As if I didn't have enough to do...

This is the Alpaca handpaint lace weight I bought back in the spring. Don't faint I am actually knitting something from my stash. I even had the beads on hand. This latest progect is another KAL with Goddess Kits, Halloween/Samhain Mystery Shawl. I had to knit this because I bought a pair of brown slacks and I didn't have a thing to wear with them. I think I might need a gold blouse. Hmmmmm It will be pretty to wear to work this fall and that's what it is all about!
~MuM

Another new addiction

I'm loving this shawl pattern, to the point that I anxiously wait for the moment it is posted every Saturday. I was emailing mum from work begging her to send it to me as soon as it was released so I could see it. I was a little behind on the knitting this week due to getting side tracked by the hat pattern I wrote about a few days ago. Got caught up tonight so I am ready to tackle the newest clue.

This is my shawl after Clue #2 Isn't it pretty. I fully admit I was a non-lover of knitting with what I referred to as thread. I think this pattern may have made a convert of me. Now we are knitting on 4mm so it's not that bad. I'm so addicted when mum mentioned joining the Hallowe'en Shawl Along I jumped at it. At some point this week I have to get to SPUN and pick out my yarn and then to Haberdashers in Oakville to find beads to match. All before I go way because this is going to be my plane project. Have to remember to get shorter addi turbo circulars because I can't take my 100cm on board with me.

This is the first Hat Attack pattern. The cables represent 1-15 in binary code. The 'arms dealer' really puts a lot of thought into her patterns. Contrary to most I prefer this style of hat. I just hope my brother likes it as well. LOL



Looks like they aren't going to do another one until next year. Too bad, this was fun but I imagine the behind the scenes work in immense.

~Daughter #1

Moebius Basket

The Moebius Basket is finished. I will buy a small ivy plant to go inside of it. Here is the basket before felting and then after.

I love the colors. This was knit with Manos del Uruguay. The feel of this handspun wool is very soft. Dyed over wood fires marbleizes the yarn. The co-operative that made the wool, aims for the organization to bring economic and social opportunities to rural women.






You really have to feel this object, almost like it is spiritual and sacred. The piece turns out so that all the stitches are flowing around from the handle to the bowl. Only one day of work and volia, conversation piece. Thank you Mum, now it is your turn to try.




~Daughter #2

Mystery Shawl #10 Clue #2

Ta dah!! O.K. I couldn't wait so I semi blocked half of the shawl..lolol

~MuM

Been knitting up a storm

I have been knitting my brains out lately. I think it has more to do with all the emotional roller coaster I have been riding, although I'm thinking Valium might be cheaper. My taste in yarns lean to the pricier side LOL

Mum and I are both doing the Mystery Shawl. This is mine, half blocked after clue #1. I'm about 10 rows away from having clue #2 done and I'll post a picture once it is finished. I was concerned about the yarn when it was in the hank, the dark colours seemed so 'blobby' but now that it's knitted up a bit, I'm feeling much better about it. Being a bamboo blend it is SO soft. I just can't wait till it's finished.

This is something I joined on a whim and am having fun with. So much so I will do again. It's called Hat Attack. Where every one is both an Assassin and Target. The name of the game is to get a hat knitted to a specific pattern and get it in the mail to your target before receiving one in the mail yourself. If you 'assassinate' your 'target' before s/he finishes their hat, they mail you the unfinished attempt and their target information. You then finish the hat and mail it off, thus assassinating another. So on and so on until you receive your hat and are "dead".

My 'target' is in Quebec and her hat was put in the mail on Saturday. I know that my 'assassin' is in BC and has mailed mine to me already. I expect that I will be out of the game today or tomorrow. I didn't last long but it was fun. There is both the website and a ravelry group that you can join.

This is the second time they have done it and I really LOVE the hat pattern for the first one so I'm knitting one up. Not sure who is going to get it, maybe I'll send it to my youngest brother for the holidays.

~Daughter #1

The body may be weak but the mind never quits knitting....

While I was laying in a codeine/morphine/gravol haze my brain was busy thinking...knitting, of course. I have 6 balls or 2280 meters of Jawool 49% wool 35%cotton 16% nylon sock yarn. I bought this deliberately for a sweater. It has been languishing, in good company, in my cedar chest. however, the more I thought about it the more I realized I did not want a horizontal stripe sweater. So the yarn was put aside. Whilst I was in the hospital and when I first came home I was too weak to do anything but recline like a damsel with the vapours. My knittin' brain was busy planning a new pattern. I have a sock yarn Henley I knit when I moved to London, we call it the "London sweater"..duh.., this jumper has a bell shaped sleeve I really really like. So it will be a given that the next sweater will have the same shaped sleeve. Good starting point.

For the swatch I cast on around 37 stitches and commenced knitting. My idea is to knit the body side to side which of course will result in a vertical stripe. I turned the swatch sideways to look at it. Hmmmmmm....the stripes will be much narrower due to the number of stitches I will have to have on the needle. The sleeves will have wider stripes, once again a result of the stitch count.
Once the swatch dries I will be able to take measurements and armed with my trusty calculator I will start to write the pattern. I have a couple of ideas I would like to use: invisible cast on, 3 needle cast off, grafting (Kitchener Stitch), short rows and of course I will use "EPS" for a good fit. I was reading in one blog how it would be convenient if sweater designers would tell you what size the sample sweater was and the size of model wearing said sample. Sounds like a damn good idea to me. I will take this into consideration when I am finished. Get back to you later..... Meanwhile back to the pink lace! ~Mum

Blogger is being very spooky.....

This is a close up "gently blocked" just so you can see the flowers.

I am having a problem editing my post so I am doing this in 2 sections..lolol. Ah... modern technology, you gotta love it.

The picture below..down there.. was taken on my favourite quilt..refer to the post HERE.... and that's my book I am reading , the "fae" one....... Hope you like the picture 'cause I am not in a hurry to move those stitches again. Yikes. (Oh sure, now it is saving the drafts as I type..silly thing)

~MuM

Queen Anne Lace row 109

As promised here is the latest picture of the Queen Anne Lace. I am on row 109 and I started the second skein about 2 rows ago.

Mystery Shawl #10 Clue #1

Unblocked lace is so puffy. The surprise will come when I finish the knitting. O.K. ready for Clue #2!
~Mum

Frustrated VOGUE Knitters

Sometimes you just have to do it yourself.

I have been trying, unsuccessfuly, to find a correct graph for the Lily Chin Lace Dress #41. There have been numerous hits on both of my blogs regarding this post so I can only assume there are other's out there looking for answers.

Vogue is enhancing their reputaion as the "Vague" magazine. I mean who wants to wait weeks and weeks for an answer that may never come. Lily's dress is beautiful and I have been waiting a year to knit it. Now I have the yarn and mistakes abound in the graphs. Lily was kind enough to answer my emails and I do appreciate her busy schedule. However, she seems to think that Vogue has posted the correct graph. Well, I checked 5 minutes ago and the only errata for this pattern is a correction on the name of the yarn used.

I also wanted to knit the side to side sweater that was featured on the front of the Summer 2008 issue, now I find this pattern has mistakes also.

So, out of desperation, I have formed a group on Ravelry "Frustrated Vogue Knitters." Yes I know the "s" is missing from the badge. I will fix that later today. I hope this will be a place of answers. Only time will tell.

~MuM

Swatching Mystery Shawl #10

Haven't felt like doing too much. I finally blocked my swatch for the Mystery Shawl #10. Corinne and the girls came to visit me on Saturday, she and I cast on together. I am only on Row 26. The first clue goes to row 68. I will post a picture when I get to row 68 knitted. see you then.

~MuM

Mystery Shawl #10 Wool

This is Spinning Bunny's Morning Mist.I wish it was as blue as it appears here but it isn't. I took this picture outside in the sun. The yarn is much greyer and at first I was disappointed. I was expecting something in shades of soft blue. I have decided to go ahead and knit it up. Who knows I might be thrilled with the outcome. I will get it wound into a ball this weekend and get my swatch knitted.
~MuM

Reversible Pullover

Mari Lynn Patrick’s cropped pullover works two ways. Wear it as a deep V neck as shown, or flop it over to form a cropped cowlneck; either way , it’s a quick knit in Van dyck, 46% Wool, 39%Acrylic, 15% Alpaca. You can find this pattern in Vogue Knitting Winter 2005/06.
My own alteration would be to lengthen the body down to my upper thigh making it more of a bum warmer than cowlneck.

The body is worked in one piece; sleeves are picked up and knit down from the armholes.























This will make a neat addition to my sweater collection.
~Daughter #2