Stash in boxes

I got a great gift from my Secret Pal a few days ago.



She gave me angora!!! I've never knit with angora before so I'm thrilled. I'm thinking of making mittens, what about you? I also got a cute card and some delicious chocolate. Thanks again, Secret Pal!

My Secret Pal hostess, Shelby asked us to post our stash. Well mine is very small:



This is the bulk of it and it fits in two baskets! I also have some more in there:



There's no eggs in that box, just some yarn and patterns. I'm moving in a little less than a month so I had to start packing. Of course, I left some things unpacked, like a couple of projects (I can't go almost a month without knitting). Here's my sock in progress:



Michelle asked me if I was using Trekking for these. It's actually Regia cotton. I'm loving the stripes and the yarn is really nice to work with. I recommend it.

Fat legs

I've been knitting and knitting and knitting on the knee socks and I'm almost done with the leg:



At that point I decided to try it on to see how high it goes. Uck. I realized that knee socks don't look good at all on fat calves. At least they don't on my calves. So I don't know what to do. I love the pattern so I may continue and just wear the socks under pants when it's really cold outside. Or I'll frog them and start regular socks.

I'm still not sure what I'll do so in the meantime... I cast on for another pair of socks.



Despite the fact that half of the month is over already, I still have hope of finishing a pair for the Sock a Month Knitalong. Will I succeed? Only time will tell.

I've also made progress on Isabella. I'm almost done with the back. I didn't take a pic cause you'd only see a black blob. I can't wait to start the front, it will be much more fun to knit.

Oh and in more personal news, we finally found an appartment! It's in a great neighborhood. Oh and it's a 10 minutes walk from Effiloché, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it :)

Today was not a good day

It's been a while already since I last updated so I will, even though I don't have anything exciting to share. I'm currently watching the hockey game and the Habs are losing 0-3. Dammit! They could have made the playoffs by winning tonight. Now Saturday will be the decisive game.

So, what have I been up to lately.

1. I've been sick with a cold.

2. I've been appartment hunting and I think I hate that even more than job hunting. Every appartment we like, 20+ other people like it to so we end up not getting it. Tonight I visited one that would have been absolutely perfect... until I realised that my washer and drier wouldn't fit in the designated space for it (it's made for a washer and drier that's one on top of the other).

3. I've been knitting! Unfortunately, I don't have anything to show you. I'm about halfway done with the back of Isabella, but even if I had my camera with me, it wouldn't make a good picture. I'm making it in black cotton.

I'm also making good progress on the Winding Cable Knee Socks but damn, they are taking a lot of my time! I thought I was almost done with the leg part but after rereading the pattern, I realized I had to make 1.5 more repeats of one of the charts. Eeep!

Today, I went to the bookstore and found the Yarn Harlot's new book. I was very happy. I'm in the mood for knitting humour.

Current favourite

My SP10 host Shelby asked participants to post their favourite WIP so here I go. I just started a couple of new projects and this one is my new favourite:



The pattern is the Winding Cable Socks, I got it when I subscribed to the KnitsNews newsletter. I love it because I'm using my new favourite sock yarn ever: superwash merino wool from Fearless Fibers. This one is the raspberry colourway. I liked it a lot when I saw it online, I loved it when I received the yarn and I want to marry it now that I've started knitting with it. It's the softest sock yarn I've ever used.

I've also recently cast on for Isabella with the black cotton I had in my mini-stash. I don't have a picture because I left it at my boyfriend's. I'm not sure I'll keep working on it anyways. I had to go down two needle sizes to get gauge, which means I have to use size 1 (2.5mm) needles. It looks like it'll take forever to finish.

I was supposed to go to a knitting meetup tonight but I ended up not being able to make it. I'm pretty bummed as the yarn faeries from Ariadne were supposed to bring some Lorna's Lace. I've never worked with that yarn and I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to resist. I guess my wallet is happy :)

Feet on fire!

I finished the Ripple Weave socks:



Pattern: Ripple Weave sock by Charlene Schurch, from the Fall 06 issue of Vogue Knitting.
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino. Like I said, it was too busy for the pattern, but I still like the way it came out.
Needles: 2.75 mm bamboo DPNs. I usually use 2.25 mm for socks, but I wanted big fat ones. They're very comfy.

Next on the needles: a pair of socks with some Fearless Fibers yarn and (probably) Isabella from the latest issue of Knitty.

We wants it!

I went shopping for my Secret Pal and got the most gorgeous sock yarn. It's beautiful. The colours are fantastic. It's... perfect.

And now I want to keep it for myself.

But I won't. It's for my pal. She'll love it I'm sure. And I don't want to buy new yarn for me until I make two more pairs. *sigh*

Oh and I'm not going to tell you what it is or post pictures in case my Secret Pal sees my blog (who knows just who reads this thing).

Also, in case some of the Montreal knitters are interested: Effiloché stocks Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn (no, it's not what I got for the pal) and it looks BEAUTIFUL and is incredibly soft, but it's a bit pricey (25$). I'm sure I'll treat myself and buy a skein someday though.

Bleh blah bluh

I haven't been feeling well this week. Everyone is sick around me so I may have caught something. I don't know. I'm just *really* looking forward to the weekend (I'm going to my mom's, yay!)

I received an email from my Secret Pal (HELLO SECRET PAL!!!). She said "I hope you like alpaca". I have a feeling she'll be a great pal. ;)

I've been knitting quite a bit, mostly on the ripple weave socks:



(Colour is really bad on that pic). I can't wait till I'm done, especially since I'll try the Fearless Fiber yarn I ordered a while ago next.I'm almost decided on a pattern too.

I was looking through my sort-of-stash and I decided I needed to make something out of the cotton I have. I'm really liking Isabella. I may wait until I get the new Vogue knitting though. Have you seen the preview? There are cute things in there...

Ok. Now I'm off to start the seaming on the blue cardigan. Yes, I'm going to seam. It's time. I just hope I don't ruin the thing...

SP Questionnaire

I haven't participated to a Secret Pal exchange in a while so I'm very excited to be part of that one. Thanks to Robyn for her help with my registration.

So, here's the questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love good ol' wool. Of course, I've also enjoyed cashmere the one time I used it ;) Like many people, I don't really care for scratchy acrylic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Store? ;) Most of my DPNs are in a bag. My straight needles (that I pretty much never use) are in a sort of vase. I use mostly my interchangeable circular sets (Denise and Knitpicks) which are in their own cases.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting for a few years now. Maybe three or four? I learned from books and the Internet. I'd say my skills are intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I don't! But I recently made a post on books I'd like to own (though I can now scratch the Book of finishing techniques from that list since I'll get it from Mona tomorrow).


5. What's your favorite scent?
Good question. I don't have a favourite, but I prefer fruity scents to flowery scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes, yes, yes. I'm addicted to jujubes and jellybeans. And I love chocolate.


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Knitting is my hobby of choice. I want to learn to crochet someday. I don't spin but I'd like to learn.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love all kinds of music. Most of my current favourites are French-Canadian artists (you all really should check out Malajube, they're great). I also LOVE Tori Amos, Björk, Fiona Apple and other strong female artists. Other than that, hmmm, let me check my little iPod: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, FrouFrou, Beck, Garbage, Green Day, Metric, Mobile, Nirvana, No Doubt, Placebo, Radiohead, R.E.M, The Dresden Dolls, Weezer...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blue, red and pink. I rarely wear green (it doesn't look good on me) and yellow. Except on my feet. Any colour is good there.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live by myself and will move in with my boyfriend in the summer. Unfortunately, I'm very allergic to most pets so I have none.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes and no.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks! I also like hats. I'd love to knit more sweaters but my seaming skills leave a lot to be desired.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks :) I also just started a hat. I need to block and seam a cardigan. And I have a shawl UFO that I need to get back to.


14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!


15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I much prefer circular needles. I love bamboo but I'm totally in love with my Knitpicks options set.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Sadly, no. It's on my list of things to get.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
It's my shawl and I started it in May. Every other object that I haven't finished have been frogged.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas!


19. Is there anything that you collect?
Sock yarn ;) No, I don't even have that much. I try not to collect things cause I'm a big clutterer.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'd like to get old issues of Interweave Knits. My oldest one is from Summer 2004. Patterns? Hmm. I've always wanted to make Rogue. I'd like to make the Simple Knitted Bodice as well as Flicka and Cherry from My fashionable Life. Oh and I also love many patterns from White Lies Design. I don't have a subscription to any knitting magazines. And yarn? Oh my. There are MANY brands I'd like to try. I've never used Socks that Rock, Koigu and Lorna's Lace, to name a few.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I want to try colour work. Actually, I've tried fair isle before but my knitting was too tight. I need to give it another try.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I'm a sock knitter. My feet are small, I wear a size 6.5 (that's in Canada, I don't know if it's different from other parts of the world).

23. When is your birthday?
December 3 (I'll turn 30 this year!!!)

****
Robyn mentionned a tattoo meme on her blog. Here's mine (sorry for the bad quality):



It's on my right shoulder blade. I had it done in 2001. I don't think I'll get a second one but if I did, it would probably be a fleur de lys.

Two socks on two circs

Finished!



I quite enjoyed finishing both socks at the same time, but I don't think I'll give up my DPNs anytime soon.

And I finished the socks just in time for the month of February for the Sock a Month Knitalong! (All the sock knitters who read this should join this KAL by the way!) :)

I want new books!

I've replaced startitis and the urge to buy yarn with the desire to acquire new books. Not that I need any of them, mind you.On my list of books I want:

Nancy Bush's Knitting vintage socks

The Knitter's book of finishing techniques

The 3 Vogue Stitchionaries

A Gathering of Lace

Favorite socks: 25 timeless designs from Interweave

I need to win the lottery.

New IK

I'm knittin' and knittin' but not finishin' anythin'...

And I've been fighting startitis again. I haven't started any new project, but boy do I have many on my list. I feel like I'm browsing patterns, blogs and knitting forums more than I've been knitting though.

I got the Spring 07 issue of Interweave Knits. Like many, I'm not in love with the new design, but after reading some posts on Knitter's Review, I gotta say it's not as bad as I expected. I think they did a good job with the pattern pages. I just wish it was still beside the main picture of the project. Oh well.

I'm in LOVE with Eunny Jang's entrelac socks. In love. Don't know when I'll attempt them (but I do know I'll make them without the tassels). I also like Grumperina's socks. I may make Veronik's dollar and a half cardigan, but I probably won't make the sides different (the difficulty would be choosing which side I like the best...)

As for everything else, I don't know. It's way too cold right now to be thinking about spring knits.

New things

I finally received my Options needles last week. I'm very happy. I haven't had a chance to try them yet (I have too many projects on the needles already) but I just know I'll love them. Thanks to the wonderful Karine, I'm now in the process of knitting two socks on two circulars and I'm using Knitpicks needles to do so. I LOVE them. Seriously, it's almost indecent to love needles so much. They are the best I've ever used.



I love the little case.

Re: two socks on two circs. It was very confusing at first and I'll admit I didn't have much fun knitting the first 3-4 rows. But now that I have about 3 inches done, I'm starting to like it. I don't think I'll give up the DPNs for good, but I'll definitely keep on using that method, especially for plain vanilla socks. I don't have pics of the socks in progress, unfortunately, since I left them at my boyfriend's.

I also got new yarn.



Iminloveiminloveiminlove! It's superwash (and supersoft) merino sock yarn from Fearless Fibers (I'm hoping the link will work as apparently the one in my last post doesn't. If you can't access the store, just google Fearless Fibers and it should get you there). I gotta say that the yarn is soft, the colours are fantastic and Deb (who runs the store) is a very nice person. It took a week for my yarn to get here (she's in the US, I'm in Canada). I'm very satisfied with this purchase. Oh and each skein 550 yards! My Fleece Artist skein is around 355 yards and I usually have a lot of leftovers (I have small feet). I think I may be able to get two pairs with each skein (I'll just knit the second pair toe up).

I have no FOs to show you but I do have two WIPs. First, the Ripple Weave socks are coming along nicely.



I'm loving the colours even more every time I pick the project up.

I also finally restarted working on the blue cardigan. I realized I made a mistake with the shaping of the two fronts so I'm reknitting them (the good news is that they're a quick knit and the cable keeps me from being bored).



The colours are totally wrong on this picture but I couldn't get a better pic so it'll have to do. I have 100000000 sweater patterns that I want to start so I better finish this soon.

A couple of replies

On my last post, Karine commented:

"I'll bring my socks tomorrow at the knit thing. If you attend too, I'll be more then happy to help you out. Trust me, it's a lot easier then you think. One caveat: three chicks I've taught how to knit have gotten pregnant. I know you can knit already but I don't know the consequences of just teaching a technique..."

Hmm. Maybe I wouldn't mind that... ;) Seriously, my boyfriend and I are just not there yet but I'm really looking forward to having a baby. Sorry I wasn't at the knitting thing last week but I'll try to go this week.

Another comment (this one was anonymous):

"I, too am making these socks and am having the darndest time with them! I keep losing stitches -- is this happening to you?"
So far it hasn't. Maybe because I'm using bamboo needles? It really helps with slippery yarn.

I'm really into a sock mood these days. I just don't feel like knitting anything else. I usually only have one pair at a time (I have other projects too, just one that is socks), but yesterday I decided to cast on for a pair using the Opal yarn I got from the girls at Ariadne because my sock in progress was (and still is) at my boyfriend's. I also ordered some new sock yarn from Fearless Fibers (click at your own risk, everything on that site looks fabulous). I'll tell you more about the yarn when it gets here.

I also finished something that is not a sock:



Pattern is Calorimetry, from Knitty and I used Noro, as you can probably guess. I figure it would be good to have something to protect my ears from the cold when my hair is up... and of course, after I finished knitting this, I decided to get my hair cut too short to wear it up! ;)

My order from Knitpicks has yet to arrive and I'm beginning to worry. I usually get my orders from them pretty quickly. It supposedly has been shipped on January 29th. Shouldn't it be here by now?

Give me OPTIONS

Ok so that two socks on two circs thing? I don't get it. I have the instructions with the pretty pictures but it's just not working out. I am not giving up though, I will master the technique. Eventually. In the meantime, I picked up my lovely bamboo DPNs and some Fleece Artist merino and got started on Charlene Schurch's Ripple Weave socks from the fall 06 issue of Vogue Knitting. I'm loving knitting them even though I'm not sure the yarn is right for the pattern.



I love the yarn though. I'll keep on working the pattern anyways (it does show a little bit more "in person" than on the picture). I'll probably make another pair in a solid colour someday.

I went to Effiloché last night and I found out that the pattern is not a good one to bring to knitting meet-ups. I'm already not much of a talker, especially with people I don't know (and there was no one I knew there!), but it's even worse when I have to concentrate on a chart.

Oh and because I can't go to the LYS without buying something:



I was good, wasn't I? Only two skeins and no sock yarn! The Noro will be made into Calorimetry and I want to make the Shedir hat (links to PDF file) with the Rowan felted tweed. I fell in love with the hat after seeing a bunch of them on Craftster.

Unfortunately, I realized when I got home that I need 16" 3.25mm circular needles for the hat. I thought about going to another LYS today that's close to my gym so I could get some. But the two socks on two circs experience made me realize one thing: I'm in LOVE with the Knitpicks needles. So I ordered the 3.25mm needles. Of course, it would have been stupid to pay 8$ shipping on a 4.99$ needle, so I decided to get the whole Options set! What? I deserve them, I work hard. :p I also added three colour cards to the lot (Swish Superwash, Main Line and Shine worsted), just because I may order some in the future and I want to have a good idea of the colours. I am *so* looking forwards to receiving that package, even though there won't be any yarn in it.

Guten Tag

Ms K. tagged me, so here you go.

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I'm 29 and I still don't have a driver's licence. I never really wanted to drive. But as I get older, I start to think that it probably would be a useful thing to have ;)

2. I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff and then I all of a sudden get tired of the clutter and I feel the need to get rid of everything. Today, I donated three boxes of books and CDs to Le Chaînon.

3. I've had bright orange hair once. It did not look good. But it was fun.

4. I tend to count calories in everything I eat. It does not, however, keep me from eating them.

5. I'm a loner. I don't mind spending a whole weekend by myself, though this doesn't happen as often now with the boyfriend.

6. Despite #5, my favourite thing to do on a Friday night is to meet friends for a good meal and some wine. My favourite thing to do on a Saturday night is to stay home and watch hockey with the boyfriend (while drinking wine. And knitting. Which sometimes leads to disaster).

I tag: Jo, The Knitting Muso, Julie, Karine, Stephanie (yeah right, as if she reads my blog ;) ) and Jennifer.

And a special hello to Jenny aka Michaela. I didn't know you read my blog, it was nice to read a comment from you :)

How have you been?

I've been MIA, sorry about that. I've just been quite busy these past weeks.

I finally found a great new gym, after not working out for THREE MONTHS (my longest gym-less period in 9 years). And the gym is close to a yarn store. Eeep. I've been able to resist so far but I'm sure I'll stop by sometime soon.

I've finished a couple of things. First, the cashmere cloche:



It's a little too big but I love it anyways. It's warm, it's all that counts.

I also finished the Monkey socks from Knitty.



I used Austerman Step and I couldn't recommend this yarn more. It's fantastic and the socks feel wonderful on my feet. The pattern is a great one too, easy, but interesting.

My next sock goal: two socks on two circs.

Socktopia!

I was planning on making a pair of socks a month this year and I found out there's a cool knitalong that could help me accomplish just that.



I couldn't resist joining Socktopia. I just love challenges. I have no idea what I'll do for January just yet, we'll see.

Speaking of socks, I'm LOVING the Monkey socks and I'm LOVING the Austermann Step yarn I'm knitting them with even more. I'm already almost done with the first sock, I just can't get away from it. But I really need to take a break and get back to the blue cardigan. I started redoing the front yesterday and I just couldn't get into it. *sigh* I must finish it.

2006 in Knits

I finished my boyfriend's Fuzzy Feet. Here they are pre-felting:



(You gotta excuse the new cashmere yarn in the picture, it seems to like being photographed). I used Galway worsted and it felted beautifully, as you can see here:



I finished 15 things in 2006 and since I doubt I'll finish anything else in the next few days, I think it will be it. I think 2006 was a good year.

-I worked my first cable.
-I made a sweater.
-I participated in the Knitting Olympics (though I did not finish my two pairs of socks in time).

Yeah, I'm pretty happy. And I already have goals for 2007. I want to:

-Try colour work. I'll probably go with something small. A hat or mittens. Not sure what yet but I want to try.
-Finish my blue cardigan. It turns out I did the shaping wrong on both fronts so I want to redo them. I really need to finish it.
-Learn to seam well.
-Pick the Kiri shawl back up and finish it.

And as usual, I have a billion projects in mind. There are several sweaters I want to make (I must finish the blue one first), so many that I wouldn't know which one to choose if I were to start one now.

I want to make a shawl with the cashmere coned yarn I bought a while ago. I really like this pattern from Knitpicks. Of course, I need to finish Kiri first.

Of course I also want to make the cashmere cloche with the yarn I bought yesterday.

And I think I want to make almost every sock Cookie A ever designed. I've already started by casting on for Monkey yesterday. Yeah, I did that instead of starting the cashmere cloche. What can I say, a Knit-along thread on Craftster inspired me. Plus, the pattern works beautifully with Austermann Step.

'twas two days after Christmas...

I hope you guys had a merry Christmas, if you celebrated it that is. If not, I hope you had a wonderful day anyways :)

My mom is not a knitter and she doesn't know a thing about knitting. But she loves me and she knows I love to knit. So every year I get yarn in my stocking. Problem is, my mom doesn't have access to a LYS so I always get stuff I wouldn't buy myself. Like this:



Now don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the gift and I believe there is no such thing as bad yarn. Plus, I think the colour is pretty and I like the scarf on the pattern band so I'll probably end up making it someday.

But today I went to Effiloché and used some of my Christmas money (cause mom is great and she also gave me money) and I got myself what I really wanted for Christmas:



Yeah bad pic, I know. But you can sort of see some Fleece artist merino yarn in a raspberry-like colourway, a set of 5 bamboo 2.25 mm DPNs (my favourite for sock knitting) and 50g of Hand Maiden 4 ply cashmere.

Wait, you can't see the cashmere? Hold on:



It is to die for. I want to make the Cloche pattern that comes with the yarn. One woman at the store told me she used it to make the same cloche and that she made two and still had enough yarn for one more so that is good.

It's taking all my willpower not to cast on right away. But first, I want to finish the Fuzzy Feet (the knitting part at least). THEN I can cast on for the hat.

Last Christmas present

I finished another short row for my mother.



I simply don't get tired of this pattern. And the yarn was just yummy. It litterally made me hungry all the time with its chocolate, butterscotch and latte colours.

This is probably my last post before Christmas, so merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it!

Warm hands

I made mittens:



I used this pattern.

Now on the needles: Fuzzy feet for my boyfriend. I wanted to make him the Fibertrend felted clogs, but I figured I had a better chance of finishing the Fuzzy feet before Christmas. I also want to make a short row hat (yes, another one) for my mom. But there's no pressure. If i don't finish these items by Christmas, the recipients will simply get them later.

They're finished!

Ta-da!



Pattern: Jaywalkers from Knitty
Yarn: Um. Regia. In one of the Canadian colours.
Needle: 2.25 mm DPNs.

I liked knitting them but for some reason they took FOREVER to finish! I'm glad I have them now, they fit really well and I think the pattern works great with the yarn.

I'm also almost done with a pair of mittens. Expect pictures soon.

Oh and I have bad news : I lost my hat. My beloved short-row hat. I usually lose one hat a year but I really hoped I wouldn't lose this one. I suck.

Last Sunday was my birthday (thanks to everyone who left birthday wishes in the comments). I didn't expect any knitting-related gifts so I was really surprised to get a really wonderful one. My boyfriend's grandmother made me a scarf! It's very simple but it's beautiful and I love it. I've received knitted gifts before but I was younger and didn't know how to knit. Now that I know how much time a simple scarf takes, I really really appreciate it.

Dear short-row hat pattern

I LOVE YOU!



You see me with a weird expression on my face. I'm wearing Veronik Avery's short row hat (link is a pdf file). I made it with the recommended yarn. It will be a Christmas gift for my sister.

I'm also wearing a scarf made with acrylic. Yes, acrylic. Red Heart Whirly. And it's soft. Weird.

Oh yeah, and I'm also wearing my HABS shirt. Because I'm going to see them play tonight. Against the Maple Leafs. They better win!

My birthday is tomorrow! I'm not expeting any knitting-related gifts, but I received money already so I'll probably buy me something wooly. I'll be 29. I don't like that number.

Finally, I was asked in the comments of my last post which knitting-related calendar I prefer. It's difficult to say (that explains why I got both). The One knitting pattern a day one is nice because it has, well, a lot of patterns. They're pretty simple and the majority are patterns I wouldn't make, but I still like it. The Stitch and Bitch one doesn't have that many patterns and most of them have been published in the S&B books already. So if you want patterns, I wouldn't suggest it. It's still a fun thing to have though.

Red Heart, really?

Yarn snobs must leave this page immediately.

Last year, my mom put three balls of Red Heart Whirly in my Christmas stocking. I thought it was nice of her even though I'm not a huge Red Heart fan. I'm not a real yarn snob. I do prefer natural fibers, but I don't mind acrylic once in a while.

That being said, I decided to cast on for a scarf using that yarn a couple of days ago. I finished it today. It is *very* soft. It still does fell acrylic-y so it's not for everyone but I'm quite happy with it.

I'll post a pic later this week. My camera batteries were used with the Wii remote (the Wiimote!) and now they're dead. I don't own a Wii but my boyfriend has one for a week (he's in charge of the tech page for a newspaper). I'm loving it.

Also, thank to Jo who gave me the tip, I was able to find the 2007 Knitting Pattern a Day and the Stitch N' Bitch 2007 calendars. I had heard not-so-good things about the Pattern a Day one but I must say I really like it. Sure, I think some of the patterns are horrible (personal opinion of course) but some are really nice. The Christmas pillows are especially beautiful. Speaking of Christmas, I gotta warn those who don't celebrate that they won't find many patterns useful for the month of December. I love Christmas though, so I'm happy.

Oh and Jennifer posted a pdf of the Bowling Socks, with permission from Patons. Go download it, they're great!

Small FO

I finished my first stash-busting small object:



Knitty's Fetching. Made with Zara. They are cute and took very little yarn (ha, here goes the stash busting). I'll probably make another pair for my sister.

I decided to make more short row hats, for myself and for loved ones. So I ordered some yarn from Ami-Ami. I hope it gets here soon, I love that yarn!

Knitting celebrity

Yesterday, I had the chance to hear The Yarn Harlot speak in Montreal. If she ever comes to your city, I suggest you go hear her, she's hilarious.


Stephanie Pearl-McPhee as she's about to take a picture of the Montreal knitters with her travelling sock

Unfortunately, I had to leave before she was done, so I didn't get to meet her. I was disappointed because I really wanted to say hi and to get my book signed, but I really couldn't stay.

In other news, here's my progress on the blue cardigan:



All the knitting is done, the shoulders have been seamed as well as one of the sleeves (well it's been attached to the body anyways). I really seriously need to register for a finishing class or workshop. I suck at seaming so bad, my sweaters never look right because of it. No matter how many books I read or how many videos I watch, I can't seem to do it right.

I cast on for Fetching. This should be done quickly. Then again, the Jaywalkers should also have been done quickly and I'm not even at the heel of the second sock yet (I'm almost there though). I don't think I've ever taken so much time to finish a pair of socks. And it's not because I don't like them. I don't know, they just take forever. Speaking of socks, Ms. K. was knitting a fabulous pair yesterday. If you read this, could you tell me what yarn you were using (and where you got it if you remember)? I really need pink socks. :)

November is for small knits

October is gone and Socktoberfest is now over. I have to say I didn't do as well as I would have liked sockwise. I just didn't feel like knitting socks that much. I'm really looking forward to finally wearing the Jaywalkers though so I'll probably get back into it soon.

I couldn't get online at all yesterday. I realized only this morning that it was because you now have to dial the area code even for local numbers in Montreal. Since I'm still on dial-up (I know, I know...), it affected my Internet connection too. No work and no Internet = lots of time to knit (and the clean the appartment but I somehow prefered to spend the time knitting). I'm happy to say that I finished the left front part of the cardigan. Now I only need to finish the right side and I'll be done. Well after the seaming and stuff.

I already have sweater patterns in mind for my next big project, but it will have to wait a little. I decided that November will be my small project month this year. Why, you ask?

Well this morning I took a big look at my stash. And I realized that I have only a little bit of sock yarn:


With socks, when I decide to start a new pair, I usually take something from my little stash instead of buying something else. So it doesn't accumulate much. With other projects, I usually find that there's nothing interesting enough in the stash so I buy new yarn.

Anyways. I also have a little bit of nice yarn.

Navy Zara, Green Galway, Alpaca, more Alpaca, cashmere in a cone...

The nice stuff never sits there long because I can never wait to knit with it.

What I have a lot of (compared to the rest of the stash that is), is acrylic.


(All acrylic or acrylic blends, except for the black cotton in the front). Most of it I bought when I first started knitting or I received as gift. Some of it is very nice. I adore Patons Decor. I have four balls of red Micro Nomotta (or something like that) and two balls of green that I love. I made a baby cardigan with some of the green and it turned out lovely.

Another thing I have A LOT of: leftovers.



I just can't get rid of it. Most of it anyways, as I did throw away some of the smallest bits today.

So yeah. I decided that I'd try to get rid of some of this yarn by making small projects this year. With the holidays coming up (Halloween is over and I've already seen a Christmas-themed commercial on TV), I'm sure I'll be able to find people to give them to.

I made a list of some of the things I have in my stash and matched them with small projects I'd like to make. It goes like this:

• Almost full ball of Navy blue Galway: A pair of mittens. I'm pretty sure I'll have enough as I was able to make a pair with one skein of Noro Silk Garden and the Galway skein I have is much bigger.
  
  
• White Bernat Satin leftover: Another pair of mittens
  
  
• Navy blue Zara (2 skeins): Fetching from Knitty.
  
  
• Alpaca paint (1 skein, variegated): A hat (maybe a simple beanie)
  
  
• Green Galway (3 skeins): Felted clogs
  
  
• Red Heart Whirly (3 skeins): Scarf
  
  
• Patons Decor (1 huge skein + more than half of a second one): Hat + mittens set
  
  
• Bernat Frenzy (3 skeins, red): Scarf
  
  
• Caron Jewel Box (3 skeins, red): Scarf

I'd also like to make fuzzy feet with the leftover Wool of the Andes from the Mariah cardigan (I have a lot of it but didn't feel like taking it out of the drawer to take a picture). I also have a few cones of bulky acrylic/wool blends that I'm slowly turning into scarves. Not to mention the yarn from projects that I need to frog...

Of course I don't think I'll be able to finish all this in November (especially the scarves. They may be small but they can take a LONG time to finish). I'll be happy if I can finish 2-3 things. And I'll also finish the cardigan and probably cast on for new socks sometime during the month. But just trying to assign projects to these yarns feels like a step in the good direction.

By the way, if you have any favourite scarf/mittens/hat patterns, feel free to share :)

Inspiration, WIP, Food and News

1. Inspiration

One of the things I like the most when I surf knitting blogs/forums/communities/websites is seeing a finished object picture of a pattern I've already seen. Sometimes, someone's picture manage to make me want to knit something from a pattern who did nothing from me with the original picture.

Example:

Many of you own the first Stitch and Bitch book. I think the Pin-Up Queen sweater (the one on the left) is cute, but I never really thought about knitting it.

That is, until a very talented girl posted her version in the Knitting Livejournal Community. Great sweater and it looks fantastic on her. Now I really want to add it to my "to knit next" list (as if I needed something else added there). ;)

2. WIP

I've been working on the blue cardigan quite a bit lately, and I'm happy to say that the back and the two sleeves are done. I'm now working on the left panel. Thank God it has a little cable; I was getting tired of all the stockinette.



3. Food

A little while ago, I posted a picture of an apple bread that I made. Someone asked for the recipe in the comment. Unfortunately, I can't copy it here as it comes from a cookbook and I'm pretty sure it would go against copyright laws.

I will, however, suggest another apple-based recipe that I've tried and liked even more than the bread. Apple Squares!

4. News

After years of working on Sunday, I had finally made new arrangements at work so that I could work Monday-Friday like most people. That made me happy in part because it would allow me to go to most Sunday knitting meetings. But after two weeks of that schedule, I was offered a new job with another company... working Sunday-Thursday! I accepted because the new job sounds exciting and the pay is very good, but I'm a little bummed that Sunday knitting meetings are out of question again. I may be able to make it on Wednesday in NDG or on Thursday on the Plateau sometimes, but not always, that's for sure.

I'll be able to attend this Wednesday meeting though, since I have this week off. :)

Why are there so many talented and creative people in the world?

Designers, I love you all, but you're making my life difficult.

As I'm happily continuing to work on the simple cardigan from a FCEK magazine, I'm daydreaming about what kind of sweater I want to make next. My "things I want to make someday" list is getting quite long, but for the next project, I had narrowed it down to two:

Simple Knitted Bodice

AND

Central Park Hoodie

But then someone posted a link to this:

Lucy in the Sky.

Awwww. It's so pretty! I want it!

So please, designers of the world, take a (well-deserved) break*. I have too much to knit already and I need to catch up without being distracted by new beautiful patterns.

* I'm just kidding of course. I surf pattern sites like others surf porn.

Happy Head

It's getting quite cold in Montreal so it was the perfect timing to finish a new hat!




(I swear I'm not stoned on that picture. My eyes have been itchy since yesterday).

Pattern is Véronik Avery's Short row hat (Pattern in pdf format).

I used the recommended yarn, Faith, by Ami-Ami, colour A-48. The yarn is very soft and the hat is warm. Let's just hope I won't lose this one!

Last Friday was Stitch N' Bitch night at a new yarn store, Effiloché. Some people from the Montreal Knits group were there, as well as a bunch of other people I had never met before. The evening was nice and I got to touch a lot of beautiful yarn. I also got to see the original Clapotis as well as the original Union Square Market Pullover (Kate Gilbert, the designer, teaches knitting classes at Effiloché).

I was very good and I only bought two things. I got a skein of Austermann Step sock yarn. The yarn has Aloe Vera and Jojoba oil in it, which makes it so incredibly soft. I can't stop fondling it since I got it back home. The colour I got is the one used for the fingerless mitts on this page (I'm not affialiated with this site at all, I just found it when I googled the yarn's name).

I also bought the fall 2006 issue of Knitscene (finally, there's a place in Montreal where we can buy this magazine!). I got it only because of this pattern. It's so beautiful. It's so me. I must knit it.

I will leave you guys with the preview for the next Interweave Knits magazine. I like a lot of the patterns but my favourite one is the cardigan for Arwen, though I would personally make it a bit longer.

Hmmm, Fall!

Fall is my favourite season. This past weekend was so perfect. It was sunny, and just cold enough to wear a scarf and a sweater. My boyfriend and I decided to rent a car, get a hotel room and go to Quebec City for the weekend.

I knitted for part of the trip, so I could finally progress on the Jaywalkers:



I'm getting close to the toe on the first sock. I'm loving the colours.



How could anyone not LOVE fall? The leaves were so beautiful in Quebec all weekend, I could have taken thousands of pictures.



Fall is also apple season. So we went apple picking in L'Île d'Orléans.





We brought back a huge bag of apples. What will we do with all of this?, you ask.


Apple bread. It's delicious.

Socktober 1st

Socktoberfest has officially begun!

I was hoping to post a pic of my Jaywalkers-in-progress today, but I just realised I left it at my boyfriend's.

So instead, I'm going to talk about all the socks I've made in my knitting career. Don't worry, it won't take too much time.

My first socks were made of Bernat Hot Sox. Yes, acrylic. I don't wear them often (they are way too big), but surprisingly, when I do, they don't make my feet sweat. I was extremely proud of them when I made them. I used a simple pattern from the Lion Brand website.

I then discovered the wonders that are self-striping yarns and made these simple socks. I think I used the same pattern, but smaller needles.

Then, a secret pal was wonderful enough to send me some Fleece Artist sock yarn. I instantly fell in love with it. And I made a pair of feather and fan socks from Socks Socks Socks. I think they're my favourite socks to date.

For Christmas 2005, I decided to give socks as a gift. My mom's boyfriend got these, my little sister got these and my mom got the Go with the flow socks from a past issue of Interweave Knits.

That same Christmas, I gave my godfather some simple ribbed grey socks (pictured with the other Christmas socks).

I got a little sick of socks after that, but I got right back into them for the Knitting Olympics. I made the Embossed Leaves socks, designed by the lovely Mona for Interweave Knits, as well as a pair of simple blue socks. Sadly, I didn't finish them in time to win the Olympics.

The last pair I made are these, using no pattern at all, for the first time. I started them while I was on a business trip to Paris (I love to say that).

So that's it. Next post will (hopefully) have a picture of my sock WIP.

Celebrating Socks

I joined Socktoberfest!



I'll try to post about socks (I mean more than usual) during the month of October. If you love socks, do the same!

My goal :

1) Finish the Jaywalkers
2) Start to teach myself to knit 2 socks on 2 circs

Sock lusting

Remember how I fell in love with the Cable Net socks from the new issue of Knitty?

Well believe it or not, I found a sock pattern I like even more. Meet the Bayerische sock by Eunny Jang. It's so beautiful it almost made me weep.

I definitely want to make me a pair (as well as a pair of Cable net because I still love them). But before I do that, I must:

a)Finish the Jaywalkers (and considering I'm still on the leg of the first sock, it may take a while).

b)Teach myself how to knit two socks on two circs, something I'd rather do with a plain sock pattern.

So yeah, it will probably be 2007 before I make these beautiful socks. But I will.

Also, my good friend Bianka gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy (named Isaac) on Monday. I held him when he was only one day old! Of course, now I really want to knit something for him. I was thinking of making Kate Gilbert's Peapod set (scroll down the page to see it). I could make it in a six month size and give it to him for Christmas. I'll see. I've been wanting to knit this since I first saw it.

UPDATES ON MY PROJECTS

Kiri shawl: I've been working on it quite a bit this week but I keep making mistakes. I must pay more attention when I'm knitting lace, no matter how easy the pattern is. I really want to finish this for my cousin's wedding on Oct. 14 but at this rate, it's not going to happen.

FCEK blueberry cardigan: I haven't touched it since I've finished the back.

Jaywalkers: Like I said, I'm almost done with the leg of the first sock. I'm loving the yarn I'm using (Regia in one of the Canadian colours).

Knitty!

Ok, if I only knit one thing from the new Knitty, it will be the Cable net socks. Most.beautiful.socks.ever.

Projects update:

Blueberry cardigan: Back is done. Will start the sleeves soon.

Jaywalkers: I decided to frog and reknit them. So I only have about an inch done.

Kiri: Haven't touched it in weeks. I really need to get back to it. I'm using magnificent fall colours. It needs to be done now!

Wool and needles

You know, I really hate not having a camera. In one week I'll finally be able to post pictures again (and I'll get to see my boyfriend after two weeks without him!).

I'll be able to post a new Mariah pic because it finally has a zipper! Yay!

Did I ever mentionned how much I love shopping online for yarn? I'm having a love affair with Knitpicks. Seriously. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping in the Montreal yarn stores too. But I can rarely afford a sweater's worth of wool in stores here. And I LOVE to receive packages.

I received one two days ago. The Blueberry Wool of the Andes is the perfect colour for the cardigan I wanted to make. Perfect. I also got some sock yarn that I can't wait to try. I also can't wait to try my new needles! I want to do the two socks on two circs thing.

As you may have guessed, I cast on for the new cardigan right away. I have 10" of the back done. It's going to be beautiful!

Hello, I'm still alive!

I haven't posted in quite some time because I haven't had anything interesting to post about (also, I'm very busy with work).

Mariah is still zipper-less. And Kiri is kicking my ass. I realized that the spine wasn't aligned correctly and decided to start over again. I'll call it the shawl of perseverence. The most annoying thing is that it's actually an easy pattern but I can't seem to make it work. Needless to say, I won't finish it by the end of August and I WILL start something else before it's done.

I've gotten bored with the Jaywalkers after I turned the heel. I realized they're going to be too big for me so I'll give them to my mom, probably for Christmas. Even though I had told myself I wouldn't knit any gifts this year, I'm beginning to feel the itch to start making things for people. Oh well.

I bought yarn from Knitpicks to make another cardigan, this time from an old issue of Family Circle. I can't find a pic of the original sweater online, but I found one that someone made on this blog. Funny, it looks like the colour I ordered (I got Wool of the Andes in Blueberry). I also ordered some of the Knitpicks needles, some sock yarn that was on sale as well as a bunch of colour cards (I was especially happy to see they had a Wool of the Andes colour card back in stock as I plan to order it often).

Mariah!

Mariah is pretty much done and only needs a zipper. I'm not sure when I'll have time to go and buy one (and install it) so here's an almost-FO pic:



No need to tell me how bad the picture is, I know! I'm alone in the house and this is the best I could get before I got the "batteries exhausted" warning. The camera had just enough energy left for me to upload the picture. I look like shit, c'est la vie. I'll have my boyfriend take a better picture once the zipper is in.

The Kiri shawl is the other project I'd like to finish this month before I start my fall projects. I'm on the seventh repeat right now and I'll probably do 12 of them.

I got the new IK today. I also saw the new Vogue Knitting but I'll probably buy it later. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many copies there were in the bookstore (especially of VK). I remember when I first started to buy knitting mags, there would be 2-3 copies in the bookstores. More copies = more knitters. Yay!

So, in the new Interweave Knits, my favourite patterns would be Coral Crossing and the Weekend pullover. I don't think I'll make anything from that issue anytime soon though. Not that the designs aren't lovely, I just have many other projects in mind.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I started a pair of Jaywalkers. I LOVE THAT PATTERN! I'm using Regia sock yarn in one of the Canadian colours. They will probably be the most beautiful socks I've ever made (and I know I say that about every pair I make but I really mean it).

Avoiding the stash

A couple of posts ago, I mentionned Elann's hemp yarn that was on sale. Jeannie suggested that I buy it even if I'm not planning on using it for a long time. I'll admit I was very tempted. But I'm a weird kind of knitter.

I don't want a stash.

It's not that I think knitters shouldn't accumulate crazy amount of yarn. There's a part of me that wishes I could have my own yarn store in my appartment. I do look at people's stash pics and I drool. I'm only human.

But I don't want a stash.

Of course, having a little stash becomes pretty much inevitable at some point, unless you're the type of knitter who can buy yarn for one project and not buy anything else until it's done. I'm not like that and I tend to buy yarn thinking I'll start a project after I'm done with my current ones, but by the time I'm finished, I often don't feel like knitting the item I had planned after all. I've also received yarn as gifts and I have participated in Secret Pals exchanges. Not to mention that I have a bunch of crappy yarn that I bought when I was just starting and didn't know better.

So I do have a little stash but so far it fits into two medium-sized baskets. Oh and I also have a couple of cones. As well as a few skeins in a drawer. But that's it.

You may be wondering why I don't want a stash. It's simple. I live in a small one bedroom appartment. I have no space for a stash (and I tend to clutter and don't want to make my problem worse). So I feel guilty when I have too much. Then I feel like I should really use what I have and I end up having to knit stuff I don't necessarily feel like knitting just because I want to use up yarn.

So I try not to buy yarn unless I *know* I'll use it soon. The only exception (HA! Of course there's an exception) is sock yarn. I don't mind buying it even if I don't think I'll use it right away because I know for sure it'll get used eventually. I have some yarn (mostly the crappy acrylics I mentionned before or balls of yarn that are leftover from other projects) that I have no idea if I'll ever use. But sock yarn? I'm not worried. I still try not to go crazy and buy 20 balls at once though.

So today I went to the yarn store and got yarn for two pairs:


I'll see if I can work on Kiri at tonight's knitting meetup, but that may not be possible so I won't have any choice but to start a new pair of socks (poor little me!) ;)

Oh and I'm sure you're all dying for an update on Mariah. Well let's just say I had no idea that knitting a stupid hood would take that long. I'm almost there though.

I'll end this post with a link to a beautiful sweater pattern: Clicky!. I'm not sure when I'll have the time to make this, but I really want to!