What have I been up to?

This is a top I am making for Elizabeth for her 8th birthday. It's a teen top, a free pattern from kertzer

I am almost done, half of one strap, all of the other, top and bottom edge on the front, and sewing. Should be done by tuesday, right!















Here is the Unst, it finally has edging on it, only 6 points, but it is edging none the less.


















This is a stole I am making in drops Alpaca, I just love this yarn, the pattern is one I am making up as I go along, it's a simple razor shell pattern, all the stole will be this pattern, very simple, but the yarn will show up wonderfully. This yarn is a deep turquoise colour, but has flecks of lighter turquoise in it, I just love it. I plan to go buy more in different colours, soon.....















This is a toe up pair of socks I am making, almost done the foot of both socks now. I am using the Wendy's generic toe up sock pattern.


















This is a pair of Estonian mittens I am making for Ron, the yarn is handspun, navajo plied. I am very proud of this yarn, it is really my plying I am proud of, I had only ever tried out navajo plying once before, I still have it, so was amazed at the comparison, the first is all lumpy, this isn't. I know that means my spinning is getting better too, but I think I managed to control the plying a little better too.














Here is Daffodil, by Marianne Kinzel, I am slowly working my way backwards through the modern lace knitting book, I did Rose of England first, then Balmoral, now Daffodil. I love this pattern, and I found some yummy yellow cotton, perfect!

This was it a few days ago.

















This was it last night.
















I still have 64 rows to go, and already I think I am up at 708 stitches in the round.


We had to take Baby doll to the sick kids hospital yesterday for some tests on her eyes, Not fun at all. I hate hospitals. Katherine was a trooper of course. She always is, makes the doctor work for their money.

While we were in Toronto though I made sure I visited Lettuce knit Well of course I left with something, they have lots of fine yarn there, and the store was only two blocks away from the sick kids hospital, so I didn't have to twist Ron's arm to drive through T.O much. It is in Kensington market as well, I have never been there before, I found it very charming. The lady in the store was super nice. My daughter also found the shop cat Brad I think it's name was. My girls find cats everywhere they go!

This is what I left with though, I got two skeins of Misti Alpaca, wow is this stuff ever nice, I am developing a major soft spot for Alaca. I get very stressed out about Kat's eye condition and all the tests and appointments she has to go to. I am just waiting for the "she needs surgery" before I really break down, but everytime she has an appointment I cry. Poor honey. Now she has to patch for two hours a day, there is only so long I can get her to do puzzles for. She takes about 6 minutes for a 24 piece puzzle, for a three year old I think that's pretty quick, but there is only so many times I can get her to do a puzzle, certainly not enough to fill two hours. Anyone know tricks to get a kid to sit still and watch tv for two hours? She is supposed to use the eye that isn't covered, this will get the muscles working.

All the stress of the day though was soothed over the moment I touched the Misti yarn, ahhhh, better than a coffee and chocolate. Seriously!

Olympic generated knitting funk

It appears that many people suffered a sort of low, or funk after the olympics ended. I was part of that group. The day it all ended I cast on a shawl, ripped it out, next day, a doily, ripped it out. So I started a pair of socks, which are now finished. I also started a top for Elizabeth, who will be 8 this month, it is almost finished too, just knitting on edges and straps.
No photoies for today though.

I have been doing a lot of spinning, I spun up some lovely black, natural and orange corriedale for some estonian mittens for Ron, his dad was Estonian, so I get to knit him a traditional pair. I am using a pattern from Nancy Bush's book. I will get around to a post about them and fill in the details then.
I am also spinning a lot of mystery fibre, all I know is that it is wool. No idea what kind, so far I have 5 oz's spun, I tried a natural dye from the Spectrum book of dying, this book is a book about dye plants of ontario. My guild has produced the book. Sales have gone well, but there is more.

I dyed with Parsley, and while I was dying I noticed in the footnotes that it was a poor dye. Gee, now I see it...!!!!!%&$^#
Well I agreed about the poor dye, but had to have a stab at an afterbath. I used vinegar as I just can't seem to locate neat ammonia anywhere. Vinegar sharpened up the colour a little but not really much of a change. Next on the hit list is lettuce, spinach and onion skins. I expect more from them after Parsleys poor showing!

My Mom and sister went to Rome last week, I have yet to hear how there trip was, needless so say I was jealous, stuck here in Ontario.

We have a sock!!!!!

Sock one is finished, will kitchener later when I have two to do...
It looks as if I could get to the Unst after all, maybe a bit of knitting on it anyway.

Full Olympic update.

I admit it! I took on too much, I won't get all of my projects finished in time, but I will have completed a lot.

To start with I started the Stor rund dug.

This is it on cast on day.
















This was it yesterday.














This is it today, in it's final resting place.















I was also to finish the flirty ruffles shawl, I wasn't too far in in the grand scheme of things, I will have to check back as to what row I was on, I know I was mid chart 4, probably row 130 or something like that.

This is what it looked like on cast on day.














This is what it looks like today.














Next up is the jaywalker socks.

Cast on day...















Today

Ok, so it appears I don't have an upto date on them, but here is one from a few days ago, the I just liked the glowing cheerleader, how cool is that!














Finally, a picture of the Unst stole, in its same condition as cast on day.
















In a bit of non Olympic news, I finally finsihed the cast off edge on my Anniversary Pi skirt.

Here it is blocking earlier on today.

Quick olympic update

Ok, no photo's today. I will tell you what is happening with my olympic challenge though. Due to no yarn arriving on cast on day I started the stor rund dug doily, and said I would finish my Jaywalker socks, my flirty ruffles shawl and my Unst stole.

All but one have progressed, infact the stor rund dug is almost finished, the shawl is at about 69% done, and the socks, well still a long way to go.

Back to knitting, Photo's when I feel like I have more time to play at that than knitting.

P.S My yarn arrived on Monday.

I must stop thinking....

Geez, one day to the big Olympic knit off, and I am stil humming and hawwing over if I should join, what I should knit, my email to Jen at team Canada bounced back, so I didn't get signed up yet, that left me wondering if I should.
No yarn for peacock yet, and I still think I should use the yarn that is on my wheel.
Then I thought..... Geez, I just shouldn't have thought, now I have another idea.

Daffodil, by Marianne Kinzel. I have the yarn, it isn't started, I have the pattern, all I don't have is time. I don't think it is a 16 day do-able. It took me a month to do the Balmoral. I am pretty sure that was a one project piece as well, nothing as filler, no socks, no scarfs, no lace, no other anything!

What would be the point of the challenge if I actually thought it was easily do-able. I think Peacock may be that easy. Daffodil definitely isn't.

I must think more.....

Second sock syndrome begone!

Well, I finally managed to get going on my jaywalker socks, determined to make myself a pair of socks, I found a pattern I like, and even more determinedly started both at the same time, cuff for cuff, ankle for ankle, heel for heel, and now turned both heels. It is actually far less tedious this way, and it looks like I will finally complete a pair of socks.
Zellers has been selling off their sock yarn for $1 a ball, so I naturally bought up lots, I think I got 7 or 9 balls, I got some single balls, they will do to make sockies for Baby Doll, she still has wee enough feet to get two socks from one ball, Eliz has monster feet though, she is a size 4 already, she is still 7! I think her feet may end up being biggerer than my boats.




I succumbed to peer pressure, and today signed up for team Canada! My plan is to knit the Peacock shawl by Fiddlesticks. One major problemo though, I only ordered my yarn on sunday, I can't see it arriving in time. My way round this though, is one of two ideas. I don't think I will decide until cast on day though.
First stupid idea, carry on knitting flirty ruffles which I obviously won't have finished before the big day. Cast on as soon as the yarn arrives.
Second stupid idea, I have some singles on the wheel right now, not fine enough if I ply, so would have to stay as singles, and use that for peacock, I think it is do-able with this yarn, only problem with this stupid idea is that there is some very thin spots, and this yarn was destined to finish my Pi shawl.

I have a lot of thinking to do before Friday.

There is one other option, but this is so not going to happen (probably will end being what does happen) I have lots of this acrylic yarn, very fine, that I plied to make the ruffles shawl, very nice blue, but really I don't want to make two from the same stuff, the only reason ruffles is being made of it is because I want something to throw into the car, a carry around shawl, and with two little girls that love to dress up in my shawls, that usually climb all over my poor car in messy shoes, that eat and spill a lot of food in my car, I figured something that could get thrown into the machine was OK! Can't say I am loving the process so much with this yarn, but I love Ruffles so much I have about three other yarns and colourways picked out for it that I will (not) end up doing it in.

Yesterday we got snow, Wierton willy has a lot to answer for. Early spring my bum!





And doesn't baby Doll look happy!!!!!!!!!

She had actually been outside for a long time at that point. Her face was bright red and she just couldn't keep her mitts on anymore.


We actually got about 8 inches of snow, this is the first snow we have had really stay for more than a day since december, in Ontario, that's just freaky.
We of course went out and played in the snow for about two hours, it was fun, alas it wasn't sticky, so no snowmen.

Here are some more pictures from the big event!





This is a picture of the creek at the side of our property. I could hear the water rushing, but could barely see where the water was.






This is the swing set that Daddy built for his two little girls last year, boy was that ever a good build. We already have plans for an extension in the spring.








This is the deck that Daddy built. Isn't he a genius~~~~~~

It just looked so lovely covered in snow.








And finally for today, here is a picture of our latest pet, Maggie, the monster cat!
She came to us the week before christmas, she is 12-14 years old, her previous owner was an elderly lady that had passed on. Maggie is huge, she weighed 21 pounds when she arrived here, and is now at 18-19 pounds. Katherine is only 38 pounds!

As you can see in the picture Maggie is almost the same size as Katherine. Poor baby doll couldn't even pick her up! She is still trying.