oh yeah, baby!!

I know - two posts in one day! But I couldn't wait until next week to post this... Where can I sign up?


http://www.uclick.com/client/spi/cl/2007/08/29/index.html

Ravelry, and question answered

Ravelry. I'm in. And I have done nothing about it. I know it's a huge time suck, and if I had the time available to suck, I'd be all over it. But I know I don't, so I'm ignoring it right now. (la la la la la la, I can't he-e-e-a-a-a-r you...)

I have to set up a Flikr account first, then I know I'd dive right in and not come up for air until sometime in November.

soon... soon...

Lynn left me a comment yesterday, and wanted to know if I had any teenage boys on my Christmas list, and what do I knit for them.
Remember I said my nieces and nephews (with one exception) love the hand knits? Meet the one exception - teenage boy. I have made him a Harry Potter scarf, because he asked for it, and I have never seen it worn. (I even made it in a cotton-silk blend, because of his "wool allergy". Please. Amy Singer has a wool allergy - he's just picky.) There are a couple of other teenage boys (sons of friends), and I have been successful with a chulla hat - the Andean type hat, rustic wool, ear flaps, long pom pom and ties hanging down. One guy loved his so much he hugged me! In public! And he's a teenager! Sweet. So Lynn, your best best is to maybe hang out at the mall and look at what their wearing, I guess. Or come right out and ask them. And tell them to be honest. Last year, nephew got an I-tunes card and some movie passes. He was happy, I was happy, and time I would have spent on something for him was spent on something for someone else. Good all around.

Without going into too much detail - keep your fingers crossed for me for the next couple of days. I'm hoping for good things...

I'm also hoping to re-acquaint myself with my camera soon.

My Christmas list

I often refer to my Christmas knitting on this blog. I basically start thinking about one Christmas as soon as I finish wrapping everything for the previous one. I love Christmas. I love giving well thought out things to the people I care about. I don't particularly care for the getting of gifts (although very nice!), as I'm very much like my Dad in so many ways. One of which is, if I need something, I usually go out and buy it. I've been told I'm extremely hard to buy things for. Personally, I think this is a crock. I've told people that I'm happy with wool. They don't believe me. I tell them again. My extended family doesn't think I mean it. Really. The same people that rarely see me without knitting attached to me in some way. They don't think I want WOOL as a gift. It's a lost cause. I've told them knitting magazine subscriptions make a nice gift. I get Canadian Living. (a fine publication, don't get me wrong, But after 10 years, they start repeating themselves...).

My Mom gets it. She basically tells me what she is thinking of buying as gifts for everyone (including me), so, while there is no surprise with Mom, there are also never any returns. She gets my brother and husband Mark's Work Wearhouse GC's and SIL and I get Winners. Perfect. The kids are checked with in advance, and the correct clothing / electronic gear / stuff is chosen. My mother, for a flighty French Canadian woman, is the Christmas goddess.

My in-laws are another thing altogether. My FIL shops exclusively in the tool department at Canadian Tire, and my MIL always buys all of us girls (5 in total) the same thing in different colours. She has wonderful taste, but unfortunately, it's usually stuff she thinks we SHOULD wear, not stuff I would ACTUALLY wear. But the thought is there. Lately however, it's been much more practical. They are so busy, so they just write cheques. Works out well all around.

I mean, really, I'm 45 (or I will be, hang on, I have to check the calendar - yup- 45 later this year). There's not a lot I need (other than wool, but I know I'm not getting that). To me, it's about the kids. I love watching my son and his cousins and friends get excited about the time of year. It's what makes it all worthwhile. And for me, it's about giving of myself. I love making things for other people. That's why I give so much of my knitting away. (and why I knit so many small things - I'm not stupid).

Carol asked me about the size of my Christmas list. I added it up.

19 women
7 girls
11 men
14 boys

Okay, now not all of them get something knitted, but some get multiple knitted things, so on average, I give away around 50 or so gifts each year. And I love doing it. I also pick and choose the recipients. My Mom, MIL, FIL and some friends will ALWAYS get socks. They love them, care for them, wear them and appreciate them. My brother and his wife - not so much - we have agreed not to exchange gifts. But my nieces and nephews (with one exception), love the hand knits. They stay on the list. My SILs also stay on the list - their gifts just change each year. One SIL got Icarus last year. A hand knit lace weight lace shawl. I got a small note in February (after her mother said something, I'm sure), and have heard through the grapevine that she loves it, but she has never said anything directly to me. If Jen has her way, she's getting nothing this year, but she'll get something. I'm just not sure what. I mean, I don't do it for the accolades, but a hearfelt thanks goes a long way. Or even better, seeing them use the stuff. I've had to convince peole that putting hand knits "away"" because "they're too nice to use", is not right. We make things because we want people to use them, not put them away. It's funny, my close friends seem to appreciate the handknits more than family (with the exception of my husband - he rocks the hand knit socks. Not only does he pick yarn from my stash (plain, wild, anything goes except pink), he wears them all the time and he shows them off). My one girlfriend gets stocked up on golf socks each year (1 pair done, hopefully 3 more to go). I don't think I have time this year for a big lace project. That's why the bracelets will be great. Quick to do, (but no one has to know that), and basically, good bang for the buck. If they don't like 'em, well, too bad - at least wear them once in my presence, then you can toss 'em. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?

my son... I think I'll keep him...

So I'm out with the child, getting some stuff for school. We're shoe shopping - he needs a pair of shoes for school and he needs basketball shoes for his league that starts up soon. Here is where he needs the specialized shoes - both his Dad and I played, and our ankles all show the resultant damage or poor shoe choices early. (We learned, and now I always buy the right shoe for the job. Of course, I also rock the high heels. Sue me.) Son gets the good quality high tops to try and ward off the problems we had. While out, we pop into the store next door for some pants and shirts. We're wandering around looking at things. I grab a cotton knit sweater to look at and ask him what he thinks. No shit, this is what he says to me:

"Why would you buy me knit stuff? I live with the best knitter in the world. You, Mom."

I love this kid.

And look who made a return visit to my morning commute!! Different spot, same balloon...

Who hot air balloons at 7 in the morning?

what I did this weekend...

First off, thank you for the kind comments about Jilly. It's a devastating thing, and we will all get through it, but it will never be forgotten. I hope people will remember the utter importance of organ donation and the good that can come out of a tragedy like this.

Okay, my weekend. A whirlwind of soccer playoffs and general "school's almost here" activities. We were at the soccer fields for much of both days for Son's soccer playoffs (lost in the semi's, but they played great, and walked off the field with heads held high - we had some fabbo coaches this year.) I did NO knitting at the games - SO unlike me! But the games were exciting, and much cheering was going on.

However, there was some off time, and while Son and Husband were getting caught up with their Playstation playing, I turned the heel of my Shelridge sock, and got up to the ribbing of my Dancing sock:

These two are now my travel knitting - they come to work with me, etc. so that I can work a few rows whenever, and I don't have to worry about shaping or anything like that.

The Shelridge up close:

I love this stuff - 100% superwash merino, and great colour combinations. I think Hubby is eyeing these - I may surprise him and actually give him a finished pair for Christmas (he usually gets the "two balls of wool and a promise of socks later" gift).

And surprisingly, I dipped into the stone beads, and cranked out some more jewellery. (Like anyone is surprised by this). These are destined for Christmas presents this year - if I can let them go:

Just look at the stones up close...

Yeah, I'm going to need a 12 step bead-reduction programme soon...

Eleven year olds are not supposed to die.

My dear friend's 11 year old niece Jillian was killed in an accident last week. She was out on her bike, delivering her birthday invitations, when she was hit by a car. She was excited about having her own party this year, separate from her twin brother. It was an unfortunate accident - a country road, a blind corner, a carefree kid on a bike and a 17 year old classmate of Jilly's older brother who will never be able to forget that day. (No charges are being laid, the driver was absolutely not at fault).
She was airlifted to Sick Kids where everything possible was done, but it wasn't to be. Her family made the bravest and most heart-wrenching decision possible - to say goodbye, and let "Jilly Bean" help at least 6 other people through organ donation.
Hug your kids, hug your friends an extra time today, in honour of Jilly.

I'm off to make a donation to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. They do the best possible work in the toughest situations.

I... can't... stop...

I thought I had walked away. I thought I had put it down and got back to the mitts, socks, lace and sweaters calling my name. Then I found these:

Natural stone beads. They sucked me back in. I've fallen hard once again. If I don't surface for a few days, send someone to dig me out from under the pile of bracelets...
but let me finish this one first. My Mom will love it...



Damn, but these things are addictive...

Right back at cha, Steph!

(I figured if she can take pictures of us with a sock, I can do the same to her...)

So Stephanie and Rachel H came to Aurora last night. What fun! We started at my house - eating our fill of food, beer, wine and other things. Yes, the butter tarts made a return appearance, as well as the veggie quesadillas. The tomatoes from Ann's garden were a great addition. In between all the chowing down, stories were told (No one will ever get into a car with Joan T again!), friendships were made, and an all around good time was had. When we finally vacated the house (much to the relief of my husband and son, who were hiding in the living room), we headed off to the church for Steph's talk. (I'm still trying to figure out if anyone Kinneared us! It's hard to tell...)

I introduced Stephanie, and she talked while we all knit. Thankfully, I was working on stockinette socks (see above - Shelridge Farms handpaint - yummy!) There was no way I could have kept to pattern, what with all the laughing. You know, there's a reason "At Knit's End" won the Benjamin Franklin prize for written humour (note - not KNITTING humour, all humour!), she is a funny lady. She know how to tell a story to keep you interested, and man! she had a lot of them. CHOKE featured prominently, and we all know members of CHOKE (Cultural Humiliation Of Knitters Everywhere) - some are in my own extended family!

After the talk, she signed books, and then we headed back to Tove's shop - she stayed open late for all of us. We enabled each other rather nicely (Rachel H grabbed the angry caribou buttons - I swear if she hadn't I would have! They were too funny!). While at the shop, Stephanie and Fiona Ellis (who had come to hear Steph talk), regaled us with stories of their travels, and a little inside info on people in the Knitting World. We also got to see a sneak peak of Fiona's new book "Inspired Fair Isle Knits" - she had an advance copy. I am SO getting this book! The kid's sweater! The halter! The jacket with the fair isle pockets! The... well, you'll just have to wait until October when it releases, and I promise you, you will get the book as well.

After more yarn perusing and chatting, we finally left. The three of us made a pit stop back at my place for a coffee (or beer, for those that don't drink coffee late at night - you'll have to guess which one of us that was...) and more talking!

Steph - the Car's song you were thinking of? "Whose Gonna Drive You Home?"

Rachel H - you and I were thinking of "You Might Think"

(I'd link to stuff, but to be honest, I'm really tired, and after taking a day off work, I'm a little swamped today (yes, I am stealth blogging from work - such a bad girl!)

I met some great people last night - lurkers who told me they read this blog (always nice to hear), and of course, Rachel H. I'm hoping a friendship has formed there - she's a great person. Stephanie and I have already talked about next year - we've had the hottest day in August, and now the coldest day in August. We figure we'll plan for locusts or something next year. Whatever happens, I hope she knows she's always welcome - the beer fridge is always full, and food is always available. But most of all, she and Rachel (and anyone else she wants to drag along) are always welcome in my home, my town and my LYS.

am I a knitter?

Are you a knitter?

You may not be a granny, but you've got the mentality. Hard work and artistic vision lead to your beautiful knitted results.
Take this quiz!

"The mentality of a granny" - I'm not sure I'm complimented by this...

Counting down until tomorrow - Stephanie and commenter extraordinaire Rachel H. make their way to Aurora - good food, good fun and laughs galore!

Finally! pictures...

Just to prove that I have been knitting...

Three pairs of socks in progress - from left to right - the orange and green is Knitpicks Dancing - a cotton, wool, nylon and elastic blend. It's nice - a little "ropey" feeling, but then I'm spoiled by squooshy merinos like the middle one. Shelridge Farms Super merino handpainted. Sorry the picture isn't very good - the colours are lovely, and the nice thing is Shelridge also comes in solids as well. The purple is Elann Esprit and cotton / Lycra blend. This is another pair of golf socks for my friend. She's one of my favourite people to knit for - always appreciative, and wears the stuff I give her to death! I made her three pairs of these cotton golf socks last year - now she tells me when she buys a new golf shirt and the colour - "in case I want to co-ordinate anything". Of course I do - she's getting these purple ones, and hopefully a few more pairs - depends on how prepared I am for the holidays this year...

Last year I did a seed stitch cuff on these socks - this year I did my favourite fold over picot hem:

And here's the new incarnation of the merino / tussah silk blend lace weight. It's Amy Singer's Montego Bay scarf pattern (my go-to stupid-proof scarf pattern). Once blocked, this will open up nicely, and I much prefer how the colours are striping. I like it like this rather than the symmetrical criss crossing that the other lace pattern was creating.

There are still some spot available for Stephanie's talk on Tuesday for anyone that hasn't yet emailed to reserve a seat. Email Nancy at nmcinnis (st) aci (dot) on (dot) ca for a seat. The weather seems to be on our side this year - we won't be in the triple Fahrenheit digits this time around!

Tove at Needles and Knits will have books available for sale if you still need some, the store will also be staying open late for us.

Carol - how close are you to Aurora? Are you coming?

This was on MSN when I opened up this morning:

An article on helping Moms save time at home.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/mindbodyandsoul/careerandmoney/articlelhj.aspx?cp-documentid=923086

sorry, but this is somewhat of a crock. I can't tell you of one Mom that isn't already doing this stuff. I mean, really - "Stock Up on Replacements"? (They tell you to buy extra of things like coffee, coffee filters and toilet paper). Well, geez, and here I thought I was saving time and money by buying my toilet paper a roll at a time!

And "make your kids self sufficient" Again, most Moms do this at the right time for their kids. I'm not sure leaving a 5 year old alone in the bath is a good thing, however, but my kid has been getting his own snacks for a long time. Plus, if I'm freeing up time, it's usually because I want to spend MORE time with my kid, not less!

OK, rant over. (Man, I'm cranky this morning - I think I'm going to need a mid-morning extra run to Tim's today!)

Again, no pictures of knitting (Bad, blogger! bad, bad!) I have three different pairs of socks on the needles, as well as a lace weight Montego Bay scarf. (I ripped out the blue handpainted Grand River merino/tussah blend - I didn't like how the colours were blending. Wait! I can show you what it WAS:

see how the camel colour and the lavender were criss-crossing? I'm not fond of that. The Montego Bay pattern is working out much nicer.

I have so many socks because I want to ensure I have a large amount of potential stockinette available for Tuesday night, when Stephanie comes. Nothing worse than trying to knit in pattern whilst laughing one's ass off, and drinking beer. There are still lots of seats available - email Nancy at nmcinnis(at)aci(dot)on(dot)ca to reserve yours.

I missed it! Dang!

Aug. 13 was Left-Handers' Day. We lefties deserve a special day. Face it - the strong association between the left and very bad things, such as, say … Satan(!), kind of puts a damper on the whole "uniqueness" of it.

"Not that long ago, many young lefties schooled under stern nuns were forced to write with their right hands or their knuckles would pay the price."

This is a quote I found. I can go one better - I started school in Quebec. I had my left hand tied behind me so as to force me to write right-handed. Luckily, my Dad was transferred to Ontario shortly after that. (It only lasted one day - my Mom and Dad had what amounted to a hissy fit with the teacher - Mom dealt with the same issue when she was a kid - she had the nasty nuns. She is now ambidextrous. I just had a horribly backwards fervernt Catholic teacher that thought I was the devil incarnate. Yeah, I don't practice Catholicism in any way, shape or form.)

The word "sinister"is derived from a Latin word that means "left."

A left-handed toast amounts to a curse, not a well-wish. - Excellent! I'll have to remember this if I ever "toast" my current boss...

In some cultures, eating with the left hand is impolite. - My husband spent months in Bahrain during university. If we ever go back, he would have to school me in the eating habits - I would not be welcome at many tables, unless I made myself use my right hand.

If I ever decide to take up polo playing - I'm screwed.

FASCINATING LEFT-HANDED FACTS

Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right - Yes, I do.

There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed - not a twin, so a moot point.

Stuttering and dyslexia occur more often in left-handers (particularly if they are forced to change their writing hand as a child, like King of England George VI). - I guess I got out easy, neither of these apply.

Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater (is that why left-hander Mark Spitz won gold medals for swimming in the Olympics?)


Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing - Ok at tennis and baseball, pretty good swimmer, never fenced, but I was a archery champion...


Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers - ummmm, ok. Can't say I noticed this.

4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed - cool.

1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed - 250% more than the normal level. - very cool.

Left-handers are generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative and multi-talented than right handers ( based on discussions among members of the Left-Handers Club! :) - Have to agree here...



OK, now some personal thoughts on this:

I am mostly left handed, however, I bat right handed, and I golf right handed. I do throw balls left, and I throw curling stones left handed - really throws off opposing teams...

Surprsingly I can arch (bow and arrow) both ways, but did best left handed.

My nephew is a lefty - his parents are NOT happy about this, and thought about tryiing to "fix" this (their words) when he was younger. I normally do not interfere in other people's child raising, but I had to say something here. Ultimately, they didn't attempt to change him. I think my SIL wanted to (Catholic), but Husband's brother prevailed and Nephew is happily lefty.


I wanted to have pictures of my current WIP's - I seem to have had a sock explosion - three different pairs currently on the needles. Plus, Lucky has started a River Rock Scarf from No Sheep for You, and it reminds me of the one I currently have going - I need to get back to it, because I do enjoy it. Plus I have some Atacama Alpaca (like Lucky is using) in a different colourway, and now I want to make ANOTHER one using it...

I can finally talk about it!

If you are a fan of Stephanie's you probably already know that I have harrassed, I mean, asked, her to come back to Aurora:

Tuesday August 21 at 7pm
Aurora United Church, Basement Social Hall. 15186 Yonge Street, Aurora.

Please email Nancy at nmcinnis@aci.on.ca to reserve your seat, and avoid the dreaded "turned away at the door". (I think Stephanie sometimes forgets how popular she is, and we could have far more than the cut-off of 140 people if we aren't careful).

There will be talking, knitting, laughing (lots of laughing!) and book signing. There will also be hat collecting for charity. For those that braved the inferno that was last year's talk, note that we have moved a couple of blocks north - a bigger locale, but still nice and convenient to Needles and Knits.

For those new to the Aurora / Newmarket area, there are a number of yarn stores in the vicinity, so if you come early, you can yarn crawl all you like. Details to come. (No, I'm not officially organizing a yarn crawl - I will be busy providing beer, I mean food to a few visiting knitters to sustain one of them through a talk...)

I'd wear my Venus de Knitting t-shirt again, but I don't want Franklin to think my wardrobe is that limited. (it is one of my favourite shirts - I love how only knitters get it).

Am I rambling?? I think I'm rambling. I'm a little excited. I love hearing Stephanie talk. I love how the knitters all GET IT when she talks. I love being among my people.

I have to arrange to get Husband and Son out of my house that day, They don't knit. They don't GET IT.

I see the strangest things...

Now, I have a fairly benign commute. No major highways, a nice drive for the most part. But sometimes, I see the strangest things. Remember the giant Mr. Peanut balloon?

Earlier this year, I saw a giant Mr. Peanut Balloon hovering over my drive. (sorry for the crappy picture - it's hard to do so while driving. I wonder if this is considered Kinnearing Mr. Peanut?)

So this morning, it's not a giant balloon, but a traffic jam. Then comes the reason - a bridge. (or at least a section of a bridge). This was preceded by two police cars (racks flashing), two other trucks, then this, followed by two other police cars. Luckily, they were headed northbound, and I was headed southbound, so once we passed the spectacle, the pace picked up, and I still had time to get my Tim Horton's coffee before work. (I'd hate to be marked "Late" on our office attendance list...)

It's not like I don't expect to see bridges. It's just that I expect them OVER my roads, not ON them...

Knitting was accomplished this weekend. Lots of it. I would have finished another sock, but I lost 5 hours of car knitting time since I was driving this weekend. Pictures to come.

an FO to end the week

Another FO!

A simple scarf - based on Amy Singer's Montego Bay pattern. Since this is a much thicker yarn, I cast on only 25 stitches. It's my go-to scarf yarn - Noro Silk Garden. I love this stuff for scarves! (I have three - The Harlot scarf, the Argosy scarf and now this). I think this one is my favourite - I love love love the colours - lots of greys, greens and blues, with enough brown tossed in to match my coat. Here's a judiciously cropped shot of it being worn - sorry for the blurriness - it's tough taking your own picture in a mirror! The overall length is just over 6 feet, so this is doubled, and the ends drawn through the loop. I love wearing scarves this way, and I love how the greens are front and centre - they're my favourite.

I used 3 balls of Noro Silk Garden - about 2 and a half for the actual knitting, then I cut the rest for fringe, and didn't use it all.

Heading north tonight, but just Son and myself. Hubby is stacked up at work (major contract due in September). I don't expect to see much of him this month, so I am back to single parenting. The only drag about this weekend is losing the 5 hours of knitting time I get while I am a passenger. (2.5 hours each way). Oh well. Small price to pay for getting to sit by the water all weekend...

unwelcome visitor

As you know, we have a cottage. It's the laws of nature that if you have a cottage, you have wildlife nearby. This is usually a good thing. We have loons in our bay. We have a heron that likes to perch on the rock out in front of our place. We even have a mink that nests nearby and likes to scamper on our beach. (He's cute, and runs away very fast when we are around - we never see any indication of the nest or anything). But we also have the bane of cottagers and homeowners alike - raccoons. Sorry to any raccoon lovers out there, but to us, they are vermin. They get in the garbage, they make a mess, and this mess can attract bears. (which I love, but at a safe distance). Raccoons are also more likely to carry disease and other crap that I don't want to deal with. SO this was not what we wanted to see on the weekend. A baby raccoon decided to join us on the beach. The golden lab next door decided she didn't want baby coon here, and chased it on to our rock before we got the dog away (again, disease and other crap that we did not want dog exposed to). In the absolute heat of the day, the baby raccoon decided to nap on our rock (about 8 feet away from us). After a few minutes, we all decided this was not good - the animal was going to cook itself. So we did chase it off the rock, and back into the bush. To be honest, it didn't look too healthy, and there was no mama raccoon around. For the next two days, we didn't see any return, so here's hoping that hopefully, mama came and got her baby away from the mean old humans. The coons don't like us much - we lock up our garbage very well, and have numerous bungees on the composter. No raccoon snacking at Chez Curler Cottage!

(Sorry - have some great Loon and Heron pictures, and I just can't seem to find them...)

Also, I should mention in regard to yesterday's post - remember? the finished mittens? Did anyone note there were TWO finished mittens? Is my reign as the "one mitt wonder" over?

started as one thing, finished as another

Remember this?The start of a Socks that Rock sock - Harlotty Colourway. A lovely mix of my favourite greens and browns. These socks were going to be all mine. The colours are me - just like the coats I wear in the fall and winter...

The foot was coming along nicely - mindless rounds of stockinette, once I got the toe finished... wait a minute... It matches my COATS? I don't wear socks near my coat - I cover them up with jeans and shoes...

Then, something happened. 12 stitches placed on a provisional thread... more straight knitting, no heel, some ribbing... back to those provisional stitches - knit them up...

Yup. these I will wear near my coat...

Harlotty Socks that Rock Mittens
1 skein of Lightweight STR (lots left over!)
2.25mm needles
64 stitches
Turkish toe cast on (using 2 knitpicks circulars), then switch to knitpicks dpns.
Around where I wanted the thumb to start, I knit across 12 stitches with waste yarn, the placed those stitches back on the left needle, and knit them again with the STR. finished up with some 2x2 ribbing.
Then - back to the thumb - picked up the 12 stitches top and bottom, got rid of the waste yarn. Knit around, picking up two extra stitches at each end to fill in, so a total of 28 stitches for the thumb. Knit up until as long as I needed, k2 together a few rounds and gathered them up and sewed it off.

Completely "fly by the seat of my pants" knitting, although I did mark down some notes so the second one had a fighting chance of matching. I lucked out - they fit perfectly.

argh!

I hate when this happens...

Meet a ball of Knitpicks Dancing. Nice cotton blend sock yarn. It hates me. This mess took 4 hours of my life last night:I do have to admit to having an intelligent husband. He watched as I fought with this, and said nothing. Offered no advice, no help, nothing. Smart man. I probably would have killed him if he had said ANYTHING... I finally did prevail, and wound off the ball this morning. I was NOT going to lose my sanity to a ball of yarn...

We had a great long weekend at the cottage. Incredible weather, the kids were fabulous... One of those weekends where almost everything aligns for the best time. Of course, for the remainder of August, Hubby is super busy at work, and is looking at long hours, including weekends. Which means Son and I may be travelling north without him.If the weather isgoing to be like this past weekend, I can assure you, we will. I got lots of knitting done - small project stuff - mittens, scarves, socks - some finished, some started, some restarted. I'll show off stuff in the next few days. Since tonight is my Guild meeting, I thought I'd give them first glimpse tonight - enough of them read this that when we have our show and tell, they kind of tune out - you know, seen that already!

Hey Guild members - have I got big news for you tonight! Big, big news... Some that I can't announce here until someone else announces it first - which I hope she does soon, we need time to get knitting hats...

do over

We all have memories of do-overs, right? Mis-hit a golf ball? Do over. Bad hair colour? do-over. (Or is this last one just me? For those who know me, picture me platinum blonde. Yup - for a mere hour or so, I had platinum hair. Bad, bad choice.)



Anyway, I have to do a do-over. The first time I made one of the wristers with an over cuff, I made it a little too big. Too many decreases, and the cuff was just floppy. It didn't hug the hand the way the blue one does. I loves the colours - green is my thing - but the cuff was wrong. (And it didn't have enough beads - can't skimp on the beads!)

Hence, the do-over.

The first picture shows a truer representation of the colour, and the original cast on. If you look close, you can see the first line of increases about 5 rows above the beads - there were three more increases like this in the first two inches of the cuff - way too much!

The second picture shows the status as of last night. I cut around the cuff just above the cast one beaded row, and picked out the cast on, saving what beads I could. I didn't even bother trying to rescue the wool - unraveling KidSilkHaze? Are you crazy? I need what little sanity I have, so this was not an option. I still have plenty to do two of the tighter cuffs, and I have tons of the beads. I may actually put more beads in than just on the cast on and the cast off edges.

Someone stop me before I buy a Bedazzler...

For those in Ontario - Hapy Simcoe Day on Monday - we are headed to the cottage tonight for three days of sun and fun. It's supposed to be ridculously hot. Perfect. Lots of small project knitting. Maybe even some beaded knitting... you never know...

Ravelry

Of course I signed up. I thought they forgot about me. Nope. Seems the rest of the world has signed up as well.

You know I'll get an invite just as I get a new job, or some other time-sucking aspect of life happens. I won't be able to post anything, and they will regret inviting me. I guess I'd best do a little research around the site in anticipation of getting there myself. I can see myself immersed in Ravelry and all it's knitterly goodness...

You signed up on June 13, 2007
You are #8771 on the list.
1279 people are ahead of you in line.
13180 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

patience is a virtue. patience is a virtue. patience is a virtue. patience is a virtue. patience is a virtue...

still here, still beading...

Still addicted to the beads. Hubby was watching me last night as I was sewing some clasps on. I had all the bracelets lined up. (a great photo op, and I missed it! I may be approaching double digits in completed pieces...) I mentioned that I thought I may be addicted to these. He laughed and say "might be?"
In my defense, most of these will be Christmas gifts. (those that I can bear to let go...)
Also, since it's going to be 40 odd degrees Celsius today (that's over 100 for the Fahrenheit crowd), it's much easier dealing with thread and beads rather than a lap full of wool.

Have I provided enough justification? Or am I just a bead or two away from the looney bin?

And, Tracy was asking about beads in the comments about the beaded wristers - She wanted to know if there were any tips about choosing beads for certain projects. Tracy, to be honest, I just put what I like together. The wristers were full of colour already, so I went with a clear bead so as not to distract from the colours. On a plainer wool, I may go for more colour in the beads, depending on the effect I was after. The bracelets are easier - choose a common theme and run with it. I have an art background, so maybe it's easier for me, but really, if you go with what you love, it's hard to go wrong...