See you in 2005, sweater!

Today is a very sad day. The day I must put the sweater aside, despite the fact that it's almost done. Yes, I could have finished it today but I ran out of yarn. *cries*

I only have a few rows left on the sleeves (I'm doing both at the same time) + the seaming and the crochet edge at the collar. But nooooooo, I can't finish because I am short on yarn. Stupid stupid stupid. I will go to the LYS and hope/pray that they have a ball left of the same colour. I remember that there wasn't much of it left (and it was on sale, which means that they may not order any more). I can't remember if I took all that was left or not. Poo.

*sigh*

To finish the year on a good note, I will say that I'm in love with many patterns from this site: White Lies Design. I mean, isn't Heather just exquisite?

A very knitty holiday

Sweater Progress Update:
Back: Done
Front: About 1/3 done

Because I needed a little break, I decided to make a list of everything I'd like to make out of Stitch N' Bitch Nation:

-Dropped Stitch Scarf
-Basketweave Scarf (currently on the needles)
-Basic Cable
-Sexie*
-Mud Flap Girl Tank Top
-Candy Stripers (maybe)
-Poster Boy (definitely and sooner than later)
-Om Yoga Mat Bag
-Felted Furry Foot Warmers
-Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers

I really dislike the dropped-stitch vest but it seemslike a lot of people like it, at least according to the thread about it on the craftster forum.

Last FO of 2004

Because I doubt I'll be able to finish anything else.

I'm done with the silk garden beanie! It's so damn cute, I'm tempted to keep it for myself. My mom thinks it's adorable, which is a good sign. She doesn't know I'll offer her to keep it when I give her her bag. Hehe. But I know for sure I'll make myself one when I get back home. Probably with the leftover from my gryffindor scarf. Woohoo, matching hat. :)

I'm about 75% through with the back of the sweater. I'm loving this vacation thing. I have so much time to knit. And it's not like it's all I've done (though I'll admit I'm spending a lot of time knitting). I've been working out, cooking, visiting family... and knitting. Tonight I'll go see Finding Neverland.

Unfortunately, I can't post pics of the beanie right now but I will when I get back home next Sunday.

The joy of giving...

My knitted gifts have been given (except for the Chinese Charm Bag, which will be given just before I leave on Jan. 2) and have been very well-received. It made me all happy to see that people liked what I made with my own hands. I'm definitely knitting again next Christmas. Maybe I'll try to do socks.

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it!

I didn't receive any knitting-related gifts, but I didn't expect any. I asked for a few books but I knew they would be hard to find here. And I didn't ask for yarn because the only place mom would have been able to buy some would have been Wallmart or Zellers. And she doesn't shop online.

I'm so looking forward to give her her birthday bag now! I'm currently working on a beanie with the leftover yarn for that project, and if I manage to finish it this week, I'll also give it to her. But I'm also working on the sweater (coming along nicely) and the basketweave scarf (love it) so I don't know if I'll finish it before I leave. We'll see...

Fuzzy Feet Extravaganza

(from left to right): My mom's (which will have to be refelted), My mom's boyfriend's and my sister's.

***

I casted on for the Silk Garden Beanie. It's made on 4mm (I think it's US6) DPN, but they feel much tinier than 6s to me.

***

I have one last day of work and then I'm off for one week! Yay! To everyone who reads this, I wish happy holidays. And a merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it :)

Suddenly social?

I've been feeling like meeting other knitters lately. I'd love to join a Stitch N' Bitch or something like that. But there are some problems with this:

1. I'm incredibly shy in a group where I'm the only person who doesn't know the others. Put me in a group where no one knows each other and I'll be the most vocal out there. But if everyone knows everyone but me, I'll shut up completely. Yikes!

2. I have a weird work schedule and I'm rarely free in the evenings. Seriously, for a knitting meeting to work for me, it would have to be either during the day, late at night (after 9pm), on a Friday or Saturday (my two days off) or Sunday morning/early afternoon. It's not easy to find people available at these times.

A lot of people at work have been impressed with my FO, maybe said they would love to learn how to knit, but all of them say "they don't have time". Funny because I often work 60 hours a week, I work out regularly and despite not being super social, I do have a few friends that I see. :p But I can't watch TV without doing something with my hands, so knitting is perfect. And there's nothing more boring than a long metro/bus ride (reading is good but I don't always feel like it).

Anyways. If any of the Montrealers who are reading this would like to meet someday, maybe in January, let me know :)

You know what I'd really like? To set up a group for charity knitting. Like chemo caps or something. Maybe someday.

***

Ok so La Bobineuse's red yarn is so going to be a Chinese Charm bag. It won't, however, be ready for Friday's party. I don't even have time to go to the fabric store for the lining and the handles. Besides, it probably would be preferable until my mom has her own bag before I make another one.

So of course, because I'll be using the red yarn for a bag (and probably a matching hat later on), I just HAD to go to the LYS to get some replacement yarn for the sweater. Oh my God. I bought some Phildar Laureate (60% Courtelle (??What's that??), 20% mohair, 15% acrylic, 5% wool) and I love it. I have no idea if this yarn is considered "good yarn" by the experimented knitter or if they see it as crap, but I don't care, I just love knitting with it. It's soft and beautiful and wow. And at 3.40 CDN a skein, it was very affordable for a sweater (and I got perfect gauge, woohoo!). I got it in a baby blue colour, which is drastically different from the red I had first planned, but I think it'll work well.

I think I'll buy more of it to make a shawl. It would be perfect. Sooooo soft. Yum.

***

I love finishing a lot of projects, because it means I can choose new ones. But it's also overwhelming because there are so many things I'd like to make. Being a list-maker, I'm making a quick one before I go to bed:

On the needles:

-Basketweave scarf from Stitch N' Bitch Nation
(Paton Shetland Chunky -- I think? I don't feel like going to check it out). Lovely. Love the yarn, love the pattern.

-To Dye for sweater from Stitch N' Bitch
(Phildar Laureate). LOVE the yarn. Very easy knit so far.

Things I will do for sure soon:

-one-skein silk garden beanie
(Out of the extra Silk Garden yarn I have leftover from mom's Chinese Charm Bag)

-Chinese Charm Bag #2 (for me!)
(La Bobineuse red acrylic/wool blend)

Things I really want to do ASAP:

-Sacred & Profane convertible from Knit Wit
(I'm thinking of using Kureyon for the wrist warmers part and black yarn for the mitten covers part. And funky buttons)

-Coronet from Knitty
(matching above)

-Poster boy from Stitch N' Bitch Nation
(I'd like to use a Marilyn Monroe chart, but I'm not sure I know how to do that)

-Monster slippers from Stitch N' Bitch Nation
(because I can't see another fuzzy feet) ;)

*sigh*

So many projects, so little time...

Rip it rip it!

Re: Fuzzy Feet
I did feet surgery yesterday. I ended up felting (by hand) my mom's slippers, which were originally made for my sister but were too big for her. Now I think they'll fit her. I also handfelted the second pair I made (for my sister) and they shrunk a little bit. Now I think they may fit my mom's feet, but I'm not sure because her feet are so much bigger than mine. I think what I'll do is give them to her as they are now and tell her that I will shrink them more if need be.

Now I don't want to see another pair of fuzzy feet for at least a year ;)
(Seriously, I'd love to make a pair for myself, but I think I'll go with the monster slippers from Stitch N' Bitch Nation instead).

Re: To Dye For sweater
The more I knit it, the least I like the texture of the fabric. The colour is gorgeous and even the texture is ok but not for this sweater. Oh well. I think I may frog it and use the yarn for a bag similar to the Chinese Charm Bag as well as a hat and who knows what else. Now of course I need to hurry up and go to the yarn store to get mohair. Unfortunately I can't go today, but tomorrow for sure.

Re: My friend's scarf
My first idea was to simply make a garter stitch scarf on big needles with the chunky Paton, but I ended up chosing the basketweave scarf from Stitch N' Bitch Nation. I had to modify it a little bit so I could use chunky yarn (and size 10 needles) but it looks ok so far. I had never used Paton yarn but I really like it, it's very soft.

Frustration!

Argh!

The fuzzy feet I made for my mom's bf felted beautifully. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about my sister's pair. I used a different kind of yarn, maybe that's the problem. It felts all right, you can't see the stitch definition any longer and it has shrunk. But it hasn't shrunk nearly enough, even after FOUR trips through the washer. *sigh*

Is there a point where the fabric has reached a saturation point with felting? What I mean is, is there a point where it won't shrink anymore, no matter how many times I put it in the washer? Would it be worth it to try again?

The sad thing is, I may have to do the rest by hand, because I won't be home much all week except late at night. Stupid noisy washers. Stupid yarn that won't felt correctly. Grrr.

No more Xmas knitting!

My Christmas knitting is all done! I still need to put the slippers through at least another cycle in the washer, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow, as my walls are paper thin and my neighbours wouldn't be too happy to hear the washer at this hour.

I've also refelted my booga bag, just because. It looks much better now.

Of course, being done with all my Xmas projects leaves me with the problem (and what a problem it is) of deciging what to knit next.

I am definitely making my first sweater and it will be To Dye for, from Stitch N'Bitch. I began a swatch using the yarn I got at La Bobineuse. It's very different from the suggested yarn, so I'm not sure it will work, but I hope so because it would be SO gorgeous.

There are two gifts that I want to make but they are not Christmas gifts. One is a scarf for my friend. I'm thinking of just going for simple garter stitch on US 15 needles. The other one would be This hat using the skein of Noro Silk Garden leftover from the Chinese Charm bag. I would of course give it to my mom (to go with her bag). I'd like to make it so I can give it to her on her b-day (Jan. 3rd) but we'll see.

Other than that, I don't know. I really need to make myself a hat and mittens. I would love to make the Sacred & Profane Convertibles from Knit Wit (they're wrist warmers with mitten tops that you can button on it. Très cute). For the hat, I'm in love with Coronet. Many people have been making it lately and it's just so cute. Oh well. Knowing myself, it will probably get done sometime next summer ;)

In other news, I FINALLY found Stitch N' Bitch Nation in Montreal. Indigo (on Ste-Catherine Street) has plenty in stock. I was so thrilled to find it, I bought it without even going through it. I had already looked at the patterns online anyways. I have to say that there aren't as many patterns that appeal to me in it compared to the first book. Then again, many patterns in the first book didn't appeal to me at first but they grew on me (To dye for is a good example). I am *definitely* making Poster Boy. I also like the cabled hat. Maybe I'll do this one instead of Coronet. Who knows?

I will post pics of my finished Xmas gifts soon.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel...

About my subject line: is this an English expression? Cause we say that in French when we're close to finishing something that was long to do (or when things start to look up after they've been very bad). Sometimes I translate French expressions into English without knowing if it makes any sense :p

Anyways. Of course it refers to my Christmas knitting. Fuzzy feet #2 are done, minus the felting which I will do on the weekend. I have finished the first foot of pair number three. I'm still knitting on the pink fluffy scarf only because I want it to be as long as possible when I give it to my coworker on Friday, but it's already at an acceptable length.

THEN I will be able to knit for myself! Yay! I will also have to work on a friend's scarf, but it doesn't have to be done by Christmas so there's less stress.

I really hope people will like what I've made for them. I'm always scared that they won't. Oh well. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Chinese Charm Bag

I finally got around to buy fabric for the lining and the Chinese Charm Bag is finished! It's going to be a birthday gift for my mom (January 3rd). I still need to find an angel charm to attach to it, but I can say it's pretty much finished.




I couldn't find Noro Gemstones, unfortunately. I really liked the colours too so I was disappointed, but oh well. I think the Noro Silk Garden works pretty well to, don't you think? And I used less than two skeins! I bought three, so I may make a matching hat with the last skein.

I am really almost done with my sister's fuzzy feet. And the pink fluffy scarf is at an acceptable length, though my plan is to keep on knitting it until next Friday, when I'll give it away to a coworker. She posed (with a little piece of the scarf) for my article on knitting and she jokingly said that if I wanted to get rid of it, she would gladly accept it as payment for her services. Since I got her for our office's Secret Santa thing, I will be adding it to the gift I bought. How convenient! ;)

Yesterday I went to the LYS to buy yarn for the two other gifts I need to make. I got some Scheepjes Rigodon variegated in gray/copper shades. It will be a pair of fuzzy feet for my mom's boyfriend. And I got some Patons Shetland Chunky in black for a scarf. This one will also be a gift, but it doesn't have to be done by Christmas. I'm not sure what kind of scarf I'll make yet, either plain garter stitch or ribbed. Not sure.

This little trip to the LYS was also a big test of self-discipline. I completely fell in love with a skein of yarn that reminded me of the prism yarns (like these) except that it was something like 8-9$CDN a ball instead of 94$US! Of course, it's not the same thing at all, but I think it has a similar effect. Gorgeous thing. I just know that I will go back and buy it, even though I need another scarf like I need a "yarn addict" tattoo on my forehead. (Wait... maybe I do need such a tattoo! ;) ). But yeah. You're on a yarn diet or you're not. After Christmas, I may go back and buy it. But not before then.

Now that Christmas knitting is almost done, I can finally think of what projects I want to start during my holiday break (one week off, yay!). I'm thinking of trying for my first sweater, i.e. Stitch N' Bitch's To dye for sweater. I want to use the red yarn I got at La Bobineuse, but I'm not sure it will work well. It has no mohair at all in it, it's an acrylic/wool blend. But it's so damn gorgeous! Oh well. I will try and if it doesn't work, I will know soon enough.

Did I mention that I still can't find Stitch N' Bitch nation anywhere? I know I should order it online, but I don't want to put anything on my credit card for now. Being an adult sucks :p

Ethic, copyright and all that fun stuff

First, I want to say that I'm only posting this out of curiosity. I've never sold any of my knitting and I don't plan to, at least for now. Maybe if I ever get really good at this, enough that I can design my own stuff, I will change my mind, but for now I prefer to knit for myself or for gifts.

The other day at work, a coworker was looking at my Harry Potter scarf and asked me if I would knit one for his niece, offering of course to pay me for the yarn and for my time. I refused because I don't even have enough time to knit for myself.

But if I had said yes, would it have been wrong? The pattern is copyrighted. But it's not like I would mass-produce it and sell it on a website, you know. If a non-knitter sees my booga bag and ask me if I can make one for them, is it wrong to make them one and ask them to pay for the yarn AND the time it takes me to make it?

Also, I know that it would be wrong for me to make, say, a sweater based on a pattern from Knitty and then sell it on Ebay. But if I make the sweater and give it to someone who then decides a year later to sell it on Ebay, would that be copyright violation?

Again, I'm not planning to do any of the above (and I'm hoping people wouldn't Ebay the stuff I make them :p), I'm just curious about it.

*x-posted in the Knit and Bitch forum.

But I'm not *ready* for Christmas!

I'm way too busy! First, I want to thank everyone for the nice happy b-day wishes. The day was uneventful, but it's ok. At 27, you don't need your birthday to be highly celebrated, right? Right.

I went to a craft show today and I got a beautiful ring and a necklace. I also realized just how much some people are willing to pay for knitted items. Don't get me wrong, I think handknitted items are worth a lot. BUT I was surprised to see a knitted sweater priced at 595$ and scarves that I could have made myself priced at 75$. Wow. You know, I should bring my family and friends to the show and show them the prices. Then they'd be even happier when I give them knitted gifts ;)

I got home to find a second gift from my Secret Pal (who, I know now, is Joy!).



Two skeins of Caron Jewel Box, some sock-shaped point protector, nice beads, lovely flower-shaped buttons, a mini photo album and a day planner. My pal is great! And my other pal, Babette, has received what I sent her so all is good. I really liked participating in this thing.

I'm going to end this by telling you all, millions of readers, about a few blogs that I like to read. I will eventually add them to my menu bar on the right. Yeah, tomorrow I'll do that (says the queen of procrastination).

An Adequate Knitter -- home of the lovely Julie

Tiara Knits -- Lovely mod of the Knit and Bitch forum (if you ever need a co-mod... you know...) ;)

Jo~Knits! -- She may not know it, but I really am a fan.

Yarn Harlot -- I call her the mitten goddess in my mind

I'm getting more and more addicted to blog reading. I'll be adding more for sure.

Quickie!

Free time is a precious thing that I don't have much of lately. So here's a quick update, because I'm sure the 2-3 people who religiously read this blog (and I'm including myself in that count ;) ) are very anxious to know what's going on in my life...

First, I am proud to say that I'm a two-time NaNoWriMo winner. Go me! It was my first time every writing fantasy and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Second, I finished the first foot of Fuzzy Feet #2 and I began the second one. Yay!

Third, when I say I'm on a yarn diet, I mean "aside for the yarn I need for Christmas gifts". I decided to knit a scarf for a friend (and it will most likely NOT be finished by Christmas, but hopefully it will be before winter ends).

Fourth, I'm turning 27 tomorrow! Yikes! I don't like to get older (not that 27 is old, mind you, but it seems like I was 17 not too long ago). On the other hand, I'm still a big baby when it comes to my birthday and I'm always excited to see December 3rd coming. I will be spending the day (and the whole weekend) in Quebec city for a journalist convention (Le congrès de la FPJQ).

Fifth, since I wrote this article on knitting, I keep seeing articles about it everyone. There was one on Yahoo France last week, then I saw one in the new Clin d'oeil magazine and someone told me there was one in Voir too.

I think that's all!

Aaaah-choo!

Remember that post two days ago when I mentionned being very very cold?

Well that was probably because I really was getting sick. I have a big bad cold. I think I went through a whole box of tissues only today, my nose is all red, my eyes are teary and my throat is sore. Pity me! :p

I called in sick at work and my boss said "Awww, that's ok. Get some rest and try to knit a little". I have the sweetest boss, I tell you. And even though she's not a knitter, she loves that I am.

I didn't get much knitting done though because I'm so tired I keep on falling asleep.

I thought I'd update on my Christmas knitting. What I need to finish:

1. The Chinese Charm bag for my mother. It would have been finished a long time ago but I need to get to the fabric store. Hopefully I'll have time sometime this week.

2. Fuzzy Feet for my sister. I'm almost done with the first foot. Yay.

3. Fuzzy Feet for my mom's boyfriend. Not started yet. I need to go to the yarn store first (I forgot about this gift when I decided to go on a yarn diet so it will be the exception...)

How is everyone's Christmas knitting going?

Dear Santa...

I'm going to skip the "I've been a good girl, yadda, yadda" talk and get straight to the point: my wish list. Come on, you know that's why I'm writing anyways and all this "good girl" talk is just a way to make sure I get what I want (but for the record, I *have* been a good girl). :p I therefore present you with:

Caroline's Knitting-Related Christmas Wish List
(in no particular order)

1. A set of Denise interchangeable needles. I really need this.
2. Stitch N' Bitch Nation! It's nowhere to be found in Montreal :(
3. Any other knitting book, really. The only ones I have are Stitch N' Bitch (yeah, the first one), Knit Wit and Knitting on the Edge.
4. A subscription to Interweave Knits <3
5. Handpainted yarn
6. Any other yarn. I'm really not picky.
7. A few more hours in the day, that I can use exclusively for knitting.
8. The pattern for the Rogue sweater. I know I'm not going to make it NOW (I want to try an easier sweater first), but I definitely want to make it someday.
9. A knitting coach and/or some knitting friends
10. More space to store my mini-stash

Thank you for reading this letter and I wish you a very merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Caroline

Ps/There will be cookies waiting for you on December 24th.

Typing (and knitting) with cold fingers

Why must my appartment be so cold all the time? Yes, the heat is on, it's pretty high actually. And I am currently wearing three (3!!!) shirts. And I have a blanket around me. And I am still cold.

Of course, I've been blowing my nose for the past couple of hours. A cold, maybe?

Is it bad that a part of me hopes that it is a cold so I can stay home from work tomorrow and knit all day? :p

***

I finished Christmas hat #2. I wore it at my party and got loads of compliments. It must not have looked so homemade because many people thought I had bought it. Cool.

***

I casted on for a pair of fuzzy feet that I want to give to my sister for Christmas. I love this pattern because it knits up so quickly.

***

I will end this post with a confession. When I learned how to knit, I began visiting knitting-related websites and I'd hear people saying they had to go on a yarn diet, that they had a huge stash and could not stop themselves from buying new yarn all the time.

I thought it was weird. I mean, why does anyone buy yarn without knowing what they'll use it for? I only bought yarn when there was something I wanted to make.

But then... I discovered nice yarns. Nice colours and textures. I visited a few LYS. And now, I must admit that I'm one of *them*.

I, Caroline, am addicted to yarns. I even have a... s.t.a.s.h. A small one, mind you, but a stash nonetheless. I have yarns that were bought only because I love the way it feels.

And I am now on a yarn diet. At least until after Christmas.

Yarn Porn

I went to La Bobineuse today. I think I'll need a new job to support my yarn habit.

Here's what I got:



The colours are accurate for the purple and the red. The blue looks more like this:



All is a mix of wool and acrylic. The blue cone is a pound, the red ones are half a pound each and the purple ones are a bit less than that. All of it cost me 32$Cdn.

I don't think I'll be able to use any of it before my Christmas break, unfortunately, because I still have to finish many Christmas gifts (already started with other yarns). *cries* I want to knit with the pretty yarn now!

Ok I swear I'm not buying any more yarn until... until I buy more!

Hat!

We are having our office Christmas party early this year. By early, I mean November 26. Our theme is "Hats", so everyone has to wear one. Of course, I decided to make mine so I knitted one last week-end:



I may make a new one this weekend though, because I'm not entirely satisfied with this one. I added my company's logo on the front using duplicate stitch (first time doing that) and while it looks fine when I'm not wearing it, it gets all distorted when I put it on my head. I don't know why I didn,t think it would do that. Oh well. I may do another one, similar, but with Christmas-ier yarn.

***

I've also written an article on young knitters in my newspaper. I don't know if anyone who reads this understand French, but if you do, you can check it out at www.metropoint.com (choose the Montreal edition, then the Nov. 16 edition). It's in PDF format.

***

When I was looking for interviewees for that article, I posted about it at the Knitters' review forums, and I got an email from Véronik Avery, who just so happens to be one of my favourite designers (and she lives in Montreal). She told me about a new yarn store that just opened in the city. It's called Mouliné Yarns and it's fantastic. It sells Noro, Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Zara... I'm so happy! Finally a good yarn store in my city. The yarn is not cheap, but I don't care. I want to move in that store!

(if any Montrealer reads this, it's located on 2679, Notre-Dame West, close to the Lionel-Groulx metro station and the Marché Atwater).

Secret Pal

I got a gift from my secret pal on Friday! It was a HUGE box. Here's what was inside:


So there's a bag, a thingy to measure needle size, some post-its, Vogue Knitting magazine, chocolate and some of the softest yarn I had ever touched! I'm not sure what I'll make with it yet.


Close-up of the bag.


Close-up of the yarn.

Yay! This is so much fun :)

NaNo, RAOK and other stuff

I know I should update my blog more often. I love to chronicle my knitting and to get comments and encouragements (seriously, it's really appreciated).

The past few weeks have been HELL, both mentally and physically. I've been working a lot. I'm talking 10+ hours a day, sometimes six days a week. And I've been depressed, suffering from a lot of body image/self-esteem issues. But I'm not gonna go into that.

***

I've been RAOKed! It's been a few weeks already, but since I haven't updated in so long, I never got to talk about it. The lovely Andrea from http://members.shaw.ca/andrea-n-b sent me some spices that smell delicious. I'm supposed to pour them into hot apple juice, cider or wine. I'll do it for sure, I'm sure it'll be delicous.

***

For the second year, I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo in November. I did it last year and succeeded, and it was an amazing experience. I'm really excited about it, even though it will take more time out of my already busy schedule. Bah. Who needs a social life anyways? :p Even though it's not knitting-related, I'll keep track of my word count in the menu to your right.

Is anyone else participating? Good luck if you are!

***

Now, time for actual knitting content:

I'm still working on the lacey poncho, and I've accepted the fact that I probably won't be wearing it before spring. I just hope it's still gonna be in style :p

I'm also working on the Chinese Charm bag for my mom. I'm scared that I won't have time to finish all the Christmas presents I want to make, unfortunately. Oh well. We'll see.

100 random things...

100 random things about me:

1-My name is Caroline
2-I live in Montreal (Canada)
3-I'm French-Canadian
4-I also speak English (duh!) pretty well and I know some German
5-I'm 26 years old (will be 27 on Dec. 3)
6-My parents are divorced
7-I have a little sister named Nancy. She's 24. She had a brain tumor when she was 15 and it left her very handicapped mentally. I love her so much.
8-My mother is my role model
9-I don't really speak with my father anymore
10-I'm single and I live by myself
11-I work as a journalist/Entertainment editor for a small daily newspaper
12-I collect postcards
13-My favourite thing in the world is travelling
14-I've visited the following countries (or parts of them anyways): Canada (of course), the US, Columbia, England, France, Cuba, Germany, Belgium
15-Last June I spent two weeks in Germany by myself (+ one week with my family)
16-My grandmother comes from Germany
17-I've been struggling with an eating disorder for quite some time now but I'm doing a bit better now
18-I taught myself how to knit during the holidays last year
19-I love yoga
20-I love exercise in general
21-My favourite musicians/bands are Tori Amos, Björk, Placebo, Ben Folds, Beck, Radiohead, Howie Day, Rasputina and many others
22-My favourite movie is Amelie
23-I also loved the Lord of the Rings movies
24-My favourite actresses are Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet and Christina Ricci
25-My favourite actors are Ewan McGregor and Johnny Depp
26-If I lived in the US, I would definitely vote for Kerry
27-I've been posting on www.atforumz.com for years now and have made great friends there
28-I have a livejournal at amarillys.livejournal.com (you should check out my background there ;) ). It's friends-only but if you ask to be added, I most likely will
29-I suck at replying to emails
30-I have jellybeans issues. Seriously.
31-If I could knit anything right now, it would be the Rogue sweater
32-I'm a terrible housekeeper. I hate housework.
33-My favourite season is fall. My favourite time of the year is mid-September to the end of October as well as Christmas time.
34-I don't really follow any religion. I'm not sure what I believe in right now.
35-I really want to do a safari one day
36-I recycle as much as I can
37-I'm allergic to cats, dogs (more than cats), band-aids and the ocean. Seriously. Anytime I go in the ocean or any kind of salty water, I get a rash. I can, however, eat seaweed without a problem
38-I'm a vegetarian
39-I love Diet Vanilla Coke but I can't find it anywhere anymore
40-I was engaged once, but never married
41-I have a tattoo (a butterfly on my right shoulder blade)
42-I can spend an hour on a stairmaster
43-My favourite colour is blue
44- I love coffee
45-I would love to run a marathon someday
46-I participated in NaNoWriMo last year and succeeded. I plan on doing it again this year
47-I started reading Dragonlance books a few months ago and I'm hooked
48-I love Neil Gaiman
49-My favourite book is Mists of Avalon
50-I also love Harry Potter
51-I'm painfully shy
52-I spend way too much time online though I've been better about it for the past few weeks
53-If I could live anywhere in the world right now it would probably be London or Berlin
54-I love makeup but I suck at applying it.
55-I also love clothes but nothing ever fits me right (the joy of being 5'2 and chubby)
56-I love shoes. Then again, I am a girl
57-I also love underwear. Especially Victoria's secret underwear. We don't have VS here but I know someone who works at the VS headquarters. He's like my undie dealer.
58-I read Cosmo every month. It's my guilty pleasure.
59-I love most TLC shows. What not to wear, Trading Spaces and Clean Sweep are my favourites.
60-I took a few photography workshops and I really loved it. I want a good camera badly and I'm saving for it now (ok not really, but I want to start to save for it some I'm hoping writing it here will motivate me ;) )
61-I whine a lot
62-I want to learn how to sew
63-I love wine


Ok I really can't think of anything else right now (I'm actually impressed that I managed to write so many things). I'll try to complete it soon. <3

Finally an update!

I'm having a difficult time updating lately. I'm crazy-busy at work and just... not in a happy state of mind. I do knit a lot though, it's very therapeutic. So is buying yarn, but I'm sort of broke right now so I should really stop going to my LYS ;)

***

My poncho is halfway done. I read a post on the knitlist by someone who said she knitted hers in two weeks. Wow. I know I'm a slow knitter and it's my first time doing a lacey thing, so I guess it's normal that it's taking me a lot longer.

***

Of course, what doesn't help is that I started yet another new project. It's the Chinese Charm bag from Stitch N' Bitch. I'm making it for my mom (for Christmas) out of Noro Silk Garden. Lovely. But is it just me or that yarn is terribly itchy? I've knitted with wool before (including Noro yarns) but it's never itched that much. I can only work on it a little at a time.

***

I'm ending this post by saying a big thank you to everyone who takes the time to comment on this blog. You have no idea how happy it makes me to see that I have a new comment. Thank you :)

Finally an update!

Hey everyone!

September is one of the busiest months for me at work (I'm an Entertainment editor/Journalist for a small newspaper, which means there are very little people to do a lot of things). So I couldn't update as much.

I want to know if there's any way I can reply to comments that people leave me here. You know, like you can do in Livejournal? I'm asking because I've been receiving comments and I don't want you all to think I don't care for them. I really appreciate any comment I receive!

***

I've been RAOKed! For those who don't know what that means: I'm part of the Fiber Random Act of Kindness Webring, which is just the most wonderful thing ever. If you want to know more about it, click the button on the right (I think membership is closed for now though).

Anyways. Deb from Portland OR sent me Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge! How nice is that? You know what the nicest part is? It made me want to try cables again! Deb's blog is at http://tuktuk.blog-city.com. I wanted to thank her on the RAOK list, but yahoo doesn't want to accept my email, unfortunately.

***

I ordered some Noro Silk Garden (colour #34 if I remember correctly) and I received it a few days ago. Lovely. I shall cast on for my mom's Chinese Charm Bag sometime soon. I think I'll attach a little Angel charm to it.

***

The Lacey poncho from Chicknits is coming along ok. It's a slow process. But I'm happy with it. I'm doing lace, woohoo!

***

I FINALLY finished the Big Bad Baby Blanket. GO ME!

***

Did you guys look at the Winter Interweave knits projects?. Veronik Avery's Jacket and Skirt are unbelievable! I wish I was skilled enough to make them.

bags!

http://www.yarnies.com/Shaped%20bags.htm

I love love love the first three! The patterns are 8.99, but what I don't understand is why they're charging 4$ for shipping! Can't they just email it to you? And even if they send it by mail... four dollars? I don't know, it sounds like a lot. Meh.

Maybe I'll buy one when my current projects are done (and when I have more money :p)

Returning

I took a little Internet break for personal reason. I'm trying to keep this blog knitting-related (I have a personal journal on livejournal, my username is amarillys). But I'll just say I've been feeling very down, still am in fact. But knitting is therapeutic at least.

I finished my funky purple scarf. No pics yet but they will come later.

I think I'll drop out of the DNA-along. The project has been frustrating me way too much. I haven't frogged it yet so maybe I'll pick it back up someday. But for now let's just say it's on hold.

I'm going to try to make the lacey poncho from Chicknits. Because I really do need a poncho.

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my last entry. I bought some Noro Silk Garden from a link someone recommended. So THANK YOU. :)

Yarn envy

All of you who gave me encouraging comments (either here or on the KR forums) after my last post: thank you. I still haven't given up on the DNA scarf. I'm now at row 6 on the chart and I'm doing a little bit at a time.

I'm also almost done with my fuzzy purple scarf. Woohoo.

Now I have a question. Does anyone know where I can find the best prices for:

-Noro Silk Garden
-Opal Brasil Sock yarn (I'm in love with this)
-Cascade 220
-Lamb's Pride

Unfortunately, all the LYSes I've been to in Montreal don't seem to carry the more popular brands so I have to shop online. But I'm not rich and with the exchange rate, yarn gets pricy. So I'm trying to find the stores that have the lowest prices.

Soon to come: a post where I'll keep track of all the projects I want to make someday.

Stupid DNA

I frogged the DNA scarf three times now. I guess I'm just not ready for cables yet or something. I always mess up somewhere and I try to unknit up to the error but end up messing up more. I'm not having fun with this project at all and I think I don't really like the yarn I got. *sigh*

I'll try one more time but if it doesn't prove to be more successful, I may decide ot put it on hold or to give it up entirely.

I feel like such a loser. It's just a scarf, shouldn't I be able to do it? And I wanted to make a sweater soon but now I'm scared to even think about it. Maybe I'll stick to bag or stupid garter stitch scarves.

(ok that last paragraph wasn't really true. I know I can do it and I'll keep on trying and there's no way I'm sticking to garter stitch scarves :p)

Forget Louis Vuitton...

...the world's most gorgeous bag was made by MOI.

Before felting:


Final result, modelled by a girl in her pajamas

(I spared you my morning face & hair)

Close-up


I used Noro Kureyon #139 and 10½ circular needles.

That bag was so easy to make and it really knit up quickly (I started it last Friday). I know I'm gonna make more of them for sure. I think I'm gonna make one in non-Kureyon yarn. Maybe a two-colour one in more neutral tones. Now you should all go and make one if you haven't already.

I'm in love...

...in love with my booga bag. Yes, I finished it! Well, actually, it's currently in the washer but I just took a peek to make sure the felting was going all right and it's gonna be gorgeous, I tell ya. I think one cycle is gonna be enough though, which is weird because I've heard a lot of people say it took them 3-4 cycles.

It sucks that it has to block and dry! I want to use it now! And I just know I'm gonna make more of them. It's so easy! And cute!

***

In other news, I don't know if anyone actually reads this blog. I'm mostly writing it so I can keep track of things I make and so I can babble incessantly about my obsession without annoying the non-knitters in my life. But if anyone reads and can help me, I'll be forever grateful.

I finally decided I wanted to make the Chinese Charm Bag from Stitch N' Bitch for my mom for Christmas. Why? Because when I showed her the book a while ago, the bag is what jumped to her the most. But as you may know, the yarn the pattern calls for (Noro Gemstones) is discontinued. I did find a few online stores who sell it, but it's quite expensive. I love my mom, but the bag requires six skeins and the exchange rate from US to Canadian dollars is terrible so it would be an expensive bag. And I want to give her other stuff too. So, I think yarn substitution is in order. But, I don't know what to use! I'd like colours that are similar to the ones in the book because I know my mom liked them. I did find some Noro Silk Garden that has similar colours, but it's mohair so I'm not sure it would look nice... I don't know. Any suggestions?

Earlier I was googling the bag to see if I could find yarn suggestions from other people who made it and I stumbled upon this:
http://knit.sushi-cat.net/index.php?p=37&c=1

Isn't that cute? It makes me want to knit a Chinese Charm bag for myself!

Booga

I simply couldn't wait to start my booga bag. I've been wanting to make one since I first saw one. I love love love the colour of the yarn I chose (Noro Kureyon #139). I wish a LYS in Montreal would sell it so I wouldn't have to order it online. Oh well.

I-cord is terribly boring to make. But it's done. I'm currently doing the bottom of the bag. I really want to marry that yarn.

I showed my mom the fuzzy feet I made for my sister and she LOVES them. She tried them on and they fit her which is not good because her feet are much bigger than my sister's. So I'll probably end up giving them to her and knitting a new pair for my sister. And I'll make a pair for my mom's boyfriend too. And for myself, why not? They're fun to make and not too complicated.

I feel bad about starting new projects when I have UFO that are taking forever. But at the same time... this is my hobby and I'm not gonna work on stuff if I don't feel like it. I'm sure I'll come back to my illusion scarf someday. But I really want to finish the stupid baby blanket (the blanket is stupid, not the baby... since there's no baby). I want to finish it because I have only 14 rows left. This week, hopefully.

I'll also be starting a DNA scarf tomorrow, as part of a knit-along. It will be my first try with cables. I use an acrylic yarn, not too expensive. If I like the way it looks, I may make another one with a nicer yarn.

I got two e-cards from people on the FiberRAOK list. Unfortunately, I'm on my mom's crappy computer (I suspect it's probably the older computer still being used) and I can't see them. So I will send thank you's after I get back home. But if the lovely ladies who have sent them are reading this: thank you! Just knowing that someone took the time to send me a card made my day. :)

Felting = magic

I finished the fuzzy feet!

Pre-felting:


Post-felting (colour more accurate):


In other knitting news: I finally got my Noro Kureyon! It's so pretty! I want to marry this yarn. Men suck anyways. *pets yarn*

Poncho lust

I am totally going crazy with everything I want to knit, objects I want to finish, stuff I want to make as gifts. *sigh*

I want a poncho now. I really do. But I'm scared that I'm gonna knit one and end up not liking it. So I figure that maybe I should not bother and just buy one? But knitting one would be much more fun! :p I think I will. The Poncho-along starts on September first, which is... Wednesday! And I have 2-3 patterns in mind and no yarn. Fun.

Ok I need to prioritize. To-do list:

-Finish sister's slippers by tomorrow
-Finish funky purple racoon scarf by the end of the week
-Finish baby blanket ASAP
-Swatch for DNA scarf by the end of the week
-Start poncho :p

I predict a knitting binge all week long. The only sad thing is that this week is gonna be a crazy one at work and I won't have much free time. Oh well. I'll update with my progress or lack thereof.

(not yet fuzzy) foot!

So I'm supposed to be a slow knitter, yet I managed to knit the first sock for Fuzzy feet in one day. YAY! It is far from being perfect, but I'm happy with it. Hey it's my first sock. It's a big deal! :p Anyways, hopefully the felting will hide the mistakes.



I also realized that I really need some knitting friends. Little conversation on the phone this morning:

Me: I knit a sock yesterday!

Mom: Oh, that's nice.

Nice? It's fantastic!!! *sigh* She just doesn't understand ;)

Projects!

I'm having fun deciding what projects to start next.

My ugly-full-of-mistakes-but-I-want-to-finish-it-anyways baby blanket is almost done. BUT I won't have enough yarn for the moss stitch border. Poo. I'll probably buy another skein and use the leftover to knit a kitty hat for my boss' daughter or something like that. Or maybe I'll start that goddamn throw for my couch. My couch is ugly. It needs a throw. And a blue one would be perfect.

I started the fuzzy feet from Knitty for my sister. They're gonna be pink and, hopefully, pretty. I've never knitted socks and I've never felted anything before. Wooo new experience.

I've swatched for a pair of mittens I want to make with the leftover from my HP scarf. I want to use the mittens pattern from Stitch N' Bitch. But I only have sets of 4 dpns and it calls for 5. So I'll have to buy an extra set.

Also, I'm not gonna participate in the poncho knitalong after all. I found two nice patterns. But I know I won't have time because of my other projects. The patterns I'm considering making in the future:

http://www.salonemakhorinn.com/Patterns/_102/_102.htm(I'd make it a dark gray as MC and red as CC I think)

Blue Moon Poncho

I will, however, participate in the DNA-along. Woo!


It starts in September but I want to start swatching for it. It may become my mom's Christmas gift. If I can knit it quickly, I may make two and have them sent to Germany to my grandmother's sister and her husband. We'll see.

Can I do magic now?

Look! Look!



Wow, don't they have lovely scarves. Wouldn't it be great if I could, say, knit one just like it?



Woohoo! It is so incredibly soft too, I love it!

I am a self-admitted dork but dorks are cool anyways.

~FO~FO~FO~Fo

I finished a project! WOOOOOOHOOOO!

My Harry Potter scarf is now DONE. I just need to block it, which I will do when I get back home tomorrow.

I'm very happy about it and for the first time ever, I'm looking forward to the cold weather just so I can wear it. :p I will post pics in a couple of days.

***

Now. I still have two WIPs, both of which I'm a bit bored with. I'm working on my illusion scarf right now (I have a bit more than a third of it done).

I will receive the Noro Kureyon beauties soon and they will be made into a bag.

But I also have one million projects in mind and I can't decide which one I want to make next. So here's me organizing my thoughts...

I have two knitted presents planned for the holidays.

Mom: I'm hesitating. I can go simple and knit her a scarf. Her coat is white and red. So the colours would have to go with it. I know she LOVES my HP scarf so I may go with a similar style (in the round and all). The other option would be the Chinese charm bag from Stitch N' Bitch. I already have the handles and she loved it when she saw the picture in the book. I just don't know which yarn I'd choose as I don't know where to find Noro Gemstones. If not, I guess I'll choose another brand of variegated yarn. I just need to be very careful with the colours to make sure she will actually use it.

Sister: My first idea was to make her a scarf and if I have time, mittens or a hat to go with it. The problem is that I have no idea what kind of coat she's gonna wear this winter. So I wouldn't know which colour to choose. Hmmm. Option #2 would be felted slippers, like the Fuzzy feet from Knitty. It's marked as a "tangy" pattern though. But it really is just a huge pair of socks and I've been meaning to try socks anyways. So I don't know.

I really need to figure out what I'm gonna make and start soon since I'm such a slow knitter.

Projects for me that I have in mind:

-A poncho AND/OR a shawl AND/OR a blanket. Basically, just something that I can bring at work to wrap myself in when I'm cold and everyone else is hot so I can't turn on the heat. I just need to find the perfect pattern first.

-A sweater. I want to make my first sweater and I want to make it now. :p I'm hesitating between To dye for, from the SNB book or the Surplice Cardigan from the Fall 04 issue of Vogue knitting. It's very pretty and marked as easy so maybe I could manage to make it.

-Socks. I really want to make socks. Any socks.

So many projects, so little time.

***

Thing to add to the "I want it but can't knit it yet" list: Charlotte's Web. I wish.

*yarngasm*

Lookie what I got on Ebay.... Three skeins of this:



This is so gonna be a bag.

Needles!

I just won 26 pairs of knitting needles on Ebay.

*happy dance*

Now I still need a set of Denises. BUT, I'm using those as an incentive to stick to my diet (I'll buy them when I've stuck to my diet for a certain number of days OR when I'm to a certain weight that I'm not disclosing here).

Oh and FYI: I'm hoping for a FO sometime next weekend. Weee! I'm such a slow knitter...

Wool!

I went to my LYS today. Now the place is small. Tiny. But so filled with yarn. I love it. And the place was crowded today (mostly older ladies). I spent so much time there, just looking at all the yarn, touching, trying to decide what to buy. I really just wanted to see if they had more of the yarn I'm using for my HP scarf (they did!).

It was so funny too, there was this lady there who had the most charming accent (she said she's originaly from Egypt but she's been living here for 20+ years). She was talking to this other lady, telling her that she would once again get out of the store with too much yarn and a big dent in her bank account. "There's just so many nice things in here!", she said and then she looked at me and smiled and said "don't you think?". I just smiled and nodded. I looked at her shopping basket: it was FULL! I swear she must have had over 200$ worth of yarn in there (and the yarn is quite cheap there so that's a lot of yarn).

I wish I could have bought as much but my wallet said no. I bought one ball of yellow merino wool and two of the red one (I'm hoping I'll have leftovers to make mittens or something). I also bought some type of novelty yarn (similar to the fun fur thing) in two different shades of purple. There was a scarf made with that yarn in the store that was just too cute.

And now is the time for a little confession. My name is Caroline and I'm a scarf addict. I know I should knit other things (and I will, my next project will be a sweater, I'm pretty sure) but I think I will ALWAYS have a scarf on the needles, whether it's for me or a gift. The thing is, I've loved scarves even before I started knitting. I always buy too many of them in winter. I have three black coats (different styles, same colour) and I like to change the look with a different scarf. What can I say.
So yeah. Scarves. My HP one is looking good even though I still have eight (?? I think) stripes to knit. Wanna see? I know you do!


It's all soft and warm too! Woo!

First, a bit of history...

Once upon a time (i.e. a few years ago), there was this girl -- we'll call her Caroline -- who wanted to learn how to knit. Why? This will remain a mystery, even to her. Caroline's mom knows everything, or so the knitter-to-be thought. "Mama, can you teach me how to knit?", she asked (except what she really said was "Maman, peux-tu m'apprendres à tricoter?"... Yes, Caroline speaks a weird and mysterious language sometimes known as Canadian French).

Much to her surprise, the mother replied that she didn't know how to knit. Crushed, Caroline put away all of her knitting dreams, convinced she would never learn the craft.

Now fast-forward a couple of years. We are now in December 2003. Caroline has a two weeks holiday break from work. Joy! Happiness! Boredom! Inspired, she suddenly decides that she would learn how to knit and that in fact, she would learn how to knit right at this moment. So off to Wallmart she goes. There, she finds a little "I taught myself how to knit" kit (as well as a "I taught myself how to crochet" one that has yet to be used). She also buys some yarn that fitted all the qualities she thought were needed in a yarn (i.e. the colours were pretty). So Caroline gets home, she sits comfortably on the couch, book in hand. She learns how to cast-on and then how to do the knit stitch. "Woohoo! I can knit!", she proudly thought.

Caroline puts the book down and decide to begin the obligatory first scarf project. Unfortunately, things don't go too well and what was supposed to be a long pretty scarf quickly becomes a sort of weirdly shaped piece of fabric. So our hero puts down the needles and doesn't touch them for a couple of months.

Then, in February or so, she picks them back up and start a brand new scarf with brand new yarn. This time, she decides to count the stitches on every row. After what seems like an eternity (it was really three months), she has her first -- still uneven but much better looking -- scarf (see Figure 1).


Figure 1. Caroline's first scarf

What I haven't mentionned yet is that while she was working on that scarf, Caroline had heard of a knitting book called Stitch N' Bitch that seemed to be all the rage. Of course, curiosity got to her and she ended up buying the book. She fell in love with many of the patterns and the love affair still continues today.

But back to the knitting projects. After the scarf, Caroline decides she wants a bag. So why not try one that's in the beloved book? And with that, she starts her second knitting project: Zeeby's bag. It takes a month to finish and ends up not looking exactly like the original, but she likes it nonetheless and still uses it often (see Figure 2 and 3.)


Figure 2. Zeeby is resting on Caroline's lay-z boy.


Figure 3. Caroline is pretending to carry Zeeby for the photographer**.

Since then, Caroline hasn't stopped knitting but for some unknown reason, she can't seem to finish anything. She currently has three projects on the needles (two of them are almost done now) and she can't wait to show them off.

She also has an insanely long list of "To-Knit" items...

**There was no photographer, I made that up.

Scary

Ok this is my first post. Just testing and stuff.