Summer Hats and Hot Sweaters

I must get ready for work here... and I have spent my morning drinking coffee and knitting on a giant hot sweater, despite the heat.
So, in lieu of writing a very wordy post- I leave with a few pictures with brief descriptions.
I hope that sits alright with you.

Here is a kids cotton sun hat being modeled by a flower in the garden at the store.
Yarn? Mandarin Petite.
I love that stuff.


Here is a flower that I just couldn't resist taking a picture of that was hanging out right next to the hat.


Here is the big hot sweater that I am knitting in the heat.
Yarn?
Noro Silk Garden.
Believe it or not... I love that stuff too.

It's almost like I have forgotten how to knit.

But really... I haven't.
Forgotten that is.
Life has just been passing me by.
I tell you, the month of June FLEW and I am not the only one to think that.
Many have mentioned it to me recently.
I just said goodbye to a dear friend who was visiting for a while here and while it was a fantastic visit completely and all around- she does not knit.
And I didn't get as much knitting done as I would have if she did.
You know what I mean?
We were on the go the whole time doing fun, fun things- just not knitting fun.
But I have managed to get a bit more done in the past few days.
And, I have also managed to get some jam made.
The strawberries and rhubarb were plentiful this year so I gave it a shot.
Why not?
So, here you go.



Jam.

Next post--- knitting.
(And maybe a bit of felting.)

This and That for my Knitters Today.

Alright, a cute little sweater, for you all to look at and think about how badly you wish you had a baby... only to close the window and realize that really, you don't.
Cute eh?
Thanks you! But I can't take the credit. My dearest mother can though! Again, for our baby- the store.
It's just a sweet little top-down cardi out of some lovely yarn called Calmo by Lana Grossa.



So, we have a grade 10 practicum student at the store with us for a while and as we normally do, we get them to knit a sample for the store. Usually, a baby garment. Whether people choose to knit a baby garment like it or not is up to them, but it's a good way to show how yarn will knit up.
Especially in this case.



Here is the yarn. Needful's Cotton Joy. We love it. And our lovely student appears to love knitting with it.
See for yourself.



See how happy she is?
I'll post a photo of the complete project when the time comes.

As for me and my knitting, this is what I have to show you today.
A yellow swatch, and some precious little buttons that I trekked downtown for.
(I'm actually far further along than it looks.)



Oh... I love to knit.
I do.

Lacey, Lace, Lace

How nice it is to finish a lace project. It's been discussed before-nothing is more satisfying than blocking out a piece of lace. To me, all those hours of knitting are well worth it when I finally get to pull the daylights out of it and admire all the little holes and patterns.
My lace, is hot pink.
Why not?
You can choose to agree or disagree with it.

Here we are pre-blocking on my (wool) carpet.

Here we are blocking outside in the nice warm weather.


Here we are nice and totally done, sunning on the lovely little flowers in the yard.


Here we are... 'hanging' out. (Sorry-that was terrible, but I couldn't resist).

Here's the info you need to know-
Swallowtail shawl.
Interweave knits Fall 2006.
Designed by-Evelyn A. Clark.
Yarn- Garnstudio Drops Alpaca. Only 2 balls! (make that one and 3/4)
Colour- uhm... I don't know the colour number. But, it's hot pink- hard to miss.
Needles- 3.5 mm Addi Turbo lace needles.
How long did it take? I don't know. I'm an ADD knitter. I knit about seventy different things on any given day. I would say, not long though.

Anything else?
No, I think that's everything.

Notice I have posted more than once this week? I'm getting better at this.
Finally.

Back in Business

So, the degree is done and I am now home sweet home. How weird it is. Yet... it won't really hit until next September when for the first time in my life, I won't be heading back to school.
Ack.
For now though, I am happily embracing summer/spring.
I had a nice drive with a nice driving friend back from Halifax.
This is of course is my car, and my driving companion, ready to hit the road.
How we made the car move out of the driveway is beyond me. It was terribly stuffed.
Two girls moving across the country have a lot of stuff to move. Believe me.
Primarily... yarn, and fabric. See the sewing maching tucked in there? That car had three of them in total in there. My yarn, had to be shipped.


Anyway, knitting news.
My last few weeks of school allowed for little knitting time.
But these socks (yarn unknown-from my stash) came off the needles.
They represent my exams and those last few weeks in Halifax.
They are now... interestingly enough, in the mail being sent to a friend who is from, Halifax.
I know, I am not the most efficient person.


Since my knitting isn't exactly blog-worthy, allow me to show you what my family was busy producing while I was away.
My mom has a yarn shop and lots of knitting time is devoted to 'shop knitting'. While there are no babies in our lives it is always fun to knit up something for wee ones. The 'baby room' is the closest thing that we have to a baby of our own.
Here is a blanket that she knit up out of Needful Yarns Baby Soft and my-oh-my... is it ever soft. Surprised?
It's a wool/cotton/synthetic blend and I would happily wrap myself in this creation.



Now, here is something interesting... My Grandma knit this up for my brother, and my mom assembled it. A team effort you could say. It was knit out of lots of scraps from my mom's stash, primarily Smart I think. It was knit in strips and they did a lovely job of making sure that none of the same colours ended up side by side.
So, there are a few shots to keep you entertained.
Can you guess which colour is my brother's favorite?
Brown?
How did you guess?






As for me, I have been knitting my face off since I got home and actually have a bit to show for it.
I promise to be more prompt with postings from now on.
Really.
I have no excuse.

A Mini-Sweater for Spring Dresses

I finished something ELSE! How thrilled am I? I am especially thrilled too because I can actually share this one with you! Now, this is something that I started a while ago but had thrown aside because I had to rip back a bit of it. It flared out at the bottom, much like I had been warned and so I had to rip it back and knit some darts in the back. But now, it fits in a lovely way and I even got to wear it out last night with my lovely blue dress with white polka-dots! If I had a decent picture of the whole outfit, I would indeed share it but alas... my camera seems to hate me. Each and every picture of me is... well, less than flattering.

Anyway, this yarn is the 'neon white' yarn I bought a while back when I went yarn shopping over my birthday weekend in November. It's the Blue Sky 100% Cotton. I love it. It's insanely soft.
The pattern is the Glampyre Knits 'Mini-Sweater', click the link for the free pattern!
I am in love with top-down knitting. I can't express that enough so, this was super fun for moi.
I think I'm going to knit it again... but this time in Needful Yarns 'Kim' or 'Kelly'. I want one in every colour.
Really.
So, that's it for me.
Time to go enjoy spring.

Finished Objects and Knitting Babies

I finished something... like, really and completely finished something.
But, I am only going to disappoint you by saying... it is unavailable to be viewed until... SEPTEMBER! You see... it is for my mom's big birthday in September and since she checks this thing probably more than all of you put together... I just can't ruin the surprise.
But I'm so pleased with it, I couldn't go without at least mentioning it.
I am looking at it right now.
Sigh...

In other news, "Nova Scotia's Next Top Knitter" was born and here she is in all her wondrous glory. A wonderful knitting friend of mine just had her and I spent Sunday afternoon with her. I have big plans for this knitter, big plans. See how her hands have already assumed the 'holding knitting needle' position?


I see a star.

So in the midst of all of these exams, I am going to take a 'knitting shop' break and visit some of my Halifax yarn shop friends today. I feel I need a break from this room and those books.

Happy Easter to the Knitters

Wishing you all a very happy Easter weekend.
May it be full of knitting, good food and not as much recycling as my house seems to have accumulated.
(Note- the THREE recycling bins we have in the kitchen were over flowing, causing numerous cereal boxes to creep into the background of this picture. Apologies all around.)

Welcoming Spring (and the end of my degree)

While the picture to follow isn't exactly full of spring colours and freshness, it has within it sun, no snow and a big welcome sign. That was put there, on my front step, as a welcome to spring once the snow has melted and the sun is shining. Well, that's what I would like to believe anyway. While we didn't have an altogether snowy winter out here Halifax, you get the point... right? It's nice to not have to wear my big winter coat every time I step out to take a wee stroll to buy milk.



The socks? Oh yeah. The socks. They're just... some socks... I made... throughout this madness called 'the end of school'. They are what has gotten me through these last few seminars and tutorials. I got the yarn in the fall in Mahone Bay at Have a Yarn. They are some Regia 'anniversary edition' yarn that was put on sale. Not exciting... but they'll do the trick.
They are currently on my feet, doing their job well.

Last weekend I attended a 24 hour knit-a-thon at The Loop in order to help make hats and such for various shelters in the area. While my efforts were somewhat fruitless, I did manage to get this lovely shot of knitters. Isn't that great? Look at them all click away.



So, enjoy your week. I shall be back soon, soon, soon.

Need a Quick Gift?

Oh wow. I had no idea I had gone this long without blogging. I am currently in the midst of the last month of this degree. Surely you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
I must be perfectly honest with you... knitting hasn't been happening too much around "Chez Me". Just... a lot of reading.
BUT, I did manage to whip these off in a bit of tizzy, just in time to send them to a dear friend of mine for her birthday.

I love these mitts. They are from the Fleece Artist.
And they are the ever-so-lovely Soft Mitten Kit.
These colours looked somewhat watermelon-ish to me so I though I'd give 'em a whirl.
You can whip these babies off the needles in no time at all. So if you are ever in a pinch, this is your solution!
Now, I have knit a few pairs of these and I tend to make the cuffs longer as you are left with a lot of extra yarn so you can afford to do that. And I added the buttons just because... I love buttons.

Ok, I'll be back with more... when there is more.
Sorry about this.

Socks Squared

Ok. So the title says "socks" and yes... there are plenty of those to come but I also knit myself this lovely little 'knitted helmet' and I feel as though you deserve a little looksie. It's from this website and it's called the Amelia Earhart Aviator cap. Whether I'll wear it on a regular basis has yet to be decided... but it was a hoot to make. One of those obsessive little projects that you whip through in one sitting and take breaks only for the bathroom and to make more tea. I knit it out of Scheepjes 'Donna' and I do love it. 50 wool/50 acrylic. Lovely. Just like this picture. (ahem)


Now, here are my first pair of socks for this post for you. They are the Monkey Socks from Knitty and I had a great time with them. Recognize the yarn? It's my Sweet Georgia yarn in 'Blue Fig'. Sadly, it's hard to see the pattern in these photos but it's the best that my camera can do at the moment. Please forgive moi. Notice how differently the colour in both came out? Funny. I love them though.


Here's another shot for you... with a cozy dust bunny hanging off of my left foot.


And here is another pair of socks that were sitting on my desk for over a month... just needing a second toe. I finally got to it and they're done. I did them out of Trekking XXL in colour 131.


Wanna play 'spot the dust bunny' with me?
Er, just kidding.

Lynn did some dying.

So, I tried my hand at dying.
The result? Not quite as satisfying a final product as hoped, but a completely satisfying process, for sure.
I enjoyed it immensely. I did it last sunday evening and what a perfect project for a sunday.

I bought one of these Louet kits from The Loop a while back and finally got around to doing it.

I got myself the 'green' kit and was surprised to see that it didn't have various shades of green... but a deep blue, an olive green and a bright yellow. Now, I realize that together they are all 'greenish' but the website made it look to me like it was comprised of various shades of green. Well that is, before I had dyed the wool. Now, it makes sense.

So, I followed the instructions and squirted the blue dye on the wool first.
(please excuse the curious roomate in the background feeding George Bush his dinner)

And then followed the green.



And then, the yellow. (I'm using every ounce of maturity I have to refrain from making a very juvenile comment regarding what that bottle of dye looks like)

So... it was pretty insane looking.
Not the nice and tasteful green I had been hoping for to make myself a lovely lace scarf out of. I think now it's going to go towards some socks for someone. If I tell them that not only did I knit the socks... but also dyed the yarn... they will be forever impressed and not so frightened by the garishness of the colours.

Now in all fairness, I hung the yarn over my cupboard door so that I could stare at it everyday and now, a week later it has grown on me and I think I quite like it. It was just wildly colourful initially but now... it looks a little less loud.
I'm all for 'loud', but when it's not what you're going for, it can be a bit alarming.


See? Not so bad afterall. I would wear these socks.
Indeed.

Christmas Clogs...

I know... it's a month later here but I am just getting to posting pictures of Christmas knitting. I figured that I would save it for a time when I needed a bit of 'tying-over' in between projects. I seem to be in the midst of numerous 'almost done' projects, not to mention (ahem) school work.

Anyway, all of that knitting I was doing before Christmas was none other than felted clogs for my three siblings. I must confess... it got a little monotonous but at least it was kept even. It was also a bit of an experiment on my part. An experiment in felting wool that is... as I used a different brand for each pair. Now, I ran into a bit of a problem here... I panicked a wee bit and didn't felt them down as much as they needed to be felted. They were all given GIANT slippers for Christmas. I didn't get around to tossing them in the wash one last time before I took off for Halifax once again, so I left it in the hands of my poor mother to finish up the process. My one sister still wore hers around but I anticipate several tumbles down the stairs if she keeps that up.

Anyways, since they were never completely felted, I don't have any shots of them finished, felted and on feet. I would only have pictures like that if... I was a completely organized person. Which, I'm definately not. But, I did manage a shot of them after being knit.


The brown pair on the bottom were for my brother made out of Galway.
The coral and mauve pair were done out of Cascade 220.
And the dark purple and green (yes... that's what they are) were done out of Brown Sheep.

Which did I like better???
Ugh.
I don't know.
Tough call. I like... them all?
The pair that I did for myself were out of Cascade 220 and I must say that they have held up quite well. I initially liked the Galway the most but the fuzziness of the Brown Sheep was just so...enticing. Those ones ended up being the most expensive though, as I had to buy more yarn for those last few stupid rows... (the bottoms don't match because they were going to end up being $60.00 clogs which I provided the labour for).

Anyways, it was a fun little task and perhaps at some point in my blogging life I will get a picture of them all felted up and on feet.
Don't count on that until next Christmas though.

Mohair cupcake on me

Remember how I didn't want to divulge any information regarding my cupcake inspired project? Well... I feel as though now that the project is complete, I can talk a wee bit about it.

First, a photo.
Well, alright... maybe two.
I can't take the credit for it really... other than alright, I guess I did knit it. A customer at the store marched in wearing this vest over the holidays and I fell so in love with it because she had knit it out of the exact yarn I had been gushing over for ages but just couldn't decide what to do with it. She so kindly took the vest off of her back and let me try it on.
I cast on as soon as my knitting needles would behave.
Now, the only thing that I really did differently than the dear customer was go up one needle size (to a 6.5 mm) and pull it across to make the button and buttonhole. Her vest just lies open. I needed more... coverage?
The yarn is by Needful Yarns and it's called Piccadilly. It has that perfect blend of colour... fuzz and sparkle. Dress it up... or dress it down? I like the in between stages. You can go anywhere.

The pattern... was one from the customer's head. And you know what???? It couldn't be easier. Because, it's a rectangle!
Yup.
It's true.

Cast on 180 stitches. Knit 2, Purl 2 for 6".
Decrease down to 90 stitches.
Knit in stocking stitch for about 17" total (including the ribbing).
Increase back up to 180 stitches and knit 2, purl 2 for 6".
Cast off.
Sew the top and bottom edges of the ribbing together (this will be where the armpit is approximately).
And there you have a vest... For the buttonhole, I just left a little gap in the seam as I was sewing and there it was!

You could do this with pretty much any yarn and I do intend to experiment with others. If using Piccadilly though, it takes 4 balls.

It made it's big debut today and I am happy to report that my torso remained toasty even through this snowstorm of a Halifax kinda day.

Enjoy, and do let me know if you give it a go. I'm sooooo nosey.

Knitted neon

So... I got my act together and not only did I finish knitting something, I actually picked up a needle and sewed it together. That happens... rarely in my life.
I sadly decided to take some pictures of this creation late at night, before my departure from Toronto back to Halifax and these wildly vibrant colours desperately need natural sunlight in order to register on the beloved camera. So, I completely apologize for the terrible photos. I will get some nicer and clearer ones, someday.
Anyway... I'll share the details with you.
It's... a blanket.
Knit out of Manos del Uruguay.
I have spoken about it earlier in this little knit-blogging-diary of mine.
I had dreamt of it having a lovely fringe along the bottom of it, like a scarf, especially because I had oodles left over. But when the end came around... and my mom made the suggestion that tassles on each corner might be more practical... I embraced the idea, but ran out of time.
The blanket is not with me.
It's in Toronto, proudly displayed at my mom's shop. (as far as I am aware)
The honking huge tassles I have in mind are going to have to wait until I am reunited with the store, and the blanket.

So, here's a terrible picture for you to squint at. (sunglasses are strongly recommended)
And another one.

And another one.

This blanket started out in the summer as we were doing a workshop of sorts at the store which became known as 'the-block-of-the-month-club'.
Each month, knitters would come and knit a block.
The blanket, having 12 blocks total would ensure completion after one full year.
The pattern was the Four Seasons Throw and although it is knit in strips, we made an exception here.
I started late, and I finished early I'll admit, but it was a bulky project and I wanted to get it finished and home to show the group so that I don't have to haul it back in May when I return for goooooood.
When they day does come that I head back, I shall be sure to tack some tassles on there and haul it out on a warm sunny day for a nice photo shoot.

So, now I am working on designing a living room to go with the blanket. Surely there isn't one already out there.

My sweet tooth

As I sat in my first day of class today, allowing my needles to click throughout as we all dealt with the formalities that go along with the first day back... I happened to notice something completely stunning as my ball of yarn fell off my stupid little table-ette and onto the ground where my bag and latest indulgence was sitting patiently in a clear plastic box.



Notice anything?
Perhaps you have noticed that I am becoming entirely predictable.

I shall share more details on what exactly it is I am knitting as I get further into it.
It's still far too young a project to brag about.

Home, sweet home.

So, I'm home.
I've been home for a while.
And it's been nice.
Oh how I enjoy the comforts of home while I am here.
Someone here (who could it be?) washes all the clean socks so thoroughly and properly, making sure that they are taken extra special care of.
See?


It doesn't happen like that at school. Believe me.

Anyways, the comforts of home have been nice and I am sadly finding that I must begin to gear up for the trek back. Sigh... Sniff.
No more clean socks for me.

I had a lovely Christmas.
It was one filled with knitterly joy as much knitting was done and many knitted gifts were exchanged.
I shall show and I shall tell.

First though, things that weren't knitted... but that relate to knitting.
You'll see what I mean.

See?


HOW NICE! It's a sock blocker. Clearly, I like to knit socks and clearly, this is something that every sock knitter would want to own someday... even if only in their wildest dreams.


OH WOW! I can't tell you how grown up I feel! I have my own WOODEN swift and wool winder. No more borrowing my mom's or relying on the shop owners to do it for me. I am so independent now, and cleary viewed as a responsible individual as it is WOOD and not just the nice orange plastic kind.


Now, as adult as I may be now, I am not a very organized one. These should help.

I must say, it's almost as though the giver of these nice gifts (that being the yarn shop owner of a mother I so luckily landed) wrote that post the Yarn Harlot posted on December 23rd regarding what to give a knitter for Christmas. Wouldn't you say?
Close anyway.

So, these lovely accessories were muchly appreciated and will surely aid me in future knitting endeavors. There were a few other nice little accessories tucked in as well including a "Knitting Pattern a Day" calendar.
Wishful thinking...

Not only did I get stuff to use in my projects... there were a few projects that were knit FOR me!!! It's true.
By, my mother dearest.


Mmmmhmmm...
Fleece artist socks and Morehouse Merino Bearpaw mitts.
It just feels so good to wear socks that you didn't make yourself sometimes.
I gotta say.

So, I'm one happy/lucky/spoiled girl, I mean adult.
Not only because my mom wrote that book on "giving-gifts-to-knitters" but also because she has a yarn shop, which I have spent many hours loitering in. I just... love it. I'd take that over school any day.
Really.

Oh, one last thing you have to see.


Don't judge because it's crochet and this is a knitting blog... just admire the beauty of it.
A woman my grandma knows made it and my grandma bought it from her and so kindly gave it to me for Christmas.
I could drink those colours right up.
I'm telling you.
It has my name all over it.

Happy New Year to you.

By this time tomorrow...

By this time tomorrow, I will be standing in front of this wall with my head in one of these little cubbies, breathing deeply.


Why?

Because by this time tomorrow, I will be done my last exam, I will be back in Ontario and I will not feel the slightest bit bad about doing things like that.
Not one bit bad.

Where did these come from?

Honestly now... if one of you people were to say to me "Lynn, have you been knitting much lately?" I would response with a slightly sullen tone in my voice "Nooo.... (sniff) I've been writing crappy papers instead.(sob)"
But as I was digging through my bag after class today, I came across these.


Hrm.
I clearly made them as I do recall buying the yarn a while back at The Loop... but it's funny how all it takes is a string of student seminars and oh yeah...
these.


(Watching all of these is considered "work" if you decide to take a film class.)
And so before I knew it, I had an almost finished pair of socks just my size to show for.
If only I had just one more paper to show for it too, then things would be lovely and I could knit in a far more conscious state.

Oh, and for those of you non-Nova-Scotians wondering what the weather is like out here at the moment, this is what greeted me as I walked out my door this afternoon.


How I love this city.
And all of its snowy whiteness.