Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Progress report: Sophia


The back is finished and I am starting the intarsia design on the front. It is a blood red bow. Should be striking.
Today I hope to get the Goddess Knits project on the needles. I have decided to go with Chart C for Clue one. I am also going to be shopping for beads for this one too.
I wore my swallowtail shawl(Olympics 2010) to work today over a black sweater. I am very pleased with the results. I can see this one being knit again for sure.

Monday, April 26, 2010

I know, I know


Folly, folly thy name is Susan...sigh
As if I didn't have enough things on the go I signed up for this. Dearest neglected friend Sandy gave me 2 skeins of the most beautiful lace weight for Christmas. It will be perfect for this mandala. Who needs to sleep?...work?

Thursday, April 22, 2010

It's all about colour.










I love colour. Even orange has it's place in the palette. One of the wonderful aspects of knitting is working with colour.
Colour can brighten our day, our outlook and our ability to deal with the most mundane of tasks.
I have a lavender baby sweater on the needles and a turquoise sweater with a blood red motif for Sophia (which yes, I am back working on) a royal blue jacket for myself and some to die for coral cotton waiting in the wings. Now I ask you isn't this uplifting?
Gorgeous, if I do say so...Plug in there for my LYS..lolol

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

It's all about the toys...


One of my co workers has a new baby soooo, I get to knit a baby thingy. Lavender wrap cardi. Very sweet. More about that later.
First here is my new toy. Not only is this going to be wonderful for reading books but the pattern possibilities are endless. No more lugging around huge pattern magazines. Just scan and copy to the SG card and I am good to go.
No contracts to sign. I am not limited to Amazon as in a Kindle or Chapters as in a Kobo or Sony Books as in a Sony. This puppy will read them all. For half the cost of the reader and downloading books for free. I have just downloaded Steig Larssen's "The girl who played with fire." I had bought the book in hardcover but it is very heavy. Added bonus when knitting boring stretches on stocking stitch, I can read and listen to background music. Pages turn with the touch of a button or I can set the pages to turn automatically, I just died and went to high tech heaven.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Memorial for my Mom

Sixteen little faces all waving good bye as they head out tomorrow on an adventure. One bear for each of Granny Ann's descendants. I will be including a letter and a picture of my mother with the box of bears.
Packed into their bags and ready to go all the way to Africa. Mom always believed that a little charity knitting or sewing was good for the soul. When I was first learning how to knit we made bandages for the leper hospital. We knit miles of garter stitch. That just about finished me in garter stitch for the rest of my life.
She encouraged me to take on at least one project a year. This one has taken me 3 months. With every bear I knit I have thought of her. How I wished she was here so I could show her how they were turning out. I know she would be overwhelmed to see this depiction of her offspring.
A co worker has a new baby daughter so I am more than ready to take on some stocking stitch in lavender. There is some royal blue mulberry & merino and some coral cotton waiting in the wings. Life and knitting goes on.
Mom sewing (on her 40 + year old Singer Sewing Machine) dresses for little girls who had no other chance to have anything "pretty."
My Mother taught by example.
















edit: This is the letter that went with the bears

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Only Good Juju

Knitting in progress while I was sitting at the mall. You can see the pattern on the serviette. Which by the way was from Teopia not Subway. Not that it really matters.

Finished: One zombie voodoo doll. Only works for good Juju. I will put this in the mail tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Goth Princess has a request....

"Grami, can you knit me a voodoo doll?"
Grami can do anything, I did wonder what my mother would think.
Off we went to Spun, in Burlington. She chose green and purple. I mean how threatening can that be??
This is the prototype in the works. It has already been ripped back to the top of the heart.
Nothing I like more than designing on the needles.......snort
I am keeping track of the pattern, with strike outs and corrections, on the back of a Subway serviette. All will be revealed, hopefully, this week.
I have already had one phone call.
"Grami, how is my voodoo doll coming along?"
Reminds me of a story my mother used to tell. My grandmother, the oh so elegant "Nana," was making me a sweater. She had stopped knitting whilst talking with my mother. I reportedly tugged on her arm and said, a little impatiently, "Nana, knit on my sweater." There is nothing worse than waiting.
Bear update: all 16 are stuffed. I am embroidering faces. Too bad I am such a perfectionist or they would be done by now.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Now to stuff

Bears number 13, 14 and 15 are knit and ready for stuffing.

...and because we ended up with a 16th bag we have bear number 16. It only seems right that Granny Ann gets a bear in her name too.

My plan for today is a marathon stuffing session. I am not sure if I can finish the project today but I am going to give it a try.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

In-Depth Review of Knitting Yarn


In-Depth Review of Knitting Yarn

Posted using ShareThis

as a matter of interest I refer you to the above article. Now, I have heard of knitting yarn made from a lot of unusual things, crab shells and milk to name two, but, this takes the cake.
I knit the Swallowtail Shawl for the Olympics for about $35.00. Need I say more?

Friday, April 2, 2010

Teddy Bags

There was a sweat shop going on in the dining room today. We worked from 10am to almost 4pm. But they are done. All 16 of them . Sixteen you ask? We thought you only needed 15. Correct, but you see we were cutting fabric pieces in half and well, that made 16.
I was thinking of perhaps making one more bear "for Mom" If the wool holds out!
Yes, they are lined. No half measures here.

Gran daughter Teaghan chose the lining. We just love the little beavers. Her sister, Ryleigh chose the cords.
Top stitching for the cord casing.Julia pressing the last bag. I was trying to take a "candid" shot but she spotted the camera and had to "ham" it up.
There they are in the sunshine. A job well done. Now to finish the bears!