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 :)