fair and was sad that I had only picked up 2 jars of their yummy jam and had to go a few month (gasp!) without any homemade jam. Then I found out that they were going to be vendors at an outdoor market that, I kid you not, just happens to be right outside my front door every Saturday during the summer. It kinda got sad cause the lady started to recognize me as I crossed the grassy knoll to get to her stall, and she would have my preferred jam all ready to go. You'd think I'd stock up to carry me through the winter months. Sadly, no. I totally missed the memo about when the last day of that market was. I've been a complete sad face since. Until now. Sometime in November I discovered Crofter's Organic at a snooty (and pricey) grocery store. Curious, I read the label and bought a jar. I was in pure heaven! HEAVEN, I tell you! I had to limit myself though, since this so-called high end market likes to charge an arm and a leg for pretty much everything in their store. So imagine my sheer surprise when a week later whilst roaming the aisles of a local grocery chain store that I discovered my beloved jam! And one week it was on sale!! Hells yeah I stocked up!

I love this "fruit spread" in quite an unholy way. I love it so much that it makes me lick the butter knife I use to spread this goodness on my toast. Yes, I know, it's a butter knife and therefore cannot cut me. But still, it's a knife here people! This jam is making me live on the dangerous side. Not only is there actual chunks of fruit in the jar, but there's absolutely NO preservatives, corn syrup, fructose, cellulose gum, or weird crap like that. The no corn products is what really does it for me. I still shudder at those freakin' ads that used to be on TV, where the American government was trying to convince everyone that high-fructose corn syrup is actually good for you. Yeah um...corn products in general aren't good for you. Your body can't digest it. And sugar shouldn't be man-made chemicals and that highly processed. Don't even get me started on cellulose gum.

I love Crofter's Organics so much, I'm even letting the Munchkin finally have jam on his toast again!

Oh, disclaimer here: please note that Crofter's Organics did not pay or ask me to give my so-called review on them. But if someone from this company just happens to be reading this, I will accept cases of fruit spread. Just saying.

4. Houndstooth Sorel Boots. I was dreaming about them all November and for most of December. Then just as I was about to buckle and buy them already, I found this pair. On sale. Oh yeah. You bet I high-tailed it into the shop, waving my credit card like a crazed boot addict. The weather has been pure crapola here, which means that it's been grey and not so great for photo taking. So I give you an internet-found photo rather than one of my actual boots. Mine came with awesome bright yellow and black plaid laces, but I'm in the process of finding some pink laces....ooohhh...

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Melissa on Pinterest

But just to be sure, I made sure to try on the pair that I had originally wanted:

I knew that if I didn't try them on, I'd always be wondering "what if?". Do you ever get that? Where you see something that you totally heart, but didn't get cause you couldn't justify getting it and then later down the road you find yourself thinking about that item, all forlornly? Yeah, that would have been the case with these. So I tried them on. They were pure awesome sauce but didn't hold a candle to the tall boots. I love these boots. They've already paid for themselves. They are sooooo comfy and sooooo warm! Which, if you've been reading my blog all month, is a must as I've been freezing my butt off all December long!

5. Yarn. OK, so this one is nothing new. I'm sure you were expecting this one. But really, I've been thinking about yarn all.month.long. Twenty four seven. Not just any yarn though, more specifically: my stash. Yeah, yeah, so I acquired quite a bit of new yarn during the month but now I think I've reached my limit. I know my house has. I'm starting to get overwhelmed by the fact that I have a lot of choices. I've been thinking up of a game plan on how to get some control over the stash, besides stop adding to it! I smell a goal cooking up. Just to forewarn you.

Source: threebagsfull.ca via Melissa on Pinterest

Some honourable mentions: warm woollies and Polartec, and most of all - my bed. I seriously think I've slept through the entire month. I've been so extremely fatigued, so beyond exhausted, and feel like I've been battling my eyelids all December long. I'll get spurts of energy (which I would expend on Dance Central sessions) here and there, but to tell you the truth, December was a blurr due to being so sleepy. I'm looking forward to getting my thyroid treated next month (actually, excited isn't the proper word for how I really feel about finally being able to deal with my thyroid issues, but I'm too tired to come up with a better word) and am thinking that maybe, just maybe 2012 will be much, much, MUCH better for me health-wise. YAY!

'Til then, you'll be getting nothing but sleepy posts from me. Oh well. I'm off to make more coffee.

Holiday Hangover

2011-12-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas day. Or, if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a fabulous December 25th! I don't know about you, but I'm suffering from a major holiday hangover - as in I've had too much excitement, too much to eat, too much to drink, too much Dance Revolution...just too much of everything. Add in the overly enthusiastic excitement of a three year old and his newly acquired Mario and Luigi stuffed dolls, an Innotab, train table and enough toys to hold over a small daycare...oh yeah, my head has exploded all over the Christmas tree (cause I'm not going to go into detail about my headaches over that Innotab).

I'm off to chug coconut water and regular ol' water like there's no tomorrow and hoping that I can keep the Xbox off...but something tells me that Mama's got her dancin' shoes on...I'm hoping to take a few days off and maybe getting some rest in there somewhere. If you don't hear from me in a few days...just listen for the house blasting the Black Eyed Peas...I'll be there getting the dance party started...

Merry Ho Ho Ho!!

2011-12-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Just dropping in to say Merry Christmas to everyone!! I hope you're all having a wonderfully merry day filled with love, laughter, yummy eats, and squishy yarn with dearly loved ones and friends!

I plan on spending Christmas day eating (both a ton of sweets and turkey galore...not necessarily at the same time), cuddling, and possibly knitting! ♥

It's Just a Random Kind of Week

2011-12-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

Yep. Another post of random thoughts in point form. Sorry. I had started writing a post about the progress of Brett's sweater and even had a clever title and everything for it. But then my fatigue set in and I couldn't gather up enough energy to keep writing...at one point I had to keep getting up every 10 seconds to shake myself and try to fight my eyelids from closing. So instead of a post about one awesome subject, I give you a post about a bunch of awesomeness, written throughout the day.

- I received the most beautiful skein of yarn in the mail yesterday (it's the photo above). It seriously took my breath away. It's a skein of The Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga! in Strawberry Crab (all links are to Ravelry, as I'm not sure how much longer the SG website will be up for). I got it in a swap last month and even though I have this colourway in another base, I stalk and troll for this colourway on the interwebs like you wouldn't believe. Yes, it's a seasonal colourway and yes, Cephalopod Yarns will be carrying over this colourway to the new company in Bugga! but I suck at stalking shop updates. I will even go as far as saying that Strawberry Crab completely and totally triumphs over MadTosh's Tart. Oh yeah, I went there.

- are you surprised that I'm talking about a yarn that's not SweetGeorgia?

- the photo is just eye candy, as I'm sure most of you are here for the knitting content - of which there is a lack of.

- speaking of updates. I caught the last Wollmeise update of the year and was so darn proud of myself for not purchasing a single skein during their regular update. The grab bag update though...that's another story. Moving on.

- I vowed to not buy another skein of yarn this year. So what did I do? I went and joined the Cookie A 2012 Sock Club. I've been weighing the pros and cons of this club for weeks and finally, in a moment of weakness I caved and joined. But now that I think about it, how could I not join it?? I mean, think about it: this club involves knitting socks, baking cookies, and hand-dyed yarns. You get recipes here people. Cookie.recipes.with your sock patterns. And yarn. I'm a sucker. I know. True, I have knit only one Cookie A pattern in my entire knitting career but I do have several more patterns awaiting in my queue. I love the fact that each shipment comes with 2 patterns - an easy one for times when your brain can't function and a more advanced pattern for when you feel like challenging yourself. I see more sock action coming this way in 2012.

- speaking of socks, I think I need to get going on getting back onto the sock knitting wagon. I had always aimed at having at least one cardigan/sweater, one shawl, and one pair of socks on the needles at all times. I was doing so well there with this too. Until I hit a pattern that I just couldn't get motivated on. I had started Aquaphobia back in April but after what felt like months of knitting and only producing half of the first leg, I lost steam. That, and I've been in utter denial that the sock is a bit tight on my tree trunk leg. To tell you the truth, I think I just need to bite the bullet and frog the sock and either cast on again using a larger needle size, or scrap the project all together. I think for now the half finished sock will have to sit in time out in the proverbial knitting basket.

- I should really finish the second sock of the test knit socks that I was working on. It's a beautiful sock using beautiful yarn. I guess the above mentioned sock made me lose my sock knitting mojo.

- I need to get back my sock knitting mojo.

- having a sock-in-progress would have totally helped me out the other day when I was at the doctor's office. Brett's sweater is now officially too big to carry around and my other WIPs are either awkward to knit on (as in too many yarn cakes to have to worry about), involve too much counting, or require chart reading. I really need a small mindless knit on the go. I'm actually quite shocked that I don't have such a project on the needles.

- another shocker: the other day when we did our weekly grocery shop, the Munchkin fell asleep in his car seat. So I opted to stay in the truck with him. Um, yeah...guess who completely forgot their knitting at home?? I don't know who was more shocked about this, me or Brett. I always have a knitting project in my handbag. Not sure how I didn't this time around. And let me tell you, this will never happen again!! I was bored beyond belief! Not only did I waste time just sitting there doing nothing, but my phone was dead! I couldn't even surf Ravelry. That was an hour and a half that I will never get back. I could have gotten so much knitting done during that time. So sad.

- the progress on Brett's sweater? I finally finished the sleeves and joined them with the body. I had more issues with the sleeves. Nothing big. I just had to keep telling myself that this cardigan wasn't for me and that I really did need to knit them longer! After a few rounds the thought that I needed to stop increasing would creep into my head and that this cardi was going to be massive...on me. Yes self, not for you. Bad girl! This is Brett's sweater! Now that I'm working on the yoke shaping I'm hoping that the next bit will go by super fast.

- I know i'm not going to get Brett's sweater finished in time to wrap it up and give on Christmas Day. But you know what? I'm totally content with that. I really am. Another reminder to myself: the only pressure to get this done is from no one but myself. Brett doesn't care if the cardigan is under the tree or not. He's even told me to take my time cause he understands how much time goes into knitting. He didn't have to, but I still made him read the Yarn Harlot's blog post about the gift of time, since there's a difference between knowing how much time goes into a knitting project versus having the time to knit.

- I think Brett got it cause last night he wrapped all the gifts without me asking. It wasn't the best wrap job, but really, will a three year old even notice how crisp the corners are?

- I've been falling asleep while reading the Munchkin his bedtime stories. The past few months he's been wanting to read only two books from his book collection. This one and this one. My friend Leana gifted them to the Munchkin a few years ago and he absolutely loves them. He now refers to all dogs as "Walt-tut". I'm thinking he's going to like one of his Christmas gifts.

- Oh, another reason why Brett's cardigan won't be under the tree in 3 days: both of my wrists are starting to hurt. I don't think this has anything to do with knitting too much, but more from the result of my current medical state weakening the muscles in my body. I mean, last night I couldn't open an already pre-opened jar of tomato sauce. I became one of those sad people that you see on infomercials who are all down and overly dramatic that they can't do insert action here until a nifty gadget comes along to assist them with it. I ended up running hot water over the jar lid before using this handy contraption that came free with a Chatelaine issue.

- so glad I didn't get rid of that thing. Even though I laughed at it.

- we've tried three times to go see Santa and three times we've been denied. Why? Once Santa had to go on a lunch break and the elves had allowed only a certain amount of kids in the line up, claiming that each kid gets x amount of time with the fat Dude. The second time the line up was so long and the elves decided that there were too many people that they could potentially still be there even when the mall closes. So they asked the last half of the people in line to leave. Starting with us. The last time, Santa had to go on a quick potty break and we were dangerously close to the lunch cut off time AND the Munchkin was starting to get grumpy cause he was hungry as well. I'm afraid that this year will be the year that the Munchkin will not get to sit on Santa's lap. This fact makes me sad. The Munchkin couldn't care less either way.

- Brett made a pan of Rice Krispy treats using the special Christmas version of the cereal. Half of that pan may have fallen into my mouth.

- I'm hoping my energy comes back real soon so that I can work off these extra holiday calories!

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-19T08:45:00.001-08:00

Ok, so it's not really a winter wonderland here. We don't have snow (yet), and the weather, albeit a little wet at times, has been quite mild and very West Coast-y lately. Which is nice. Really nice. But I've still been wearing long johns underneath everything. Well, I've stopped wearing long john pants, as they were starting to bunch up in weird random places under my jeans. But long john shirts? Oh yes, a definite must! I even stopped by MEC yesterday on our way home to pick up some new ones. Ones with a Polartec layering (I have no idea what my current ones are made of) and I can tell you right now I'm absolutely loving it!

Other news since I last posted? Not much. At all. Sorry. Brett's brother was visiting for the weekend so it was more about entertaining (and cleaning up after them!) than anything else. Yesterday I didn't even knit a single stitch! Pure craziness, I know! I just didn't get the chance. From the moment we woke up it was go, go, GO! We took the Munchkin on a stroll throughout the downtown core, sans stroller, and it took us forever to get anywhere. Not that we were in a hurry to be anywhere in particular. We finally made it to our end destination goal, which was the outdoor skating rink at Centennial Square. We all rented skates (and a helmet for the Munchkin) and had a blast skating the afternoon away! This was the first time the Munchkin has ever gone ice skating and he looked so darn cute in his little bobsled skates! Sadly I was so lost in the moment that I didn't take any photos. I'm sure we'll go skating a few more times before the rink closes for the season. Neither Brett nor his brother could remember the last time they laced up a pair of skates. I think the last time I was on ice like that, it was probably when I was in middle school when one of my closest friend's made me go with her to the Nelson hockey team's "skate & meet" (her family was a billet for the team for as long as I could remember and I think they stopped once we hit grade 10...I think having too many teenagers in the house was making them crazy).

I haven't had the energy to do any sewing either, but am hoping to get some bags made this week for a possible Boxing Day sale. Don't quote me on that though. It's a goal to have more items in the shop for Boxing Day, but not sure if sewing is in the cards for me this week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe I can fight the fatigue and get the chance to spent some QT (um, that's quality time...sorry, I've been in abbreviating everything lately) with my lovely sewing machine.

In the meantime, on the knitting front, I'm still plugging away on Brett's sweater. I haven't been project monogamous in ages and I think it's making me go a little crazy. I've been eyeing patterns left and right on Ravelry, staring longingly at the skeins of yarn that I have on my nightstand (I know, I'm weird like that...most people have books or magazines on their nightstand, I have yarn) that are patiently waiting for me to wind up and knit with, and I've been prepping projects for the new year. Brett thinks I'm crazy, but I got such a kick out of doing the 12 in 2011 where I made myself knit the patterns that have been in my queue forever (but had always been sidetracked with newer, shinier patterns) and had knit the yarns that had been sitting in my stash for longer than a year, that I decided to do it again next year. So I've been going through my queue and printing up patterns, diving into my stash and finding yarns for each of those patterns, and then very Martha Stewart-like been putting them into large Ziplock bags...all labeled and ready to go. I've even contemplated putting all the bags into a bin and then blindly grab a bag when I'm ready to knit a new project. Kinda like a surprise kit....

I told you I was going a little crazy! I really need to get Brett's sweater finished...for the sake of my sanity!

PS: Sorry for the random photos of skates...they were the only photos I took of our day of skating...all taken on my iPhone. But I couldn't have a photo-less post!

A Very Random Thursday

2011-12-15T03:59:00.001-08:00

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages! But in reality it's only been a few days. I think this week is crawling by, which is a good thing when you've got a lot of crafting to do. That is, if you are actually using that time to craft. I haven't. I feel like I've wasted this week due to not feeling 100%. If anything, I've been feeling a bit discombobulated. So I give you random photos that I took with my new iPhone, along with random thoughts for today...

- I've been feeling quite fatigued all week and have spent more time napping than crafting...or housework.

- all day yesterday I thought it was Thursday, so today feels like Friday to me.

- I'm a little bummed that today isn't Friday.

- I'm s.l.o.w.l.y plugging away on Smokin'. How far away is Christmas?

- I've been doing pretty darn well in not knitting anything other than Brett's sweater. But I am getting the evil eyes from all my other WIPs. I think I need to either zip them back up in their bags or shove them into the yarn closet for now.

- is it sad to say that I'm pretty stoked about knitting up Brett's cardigan not only cause he's finally letting me knit him something other than a hat, but the fact that I'm getting a bag of yarn out of the stash? We're talking about 16 balls of yarn here!

- I think my stash is starting to overwhelm me.

- I found out that my current medical condition has made me go from heat tolerant to cold tolerant. Now I know why I've been extremely and overly cold these past few months. Definitely explains why I just can't seem to get warm!

- I've resorted to wearing the fancy long johns that I wore when I lived in Finland under everything. Even when I'm home.

- I've rarely left the house all week due to the fact that I'm freezing cold and being outside just amplifies that.

- I'm feeling so freaking cold that I've even contemplated ditching my usual warm winter jackets for the puffy North Face coat that makes me look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

- when I go to bed at night I end up just lying there, tossing and turning. I can't seem to turn my brain off. I don't even know what's been plaguing my mind. It's just in constant think-mode and all that I've tried has yet to result in anything. This has been happening all.week.long. Does this happen to anyone else? I keep a notebook that I like to jot random things down into so that I can sort them out or refer to later. Kinda like an inspiration book. I've been filling that book up and I'm not even sure if half of it makes any sense.

- I've been staying away from the computer as much as possible these past few days, cause I always get sucked into the time warp of surfing and am always amazed as to how much time I've wasted. By staying away from the computer, not only have I gotten a lot accomplished than I normally do in the day time, but my wallet is starting to like me too!

- I've come up with a "crafting schedule" and am going to test it out next week...since Brett's brother will be visiting this weekend. It'll be interesting to see if it'll work out.

- I've also come up with a rough draft of my "crafting plans" for 2012. There are so many patterns that I want to knit up, so many sewing projects that I want to do, but always get sidetracked or spend more time trying to figure out what to do next than actually doing it. I'm hoping that by listing my project priorities that I'll get more done and less procrastinating.

- I'm hoping to bake some sugar cookies today, but can't seem to find my piping bag and tips. I was really hoping to learn how to "flood" cookies today. Might have to go the "poor baker's" route and just use a Ziplock bag with a corner snipped off.

- I was hoping to bake a ton of cookies, but fear that I'll eat them all before I'm able to give them away.

- I need to find the cable to my camera.

- I realized that my notions case is getting too small and I'm needing more stitch markers than normal. I could remedy this by either knitting up all my current WIPs and reclaim those markers back, or start using a second case...I do have extra cases in my yarn closet, but I'm thinking I might have to make a trip to the closest sports department and check out the fishing tackle box section...what does everyone else use?

- with my monogamous knitting, there's not much to blog about knitting-wise.

- I'm hoping my next blog post will be more exciting!

WIP: Smokin'

2011-12-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

So...I just realized that Christmas is only less than two weeks away and you know what? For once, I'm not stressed out! Brett and I have made it really easy on ourselves this year and have decided to not only stay home again (yay for not having to deal with the Coquihalla!), but we thought we'd nix getting presents for each other and just join forces and buy a new TV (and entertainment center). We've been thinking and wanting a new TV for so long but weren't in a hurry to get one. Until the TV that we had conked out and made the decision for us to get a new one right now. Thanks TV!

Since neither of us need anything in particular (we've been conscious about what's coming into the house ever since we started purging), and the things we want we would just buy ourselves (although, I would never turn down gifts of yarn...unless it was Red Heart. Ew.), we thought we would then turn our gifting attention to the Munchkin. Even our families have made it super easy by requesting nothing and instead asked that we use the money we would have spent on their gifts for things for the Munchkin. I went even further in the stress reduction and had started buying the kiddo gifts since September. Hells yeah for not having to deal with the mall and for not having to scramble for last minute presents!

It was glorious that all weekend all I did was knit and enjoy quality family time. My sewing machine saw me a few times, but no late-night benders happened. Instead, I got to snuggle with Brett, and in the mornings the Munchkin would sneak into our bed and we would have family cuddle time for a bit before the Munchkin realizes that he'd rather be downstairs eating Cheerios and playing with trains than be with his dorky parents! I'm thinking for my sanity (and health) I should sew every fourth night. Hmmm...maybe I should do either a calendar or spreadsheet and figure out fabric cutting, sewing, and serious knitting days. I mean yeah, I knit throughout the day but I really like having a huge chunk of time to spend with my knitting needles and getting a ton done. Hmm...that's something to consider...a craft calendar...interesting.

Anyhoo, I digress. I do have holiday baking to get started on, and I did promise Brett that I would knit him a sweater. But we both have the understanding that the sweater isn't really a Christmas present and therefore I don't need to knit at break neck speeds to get it done for the 25th. Yet, I would love to surprise him by having it done by then anyways. Two weeks? I think it can totally be do-able. As long as I don't knit on anything other than his sweater. I'm staring at you, you other projects! Don't get in my way and try to tempt me into knitting you up!

What have I got done so far? Just this:

Yeah...not much. Just 17.5" of garter and stockinette. When I first measured Brett he had wanted the body to be 18" long. But then after re-measuring and placing what I had knitted up against him, he decided maybe he'd want this to be more smoking jacket like and have the length to match. So why not make it 22.5" long? Crap. That extra length puts a damper on my knitting schedule. My plan is to knit like a fiend today and get the body done and hopefully start and get half of the first sleeve knitted up. I'm giving myself two days to knit it, then another two days to knit the second. That's reasonable, right? No rush, right? I have a plan people. I think I can do this. I just need to stay on track.

So far this pattern has been easy peasy. Seriously, the body didn't even have any increases or decreases. Yet I'm not looking forward to knitting the saddle shoulders. I read that this pattern is pretty vague on the instructions on how to knit that part. A lot of people on Ravelry claimed that they had to go elsewhere to learn how to knit the saddle shoulder. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't run into any problems. But knowing my luck, it'll be smooth sailing and I'll get my hopes up high thinking I can totally get this finished in time. Until the shoulders. That's when the proverbial shit hits the fan and I'll be screwed and then this entire project will get thrown into a plastic shopping bag and shoved into the back of my closet. That'll teach the project for being a difficult arse!

Cross your fingers for me that this won't happen. Please?

Finished: Stockholm

2011-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hee, hee, hee...ok, this is just for Natalie:

"Oh look, another FO!", uttered in a nonchalant tone of voice whilst eyelashes are batting away innocently.

Ok, so what? Yes, it's another FO, dammit! But in my defense this was finished weeks and weeks ago in hopes of making a KAL deadline (which it didn't cause it took forever and a day to dry and I couldn't get proper photos of it taken before the KAL was over), and I still didn't get the chance to take photos of it until the other day. When the family and I came home after grocery shopping. And the Munchkin was fast asleep in the truck. And Brett was actually willing to take the photos - albeit for only 5 minutes (he doesn't understand why I want to take 50 or so photos when only a handful will actually make it onto the blog). I think I would have been better off trying to find the missing little tripod piece that attaches the camera to the tripod than have him take photos. We're talking major artistic differences here. His patience had run thin pretty fast (he thought 4 photos was enough, I didn't think so) and he was getting hungry. So this post only gets a measly two photos. Sorry. No FO eye candy. Not this time.

Anyhoo, there's really not much to say about this project that I haven't already said in the last post about it. Even though it was a relaxing knit and the pattern was extremely easy to memorize to the point where it just became intuitive, I did feel like I was in a knitting black hole. Mind you, one should never measure their work after only knitting half a round. Cause then it really feels like you're getting nowhere. Trust me.

In total I used 3 skeins of yarn for this (with no idea what to do with the fourth skein...ugh, leftover yarn!), and had used the spit splicing method to join in new yarns, which worked beyond perfectly on this single ply yarn. I didn't knit the full 14", instead I stopped at the 13" mark. I know, I know...you're probably thinking that I copped out and should have just gone that extra inch to do the full width. Well, technically I could've but I didn't want to have to break into the fourth skein just so that I could do one more round before binding off. Oh! And the bind off. Man, it took the last half of knit night to bind this bad boy off. So.many.stitches! But oh, did it ever feel so good to bind off that last stitch! I was so happy that I had even whipped out my darning needle and wove in my ends right then and there! Crazy, I know. But that's how happy I was to finish this project! It was just that glorious!

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy knitting this pattern, cause I truly did. Every time I stopped to look at my work I would silently marvel at how lovely the lace is and how ingenious it was that the whole thing was reversible. The more I worked on it, the more I fell in love with the colour. But what I didn't like? The fact that my yarn was shedding like a mofo. I don't know what's up with me and shedding yarns lately, but I was constantly picking fibres from out of my mouth, and every two seconds I was rubbing my nose and trying to swat away the rogue fibres that felt the need to attach themselves to my nostrils. I should have looked at the yarn label more closely because the mohair content totally eluded me and I was wondering what kind of evil sheep sheds this much unruly fibre. The mohair fooled me again when I went to soak and block this cowl. I knew that yarn dyed red can bleed a bit during the soaking process, so I wasn't all that shocked when I went to take the cowl out of its bath and saw pink water. What did shock me was the fact that the yarn dyed the towels red while I tried to squeeze the excess water out, and then after four days of drying and I was finally able to unpin this beauty from the blocking mats I saw the perfect bright red rectangle stain on my towels. Seriously. A perfect rectangle. Bright red. I had immediately scooped up the towels in hopes of shoving them into the washing machine pronto to see if I can save them when I discovered that the yarn had also dyed the blocking mat where the cowl was!! It was just red everywhere I looked. Being paranoid that the dye would transfer to other projects while they dried, I quickly attacked the area with a Magic Eraser and went at it like a crazy woman. I love Magic Eraser. I really do. Thank you Mr. Clean for saving my sanity.

Back to the cowl. So the lace blocked out beautifully. I was ecstatic that the lace opened up so nicely and that the yarn had softened enough that it wasn't über scratchy like it was in skein form. But I did over do it on the blocking front. I know I'm an overly aggressive blocker, like, to the max. Yet I should have held back on this. I had tugged and pulled it so freakin much that it stretched out a fair bit and now the cowl needs to be worn wrapped around my neck three times. Not that I don't mind, cause it definitely fights off any chill that tries to creep into my jacket, but I had this vision in my head that I would look as lovely and elegant as Julie (the designer of this cowl) in her pattern photo...with the cowl draped oh so effortlessly chic-ly with no weird gapes between the wraps. I could re-block the cowl, but I don't want to go through that red fiasco again.

That, and I'm too lazy too.

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Stockholm Scarf by Knitted Bliss

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted

Colour: Spice

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeables in 6mm (US 10)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Stockholm

Finished: Shannon Cowl

2011-12-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well hello quick knit! Here's another project that I decided to quickly cast on for and made me ditch current WIPs that I have on the needles. And yes, before you ask, this is another Jane Richmond pattern. I told you I'm obsessing over her patterns, didn't I? Even though my Ravelry project page says that this took a day to knit, it actually took about 2 hours total of knitting time. I had cast on in the morning before leaving the house to run errands, worked on it in the car throughout the day, and then kitchener stitched the whole thing together the next afternoon. I'm pretty sure I could have finished it within a day had I not been out and about and then having to fix a 3 year old's train track set every 5 minutes before and after dinner.

Two things about this project:

1. I actually had the yarn called for in the pattern in my craft box. I had bought the yarn pre-Munchkin with the hopes of turning it into a cute little Bedfellow animal like the ones I made the summer I was pregnant, which you can see here and here. Obviously, that never happened and so the yarn just languished in a bin full of random craft supplies in a closet. 'Til now.

2. Every time I look at this cowl I will forever be reminded of WIlson Phillips. Why? Cause I had listened to Hold On and Impulsive on repeat. The entire day. Seriously. I kid you not. I blame it on Bridesmaids. I think I've watched that movie like, 10 times already. For reals.

Anyhoo, when I first saw this pattern I fell in love with the oversized cables. I love cables. How they look and knitting them up. I just love them. So I knew that I was going to eventually be knitting this pattern up, it was just a matter of when. Thank you Jane, for making it sooner than later! Even though I love cables, I think I screwed up the cable section. Eep! I think I had skipped a repeat in my excitement of knitting up this pattern and in my haste to get this done so that I could wear it pronto. True story: I had to use a 9mm crochet hook to act as my cable needle. My actual cable needles kept sliding off for some reason and I can never find a DPN when I need one. Another true story: I kinda felt awkward while knitting this cowl. I'm so not used to working with straight needles. At all. I'm a circular needle girl all the way. I don't think I've used straight needles in at least 4 years. And such chunky straights at that. I felt like I was knitting with broomstick handles. I'm even surprised that I still had straight needles in the knitting basket!

I absolutely love this cowl, but think I'm going to have to re-knit it using a different yarn. As much as I love the colour (it's grey! I think I'm still in a grey phase) and the tweedy yumminess (I'll always love tweed), I find that it sheds way too much and I constantly have to fish out the practically invisible fibre filaments out of my eyes and from in and around my mouth. I just have to find the right yarn(s)...from what I have in my stash. Long story short, I really have to start knitting from stash! More on that in another post.

My only mod was that I did a crochet provisional cast on. Simply because my sewing skills aren't up to par and thought grafting the stitches together would be much easier for me. And it was. You can't tell where the ends were joined! Yay! When I do make another Shannon I think I would do another repeat of the cable (just cause they are so nummy) and make it slightly shorter in length so that it'll hug my neck a little more.

I think this is a super cute cowl and is great for when you want to add a little something something to an ensemble. Can't you tell that I took these photos the same day I took photos for my Chocolate Oatmeal pullover? Actually, I wore this outfit the entire day. Not only was it so comfy and cozy, but I was actually warm. Something I've rarely been since the weather has gotten so nasty cold on us. If and when it gets colder, at least now I'll be prepared!

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Shannon by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick & Quick

Colour: Grey Marl

Needles: Susan Bates Straights in 12.75mm (US 17)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Shannon

Finished: Chocolate Oatmeal

2011-12-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie to you. I have several projects on the needles and really, I had no business dropping them all in favour of something quick and new. Especially when I have more pressing projects in the line up that should have been casted on before this one. Like Brett's sweater. Darn that stupid sweater. And it's only about 4 garter ridges and a buttonhole in. Not enough to even look like anything. But at least I started it, that's all that matters, right? Well, instead of knitting on presents I decided to knit on this (look up and take note of the photo at the beginning of this post...oohh...why did I say that line in my head like I was the Old Spice guy?).

Yes, my friends. It's a Jane Richmond pattern. If you remembered from the November Obsessions post I had mentioned that I'm seriously obsessing over her patterns right now. I had been wanting to knit Jane's Oatmeal Pullover since forever but couldn't find the right yarn that I wanted to work with and wasn't too fond of trying to double up yarn to meet the bulky gauge requirements (re: I'm lazy like that). So the second that SweetGeorgia Yarns added the Superwash Chunky to their yarn line up, I knew that this yarn just had to be knit into an Oatmeal Pullover.

Both the pattern and the yarn had knit up ridiculously fast. If I wasn't such a fickle knitter and had concentrated on just this project, I'm sure this pullover would have been a weekend knit. Instead, I took days off from it so that I could work on other projects and so that I could sew. I would pick this up again when I was needing something to concentrate on when I wanted to procrastinate on cutting fabric, or I brought this along with me when the Munchkin dragged me into his bedroom so that I could watch him play with his trains (heavens forbid that I touch his trains though! I'm allowed to only watch, not touch...I guess until I learn that I can't keep making the trains kiss the Munchkin). This pattern is by no means a boring knit, it works up way too quickly for you to even gather a thought about it. I seriously had blinked and was surprised that I had to separate the sleeves from the body. Yeah, it's that quick.

I'll admit that a quarter of the way into the body I was starting to second guess the whole project. My pullover was looking extremely small and like it could fit the Munchkin. It's times like these that make me so glad that I had bought the extra accessories for my interchangeable needle set, cause instead of putting my live stitches on waste yarn or switching to a circular with a longer cable, I had simply screwed on a cable connector and added another cable so that I could try on the pullover. And you know what? Hallelujah! The pullover, well, what I had so far, fits! Although, I did tink back to the underarms so that I could add a few more stitches. I have "meaty" arms and thought I would need the room (I did) in the sleeves.

The entire time I was knitting this up, I was über paranoid that I was going to run out of yarn. I was pleasantly surprised as to how far one skein went - I managed to get to the 3.5" mark into the body from the underarm with the first skein before having to add the second skein (FYI, this is a top down pattern). The pullover was moving along nicely and I had finished the stockinette portion of the body and started on the ribbing before paranoia had set in again and decided to start working on the sleeves before making a decision as to how long I should make the body. I figured once I got the sleeves to a certain point I could gauge how long I could make the body. I managed to cast off the entire project with only 5 grams of yarn left over! That's a mere 6 yards of yarn left unused! I'm pretty happy with the length of both the sleeves and the body and so glad that I didn't need a fifth skein or had to shorten anything. Oh! And can I mention how I joined the skeins? Normally I use the Russian Join method of attaching new yarn but didn't want to use this method this time around because the Superwash Chunky is so bulky. Instead I decided to give Jane's Magic Knot a try. Um...can you say genius?? Pure genius-ness I tell you! I was apprehensive at first cause I have the worst luck when it comes to things that aren't suppose to show, show up for me. Not this time around! I used the Magic Knot to join the skeins throughout this entire project and not once did I have an issue. I urge you all to check out Jane's tutorial on this brilliant technique, which you can see here (scroll all the way down) or here. Seriously, it'll blow your mind and can possibly change how you join new yarn!!

Aside from adding a few extra sleeves at the underarm, I didn't do any mods. Ok, I did decreases at the elbows so that the 2x2 ribbing would match up all around and didn't do the decreases called for in the body. But that's it. No actual modifications. I didn't need to. This pattern is perfect as is. I thought I would need to do waist shaping but because of the negative ease I didn't have to. My most favourite part? The negative ease doesn't hug and showcase weird bumps and bulges, like say around your mid section.

I'm thoroughly pleased with how this pullover turned out. I didn't think I would ever make myself a simple brown pullover, but I absolutely love this shade of brown. My photos look a little washed out (the weather was meh for photo taking) but in real life the brown is actually deep and rich. I think this pullover is a classic staple and can already see a ton of ways to wear it, for different seasons too. After a good soak and a light blocking (yes, I do know how to block lightly. Although I did have to restrain myself from tugging and pulling the crap out of this!), the pullover is absolutely perfect. And the yarn...oh how the yarn softened up and slightly bloomed a bit. The entire pullover now feels like a perpetual cuddly hug and I have to refrain from wrapping my arms around myself, lest I look like an asylum escapee!

This pullover has already gotten plenty of wear ever since it came off the blocking mats. It's in some serious rotation with my newest Owls sweater and Georgia cardigan. I swear, I really do have other clothing and other sweaters. It's just that this cold weather is making me crave nothing but comfy pullovers...and how could I not wear yummy MCN that Georgia is made out of?? My craving is wanting me to knit even more pullovers. Really. I'm already planning on knitting another Oatmeal. I got the yarn lined up and ready to go but promised myself that I couldn't cast on until Brett's sweater is almost finished. But definitely know that you'll be seeing a few more Oatmeal Pullovers on this here blog in the future!

Pullover Details:

Pattern: Oatmeal Pullover by Jane Richmond

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Chunky

Colour: Bison

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10) and 6.5mm (US 10.5)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits Chocolate Oatmeal

Slugg...ish...

2011-12-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

I just realized that Christmas is less than three weeks away and I've only just cast on for Brett's Christmas gift a few days ago. I am SO not going to finish in time. And you know what? I think I'm alright with that. Brett doesn't even care that the sweater won't be waiting for him under the tree on Christmas Day, he's just stoked that I'm even knitting him a sweater in the first place. The pressure to get it done is all on me. But you know what? I'm going to put that pressure into a bubble and just blow it away.

I feel much better now.

A few days leading up to, and all weekend long I didn't feel so great. I was extremely sluggish and spent 99% of the time fighting my eyelids to stay open. For a while there I thought my week-long stint of staying up 'til the wee hours of the morning sewing my arse off finally caught up to me, hence the glacial speed I was moving at all weekend. I think I need to keep telling myself that I'm not as young as I used to be and that the days of pulling all-nighters are far, far behind me (not to mention that I no longer have the old school episodes of Saved by the Bell to keep me up, like it did back in university! This episode was by far the most favourite amongst us fashion girls. Hell, I still think about that scene when I'm under pressure and on a deadline!). I honestly thought maybe I was coming down with something. Yesterday I was sort of relieved when my endocrinologist told me that my TSH levels were pretty darn low and that my fatigued state was due to my thyroid acting up. Phew, it's nice to know exactly why I'm channeling the ways of a snail but boo erns that my thyroid is acting up again.

So what I've really been meaning to say is that I did absolutely nothing all weekend. Nothing. Hell, I spent most of Saturday in my pyjamas! Brett had to go away for the weekend with his bosses to help out with one of their offices, so it was just me and the Munchkin holding down the fort. I had grand plans to get a crap load of stuff done and had a list of places to visit. Yeah...that didn't happen. To tell you the truth, we didn't really get to go anywhere either. Mainly cause someone didn't want to put on socks or their shoes ahemMunchkinahem and I was feeling way too exhausted to deal with that battle. Although, aside from his aversion to footwear and the occasional pair of pants, the Munchkin was actually really well-behaved all weekend and was content and at times thoroughly engrossed in playing with my hair clips and assorted kitchen tongs to help him pick up any toy that he could with them. Mainly little cars and his trains. Kids...such interesting little creatures, they are.

Anyhoo, I feel like I totally wasted a weekend since I didn't sew or knit a stitch. I take great solace in the fact that before Brett took off I did get some sewing done. I finally dove into the stash of Crafty Pirates fabric that I had kicking around in my sewing closet, and was able to whip up the project bags that you see above. I almost didn't list them in my shop. I wanted to keep them for myself. But then I dug into the pile of Japanese imported prints that I have been dying to sew up.

I made two of these "Pretty Girls" bags but only listed one. I'm trying to talk myself out of keeping the second one. So far I've managed to keep the bag in the sewing room, tucked behind another bag. Out of sight, out of mind, right?? Maybe I'll forget that it's even there. While I was digging around the stash I came up with some Christmas fabric that I had purchased a ton of last year with the (high) hope of sewing a bunch of drawstring bags to use in place of wrapping paper. Obviously that didn't happen. Hmm...maybe next year? Instead I've used some of it to make a really cute and festive bag for holiday knitting projects. I guess I could make a bunch and put gifts into it. It would be way more work than simple drawstring bags. Oh, who am I kidding?? I'd make sure all those gifts would go to me so that I could keep the freakin' bags, regardless what kind they are. Does that make me a bad person? Shh...I don't want to know. Admit it. Secretly, you'd keep them too!

These bags are going to have to suffice and quench my need to sew for at least a week...until I can feel somewhat "normal" again. Please note that this post took me a few hours to write cause I kept dozing off. Hmm...maybe I'm narcoleptic and not a sufferer of Graves' Disease? Does this post even make sense?? I'll put it on record right now: I'm sorry if anyone got messages or emails from me over the weekend that either didn't make sense or was just one long run-on sentence. Or something that resembled a drunk phone call, but in email form. I was not of right mind.

Luckily Brett is back and I've been able to take naps here and there without worrying about the Munchkin not being supervised (although, the worse he's ever done is spill an entire box of cereal on the floor in an attempt to open the bag...oh wait, I forgot about the time he used a blue ink pen to scribble all over a leather handbag...grrr). I finally got around to taking some photos of some knitting FOs that I can't wait to share, and I promise that I'll share them in the next few days. I've decided to take this week off from sewing and concentrate on knitting. I'm hoping my energy will return and I can get mucho knitting accomplished.

For now, I'm going to go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours. I am so sorry if this post is pure crap.

Ok Scottie. Beam me up.

Over and out.

November Obsessions

2011-12-01T00:11:00.000-08:00

Technically, it's now December. To me, it's still November 30th. So I can still do a post about November obsessions, right? Whatevs. My blog, my rules. So I'm gonna do it anyways. I would have had this post done a lot sooner, if my keyboard to my iMac was working properly. Or should I say, if it worked at all. Then the laptop decide that it wanted to do something quirky too. Luckily, it stopped being an electrical jerk and started working again. I had taken all these photos to go with this post, but the laptop doesn't have the software I use for my camera and I couldn't be bothered to try to find the CDs and add the software to the laptop. Ugh. Story of the week. Seriously.

All week everything and anything that could go wrong or bad, happened. Such as the computer problems mentioned above. My iPhone is starting to glitch (it was never the same after it took a dive into the Munchkin's bath sometime last year), but it's a super old iPhone (in Apple terms, that's 3G old). Brett bought a new TV 2 weeks and with that we finally gave in and got a digital cable box (I was against it, mind you I don't watch that much TV so felt like there was no need to have the box). Well, let's just say that we've been having issues with this stupid box on a daily basis and we've made a few trips to the cable company and been on the phone with their tech support. Several times. I really want to smash that box Office Space printer style. Something's wrong with the washing machine's agitation cycle, and the dryer is making weird noises. The coffee grinder is dying (we won't even talk about what would happen if I couldn't have my morning coffee!), the espresso machine needs to be de-scaled, my tea infuser somehow fell apart, and the oven is burning everything. Everything.

To top it all off, the Munchkin has decided one night that he doesn't want to take a bath. Ever. Or wash his hands. Or wear half of the clothes in his closet. Or wear sock. Let's not go near the shoes issue. I swear, his tantrums have gotten worse. Volume wise. I'll admit that ever since he turned three years old he doesn't have tantrums as often, but when he does throw one it sounds like bloody murder! Did I mention that he has also become increasingly stubborn since turning three? Oh yeah. His way or the highway stubborn. Some days I'll be lucky if I can get him to leave the house within an hour after the planned time of leaving the house. I thought once the "Terrible Twos" were over, it was suppose to get better??

I'm surprised that my hair hasn't gone completely grey. With the major lack of sleep that I've been dealing with these past few weeks and the overwhelming decline of knitting time (not to mention my extreme online absence...so sorry to those who have emailed/messaged me and have yet to hear a response...I'm alive, just rarely online), I'm amazed as to how well I've been handling all of these...inconveniences.

Ok. End rant.

Let's just hope December goes more smoothly. In the meantime, here's November's obsessed list. I had to dip into the interwebs and borrow a few photos. I've linked to where I got them from, but if I missed one and the owner just happens to stumble upon their unlinked photo, please note that I tried to give credit where credit is due and I'm sorry if I missed crediting you on your photo. I've currently run out of luck. Please let me know nicely and don't send me hate mail! Thank you.

So here we go, the 5 things that I've been obsessing over all month long:

1. SweetGeorgia Yarns. Do I really need to say why I love SweetGeorgia Yarns so much? I'm such a sucker for colour, especially bold and vibrant colours - points that SGY is so well known for. It's no wonder why I mesh so well with SGY! This month I've started and finished two projects with SGY and am still plugging away on a cardigan I'm knitting for the SGY Winter KAL. Just when the thought of knitting up my SGY stash, a box full of SGY arrived at my door last week. Felicia really stuffed the box so full of yarn that it was practically bursting at the seams!! I can definitely see a ton more cardigans knit out of SGY in the future!

Source: flickr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

2. Jane Richmond patterns. This month alone I've cast on the Oatmeal Pullover, a Shannon, and I just finished winding yarn for a Rae. What do they all have in common? That's right, you're so smart. They're all designed by the talented and lovely Jane Richmond. The Rae though, is to be a Christmas present...but to tell you the truth, I think I just might keep it for myself. Shhh! Don't tell anyone! I had also plan on casting on an Audrey hopefully in the week or two. I promised myself that I wouldn't cast on until I got caught up in my sewing...and once I at least swatched for Brett's sweater...and once I decide on a colour...but then earlier today Jane just had to go and release another pattern that went straight into my queue and is begging to be knit up pronto. I swear, we share the same knitting brain! Ever since the weather turned chilly here I've been thinking and wanting to knit nothing but comfy pullovers to snuggle up in to stave off the freezing cold. Jane must have heard my knitterly cries and produced exactly what I was looking for! Yes, the Classic Raglan Pullover must be knit. Now.

Source: etsy.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: janerichmond.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

3. Winter Woollies. I'm being a complete and total wuss. I swear it was colder this time last year and I was fine. This year, I'm a freakin' pansy and can't seem to get warm. Anything that guarantees to be warm and a quick knit, I'm all for. I just.want.to.be.warm. And it's been forecasted that it'll just get colder. Great. According to one weather network it's going to be the coldest it has ever been in 20 years!! Fantastic. Just freakin' fantastic. Can't you just hear the sarcasm dripping off that last sentence?

4. Signature Needle Arts. I've been impatiently awaiting the arrival of some new needles...by, you guessed it, Signature Needle Arts! When the opportunity of getting my hands on some more of these fabulous needles arised, you better believe that I took it. The first pair (which I got in the summer and have been using non-stop ever since) I got in a size that I used the most - a 3.5mm (US 4). The first time I used the needles I knew I was going to be hooked and that I was going to want more of them. They are simply amazing and worth every penny...but a goal that I was going to have to save up for and would probably take me quite a while to accomplish. While I don't have a complete set, I do have a few more to add to my "collection" (and by collection, I mean my solo circ). I'm one happy knitter! One that is dying to cast on a project using each and every single needle!!

5. Sorel Boots. Not just any Sorel boots though. Just this pair:

I'm seriously drooling over them and so want them to be mine. Obviously I would replace the red laces with pink ones. I've been lusting after these babies since last winter, but didn't think our mild winters warranted such a warm boot. Yes, I'm a fool. I'm still kicking myself hard for not purchasing them on sale when I had a chance earlier this spring. Funny how growing up in the Kootenays I used to hate Sorels and thought they were the ugliest things known to man, but now that even uglier boots have come on the market Sorels have definitely dropped out of the race. A few years ago I had even told Brett that I wanted to track down a pair of old school white Sorels and make it my mission to make them en vogue. While I have seen them in a few stores, sadly I can't find a pair small enough to fit my feet. Even more sad is that the company doesn't make this white boot available in kids' sizes. But oh, if they did...I'd be running to the cash register with credit card in hand!

I'm sending out good vibes that not all my electronics will have to be replaced and that I can somehow obtain a pair of warm winter boots...and the time to knit. C'mon December, let this month be a good one!

PS: I don't know if it's just me, but my PC laptop is editing this post funny. What's up with the different font?? This isn't Arial! I want my Mac back!

Extended

2011-11-29T05:36:00.000-08:00

In order to make more space in my sewing room I decided to extend my Etsy shop's Cyber Monday sale to the end of the week! This extension also means that throughout the week I'll be updating the shop with even more bags...both regular and sale priced.

I'm dedicating the rest of the week to sewing (which my knitting needles must hate, I'm sure!) and cutting fabric, but I'm going to try to post more often as I really do have some knitting to show you! I have a handful of FOs that deserve some blog attention and one of the WIPs that I've been (slowly) plugging away on is also screaming to be recognized. I just wish there were more hours in the day so that I can get everything done!

In between the knittin' and stitchin' I've also been trying to go through my stash and sort it all out (again!) but am starting to get a bit overwhelmed. I didn't realize just how much yarn I actually had...and how much I still have yet to catalogue. A part of me wants to just close all the closet doors and forget about it all, but an even bigger part of me really wants to get a hold on the stash and to continue this purging phase that I seem to still be in.

But I think the purging might have to wait a few hours...I've got to sew. I've got a shop that needs some attention first!

Cyber Monday = A Shop Update

2011-11-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've been super lucky lately that I've been able to get some sewing time in. I should really slide a thank you card under my downstairs neighbour's door for being away for a week in order for me to get that sewing time!

Just in time too, not only is Cyber Monday tomorrow, but my shop was sorely lacking! Throughout the day tomorrow I'll be updating the shop with both regular and sale priced items. Items on sale will be up to 40% off. I'll even have a handful of my large sweater sized project bags in stock! A few of those may be on sale too...

Yay for Cyber Monday!

A Treasury

2011-11-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

How excited am I that one of my bags was featured on an Etsy Treasury list! So sweet! Seeing this has really made my day, and trust me when I say that the past few days...ok, make it the past week, has been uber crappy. So yeah, seeing one of my bags being appreciated was a much needed positive vibe that I needed.

You know what else I need? Some chocolate.

Versatile

2011-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Guess what? Last week I was awarded The Versatile Blogger Award by Rebecca of nook. How exciting is that? It made my day when I found out. Thank you so much Rebecca, that was so darn sweet of you to do! It's so awesome to be recognized by your blogging peers!

For those of you who don't know what The Versatile Blogger Award is (and don't worry if you don't, I had to Google it myself to get a better understanding!), it's a great way to not only learn about new blogs that you've never heard about, but it also helps a blogger to share a little about themselves and their favourite stops on the blogosphere.

So the rules to this award ? You thank the person who nominated you and share the link to their blog. Tell 7 things about yourself so that your readers can learn more about you. Then pass this award along to 15 newly discovered blogs that you enjoy reading. But just so you know, since I've always either forgotten or been the down right stopper of chain letters and things like this, the nominees have NO obligation to pass this along if they don't want to. For some blogs, it's not their style. For others, they may have the intention to do it and then life gets in the way and before you know it a month has gone by and you've completely forgotten all about it. Hey, I know how it can be. But I'm going to be the black sheep here and only nominate seven blogging peeps. Cause that's how I roll. Ok, really, I'm just feeling really tired and lazy.

Ok, so with that out of the way, let's get on with this, shall we?

7 Things About Me

1. I LOVE coffee. I seem to always have a cup of coffee nearby. I'm actually drinking a mug of the black gold right now, as I type. When I used to work at a coffee shop I used to "test out" the espresso shots, I swear, every 10 minutes! It was not a good sight to see when I got off work (re: I would be jumping off the walls!).

2. I love to travel. Yes, I love seeing new places and all that comes with traveling, but what I love the most? The getting there part. The actual travel part. Weirdness, I know. I'm one of those people that thoroughly enjoys being stuck in a car or plane for hours on end. During university when I had to travel via Greyhound to see my parents, I sometimes looked forward to the 13 hour bus ride...granted that the bus wasn't insanely busy. I also don't mind having to wait in airports or on ferries. And now that I'm a knitter, I don't mind any of these one bit! It just means more knitting time! Although I will admit that sometimes all these points don't ring true when I'm traveling with the Munchkin. That's a whooooole other story!

3. When I go grocery shopping or any kind of shopping for the house, I use a lot of coupons. But I am NOT an extreme couponer. While it's not impossible to be one in Canada, it is a little on the trickier side. AND people need to understand that the shoppers on these shows had been prepping and gearing up for these big shops for show purposes. So their weekly shopping trips aren't that extreme. I don't purchase crap. As in I don't buy a hundred bottles of pop or water, or a thousand packages of ramen noodles. I also don't do a million transactions. I'm too impatient for that.

4. I do have a nice stockpile of toilet paper, mouthwash, and laundry detergent to last my family for at least 6 months though!

5. Even before I started to stockpile the basics, both Brett and I highly practice the use of FIFO. We blame it on the fact that Brett used to work as a cook in his younger years, and I like to blame my FIFO fascination on Starbucks. So if you ever come over to my place, don't be surprised to see "death dates" and just dates in general on grocery items throughout the kitchen.

6. Like Rebecca, I'm a thrower (an English-style knitter). I too want to be a picker and had made it one of my 101 goals to teach myself how to knit continental. I'm still trying to figure out what works for me. I can do the knit stitch but my purling is practically non-existent. I'm far, far from being even remotely efficient with continental, but after reading Ysolda Teague's blog posts here and here I realized that it doesn't matter which way you knit, as long as you are comfortable. I've seen some throwers who are pretty darn fast knitters and some pickers that are extremely slow. Still, if you know of any good videos and/or tutorials on how to knit continental, please let me know!

7. I'm still trying to find the right balance (or any balance for that matter!) in which I can get both my knitting and my sewing projects done in the limited time that I have. It really doesn't help that I want to make it all! I would love to be able to turn my crafting into an actual paying job and totally understand that it can be slow at first. But who knows, maybe it's all just a dream for me? Maybe it'll take me a few years, when the Munchkin is in school full-time, to get "the business" going? For now, it's definitely extremely slow going. It totally irks me that people automatically assume upon hearing that I'm a stay at home mom that I have a ton of free time and that I must spend my day doing nothing but knitting and sewing. HA! I wish! Maybe if I had hired help and a nanny! I don't even have a dishwasher! I spend my days doing laundry, dishes, prepping food, and playing the game du jour with the Munchkin. I do squeeze in some knitting throughout the day, but we're talking maybe a row or two. The majority of my knitting happens after 9pm, after the kidlet has gone to bed, the mess from dinner has been cleared and cleaned, and Brett and I have a chance to sit and talk about our day. Sometimes I don't go to bed until 2-3am! As for the sewing...well, that happens maybe on the weekends. If I'm lucky.

Ok. Still with me? Good. That was longer than I thought it would be! I'd like to take this moment now to pass on the award love to the following blogs:

Stephanie of Grey
Mae over at Eat, Run, Knit
Mary of One Sheep Thrill
Michelle of mprsdrose
Ursa of Dyer in the Rough (she's also the woman behind the podcast The Pagan Knitter!)
Jane of Jane Richmond
Kat of Petticoats & Peplums
Cory Ellen of indie.knits
Jodie of Ric-Rac

Yay for sharing the blogging love! ♥

Winter Woollies

2011-11-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's been insanely crispy cold out lately. Or at least in my neck of the woods. I'm just blocks away from the ocean and so the cold air just sticks to you. The past few times that the Munchkin and I were at the park kicking around on the playground it hit me just how cold it really, really was. So cold that the Munchkin wanted to leave and go straight home...and this is a kid that I thought was impervious to temperature and wants nothing more but to be outside 24/7! This past weekend was no different. We barely left the house! Although, it didn't help that the heaters in the house weren't working (um...yeah, I should've looked at the breaker box...ahem!) and it felt just as cold inside as outside. You bet I was bundled up from head to toe!

So of course I've been thinking about nothing but knitting warm woollies for me and the family as of late. More specifically, warm AND quick woollies. The Munchkin still refuses to wear the Thorpe that I made for him last month, so I'm not so sure if I want to keep knitting for him just yet. He's still in this phase where he's being extremely picky about what clothes he wears. He seriously has to inspect the graphics before he will even consider wearing it, and of course it's all about the colour...if it's not red, blue, or green, this kid ain't gonna wear it! I decided that until he wears the Thorpe I'm going to hold off on knitting him anything else (even though I had started a few other projects for him before the Thorpe). As for Brett, well...I still need to even swatch for the cardigan that he requested for a Christmas present. He needs a warm hat too. The Turn A Square hat that I had knit for him last year is kinda out of commission...as in a thin part of the thick and thin Noro that I had used had snapped and now two stitches are missing. The yarn that I had used is "sticky" enough that the hat itself hasn't unraveled at all. But I don't want to be around when it does. Having my knitting unravel/fall apart is one of my worse knitting fears! I still have a lot of Noro in the stash, so I'm thinking of making him another Turn A Square. Although, I also have some Knit Picks Chroma Worsted in the stash too that I have no idea what I'm going to do with, so I just might give that yarn a try.

Of course, I've also been thinking a ton about warm woollies for myself. I've been wearing my new Owls sweater practically every time I leave the house ever since it came off the blocking mats, and sporting my Georgia around the house (how could I not? It's made of yummy MCN after all!). Even though I have a few cardigans on the needles already I decided to ditch them for now, in favour of bulkier and quicker sweater knits. One of those bulkier quick knits is actually almost finished. Here's a hint: it's a Jane Richmond pattern. I'm actually quite surprised that this one is almost done considering that I haven't really been able to knit much lately (we're talking maybe a few stitches here and there each day, with actual knitting time last Friday when I went to knit night). I also finished a cute cowl last week and have been wearing it around the house (it's also a Jane Richmond pattern). Hopefully I'll be able to get around to blogging about them this week. I'm really hoping that I'll be able to finish this bulky knit and have it blocked and ready to wear before the week is over. I'm just dying to wear it! It's going to be so lush and cozy!

For now though, I have to concentrate on spending time with my sewing machine so that I can update my shop in time for holiday shopping. My downstairs neighbour has been away on holiday for the past week and so I've been up until at least 3am every night since, either sewing or cutting fabric. Such late work times wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to wake up at 7:15am every morning when the Munchkin wakes up. I'm thinking I'm going to have to give myself a night off and try to catch up on some sleep! This same neighbour is back home now, but was super kind enough to tell me that she'll be working a lot of night shifts this week so I'll be able to keep working throughout the night.

On that note, I should get all my day time stuff done so I have nothing to worry about tonight! If you don't hear from me in a while, I've probably fallen into a sleep coma.

Have a crafty week!

Finished: Owls v2.0

2011-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

Guess what's finally dry and off the blocking mats? That's right, my second Owls sweater! It couldn't have come at a better time too, the weather has gotten so cold that I swear my nips fall off the second I take a step outside! Ooohhh...was that over share? Ack, I don't care! I'm bloody warm now! This sweater has been in major rotation in my wardrobe ever since it was dry enough to wear. It has now become the go-to sweater for when I know I'm going to be outside for extended periods of time...like when I take the Munchkin to the park. Or when I'm pushing a stroller all around the downtown area trying to get as many errands done at once so that I don't ever have to leave the house for a few days. Yes, it's that cold outside. Or maybe I'm just a wuss. Nah, it's cold outside baby!

I'm sad to say that my friend Hayley and I didn't get to finish our sweaters at the same time like I was hoping we would. I'm a bad KAL friend! Hayley has been busy with life and didn't have much time to knit on her sweater or to make it out to a knit night. I, on the other hand, have no life and thought it was so unbelievably cold out that it would be foolish of me to not finish the sweater pronto. I should note that Hayley was kind enough to message me and gave me the ok to carry on without her.

The funny thing is, I really didn't mean to finish this. Really, I didn't. It was late, I think I was watching Dexter, and this project was hoarding four of my interchangeable cables. I needed to re-claim those cables for other projects. So I sat down with the intention of joining the sleeves to the body and just transferring all those stitches to one cable. Before you know it, I had finished the owls. I looked at the pattern and saw that the yoke shaping wouldn't take long to knit up. It would have been stupid of me to stop knitting right there. So I continued on. All that was left was the neck ribbing. Again, being so close to finishing this project, I would have been an idiot to not do the ribbing too. Uh oh. I was done.

I have no control.

Just when I was telling myself that I really should stop and wait for Hayley, my hands were already weaving in the ends. I was trying to figure out what I was going to say to Hayley as I was filling up my kitchen sink with water and wool wash. As I gently placed the sweater in the water and was squeezing the air out, I thought maybe, just maybe Hayley was knitting that night and that the next time I talked to her she too would be finished. I looked down. The damn sweater was soaking.

No control, I tell you!

There's nothing you can do once your knitting is soaking, other than to dry it. And while it's drying you might as well block it, right? Riiiiight?? I know, I know...I'm making up excuses to ease my mind. Anything to make me sleep at night. Ok, not really.

While knitting the yoke I could definitely tell that a lot of changes were made to the pattern since the first time I had knit this pattern. You can't see the changes, but they're there. I didn't do too many mods, just extra rounds here and there to add length in certain places without compromising the placement of the back waist decreases. And since the pattern doesn't state what kind of increases to make, I tried using the lifted increases for the back. Brilliant! I love the look of it. I think the lifted increase is my new favourite increase.

The one major mod that I did:

Oh yeah baby! Thumbholes. Hells yes. I heart them so much! I now want to knit thumbholes in every sweater I make. Every.Single.Sweater. They are just that awesome. Seriously. Pure awesome-sauce. I cannot tell you just how handy having thumbholes in this sweater is. How they have kept me oh so warm during walks with the Munchkin, when I have to push a stroller. How toasty warm I stayed when I put on my gloves and then slide my gloved thumbs through the holes and no cold drafts could ever sneak up my sleeves. Ever. How there's no awkward tugging of the sleeves when I go to put my jacket on. How easy it is to just unhook your thumbs and maybe turn up the cuff a little when you're indoors and don't need the thumbholes.

Yes, thumbholes. Pure love.

I was smart this time though, I made sure to cast on pretty loose so that I can actually use my hands whilst wearing this sweater without feeling like the yarn is going to cut off my circulation. I once made a pair of wrist warmers and made the bind off way too tight at the hand. They get too annoying to wear any more since I can't even spread my fingers out without injuring myself.

I also learned from past mistakes. On my first owls sweater I made the bind off at the neck too tight and sometimes find myself tugging at the neck to keep the sweater from digging in too much. This time I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off and I have yet to have a single issue at the neck because of it. I know some people find that bind off way too loosey goosey, but for a tight knitter like myself, it's perfecto.

To say that I'm mighty pleased with how this sweater turned out is an understatement. I'm freakin' ecstatic! I love how roomy it is yet still looks slim. I like how the sleeves don't accentuate my "meaty" arms. I thought it was going to turn out too big, but the hooters look totally fine to me. Or maybe I just gained 10 pounds since the first Owls sweater? Ohhh...let's not think about that.

This version is so incredibly comfy, that I feel bad for the first sweater. I don't think it's going to get any more love now that this sweater has come along. I heart it so. Did I mention how much I love this sweater??

Is it wrong that I want to knit another Owls sweater?

Sweater Details:

Pattern: Owls by Kate Davies

Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool

Colour: Soft Grey Heather

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10) for ribbing and 6.5mm (US 10.5)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Owls v2.0

Finished: Sweet Berry Bandana Cowl

2011-11-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that I wouldn't start any new projects until I finished a few WIPs. Yeah...I guess I was crossing my fingers behind my back, cause that promise didn't hold up. At.all. I blame it on yarn fumes, the freezing cold weather, and the fact that I live way too close to the ocean which is causing me to be perpetually cold to the core at all times. I've been trying to hold off on turning the heat on in the house, something that both Brett and the Munchkin don't seem to mind (both of them generate heat like they're furnaces!). So I've been bundling myself up at all times. I'm starting to feel like the Michelin Man.

Last week I got some yummy new yarn in the post. I think I must have inhaled way too deeply because before I knew it, I had cast on for not one, but two projects! Seriously, I have the crafting mind of a magpie. I really do. The yummy yarn in question? The brand spanking new to the line-up Superwash Chunky by SweetGeorgia Yarns. All together now: Oooooohhhh! I am SO beyond happy that Felicia has added a chunky yarn to her yarn family. I don't knit with bulky yarns that often but when I do I'm usually not happy with what's available. Either I don't care for the base or I can't find the colour I want. Now I don't have to look that much further. Boo yeah! I'm one happy knitter!

So I got one skein of the Superwash Chunky in the newest variegated colourway, Berry Tart. I knew immediately what it wanted to be: a Bandana Cowl. THE cowl that's been making waves in the knitting accessory world. I was intrigued by it when The Purl Bee first blogged about it back in early October, but didn't think much about it then (cause I wasn't freezing my butt off). When the weather started to get colder my brain decided to knit anything and everything that would guarantee warmth. I liked this pattern, but couldn't find a yarn I liked. So other projects came first. When the skein of Superwash Chunky arrived on my doorstep last week, the Bandana Cowl all of a sudden made its way to the top of the queue.

The photos of me wearing the cowl make the actual colours look a bit washed out. The Munchkin hasn't been feeling all that well, or himself for that matter, and so Brett and I were in a bit of a rush to get the photo session over and done with quickly. The photo below is more accurate:

I had read that a lot of people were having yardage issues with this pattern and was hoping that the 120 yards that I had would be enough, after all, the designer stated that she only used about 100 yards. Well, I don't know how anybody could knit this within a 100 yard range. And to spec. I call BS! Yes, I didn't knit a gauge swatch per se (what's the point? By the time I finish a swatch I could be halfway done knitting the actual cowl) but I knew that I was getting three stitches to the inch on a 6.5mm needle (US 10.5). In order for me to get gauge I would have to go down to at least a 5.5mm (US 9), but to me the fabric would then be too stiff and thick with no drape. I decided to live dangerously and went with a 6mm (US 10). I thought that the gauge recommended seemed bunk anyways.

This cowl is another quick and satisfying knit, and a great pattern to have on hand for when you need to whip up and have a gift on hand. I had cast on last Tuesday night and bound off the last stitch Wednesday morning. Since I had yardage issues I couldn't knit the cowl exactly to the instructions. So taking notes along the way will definitely help you out the next time you make this. I had cast on pretty loosely (highly recommended) and was knitting along swimmingly with the short rows. Until I realized that I could get the three stitches that you're suppose to have between the wraps before moving onto the next part of the pattern. Even if I had gotten the three stitches I would have had to rip back anyways as I was way past the 11" mark. Luckily this is bulky yarn I'm working with here! So ripped back I did, made the decision to have five stitches between wraps and moved on. Next time, I could definitely leave more stitches between the wraps.

More knittin' and rippin' occurred during the decreases. I couldn't knit all the rounds between the decreases and had to improvise (and eye the ball of yarn I had left). I couldn't even knit the additional rows after the decreases or I would have been out of yarn ages ago for sure. Now that I've worn my cowl pretty much every day since finishing it, I could have definitely knit more length in the back neck (if I had enough yarn to do so) cause depending on what I wear, there isn't enough fabric in the back to keep the chilly draft out when you're out and about. I tried binding off this bad boy three times and kept running out of yarn each time. I finally just ripped out the last round of garter, did a Russian Bind Off with a 10mm (US 15) needle, and stuck a fork in it.

I really do love how this turned out. And I really do LOVE this yarn. It's so incredibly squishy soft...and warm! And I absolutely love the colours. Each stitch was a different shade of purple or magenta. The entire thing reminds me of a slice of pie. These colours are just so juicy good! I've been wearing it non-stop since the second I finished weaving in the ends! Even inside the house. The fabric is drape-y yet stiff enough to stay up and keep my chin and/or mouth covered for those moments when I'm extra cold. I kinda wish I had decreased a few more stitches around the neck for a closer fit around the neck, just for that extra warmth. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda. Right? Now I'll know for next time.

For those of you wanting to knit this up, do think about the amount of short rows you may or may not want to do (I'd do a few rows less on the next one), save your yardage to keep the length for the back neck (I know I will!), and if you can try it on as you go cause you just might need to do more decreases at the neck. I have a pretty big head and thought I would just get this on, but I had plenty of stretch and then some to slip this on over my head. I think I could have even done a regular bind off (using a larger needle to do so, of course) and would still have enough stretch.

I can definitely see myself making more of these as gifts...if I don't hoard them for myself, that is!

Cowl Details:

Pattern: Bandana Cowl by The Purl Bee

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Chunky

Colour: Berry Tart

Needles: Denise Interchangeable in 6mm (US 10)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Sweet Berry Bandana Cowl

Double Overtime

2011-11-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Remember when I knit this project for Brett? The one that made me touch yucky Red Heart Super Saver yarn? Yeah...that's right, the wrestling mask that I started knitting with gusto until the feel of the plastic-y acrylic slowly made me dry heave and made my hands sweat after a few minutes of knitting (I mean, there's acrylic and then there's Red Heart...'nuff said). The mask that I had to force myself to work on cause the intarsia was really starting to put me off on the entire project. The mask that I eventually stopped working on in favour of more exciting projects that involved nicer yarn, which then made Brett go crazy with anticipation to the point where he'd leave the mess of scratchy yarn on top of the computer keyboard, on top of my other WIPs, on top of my mobile (which he would then call, in hopes that I would touch the dreaded mask of crap)...if it was something that I used on a regular basis, Brett would have the unfinished mask lying on top of it - all as "gentle" reminders that I needed to finish the blasted thing so that he could sport it.

I finally decided to just bite the bullet and get 'er done. So I did. Mainly so that I wouldn't have to touch that knitting blasphemy ever again...and to get Brett off my back. But moreso the former. I was so beyond happy when the mask was finally and handed over to Brett. He wore it a few times and then tucked it away in his sock drawer. After a while (when hockey season was over) we both had completely forgotten all about that mask.

Then sometime over the summer I got an email from an author who claimed he was writing a book about hockey and fan culture. He found my photos of Brett wearing the mask and his Calgary Flames jersey, which lead to my blog, which lead to the email. He wanted to know if he could use a photo for his book. A quick Google search to see if he was legit (and he was) and I messaged back that he had my permission. Then promptly forgot all about it.

In September I got another email, this time asking if I was willing to give permission again to have that photo used in a contest leading up to the book's release (edited to add: the book is called Double Overtime: The Hockey Fan's Ultimate Hockey Book by Stephen Cole), as well as other promotional material (edited to add that the website for the book is here). Brett was giddy with excitement (he thought this would prove to the world just how big of a Flames fan he was...and the idea that he would be on the same page as Jerome sent him over the top). I thought why not and told Stephen Cole that he had my permission.

Well, the book's release has been promoted over Facebook and anything that involves the sport of hockey. The other day as we were shopping we came upon the book. Excited, we flipped to the Calgary section and was startled by what we saw:

When I was first asked about the photo, I thought it would be tucked into a collage of other photos and would be easy to miss. I honestly didn't think it would take up half of the page! Imagine just how big Brett's head got when he saw this! Instead of waiting for our copy to arrive in the post, Brett bought the book and has been showing it to anyone that has any remote interest in the sport (which is quite a lot of people...after all, this is Canada!). He also think it's pretty hilarious that out of all the projects I've ever knit, it's the one with the crappiest yarn that has garnered the most attention so far. I beg to differ. But that's a whole other post.

I thought I would share this, since Brett is so darn ~~cute~~ excited about this himself. I figured I had a right to be too. After all, my name is printed in the back in the credits!

Finished: Georgia

2011-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

O...M...G. That's right peoples, I'm finally blogging about my Georgia cardigan!! This project is so beyond long overdue for its debut, it needs its mad props pronto! What took me so darn long to finally show you guys my Georgia?

Buttons.

Seriously. It all came down to buttons. I just couldn't find the right ones. Either I couldn't find the right colour, or the colour that I thought would work turned out to be too red...too orange...too brown once I got home. When I did find the right colour, the buttons were either too big or too small. There was even a time when I found the perfect buttons only to discover that there were two left in stock with no opportunity for a re-order. I was crushed. How hard was it to find buttons?? It got to the point where I just started to bring the cardigan with me everywhere. Just in case I came across a shop that happens to sell buttons. You never know, right? I also got to a point where I started to get desperate and was trying to convince myself that getting buttons that were a little on the bigger side was ok. Luckily the ~~perfectionist~~ techie in me talked me out of that! One thing that I learned in fashion school is proportion. Having buttons that are bigger than the width of the button band can make your garment look sloppy. Such small details like that can make your garment look either homemade (which isn't bad if that's the look you're going after) or "Wow! You made that?!?". Who knew that I was actually listening in class that day...

So yes. Buttons are to blame for why it took me forever and a year to blog about this project! Seriously! This cardigan was started in February, finished in August, blocked in September, and now buttons added in November...oy vey! But don't think I don't have any love for this cardi. Oh, hells no! The second this was dry from blocking you better believe that I was wearing this practically every day. This cardigan is sooo comfy and absolutely perfect in keeping the chill out. For a while there it really didn't matter that there was no buttons on this bad boy, but then Brett asked the other day if I was ever going to add the buttons. I guess that was a hint? I finally buckled down and went to the local big box sewing store and managed to snag the last 2 cards of buttons that matched! Score!

Now that I've added the buttons this cardigan has become my ultimate go-to cardi - I grab it when I need to throw something on when I leave the house, when the house is feeling a little chilly it's the perfect sweater to put on and still look/feel chic, and most importantly, it works amazingly well with the rest of my wardrobe as I pretty much wear nothing but jeans, a tank or tee with a cardigan thrown on top. I'm seriously contemplating knitting a few more in different colours! Yes, I'm one of those people who, when they find something they like or works they get it in every single colour possible.

Once I got over my gauge issues (which we won't get into...it was exhausting. But if you're that curious, that post is here) the knitting went along swimmingly. Although, don't pay attention to the insides where I either joined new yarn or tried to alternate skeins...yeah, not pretty. I've knit quite a few sweaters since and have learned from my mistakes. The pattern, in case you didn't know, is Georgia by the über talented Jane Richmond. I absolutely love Jane's patterns. They are so well-written and in a simple format so that when you look at the pattern you don't feel intimidated and overwhelmed. I hate that feeling you get when you look at a pattern and see pages and pages of nothing but notes, numbers, and complication instructions on how to do something that should be simple. Not with Jane's patterns though! When you look at her patterns you get the immediate feeling that you can totally pull it off without a hitch (and in my case, think you can whip it up in a matter of days...which I suppose could be true, if you didn't eat, sleep, or have to take care of a rambunctious toddler). Another thing that I love about Jane's patterns - the fact that she admits/notes that she uses up every single inch of the yarn, including the swatch. Not many, if any, designers admit that they swatch and then rip it up so that they don't waste the yarn. Ahhh...a knitter after my own heart! Thank you Jane for being honest and for realizing that there are a ton of knitters out there that do that exact thing!

I didn't do any modifications, I even kept the sleeve length as written in the pattern! I love three-quarter length but decided to not go that route this time around. I really wanted this cardigan to be a year round piece and knew that if I wanted to wear this in the dead of winter that it would have to have long sleeves. In hindsight I could've gone just a tad bit shorter since I have abnormal T-Rex arms. I should also point out that I had knit the 36" bust size. I didn't want the cardi too snug and the actual 36" would have been too big, but because of the gauge that I was getting I knew I would get something around the 34" range with enough room in the waist for when I'm having a blah day.

Oh! Can I also talk about the yarn? Ooohhh...the yarn! This was my first time knitting with SweetGeorgia's Cashluxe Fine (yum...MCN!) and it will definitely not be my last!!! Knitting with this yarn was so heavenly. Physically and visually! It was so lusciously, squishy soft sliding through my fingers and the colour...oh my, the colour is absolutely delicious! I'm going to sound like a total geek, but I got a weird, giddy, happy-joy every time I got to a bright and vibrant pink-y section of yarn and would be full of glee after knitting it. I get compliments whenever I wear this and had gotten compliments every time I've knit this cardigan in public.

Ok, I think I just talked myself into knitting another Georgia...and I know I have some more Cashluxe Fine in the stash. But I also have some beautiful purple (Boysenberry) Tough Love Sock that would also make a fabulous Georgia. Although, one of the newest colours in the SweetGeorgia lineup, Glacier, would also make for a gorgeous Georgia...oh, and the turquoise-y blue of Saltwater? Oh yeah, that would be one smoking hot Georgia!

I can go on forever here. Please excuse me, I need to go smell some yarn.

Georgia's Details:

Pattern: Georgia by Jane Richmond

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Cashluxe Fine

Colour: Oxblood

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 3.5mm (US 4)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Georgia

Weekend, Where Are You?

2011-11-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

Holy Moly! Where in the world did the weekend go?? Seriously? I swear I was at knit night on Friday cranking away on my Stockholm cowl (which I finished, YAY!! It's blocking as I type), and then feverishly working away on my Owls. I remember a bunch of us standing outside the coffee shop an hour after they had closed still just chatting away, not wanting to go home it seems. I kind of remember there being a Saturday and eating homemade pulled pork sandwiches with icy cold beers (oh yeah...it was heaven!), and I remember doing some major purging/tidying up of the kitchen cabinets and desk. It's amazing just how much crap can accumulate on your desk. There was a pile of random papers, magazines, and catalogs that went back to 2008! I think I'm a pack rat...

All weekend I felt like I was going nothing but cleaning and making food. The cleaning, I have to admit, was needed. Throughout the week I do "quick tidy-ups" every morning and night of the house, just to keep things in order. But on the weekends, when I can enlist the help of Brett, we do a more thorough clean. Meaning that's when we put in some major elbow grease on the things that need it (like the bathroom!) and can purge not only the stuff the piled up over the week but extra areas of the house (like the kitchen cabinets...and the desk was really giving me a headache). As for the food making part, I decided that in order to help my crafting schedule I was going to make huge one pot meals or casseroles so that every second day (sometimes a third day) we can have yummy left overs and I don't have to spent a lot of time making dinner...time that could be spent knitting or sewing (when the kidlet allows it, that is). So far this plan has worked out quite a bit! I already forewarned Brett that the meal plan for the rest of the month was going to be like this, he didn't seem to mind.

I did manage to get some knitting in and like I said, I got my Stockholm cowl and my Owls sweater done! Both are currently on the blocking mat drying, albeit not as fast as I would like! I also finally got around to do the finishing touches of a project finished and blocked loooong ago. So stay tuned for that!!

Anyhoo, as the weekend slipped away I realized that I didn't post the winner of the Harajuku Fun bag! For that, I'm deeply sorry!!! I quickly went onto the Random Number Generator this morning and got the winner! Are you ready for this? The winner is....

Comment #5!! If I was smart, I would have checked to see who that was before starting this post...ok, just looked and the winner is:

Rebecca of the lovely blog nook!!

Yay! Rebecca, if you are reading this I'll be emailing you some time today to get your info so that this project bag can be sent your way and start getting used!

Speaking of project bags, Brett just took the Munchkin to his Strong Start play group...which means I have some time to get some sewing done...gotta jet, got a date with my Juki!

Have a happy Monday! ♥

Auto Pilot

2011-11-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Shhhh! I really shouldn't be blogging right now. But I thought I would pop in and say hello and tell you that my posts may be a bit sporadic for the next week or so...

Most of you may not know this, but on top of my intense knitting schedule I also have quite the full sewing schedule too. I think I may have bitten off way more than I can chew, and it's all starting to overwhelm and exhaust me. I'm crafting on auto pilot here! The scary part? The gift knitting hasn't even started yet. I have to thank my lucky stars that I don't have much to do for gift knitting...just the sweater for Brett and some small, quick-knit accessories. Phew!

The sewing, on the other hand...well...that's a different story. I've been trying to squeeze in as much sewing time as I possibly can in the ~~non-existent~~ extremely limited sewing time that I have. What's the deal, you ask? I'm trying to build up enough stock for my shop for the holidays. So what does that entail for me? Well, now that the Munchkin no longer takes naps (and this is so beyond sad for me) I stay up until 3am prepping (ironing and cutting fabrics) in between knitting rounds, then waking up early in the morning hoping that I can sew for at least half an hour before Brett has to go to work. Sometimes I can get a seam or two sewn while the Munchkin is off in his own little world but really, during the day I'm trying to keep on top of the housework, play time, and all the things that involve being a mom.

But I think I need to take a break. When you're trying to squeeze in this much crafting in such limited time, some things are bound to slip through the cracks. Small things, like remembering to sew in a pull-tab. Then realizing this little error when the bag is finished.

Crappers.

I'm not willing to stop and rip the whole bag apart just to add the tab. I need to keep going forward. What else can one do while crafting on auto pilot?

Oh, and what about forgetting to put away the much disliked so-called "medium weight" fusing, which you end up using in not just one, but two bags. I remembered while sewing the two bags that they felt much lighter and looked a little too flimsy for my liking but thought that I was just overly tired was imagining it all. Sewist's denial? Maybe. Then as I finished up the second bag the gut feeling that was eating away at me had its last chomp and that's when I realized that in fact I did use the wrong fusing. You can't tell by looking at it (it's the Harajuku Fun bag), but you can definitely feel the difference. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the construction of the bag. It just doesn't meet my standards.

So what should I do?

I'm thinking maybe I should open a sale section in my shop to sell the "as is" bags...the ones that don't meet my expectations. The ones that may have a pucker in a seam (yuck!), the ones that may be made with a weird colour/fabric combination (was I that tired when I pulled those fabrics together??), and the ones that may have a slight fabric flaw (how could I not see that weird line running through that print??). What do you guys think? Yay? Or nay? Über bad idea? Obviously these bags would be sold at a discount. I wouldn't want to pay full price, why would I expect anyone else to?

Well, while I ponder what to do with my less than perfect bags (after all, I can't keep them all to myself!), I'm going to do a quick giveaway! Since I made two Harajuku Fun bags with the lighter fusing, I'm going to give one of them away. Please note: the bag is in perfectly good, working condition with nothing visually wrong with it, it is in fact, below my shop standards. I don't want the winner to get the bag and be completely disappointed that the bag can't keep its boxy shape cause it's so smushy. If you think you can handle that and want a chance to win the bag, keep reading on!

** The giveaway is now closed!! Thank you to all who has entered and left comments!! **

~~Giveaway details:~~

The giveaway is open until Friday November 4, 2011 at 12 midnight PST (I told you this was going to be a quick one!). I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner (if anyone enters, that is!) and will be contacting the winner sometime over the weekend.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me if having a sale section for the one-offs is a good idea or not and why.

Coolio? Ok. I should go throw some ingredients into the crock pot and get cracking on some knitting. Good luck!

WIP: Stockholm

2011-11-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This post is coming to you post-sugar high. We had only two trick-or-treaters come to our door last night and the Munchkin pooped out pretty early to even bother doing a full round of our complex. So Brett and I gorged on our leftover Halloween candy. Yeah...not a good idea! Talk about a tummy ache! I wish I could spend the day sipping peppermint tea and knitting, but alas, life with a 3 year old never warrants a quiet moment to do just that. The day is going to be spent doing the errands that were never done yesterday. Oh fun.

In the meantime, here's one of the WIPs that I'm currently working away on for The Carefree Cowl Knit-along, hosted by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood. If you think you can knit up a cowl before November 9th (that's only 8 days away...totally do-able!) you should knit along and sign up here. The cowl I chose to knit is the Stockholm Cowl by Julie of Knitted Bliss. So far it's coming along pretty swell, although I wish it was knitting up faster. The pattern was originally knit in 2 panels before being sewn together, but Julie notes that the cowl can be knit in the round (she just didn't have a big enough circular to do so). Being one to avoid having to sew whenever possible, I decided to go the in-the-round route. Phew! 252 stitches around, trying to get a 14" width...can you say "knitting black hole"?? I've been knitting and knitting and knitting and it seems like my cowl is not getting any bigger! Don't get me wrong, the pattern is very memorable and therapeutic to knit, and the overall lace pattern is lovely to look at...but wow-y zow-y! It's a lot of knitting!

The yarn I'm using (Lamb's Pride Worsted) is one that I found in one of my craft boxes a few weeks ago. I distinctly remember purchasing this yarn to use in my graduating collection for school but had decided halfway into the school year to weed out this colour from the rest of the collection. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it back then, so here it is today...being turned into a lovely cowl.

To date I'm only at the halfway mark in achieving the called for width. A part of me is wondering if I should just stop at 10", but the other part is loving the idea of having this massive cowl wrapped around my neck on über cold days. I guess we'll see how I feel about it in a few days. The plan now is to dedicate the next few days to knitting this and another project solely, in hopes that I'll get them both finished, so that I can concentrate on the other projects that I have on the go. I'll let you know how that works out!

Have a happy crafty week!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! This is going to be a quick post as I have a ton of things to do today and a ton of things that I'm trying to squeeze in between the things that have to be done (like trying to get some sewing time in between loads of laundry while Brett takes the Munchkin to his playgroup this morning). But I wanted to wish everyone a happy Halloween. I absolutely love Halloween, sadly I didn't do anything special for it this year. I guess I'll have to make up for it next year!

I also wanted to share some of the pumpkins that Brett had carved before the weekend. You saw zombie Michael from Thriller in the last post (that's the one pumpkin Brett isn't happy with), the Tarman pumpkin (a character from Return of the Living Dead) above is Brett's best carve to date. It took him 4.5 hours to carve! For reals. Pure craziness.

Next up, Jack Nicholson in The Shining. This was another pumpkin that Brett was critical about. I personally think it looks amazing and that he's just been staring at it for way too long to be able to fully appreciate it.

My favourite pumpkin this year:

That's right. It's Dexter. The tea light candle was about to burn out in this photo, but you get the gist of it. When I saw how detailed the hair was going to be I thought Brett was crazy, but such detail definitely gives the pumpkin that much more...oomph. Don't you think?

I'm thinking next year I should ask him to carve Alexander Skarsgård's character Eric Northman. Ooohhh...well, you know, Halloween isn't over. And the day is still quite young. I wonder if I can get an Eric pumpkin by the end of the day?

Excuse me, I need to go ~~drool~~ research photos of the "Skars"...

Happy Halloween, play safe!

October Obsessions

2011-10-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ooohh...I'm squeezing this post in before the month is over. October has been a busy month, knitting wise (and I've been trying to stay off the computer to avoid time-sucks...not sure if that's working). There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get all the knitting and sewing that I want to get done, done. I'm not sure if it's the cold or simply the changing of the seasons, but my body seems to want to poop out earlier than normal. I'm going to say that my medical condition has something to do with this though, which makes my crafting time less than what I already have.

This weekend wasn't a productive weekend for me. Brett went to Vancouver for the weekend to attend a Halloween party that friends of ours throw every year. Seriously, their Halloween bashes are always epic. They throw two major parties a year and they are always Epic, with a capitol E. I can't remember if Brett's brother was spinning at this party, but the last time I went to an infamous Sasha and Shawn party I danced until my feet swelled to the size of boats. Fingers crossed that maybe I can go to next year's party. So while Brett was being Dexter all weekend, I was busy building marble runs and chasing after rogue marbles. Not really an activity where I can sit and knit with.

Before Brett took off to Vancouver, he carved some pumpkins. The above is Michael Jackson in zombie form from the Thriller video. And with that, here's a quick run down (I have to go pick up Brett from the ferry terminal soon) of the 5 things that have been plaguing my brain all month:

1. The Dahlia Cardigan. Yep...this pattern has made the Obsessions list twice now. As the number one obsession. Even though knitting on this cardigan did not commence until the 24th at Beer Knit Night, I was thinking about this pattern all.month.long. I kid you not. I was extremely impatient on waiting for the yarn to arrive in the post, and as soon as it did I couldn't wait to wind it up and start swatching! But then life got in the way and I didn't do anything about this cardi. Except think about. A lot. I had promised the ladies that I wouldn't go crazy and knit this at breakneck speed...after all, I have so many other projects on the needles that I need to work on too. But ooohhh...I can't wait for this bad boy to be finished! It's going to be so divine when it's done!

Source: interweaveknits.com via Melissa on Pinterest

2. Winter accessories. As in knitting winter accessories. Hats, mittens, cowls, you name it and I want to knit it. Every time the Munchkin and I are out and about I always think about how the kidlet needs a hat, mittens, a warmer sweater...and how I really need mittens and/or fingerless gloves. Then after half an hour at the park or playground I really wish that I had a hat myself...and maybe a thicker scarf or a cowl (since cowls won't unwrap around your neck as you bend down to pick up your kiddo to put him in the swing!). I'm sure that as the weather becomes even colder I'll be even more inclined to knit up some more winter woollies.

3. Fear Fest. After all, it is October and the month is all about Halloween, horror, and any and all things scary. I'm a H.U.G.E fan of horror and zombie flicks, so you better believe that I'm absolutely loving and watching all these movies in my favourite genre on the telly on a daily basis!

Image via

4. The Walking Dead. I guess I could categorize this with the above, but seriously this series is so freakin' awesome that it deserves its own mention. I love the fact that throughout the entire series thus far they never once use the word "zombie", and the fact that this show isn't all about guts and gore. Actually, in some episodes you rarely see any gore. In the last episode only one "Walker" was killed. But oh, the suspense! This show definitely makes you think about what you would do if you were in any of the situations that arise!

Image via

5. Knit-a-longs. Ok, so this one really isn't an obsession. More like I've been thinking a lot about and participating in KALs all month long. So I figured this has to factor in somewhere on this list somehow. So far I'm involved in five KALs: there's the sock one that I'm doing with my friend Hayley and her friend Kairee (both of them wanted to learn how to knit socks...Kairee really took off with it, Hayley's sock is on hold...so is mine), Hayley and I are also doing Owls (which is a yoke away from being done!). I'm also knitting the Dahlia Cardigan with a few lovely ladies from my knitting group, which just started a week ago at beer knit night. Then there's the official KALs that have way more people involved and are a lot of more organized, such as the SweetGeorgia Winter KAL (the North Wind Hat was for this KAL and I plan on casting on for another hat...did I mention that I had cast on another cardigan for this too?), and the Carefree Cowl KAL that is being hosted by Shannon of luvinthemommyhood. I was hoping to take part in the Jane Richmond Rae KAL, but with the five that I'm already doing plus the sweater that I promised to knit Brett (which I have yet to even swatch for) and shhhhhh! some secret knitting, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I really shouldn't add more to my plate. But definitely check out Jane's KAL. Her Rae scarf is truly classic, a timeless piece to add to your wardrobe, and from the looks of it - it seems to be an addictive knit too!

Ok November. Whatcha got for me?

Finished: Sunshine Sunnyside

2011-10-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Lookie here! Another baby sweater that I can finally show you! The baby that this was made for was actually born in June and I was really hoping to gift this to the mommy when I was in Vancouver for my friend's wedding. Sadly, that never happened cause I couldn't get the finishings done in time to block and dry the sweater before I had to leave to catch the ferry. Ugh. Why couldn't weaving in ends be more enjoyable to me? I had grand plans of showing my dear friend Erin what was coming to her and her sweet little Penny, go home and finish the sweater, and then mailing it to them pronto. I did say they were grand plans, not a plan that actually happened. The sweater was shown to Erin, but then brought back home to Victoria and promptly placed on the "to-be finished" pile. Dangerous! I should've known better, cause that sweater sat there forever. Then Erin and Penny arrived in Victoria a few days ago (Erin's husband is here to film) and so I busted my butt to get the sweater finished.

Can I just say what a moron I am? Babies grow at an alarming rate. What if the sweater no longer fit the wee kidlet?? Well, I lucked out and the sweater fits her now and she looks so absolutely adorable in it! Sadly, I forgot that I even owned a camera and didn't take any photos of her in it, but little Penny will be able to wear her new sweater for at least a week before she's too big for it. Lesson learned. Don't wait to gift a baby item!!!

This project will count towards my 12 in 2011. Yay, happy dance! The pattern, which was designed by Canadian yarn dyer, Tanis Lavalée (of Tanis Fiber Arts fame!!) is Sunnyside Baby Sweater and is a free pattern that you can download from Ravelry. The yarn is a yummy MCN blend (merino, cashmere, nylon) from Sunshine Yarns. I had received it from a grab bag sale that I had purchased last year. It's an absolutely gorgeous skein of yarn but I had no idea what I was going to make with it. Sometimes yarn screams at you, begging to be knit with. This skein called to me for months. When I heard the happy news that Erin was expecting, I knew immediately what that skein was destined to become.

I had such sweet and quick success with the Maile pattern that I thought this pattern would be the same. While both patterns are easy, I found that the Sunnyside took me way too long to knit up. Yes, I did do a larger size for the Sunnyside (6-12 months) but I didn't think the knitting time would be that different. In hindsight I think it's because Maile is knit bottom up and Sunnyside is top down, and to me bottom up feels so much faster. That, and the picot hems are a little on the time-consuming side.

I had only run into 3 problems whilst knitting this sweet sweater up. My problems had absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, which I thought was well written, but had to do with knitter errror. I had cast on for the project at one of the knit nights and was knitting extremely tight. By the time I got home that night I decided that I didn't like the fabric I was getting so I ripped and re-started. Luckily I was only on the neckband, so no major time was lost. My second error was my knitting over enthusiasm. I had knit at least an inch past the stitch count needed to start separating the sleeves from the body and had to tink back. My third problem was a weird one. I don't know if I was really tired or what but my stitch count wasn't the same as stated in the pattern, and it drove me crazy trying to figure out where I went wrong. But then after knitting for a bit my count matched up again. So weird. I didn't see anyone else mention a typo or anything in their notes, so maybe it was just me not being able to count? Probably. I wouldn't be surprised.

My row gauge was quite off too. I didn't do a gauge swatch for this project...or for any of the baby projects, since I figured that all babies are different and the sweater will fit at least one of them. Right? And when I do actually knit a swatch I don't really pay attention to row gauge, unless it's absolutely vital. I guess this pattern is one of them. I had knit the first sleeve and had 2 more decreases to do when I realized that I was already way past the five inch mark. I had to rip back, do the math, and sort out my decreases.

This was my first time doing a picot hem. I think it's absolutely beautiful and really makes the sweater look a touch more girly. When I first started the picot hem I was pretty nervous about the sewing part. If you don't know me by now, you should know that I avoid hand sewing in my hand knits as much as possible. This type of hand sewing is no exception. I freaked out when I was finished too because I thought I had stretched out all the hems too much while sewing cause they all had this weird flippy action happening and in some parts started to ruffle (and it shouldn't ruffle). After a good block and some time to sit, the hems all relaxed a bit and now they look "normal". I think in the end I did a good job and I'm pretty pleased overall with the hems. And would you just look at those buttons?? They make me squee with glee! Too cute to boot!!

I definitely recommend this pattern and love the fact that Tanis has given two options to make the sweater look either more girly or more masculine (garter stitch hems and beautiful cables rather than lace). I totally want to make the boy-ish version and suspect that the knitting would go by much faster than its feminine counterpart due to the simple (and no sew!) garter stitch hems. I just have to wait for someone to announce that they're having a baby!

Sunnyside Sweater Details:

Pattern: Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallée

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Luxury Sock

Colour: Mother Earth

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 3.5mm (US 4)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Sunshine Sunnyside

Finished: North Wind Hat

2011-10-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in this post that I had knit myself a hat. Well voila! Here it is! This hat was such a quick knit that I didn't even have the time to call it a WIP. I absolutely love this hat. I love it so much that I'm already planning on knitting a few more. I'll definitely be keeping my head warm this winter season, that's for sure! I love this hat so much that I have yet to block it. I'm feeling too impatient to wait for it to dry in order for me to wear it, so I just haven't bothered yet. I know, bad.ass.

This pattern is one of two new patterns released by Felicia Lo (the owner/creator/dyer of my favourite yarn, SweetGeorgia Yarns). Her other design, for those of you with inquiring minds, is Creekside Cables. I like Creekside but think I have a weird shaped head and don't think it would look good on me. I find that form-fitting hats make my large head look even more enormous and I would like to try to avoid looking like a lollipop (y'know, massive head, small body...not a good look). Anyhoo, I digress. North Wind is designed to be used with SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted or with any of Felicia's sock yarns held doubled. Since I don't have any Superwash Worsted in my stash that isn't already designated to a project, I decided to use a skein of Tough Love Sock...which was perfect since I wanted a grey hat that wasn't too charcoal-y or too light that it could be mistaken for a dirty white. The Slate colourway is the perfect grey that I was looking for.

The pattern is super easy to follow and to knit. I especially love the double brim and the fact that there was no sewing involved! That feature scored major brownie points in my book. The zig zag lace pattern is really easy to memorize and I have to say is quite addicting to knit. There were a few times that I had to tink back, but those times were due to me getting distracted by the Munchkin and then resuming knitting absentmindedly without any concern of where I was in the pattern until it was too late. This is a great pattern to have on file for when you need to make a quick last minute gift (um, the holidays are seriously just around the corner), or need a hat to match an outfit.

A bonus to knitting this hat: I can enter it into the SGY sponsored SweetGeorgia Winter KAL that's happening right now! Definitely head on over there to check it out (FYI - that's a Ravelry link). The KAL ends January 31, 2012 (ok, that was weird to type out...it's going to be 2012 already?!?) and since I always have a project on the needles using a SweetGeorgia yarn, you better believe that I'm going to have a few entries to submit!

Hat Details:

Pattern: North Wind Hat by Felicia Lo

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Tough Love Sock, held doubled

Colour: Slate

Needles: Denise Interchangeable in 5.0mm (US 8)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' North Wind Hat

Finished: Munchkin's Thorpe

2011-10-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned that I had knit the Munchkin a hat a little over a week ago. Here's proof that I did just that. I tried really hard to get a photo of him wearing it, but alas the kiddo broke my heart and has been refusing to wear it. sniff, sniff... Brett, bless his heart, is insisting that the refusal is due to the fact that it's just not that cold outside to warrant wearing a hat as warm as this one is. It still breaks my heart. My only solace has been that the Munchkin has become a bit picky and vocal about what he will and will not wear lately...right down to which pajamas he'll go to bed in! Toddlers...what can I say?

Anyhoo, this hat wasn't really on the knitting agenda. Yes, I was planning on making the Munchkin a few hats, but those patterns were already picked out. This hat came to be after I discovered another bin in a closet labeled "crafts". I saw a bunch of yarn in there that I had forgotten about and this was one of them (sorry, I know nothing of this yarn and don't even know if it's still available in Victoria. My Ravelry search shows that this yarn hasn't been stashed or used that much). I had purchased this yarn back in 2008 when I had first moved to Victoria and wasn't serious about knitting. I had bought the yarn in hopes of making a cabled clutch of sorts. Yeah, back then I knew nothing about yarn, gauge, needles...nothing. I thought you just bought the yarn you liked, used the needle size that was given on the label, and it should look exactly like the pattern in the end. Man, I was so beyond clueless! I've come a long way since then!!

Now, I don't consider myself a yarn snob as I do have copious amounts of Cascade 220, Knit Picks, and Patons Classic Wool in my stash but I have become a fiber snob. I prefer natural fibers and while I'm not against acrylics per se, I am quite picky about the kind and amount of it, since there are some pretty nice wool/acrylic blends out there. This yarn, well, this one is somewhat in the middle for me. It's nice and light for a bulky weight but the mix of wool, acrylic, and alpaca makes it very splitty. Yet when I saw it in the bin I knew that it was going to become a hat for the kidlet. And here you have it.

I had cast on at a Friday knit night and finished the hat the next morning. I was quite surprised that I had only used a little over half of the ball. I was kinda hoping that this project would be a stash buster. I used leftover Spud & Chloë Sweater that I had used for Baby Sophisicated Stripes for the trim and braids, which I think makes the hat look polished and gives it some interest.

I didn't swatch for this project, instead I went for my gut feeling and went with a needle size that I thought would give me the fabric I wanted and hoped that it would all work out in the end. I had started out with the idea of knitting the medium size, thought I had knitted the increases for the medium, but when it came time to do the bind offs and separate the ear flaps from the front and back, turns out I had the numbers for the small. So I just went with it. Glad I did. While the hat fits the Munchkin, it's a tad too big at the crown. Can I call it a design feature and say that it's a smidge big so that there's room for the Munchkin's head to grow in to? Let's do that.

So there really isn't much to say about this project. It's a super quick and easy knit, but I guess hats are like that? The pattern was easy to follow, but I'll admit I was a little confused at first as to whom the hat was suppose to fit - a child or an adult? I had to peruse the project pages on Ravelry to see how the fit faired for those who knit the pattern for their toddlers. But other than that I had no issues with the pattern. I did have issues with my needles though. I thought I could Magic Loop the entire hat but found that it was taking me longer to knit that way. I don't have that many 16" circular needles, especially not in a 5.5mm (US 9) so I dug out my Denise Interchangeable set. Knitting in the round was definitely easier and much faster.

Now if only getting this hat onto the Munchkin was easy.

Hat Details:

Pattern: Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Filtes King Van Dyck & leftover Spud & Chloe Sweater

Colour: Teal with brown trim

Needles: Denise Interchangeable in 5.5mm (US 9)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Munchkin's Thorpe

Slacker

2011-10-24T23:37:00.001-07:00

I am soooo sorry that I've been such a blog slacker lately! I don't mean to be. It's just that we've been having such beautiful weather lately (albeit the crappy rainy day that we had on Saturday...but even then we made the most of it and were barely home) and I've been wanting to make the most of it before the weather turns too cold and wet and we are confined within the boundaries of our home. The Munchkin is becoming more restless, more curious and adventurous about the world outside, and I feel a major need to get him out and about experiencing things.

So not only are we hitting up our usual parks, playgrounds, and play groups, but we've explored the breakwater (and stayed way too long, but that's because we saw a seal in the water and the Munchkin wanted to sit and watch it), spotted a yarn bombing (ok, that's more for me), hung out at the library (that was our rainy day activity), rode around the 'hood on the quad, took long walks, spied a fairy door (this made me really giddy with happiness!), and over the weekend we visited a pumpkin patch! Sadly we did not go home with a single pumpkin. According to Brett, who is the pumpkin carver in the household, all the pumpkins that we saw were either not the right shape or didn't have the proper surface. I was hoping to get at least one, but the massive line up leading to the cash register made me change my mind. Oh well, the Munchkin had a blast and that's all that matters to me.

As a result of all our adventures, I've barely been able to sit for long periods of time at the computer to catch up on emails, blog reading, blog posting, and basically keeping up (and keeping in touch!) with the various online communities that I'm a part of. To top it off, lately the Munchkin hasn't been taking his afternoon naps so the days really have been go, go, go for me. I'm starting to get nervous that naptime will soon be non-existent in this household. The lack of me/down time during the day has caused me to be extremely exhausted by 10pm. There's been a few nights where I've fallen asleep on the couch and have no recollection of even getting up to go to the bedroom!

In the off chance that I do catch a break I've been watching endless amounts of horror and zombie flicks (a reason why I love October...I get to watch my fair share of my favourite movie genre, all on the telly) and knitting like a fiend. I even managed to snag some sewing time! Last night I was able to not ~~pass out~~ fall asleep before 10pm and was up until the wee hours cutting out fabric. So this morning, while Brett took the Munchkin to his play group, I was able to whip up a few bags for the shop (but have yet to list them) and get a handful more started. Fingers crossed that I can do an update some time next weekend.

As for the knitting? Well, there's been a ton of that action happening around here. So glad it's such a portable hobby. Just wish sewing was this portable! A little over a week ago I started a Thorpe hat for the Munchkin at a Friday knit night and managed to finish it the day after. It hasn't been exceptionally cold enough for him to want to adorn his noggin with it though, so I haven't been able to score a photo of him modeling it.

Then last Wednesday I decided to cast on a hat for myself (I've been freezing my nips off at the playground, definitely time for me to knit a new hat). The pattern of choice: one of Felicia Lo's (of SweetGeorgia Yarns) newest hat patterns, the North Wind Hat. Um, can I just say what a totally awesome pattern this is?? So awesome that I finished it the next day too! Less than 24 hours to knit this bad boy. Oh yeah, it's a super quick knit with a very memorizable pattern. I made mine with Tough Love Sock held doubled, but I definitely plan on knitting another with some Cashluxe Fine...or maybe in Superwash Worsted?

Oh, who am I kidding?? I'll probably make hats in both bases! How could I not? I absolutely love my North Wind hat and have worn it all weekend long. I promise I'll take some photos of it soon and post more about it sometime this week.

I also finished knitting my Hooray Cardigan (yippee!) and am impatiently waiting for it to dry. But don't get too excited. It still needs a little more work on it before it can make its debut. Let's see...what else? Oh! With so many projects completed you better believe I had cast on even more! Try three more. Earlier this evening my knitting group had a beer knitting night (can you say yay to Pumpkin Ale? Oh hells yeah!), so a few ladies and I decided to kick off our little knit-along on this night too. What will the four of us be knitting? The Dahlia Cardigan (that's a Ravelry link, btw) by Heather Zoppetti. The four of us fell in love with this pattern when the Fall 2011 Interweave Knits issue came out, and I in particular have been knit-lusting after it ever since. Saying that I'm excited to finally cast this on is quite the understatement. Sadly I have so much on my plate right now that I won't be able to give this project the full attention it deserves. So I'm going to dedicate the rest of this month to finishing up other projects so that I can hopefully concentrate on it more next month.

For now, I've gots a lot of knitting to do! But first, this sleepy kitten needs to go to bed.

Nighty night napping knitters! (Yeah, I'm tired.)

Crafting Diversions

2011-10-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

I kinda feel bad. And really, I shouldn't. Not one bit. Why? Well, these past few days the weather has been absolutely gorgeous and in the afternoon it's actually been warm outside. I hate seeing the Munchkin cooped up when it's rainy and gross out, and since that kind of weather is about to come upon us sometime soon I figured he should be outside as much a possible right now.

So for the past few days we've been outside pretty much all day long. By the end of the day we're both so pooped that we fall asleep by 8:30pm. Ok, me not so much. But I have been going to bed pretty early. Although last night I woke up around 10pm, did some computer stuff and then fell back asleep on the couch. Needless to say that my crafting has been put on the back burner these last couple of days. Ok, ok, ok...a lot of things were put on the back burner (I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on!). I did, however, cast on for a few new projects. Yeah...can you say Starteritis? Other than that not much knitting has been happening all week. I did manage to squeeze in (literally!) about 15 minutes of sewing time yesterday (gasp!!!) and almost finished a bag for the shop.

I promise that I will get back to the crafting today.

After I take the Munchkin to the park. Hey, I can bring a knitting project to the playground!

Have a crafty day!

WIP: Owls v2.0

2011-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Hayley and I are doing a knit-along together. This has been in the works since the beginning of summer, but since knitting usually takes a back seat in the warmer weather (well, not with me) the start date for the KAL kept getting pushed back. We were at a Friday knit night when Hayley confessed that she has never knit a sweater before. I was thumbing through a knitting magazine when a cardigan pattern caught my eye and I exclaimed my love for it. Hayley had glanced over and said that the cardigan was one that she liked too. I quickly looked over the pattern and discovered that it was a fairly simple, basic, and easy enough pattern for a beginner to tackle. The wheels were turning.

I get pretty excited when knitters of any level challenge themselves and try knitting something that is out of their comfort level. Whether that be an accessory knitter (you know, the knitter that knits nothing but hats, mitts, scarves...accessories) tries her hand at knitting a sweater (no pun intended), or a sweaters-only knitter finally gives socks a go. Basically taking their knitting to a different stage. As someone who used to be scared shitless at the idea of knitting a sweater...that is, until I finally did it and realized that it wasn't scary at all, just time consuming...I saw this as my chance to help another knitter get to the next level. So I suggested we do a knit-along together and knit a cardigan together. Hayley was totally game. Yay!

We planned on knitting the Lodi Cardigan together. We talked about yarns and had set a date. Then life and summer plans got in the way. Hayley emailed me throughout the summer months and reassured me that she still wanted to do the KAL. I was sure we'd get around to it too eventually and assured her back that I wasn't in a hurry to get going and to not worry about it. I had a ton of other things on the needles, so a later start date was fine by me. Then the summer days dwindled down and Hayley returned to the weekly knit nights (yay!). We talked about the KAL again, but made no definite plans.

Then one chilly day I was rummaging around my wardrobe trying to find a big comfy sweater that I could pull on and be cozy warm in all day. Brett and I had a bunch of errands to do that day but really, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a million blankets wrapped around me and spoon an entire carton of ice cream into the hole in my face. I felt bloated and there was nothing in my closet that I wanted to wear. I had spotted my Hooters! sweater and wished that it wasn't so form-fitting and vowed right then and there that I was going to knit a big, comfy, and roomy sweater that did not accentuate every single curve and bulge (that you think you have all over when you're having a "fat day"). Later that day when I had the down time I checked out Ravelry for possible sweater candidates but kept coming back to the Owls pattern. Well, if I kept going back to it, then obviously that's what I'm looking for, right? I wanted quick and easy, and Owls was definitely quick and easy. It's a done deal.

I skimmed the pattern and went over my project page. This pattern was technically my first sweater that I had ever knit. Ok, let me clarify. I had knit the pieces of sweaters before but had never completed those projects. The Owls, on the other hand, was a sweater that I had knit and had actually finished. It took me a weekend to knit, and back then I had no clue what I was doing. That's how easy this pattern is. Then it hit me. Hayley had queued this pattern too. She's even mentioned the colour that she wanted her sweater to be in before too. She can totally knit this. I emailed Hayley pronto. She was totally down and a week later had even bought the yarn. We didn't even discuss a start date cause the day after she bought the yarn Hayley had already knit her swatch!

Boring photo, yes. But kinda obligatory in showing that there is indeed, a WIP!

So here we are, almost two weeks from when we started our little KAL. So far we've got the body to the armpits done, and I don't know about Hayley but I managed to whip both sleeves over the weekend and am ready to join the whole she-bang to make this project look like an actual sweater. I didn't want to power through the pattern and put any unnecessary pressure on Hayley and make her think she has to knit like a speed demon, so each week we've agreed to knit to certain sections. Last Friday's agreement was that we'd knit to the section where we'd be ready to start to Owls action. I reckon that by next week I'll have a finished sweater to show you guys.

Yay!

Finished: Westknits Mystery Shawl

2011-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...another FO. Now don't go thinking I'm the Speed Racer of knitting. All these FOs are happening all at once as a result of my pure laziness of weaving in ends and lack of blocking room. This particular project I was extremely lazy with, all those ends that have to be woven in...now I know why I don't do much intarsia! But I have to admit that the finished product is absolutely lovely and I've gotten tons of compliments on it whenever I wear it. And trust me, I've been wearing it non-stop lately. Ever since the weather has turn utterly crispy cold and being in the shade for even two seconds make your nips fall off. Ohh...over-share.

I had finished the knitting on this on the last day of August, but had completely forgotten to take a photo of it before the Mystery KAL contest was over. So I didn't get the chance to enter this bad boy. So sad. Oh well. I enjoyed knitting this, even if the rows did get insanely and annoyingly never-ending long towards the end. I know there were several people doing the KAL that were disappointed by this pattern, but if truth be told I don't know what they were expecting in the first place. If you've ever knit or seen a Stephen West pattern you would know what his style is all about and shouldn't have expected some shawl knit with a lacy border. I should also point out that the majority of people who disliked the pattern were also knitting with highly variegated yarns, something Mr. West cautioned about. I truly love my shawl and I think a lot of that has to do with the colours I chose. Even though I griped about the intaria and having to weave in the millions of ends, this project definitely made my finishing skills better. You can't tell where I've woven in a single end. Added bonus: I now know how to do intarsia properly. No unsightly holes! Yay!

I had knit the large size and I'm just glad that I didn't do an extra section three repeat. I had a ton of yarn left over in all three colours and was seriously considering knitting another section just to use up more yarn. Then Andi, one of the lovely ladies in my knitting group who also did the KAL, brought in her finished and blocked shawl to a knit night. She too had knitted the large size and I saw just how big her shawl turned out and decided against the extra section. The completed size that she had was the perfect size that I was looking for.

I was happy to learn that I wasn't the only one that had a lot of yarn left over, as it seems that anyone who didn't use scraps had a ton left over too. I think I have maybe a half a skein of each colour left? At first I was thinking of turning the left overs into Hexipuffs, but then a week ago I saw these gorgeous hand warmers on The Purl Bee blog. How awesome that those warmers use Tosh Merino Light too? And from the sounds of it, I have more than enough to knit up a pair AND still be able to make a few Hexipuffs too! Sweet! I'm adding that pattern to the queue...just hope I can get to it before the winter season is over.

I also really liked the yarn I was working with. It was my first time knitting with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light. While there was a difference in weight between the black and the pink, I truly loved how the yarn felt as it slide through my fingers. And boy, does this yarn ever block so nicely! I was aggressive (no surprise there) with the border cause my garter hem was starting to flip up, and I tried to stretch the crap out the whole thing in hopes of making the shawl bigger. Which was completely unnecessary as the shawl grew without my help anyways. The yarn gives beautiful stitch definition and the blocking only made it look even better by blooming the yarn just enough to fill in the spaces.

Stephen West gave a few options and ideas about what you can do with the border. I chose to go with the simple option of using just the anchor colour, rather than try to incorporate all three. I think the colours are pretty bold together and the fact that the anchor colour is so dark and was used as the point of interest in the middle was enough to turn the shawl into a statement all on its own. I didn't think it needed extra pizzazz.

I'll put it out there that I liked this pattern. Yes, it was boring at times but it's great TV or movie knitting...that is, once you get the hang of intarsia and have your numbers right (quite a few people have messed up on the center design and after wondering how they could screw that up I realized it's because they had their stitch counts wrong). I'm a fan of pretty much every design that Stephen West has published and this one is no different. Suffice it to say that I will be knitting a lot more Westknits patterns in the future...I'm already itching to knit up a Daybreak and a Spectra but am holding off until I can get other knitting commitments out of the way. Sadly, I probably won't get to these patterns until the new year (boo erns I tell you, boo erns!). In the meantime, I'm going to wear the heck out of this Westknits design!

Shawl Details:

Pattern: Earth & Sky by Stephen West

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light

Colours: Cloak (black), Tern (grey), Posy (pink)

Needle: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 3.5mm (US 4)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL

Hat Trick

2011-10-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, wanna know a secret?

I suck at knitting hats. Yeah, I know. It's weird. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone! Pinky swear! Give me a sweater pattern and I can knit the crap out of it and make it look good. But give me a pattern for a hat, and it'll be nothing but crap. I can't figure it out. Something so simple and small you'd think I'd be able to knit it without any problems.

But nope. Can't do it. To me, hats are the trickiest things on earth. I once tried crocheting a hat for Brett and it turned out a mess. I was a few rounds from being done when I realized that it wasn't going to fit. It was so small, that it had fit a then 6 month old Munchkin! I did knit Brett a Turn a Square hat and while that one turned out much better, it was still a smidge too big for his abnormally large noggin. I had to throw it in the dryer for a bit in hopes to shrink it down a tad.

I've also made a few sad attempts at knitting hats for the Munchkin, but they always came out too big or oddly shaped (as in they kind of resemble a hat, but could also be mistaken for a bucket of sorts). But this year I'm determined to knit him a few...even if it takes me a hundred tries. The Munchkin is going to get a Mommy-made hat darn it!

Actually, it's my goal this season to knit Brett, the Munchkin, and myself hats. Again, I don't care if it takes me a hundred tries per hat pattern, everyone in this family is going to have a hat...or two...maybe three.

Eep. I better get knitting! Wish me luck!

Finished: Emelie

2011-10-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Let's keep this FO train going, shall we? This here is my Emelie cardigan (sorry for the washed out photos...it was a gorgeous day and I was experimenting with different backgrounds. Now I'm too lazy to try to get different photos taken and I'm sure Brett is still grumbling about the last time he had to help take photos!). I absolutely love this cardigan. I seriously cannot get enough of it. Once I started getting into the knitting, I couldn't stop! I still claim it's the needles that I used...

Anyhoo, the second the cardigan was dry from blocking I was dying to wear it. So much so that I didn't even bother to finish sewing on all the buttons! I think I had sewn maybe four buttons before wearing it out to the Bitchy Bees' Bellinis Night at Milestones! I am so proud of this cardigan that I wore it three times in a week. I'm sure the ladies of my knitting group are sick and tired of seeing it already!

And the colour? Sorry that you're only seeing a washed out version of it, but the blue is much deeper in real life and has way more depth to it. I'm actually really happy with how well it matches the rest of my wardrobe. For those wondering, the yarn is my beloved SweetGeorgia Yarns Tough Love Sock. This cardigan is the third garment that I've ever knit out of this yarn and it definitely won't be my last.

I'll confess that the knitting wasn't all smooth sailing. I did have some issues with the sizing of the sleeves. When I started knitting the first sleeve I thought it was going to be extremely snug. I tried it on several times and could see and feel just how tight the sleeve was. Instead of ripping out the sleeve, I had put it on waste yarn and started up the second sleeve...only this time I used the stitch count for the next size up. I went to knit night the next night and asked the girls for their opinions on the sleeves and they pointed out that the sleeves will most likely grow after blocking, not to mention over time. Cause didn't my Queen Honeybee cardigan stretch out enough in the sleeves?

Ah, the ladies are so smart! And so right. I'm just glad that I didn't rip out the first sleeve and that there were two sleeves to experiment with! So I ripped out the second sleeve and finished the first. It was a little tight whenever I tried it on but sure enough, after a good soak and a (slightly aggressive) blocking, the sleeves feel and fit perfectly. Thanks for the great advice girls!

Another thing that I had to re-do? The buttonhole band. I've never done 3-stitch buttonholes before, just the eyelet version but after completing four of them I have to say that they are so beyond easy. I'm seriously hooked. I'll put it on record that I absolutely love these buttonholes! They look so clean, polished, and look like actual buttonholes! Not just holes within your knitting that you can squeeze a button through, but a real buttonhole. Pure.Love. For reals.

Yes, they take a smidge bit longer to do but they are so worth it! Once I finished the row of buttonholes and had knit a row on top of it I realized that I could do a better job. You couldn't see it on the right side but on the wrong side there was a tiny loop of yarn that was connected from the edge of the buttonhole and crossed a stitch and reconnected to the stitch after. Almost like an elongated purl bump. I didn't care for it. I thought it looked slightly sloppy. Needless to say the perfectionist in me came out and I just had to rip back and re-do the whole row of buttonbands. Oh yeah, this is how some people can go nuts. Something as small and insignificant as a stitch-long float can drive a person bonkers and while most people would have ignored it, I just couldn't. I never said I was sane.

I didn't do any modifications to the pattern. Before casting on I went over it and everything just seemed so kosher to me that I thought I would just let the designer tell me what to do. The only thing I did differently was that I used a 2.75mm (US 2) needle to pick up the stitches for the collar and the button bands and had knit a row before switching to the 3.25mm (US 3) needle.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but I absolutely love this pattern. It is so very well written and so very thorough. You can tell a ton of attention was put into it, and I have to say that the links to the tutorials on how to do some of the techniques were greatly appreciated. It was my first time doing the fake side seams, the 3-stitch buttonholes, and knitting an Elin Berglund pattern, and I can already tell that it won't be my last!! I highly recommend this pattern and am sooo tempted to cast on for another! That's how much I love it. The only thing holding me back from casting on a second Emelie is the fact that I have way too much in my queue that I want to knit too.

But I do have a few skeins of SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in a beautiful shade of purple that would look fabulous...

Ooohh...dangerous!

Cardigan Details:

Pattern: Emelie by Elin Berglund

Yarn: SweetGeorgia Yarns Tough Love Sock

Colour: Nightshade

Needles: Signature Needle Arts in 3.5mm (US 4), Knit Picks Nickel Plated Fixed Circulars in 3.25mm (US 3) for ribbing, collar, and button bands and 2.75mm (US 2) to pick up stitches

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Emelie

Finished: Baby Sophisticated Stripes

2011-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally get to share with you yet another baby sweater that I had knitted up back in May! Yippee!! Friends of ours welcomed their new arrival a few weeks ago and over the Thanksgiving weekend I was able to finally gift them this sweet little number in person while I cooed over their handsome little man.

I had quickly cast on this adorable cardigan the second I finished the Pebbles Maile sweater. I was on such a baby knitting roll, how could I not? This project doesn't count towards my 12 in 2011 goal cause I had bought the yarn specifically for this project and therefore isn't stash yarn. After hearing just how many babies would soon be entering our group of friends Brett and I had made our predictions as to who was going to have a boy and who was going to have (another!) girl (we made the same predictions...and were right!). Realizing that I didn't have much in the ways of boy-friendly colours in worsted weight yarn, I simply just had to go buy some. That's a valid excuse for buying more yarn, right?

This tiny number knits up lightning quick, but then again it's not often that I knit with worsted weight yarns. This was my first time knitting with a Spud & Chloë yarn and I was quite surprised as to how soft and silky it is. My hands had only hurt slightly from time to time, I think it's from the high cotton fiber content in the yarn (it's 45% organic cotton, 55% merino wool), and only when I went on long stretches of knitting...like when I did the sleeves all in one sitting.

I absolutely love the shawl collar. It makes me giggle thinking about how a tiny wee baby wearing this should also be holding a wee little pipe that blows out bubbles. Yes, silly indeed! Seriously though, I've been digging the shawl collars as of late and am thinking I need to knit another project that has one. I think it's the magic of how the collar forms in the knitting of the short-rows that makes me so happy. I'm a huge fan of short-rows and seriously love it when a pattern utilizes them.

My only flaws with this project is trying to figure out how many rows to make the stripes. I basically did what I thought looked nice...then I got to the garter stitch hem. I didn't want to immediately switch to the colour that I wanted the collar and button bands to be, or it would make the last stripe too skinny and (to me) look off (which would bug the crap out of me). How anal about this stuff am I? Let's just say I had to put this project down for a whole day so that I could think it over. Crazy, I know. In the end I just started the garter hem using the colour of the last stripe before switching to the contrast colour. I don't think you can notice too much?

The other flaw is the striping on the sleeves. The sleeve hem colour doesn't match the body hem. So glad that I'm not the one wearing this, or anyone in my household for that matter, cause this little hiccup bugs me to no end. I'm pretty sure no one else notices this but the perfectionist in me. I'm getting better though, I'm not as nit-picky as I used to be (when I used to work as a technical designer...oooh, was I ever nit-picky!!) and I think knitting has really helped me with that.

Anyhoo, back to the cardigan. It took me forever to find buttons for this. Everything I saw was either not the right shade of chocolate brown, not the right size, or not the right material. I finally buckled down and chose these, which I think suits the cardigan just perfectly. I got them on sale too, half price. So you better believe that I stocked up! I definitely plan on knitting this pattern a few more times, it won't be my go-to baby pattern like the Maile pattern is, but definitely one I'll turn to when I need something a little more boyish. Speaking of which, I just found out that one of Brett's friends is having a baby in December. He thinks it's going to be a boy. I guess I'll be knitting this pattern sooner than later!

Little Old Man Cardigan Details:

Pattern: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down

Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater

Colours: 7507 - Moonlight (blue) and 7503 - Root Beer (brown)

Needle: Knit Picks Harmony Wood Interchangeable in 5.0mm (US 8)

Ravelry Link: MisoCraftyKnits' Baby Sophisticated Stripes