Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Let's change the clocks

We need a change. We need to change the clocks so that it has 34 hours insteahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifd of just 24.

I need more time to do everything I want!

Most of my days consist of taking care of a six month old and trying to keep an appearance of cleansiness in my house.

I recently started working out again. From home, because I don't have time for the gym. I'm currently doing the one hundred pushups challenge (doing them the sissy way because I can't do real pushups just yet) and I also bought Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. It is kicking.my.butt. I never really liked workout DVDs before because I found they were always too easy, but that one isn't, noooooooooo sir.

Julien and I started our mommy and baby swimming classes. We both love it. I'm already looking forward to next Monday to go again.

The same day of the swimming class, I have a photography class. I like it but we have a lot of assignements. It's going to be worth it though, because I really want to know how to use the manual mode of my camera.

Oh yeah, and there's knitting. I manage to find a bit of time for it, but there are too many things I want to make (and too much yarn I want to buy) and not enough time to do it all. I have 3-4 projects going right now and I'm already dreaming of the next 2-3 I want to cast on for. I have a problem.

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And I just received the yarn to make these (picture from Ravelry). *sigh* I may have time to make them sometime in 2014...

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

My Precious!

I received Knit Picks order #1!!!

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Yum yum yum! I love everything I got. If you want the details, I got some Stroll Tonal in Summer Blooms, Blue Yonder, Queen Anne and Foliage, a skein of Stroll Hand Painted in Juice Box, two skeins of Stroll in Majestic (a discontinued colour) and one in Wonderland Heather (I wanted two, I made a mistake when I ordered!), three skeins each of Telemark in Bayberry and Drift.

I also got some size 7 16" fixed circulars, size 1 32" fixed circulars (for magic loop for socks!) and some size 7 tips for my interchangeable set.

I had never ordered the Telemark before and I gotta say, the yarn is rough! Definitely not something I'd wear next to the skin, but I want to use it for a Christmas stocking for Julien so it's perfect.

Here are some close-up of my favourites:

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Stroll Tonal Blue Yonder

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Stroll Tonal Summer Blooms

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Stroll Tonal Queen Anne

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Stroll Tonal Foliage

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Stroll Hand Painted in Juice Box

Monday, September 19, 2011

Organizing and a bit of shopping

I've been on an organizing kick lately. After buying an organizer for my interchangeable set on Etsy, I decided I wanted one for my fixed circulars as well as for my DPNs too. So I found ones that I liked on Etsy and I bought them.

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(For circular needles)

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(For DPNs)


I got them from sarahkincheloe on Etsy (the pictures are from her too). I really like them and now my needles are all organized and I know what I have and what I still need to get to complete my collection.

Speaking of getting knitting stuff, I was bad. Really bad. Last week, I did something I had never done before. I ordered from Knit Picks twice. In the same week.

Now let me explain. I had a 28 $ gift certificate and I wanted yarn to make Julien a Christmas stocking. And last Monday, there was a code circulating online that gave you 15 % off your purchase at Knit Picks (it was good on that day only). So I figured it was a good time to order. With the certificate and the discount, my 110 $ order came down to 67 $, including shipping (ok, I may have gotten a little more than the yarn I needed for the stocking).

THEN, two days after that order, Knit Picks came out with new yarns (angora, people!) and new colours for their Stroll sock yarn line. I was excited, but I could resist, no problem. Until I saw they also rerelased the Woodland Winter Mittens kit, that I love and had sold out oh-so-quickly the last time. And they have a new version with bright colours too. I just had to get it. So I did (and I may have added some of the new Stroll colours too).

The good news for YOU, is that I'll have some yarn porn to share soon. :)

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Finish one, start three

I made another Wayna Picchu hat. That one will go to my godson Cristobal. He wasn't available for a picture, so I used my favourite little model.

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Pattern: Wayna Picchu Earflap Hat, by Nichole Reese
Size: M (1-3 years old)
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sport in Mink Heather (MC) and Winter Night (CC)
Needles: US 5 - 3.75 mm circular needles
Mods: I knitted a seed stitch border.

I love that pattern so much. I rarely knit a pattern more than once, but I can see myself making more of these.

I've also been bit by the startitis bug. When the schedule for Sockdown 5 was posted on Ravelry, I knew I would have to participate this year, after a yearlong hiatus. I miss knitting socks when I go too long without one on the needles.

As usual, the first month's challenge is "knit all in one colour" and this year's colour is Chartreuse. So I went through my stash and found what looked the most like the colour sample that was posted:
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KP Stroll Tonal in Springtime. I'm making Sunshine, by Cookie A, which also helps fulfilling my quest of knitting as many patterns as possible from her book Sock Innovation (this will be #4!).

Also, Cailyn Meyer is one of the featured designers for the month and I've wanted to knit her Java Socks since I first saw them on Knitty. So I'll be casting on soon, using Lulu Yarn's Supersock Merino in Fall Fire. I don't have a pic but you can see some here.

Finally, and because I didn't want to knit socks only, I also cast on for a little sweater, Waffles, using the Reynolds Soft Sea Wool I recently bought.

That's it. Hopefully I'll have new FOs to show soon-ish! Happy knitting people!