The saga of the blanket...

It's a tough world out there! Logan Gabriel

It has been a very active two weeks. My grandson made a premature arrival on March 20th. All 3 pounds 12 ounces of him. For a detailed saga of the blanket's construction, deconstruction, redesign and final completion please pop over to Ravelry and check out 'Logans baby blanket" in my projects. Oh, my ravelry name has changed to "Susanlacewing." There was another Susanknits (I was Suzanknits) and it was confusing so I changed my moniker.

Brittany and "The" blanket

I took the blanket to the NICU yesterday and we got this picture.This is as close as he is going to get to it for a while. We took it off after the picture taking and put the dark cover back on.

My baby boy and his Baby Boy

Star baby blanket

This fall we are expecting another grandchild!! and a playmate for Logan. I am going to get the new baby's blanket done in plenty of time!. Meanwhile I haven't got a stitch knit on my In Dreams KAL since Logan's arrival. Now that he is doing so well my concentration should have returned.

Crochet time

I started this, ohhhh, probably 8 years ago..sheesh Now I am finishing it for my new Grandbaby. It is wonderful yarn. Sirdar Denim Tweed DK. Of course now I am in a panic that I will run out. Some of these colours have been discontinued. I sent out about 10 emails on Ravely begging to buy or trade whenever I found any of these colours in someone''s stash. So far I have heard from 2 people. Keeping the good thought here.

I am one row away from the half way point. This is my TV watching project. This yarn is the best, it is a cotton acrylic wool blend that loves the washer and will tolerate the dryer as long as you don't cook it.

At present I have 4 lace shawls on the go and I am lusting after another. Mario Knits pattern "Spanish Armada." Five is the max (really) and then I have to finish one (believe me) before I can start another. Non knitter's do not understand the concept of having more than one project at a time. If I get tired of one or it becomes difficult I switch to the easy one for a respite. Then when refreshed I go back to the challenging one. Makes sense to me. Same reason why I read more than one book at a time.

 This is my "Icarus Shawl." I am almost finished the second wing. Intriguing knit I must say. Look for the pattern on Ravelry by  the name "In The Pink" by Izzyknits.

Feyrhi's Wings Shawl

 Clue #1 finished. Susan Pandorf's Lord of the Rings "In Dreams" KAL on Ravelry

Creating a Plush Teddy Bear...Step One

tracing the pattern

 When the children were young and I was a stay at home Mom I had a craft business called "Thimble Enterprises." I used to go to Craft Shows in southern Ontario At one point my hand made teddys, bunnies,squirrels etc were sold in stores in Windsor and Leamington Ontario. 

It is important to cut the backing NOT the pile.

My youngest used to sit by my feet while I was sewing. He would drive his hot wheel cars around the shelf at the bottom of the sewing machine stand. He will be a Papa in May and I asked him if he would like a bear for his son.

the seams will be hidden by the long pile at the edge.

 He quickly said, "Yes." This pattern is named after my dad. "Grampy Bear" is an original Thimble Enterprises design and came with glasses, a pipe and dressed in a tweed vest with a watch chain. Sorry no pictures of the original.

tedious job cutting out each piece

 I sold these bears as gifts for Executive's. They were very popular. 

Still have to cut a contrast for the paws, and probably will use a contrast for the inner ear, instead of the pile

 All cut out and ready to be sewn. He has a head gusset, which is tricky but makes a lovely shaped head. The body is in four parts. I will have to make him a satin heart to sew inside. He will be fully jointed with a hand crafted leather nose.

Much better picture of the actual colour of the pile. My hand is sore from all that cutting so I will take a break. Next step sewing up all the bits.
Back to lace knitting for a rest.

Finished!

...the Hurry Up Loopy Sweater. I don't know if I like it more because it is finished or  because it looks so cute on the doll.
Peter Pan DK, 4 balls, 3.25MM needle.

- Baby is due Mar 11th. whew got it finished in time. Will mail this out tomorrow.

Recent Projects

The mobius baskets are fun to knit. I used the Freedom wool with a strand of eyelash to create a shopping bag, now will be felted and shrunk to form small baskets. Five were made using every last bit of the wool that has now been discontinued.
The Diagonal Border Cardigan is being knit for mum. Using the smaller size needle through out the whole sweater, has been a lot easier and a nicer finish for this single plied wool.

I received some Philosophers Wool from mum and started making this Cape Plaid designed cardigan. I am going to make the body of the sweater long, with a long sleeve. This picture doesn't show the heathers or natural colours of the wool. My background colour is a blend emerald and aqua, the other colours navy, purple, bluegrass and burgundy heathers, are much more vibrant.

~Daughter #2

Knitting or rather..not

Well, we are back from the sunny Dominican and I have to tell you I am a hot house flower. I bloomed while we were there and detect a distinct wilting since we got home.
I experienced every knitters worst nightmare. Two thousand plus miles from home and I have the wrong sized knitting needle! I had to medicate myself with 30 degree (Celsius) sunshine, white sand and a delicious beverage called a "Silver Clark." After all this was my holiday and I had looked forward to trying out a new lace pattern from "Wrapped in Lace.". Not so fellow knitters. The needle was too fine.
I kept trying as if the needle would have swollen in the sunshine..sigh ... I gave up and went to the pool bar, which by the way was behind a little waterfall. It's hard to see but trust me there is water falling in front of the bar.

Before we left I managed to finish and block the aforementioned slouch hat. Finally a gift finished in advance of the occasion.

Susan Pandorf, one of my favourite designers, has a new KAL, IN DREAMS, starting next week. It is in her Lord of the Ring series. I have been haunting the LOTR group on Ravelry. There are so many beautiful knitters out there. Ravelry is a wonderful place to chat with people who understand your passion. Last June I bought some of Blue Moon Fibers Silk Thread II for the Evenstar project. Everyone was so far into the project I fizzled and the silk has languished in the cedar chest. That is until Thursday night when I whipped up this swatch on a 3mm needle.

 I fear it is a pinch too small so I am doing another one with a 3.25mm. As the luck of the Irish would have it the ocean green beads are a perfect match to the blue green highlights in this colour way. Which by the by is called "Thraven." The In Dreams KAL has 5000 beads. That alone means I have to knit this. Susan P is making hers with Unique Sheep's Eos in their "unique" gradiance colour treatment. Unique sheep also offer  a 100% silk lace yarn called Marici. AND Laura will custom dye a colour way for you. You do see where this is going don't you? It all started with a colour way called "Galadriel's Crown" and ended up with "Feyrhi Wings"

Yup, that's mine and I named it. Too yummy for words. Now I have to find beads.
Then I went to Earthfaire to look for beads. I usually deal with Bead FX online but heard so much about Earthfaire I went to check them out. It turns out that they have exclusive colour ways from Unique Sheep.
Cue the drama music.
In March Unique Sheep has a KAL starting.  The Little Mermaid KAL and Earthfaire has this colourway called Dragon Fire....and they have the whole deal, sign up, beads, yarn ... you get the idea.
O.K. right moving on.
Julia and I spent a day Spinning.

 I am so rusty I can't believe it, well, yes I can. It is like riding a bike, a little wobbly but smoothing out. I plan on doing more today. Julia took to it like she should have with all those nice fibre genes in her DNA.

She took the Ashford home and tells me she has filled two bobbins and is ready for plying. Her stool was a little too low at picture taking but she got the right height chair when she got home. Now we need a niddy noddy.
It is snowing out there..yukky

W. I. P.

 It is a good thing my granddaughter doesn't haunt here. This is her Birthday Slouch Hat. I had considered this yarn for a lace shawlette but the colour changes were too dramatic. Drama is excellent for this hat with, of course, beads. This hand dyed loveliness, aptly named "Shock Wave," comes from my favourite yarn artist, "The Knitman," I should have this finished today.

This was going to be for Christmas. As that didn't happen I will finish it and set it aside in the "gift" box. I like to have a few things at the ready. The lace design gets lost in the colours but I still like it. Be daring with your knitting. Like this......

 My dear Mom would have been the first to say that these colours do not go together. I give you the Linen Stitch Scarf. If you like a light woven texture then I recommend this stitch. There is a slouch hat coming to match. If I get the Shock Wave finished today as planned then I am on to this slouch hat tomorrow. The ribbing is done I want to get back into this stitch. Once you get the rhythm it is quite enjoyable.

All of the above yarns are one from the Knitman's Kitchen .
Back to the needles!!

Why I will NOT be buying yarn in 2011....

 Well, rather, shouldn't be buying yarn in 2011.....

Although I have sold a bunch of yarn on eBay, and thank you ladies and gents for that, I am still feeling the fiscal restraint brought on my unemployment. The dole has not yet started and at this rate I will probably get my first cheque about the time I am recalled to work. Thanks heaps for all the years I paid into this and what do I get? Bupkis!
Just because I love lists and will sign up to just about anything I have joined 11 in 2011 on Ravelry, more fool I. If I get a third done I will be surprised. but what is life if we do not have a challenge?
In all fairness to me I didn't buy all the yarn in the picture. Some of it was gifted. Obvious what my favourite colours are eh? The orange is a bit of a departure but will spice up my knitting.
The first project is going to be the Valentine Scarf with The Knitman's hand dyed pink and black fingering weight with  #6 pink AB crystal TOHO beads  for my grand daughter's birthday in February.
Today, I will watch movies and knit on my Aran Coat and maybe do some Christmas baking after I download some audio books on my ipod.

Emerging from the stash...

One expects that the loyal followers will have fled to more productive areas over the last thirty days. I have been driven to sort the stash as it were. Sales, though not exactly brisk, have been satisfying. Feel free to dash over to My eBay and avail yourself of my offerings.
Up side to the destashing was the emergence of the "Aran Sweater." Totally deserving of the quotation marks.

The pattern was given to me in photo copied form back when I had the store. I have no idea what book it came from other than it was a Patons design. A friend of a customer came in one day wearing the original and I was overcome with admiration. She "gifted" me with a copy of the pattern which I have hoarded lo these 7-8 years.
Fast forward to 2007 when I purchased the wool to make same. I cast on for a size small and when the knitting "shrank" on the needles (or I got bigger) knitting came to a screaming halt.
Finally, reaching the bottom of the cedar chest, I unearthed a layer of heather beige wool and the knitting in progress. It is every bit as lovely as I remembered. Unfortunately, no pattern. Let me tell you I photo copy patterns like my mother clipped recipes.
Ever confident that I would locate it easily, I went through this lot ....

and then I went through these...

this is ridiculous saith I, as I went through this pile....

I spent and hour on Ravelry, searching, bobbles, honey comb, popcorn, trellis, aran etc... nada
Then I remembered!! In the last folder of the last file in the bottom of the drawer of the cedar chest. I found it.

One day I am going to regret killing of so many brain cells fussing about this. However demented I will be I will be cozy in my Aran jacket. I am already thinking of modifying the collar and I will have to make it shorter. A finished length of 36" aka 3 feet would only leave me 2 feet and a bit left over for the rest of me to function. 
Last night I completed one pattern repeat and as I am temporarily laid off from my employment I foresee a day of knitting and a "Lark Rise to Candleford"  marathon.
Finally completed the Linen Stitch scarf. Love it! All the texture of a woven piece but knitted. Wonderful.

San Marco Byzantine Scarf

Knit in three hand dyed colour ways from the Knitman's Kitchen.