So just how little did I knit this year? According to Ravelry there were 35 projects on my needles in 2012. Although this number is half of 2011s it is more in line with previous years and I have a very large shawl.
Of these 35 projects, 3 were frogged, 2 are carry overs from last year, one of which should be frogged, and there are 4 others still on the needles. Of the finished projects there were 6 pairs of socks, 5 dishcloths, 1 pair of gloves and a pair of mittens, 3 scarves and 2 shawls, an adult sweater, 4 sections for WCOBBS blankets and a complete blanket, 1 section for Warm Up America and a dress for a teddy bear. Only the sweater has not been photographed.
I was surprised that I had actually made 6 pairs of socks as I completed just one pair in the first 4 months of the year so I still have sock yarn but I don't feel owned by it and even if it does not get all used up in 2013 I am aiming to reduce it significantly. I also knit more (just) than I added to my stash. I have a plan for the yarn I bought in the 2011 year end sales although I have not used it all yet, and I have just one left of the three different yarns I bought in the summer just before we left Calgary. I have used all yarn I dyed in 2011 but still have one skein of yarn left from the yarn crawl in 2010.
On the book front, I read 49, which is not surprising as reading was low at the start of the year and in the fall. As usual my reading has been across the board. We are lucky to have a good library system where we now live.
The changes on the personal front have been recorded here. The most significant being our move from Calgary to Southern California and saying goodbye to our cat. And, of course, all of this has happened because a number of years ago I married my wonderful husband. Happy anniversary darling.
Knit Meter
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Done in December
I'm not a fan of the word done as I feel writers use it instead of a variety of words so you end up with a sentence like this: the picture done by Monet done in the impressionist style and done in oil was done by sunset. But as I am aiming for alliteration and I need to have this post written by the end of the day (because, surely, I will write a great post tomorrow) done it is.
And done it is, because I finished quite a few things this month. Which is a relief after not having any finished items since the beginning of October. This month I have five finished objects to show you.
Firstly, two small items to show. Our knitting group decided to have a dishcloth gift exchange and make sections for Warm up America.
These were both quick to make and they used stash yarn. The good news is that I have used up most of my dishcloth cotton. The bad news is that it has been suggested that we have another exchange so I am going to have to buy more cotton. The pattern for the section for Warm Up America was from their website which I adjusted for the yarn I used.
I finally finished my road trip shawl. So named as I started it when we were on our moving road trip. I was really glad to finish it especially as I did such a good job with the amount of yarn and beads. I had 5 grams of yarn left and about 1/10th of a pot of beads. (This was a big relief as both yarn and beads had been purchased in Calgary so I didn't want to run out.)
There are two photos of the shawl. One is more of a close up and the other is to show the size.
So, of course, one shawl a month is not enough and I finished one of the shawls I started in October. This was the shawl that had much unpicking as I changed my mind about the order of the colours.
The yarn is my hand-dyed as seen in this post and the end of this post. I used up all the yarn and am really pleased with the end result.
And finally for the month I finished a pair of socks. The pattern was the mystery for November and the yarn was Wollmeise, a gift from one of Calgary knitting friends.
I am looking forward to tomorrow when I count up what I have done/completed/made/achieved for the year.
And done it is, because I finished quite a few things this month. Which is a relief after not having any finished items since the beginning of October. This month I have five finished objects to show you.
Firstly, two small items to show. Our knitting group decided to have a dishcloth gift exchange and make sections for Warm up America.
These were both quick to make and they used stash yarn. The good news is that I have used up most of my dishcloth cotton. The bad news is that it has been suggested that we have another exchange so I am going to have to buy more cotton. The pattern for the section for Warm Up America was from their website which I adjusted for the yarn I used.
I finally finished my road trip shawl. So named as I started it when we were on our moving road trip. I was really glad to finish it especially as I did such a good job with the amount of yarn and beads. I had 5 grams of yarn left and about 1/10th of a pot of beads. (This was a big relief as both yarn and beads had been purchased in Calgary so I didn't want to run out.)
There are two photos of the shawl. One is more of a close up and the other is to show the size.
So, of course, one shawl a month is not enough and I finished one of the shawls I started in October. This was the shawl that had much unpicking as I changed my mind about the order of the colours.
The yarn is my hand-dyed as seen in this post and the end of this post. I used up all the yarn and am really pleased with the end result.
And finally for the month I finished a pair of socks. The pattern was the mystery for November and the yarn was Wollmeise, a gift from one of Calgary knitting friends.
I am looking forward to tomorrow when I count up what I have done/completed/made/achieved for the year.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Nothing Finished November
I can't believe that another month has passed with no finished items. I was so hopeful for this month but obviously 30 days was not enough. But so close.
One of the shawls I cast on in October would have been finished if I hadn't changed my mind about the colour sequence, which I changed my mind about again. If I can stick to the current arrangement it will be finished very shortly. I was also hoping that the road-trip shawl would be completed but that also snuck into December for finishing.
And I cast on a pair of socks. I decided to start the mystery sock for November from SKA on Ravelry. I finished all the clues on time and have started the second sock so am hopeful that will be a December finisher.
Overall it doesn't seem fruitful but December's round up should be full of photos of finished items.
One of the shawls I cast on in October would have been finished if I hadn't changed my mind about the colour sequence, which I changed my mind about again. If I can stick to the current arrangement it will be finished very shortly. I was also hoping that the road-trip shawl would be completed but that also snuck into December for finishing.
And I cast on a pair of socks. I decided to start the mystery sock for November from SKA on Ravelry. I finished all the clues on time and have started the second sock so am hopeful that will be a December finisher.
Overall it doesn't seem fruitful but December's round up should be full of photos of finished items.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Dogs
or what are their owners thinking?
I've often thought that dog owners assume that as they love their dogs everybody else should too. You know those people who don't control their dogs because "it's OK he's friendly". I remember an acquaintance being quite taken aback when I told her that some people really do not like dogs running up to them, as she related a tale of some teenagers trying to escape into bushes to avoid her dog. She really was surprised by their actions, after all she was standing in her driveway shouting "he's friendly".
I do not know how much dog ownership has increased, so I Googled and found differing statistics with different start years and end years but pet ownership (in the US) has been rising since the 1950s. There are more households with dogs than cats but there are more pet cats than dogs as households are more likely to have multiple cats than dogs.
So with the rise in ownership of dogs as pets has come the expectation of some owners that their dogs should accompany them anywhere and everywhere they go. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is all about the owner with no consideration for the poor dog.
A couple of weeks ago was the village fair. Streets were blocked off and filled with vendors. (As an aside the trains made their way through this without incident.) The weather was wonderful with temperatures hovering just below 90, so you can imagine that it was very busy. And in the middle of this people brought their dogs. (Did they see the posters of burnt paws from hot pavement?) The owners of big dogs kept on short leashes were not a problem, but those girls with their little dogs (why does it seem to be girls in their early 20s who need a living fashion accessory?) on long leashes. Being hugged by children on the same level was the least of the poor canines' problems as many a yelp was heard as they were trod on or run over. But surely that's not the fault of the owners.
And another aside about fairs, the day of making glasses by cutting the top off bottles is over.
I've often thought that dog owners assume that as they love their dogs everybody else should too. You know those people who don't control their dogs because "it's OK he's friendly". I remember an acquaintance being quite taken aback when I told her that some people really do not like dogs running up to them, as she related a tale of some teenagers trying to escape into bushes to avoid her dog. She really was surprised by their actions, after all she was standing in her driveway shouting "he's friendly".
I do not know how much dog ownership has increased, so I Googled and found differing statistics with different start years and end years but pet ownership (in the US) has been rising since the 1950s. There are more households with dogs than cats but there are more pet cats than dogs as households are more likely to have multiple cats than dogs.
So with the rise in ownership of dogs as pets has come the expectation of some owners that their dogs should accompany them anywhere and everywhere they go. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is all about the owner with no consideration for the poor dog.
A couple of weeks ago was the village fair. Streets were blocked off and filled with vendors. (As an aside the trains made their way through this without incident.) The weather was wonderful with temperatures hovering just below 90, so you can imagine that it was very busy. And in the middle of this people brought their dogs. (Did they see the posters of burnt paws from hot pavement?) The owners of big dogs kept on short leashes were not a problem, but those girls with their little dogs (why does it seem to be girls in their early 20s who need a living fashion accessory?) on long leashes. Being hugged by children on the same level was the least of the poor canines' problems as many a yelp was heard as they were trod on or run over. But surely that's not the fault of the owners.
And another aside about fairs, the day of making glasses by cutting the top off bottles is over.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Remember
Today is Veteran's Day. Now I am back in the US there are not poppies to be worn to remind us of the sacrifices servicemen have made for us. And for many this was a choice made by government and not their own free will.
The husband of my good friend in Denver is retired from the US Air Force. I never really gave much thought to what he did until one day after 9/11 we were at a BBQ and when another guest found out that Steve was in the military, he shook his hand and said thank you. Even then I thought what's the fuss about because I was blinded by the camaraderie, teasing and joking that goes on between friends.
What had Steve done that prompted a stranger to thank him? From the age of 18 he was prepared to go where the government said he was needed. Nearly half of his career was spent overseas including a year in Korea. Not exactly a relaxing assignment. And this stranger recognized that Steve was prepared to do what most could not, put his life on the line to protect his country.
So Steve for all those times I joked with you about the safety of the US being in peril because you had taken the day off, I'd like to say thank you for serving the country. And thank you to all current and former serving members of the military.
The husband of my good friend in Denver is retired from the US Air Force. I never really gave much thought to what he did until one day after 9/11 we were at a BBQ and when another guest found out that Steve was in the military, he shook his hand and said thank you. Even then I thought what's the fuss about because I was blinded by the camaraderie, teasing and joking that goes on between friends.
What had Steve done that prompted a stranger to thank him? From the age of 18 he was prepared to go where the government said he was needed. Nearly half of his career was spent overseas including a year in Korea. Not exactly a relaxing assignment. And this stranger recognized that Steve was prepared to do what most could not, put his life on the line to protect his country.
So Steve for all those times I joked with you about the safety of the US being in peril because you had taken the day off, I'd like to say thank you for serving the country. And thank you to all current and former serving members of the military.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Ongoing October
So to continue the alliteration from last month I had to come up with a catchy title to show that although I have no completed projects to show you, I have been knitting away.
With the relief that came from having just two projects on the needles on the 2nd day of October I had to cast on three projects. Two of which were shawls. Yes you read that correctly two more shawls. Instead of knitting socks I am now knitting shawls; but they are needed as the average day time temperatures are now below 70.
Talking of socks, the other item cast on was a sock. One of the challenges in the sock knitting group on Ravelry was a pattern specially designed for self-striping yarn. I had some such yarn that I was given a while ago and my aim is to use gifted yarn before yarn I've purchased. I chose a pattern from Knitty.com, liked how it worked with the yarn but did not like how the pattern looked. It incorporated short rows and in some places yarn overs had been used to try to hide the hole and in some places there was a hole. I tried to compensate for this by picking up threads/stitches to hide the hole but it was rather tedious especially as the needles I was using were rather blunt. So goodbye to that sock. But here's a photo of what it looked like before I pulled the needle and a picture of the balls of yarn pre-knitting.
So this crazy-knitting lady is actively working on three shawls and as it is the beginning of the month there is a good chance that more socks will be started - from gifted yarn of course.
With the relief that came from having just two projects on the needles on the 2nd day of October I had to cast on three projects. Two of which were shawls. Yes you read that correctly two more shawls. Instead of knitting socks I am now knitting shawls; but they are needed as the average day time temperatures are now below 70.
Talking of socks, the other item cast on was a sock. One of the challenges in the sock knitting group on Ravelry was a pattern specially designed for self-striping yarn. I had some such yarn that I was given a while ago and my aim is to use gifted yarn before yarn I've purchased. I chose a pattern from Knitty.com, liked how it worked with the yarn but did not like how the pattern looked. It incorporated short rows and in some places yarn overs had been used to try to hide the hole and in some places there was a hole. I tried to compensate for this by picking up threads/stitches to hide the hole but it was rather tedious especially as the needles I was using were rather blunt. So goodbye to that sock. But here's a photo of what it looked like before I pulled the needle and a picture of the balls of yarn pre-knitting.
So this crazy-knitting lady is actively working on three shawls and as it is the beginning of the month there is a good chance that more socks will be started - from gifted yarn of course.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
San Francisco Again
Hubby had to go to San Francisco for a conference so we rented a car and both headed up there. It was very strange not to have a cat with us.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Successful September
I decided that the titles of my monthly update posts needed more excitement than just the month name. So here I have gone for some alliteration; except when I checked Ravelry for completed projects it wasn't as successful a month as I remembered, so the title is "Successful September With a Couple of Days of October Thrown in".
The month was productive as I finished all those projects that were nearly finished and just needed the intent from me to get 'em done.
First off the needles were the socks that I had technically finished in July but I decided were not quite long enough. All that was needed was to unpick the toe shaping add some rows of pattern and then redo the toe shaping - twice.
The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens, the same yarn as these socks and also a Christmas gift from hubby. I decided that I was not going to match the colors on the socks which was a good decision as I came across 5 knots in this ball of yarn. This is totally unacceptable in one ball of yarn but as I was on the road I didn't do anything about it except I had extra ends to sew in.
I also finished the sweater, which just needed ends sewing in and another blocking. I am really pleased with how it fits. No photos yet as it will look better if I am wearing it so I either have to speak nicely to hubby or set up the tripod. It should be just right for Southern California winters.
And then squeezing into October, I finished the easy project that mostly lived in the car. A good number of years ago I bought Teddy Bears when they were on sale with the intention of dressing them in outfits I had knitted and giving them to charity. Well I finally achieved one dressed teddy. Left over yarn was used so that helps in using up yarn left over from other projects.
All I have to do know is knit outfits for the other bears.
So as at the 2 October I had 2 projects on the needles. Both lace shawls so I felt very pleased with my accomplishments. Now for the next projects!
The month was productive as I finished all those projects that were nearly finished and just needed the intent from me to get 'em done.
First off the needles were the socks that I had technically finished in July but I decided were not quite long enough. All that was needed was to unpick the toe shaping add some rows of pattern and then redo the toe shaping - twice.
The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens, the same yarn as these socks and also a Christmas gift from hubby. I decided that I was not going to match the colors on the socks which was a good decision as I came across 5 knots in this ball of yarn. This is totally unacceptable in one ball of yarn but as I was on the road I didn't do anything about it except I had extra ends to sew in.
I also finished the sweater, which just needed ends sewing in and another blocking. I am really pleased with how it fits. No photos yet as it will look better if I am wearing it so I either have to speak nicely to hubby or set up the tripod. It should be just right for Southern California winters.
And then squeezing into October, I finished the easy project that mostly lived in the car. A good number of years ago I bought Teddy Bears when they were on sale with the intention of dressing them in outfits I had knitted and giving them to charity. Well I finally achieved one dressed teddy. Left over yarn was used so that helps in using up yarn left over from other projects.
All I have to do know is knit outfits for the other bears.
So as at the 2 October I had 2 projects on the needles. Both lace shawls so I felt very pleased with my accomplishments. Now for the next projects!
Friday, October 5, 2012
San Diego Honours Members of the Military
San Diego is supportive of members of the military. With a Naval base on Coronado Island and a Marine base just north of where we live it is not surprising. I wonder if it has always been that way here. But that is not a conversation that I will start. And for any non-Americans reading this you have no idea of how members of the military, many of whom were drafted - read no choice - were treated by the press and therefore members of the public during the Vietnam era.
Anyway the purpose of the post is to show a couple of photos I took at sporting events recently. We were lucky to go to the opening home game of the Chargers (football) and the last home game of the Padres (baseball).
Both games honoured members of the military and had fly pasts before the game started. The Padres game was very touching as they honoured Japanese-American veterans from WWII. (Again for non-Americans, some poor decisions were made by those in power during this time affecting Japanese and their American-born children.)
During the singer of the National Anthem at the Chargers game a flag was unfurled. This was the size of the football field (nearly typed pitch there).
You see that it is not smooth. There are people underneath that flag holding it up as the flag is not allowed to touch the ground. And it was a very hot day.
At the Padres game, the team wore their camo uniform. When a baseball game starts the home team runs out on the field and takes their position. Before the start of this last game members of the military stood in the positions which for some reason I thought was pretty cool.
Anyway the purpose of the post is to show a couple of photos I took at sporting events recently. We were lucky to go to the opening home game of the Chargers (football) and the last home game of the Padres (baseball).
Both games honoured members of the military and had fly pasts before the game started. The Padres game was very touching as they honoured Japanese-American veterans from WWII. (Again for non-Americans, some poor decisions were made by those in power during this time affecting Japanese and their American-born children.)
During the singer of the National Anthem at the Chargers game a flag was unfurled. This was the size of the football field (nearly typed pitch there).
You see that it is not smooth. There are people underneath that flag holding it up as the flag is not allowed to touch the ground. And it was a very hot day.
At the Padres game, the team wore their camo uniform. When a baseball game starts the home team runs out on the field and takes their position. Before the start of this last game members of the military stood in the positions which for some reason I thought was pretty cool.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Life At The Beach
Yesterday we walked to the village to hear some live music in a park near the sea. We then went for our usual walk along the beach. Coming back I wanted to capture the sun shining on the sea. These were taken with my phone - not bad.
Monday, September 3, 2012
August
There's even less to say about August than there was July. Nothing was started and nothing was finished.
I didn't do anything to the socks that need to be lengthened and one of the close to completion projects was put in the car for a just in case project. (Which is where it had been residing before our long trip.) The sweater is almost finished. The neckband is attached and the sweater has been blocked - just need to sew in the ends.
I am probably about half way through the beaded shawl. But that is by rows and as it increases in size on every right side row, I am no where near half way through. Part of me wants to make a spreadsheet to work out where I am as a percentage of size and part of me thinks I should just pick up the needles.
That is what I should do - pick up the needles and knit. I haven't opened my knitting bag since we left San Francisco nearly 3 weeks ago. But I have finished a book of over 1000 pages.
I didn't do anything to the socks that need to be lengthened and one of the close to completion projects was put in the car for a just in case project. (Which is where it had been residing before our long trip.) The sweater is almost finished. The neckband is attached and the sweater has been blocked - just need to sew in the ends.
I am probably about half way through the beaded shawl. But that is by rows and as it increases in size on every right side row, I am no where near half way through. Part of me wants to make a spreadsheet to work out where I am as a percentage of size and part of me thinks I should just pick up the needles.
That is what I should do - pick up the needles and knit. I haven't opened my knitting bag since we left San Francisco nearly 3 weeks ago. But I have finished a book of over 1000 pages.
Friday, August 31, 2012
What Not To Say When Your Husband Is Driving
Do not start off a statement with an extended arrrrghh just when he has pulled out of the driveway. This will make him pull over wondering where the problem is. Potential accident, disaster, sickness. Whereas really it was an extended excited arrrrgh followed by there's the sea. (You can see the sea from our driveway - it makes me sooo happy.)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Some People Move Houses - We Move Countries
We haven't moved much since we've been married. In fact we've only moved house in the same city once and that was because we started off in a rented apartment (with rented furniture). But when we do move, we have to change the country.
A few days after getting married we moved from the UK to the US; 9 years later we moved from the US to Canada; and 6 1/2 years after that we moved back to the US.
In addition to everything involved with moving house there is all the additional paperwork for moving to another country. For people, belongings and animals. Except as we were driving this time we did not need any paperwork for the cats. Good thing as their vaccination records were not with all the other paperwork I had for crossing the border. (Put in a safe place that I would never have thought of looking if asked.)
As with our other moves, we have moved to a place where neither of us know anyone, although hubby has lived in California before; northern California and now we're in southern California. One big difference about this move is the time of year. The last two moves have been at the beginning of January to places that have winter; a shock to the system but at least you know what you are getting. Having moved here in the summer, I can't imagine that it will not be cold in the winter.
Moving countries presents more challenges than just extra paperwork. Suddenly there is a gap in the records of your life. Credit and employment history shows no activity. To be able to live normally, deposits have to be paid to obtain services and an explanation of every aspect of your life has to be provided to obtain a mortgage. But at last we have a house, internet and cell phones.
Let the good times roll.
A few days after getting married we moved from the UK to the US; 9 years later we moved from the US to Canada; and 6 1/2 years after that we moved back to the US.
In addition to everything involved with moving house there is all the additional paperwork for moving to another country. For people, belongings and animals. Except as we were driving this time we did not need any paperwork for the cats. Good thing as their vaccination records were not with all the other paperwork I had for crossing the border. (Put in a safe place that I would never have thought of looking if asked.)
As with our other moves, we have moved to a place where neither of us know anyone, although hubby has lived in California before; northern California and now we're in southern California. One big difference about this move is the time of year. The last two moves have been at the beginning of January to places that have winter; a shock to the system but at least you know what you are getting. Having moved here in the summer, I can't imagine that it will not be cold in the winter.
Moving countries presents more challenges than just extra paperwork. Suddenly there is a gap in the records of your life. Credit and employment history shows no activity. To be able to live normally, deposits have to be paid to obtain services and an explanation of every aspect of your life has to be provided to obtain a mortgage. But at last we have a house, internet and cell phones.
Let the good times roll.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
How To Help Your Child Become An Adult
Last month I passed on a parenting tip. But how do you know your parenting skills have worked? After all it is easy to make your child think you are awesome but how does this translate into real life. One sign is when they grow up to be independent human beings making their own way in the world, obtaining information to make decisions secure in the knowledge that they can do this as you have been behind them encouraging and teaching.
And you feel so proud of them when it works out as this example shows.
We are in California and our son is in Calgary. So as I am an awesome mother I sent him a food parcel. The dear child considerately emailed me he had received the notice to pick up the parcel from the post office and he would do so after work. He then asked me what time they close!
One of us needs some work in the growing up to be independent department.
And you feel so proud of them when it works out as this example shows.
We are in California and our son is in Calgary. So as I am an awesome mother I sent him a food parcel. The dear child considerately emailed me he had received the notice to pick up the parcel from the post office and he would do so after work. He then asked me what time they close!
One of us needs some work in the growing up to be independent department.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
July
I thought I had loads of projects to show you that I had completed in July but I have one to tell you about. Agh, what happened? Well, despite knitting a bunch it still doesn't translate into completed projects. And in July I completed one pair of socks and almost another pair. This pair is technically completed but I want to lengthen the foot so I am not counting them as finished yet.
So here they are, the one finished item. I started the first one on 28 June as the designer - Anne Campbell was a featured designer in the SKA group for June and I had previously queued this pattern. The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens and was a Christmas gift from hubby.
After completing the first sock, I decided to make the second sock with the same colour sequence. Except this ball of yarn was dyed in such a way that it was not possible to make two matching socks. Even where I found the same colours, it was plyed with a darker colour.
I mentioned in a previous post that there were two projects close to completion that I could finish. Well that didn't happen and now I have three projects close to completion. We'll be house sitting in a couple of weeks so if my memory holds up that would be a good time to finish projects.
Ignoring those projects I have just one thing on the needles which is a beaded shawl. Because I have all this time to knit. Huh!
So here they are, the one finished item. I started the first one on 28 June as the designer - Anne Campbell was a featured designer in the SKA group for June and I had previously queued this pattern. The yarn is Fame Trend by Marks & Kattens and was a Christmas gift from hubby.
After completing the first sock, I decided to make the second sock with the same colour sequence. Except this ball of yarn was dyed in such a way that it was not possible to make two matching socks. Even where I found the same colours, it was plyed with a darker colour.
I mentioned in a previous post that there were two projects close to completion that I could finish. Well that didn't happen and now I have three projects close to completion. We'll be house sitting in a couple of weeks so if my memory holds up that would be a good time to finish projects.
Ignoring those projects I have just one thing on the needles which is a beaded shawl. Because I have all this time to knit. Huh!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Heading Into The 21st Century
I finally did it. I am now on Facebook. Friends had been suggesting/nagging for many a year that if I wanted to see photos I needed to be on Facebook. With the current loooong road trip there seemed to be little excuse to remain faceless. So today I joined the masses.
It wasn't easy; and that has nothing to do with being a Luddite or old but due to the #@!$ browser I was using. I was in Goggle Chrome and it would not open any of the Edit windows which worked fine in Mozilla Firefox and Windows Explorer. As I had no problems with either of those browsers I did not bother to check for weirdness in Goggle Chrome's settings.
With Ravelry, my blog, the odd immigration forum and now Facebook I don't know where I am going to find the time for the rest of my life.
It wasn't easy; and that has nothing to do with being a Luddite or old but due to the #@!$ browser I was using. I was in Goggle Chrome and it would not open any of the Edit windows which worked fine in Mozilla Firefox and Windows Explorer. As I had no problems with either of those browsers I did not bother to check for weirdness in Goggle Chrome's settings.
With Ravelry, my blog, the odd immigration forum and now Facebook I don't know where I am going to find the time for the rest of my life.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Charity Blankets
I have mentioned before a group that makes blankets for charity – Western Canadian Oddball Blanket Society. Each blanket is made up of 6 sections of 6 inches each plus an edging. Each section is knitted (or crocheted) by a different person and then passed on to the next crafter. Although the name of the group is Western there are now knitters and crocheters from all over Canada involved. Currently the majority of the blankets are donated to the NICU at Foothills Hospital in Calgary.
Last year I crocheted a complete blanket so at the beginning of this year I decided to crochet a preemie size blanket.(Preemie size blankets are roughly 24 inches square.) Basically it is a large granny square with a shell edging.
In February it was my turn for a strip on a regular blanket. I was the fifth person on this blanket and it was being worked in various shades of blue. I chose a chevron pattern in a silver blue shade.
I have to say this was my favourite blanket to work on as the knitting was wonderful and the colours well chosen.
In May I was the second person on another blanket and chose a heart pattern. I love going through my stitch pattern books and choosing a pattern that I think will be interesting for me to knit as well as suiting the blanket and has more or less the right count of stitches for the blanket. The challenge for this blanket was choosing a colour that was in my stash but would go with the colour started on the blanket.
At the beginning of May the board issued a challenge – fast-track blankets – each board member started a blanket and with bribery and cajoling encouraged others to join. I worked on two of these, even though I did not have much time I wanted to do my part. For one of them, it was decided that each person would work their 6-inch strip and send to the organizer to put together and work a border. The yarn I used was highly variegated so I worked a simple broken rib so that there was some pattern but it does not pull in the way that ordinary rib does.
The other fast track blanket was worked in the normal way, being passed from knitter to knitter, and I was the third person. I was in rather a quandary when I received it as the first two knitters had both worked garter stitch and I really did not want to work garter stitch. Because garter stitch has a high rows per inch gauge, it is not actually as fast a knit as you would expect it to be. As I was the third person on the blanket, I decided that it would be OK not to work garter stitch and would also give following knitters a choice. But it couldn’t be an all-over stocking stitch pattern as there had to be texture to go with the garter stitch. Although I had just worked a ribbed section, a rib pattern of some description seemed the best, so I chose this textured rib pattern.
These are my last blankets until my yarn is out of storage and I find another group closer to where I will be living.
Last year I crocheted a complete blanket so at the beginning of this year I decided to crochet a preemie size blanket.(Preemie size blankets are roughly 24 inches square.) Basically it is a large granny square with a shell edging.
In February it was my turn for a strip on a regular blanket. I was the fifth person on this blanket and it was being worked in various shades of blue. I chose a chevron pattern in a silver blue shade.
I have to say this was my favourite blanket to work on as the knitting was wonderful and the colours well chosen.
In May I was the second person on another blanket and chose a heart pattern. I love going through my stitch pattern books and choosing a pattern that I think will be interesting for me to knit as well as suiting the blanket and has more or less the right count of stitches for the blanket. The challenge for this blanket was choosing a colour that was in my stash but would go with the colour started on the blanket.
At the beginning of May the board issued a challenge – fast-track blankets – each board member started a blanket and with bribery and cajoling encouraged others to join. I worked on two of these, even though I did not have much time I wanted to do my part. For one of them, it was decided that each person would work their 6-inch strip and send to the organizer to put together and work a border. The yarn I used was highly variegated so I worked a simple broken rib so that there was some pattern but it does not pull in the way that ordinary rib does.
The other fast track blanket was worked in the normal way, being passed from knitter to knitter, and I was the third person. I was in rather a quandary when I received it as the first two knitters had both worked garter stitch and I really did not want to work garter stitch. Because garter stitch has a high rows per inch gauge, it is not actually as fast a knit as you would expect it to be. As I was the third person on the blanket, I decided that it would be OK not to work garter stitch and would also give following knitters a choice. But it couldn’t be an all-over stocking stitch pattern as there had to be texture to go with the garter stitch. Although I had just worked a ribbed section, a rib pattern of some description seemed the best, so I chose this textured rib pattern.
These are my last blankets until my yarn is out of storage and I find another group closer to where I will be living.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
How To Be An Awesome Parent
This post could have had many titles:- I Wish I'd Been There; Parenting is Tough; This Child Will Be In Therapy For Life and I'm sure someone reading this will believe it was child abuse.
A friend messaged me and told me what she had done when her child was being really annoying. I laughed out loud and had to share.
They were in a mall and, apparently, there are laws, I'm sure set up by busy body do gooders, that you are not allowed to leave your children behind when you depart the mall. Bearing this in mind, what choices were left to my friend when oldest child was being annoying?
She ate his Kinder Egg right in front of him!
That is true parental sacrifice - the chocolate is not adult friendly.
A friend messaged me and told me what she had done when her child was being really annoying. I laughed out loud and had to share.
They were in a mall and, apparently, there are laws, I'm sure set up by busy body do gooders, that you are not allowed to leave your children behind when you depart the mall. Bearing this in mind, what choices were left to my friend when oldest child was being annoying?
She ate his Kinder Egg right in front of him!
That is true parental sacrifice - the chocolate is not adult friendly.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Hitchhiker
The problem with buying yarn without a project in mind is that it sits in the stash for quite a while as there is the tendency to purchase yarn for a specific project rather than look in the stash. This is how my stash is mostly sock yarn as there is always enough in 100 grams to knit a pair of socks.
Except, sometimes you don’t want to knit socks or you just have to knit a certain pattern or you “need” a certain item. So the sock yarn still sits in the stash even though it, ostensibly, has a purpose.
And then there is the yarn that you are not sure if you even want to make socks with. Such was the case with this yarn.
I purchased three “skeins” of this yarn at different times and I paid full price for this one.
The second skein I purchased became thesesocks. From knitting those I found that the yarn is more colour block than self-striping, the yarn looks crinkly after being reknitted and the stitches look a bit odd where the colour changes occurred. (At the colour changes a stitch from the original skein is made up of tw0 colours.)
The yarn is a long scarf and you could just use it as a scarf but really that is too easy – why not knit it into another scarf? This would solve three problems. The colour changes might not look so strange, I had an idea of how the striping looked, I could use the whole skein, no adding small amounts to my stash. There was no point in knitting a standard scarf from a scarf so I chose Hitchhiker. A pattern I had had for a while but I felt needed more than a single-toned yarn. Plus it was an easy pattern and I always like to have one of those on the go. Although I have no idea what will be my next easy project.
I was a little unsure of how big (or small) this would turn out. The original pattern uses 150 gram skein of Wollmeise which is 525 metres. My yarn was 100 grams and 420 metres, enough for a scarf plus I could always unravel it if I didn’t like the end result. Needle choice was easy; for this trip I packed a couple of sets of DPNs for socks and my interchangables, so I used size 3.5 mm, the smallest size in the set.
The crinkliness of the yarn shows much more in garter stitch but it looks like it has been worked in a boucle yarn. I could wet block it to see if that makes a difference but as I am currently on the Washington peninsular I am not going to try.
Except, sometimes you don’t want to knit socks or you just have to knit a certain pattern or you “need” a certain item. So the sock yarn still sits in the stash even though it, ostensibly, has a purpose.
And then there is the yarn that you are not sure if you even want to make socks with. Such was the case with this yarn.
I purchased three “skeins” of this yarn at different times and I paid full price for this one.
The second skein I purchased became thesesocks. From knitting those I found that the yarn is more colour block than self-striping, the yarn looks crinkly after being reknitted and the stitches look a bit odd where the colour changes occurred. (At the colour changes a stitch from the original skein is made up of tw0 colours.)
The yarn is a long scarf and you could just use it as a scarf but really that is too easy – why not knit it into another scarf? This would solve three problems. The colour changes might not look so strange, I had an idea of how the striping looked, I could use the whole skein, no adding small amounts to my stash. There was no point in knitting a standard scarf from a scarf so I chose Hitchhiker. A pattern I had had for a while but I felt needed more than a single-toned yarn. Plus it was an easy pattern and I always like to have one of those on the go. Although I have no idea what will be my next easy project.
I was a little unsure of how big (or small) this would turn out. The original pattern uses 150 gram skein of Wollmeise which is 525 metres. My yarn was 100 grams and 420 metres, enough for a scarf plus I could always unravel it if I didn’t like the end result. Needle choice was easy; for this trip I packed a couple of sets of DPNs for socks and my interchangables, so I used size 3.5 mm, the smallest size in the set.
The crinkliness of the yarn shows much more in garter stitch but it looks like it has been worked in a boucle yarn. I could wet block it to see if that makes a difference but as I am currently on the Washington peninsular I am not going to try.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Gifts
We were blessed with finding a superb, caring vet for our spoilt white kitty and a vet technician who looked after both cats when we went away. Both of them had far exceeded my expectations in a vet and cat feeder so I wanted to say a big thank you when we left. I did this by knitting them each a scarf.
This was an ideal time to use the skein of Punta that I had purchased on the yarn crawl. At that time I had not heard of Punta but my friend was a big fan so I purchased and then as it wasn’t sock yarn I couldn’t think what to make with it. I had just enough to make this scarf. I used size 5.5 mm needles but I did not like the result after blocking as the stitches really opened up, so I blocked it again and just patted it into shape and I much preferred the end result.
The other scarf I made used my own hand dyed yarn see this post. I had wanted to make the cross stitch scarf from 101 designer One-Skein Wonders for a long time but couldn’t find the right yarn. My hand dyed was perfect. I changed the pattern slightly by casting on 4 more stitches and working 4 rows of moss stitch at start and finish. It was easy to use up almost all the yarn and the end result was a perfect match of yarn and pattern. The photo is not very good but I didn’t have the time to take photos on different days with different light.
This was an ideal time to use the skein of Punta that I had purchased on the yarn crawl. At that time I had not heard of Punta but my friend was a big fan so I purchased and then as it wasn’t sock yarn I couldn’t think what to make with it. I had just enough to make this scarf. I used size 5.5 mm needles but I did not like the result after blocking as the stitches really opened up, so I blocked it again and just patted it into shape and I much preferred the end result.
The other scarf I made used my own hand dyed yarn see this post. I had wanted to make the cross stitch scarf from 101 designer One-Skein Wonders for a long time but couldn’t find the right yarn. My hand dyed was perfect. I changed the pattern slightly by casting on 4 more stitches and working 4 rows of moss stitch at start and finish. It was easy to use up almost all the yarn and the end result was a perfect match of yarn and pattern. The photo is not very good but I didn’t have the time to take photos on different days with different light.
Friday, July 13, 2012
On The Needles
As half the year has gone, I thought I’d do a mini round-up of what is not complete. The oldest lace project will stay that way for quite a while as I packed it up and put it in storage. (We won’t talk about the lace yarn I did bring with me.) The sweater is completed and just needs the neck band sewn on. I haven’t rushed to do that as it will need a good blocking and I am not in the best place for that right now. Physical location that is not mental place.
The small easy project I keep in the car is nearly finished and will be (should be) after the two pairs of socks on the go.
If I really put my mind to it I could complete all these items by the end of the month. Let’s see!
The small easy project I keep in the car is nearly finished and will be (should be) after the two pairs of socks on the go.
If I really put my mind to it I could complete all these items by the end of the month. Let’s see!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
April and May
Well it seems that not only am I knitting slowly but I am updating slowly too. So here is another post with two months worth of completed objects. April was very slow on the knitting front but I finished a pair of socks albeit a pair I started on 1 January and I knitted a dishcloth.
I started the socks on 1 January as part of the Ravelry SKA group animal theme for that month. The pattern is The Gardener by Leslie Comstock and I had favourited it a while ago so I took the chance to knit it. The yarn is Madeline Tosh Sock, colour Grapefruit, which I had bought on my trip to Denver and had saved for this pattern. I have now used all the yarn I bought on that trip.
As I like using knitted/crocheted dishcloths, I am using up all my ends of dishcloth cotton. In April I knitted another Hex. I divided the small amounts of dishcloth cotton into two piles – variegated and solid – and then alternated between the two when I ran out. As this was a dishcloth for my use I knotted the yarns at the changes and didn’t worry about which side the knot fell on. Not too bad a result.
May was more successful. I have shown photos of the mystery sock I started in May; I made three sections for WCOBBS blankets which I will post about separately; a scarf, which will also have its own post; a completed pair of socks started in April and I completely frogged a pair of socks that I started last December.
The designer in the SKA group for April was Rosehiver. Her designs are wonderful and still free which is amazing and really she should start selling them. May’s mystery was her design and she also designed these socks. So it was a no-brainer that I would knit one of her designs when April came around.
The yarn is Kypria from The Sanguine Gryphon before they split into two separate companies. I really like the finished article and they are my new favourites.
I started the socks on 1 January as part of the Ravelry SKA group animal theme for that month. The pattern is The Gardener by Leslie Comstock and I had favourited it a while ago so I took the chance to knit it. The yarn is Madeline Tosh Sock, colour Grapefruit, which I had bought on my trip to Denver and had saved for this pattern. I have now used all the yarn I bought on that trip.
As I like using knitted/crocheted dishcloths, I am using up all my ends of dishcloth cotton. In April I knitted another Hex. I divided the small amounts of dishcloth cotton into two piles – variegated and solid – and then alternated between the two when I ran out. As this was a dishcloth for my use I knotted the yarns at the changes and didn’t worry about which side the knot fell on. Not too bad a result.
May was more successful. I have shown photos of the mystery sock I started in May; I made three sections for WCOBBS blankets which I will post about separately; a scarf, which will also have its own post; a completed pair of socks started in April and I completely frogged a pair of socks that I started last December.
The designer in the SKA group for April was Rosehiver. Her designs are wonderful and still free which is amazing and really she should start selling them. May’s mystery was her design and she also designed these socks. So it was a no-brainer that I would knit one of her designs when April came around.
The yarn is Kypria from The Sanguine Gryphon before they split into two separate companies. I really like the finished article and they are my new favourites.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Stitch Markers With a Difference
In my last post I mentioned the gift from my friend Clair. She has now opened her ESTY shop Purple gecko Studio so I can go into more detail. Her gift to me was a beaded bracelet she had made herself but the unusual design feature was the stitch markers. Along the bracelet are lobster claw fasteners with beaded stitch markers attached. So if you are out with your knitting and need a stitch marker you have one on you. Or if you never know where to keep your stitch markers now there is no problem. And they are so pretty the knitting uninitiated will just see a bracelet. Clair has also made some necklace/pendants with detachable stitch markers.
So go on order some for gifts and don’t forget to get one for yourself too.
So go on order some for gifts and don’t forget to get one for yourself too.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Friends
I really wanted a catchy title for this post so that it would turn up in search engines and the whole world would know what wonderful friends I have and generate some traffic for their blogs or ESTY stores. Instead there is the non-imaginative title but the sentiments of this post will be the same even if it was titled Harry.
I informed the spousal unit that I would be out every Thursday until we move so I could spend time with my knitting friends who I have said are a bunch of fun people brought together by a mutual enjoyment of fibreness. The first Starbucks gathering occurred on 25 September 2008. (I know because I blogged about it.) So that is nearly 4 years of knitting togetherness of people who met on the web. And despite the concerns of one daughter, we have not attacked, maimed or murdered anyone with our pointy sticks. People are still joining our group (yes we are that fun), babies have been born and people have moved away. And now it is my turn - to move, not have a baby. I really hope I find a similar group when I finally move into my new house.
But this past Thursday was amazing. They gave me a basket filled with goodies that were so special for me to remember each of them by. I was totally surprised, grateful and honoured. (In other words gobsmacked.)
As we, mostly, meet in Starbucks I shouldn't have been surprised to receive a couple of mugs, a Calgary one from Lacey who came out on Thursday even though she is very pregnant and an Edmonton one from Sharon who actually popped in for a visit last week, so it was great to see her before I moved. From Shannon the awesome crocheter I received some notecards but not just any old notecards, these were her photos of Alberta.
Becca made some stitch markers and although she is American, one of the markers is Canadian and they are so wonderful my husband knew immediately what they were. My pinky bff (I've started to use that expression because it makes me laugh) Clair made me a bracelet with a difference which I won't reveal here in case she decides to sell them. I'm still waiting for the present from her husband as my leaving will increase their disposable income. Clair is easily overcome by yarn fumes and it is not difficult to encourage her to spend money in a yarn store followed by coffee.
And now a plug for Cara's Esty shop Chasing Fire Ceramics. She made me some maple leaf buttons. Short of them being dipped maple syrup, how much more Canadian you can get? So support a new vendor and buy. And Susan knitted me a dishcloth. I am not going to use the dishcloth. One day Susan will be famous and I can sell the dishcloth for loads of money.
And then there was yarn. The ever talented Vanessa gave me some lovely soft baby alpaca. Vanessa joined our group when she worked in Starbucks and now has her own Esty shop - Mochanut. The other Claire gave me Wollmeise sock yarn. Claire is a Wollmeise fiend. She has nearly 3000 items in her queue and over 6000 items favorited on Ravelry, as well as having two small children she finds time to knit big shawls. Mary, another lace knitting and fibre buyer extraordinaire gave me some Juliespins. This is another dyer the group raves about but I have never used and this yarn has sparkles.
And there's more! I also received some handspun. Heather spun 70% dog and 30% merino. But not just any dog, her big, soppy malemute! And Myrna gave me some of FatCatKnits handspun and wrote that she would think of me every time she used her air conditioning. I wonder why?
I wanted the ethernet world to know what wonderful friends I have and that they will be missed. My husband's comment was all these goodies would need a moving box of their own.
I informed the spousal unit that I would be out every Thursday until we move so I could spend time with my knitting friends who I have said are a bunch of fun people brought together by a mutual enjoyment of fibreness. The first Starbucks gathering occurred on 25 September 2008. (I know because I blogged about it.) So that is nearly 4 years of knitting togetherness of people who met on the web. And despite the concerns of one daughter, we have not attacked, maimed or murdered anyone with our pointy sticks. People are still joining our group (yes we are that fun), babies have been born and people have moved away. And now it is my turn - to move, not have a baby. I really hope I find a similar group when I finally move into my new house.
But this past Thursday was amazing. They gave me a basket filled with goodies that were so special for me to remember each of them by. I was totally surprised, grateful and honoured. (In other words gobsmacked.)
As we, mostly, meet in Starbucks I shouldn't have been surprised to receive a couple of mugs, a Calgary one from Lacey who came out on Thursday even though she is very pregnant and an Edmonton one from Sharon who actually popped in for a visit last week, so it was great to see her before I moved. From Shannon the awesome crocheter I received some notecards but not just any old notecards, these were her photos of Alberta.
Becca made some stitch markers and although she is American, one of the markers is Canadian and they are so wonderful my husband knew immediately what they were. My pinky bff (I've started to use that expression because it makes me laugh) Clair made me a bracelet with a difference which I won't reveal here in case she decides to sell them. I'm still waiting for the present from her husband as my leaving will increase their disposable income. Clair is easily overcome by yarn fumes and it is not difficult to encourage her to spend money in a yarn store followed by coffee.
And now a plug for Cara's Esty shop Chasing Fire Ceramics. She made me some maple leaf buttons. Short of them being dipped maple syrup, how much more Canadian you can get? So support a new vendor and buy. And Susan knitted me a dishcloth. I am not going to use the dishcloth. One day Susan will be famous and I can sell the dishcloth for loads of money.
And then there was yarn. The ever talented Vanessa gave me some lovely soft baby alpaca. Vanessa joined our group when she worked in Starbucks and now has her own Esty shop - Mochanut. The other Claire gave me Wollmeise sock yarn. Claire is a Wollmeise fiend. She has nearly 3000 items in her queue and over 6000 items favorited on Ravelry, as well as having two small children she finds time to knit big shawls. Mary, another lace knitting and fibre buyer extraordinaire gave me some Juliespins. This is another dyer the group raves about but I have never used and this yarn has sparkles.
And there's more! I also received some handspun. Heather spun 70% dog and 30% merino. But not just any dog, her big, soppy malemute! And Myrna gave me some of FatCatKnits handspun and wrote that she would think of me every time she used her air conditioning. I wonder why?
I wanted the ethernet world to know what wonderful friends I have and that they will be missed. My husband's comment was all these goodies would need a moving box of their own.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
No Longer Mysterious May
I managed to keep up with the clues each week and have a finished sock.
The third clue was the heel turn, picking up stitches at the side of the heel and the gusset decreases and the last clue was the continuation of the foot and the toe.
A picture of the gusset and a picture of the completed sock.
and the second sock has been started so maybe a completed project in June.
The third clue was the heel turn, picking up stitches at the side of the heel and the gusset decreases and the last clue was the continuation of the foot and the toe.
A picture of the gusset and a picture of the completed sock.
and the second sock has been started so maybe a completed project in June.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Snow
I have mentioned my knitting friends who I met through Ravelry and that we get together in Starbucks or other coffee houses to knit, chat, laugh and pass on tried and tested parenting tips. OK that last one is a gross exaggeration but we do have fun and laugh a lot.
Well it just so happens that there are three of us in this motley crew who moved to Calgary from Denver. None of us are originally from Denver or Calgary, one is American, one is Canadian and one is British but the three of us all knit socks.
So the point - you want more to this post than sock knitters move from Denver to Calgary? I was reading the blog of one of these people and she had written Ten Things She Wished She Liked and number three on that list is snow. Which is hilarious because it snows in Calgary and Denver, although Denver does a much better job of snow removal.
I also think it is funny as snow would probably be on my list too. Not that I really hate snow, I just hate dealing with snow. Wearing the right clothes and shoes, the correct tires for the car etc.
So living in Denver and Calgary does not make one a snow lover.
Well it just so happens that there are three of us in this motley crew who moved to Calgary from Denver. None of us are originally from Denver or Calgary, one is American, one is Canadian and one is British but the three of us all knit socks.
So the point - you want more to this post than sock knitters move from Denver to Calgary? I was reading the blog of one of these people and she had written Ten Things She Wished She Liked and number three on that list is snow. Which is hilarious because it snows in Calgary and Denver, although Denver does a much better job of snow removal.
I also think it is funny as snow would probably be on my list too. Not that I really hate snow, I just hate dealing with snow. Wearing the right clothes and shoes, the correct tires for the car etc.
So living in Denver and Calgary does not make one a snow lover.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mysterious May
The last time I participated in a mystery sock with the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry was September last year. Mysteries are published every odd number month and I had worked every one since March 2010 apart from July 2010. I must have got a bit fed up with the designs as I didn't feel like working on the unknown anymore. Until this month. I love her designs and have knitted one pair by her which can be seen here and I have another design of hers on the needles. So I had to knit her mystery design.
Here is a (not very good) photo of the sock after the first clue.
And here is a photo of the sock after the second clue.
The yarn is Bugga! by The Sanguine Gryphon purchased at the end of 2010. The colorway is Tomato Frog and I really can't get the true colour to show well in photos as it is bright but not too bright.
The pattern is not hard so I have kept up with the clues so far so maybe there will be a completed sock by the end of May.
Here is a (not very good) photo of the sock after the first clue.
And here is a photo of the sock after the second clue.
The yarn is Bugga! by The Sanguine Gryphon purchased at the end of 2010. The colorway is Tomato Frog and I really can't get the true colour to show well in photos as it is bright but not too bright.
The pattern is not hard so I have kept up with the clues so far so maybe there will be a completed sock by the end of May.
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