Nuts to Slow and Steady! I Need Some Instant Gratification!

I am at it again- more cowls that is! I just can't stop... And the best thing about this one? I was able to cast on, knit the thing, rip it out and re-knit it...ready for this?? ALL IN ONE DAY.

So, that means that you could actually make this for a set of twins on the day of their actual birthday when you realize that you forgot to get them something. HA! How perfect is that?

My neighbours are going to start to wonder why I keep asking dear cousin to take my picture outside in various summer outfits with winter accessories. I wouldn't blame them...

It looks pretty simple though... doesn't it? So you wonder why I had to tear it out? Well... it is simple. So simple, it hurts (in a good way, like a deep tissue massage).

BUT, I thought I would be clever and add extra stitches to the pattern to make it deeper. Silly me though refused to dip into a second skein and the result of my modification was that I had a cowl for a giraffe- not me.


In any case, this was one of the less dramatic rrrrrips of my knitting career and I am happy I sucked it up and did it. I tend to just chuck projects that need a tear into a closet and forget about them. Yup... I have a closet designated for such projects. When I need to go in there, I open and then close it REALLYFAST. It's not a place I like to linger much.




Things you wanna know?


Pattern- My Kinda Cowl by Trisha Woodson
Yarn- Magnum by Cascade Yarns
Needle- 12.75 mm
Ease Factor-So easy I was thinking of casting one on and knitting it while I sleep tonight.



Huh. In writing this post I realize that I actually have a set of very special twin friends with a birthday fast approaching... June 28th.

Oooohhh... relax Lynn. You've got loads of time.



So, I think I'll stop and enjoy the roses.

That's what I do.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

It all began when one customer brought in their lovely version of this Kristen Kapur pattern called 'High Line Shawl' knit out of Estelle's Super Alpaca. I was taken with it, but listened to the little voice in my head that said "No Lynn. Even though you have been wanting to try out that chunky alpaca for a dog's age, you have enough on your needles to keep you busy for the next 10 years. Chill out."

I thought that by the next day, I'd be over it.

Well... I sort of was.

That is, until another customer brought it in.

And then- ANOTHER!

At this point, I had no choice. I simply had to cast on.

Which obviously, I did- because I cast off not too long ago!


There were four skeins of that marvelous chunky alpaca sitting on the shelf in this vivid shade of red, and they were mine.

All mine.



And the pattern? I can't say enough. My crush on Kristen began not so long ago when the latest issue of Knitty showcased her adorable cardi called Que Sera (for which I have the yarn wound, but not knit).


But after this project walked in the door, my love affair really began. She's super. And I have just made my crush public. (Can you feel me blushing?)


I never thought of myself as one who would get much use out of a wrap such as this, but let's be realistic... The days that it's cold enough to wear chunky alpaca?

I'll be cocooned like this.

And I'll get TONNES of usage. I just know it.

Clearly today wasn't one of those days that I planned on staying cocooned for long

So why bother knitting in lace you ask? If I am just going to bunch it all up around my neck for no one to see but me?

It's kinda like wearing a killer pair of lace underwear.

Does anyone really need to know you're wearing them?

Not really.

But do you feel like a million bucks?

Absolutely.

DETAILS WE LOVE!

Yarn- Estelle Super Alpaca

Needles- 9mm (even though the pattern calls for 10mm, I just used what was within arms reach)

Pattern- 'High Line Shawl' by Kristen Kapur

Difficulty level- Super great intro into lace. Just... don't try to watch Slum Dog Millionaire while acquianting yourself with the pattern. I had several big rrrrrrip outs occur.

So, to those customers who knit this shawl and inspired the heck out of me?

These are for you.

Cowls in June? Why of course!

When yarn rolls into the shop, it's hard to resist the temptation to immediately wind up a skein in my favorite colour and cast on. When Madelinetosh rolled in, the temptation was as strong as ever- and I succombed.

What could I possibly do with one skein though? HAH! Easy-peasy. Go on Ravelry and copy what 71 other people have done- knit the 'Honey Cowl'!

BANG! I cast this sucker on yesterday afternoon, and cast off first thing this morning. Not only is that a testament to how beautiful the yarn is to knit with, it's also an indication that the pattern is stellar.

So much so... that I'm going to do it again. But looooonger this time. Because this girl can never have too many 'neck warmers'.


Details?
Why of course!

Yarn- Madelinetosh Vintage in Oxblood (1 skein)
Needles- 5mm circular 60 cm
Pattern- Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh

Ahhh... I have mixed feelings about loving 'Oxblood' as much as I do.

And this wee shot is for anyone who loves peonies as much as I do... which is probably most of you.

Holy cow... I'm not sure that even a Madelinetosh cowl can even compete with this.

Can I even say that on a knitting blog?
Pfft. So sue me.

A Little Knitting Relic

Well fancy that! After discovering that embarassing old journal with all my knitted socks documented, I happened to also uncover the first pair of socks! It's almost as though they were book marking those pages! These ones would be the "1st ever! Red, green, orange and yellow Peace Fleece" that I documented. I seem to think I was about 12-13 when these babies were born. I have memories of wearing them with my stunning navy blue Doc Martens which I purchased from a church rummage sale when I was in grade 7- so that fits.

My mom had a basket in the basement full of bits and pieces of Peace Fleece wool/mohair. I had a hankering for a good sturdy pair of boot socks, as well as a hankering to learn how to make them! So, this was the result.

I seem to recall using THIS pattern that was ripped out of an issue of Canadian Living, and while I remember very little about the pattern itself, it clearly did it's job- because it resulted in a pair of (albeit not matching) socks!

And the yarn was Peace Fleece. Likely not the best choice for socks as it is not a superwash, but for me at the time (and many times since) it was about colour, and not practicality.

Well would you look at that! Seemingly my feet didn't grow into the same size as one another until the latter part of puberty.

And so dear knitting friends, I appreciate you allowing me to show you these little treasures dug up from my basement. Back to some current knitting content after the long weekend.

Promise.

There is lots to be told.

Whoops! This incident has not deterred me from knitting in red one bit.

Enjoy the warm weather, and sunshine! Happy long weekend to you all.

Ever Want to Feel Like a Total Loser?

A tip- don't ever crack open a journal from your teen years unless you want to feel REALLY bad about yourself.

I made that mistake recently and I can't believe that I ever thought (let alone WROTE DOWN ON PAPER!) some of the things that I seem to have here. Admittedly... my thoughts consisted of nothing much other than boys. What an unproductive citizen I was! Looking back, I wouldn't have blamed my parents if they had given me a swift kick out the door with nothing more than a one-way ticket to an all girls boarding school- on the other side of the planet.

While rifling through this journal though, I did find one gem that I am ever so happy to have come across. I found a record of all of the socks I had churned out during those difficult years! Based on the last pair documented... it would seem as though I stopped keeping track about three years ago (which wasn't really all that long ago...) The last few pairs were for my boyfriend (at the time) as well as some selfish sock knitting. I have vivid recollections of propping my head up with my notebook while ploughing through some socks during lectures in my final year of university while I made those "Sweet Georgia Monkey Socks".

BAHAHA! 'My Snow Shovelling Reward' Funny thing? I TOTALLY remember those ones. My mom paid me in sock yarn for chores.

The last entry in this journal that was not sock-related appears to have been from much longer ago than 3 years. Phew... Three years is really not all that long ago and I would hate to think I was still writing such musings up until so recently. People can't change THAT much in three years, and I might have to consider living in solitary confinement for a while if that was the case. No one deserves to be around someone like the person reflected in that journal.

It would seem that from my first pair of socks (which would have been... oooohhhh... I dunno, about 13 years ago maybe?) up until my last documented pair, I managed to produce 39 pairs. That's 78 individual socks! I know there are loads of folk out there that have done waaaaay more than that... but that's a lot of warm feet-YO!

I attempted to complete the list up until the present, but my mind has blanked. I am considering sending out a mass email to everyone on my list, asking them to please let me know whether or not I have ever knit them socks, and what colours they were (asking them the yarn and fibre content might be asking too much). I will keep you posted if I ever come up with an updated number.

In conclusion, I must thank my lucky stars that I found that list of completed pairs of socks amidst the wreckage that was my teenage psyche. Otherwise... today would have been a really terrible day.

Once again, I thank goodness for knitting.

Beautiful Day, Beautiful Beret

I woke up yesterday morning, marched out my front door and right into this tree in blossom. HELLO MOST PERFECT WAY TO START MY DAY! I promptly kicked off my socks and popped on my golden summer shoes. Does it get any better?



Answer: OH YES IT DOES! Just when I thought things couldn't be improved upon I sashayed into the shop and found THIS! Which I ALSO quite promptly popped on my body and wore around despite the heat. Amazing how I will kick off my boots the second the sun shines, but I see freshly knitted goods, and I would wear a Lopi sweater in August. Or, in this case a merino beret in April.
What gives?

In any case, this beaded beret was made by my mother dearest, who also felt inspired to channel her inner Jared Flood and do a 'shoot in the gahhhhden with me'.


At this time of the year- who needs to keep their ears warm? Bad hair days happen all year round... so why wouldn't we need a wee beret to mask that? I might need one to keep in my purse for those emergency fly-away kinda hair days.

Pattern? Churchmouse Classics Beaded Beret.

Yarn? 2 skeins (just BARELY two) of Shibui Sock.

Needles? I... don't know. I didn't knit it. Roughly about a 3.25mm would be my guess???

Mods? Mother Mary added 12 extra stiches because small heads don't run in our family. If you do as your told, 1 skein should do the trick.

In case you're confused- no, that's not me. That's the original pattern.

Three cheers for Spring time accessories that are knitted!

Who Hearts PomPoms? I Heart PomPoms!

While cruising through Ravelry one day, I happened to come across this lovely little hat pattern on a friend's 'favorite' list. I couldn't resist. I needed an excuse to use creamsicle coloured Cascade 220 and I wanted to knit something that required as little brain power as possible. (I say that often, don't I?)

In any case, this is what popped off the needles this afternoon.

Just in time for hot weather! (Good timing Lynn).

Making car noises on a papasan chair in an orange woolen hat= TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL!

SUCH a perfect pattern for someone who is looking to break out of their scarf-rut and enter into the world of hat knitting. No shaping, no tricky-ness. Just knit and purl around and around and around. Do-able. Indeed.

HELLO POMPOMS! Thanks for existing. Because I looooove you.

Details?

Yarn- 2 skeins of Cascade 220 (I only used one for the hat and then had to dip into another for the pompoms) in shade 2436

Needles- 4.5mm for the ribbing, 5mm for the rest

Pattern- I Heart PomPoms by Karen Borrel

And these are just because... I can.

Hold on While I Fetch my Tarot Cards from my Purse

I was minding my own business in the shop one day, when this pesky little ball of red mohair kept whispering to me 'Hey Lynn.... Come knit with me! You'll have SO much fun- I proooo-mise!'

At about 2:00 pm, I could hold out no longer. I had been wanting to knit a headband that might suggest I tell fortunes on the side, and this red mohair would be perfect.

Despite wanting to stand my ground against that little ball of mohair, when no one was looking, I caved.

Thank goodness I did because now I have something that no wardrobe should be without!

This is me telling fortunes at the local dive

Even cousin likes the headpiece enough to wear on a parking lot patio

As I was working away on this lovely accessory, the thought ran through my head on occassion that possibly I should be working on something a little more marketable. Shop samples are needing to be knit and my summer tank selection is rather grim. However, my doubts were cast aside the day I came home from work only to find the March 2010 Anthropolgie catalogue in my mailbox.

Heh.

Someone was snooping in my knitting bag I see...

Yarn Deets- Naturally Mist (only took 1 ball!)
Needle- 4mm
Pattern- Cast on 45 stitches. Knit in 3x3 rib until you have made a piece long enough to fit around your noggin'.
Cast off.
Sew the ends together.

Cast on 21 stitches and knit in 1x1 rib until it is about 3" long.
Cast off.
Wrap this small piece around the part where you seamed the headpiece and seam ends together..

Wear proudly and charge a quarter to read people's tea leaves at Starbucks.

And lastly, I usually can't resist stuff like this.

I was greeted by this precious little bunch of Spring-time love when I arrived at the shop on Saturday.

Spring is here cats.

I may have to put my fortune telling on hold until Fall.

Nobody likes heat stroke.

I Had One Foot in Cuba- the Other, in Portland

These were my vacation socks. I knit the first one in Portland last August when I was there for The Sock Summit. We had just arrived and during our first taste of the marketplace, I picked up some sock yarn to get me through the week. Shocking lime green, silk and merino blend- I like.

I wanted a simple pattern... but not my plain ol' vanilla style. So, I opted for a 'waffle weave' sorta thang.

I ploughed through that first sock, grafted the toe just as we landed in Toronto... and then left the other one until...

I WENT TO CUBA!

What you can't see is that I'm wearing a bathing suit, and knitted sock in this shot.

We'll probably keep it that way.

I cast on just before leaving and by the time I had arrived back on Canadian soil, I was a happy camper with a fresh new pair of (slightly large) socks.

It's funny you know... it's not like I haven't knit other socks in between knitting the first and second of this pair, but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to knit these at home. They were strictly for casting on and off on airplanes. They sat at the end of my couch, patiently waiting for a mate until I was ready to provide one.

Thank goodness for air travel.


As mentioned above, they are a smidgen too large. I am thinking that they may just be packaged up for oooohhhh... I dunno... Mother's Day (did I just give something away here???)
It's so handy to have a loved one with SLIGHTLY larger feet. She has been the recipient of several of my 'too large' socks, and I the recipient of her 'too small' socks.

Good deal we've got figured out here.

While shocking lime green isn't exactly the colour that dear Mother Mary loves, these socks are filled with some tropical goodness.

I had better warn my dad not to be too surprised if my mom slips them on her feet and the travel bug bites.




Project DEEEEETS???

Yarn- Spud and Chloe Fine colour # 7801

Pattern- Spud and Chloe Two for One Socks- Leaflet 9806.

Needles- 2.75 mm Chiao Goo bamboo double points.

That work for you?
Works for me.

Catch me Crocheting in Cuba

Ahhhh... le sigh.


This is where I have recently returned from. Sort of depressing- isn't it? To be back I mean... No more sun, sand and surf.


I had a wicked-fabulous trip and the weather was absolutely perfect. This is a VERY good thing because it means that I spent the majority of my time in the water swimming, and not in my hotel room knitting. Why is this SUCH a good thing you ask?


Because I left my yarn supplies at the back door on the way to the airport.


All I had was what I had managed to stuff in my carry-on, and that was more than enough for me on this trip as it turns out. (I shall share with you what it was in a later post).







Anyway, I just thought I'd share a snapshot of what I happened to stumble upon while strolling through Havana. Lovely ladies crocheting away in the streets. Crocheted things are available all over Cuba on the beaches and on the streets for goofy tourists like myself to indulge in. I was starting to wonder who was creating such beautiful things...


Here is my answer.

Note the yarn in the plastic bowl- brilliant!

Did I buy anything? You ask.

Of course! I'm a goofy tourist.

It's a dress.

Will I model it for you?

Not now.

If I had no issue with posting near-nude photos of myself on the interweb, I'd consider it. I need to find something to wear under it before I do such a thing. The flash will likely expose far more than you (or I) were really wanting to see/expose here. I am sure you will understand my dilemma.

Here is a little snippit for you though.

Gorgeous- no?

And for those of you that are keen to experience some warmer weather but just don't have the time to zip down to Cuba... here you are.

There is hope afterall.

Happy Spring everyone!

No Golds for this Girl

Well ladies and gentlemen... If knitting a black mini dress was my knitting Olympics challenge, I would have run through that finish line waving my arms screaming and shouting like a wild animal.

Sadly though, that was not the plan.

The Dale sweater did not get done. Although... I must say that I'm rather impressed that I was able to stick with that much black stocking stitch for over two weeks. Had it not been for the Olympics, I am confident in saying that it would have never happened.

See that? 20" of just plain ol' black stocking stitch. A bit of ribbing at the bottom and up the sides, but not much more to show than that.

One really smart friend of mine did make a suggestion though- why not aim for the end of the Paralympics!?!?!? That just might be possible. May I emphasize the MIGHT.

I realize it's just not in my nature to commit to one massive project at a time. I'm a polyamourous knitter, as in- I love to knit more than one thing at a time. If polyamoury is considered a sin in the knitting world- then I'm guilty as charged folks.

Take it or leave it.


In other news- a dear friend of mine just came back from Japan and brought with him a mini book just for me. I feel it's important to share the last two pages with you.

Allow my poorly polished thumb nail demonstrate to you just how small this book actually is

I want that pattern.

Because Nobody is Perfect...

I tend to never really mind whether or not my socks match up.

You know? The self-striping ones? If I have a blue ankle on one and a pink ankle on the other, I'm not usually too concerned. They're stuffed into my boots anyway. I get my joy out of knitting the colours, not ending up with a matching pair of socks.

BUT- I gave myself a mini-challenge a while back when I decided to cast these guys on.
"Make a pair of socks that actually match Lynn- just to see if you can do it."

Not to mention, these socks will shortly be gifted to a man whom I care enough about that I don't want him to be embarassed to cross his legs only to have people say 'DUDE! What's going on with those socks!?!?!? You can buy socks in pairs you know!'


I was ridiculously ticked with myself when they in fact matched. I even bragged a little about it to customers and my mother (you know... those that would 'get it').

Until... I decided to pop in a DVD during the 'heel turn' and 'heel pick-up'.
It was clearly a good DVD as I might have cut that heel flap a row or two too short.

And now...I'm off by one row.

ONE!

And that row happens to be CARAMEL COLOURED!
OBVI MUCH!?!?!?

This picture reminds me of my Grandpa for some reason...

I was SO close.

Never been closer.

Why could it not have been an extra row of grey??? I SO could have gotten away with it.



Le sigh...

Well, this pair most definitely put me in my place.

Teach me to be proud... and brag.

Boo.

Now, let's see if the recipient notices... If he does, I'm going to pop him one.

Good.

Yarn Deets?

Lana Grossa Meilenweit Sock Yarn.

Colour 8703.

I found this lonesome ball in the $10.00 sock yarn basket at the shop.

Yup... Even I shop the deals at Mary's.

Who Me? I'm Just Getting Warmed Up.

Ladies and Gentlemen.


It's less than one week before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics kick off. Did you miss the memo?


Sooooo... WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU KNITTING!?!?!?

Hours of time will be spent sitting glued to our televisions watching women play hockey, men shoot down little hills on tobaggans the size of cell phones, boys and girls will be twirling around in lovely outfits with skates on ice... think of the knitting one could accomplish!

This wee photo captures my grand plans.


I want to make the sweater on the right... but with a bang trim and coloured contacts, I intend to look like the one on the left. (Who doesn't want to look like a Norwegian Olympic skiier/model?)

Not following? Not only are the Olympics about athletes from across this giant planet coming together to compete in their chosen sport, but it's also about knitters everywhere casting on during the opening ceremonies. Whatever it is they plan on casting on, they had also better plan on casting off by the time the closing ceremonies wrap. Some even plan on having it all sewn together and on their body by the time the closing ceremonies end!

As for me... I'm being realistic here. In a perfect world, I would have it on my body, but I would also probably have carpal tunnel and be suffering from severe fatigue.

I like to think I'll at least have all of the pieces knit, just not sewn together... HILARIOUS THOUGHT LYNN! I think that if I even get through the sleeves alone that will be a huge feat for me.

HECK! Knitting on only one project for two weeks STRAIGHT will be a huge feat for me!

So, the 'rules' indicate that you can 'warm up'- which I've done. You can swatch, and since I sort of don't love swatches (despite my recent success with them), I did a headband instead.

I figure that if the headband fits my head- the sweater will TOTALLY fit my body.

You have just GOTS to stretch. No one likes a pulled hamstring.

Babies, I'm going for the gold (or at least a new sweater to match my headband).

The sweater deets?

Dale of Norway Vancouver 2010 sweater.

Yarn? Sandnesgarn Smart (in the same colours they are using- because I'm feeling boring like that)

Uhmmm... I don't have anymore details for you because I haven't knit it yet.

If you are interested in reading further regarding the knitting Olympics- click HERE. It sums it all up rather nicely.

See you at the opening ceremonies!

Houston, We Have a Sweater

Remeber this?

Remember how I acted all 'adult-like' for half a second in my life and actually SWATCHED??? (That was the same week I unloaded the dishwasher if you recall).

Well... I am here to tell you that the swatch paid off.

That half hour of my life that I will never get back in which I spent knitting a wee rectangle was TOTALLY worth it.

Why?

Because I actually made a sweater that fits AND that I wear. In fact... I finished this puppy (with the great moral support of several customers and loved ones out there) two weeks ago and wore it for an entire week straight. I had to bribe my cousin with sushi to take my photos in it before it started to actually look like sweater that gets worn every single day.

Nothing wrong with a well-loved sweater, but they don't always photograph all that well.

Without further ado- here is something to show you cats that I actually finish something bigger than a sock from time to time.

If you can't tell by my clenched fists, it was fridgedly freezing cold outside and I just wanted to be back inside my cozy little home- still wearing the sweater of course!

I promise I'm not flipping anyone the bird here. I'm pointing to... the beach.

But despite the cold, I'm pretty darned pleased with myself.

Does it show? And does it look like I'm being obnoxiously pleased with myself?

Because I think I sort of am.

Oh how good it feels to have a turquoise wool coat to call my own once again! I had to bid farewell to the last one as my years as a student carrying coffee from class to class left some rather nasty stains down the front. It was time for a replacement.

Thank goodness my days as a student are OVAH! 'Adults' like me don't spill coffee!!!

Huh. I seem to have misplaced my left leg in this shot.

I must say though- this sweater would still be on the needles in it's little bag had it not been for the support of my fellow knitters that participated in the knit-along at the shop. Six of us cast on together and we all finished (or are finishing) at various rates. How fun it is to see six sweaters from the same pattern come out looking so different from one another! So much so that one dear customer knit the thing TWICE! Two times! And the result was two very different sweaters.

The scoop?

Clasica Coat by Deborah Newton from Interweave Knits Fall 2009.

The yarn? Soft Spun by Cascade Yarns- 10 skeins for size medium.
Shade 2825.

The needles? 6 mm.

Thoughts on the pattern? Stick with the textured pattern stitch no matter frustrating it is at first- it proves itself to be super fab in the end.

Thoughts on the yarn? HELLO COLOUR! I just am such a sucker for vivid colours and this yarn delivers! It's... soft (hence he name) and it's pretty sweet bang-for-your-buckaroo.

Moral of this sweater story?

A swatch never hurt anyone.

It just might cut into your knitting time a wee bit.



I'M OUT!