Marina's Musings

So Much Has Happened

2008-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I finished knitting the Juju pants. They go with the seed and cable cardigan really well - I put a seed stitch border on the leg bottoms in the same colour as the cardigan. When I've done finishing, weaving in the ends and grafting the pants seat and blocking, I'll see if I just can't post a photo.

I did start the Swallowtail shawl. That yarn is soooo thin that I had trouble getting used to it, but I persisted and got quite a few repeats of the bud pattern done. I was surprised at how small in size it kept looking as I added repeat after repeat, but I was pretty confident that it would block out much larger. Then, disaster struck. Somehow I dropped a stitch and didn't notice until I had finished the row and purled back and then come to it again. The count wasn't right and when I figured out what had happened, the dropped stitch had run back many rows through yo's and k2tg's. I tried to figure it out and reknit those stitches from the bottom up but it was a no-go. I acted too quickly. After considering frogging back to the stitch- NOOOO! or tinking about six rows of complicated lace - eurgh!, I ripped the whole thing. What I should have done was to visit my friendly knitting people at Three Bags Full and let them help me. I put myself on timeout from Swallowtail.

I met Mandy Moore the other day, the designer of the Susie Hoodie. I told her the problem I was having with the Cascade 220 gauge not working for the sleeves where I'm knitting in the round. She said, quite casually, that the yarn the pattern actually calls for is quite reasonably priced. Three Bags Full doesn't carry it. The one they recommend for this pattern is quite expensive (for me). If I were to use the Cascade 220 for another project I could order the called-for yarn and have virtually no problems with gauge. Well, that comment sat with me and grew on me and took over any thoughts of starting Susie with the Cascade. I actually started the Bountiful Bohus from More Big Girl Knits (and downloaded it for free from http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_plus_size_bohus_style_cardigan.php) I'm liking it much better.

Now for the big news: it was my birthday last Monday; a big one, one with a zero at the end. My friends held a surprise party and I got lots of yarny gifts - how did they know, LOL? I got a knitting bag, a straight needle case, a dpn case, some lovely merino/silk laceweight yarn and, quite a bit of cash for yarn purchases. Add that to what my mom gave me tonight and I have what I need to buy the yarn for the Susie Hoodie.

I met Sivia Harding the other day. She works Thursdays at Three Bags Full. She's wonderful. Very knowledgeable about knitting and willing to share, just a lovely person to talk to. I've done two of her projects so far.

What more yarny goodness can I get up to? We'll see...

Swallowtail

2008-06-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting JuJu, a pair of baby pants to go with the Debbie Bliss cable and moss stitch baby sweater I knit for my coworker whose baby is due in September.

When I chose the sweater I substituted the yarn, using Cascade 220. I didn't pay much attention to gauge because I was knitting the largest size for a baby. Babies grow so quickly - I knew he would grow into and out of it at some point in his young life so it didn't matter exactly how big the sweater was.

It's a different matter for the pants. Same scenario, of course, for the baby growing into and out of it, but I did want the two to fit him at the same time. So, once I had knit the sweater and gotten most of the waist of the pants done, I had a likely child at church try them on. The sweater was too small for him - but the pants were going to be WAY TOO BIG. Sigh. To the frog pond they went.

I started again at a much smaller size. I got past the waist and down one leg. I thought I'd better try it on another child. On this child the sweater was too big but the pants were almost too tight! Dang! Luckily baby clothes knit up quickly. This child's mother tried to convince me that knitting has a lot of stretch to it, that I could keep going with this size, but I couldn't. I frogged and started again in a mid size.

There's no way I'm frogging them this time. But, I did find another child. He would try on the sweater but balked at the pants so I held them up against him to see how long to make the legs. A couple more inches until the edging and then cast off and start the second leg.

Then I just have to sew a zipper into the sweater and get some elastic for the pants waistband and I'm done. But, you know, I've always wanted to make a Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket. Maybe this baby will get another sweater as well, unless someone else comes up pregnant.

But, in the meantime... I've been to Victoria, and with my knitting friend Heidi, too. She's another fibreholic like me. Our families traveled together to a wedding and we just happened to plan a couple of visits to yarn stores:

Beehive in Victoria...oh, my, gawd! It was almost overwhelming. So much yarn. I went from one rack to another, squishing and stroking the yarn. By the time I had seen all of what was in there I had seen so many yarns that I wanted that, at the end, I couldn't pick anything out. I did buy some sock yarn and a pattern book (for a baby pattern, I guess for some future baby).

Then we went to Button and Needlework Boutique (I cleverly requested a trip to Trounce Alley without letting on that I knew there was a yarn store there). Now this store had much less in the way of knitting supplies. It was mostly crewel, cross-stitch, etc. But here I wasn't overwhelmed. I found some lovely Indigo Moon laceweight silk in a lavender colourway. $40 for the skein. But it has approx 800 - 905 metres, enough for a lace shawl.

I should be getting back to the Susie Hoodie, really I should. But the lace is calling to me. I visited Beadworks in Port Moody today...I found beads that will go nicely with it. I'm going to finish the baby pants and start something else. It really should be the Susie Hoodie, really it should. But we'll see. we'll see.

What's on the Needles?

2008-06-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

I started the Susie Hoodie from the More Big Girl Knits book. Of course I didn't want to use the more expensive yarn so I fell back on my old standby Cascade 220. It has a different gauge, especially when I knit it because I never get the right gauge right away. I think I did 8-10 swatches on different needles. I ended up buying a metal circular needle (HiyaHiya) because the same size of needle from my Denise Interchangeable kit didn't give the same gauge-the wool slides across metal differently than it does across plastic.

So I merrily began to knit. That pattern has the body knit as one piece: the fronts and back together. It has a lovely cable that goes all the way up edges, meeting at the top of the hood. I found it very difficult doing just one row of cable and then the rest of the row of stockinette stitch and then the same row of cable to end, purl all the way back and then start the second row of the cable. I just couldn't make sense of the cable pattern.

So, I decided to do the sleeves first. There, I knit the cuff first, which was only the cable pattern. I became very familiar with it and its twists and turns. I pretty well memorized it.

Then I picked up stitches along its edge and began knitting in the round up the sleeve. I'd done quite a few inches and decided to check my gauge. Not even close! It was way tighter than what I'd been getting before when I swatched. You see, I'd swatched knitting back and forth and now I was knitting in the round. The difference between the two turns out to be quite a lot. The size of the purl stitches while knitting back and forth make the difference.

I put the hoodie on time out. I definitely will pick it back up again but I have another project to do in the meantime:

At work, Meggin is pregnant. Baby knitting!

I had thought I'd knit the Tulip Jacket by Dream in Color. It is knit with many wide stripes of different coloured wool. I do love it. I even got Francesca, the owner of Three Bags Full to change the kit for me (I didn't think the obligatory pink colours in the 'girl kit' went well with the others. I had to wait while they got more stock in; then I waited because Meggin was going to have an ultrasound to find the gender of her baby.

It's going to be a boy. So, the pink issue doesn't matter. I don't much like the colourway for the 'boy kit'. And, it's pretty expensive - $50 for the kit for one tiny sweater. (But, I noticed that the girl kits without the pinks sold better than the ones with them)

Hmmm.. what else could I knit?

I found a pattern by Debbie Bliss -the Cable and Moss Stitch Cardigan. Francesca even loaned me the pattern book, she's so nice! Of course I didn't want to use the more expensive yarn it called for so I fell back on my old standby Cascade 220 (sounds familiar?). I chose to make a the 18 month size so that baby wouldn't be in and out of it in such a short time. Gauge problems? Nope. Just knit away even it the gauge doesn't come out perfectly. That cardigan will fit the baby at some point as he grows.

(picture borrowed from twowoodensticks on Ravelry)

I used a colourway called Yakima Heather. It's a solid dark green, almost brown really. It has some yellow in it as well.

I also bought a tweedy yellow to make baby pants with. I chose Juju from Knitty, though I'll substitute the cable from the Bliss pattern for the cable it uses. So I got a sweater and a pair of pants for the same cost as the one Tulip Jacket. I should have enough to make a hat as well, but that would have happened with the Tulip Jacket too.

But do you know, I'm starting to really look forward to picking up the Susie Hoodie again.

Susie Hoodie

2008-05-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

I finished the capelet and was without a project!

I had in mind to knit up a baby jacket for a workmate who is four and a half months pregnant. I love the Tulip Baby Cardigan by Dream in Color.

I don't think the two colours at the top go well with the others. They are there to make it a girl's jacket but I think I'd rather do it in colours that go better together than just add the obligatory pink. We don't know what the baby is yet. Francesca from Three Bags Full agreed to put together a different kit that includes two other colours at the top. So I was waiting for that.

While I was in the store arranging that I had a look through More Big Girl Knits. It has a couple of dud patterns in it but they are overshadowed by the amount of very pretty ones. Particularly the Susie Hoodie.

Look at the cable! Look at the shaped back! This became my next project. But, I didn't want to pay the price for the yarn called for in the pattern. With a lot of advice from Francesca I chose Cascade Heathers 220. In the mallard colourway, obviously my favourite one because I've used it twice before, though not for a sweater. Only a felted bag.

A little fudging with the gauge - go down a needle size or two then use the next size up in the pattern - I think it'll be fine. I bought the yarn and I just have to swatch a bit, with Francesca's help with the math. Can't wait to start it.

Grad

2008-04-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

My daughter's grad is on May 31. A while ago I think I posted that I found some yarn in the same colour as her dress - 80% off!

I can't remember how many things I cast on and then frogged - a simple thin, lace shawl, a shrug, variations on the same. But I was never satisfied.

Finally, I was browsing on Ravelry and saw this:

Capelette by Be Sweet. I saw photos of people wearing it and it seemed to me to be just the right thing. Was that stockinette stitch, reversed every, what... 5 rows to create ridges? Looked like it to me. Did I need a pattern for that? I'd have to upsize it to 2X anyway. I guessed at the number of stitches. I was wrong the first time but the second time it was just right. 140 stitches does it.

I knit it on 6mm needles, I think at a gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch. I made 8 ridges. This is how it turned out (I added a brooch at the rosette):

Love it! She loves it! Mmm Hmm.

Ikea Knit Nights

2008-04-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as with every other first and third Monday of the month, I went to Knit Night. I picked up my friend and her baby and we arrived at Ikea in Coquitlam at 6pm. We bought some supper - a good value for the money - and chatted while we ate. Then we started knitting.

Others showed up along the way, there were 7 of us tonight, all at varying skill levels from rank beginner to skillful crafter. We knit and instructed and chatted. It was really nice to be able to ask questions and get answers from others who knew what to do or who might do things a different way from how we would.

We discussed patterns and caressed the yarn and explained that all knitting is just knit and purl. It was a really comfortable experience that I cherish.

Spring

2008-03-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

I had a fair while with not much knitting content, but somehow managed to 'attract' more yarn to my stash - twice on the same day once...shhh!

The diamond fantasy scarf is coming along slowly but surely. I've learned it is definitely not something I can take along with me to social situations or even do while watching tv. Mistakes happen. Nasty ones that involve tinking.

But, that being said, I'm not really using lifelines anymore. Really, I lost my small container of dental floss and couldn't put one in at the usual spot, the end the row repeats. So I just kept cruising. If I pay attention, counting the number of stitches between the repeat markers, I can fix anything two rows down. So now I'm doing a lot of counting and it's going fine.

I'm getting the itch to do some felting again. I wonder what? Probably not a bag because I've done quite a few of those, but I'll see.

Happy Easter.

Fibre Fest

2008-03-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

I am the proud owner of more stash.

I found some:

lovely hand-dyed (many different blues) wool - 1200 metres.
shiny, smooth variegated green 100% rayon - 600 yds
muted maroon 100% cotton - 3200 yds

Heidi came with me, bringing baby Hadrian - he was the hit of the party, as always. We managed to spend five hours there. It wasn't a huge place, but there was lots for fibre addicts like us to look at. We each tried spinning on a wheel, then tried to come up with justification for having to buy one.

There were llamas and goats there to see but I would have preferred that they weren't. The smell was quite strong throughout the big room but most especially by the animal enclosures.

People were very friendly and willing to demonstrate or let us try things. Heidi and I had a great time.

I Feel Much Better Now

2008-02-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

After the Diamond Fantasy Scarf sat in a small overnight time out I felt I could face it again. I ripped it back to nothing (again) and restarted.

I'm well past the point where I made my mistakes and things are going swimmingly (hope I didn't wreak the whole mojo by stating that). I've got lots of life lines and I count the stitches often to make sure I'm right on track.

This is definitely a not television or group knitting project - at least for me. But I've got my cardigan to do for those occasions - straight stockinette all the way up.

Diamond Fantasy Retry

2008-02-22T17:38:00.000-08:00

I started the Diamond Fantasy Scarf by Sivia Harding in the wool/silk blend. Here's another photo from Sivia's website:

I started following the written out instructions, which don't include bead placement, so I decided where to put them myself. When I had finished about 37 rows I decided that what I had feared was true: I didn't like the placement of the beads in the diamonds. They were hiding behind three stitches coming together at once. But, no big deal... I didn't mind frogging it. I had used life lines but decided to just start again. The pattern takes a lot of counting and I wanted to get more used to it anyway. I started pulling right back to the start.

I planned the bead placement better and really like where they are now. "Look at how pretty they are," I told myself as I stretched out my work to see how the lace would look. "Hey, what's that?"

One of the diamonds was not knit correctly. Right at the start, too! Argh. I think I did a ssk instead of a k2tog. Part of one of the sides of the first diamond was slanted the wrong way. I had almost decided to leave it when.... I found another mistake. Oh. My. Gawd. What was I doing? Why didn't I use life lines this time - I had myself convinced that I was counting the stitches just fine.

I put it away for the night - I couldn't face it. I feel a bit better now so I'll rip it back and go for it again. This time, lifelines and double checking each row.

I like the pattern and it isn't all that hard, I just haven't had much experience with lace that doesn't have a really obvious repeat. Here I go again.

Diamond Fantasy

2008-02-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday dh and I went on a Valentine's Day outing. Both teenagers were at work (McDonald's) so we had the whole afternoon to ourselves and already had plans to have a date night.

We began by picking up prescriptions at Safeway pharmacy... yay! It wasn't too bad, I brought my cardigan to knit on so the waiting time was enjoyable, dh and me chatting while my fingers flew - gotta love stockinette sometimes.

Then I'd had a whim to visit Chinatown so we headed off there. It ended up to be a lovely long walk in that very colourful area of town. We picked up some great bargains in produce.

We had planned to go for dinner and a movie but it was still way to early when we left Chinatown so I mentioned that I wanted to visit a yarn store. Dh, supportive as ever, said sure. So I headed off to one I hadn't visited before - Homecraft Importers. But, we hit a huge traffic snarl and never got there. We backtracked and found ourselves on Main Street. Guess what's on Main Street? You've got it - Three Bags Full, my favourite lys.

Dh wished me fun while he let the seat back and had a little nap. I found some lovely yarn - Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold. I decided to do another project by Sivia Harding. I chose the Diamond Fantasy Scarf. Lovely lace. I chose a dark orange-red colour of the yarn.

Here's a photo of the Diamond Fantasy lace - I borrowed it from Sivia Harding's website:

Today I visited Bead Works in Newport Village and found some beads to place in the centre of the diamonds. I've done beads before but not in lace, only in ribbing. I'm going to love the challenge.

Oops, sorry, I digress. Back to what we did yesterday:

After the yarn store we went to see Jumper. We actually wanted to see Juno but we didn't actually check what time it started. When we got to the theatre the only thing starting in our time frame that we had any desire to see was Jumper. It was disappointing. A cool idea but there were many holes in the story. And, it didn't end that well.

After the movie we went to White Spot for dinner. I had their Tandoori Chicken Rice Bowl. Not bad at all.

Dh and I had a good time together and have decided to make more frequent plans to spend time together like this.

Stitch Gauge - Evil!

2008-02-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today my friend Heidi and I went to the Ravelry group Terminal City Yarn Wrangler's meetup at The Grind at 25th and Main Street. Heidi's baby Hadrian provided much entertainment. Before the meetup I introduced Heidi to Three Bags Full. She's hooked, oh yeah!

I had finished my second pair of Rose's Wrist Warmers and I just had to weave in the ends. The first pair I made were purple and my sister Terri, the instant she first saw them, she insisted that I was making them for her. Of course I wasn't; they were for me. So last week I gave them to her.

I had the idea that I would like to make a hat, a beret, perhaps, with the same seed-stitched cable. But I didn't have enough purple yarn to make the hat. So I bought different yarn in a greater amount to make myself the warmers and a matching hat. But my daughter Sylvie wanted a pair too. I found that lime green colour and knit hers up. She just got them and loves them. Now I'm over the whole wrist warmer thing. Maybe I'll get back to knitting myself a pair at a later date... or maybe not.

I'm tired of having to adjust my needle size to match ESG (Evil Stitch Gauge). I knit somewhat tightly and usually end up going up at least two needle sizes. Sometimes it doesn't work out and I just forget the whole idea. Well, I know why my stitches are tighter. When I throw the yarn over the needle I use my index finger to pull tension into it as I draw the yarn through the loop. That's where it happens. I'm trying to train myself to just. leave. it. alone. No tension as I pull the yarn through the previous stitch. And purling is different. I'm going to have to do swatch after swatch just to make it consistently even. But I think it will be worth it if my stitches stop being so tight.

I have some vague ideas what I'll do next but haven't actually started yet. The stoll to match Sylvie's grad dress? Cherie Amour (see image below)? Something I haven't even found yet? We'll see.

No Yarn For You!

2008-01-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

I went to Sacramento, California this week. When I found out I was going there to attend a course for work I was excited about it for yarny reasons in addition to all the other reasons I usually am. Sacramento is where Babetta's Yarn and Gifts is - the shop Franklin wrote about in The Panopticon.

Well, I couldn't get there. I sat all day in a classroom and had no transportation when I had free time. Even on Saturday when I had a few hours of free time there were other agendas to follow. Bummer!

No, I'm Not Dead

2008-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well, just in case there are any readers out there who might be wondering.

I've been busy and quite ill and blog fodderless.

I've knit Rose's Wrist Warmers. I love them but apparently I have to give them to my sister who claims I made them for her. I could be strong and resist but I'd like to make a beret with the same cable pattern incorporated in there and I don't have enough yarn. So... I bought another colour of yarn to make another pair and a beret. I also bought a fashionably lime green colour for a pair for dd. That's her colour. She loves it. 'K?

I bought some lovely hand dyed wool from SeeJayneKnitYarns.etsy.com. The colourway called is cafe au lait (I think), creams graduating into browns - it called to me. I'd like to make some socks, or a pair of mitts or gloves might be nice.

Actually, I guess you could say I'm building my stash more than I'm actually using it. Dh mentioned it the other day..."you sure have a lot of yarn in our bedroom". I replied: "it's called a stash". Just so he knows the terminology. He's pretty good, really, quite supportive and he has learned what 'frog' and 'tink' mean - because I explain it quite often as I'm doing it, I guess.

Post-Christmas

2007-12-31T10:07:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a couple of days in Powell River, BC. We were visiting my dh's parents and brothers. DH stayed up there for a couple more days while ds and I came home. Dd didn't even go - she had a cold and wasn't feeling all that well, but admitted that seeing her aging grandparents is hard on her. Her grandmother doesn't remember much of anything these days and constantly has to be reminded who people are. She does remember her own children but can't remember if they're married or have children. Dd said that the emotional pain on top of being sick would be too much for her. So we let her stay on her own for two days at home. The first time. She's 17 so I wasn't too concerned. She's not the type to invite lots of friends over and trash the house. She did make more of a mess than the post-Christmas mess we had when we left. Darn! I wish she had gotten the cleanup bug, LOL.

Dh's two brothers and one nephew live with his parents. One brother is their caregiver. The other brother is unemployed and content to stay that way. The nephew is there temporarily, I think. They have turned the basement rec room into a bit of a 'den of iniquity'. Friday and Saturday nights (the nights I was there), they had 2 - 3 tables of poker players come in. It felt just like a casino. I played a few games over the time I was there. It just didn't feel like visiting family. Even my dh, who loves getting into long conversations with his family mentioned it. Hopefully these next couple of days are better for him.

While in Powell River I looked for yarn stores. Dh was quite supportive. He even helped me look for stores in the smaller towns along the 4-5 hour drive up and asked if I wanted to make small detours to look more. I didn't take him up on it on the way but went out on my own once we got there. Dh's brother said there was a yarn store in the mall. It was two days away from closing and was mostly cleaned out. But, what was there was 80% off! I bought some acrylic yarn to add to my stash - not exciting but cheap. I found some Linie 64 Nobile, regularly priced at 13.99 a ball, in the same (I hope) colourway as my dd's grad dress. It's a deep almost brown burgundy colour. It has shiny flecks in it. I want to make her a shrug to wear with her dress. In all I got about $170 worth of yarn for $30. Oh Yeah!

Right now I'm knitting some wrist warmers. I wanted to do a cable and found a lovely pattern:

It's called Rose's Wrist Warmers and was, apparently, copied from an episode of Dr. Who. This is a photo I found online. I'm about halfway finished one of them and I'm using purple Alpaca Merino from Sweaterkits. It's lovely and soft but does have some clear coloured flyaways. I'm knitting them with my new Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needle set that I got for Christmas. Maybe I'll see if the store where I bought the yarn (Shan's Needlework in New Westminster) has enough left for a beret. That would be a nice set.

Have a happy new year!

Christmas

2007-12-24T21:59:00.000-08:00

I see I have not blogged since Dec 2. No, that's not true. I did blog one day, then clicked the wrong button and that entry went to post heaven. I missed it very much for a few minutes but did not replace it. It was too soon.

All the Christmas hats done; the bags are felted. They are all in one big box, each filled with plastic bags of three different kinds of fudge and a couple of lottery tickets -big gift-giving items in my family.

The preparations for Christmas went well. Lots of money was spent on electronics. Tomorrow I shall see if I got my Denise Knitting Needle set.

We went to the Christmas Eve service at church tonight at 6:00. Both of our kids, teenagers of 16 and 17, were working at McDonald's. They're growing up and things will only continue to change. Jobs, marriages, moves to different locations will all affect how Christmas works each year. With our oldest graduating this year, this may be the last Christmas we're all together. But, really, I don't think so, at least not yet.

Merry Christmas.

Knitters at Christmas Parties

2007-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to my husband's company's Christmas Party. It had snowed overnight so the Lower Mainland could go into its usual snow-tizzy -an inch of snow and a little ice on the road and many people get stuck on the road. Last year it took me three hours to get home from work a couple of days.

This party was at Swan E Set golf and country club way out in Pitt Meadows (funny name, eh?). We thought it was smooth sailing until we found the road we were supposed to turn on and P put his foot on the brake and we slid on black ice right past it and another car that had gone into a ditch. The ride home was a little treacherous too but we made it fine.

But - at the party: P has been working for this company for only about 6 weeks so even he didn't know many of the people there. I, of course didn't know anybody. When I looked across the room I saw somebody knitting! I got right up and went over to talk to her. She was knitting a scarf. She was quite a beginner, someone who was looking forward to knitting lace. I showed her the long tail cast on and how lace is made - yarn overs and knit two togethers to keep the number of stitches on the needles constant. I wrote down some web sites for her: Knittinghelp.com, Ravelry. She asked a lot of questions. I think I scared her when I said knitting could become all-consuming. She said she already had one of those hobbies: water-colour painting.

Well, you know, you plant the seeds and see what grows.

As for my own knitting, I haven't been for a few days. I've finished about 5-6 hats and have been thinking about felting those bags. I guess I'm a bit stalled but that's okay, I've gots lots of time before everything has to be finished.

What's Happening?

2007-11-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, same old, same old.

I'm knitting hats (still). Not liking them so much. It's the dpn's (double pointed needles). I much prefer circular needs. But I couldn't find 6.5mm circs in a very short length at Walmart and I don't want to buy the really expensive ones. I'm thinking about ordering - oops, asking for - Denise Kits needles for Christmas - every size, every length - oh yeah!

Three Bags Full has them and I'm going to see if they have a set to try out.

I'm doing 2x2 rib. Knit 2, Purl 2. Not so thrilling but the hats go quickly. DD wants some wrist warmers - those should be fun. Maybe I can do them before Christmas - they could go in her stocking.

Hats Off to Slytherin

2007-11-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

The hats are coming along fine now after a practice one where I realized the error of my ways and then changed patterns.

Now I am making 'Hot Head' from Stitch & Bitch, A Knitter's Handbook. Only 64 stitches cast on and knitting with a single strand. The ribbing makes the stitches bunch up so the hats looks ridiculously small but they stretch out nicely to fit any head.

I've finished two and had my family try them on to test them out for size. I got hinted at for hats of their own (and a bag for dd). She said:

"Are you going to make me a bag?"

"No," I said - I had already made her a bag so I wasn't going to.

I said: "I've made all the bags I'm going to make." Just to further cloud the issue, you see.

She put on a pouty face and wrote down knitted hat and bag on the Christmas list she was compiling. Then she wrote something that may change my plans: 'Slytherin'.

In case you don't read them, it's from the Harry Potter books, one of the school houses' colours (the bad one). That means she wants gray and green. She learned to knit garter stitch a while back and made herself a scarf with gray and green yarn.

It's a good thing I liked making those bags and I'm not tired of them yet.

Giant Heads

2007-11-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hats. Or, in this case, hat. It could fit a giant's head.

It's too big! It's also really bulky. I knew I wasn't using the called-for needles but I usually knit quite tightly so I thought it would be okay going up a size or two - it's what I usually end up doing.

It's a different yarn than the pattern calls for but I know someone has made this hat with this yarn because I looked it up on Ravelry. The pattern says to use a double strand. I did that, but maybe I don't need to. Sigh. I'll take a trip to the frog pond and rip it, rip it, rip it.

Just a Quick Note

2007-11-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

Went to Heidi's place last night with friend Margaret for our regular Knit Night. I've started the hats but wonder if they're going to be too bulky or too big - because of course I'm not using the called-for needles. I'll finish the first one and get some people to try it on so I can see if I need to make adjustments.

I feel the start of a cold. Suddenly last night my nose started dripping. Now I have a whopper headache and a sore throat. I took some medicine so I'll see how it goes.

Ravelry Get-Together

2007-11-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today 7 knitters from the Terminal City Yarn Wranglers Ravelry group got together at Grinds coffee shop in Vancouver on Main Street and King Edward. This is the second meeting that we've had. Today there were myself, Louisa, Lola, Tammy, Lauren, Beth and another whose name I didn't get - sorry, that hearing thing again. I don't know if the others have blogs.

We chatted and munched and sipped and knit and made a field trip to Three Bags Full (which was very busy). We've pretty well decided to keep the get togethers going, probably every two weeks. We may bring some spinning along next time - drop spindles and spinning wheels. OOOoooOOOh.

I started my last felted bag while I was there - pretty soon it's on to the hats! I chose the chunky ribbed hat by shirleyknits.

Technical blogging note - why can't I get my paragraph breaks to work? I've been trying to put a blank line between them (see last post) and it won't work for the most part.

Hats and Bags, Bags and Hats!

2007-11-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

I didn't make it to the Coquitlam Spinners' and Weavers' open house. I got busy with editing my newsletter and didn't have time. Heidi couldn't come either. But, the newsletter's well under way, now.

I'm doing well on my felted bags for Christmas presents. I think I have just one more to knit. Then on with the felting. They're going so well that I began thinking what I could do for the male members of my extended family. There are five women other than myself who usually get together for our Christmas celebration. There are also five men other than my husband. Could I knit something for them as well? Hmmm.

It can't want something that will take a long time and I don't know definite sizes. It'll have to be a hat or a scarf, I guess. Something quick. I think hats. I had a quick look through Ravelry and found two options:

Bulky Ribbed Hat by Shirleyknits

Hot Head by Alex Zorn from Stitch 'N Bitch, A Knitter's Handbook

I'll go to the library to get the S&B book - if it's knit flat and then sewn together I don't want it. I want something knit in the round. Then I'll choose the first one. I guess it will be acrylic this time as well. Can't trust those menfolk to do the hand-wash, lay flat to dry thing.

Do you know, I'd better not leave my husband, son and daughter out of this. I'd already planned a felted bag for my daughter. She has her eye on the 'furry' one, I think. She'll get that. I'll make my husband and son a hat each as well. I think I can keep it a secret. I'll be knitting so much they won't know whose is whose. Chortle, Chortle.

So Much Yarn In So Little Time

2007-11-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little guilty. I have so many yarn-related activities planned that I maaaaay be neglecting my family just a little bit. I know, it's that work thing; that's the culprit. Last week when I was off it was fine. I could cram a few yarny things into the day when school was happening and still be there at night. But now....

Tonight there's a Coquitlam spinners' and weavers' guild open house - I get to have my second attempt at spinning, and my friend Heidi wants to come with me! Sunday there's a meetup of Ravelry people at a Vancouver coffee shop. That's after Tuesday night's knit night. I was away from home Monday night at a business meeting for work, but if not for that I would have been at Ikea for knit night. Well, I guess I was here last night, but I had to miss my son's band concert because I had to work on the newsletter I edit (I had neglected it for knitting, too). Can I cram quality time into Friday and Saturday? Maybe... if there's no knitting activity I can be strong. I know I can.

So what am I knitting these days? I have been completely consumed - aside from work and newsletter and perhaps a couple of TV shows (Dancing with the Stars and America's Next Top Model -not my fault!!! My daughter watches and I've become addicted!), I have been knitting bags to felt to Christmas presents. They go pretty quickly. I'm doing about 6 and I've got 3 or 4 knitted up. All I have to do with them now is weave in the ends, sew the hole up on the bottom and felt them. I'm quite liking felting.

Back to the Grind

2007-11-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

Whew! I tried to post and couldn't! I thought my blogging adventure had ended after my first post.

Alright, hysteria aside, here's what I wanted to say:

I've had a week off from work - for no purpose other than to have some time off. It became a very fibre-filled week. Getting together with a Ravelry group, visiting Louisa's (Damselfly) home and fibre studio, a couple of field trips to lys's (local yarn stores), deciding to knit up felted bags for Christmas gifts, and a trip out to the Langley Weavers' and Spinners' sale. I think I'm a little bit addicted, say what?

Yesterday I visited my Mom and sister and knit on their Christmas gifts right in front of them - I'm so sneaky. When they asked me what I was making I just said 'knitted bags' and didn't elaborate further. If they had a clue they didn't say anything.

So today it's off to work again. I work in a dental x-ray clinic. Tonight there's an owner's meeting and they want me to go to discuss a new purchase - a dental CT machine (ooh, exciting - more digital toys).

Alas, I have to visit my lys again today (she said sarcastically). I have some yarn on hold and said I would pick it up today. I think I can fit it in between work and the meeting.

And So We Start

2007-11-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Blogging - it's been on my mind for a while.

I've been reading blogs (mainly knitting blogs) and have been thoroughly entertained. And yes, I guess I have to admit I've become addicted to some. I fancy myself a bit of a writer (one who doesn't write, though, so it may be self-defeating). Could I? Would I? Should I? Well, let's see where this takes me.

Knitting - I began knitting when I was young. I was self taught from a book, which means I didn't learn everything I needed. There was no one to help me along and I wasn't hooked. Speaking of being hooked I tried crochet as well and was less than enthralled. I did a little knitting through my teens and early twenties and then didn't have anything to do with it for years. And years. And years. (I know I'm dating myself but there you go).

A while back I realized I hadn't done anything 'crafty' for a year and a half. A while longer passed and it was two years. My fingers were definitely feeling an itch to do something. I read a small newspaper article about a lys (local yarn store) and that was enough. I visited, I bought, I knat-great word, Rabbitch (see if you can guess whose blogs I read).

I found a community of knitters that hadn't been there for me before. The internet makes it possible. Ravelry - oooh! If you're on Ravelry look me up - MarinaB. Facebook - I only use it to play scrabble with a friend. I found people who knit among those I know already and from the internet. I'm trying to meet them and share the knitting 'thang'.

So let me try to put a picture in here. I'll show you of what I'm (sort of) making for Christmas gifts:

The bag and its bottom.

I think that worked. Okay, I wrote 'sort of' because I'm leaving the eyelash fringe off the bags. This is the Uptown Tote, a felted bag. I'm making it smaller so that I can make it from only two skeins of Cascade 220. I think they will still be big enough to please to populace.

So that's my first post to my first blog. I do have lots more to say but I don't want to overload my first entry, do I? You'll just have to wait - you see I'm imagining there are people reading this.