An Easy Knitting Project

The weather has finally turned around here and there is lots going on.  We had a nice visit from a good friend that we had not seen in a while.  I made her some socks to take home for her upcoming winter months using the Ann Budd pattern "First Time Tube Socks".  The pattern has become so simple now.....I made another pair in brown as well.  Still enough yarn to make a second pair in blue......I'll save that for a rainy day:)

Now I just need to find someone with a ladies size six foot to take the brown ones.  Know anyone?

Finished Object and a Pavlova

Clearly I love this pattern. This is the third one of these hats I've made now.  The pattern is getting easier, and this one....as well as the second one...was made with beautiful yarn.  This time it's Manos of Uruguay Maxim in the colourway 'fire'.  Perfectly soft and with subtle changes in the colour tone to give it a little more depth.  Made for no one in particular, I will have to set it aside until I find someone to make use of it.

My family seems to have recovered from a bout of Norwalk virus that has been making its way around and brought all to a halt last week.  Finally, many days later, I felt like I could do some cooking again and we had a proper dinner and a Pavlova which my DH had been asking and asking and asking for.  It turned out thoroughly yummy and I could have turned right around and started making another.  But then, there are the left over yolks now.........I just need to figure out what to do with them.....hmmm any ideas???  I've read sponge for trifle as a suggestion and may give that a try??  Left over yolks aside......the trifle was delicious and had the most marshmallowy soft interior......

YUM:)  I'll definitley be making one again.....and next time I think I'll try banana split toppings.  If you'd like to try your hand at a Pavlova try this recipe.....It's very basic and super easy!!

Finished Object- Leaf Lace Hat

I don't think that I'm getting nearly as much done this weekend as I'd hoped:(  ....but, my bathrooms are clean, floors mopped, dinner's in the slow cooker, and dough for Halloween party snacks is in the bread machine......and I managed to complete a little knitting project that was hanging around.  This is my second attempt at the 'Foliage Pattern' from Knitty.com this time using Cascade 220 in colour 8908.... a nice aqua.  I was pretty happy with it.....and it seems my neighbour was too.  It now has a new home.  It is a nice little project for gift giving.....there may be more of these on my needles.  Hope your weekend is wonderful and productive!

Perhaps the Easiest Socks Ever

I finally finished up the socks I started while on holiday.  I've been wearing them around..... trying to decide what I think of them.  I think I will knit another pair...the pattern was very, very easy....the perfect nearly mindless knitting for traveling.  Next time though, I will use a smaller needle as these feel a little looser than I'd like.  Knit with Berroco Vintage in Colour Way 5192 'Chana Dal' with 4.5mm dpns, and pattern from Ann Budd from the2009  Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts Magazine.  

If you only buy one issue of Interweave Knits during the course of a year....the Holiday Gifts Issue is The One To Buy!  The recommended yarn for the project was Louet Gems Worsted which I was not interested in as it had no nylon content.  Who wants a pair of hand knit socks that aren't going to last.   And if you are gifting them....chance are not good that the receiver will be interested in darning them if they get a hole in them.  One skein of Berroco Vintage made with only inches of yarn left to spare.

This is really a great pattern for the first time sock knitter.  It knits up quickly, is a fairly easy pattern and they have a bit more interest than a very basic plain knit sock.

Finished Objects- Fingerless Gloves

Funny how some projects can sit around with only very little left to complete them.  Somehow....this happened to these fingerless gloves that I set out to make over a year ago.  I got to a part in the pattern that I needed to look up instructions on how to do......and set them down for a year.  Finally yesterday, with an hour on my hands while watching a movie.......I googled the instructions I needed and did finish them off.  Including finishing a picot trim cast off on the second glove, picking up and knitting both thumbs, and weaving in all the loose ends......I was done within the hour.  Silly that I waited so long to finish them off.  They are pretty darned cute...... fetching in fact.  So much so that I am tempted to make some more.  With the snow slowly leaving now....it's just the right time of year for them here.  Is it just me or do you have unfinished objects hiding in your craft stash too???  I'm hoping it's not just me:)

I used the pattern for 'Fetching' from Knitty, but used Bernat Alpaca rather than that specified in the pattern.  To compensate I used smaller needles....a size 2 3/4 mm to get the right gauge.  It was a pretty straight forward pattern which I will likely try again!

Knitted Gifts

The holiday season is whipping up quite quickly!  This year as always......good intentions and  a fair bit of follow through.  I did manage a few knitting projects to pass on to unsuspecting friends and neighbours.  I've been waiting patiently for a special holiday knitting edition from Interweave Press to show up at my local magazine shop this year....but finally gave up.  Instead, I searched the internet to find which knitting books were new and interesting looking and then......I did a search for them in my local library.  I was pleased to find that they had what I was looking for and went to check them out.  One of my favourite finds this year has been Joelle Hoverson's 'More Last Minutes Gifts'.  The patterns were nicely organized into the time required to compete each project.  I found myself making two projects from the book......an easy 2X2 rib hat (made three of them) , and some adorable pointy elf hats in pretty pinks and cream as well (made 5 of them...almost addictive).  In all I've made 10 hats in the last little while!  Oh and also as you can see in the photo above....I made the Hermione Cable Hat from the Charmed Knits Book.  Next I'm going to try the sock pattern from More Last Minute Gifts....it looks straight forward.....and a nice little project for the airplane......and as well I'm working on a little sweater for my son.....hopefully finished before Christmas.

If you are looking to make some last minute knitted gifts....see if you can find 'More Last Minute Gifts' in your library or book store....but if that's not possible here are some links to some free patterns that are quick and cute....in my opinion.

• Fuzzy Feet -cute knit to felt slippers using 100g worsted weight wool
• Chevrolace Socks- a basic lace pattern sock
• Fetching- beautiful fingerless gloves with a simple cable pattern
• Dashing- Fingerless gloves for him
• Tiffany- Cute Nordic colour work mittens
• Tatiana- Adorable Matroshka Doll convertible mitts
• Center Square- Easy Worsted weight colour work hat
• Noro Hat- Cute ...you kind of need to see this one
• Foliage- Chunky & Worsted weight patterns for leaf lace hat
• Frontier- Fun kids coonskin hat in novelty yarn
• Chunky Lace Cowl- Very easy quick knit
• Basic Hat- Knit top down, nice in a striped yarn
• Noro One Skein Spiral Hat-the yarn makes it pretty
• Rolled Brim Spiral Hat for Kids- Simple & cute
• Fish Hat- Cute hat for kids
• Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf- pretty and soft
• Reversible Cabled Brioche Scarf- Pretty and reversible
• Saartje's  Booties- Cute cute baby booties
• More Baby booties- also cute
• Knitted Tea Cozy- Adorable topped with pretty violets

Back with a bit of Knitting

I'm back after a dropping off the grid for a breather.  The combination of a nasty cold, a sick kid, a new job, and too many commitments took a bit of a bite out of me.  I am now starting to dig out (if only a bit) from the mountain of things to do.  Aside from the obvious tasks for this time of year like getting Ike's Halloween costume ready, I've also been finishing up some knitting projects for some swaps I had signed up for before everything got too crazy here.  I decided to try a knitted hat swap, and after some searching, I ended up choosing to make a cute lace leaf pattern from Knitty.  I had my neighbour model it for the photo below.  There was one stitch I think might have done wrong.....so I'd like to try this one one more time.  I did really like the pattern and found it pretty easy to follow, and a pretty quick knit.  Much quicker than the next project I chose to make.....more about that later.  This leaf hat project took exactly 1/2 ball of Patons classic wool and was a very quick project that is perfect for a gift.  My neighbour has already hinted that she might like one for Christmas.

Off My Needles....Socks

There is something about fall that just suits knitting!  You should see a wee bit more in my future as I have signed up for two knitting swaps for October....one for a hat and one for a scarf.  Also, I finally finished off the socks I started during my summer holiday back home in Ontario.  I used a few long plane flights as an opportunity to work on them.  On the flight back from Chicago I had the second of the pair very nearly finished.  And this morning, I finally got  them off my needles.  Fall weather is definitely here now and I enjoyed a bit of it as I took a few pictures of my new socks.....just to prove they are done.  I've been wearing them all day now, and they feel like socks.....and they look like socks!  I must have done OK:)

The pattern for these socks came on the inside of the ball band of the Premier Yarns Serenity Sock yarn I picked up for super cheap at a Joannes this summer down in Oregon.  The pattern was very simple and straight forward for a beginner at sock knitting.  The pattern is also available online at Premier Yarns if you'd like to try it.  They are very basic socks.   I liked the concept of the self striping yarn too!  Now I feel ready to try something a bit fancier for my next pair.  I got a huge bag of Reggia sock yarn in solid navy blue at a thrift store last year and now I feel a bit closer to being ready to tackle it.

Socks To Go

These last few weeks have gone so quickly with so much to do......and it continues.  After bringing Ike and his cookie submission to the fall fair, baking cookies for his lemonade stand the next morning, arranging our junk for a neighbourhood garage sale, getting school supplies, preparing for the first school PAC meeting, and dealing with a laundry without a drier......I'm running out the door to catch a plane.  On my way to Naperville.  Don't get excited....it's for work:(  At the last minute I grabbed my WIP after making sure that knitting needles are acceptable carry on baggage for United Airlines.  And I'm off.  See you when I get back:)  Hopefully the other half of the pair will be finished on my return:)

Look Who's Knitting Sox

We have had lots of fun things scheduled for Ike for the holidays this year.  After all you are only young once....aren't you??  After out 2 week road trip down the west coast of the US....we are now back in Eastern Canada (Northern Ontario actually) visiting with my parents for a (hopefully) relaxing 2 weeks.  Ike has already been to the park to feed the ducks and has been chopping at the bit to get out to 'the cottage' (we call them camps here in Northern Ontario but I find most people elsewhere don't and have no idea what I'm talking about.....so cottage it is....I feel so pretentious....really....it's a camp:)  There are big plans for lots of fishing, some kayaking and hopefully some sailing......and of course the best part of being "at camp"...the food.  I cannot wait to try out the new pizza oven and hopefully some more bannock as well....YEAH:)  The pizza dough is finished and waiting in the fridge and as soon as Uncle Patrick gets home from work....we are on our way.  It is a 2 1/2 hour drive north of here and it is always interesting to see what new decorative work mum will have done up there.....Now it appears that the painting of the base of the pizza oven is in order...there were paint chips and plenty of discussion over what colour worked best.  I have a feeling I'll be doing some painting:) 

I've packed along a little project ot keep me out of trouble while there...I'm knitting my first pair of socks.I have had these on my to do list for quite some time now.  I have knit lots of these knit and felt socks which are a very good project to use as an introduction to sock knitting. (since the felting process is so forgiving)   But I did want to try my hand at socks where you can actually see the stitiches.  While in the US I picked up some inexpensive sock yarn.  It was on sale 1/2 price so I picked up two balls and it's a good thing as when I more carefully read the instructions....I'm going to need both. Also a good thing I brought both along as I am using the free pattern on the back of the lable and I accidentally left one copy behind on the plane.  OOOPS...As it turns out I could just print a new one off from here....which turned out to be handy as there was a small typo on the lable pattern anyway.  I am hoping that I will actually finish these.  I am simply amazed that people used to make these for their family.....the stitches are so small!  In any event....I turned the heel so I think I'm past the most difficult part now and I'll be bringing along my knitting answer book just in case.  If I finish these.....I may even frog the first pair I started and try them again.....after I find a fifth needle!  Wish me luck!

Just an Ordinary Day

It's no surprise....I suppose, that as usual things are piling up here.  There never seems to be enough hours in a day and the list of "I'd like to"......continues to grow.  It's seems that I have big plans and poor follow through, which quickly spirals into a sense of drowning in day to day life.  I am trying to finish up little projects and keep up with the my seemingly self messing house.....and making a bit of progress.  

So here's what I've been up to....

I did manage to finish the knit along that I took part in......and actually finished it on time too....although I had not until now posted the photo.  While I don't, myself, use these knitted dish clothes......I do unload them onto people who do (and some who might??)  Let me know if you'd like one, and I'll set one aside.  They are nice and quick, and the whole idea of the knit along was quite fun:)

I've also been thinking about (and actually started to do) something with this little broken sugar bowl and today I finally started.......any ideas what it might be???  The yellow fabric below it is also in the works for another little project.........that will hopefully be completed soon.

Since the warmer weather arrived.....I've been toodling about in the yard trying to clean up the back corner of the yard.  Last year it was filled with tall grasses....which I've been slowly removing and planting some perennials back there that will hopefully tolerate the shady location.  The Maltese Cross, Ladies Mantle, Golden Globe, Ferns, and Monkshood seems to have survived the winter well enough.  Now, I'm off to try a recipe for Chocolate Frozen Yogurt........have to keep on top of all the Milk Kefir:)  So what have you been up to??

A Knit Along and What's Going On

All sorts of things have been going on around here lately:) Busy, busy, busy!  I've finally got a package ready for the mail that I've been procrastinating on for so long.  Everything I thought about putting in it didn't seem good enough...you know how it goes.....Well finally....it's done and this little baby will be out in the mail in the morning and one more monkey will be off my back.  I really like the way the glaze broke on this one....I tried to repeat this outcome quite a few times......but never could repeat it:(  It's actually not that little.....it was about 2 pounds of clay....which given my abilities is quite a lot to throw.   I really should practice more:(

Also, I've been working on a little knit along project.  It's for a knitted dish cloth and several lines of knitting are posted on Rachel's Knitting Corner blog each day.......so I won't know what it is until it's all done:)  It's a perfectly sized project for my attention span.  I  have purchased a pattern from this lady before and it was cute as a button. (even though I screwed up one line....oops) Well only two days have come out so far so it's not too late to knit along yourself.......if your up to it......check it out here.  The project started on April 19th....so look for that date for the cast on instructions.  Hope you try it....it's quick and fun, and her patterns are usually quite cute!  I'm excited to see what it is:)

Coming up in the kitchen.....the next batch of Ginger Beer (the first one is officially gone), a trial with lacto fermented Ginger Beer, pao de queijo, and experiments with Kefir.......So stay tuned.....and if you haven't yet entered the giveaway for two super beautiful Calphalon Pans courtesy of CSN stores.......there is still time:)

Knitting To Go

Since the weather turned cold this season.....I've had the urge to knit. To knit something......well to knit anything. So after quite a bit of internet searching for just the right pattern......I found this cozy looking knit cowl pattern........ And decided that I would crank out copious amounts of this pattern. I liked that it was quick......because I have limited attention span for projects that might take too many days to finish, and I liked the overall squishy softness of it....plus with the cold weather we've been having....there have been quite a few days where I would have enjoyed one myself. So for this project, you can top it all off with fabulous practicality. Not too much better than that! You will require one ball of Lion Brand Wool Ease to make this project or any other soft to the touch bulky class yarn with 98m. I end up with less than 10m left in the ball. It's a very quick knit which you can easily finish in an evening of tv watching. The pattern is repetitive and easy enough to memorize after your first one.....so you may as well keep making more:) The perfect quick knit gift. I'll be knitting up a few more on our drive home for the holidays......Who know...you might be getting one.

Handmade Holiday Gift #2 Knit Cloth

Knitted Dish cloths can be the perfect quick make for the holidays. If you know of someone who likes to use them, there is an abundance of free patterns available over the internet. I was looking for a holiday themed pattern and liked this one so much that I broke down and purchased the pattern here. It was quick (I received the PDF file within a minute) and pretty inexpensive (only $2) After I got into the payment process, which was very simple, I discovered that the pattern was coming from my home town across the country and from a woman whose husband had cousins that I grew up going through grade school with. It is amazing how small the internet makes the world isn't it? If you can knit, even a bit, these knit up pretty quick (two lazy evenings watching tv) and even if you chose to purchase an online pattern like I did you could be knitting away in just a few moments.
If you have only 20 minutes to spare, you could make some of these swirl scrubbies in a festive green and white mix or an equally delicious looking red and white mix. I have listed the link for the swirl scrubbies pattern on knitability on the older post as well.

Work in Progress

I have had the compulsion to start a knitting project ever since the weather turned cold. Well, I found a quick little one skein project that I think will fill that need to knit. The lack of knitting supplies in Prince George has been more than a little frustrating, and while there is no way I was going to be able to find the yarn called for in the pattern..........I grudgingly settled on a yarn with some alpaca content to give me the softness I was looking for. My replacement yarn was not the size requested by the pattern so an adjustment in needle size was needed to knit the required gauge. After a cranky bit of swatch knitting (I hate knitting swatches) to confirm I wouldn't be making anything giant...........I was on my way.
I have not knit much in my life........and certainly not much since I was little. All I knew were the few stitches my grama had taught me. I remember sitting in her rocking chair knitting mittens in the round without a pattern many times with all her left over balls of colourful acrylic yarns. Grama was thrifty about many things and practical too, and without a doubt one of the most interesting people I've had the privilege to know (although I bet she never knew it). No doubt, for her, acrylic yarn offered a good long life to her many projects. I wonder if she would find my attraction to wool yarns wasteful. With this project I did manage to learn a new cast on and a new bind off and it's the first time I've used the technique of holding stitches by knitting them onto scrap yarn, so it has been a learning experience as well. Thank goodness for utube! So helpful to see a stitch being done....much more so than reading about how to do it.
Soon my little project will be done and I can show you the finished product and stop taunting the cat with what appears to be a delicious ball of yarn!

Knitting with my Peeps and Cocoa

It's been quickly cleaning up around here with regards to the snow. Some days have been bright and warm and others have been deceptively bright and not so warm. Still cool enough to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa with some left over Easter peeps. The weather has been luring me outside with grand visions of all the landscaping I could do this year since I'm off work..........This weekend I cleaned up the very back corner of my yard in anticipation of planting all sorts of perennials back there. I have very limited garden space as it is, and it's even more frustrating that the people before us put the garden in just about the poorest spot on the property. One of these years we may address this issue. As with every job we ponder.....we over think it and plan it until it becomes a job of such immense scale and expense that it becomes intimidating. What more would you expect from two engineers.....I suppose:(
On the chilly days, I've been working on a few swaps. This one was for crocheted or knitted cleaning products. I found this free pattern and thought it was just adorable. Oddly enough.....I do not use knit dish cloths and the like. They always seem so soggy and dirty to me. However, they are a nice super quick make, they are mindlessly easy, and although I have little use for them....I know my MIL likes them......SO......those that I will receive from this swap will be making their way to a good home. I could not resist these puffs as they are so darned cute. I've got about 5 out of each ball of Bernat Handicrafter (100%) cotton 42.5g worsted weight. There is also a pattern for the plain dishcloth to go with it as a set if you like. Have a look and give it a try right here from knitability. There is also a really nice crocheted version here if you'd rather crochet.

Be warned....these little guys are addictive. Don't they just look like little peppermint candies in this colour? Already, I'm wondering what to do with the 5 sitting in my project bag?? Anyone want one?...or two?

Ho Ho Hectic Holidays

Wow, it's been very busy here as I'm sure it has been everywhere. Finally finished with all the Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, school parties, Christmas concerts, mailing parcels etc . Just a few odds and ends now to finish up. I just cannot seem to stop knitting these slipper socks....they're so quick, easy, (and forgiving due to the felting process). I had it on my list to make a yellow pair for a swap and had absolutely no luck in finding the right colour. So I ended up dying two balls of cream coloured Bernat merino into a mottled cream and yellow. I had always wanted to try koolaid dying, but at this time could not find any yellow coloured flavours........so the koolaid dyeing is still on my to do list...for someday! So....I bought a packet of yellow Rit dye and with some hints from a library book unrolled the ball and wound it into a skein. Once in a skein, I took plastic wrap cut about4-8 inches wide and wrapped them the yarn at random places. At either end of the plastic wrap covering the yarn, I tied the ends of the plastic wrap down with 6 inch lengths of acrylic yarn to hopefully stop the dye from transferring to the plastic covered areas. So it was kind of like tie dying. Then I dissolved the dye packet into hot simmering (not boiling) water and submerged the two skeins. I actually had to add more water to be able to submerge both skeins. After gently poking at the yarn to make sure it all submerged for 30 minutes, I removed them to the sink and rinsed them several times to remove excess dye. You needed to be careful not to agitate the yarn too much or it would start to felt. After squeezing the excess water out with an old towel, I let it set by the fire to dry until the next day.
Then I rolled it into a ball with a ball winder I just happened to have in the basement. I was very happy with the way the yarn patterned up with the cream and yellow, and even happier with the overall result after felting in the washing machine. I did have some concern that the yellow dye would get washed out in the hot water felting process in the washing machine.
There was a little loss of dye into the wash water, but no noticeable loss in the colour of the knitted item. Thank goodness. I had a spare packet of yellow dye just in case I needed to redye the slippers afterwards, but there was no need. They turned out a very happy yellow indeed. I also finished felting up the (purple/blue/turquoise)Lion Brand wool slippers I had shown here. And was much happier with the look of the colours after the felting was done.

An Easy Scarf Pattern

Another Swap-bot project out of the way! This one was a scarf for winter. I changed my mind a few times before starting due to nervousness over how my intended project would turn out, and if it was going to turn into the project from hell. In the end I scrapped my initial idea (which I will share with you if I get around to making it some day) and also my second idea (which was to make a sewn chenille scarf, like the one below), and went with a knitted pattern from here called the Meandering Rib Scarf instead. You need to sign in with Lion Brand to view and print the pattern, but it is free.

Over all, I liked the pattern but found it to be a little narrow for my liking. It was around 5 inches wide, and over 6 feet long which used about 1 1/2 balls. When I do it again, I would add 12 stitches to the cast on to make it a little wider. My partner had stated a preference for red non acrylic yarn, and I had a nice stash of red wool set aside to compete the project. On my search for the yarn I happened upon some other yarn I had set aside for a felting project, and it is the one I ended up using. It was a Patton's Classic Wool in a variegated cherry red/pink/brown/orange colourway. I think, that over all it still looks red??? I was very torn on whether to go with my plain red or this variegated yarn, and in the end I thought that the blended colours might add something extra to the scarf. In retrospect, I think maybe a red tweed or heather yarn might be nice to try for comparison as the variegated yarn competes with the wavy pattern of the rib by adding a perpendicular element. Although it appears to be more so in the photo.......when you see it in person, the wavy patten of the rib is very apparent.

The pattern turned out to be easy and straight forward to knit. Once however, I did zig where I should have zagged, and only discovered my error after knitting another 30 or so rows. There was a bit of panic for a while, while I decided whether to just continue on or rip out the last 30 rows and hope for the best picking up all the dropped stitches. In the end, I had to rip out the stitches.........and I'll say it was a good learning experience trying to figure out where in the 24 row repeat I was when I started to knit again. The pattern made a lot more sense after all that thought!

Anyway, it finally got finished (all 6+ feet of it) and mailed, and one of these days I'll make another. For now, I've got it in my head that I need to make another chenille scarf. I see I have enough fabric put aside to make four more, and I really need to start using up some of my crafting stash. But with Halloween costume work coming up, there is just never enough time:(

Three Down and Three to GO

That's three knit felted purses completed! I think I've liked this one the best so far. This one is black and is lined with a purple oriental design satin. I pondered this one a lot before I actually sat down to finish this one off. For me, the finishing, particularly the decoration of the front of the bag, is always a challenge. Maybe more so in this case as I wanted to keep to just black and not introduce any other colour. Also it seemed to the perfect fit for this Vintage coat button that's been wasting away in my button jar. I'm happy to have found a project to use it on.....Really like that button. Boy, I should really get out more...... I ended up trying to mirror the theme of the inside fabric....branches with blossoms, on the outside of the bag. My initial plan was to do the embroidery work in black floss but that did not work out for me as the black bins were picked clean at the opening of the new Michael's store here. It turned out to be a happy misfortune as the closest colour I could find was a dark charcoal, and...I think.....it turned out better than black. Had I more creative embroidery abilities, I would have tried for more of a cherry blossom, but lazy daisies will have to do for now. All in all, a very satisfying knit and felt project. Today it is in the mail on it's way to Paris to a new home. Now, only three more bags sit waiting for completion....one dark brown, one ecru, and one??? If you'd like to make one of these bags see previous post for the link to MagKnits.

Mitten Knitten;)

Here is another example of knit and felt goodness. These mittens, before felting, were so huge! Very close to the size of a sheet of paper. This project, if I recall correctly, required one 100g skein of wool (not super wash). These particular mittens are now in New Zealand along with one of my very nicest friends, Alison, who just moved to the north island with her family about one month ago. The mittens were decorated with a little bit of wool embroidery. The blue felt purse I made was from the same colour wool and was needle felted with a purple flower and had an oriental purple lining. Should have taken a photo....hmm. Also a very forgiving pattern for an unskilled knitter such as myself.