Friday, July 20, 2007

The sun only shines when I'm stuck inside...

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. The sunlight on the days I've had off has been horrible so I can't take any photos of yarn that I've been spinning or projects I've been knitting. My apartment is also a bloody mess (not literally).

My grandfather had a stroke almost two weeks ago so I'm knitting him a teddy bear out of Manos Cotton Stria. It's hard because he's in Toronto and knitting for him makes me feel less helpless. He's recovering well though.

I've also been asked to do some test knitting for a local designer. I'm pretty excited about it too. I should be getting the kit on Monday. I can't wait to see what it will be.

I'm starting to get a mild case of startitis - socks, teddy bear, garter stitch squares, and I'm trying to resist the lure of Rusted Root and the Anemoi Mittens. I'm not sure how much longer I can resist against such beautiful and promising projects.

I just finished a hank of yarn, chain-plied (aka navajo plying), spun from Fleece Artist silk and wool top in various shades of blue and turquoise. When the light is better, I'll take photos.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Treading Water

I haven't really posted for the past month or so because I've essentially been working on keeping my head above water. So many things happen in the summer and everyone wants to do everything at once. Not to mention I haven't had a headache free day in almost three weeks.

I have been knitting and spinning so I've got a few photos to show. I'm now on Ravelry too, so I'm enjoying adding projects and stash to there. I've been taking photos of the yarn as it comes into the house.

My first Baby Surprise knit from Needful Yarns' Cotton Joy. Lovely yarn, I'd work with it again in a second. I'm happy with the end result and the mom-to-be loved it too. I heard she had to keep an eye on it the day I dropped it off because people in her office wanted to steal it.

This is one of the few garter stitch Cotton Fleece squares I'm knitting for a co-worker's baby blanket. I'm safe because I don't think she even know I have a blog. I knit them during movies or TV shows that I actually want to watch.


I can't remember if I posted this, but this is the heel of my first Mermaid Sock, which is now finished. I'm currently working on the mate to it.
Mom's Christmas socks got finished, I meant to get a photo of her wearing them but didn't.

I got bored today with my projects and decided that I was going to cast on for a tea cozy that I've been meaning to knit for over a year. It's a simple Bernat pattern made from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Child's Play. Not photos yet, because I need to buy new Lithium batteries for my camera.

The funny thing here is that I had just made a pot of green tea and the tea is getting cold because I got distracted knitting a tea cozy. Oy.

I also ended up hitting Gaspereau Valley Fibres yesterday and enabling a friend. I bought her her first needles (5mm Brittanies) and she bought some beautiful wool, mohair and silk Fleece Artist to work with. I'm going to get her knitting a scarf to start.

I came home with Cotton Fleece in Robin's Egg Blue for a Rusted Root, and some more sea wool and what I think is a new Fleece Artsit yarn called Somoko. It's merino, kid, nylon and silk.

Cotton Fleece = beautiful. I don't have a problem knitting with cotton. Maybe it's because my first projects were all done in cotton.

The Somoko. It's not even on the Fleece Artist site yet. This yarn goes from greens to bright pinks to subtle purples. Want another look?

The sea wool is bright and happy and I love it. It's too bad I had to choose because I was willing to give a good home to almost all the Fleece Artist sock yarn there.

The next project to get cast on my wooden sock dpns will be Lucy Neatby's Crenellated Toe-Up Socks. I'll be using Art Yarns sock yarn.


Now, in the immortal words of Porky Pig, "That's all folks!"