The Joys of Knitting

Reduction

2010-12-03T10:44:00.003-05:00

Last week I have elected to get my turbinate reduce. Basically, it's an out-patient surgery on my nasal passage to reduce the enlarge turbinate so I may breathe properly. I think hubby is getting sick of having to nudge me alive now and again during the night when I stop breathing. Either that or he just want to get my wicked snoring habit under control.

I figure that I will be in and out and move on with my life. You know, like laser eye surgery. However, I think I had recovered from a C-section easier. For the past 9 days, I have been stuffing tissues up my nose to try to control the dripping, I feel like there's a balloon inside my brain that keeps inflating and won't stop. The good Doc had prescribed some fun meds for me...... the pain is still there but now I just don't care as much.

I've been home for several days now and have been attempting to work from home. Of course, my current house situation does not lends itself well to a working environment. Sitting in bed with my laptop spread out and hunching over to type wasn't really working for me. I also found that I was starting to have a personal relationship with my fridge, so I need to get out.

Here I am..... courtesy of Starbucks's complimentary Wifi.

and alll I can think of the whole time I'm there is how much I want to go back to bed.

Halloween

2010-10-29T13:29:00.004-05:00

Ever since I've been active in Ravelry, my poor lonely blog had been neglected. It doesn't help that for the last 7 months, I have been undergoing a huge home renovation. Slowly the house is coming along but I urge anyone to stock up on chocolates and vodkas for coping purposes before embarking on such a huge undertaking.

This morning, I'd sent my two little muchkins to school in their respective Halloween costume.

I know, very crappy lighting, resulting in crappy picture. But you get the drift.

My first Golding

2010-03-02T08:44:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I've been spinning for a year now and learned on my wheel. I have about 3-4 spindles but don't quite know how to spin in them. However, lately I've been drooling over a several Golding Spindles. I've heard that they are the Cadillac of all spindle and I have always wanted to use a spindle for a more luxuriosus fibers.

Well, I finally caved and bought a beautiful Cherry Midnight Sun Golding.

A friend to sow my wild oats with

2010-01-29T10:29:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a childhood friend that you did everything with?

I once had a friend whom I met in 8th grade. We became fast friends and did everything together through out high school. All the bad things - that is. Countless school days have been skipped together just so we can go to the mall to try on clothes, or stay home to watch TV.

She was the friend whom I snuck out of the house with to go to an underground rave club at 15. She was the one to suggest that we hang out at Dunkin Donut at 2am to smoke ciggies and over-dose ourselves on bad coffees. She was the person that I tried shop-lifting with.

Also, she was the hot-headed friend who always seems to manage to pissed some bully off at a club which would ended up with either her or both of us getting kicked out of that particular club but a mean looking bouncer.

We would sit and talk about all of our current boyfriends and cry over each other’s several pregnancy scares. She was the one who had taught me that high heels and a really short skirt can go a long way to getting what you want.

She was the sort of friend who was so cool that every parent cringed when they see their young teenage daughter becoming fast friends with. All in all, she was the friend who taught me what it is to be confidence, how to have fun, how to laugh and how to throw caution to the wind.

She was always the cooler one. She was super cute, with a great figure and great taste in clothes. Men would flock to her and totally ignore me if we were together. She was very tough and knows what she wanted in life. However, under that tough shell, there lays a very vulnerable girl. I think my understanding of that vulnerability has what made us good friends.

After high school, we both attended some community college classes. I ended up getting a transferred to Assumption University in Thailand and she ended up moving to California to pursue a career in fashion marketing.

As this was before the wide usage of the internet and emails, we lost touched. I started my career in Hotel Managements and stayed near my hometown until I married my Canadian husband 7 years ago and moved to Canada.

Every so often, I have tried Googling her but never seem to be able to come up with anything. Then yesterday, Google came up with her husband’s web-site and there she was! I found out that she is still living in California with her husband and toddler with another baby on the way.

With the power of the internet, we finally connected and I look forward to catching up with her after 15 years!

Friendship never dies!!!

Me bad blogger

2009-09-14T11:02:00.004-05:00

Recently I have became notorious for not updating my blog. I know - me so bad.

It's just that a lot of my knitting and spinning activities are now posted and recorded on Ravelry. I find that I will log all my purchases there and neglect my poor, lonely blog.

In the recent months, I have been matched up with an awesome secret pal and her pirate cats. They spoil me to no ends! I have received 2 packages from here which leaves me gob-smacked and rediculously giddy. Her packages are wonderful and indulgent!

This was the first package

This was the 2nd oneI can't wait to find out who she is!

Every year I convinced my hubby that the money I am dropping at the Kitchener - Waterloo knitter's fair is an early birthday present for myself. That's the only way I can justified spending that much money on fibre. Every year when my birthday rolls around in October - I conviently forget every time.

This year I had an awesome time. I took $200 in cash with me and spent it all. I left there with 3 dimes, 4 pennies and a quarter!

I was very happy to see more vendors this year and more spinning items. Me so happy!

SP 14 Questionnaire

2009-07-08T09:23:00.004-05:00

What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like? I love wool and natural fiber, especially ones that are very soft and lofty. I do not knit with acrylics. Sometime I will use a blended wool/acrylic if I am knitting for babies or kids.

What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I only use circular needles for all my knittings and I keep it in a Della Q pouch that was made especially for it.

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting for 3 years and was self taught. I was pregnant with my 2nd baby when I had the urge to knit him a hat and booties. I would consider myself to be intermediate/Advanced.

Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? no

What’s your favorite scent? Citrus, powder and peppermint

Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Not really but every now and then, I will crave chocolates and I will eat it in pounds. I love Milk Chocolate with Almonds

What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I am a fledgling spinner. I bought my first wheel in April (Schact Ladybug) and I recently started dyeing my own roving.

What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like the typical top 40's

What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand? I love muted colours and neutral. I don't particular like anything that is neon.

What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am happily married for 6 years with 2 kids. (3 years old boy and 5 years old daughter). Aside from 2 fishs, we do not have any other pets.

Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear Scarves, hats and mittens. Not poncho

What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I love knitting Socks and Sweaters

What are you knitting right now? Socks

Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes

Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I am a die-hard addi turbo fan

Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes, both

How old is your oldest UFO? 2 years

What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? Any holiday that requires a day off from work is my favorite! But if I have to pick, it would be Christmas.

Is there anything that you collect? I don't Collect - I hoard! LOL.. Actually, just fiber at the moment.

Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have been wanting the "Teach yourself visually: hand-dye" and "Colors in Spinning" and "Spinner's Companion". I subscribe to Verena Knitting.

Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn? Knitting socks from the toe up

Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes and I wear a size 8 shoes

When is your birthday? October 5

Are you on Ravelry? If so, what’s your ID? Yes and I am joyja

Flowers from my garden

2009-06-16T16:14:00.003-05:00

I love it when my garden gives me pretty flowers to cut. I feel very Martha Stewart today.

An Urban Myth

2009-03-25T09:40:00.002-05:00

The Mother of All Knitting Book!

For all you serious knitters out there, the title speaks for itself.

I can't beleive that I am the proud new owner of this book!

Broken Hopes and Dreams

2009-03-17T09:41:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I was able to post something on this blog. It is because I have been so busy running around with the kids. My hubby broke his leg/ankle while playing soccer 2 weeks ago. Ever since then he has been limping around and seeking pity attention any chance he can get.

I am now the sole chauffeur for the household at the moment since Hubby broke his right ankle and can't drive. So now I am a full time cook, bather, playtime monitor, sweeper, clothes changer, diaper changer, laudryest, chauffeur, hotel executive and wife. I didn't realize what a help hubby was until he went off and crippled himself.

I felt sorry for his toes since might freeze to death so I knitted him this:

I called it the Crippled Toe Coverer.

Also, since Spring is coming and I guess it's that time again to shed off the winter weight - well, in my case, the last 10 years weight, I got myself a fitness program. On Sunday I joined a walking group. Since I am not one to start anything moderately (like buying a wheel before knowing how to spin), I did a power 10k walk on my first outing.

I developed muscle sore in places I didn't even know existed. I went from pain, to sever pain, to a dull numbness and eventually losing all coordination and motor skills. I limped the last 2k back and almost collasped into my car. I'm suppose to be doing this every Sunday morning. Wow - I am looking forward to next week already (can you sense the enthusiasm in my voice)

Here's my fitness plan -

Sunday Morning - 5-10k walk / Monday Night - Cardio Latin Dance 1 hour / Tuesday- Yoga (I'm not sure how I would do in this class since I can't even bend down to touch my f*#~!ing knees) / Wednesday - Ball room Dancing 1.5 hours

That should do it. I should be able to drop those 50- lbs by November. If not, I just be another fat person with extensively cute Yoga outfits. My hubby is convinced that the reason I joined a yoga class is because I want to shop at lululemon. I'm afraid he's right.

SP Revealed

2009-03-04T10:17:00.013-05:00

I finally found out who has been my secret pal for the last 3 months. Agnes had sent me an awesome package.Cute Chocolates, Green Tea Gummies, a Kitchener stitch Dog Tag, Merino/Bamboo roving and a cute card.

For the last couple of packages, I was totally convinced that she is a bit psychic since she always manage to get me something that I have been drooling for. Now I am totally convinced that she had hacked into my computer, installed a software to track the websites that I have been to and bought the stuff just to freak me out.

Just weeks ago, I was on Robyn's Nest website checking out the Kitchener Stitch Dog Tags and thought to myself that it was complete genius. Every time I need to graft my socks, I would haul out my big knitting How-to books since I can never remember how to set it up. Now I can have the instructions in my knitting bag all the time. I even added the item to my cart but never check it out. Imagine my squeal when I saw it!

Now for the Roving. She got me a beautiful merino/bamboo roving in "Lagoon" colorway. Ok, here's the even more freaky part. For the last 3 weeks, I have been putting together the itinerary for our family vacation in Thailand in November. This is going to be a $10,000 once in a life time trip. We are going to Bangkok, Chiang Mai , and Phuket.

I have just finished confirming and booking our kayak tour of the Andaman Sea and Caves. We will be kayaking into this "lagoon".

Trust me, the water is really that colour. It is milky green from the limestone.

Absolutely amazing! That can't be just a coincidence.

I think I will spin this up and save it for the knitting on the 24 hour plane ride I will be taking to get there.

Thank you Agnes! For your kindness and your thoughtfulness!

A Picture At Last!

2009-02-19T12:03:00.005-05:00

Last month I finally finished Hubby's Fair Isle sweater, after much searching for the additional yarn with the exact dye lot to finish a measly 2 inches of the last sleeve. Max loves it. He tends to like classic and traditional design sweater. I think he must have worn it at least three times since I gave it to him.

However, getting him to model so I can take a picture of him is a whole other story. He would come up with excuses like that his hair is messy, he haven't shaved yet or he's not wearing any pants. I'm convinced that he just loathe the idea of being featured in my blog and Ravelry album.

So when he emerged from our bedroom this morning wearing it, I grabbed my camera. I finally caught up with him outside when he was taking the trash out.

I may have to start withdrawing his hand knitted items if he continues to refuse being photograph with it.

Lately I haven't had the urge to knit any socks. I have 5 socks on the go right now and they are all in different stages of completion. I shouldn't even cast on another sock right now. I should just pick any of the WIPs and start knitting. I shouldn't even be allow near another socks yarn until I finish at least one sock, let alone a pair.

Oh well, this was casted on nonetheless.I think this should be an exception since this is knitted from my own first Fingering Weight that was hand spun from Dottie (my ladybug wheel). Sooner or later, my hand spun will need to be knitted because if it doesn't, then it would beat the purpose, right?

I also got some dyeing done this week. These are 50 gram/2 oz of merino. I think I need to buy different color dyes since all of my dye works are starting to look alike.

Count Your Blessings

2009-02-18T09:05:00.005-05:00

Every now and then, you come across a tragic story in the news that you can't help but shed quiet tears and say a small prayer.

Three days ago, a 31 year old father along with his two children, (Girl 5 and Boy 2) were killed instantly in a car accident. His wife was not with them as she had to work. Three precious lives had ended so early and tragically. My heart breaks for the woman that lost her whole family in an instant.

It makes me stop and think about my own family. Everyday we rush around going to work, school, and errands. I'm constantly frazzled and annoyed. I don't take the time to savour the moment anymore. It's a shame that it took a tragic story to realize that these wonderful moments can be taken away from me at anytime.

Please take the time to say "I love you" everyday, linger a little longer on those hugs, and shower everyone in your family with kisses every chance you get. You never know when it would be your last.

February 14th

2009-02-14T18:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

She's Here!

2009-02-11T09:16:00.002-05:00

After weeks of anticipations, she's finally here.

I am please to introduce to you the newest member of our family ................ Dottie!

Squirrel Cage Swift

2009-02-06T17:38:00.002-05:00

Ever since I have been knitting and spinning, I have a whole different level of appreciation for a handcrafted items. Of course, I still support Costco and still buy my items from mass productions of Pottery Barns but every now and then, I like unique things.

While browsing the internet, I have come across a truly unique item. An elderly who has been knitting all her life was starting to sell off some of her knitting notions because she might be moving out of her home and into a more smaller place since all of her kids have flown the coup.

One of the many things that she had for sale was a Squirrel Cage Swift. Most knitters are more familiar with the umbrella swift which is more portable and main stream. However, this is a stationary swift and it is vertical.

It is fashioned with 2 squirrel-like cage right on top of each other (hence the name) that moves up and down depending on the size of your hank. Both cage turns simultaneously when the yarn is being winded into a ball, either by hand or ball-winder.

This particular model was hand-crafted by a local woodturner right here in Niagara Falls back in 1983. He had fashioned it after seeing an antique model in England.

When asked how much she is selling it for, she told me that she only wanted to get what she had paid for back in 1983..............$75.

Well - I felt like I just hit a little old lady over the head and ran off with her purse.

Same job

2009-02-05T13:41:00.001-05:00

During Knit Night last night, I found myself sitting next to another knitter who’s other life is a Director of Communication at a large corporation. We started to reminisced about how similar both of our jobs is to one another.

As a sales professional in the hospitality field, I am often described as a professional Bull-S*#!%ter. We are taught early on in our career to always put a positive spin in our hotel's short-comings. Over the years, I had practically eliminated certain words from my vocabulary only to replace it with a more “positive” one.

Below are some examples:

Small = Cozy
Small = Intimate
Sparse = Contemporary
Loud = Lends great acoustic qualities
Hot = Comfortably Warm
Impersonal = Lofty and Airy
Silly = Whimsical
Boring = Classic and Traditional

After having so many years of putting a spin on my words, I found myself lending that ability to describe my own knitting.

Scratchy = Rustic
A bad handspun = Designer yarn
A sweater riddled with mistakes = an original design
Obsessive = Focused
Logging on Ravelry 164th time that day = Keeping current with changing trends
A drunken knit night = staff meetings
Cheap wool = Eco-wool
10 balls of cheap, scratchy, rainbow-color tweed wool = It was on sale

Who knew that a Director of Sales and a Knitter would have the same job description?

Still Sick

2009-02-01T14:16:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's 4 days later and I am still sick. Not only am I sick, but the whole family is sick. I didn't realize how annoying other people's whining can be aside from youself. This house is so contaminated that all delivery boys (midnight Chinese food and Pizza) are urged to where a HazMat suit before knocking this door.

In the mist of my pharmaceutical high, I learned to Navajo ply.This was my first attempt. A worst weight Corriedale / 100 yards.

The next one turned out a bit better. This is a DK weight Corriedale at 176 yards.

All this plying and spinning is making my head hurts and my stomach growling. I wonder if the local mexican restaurant deliver?

Home with the Sickies

2009-01-29T09:35:00.003-05:00

I'm home sick today. At last count, I am running a fever of 101, chills, pounding headache and mild hallucinations.

Everything hurts. My flesh hurts, my retina hurts, my teeths, even my nails hurt. Yet, I can't let this precious free time slip by without being productive.

It took 3 extra strength Tylenol, a shot of cough medicine and anti-histamine to mustered up my strength but I got this on the bobbin my 9am.

Corriedale Top that I dyed myself last weekend.

Funny how I always find that reserve energy for something I truly believe in.

Now if you would excuse me, I have to go find that left lung I coughed up not too long ago and take myself back to bed.

***Edit to add - As I was lying in bed contemplating whether I should have Benalyn, Advil Sinus & Flu or Nyquil for lunch, I heard a knock. Look what the FEDEX man bought me

Over 10 lbs of fine Merino and BFL roving. I got 5 lbs of each. I was able to find a wholesaler who agreed to sell it to me as long as I buy at least 10 lbs each time. I think I will go take off my pajama so I can roll around naked in them.

A SP surprise

2009-01-28T16:18:00.002-05:00

In the most coldest and snowiest (is that even a word?), our postman preservered and delivered this

The smoochiest socks yarn and the book that I have been drooling over awhile. Wow! My secret pal did it again - she went into my head (must be a scary moment) and intuitively know that I have been lusting after this book ever since it was published a few weeks ago.

Oh super thanks!!!!

it goes on and on

2009-01-27T10:10:00.002-05:00

I'm not really obsessed, you know:

I can stop anytime I want to...............

It's not like I spend all my time dyeing.......It's perfectly healthy to be this focus on your hobbies .................I am demonstrating absolute normal behavior............

Oh, god, I need more! More, I tell you!

Lady Dye

2009-01-25T10:14:00.003-05:00

Well, after enough convincing my hubby, ie: begging, withholding the wifely duty and threatening, I finally put in an order with my LYS for the Schacht Ladybug Wheel. I don't know when it would be arriving, possibly 2-3 weeks? In the meantime, I looked into dyeing my own roving to help take the edge off.

After consulting Ravelry, various blogs and Youtube, I was ready to start dyeing. A lot of dyer uses Jacquard Acid Dye and I have no idea where to buy it in Canada so I settled for Dylon Cold Dyes that you can pick up at Fabricland for 3 bucks.

After reading the instructions from Dylon on how to dye wool - I said to myself, "Screw it, I'll just wing it". Can you tell I'm not much of an instruction follower? I went out to the dollar store and armed myself with squeeze bottles, gloves and a bunch of newspaper.

This is my "studio" - my kitchen floor

I tapped some dye into my squeeze bottles. No science, just tap....tap.....tap. Filled it with an inch of hot water, stir and filled the rest of it with vinegar. And I just start squeezing it on the wools.

No Rhymes, no Reason. It was quite fun.

Afterward, I wrapped it up into a little roll and stuck it in the steamer

Put the lid on and steamed for 30-40 min. Or about that since I was watching a re-run of Friends and totally was not watching the time.

After a while, the whole house smells like steamed vinegar and sheep. YUCK! I will be sure to remember to open the window next time.

Afterward, I dropped the rolls sans plastic into a sink full of hot water with a bit of liquid dishwater detergent and let it sit for 15 min.

After it cools down, released the water and transfer it to a lukewarm rinse water for another 15 min. Having a double sink really helps too

After about 15 min, I squeezed all the water out, ran the roving in the spin cycle of my machine (not for the faint of heart) and hung it on the curtain rod of the bathroom to dry over night.

It turned out pretty decent the next morning. My first three roving:

4 oz. Corriedale Top

2 oz. Corriedale Top

2 oz. Corriedale Top

hhhmmmmm.... I can really get into this!

A letter not sent

2009-01-21T22:09:00.001-05:00

Dear IT Guy,

Please rest assured that Ravelry.com is not another fetish porn site. It is an invaluable resource for the fibre enthusiasts. I realized that the abuse of internet privileges is highly frowned upon in our company but I am positive that this website does not contain any viral symptoms that may effect the software of our establishment. The system may sometime possibly become slow or stagnant due to the overwhelming exposure to pictures of gorgeous, hand-painted wools.

However, I can assure you that this will prove to be beneficial to our technologies. I firmly believe that our Servers and Hardwares will be compatible with each other if they are exposed daily to natural elements.

I also would like to point out that daily log in time to Ravelry will result in a more productive and happy workers. Please see our Director of Human Resource (who is also a knitter) for confirmation. This will be the equivalent to the IT department logging into pcworld.com.

I would personally appreciate it if you could re-consider blocking Ravelry from our firewall since over-stressed employees with pointy sticks does not bode well for harmonious working conditions.

Sincerely,
Joy

PS – I would appreciate it if you can re-call that nasty memo sent to my boss about me.

PSS – Also, please tell the IT department to stop giving me weird glances in the lunchroom.

Scratching an Itch

2009-01-12T08:55:00.002-05:00

After becoming emotionally involved with a spinning wheel, I called around on Friday to see if any LYS or guild would rent out a wheel so I can play with it over the weekend. My LYS has a Louet Victoria demo wheels which can be rented out weekly. I was ecstatic because the Louet has a similar design to the Ladybug.

I'd also bought this to start me off:

A bit ambitious, don't you think? So, on Friday night, I assembled the wheel and set off to spin armed with nothing else other than my wits and sheer determination.

Four hours later, I had pieces of felted wool flying all over the house, developed a tick in my left eye, and my mother would wash my mouth with bleach if she heard the filth that was coming out of my mouth. At 2 am, I admitted defeat and dragged myself to bed in frustration.

When I woke up, I took a quick inventory of my body. Both my legs were number from treadling (who needs an exercise bike when you can spin?), both of my fingers were chapped and it resembled a 3rd degree carpet burn. I was thinking to myself that this investment on a rental had just saved me $600 because I HATE it!!!!

After coffee, breakfast and a clear head, I figure I will give it another chance. So I drove over to the library. While the kids played in the play area, I checked out these:

After reading a few chapters, I had a "Oh, I get it" moment. So I tried again. Starting with drafting the fibre.
These are from Fleece Artist Merino Roving. Ok, all you spinners out there...Don't Laugh... because at first I was trying to spin directly from the roving without drafting of any kind.

After a while, I was starting to get the hang of it. My feet was able to keep a steady rhythm and my hands were able to manipulate the fibre. Soon I got this on the bobbin:After washing and setting, I ended up with this:
I absolutely LOVE this! Schacht LadyBug... here I come!!!!! Now if only I can persuade Hubby since he is completely convinced that I will hate it!

Cute as a bug

2009-01-08T14:21:00.003-05:00

I have a new love in my life.

No, I am not having a hot, illicit affair, nor is it the new Addi Click (but I'm sure I will soon be jumping on that bandwagon anyway) nor is it a rare and exquisite Wollmeise in the perfect colour. No, my new fascination is more weirder than that. It's the Ladybug Spinning Wheel by Schacht

Why is it weird? I mean, anyone who loves yarn and fibre this much will eventually want to spin and own her own spinning wheel. It's a natural progression, right?

It's weird because I really don't want to spin. I am perfectly happy with my yarns that comes in a beautiful wound skeins with glossy labels that I can get at the store. Why bother to stoop and bend over a wheel so I can produce 3o gram of crappy, lumpy yarns? I have always been a secure knitter. I know that my love affair with fibre will always be yarns that is arranged neatly by color-coded shelf in a shop.

I first laid eyes on this wheel in September when I attended a fibre fair. This wheel had just came out and there were spinners test-driving it and oohing and aahing over it. I remember thinking to myself that this is like "the IKEA" of the spinning wheel. It's streamline and it's bright colour attracted me. I started to imagine myself sitting there and miraculously knowing how to use it.

Of course, I have nothing against the old-style, fairy tale spinning wheel. I mean, Sleeping Beauty can prick her little fingers on it all she wants but it never going to appeal to me. Those kind of wheels reminds me of an old-fashion, Dutch Pennsylvanian woman in the 18th century that would use it. For the Ladybug, I picture a sassy, modern woman.

Now, let's get one thing straight. I don't know how to spin. Only came within 10 feet of a real wheel once, can't drop a spindle if my life depends on it (nor do I want to). However, I find myself obsessing and longing for this wheel purely for it's aesthetic qualities.

I wonder if $600 is too much money to spend on a piece of furniture that does nothing more than go round and round?

I love being spoiled!

2008-12-22T21:29:00.003-05:00

Look what the nice postman bought me today:

I was totally blown away when I opened it. I LOVE Three Irish Girls yarn. I have been drooling over their yarns and colourway for so long but can't seem to bring myself to indulge. My secret pal sure knows how to read my mind! I can't wait to cast on something for Aliana. I am picturing a bolero with a solid trimming. The angel is so adorable and she's perfected for my tree.

Thank you Secret Pal - I can't wait to find out who you are.

I am making quite a headway on Max's Fair Isle Sweater. This is my first colour strand knitting so I am quite nervous. So far so good.

Now the bad news is - I only have two skeins left and still have two arms to do. This yarn is Shepherd Colour 4 Me which I got from Coat and Clark Sale. It was $7 for a bag for this wool. A complete bargain. The downside? It's damn hard to get!!!! No one seems to carry them.

At this point I am not even worry about the dyelot, I just need to locate 1 more skeins.

I was ableto find an online store that has it. It's only about $3 but it's in Australia. The shipping is going to $15! I think I like being in Denial mode more than Panic Mode.

Holy Snowstorm Batman!

2008-12-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

My little boy was quite sick last night. He was muttering something in his sleep and when I went to check on him, he was running a temperature of 104 F. So of course I strip him down and he moved into my bed to watch cartoon (at 3am).

All day yesterday and all night last night, a snow blizzard had hit our area and I woke up to find this:

That is a shot of our garage. Once Arison saw the snow, miraculously his fever is gone. Who needs FDA-approved drug when a good, old fashion snow storm can cure all illness?

What a great day to cocoon myself inside and knit (while hubby is out there fighting with the snow blower). Hot chocolate, anyone?

A Natural Libra

2008-12-18T16:08:00.004-05:00

Being born under the astrological sign Libra has it's many advantage. We make friends easily and we are always the one that people turn to when they need a logical advise. In other aspect, us Librans are also horribly indecisive. Our sign symbols is the balance scale. We naturally seek all side and options before making a decision. This trait can be really be useful in a court of law, but it can also be a curse in any grocery store, mall, lys or anything that involve buying something over another. I normally find myself so indecisive about the most trivial things that it even drives myself crazy.

For example, Aliana had a class show today and I had volunteered to bring cupcakes to her class. I think her Kindergarten teacher used mind control method to get me to agree to it. I found myself in the baking aisle at the grocery store contemplating whether I should use Chocolate Icing with Snowflakes sprinkles, or buttercream with rainbow sprinkles, or chocolate sprinkles with Vanilla frosting. I mean.... come on...... these were just cupcakes for a room full of 4 years old who are going to shove it into their mouth without a second thought anyway. Sometime I even amaze myself
I decided to make both because I am incapable to make a decision. My life motto is: When in doubt, buy all the options. Maybe this is why my yarn stash is completely out of control?

Knittings at the Bookstore

2008-12-17T12:54:00.009-05:00

I have a fondness for books and I have a fondness for knitting. When I am able to combine two of my passions together, I get a bit giddy. While browsing along my local Indigo Book Store, I came across these two things:

traveling organiser for toiletries. The pouches detached. How perfect is it for a knitting tool organizer? I mean, even the tassel resembled a ball of yarn.

At 30% off, I scored it for $16 CAD. Another little gadget is this book light

I can clip this to my shirt and knit during a movie. We have a projector and my hubby insist that everything be completely dark when a movie is playing. Now I can continue to knit this sweater for him. It's my first Fair Isle and it's knitted from the top down. I must confess, for one to really enjoy the Fair Isle process, one must enjoy a few glasses of wine before starting. It really helps mellow you out. Especially when you get an urge to throw this thing across the room because you're off by one stinking stitch and you've already frogged 5 times.

While I was cursing through out last night, it started to snow. It snowed the whole night and I woke up to find this:.......so I decided to bake these:

Now please excuse me but a cup of coffee and buttery croissants are calling me.

too much x-mas cheers?

2008-12-14T17:46:00.005-05:00

All weekend long, my family and I participated in X-mas activities. Starting with making ginger bread house at 10 am on Saturday morningI did most of the decorating and Aliana mostly sat there and snuck candies into her mouth. Our family is living proof that a cranky 4 years old and artificial-flavoured candies does not mix well first thing in the morning. What was I smoking when I signed us up for that so early in the morning?

Later on that day, we celebrated Christmas at my Mother in-law's house. She will be "missing" Christmas this year because she will soon be leaving to an all-inclusive resort in Dominican Republic for two weeks during the Holidays. Yeah, we all feel really bad for her. The kids went frenzy with opening presents and I ate myself into a comatose state. Who knew that 10 lbs would come early this year?

On Sunday, we attended hubby's X-mas party for the kids and both kids met Santa

After the kids were pumped full of cotton candies, candy cane and assorted junked food. It was time to go home.

Meanwhile, I am complete smitten with this pattern and yarn. I am knitting Nutkin with Malabrigo Socks in Velvet Grapes. I can't seem to put it down. The yarn is super soft and the pattern is easy to memorize. This will be my first socks using the Short Row Heel. Hopefully, it'll fit a human foot!

Old St. Nick

2008-12-07T11:13:00.003-05:00

Being married to a Romanian definitely has its perks. For one thing, my Mother in-law's cooking will make any Chef on the Food Network cry. Her Dips, cabbage rolls, and desserts are yummy enough to be publish. Also, Eastern Europeans are famous for their DIY abilities. My husband had renovated 2 of the bathrooms, kitchen and recently build a stone fireplace in the basement. All with the help of Home Depot and his own personal ingenuity.

Along with his other great qualities, he also bring several traditions that I have adopted. One of the cutest tradition is celebrating St. Nicholas. Apparently, in European culture, St. Nicholas day is celebrated on the eve of December 6th. Children will polish their boots and leave them out next to the front door. In the morning, they will find small goodies that St. Nick had left for them in their boots.

This tradition is very similar to our Santa Clause leaving treats and small goodies in our stockings during Christmas. I think the efficiency traits of N. Americans just merged St. Nick and Jesus Christ's birthday together into one holiday and called it a day. My husband told me that when he was a kid, he will look forward to this day all year and take great care in cleaning his boot in anticipation for St. Nick. Then 3 weeks later, they will celebrate Christmas as it was intended (a religious holiday filled with gifts, families and a feast).

Well, on the night of the December 5th, I ran out to the local drug store in a panic and filled the boots up. Almost $100 later, I got what I need. Who said that this day was cheap?

I also finished decorating my tree. The kids "helped". They each took two ornaments, fought over it, "I'm going to tell mommy" twice, got bored and then promptly sat on the couch watching Dora while I finished the rest. Aaahhhhh... the holidays are finally here.

Housework be damned

2008-12-03T16:15:00.002-05:00

I've always convinced myself that the reason my house is such a pig's sty is because hubby and I both have demanding careers and 2 young kids. I mean, between commutting, whiney bosses, impossible clients and 2 kids under school age, who can keep up right? Housework tends to be the least important thing on my "to do list". I figure that clothing, feeding and sheltering your kids while resisting the urge to drop them off at the nearest orphanage is a great accomplishment.

During the first week off, I cleaned the house. Everything was Pledged, Swifted and Febreezed. I vowed to myself that I will never let this house succumb to dirt ever again. Then.....came the 2nd and 3rd week........ I sat on my ass and knit all day. My once clean and polished house reverted back to it's own state faster than you can say Mr. Clean. As it turns out, my kids and job was not the cause of my untidiness. It's me and my knitting. Well, to be completely honest, probably just me.

Next Monday I start my new job. Turns out that I am sadistic enough to go back to my same position but just in another different hotels. All I ever want is to own a cute little yarn shop with a kick-ass coffee bar in the middle of it. I guess I would have to put that dream on hold since that doesn't pay the bills. Yet.

In the last 2 days I was able to finish my hubby's bulky sweater. It is knitted from Rowan Big Wool in Aster and the pattern is from Lionbrand.

This was suppose to be a Christmas Sweater for him but I gave it to him now because

A) I want to see him try it on

B) I can't block it without him stumbling onto it eventually

and C) for the last weeks, he heard be bitched every time I lost my cable needle knitting this thing.

I also finished Arison's socks. It's knitted from Paton Kroy:

I think it's time to knit myself a little something.

An Outlet For My Restlessness

2008-11-21T14:54:00.003-05:00

It's been a whole week since my employer served me my termination papers and told be that they need to "restructure". I knew that this would eventually come since I have a sales position within the hotel industry and we are very disposable, especially when there is a recession emerging. For the last week while hubby and the kids are at school/daycare and work, I have turned this house upside down and cleaned every nooks and crannies. I've done about 13 loads of laundry and disinfect every thing that even Martha Stewart would be proud. Funny how one episode of "How clean is your house" can totally motivate someone. With two kids under 4 years old, both parent holding down a full and demanding careers, my cleanliness standards had slipped a few notches. Oh what the hell.... who am I kidding? For the last 3 years, we have been living on the brink of a health hazard.

Towards the end of the week, I was starting to get restless with just cleaning and knitting all day. Then I got an email from Coats & Clarks outlet letting me know that they would be celebrating their 2nd anniversary at the warehouse. Well, I grabbed my key and dashed out the door. Mere moments later and I present to you:

I love this place! It has it's shares of acrylics but every now and then, I will stumple upon some great deals. I've bought many Rowans from there when they had bought Westminster Fibre liquidations. Today I bought Colour 4 Me. It's a DK weight Austrianlian Wool for $7 a bag! That's .70 a ball! You can't even buy dish cottons for that price. Plus it's superwashed and soft. I have this in mind for two of the colours:

I even bought a bag of Nashua Handknit Painted Forest for $15. I think I will make a nice bulky sweater for Aliana. On the way back, I had made a little stop at IKEA and look what I picked up. It is perfect for socks:For $1.99 - you cannot go wrong.

Currently I should soon be finishing off on hubby's bulky sweater. I am knitting this out of Rowan Big Wool and the pattern is free from LionBrand website called Family of Cabled Sweaters. One thing about big needles and yarns is that you really get instant gratification, even though you might suffer from acute Carpol Tunnel from the bulk of knitting it.

Now...... what to do next week?

SP13 Questions

2008-11-11T20:42:00.003-05:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love wools. Scumptious, soft wools. I'm also a sucker for Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns. I hate novelty yarns and acrylics

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have my DPNs in a roll up case, my Harmonies are in the zipper pouch, my Options are in a Binder and my Addi's are in a circular needle case. My Straights are in a vase. Why yes, I do have a needle obsessions.......why do you ask?

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been obsessively knitting for 2 years now. I have learned when I was about 10 but I only knew the knit stitch. I didn't know how to cast off or purl. I never picked up a needle again until I was pregnant with my 2nd baby,

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, but I am hoping to get one soon so hubby might have some clue this x-mas

5. What's your favorite scent? I love fresh, clean scent. Like fresh linens or cotton. Also, I love baby powder scent.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I don't really have a big sweet tooth. However, I love milk chocolates with Almonds.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I know how to crochet but don't really like it. I just started doing some stitch markers.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like the typical top 40 and yes, my stereo can play mp3

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?I love neutral or soft pastel colours. I don't like black or too dark colours since I have a hard time finding the stitches on my needles.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have been married for 5 years. I have a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. We don't have any pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear Scarves, hats and mittens. I can't wear ponchos. It makes me look like I am wearing hand-dyed potato sack.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I love knitting sweaters for my kids. It's still a committment but still gives me gratifications since it is a lot smaller.

13. What are you knitting right now? Well, this is waay to embarassing to admit. BUT..... I have 5 socks, Sweater for Hubby, 2 sweater for my daughter, hat for my son, x-mas stockings, 2 sweater for myself, a stole and 1 scarf.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Absolutely

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I am all about the circular needles. I love metals - especially Addi's

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 2 years

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? I love Christmas. It gives me the excuse to shop. I am not really a religious person but we do observe Christmas. I love decorating the house, making cookies, presents, etc.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Aside from my unhealthy desire to own every yarn every made? I can't seem to own too much knitting books and magazine.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I really want the Stitchionary by Vogue Series. I have Stitchionary 3 and would like 1 & 2. Also, the Harmony series look nice too. I love magazines but surprising the only subscription that I ever got was the Rowan Magazine.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? One of these days I would like to have the guts to try Steeking.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes, I love socks and just recently discovered them. I have been buying sock yarns for years but never really knitted them until now. I love knitting Basic Socks. My husband and I carpool so I do my knitting in the car. My foot size is 7 .

23. When is your birthday? October 5th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Ravely ID - joyja

Secrets Pals

2008-11-03T12:13:00.004-05:00

I had just signed up to participate in Secret Pal 13 swaps. I had a blasted in the last swap that I participated in so I am hoping for the same experience this round. I figure, by joing a swap, I can have guilt-free shopping spree. I get to buy all the goodies that I have been wanting but since it is not for me, it doesn't count.

The weather has gotten a bit nippy and it's time to pull out all the hats and mitten. However, I realized that all of the kids' hat doesn't fit them anymore so I've put everything aside and cast on the Snowflake Inca Hat from Ittsy Bittsy Hat. I loooovve how the Noro colors knitted up but it sure feels like Brillo Pad. Even after I soaked it in SOAK for half an hour, it will still be too itchy for Aliana to wear.

I went out and bought some fleece to line the hat. Now, you're talking about a woman who will throw away a perfectly good shirt because she can't be bother to sew on one stinking buttons. Since this is for my little girl and my need to show off my knitted items, I sucked it up and whipped out my sewing needle. Just to emphasize how much I hate to sew, I had to search the house for about 30 mins looking for a sewing needle. I was able to produced one needle located at a bottom of a forgotten craft basket. Hard to believe that this same woman owns approximately 3 set of interchangeable knitting needles, 20 set of dpns, 25 pairs of straights in various materials and length. Let's not mention my collection of Chibi needles, but I digress.....

The hat came out just right. By "just right" I meant, the right size and not crooked. What can I say? I have low standards.

Currently I am working on a Girl's Smocked Jacket by Blue Sky Alpacas. I'm knitting this up in Rowan Big Wool in color Whoosh:

I don't have any pictures yet since I've been knitting this at night after the kids goes to bed and the lighting is horrible. I have knitted the body and finished the left front this morning. Since this is knitted in super big needles and even bigger wool, I am hoping to finish this up in a couple of days.

This pattern is written out with the goal to confused the hell out of the knitter. There are mistakes everywhere. The written pattern and charts are completely wrong. Needless to say, it took about 3 frogging session to realize that it wasn't me. Anyway, I am not completely following the pattern and only knitting this how I "think" it should be knitted.

A yearly trek

2008-09-14T10:31:00.002-05:00

Every year in Mid September in Waterloo, a knitter's dream come true. A bunch of local vendors will get together and put on an awesome fair dedicated to the knitted obsessive. I have been anticipating this day for months.

My woke up really early and snucked out of the house before anyone can catch me and drive over an hour to line up at the door. All this for yarns - only a true knitter will understand.

I walked pass Herschener's booth and they had some really great price on Addi Turbos. Since I have found a new love with 2 circular needle to knit socks, I wanted to stock up. I had tried knitting with Hiya Hiya. Even though it was a great needle, I think the tips are too pointy and the coating is too rough. I much prefer the Addis
And these beautiful stitchmarkers

Also, I was passing through one booth who had the Pattern Tamers on sale for $20. I finally got the chance take a reallly good look at them and they are basically magnet clued on ribbons. I really appreciate the idea but I think I am going to shamelessly steal the idea and make my own for a bout $1

Over all - I think I did really well. I was able to scored some Noro Socks for $11 and completed

In other news, I finished my plain vanilla socks knitted with 2 circular. It is STR Sedona. It is now being blocked after 15 min of emersing in Soak - The Sweet Sheep scent. A new scent that I picked up at the festival.

Bad, bad knitter

2008-08-28T13:08:00.003-05:00

Ok, so it's been a REALLY long time since I posted on here. Ever since I've been on Ravelry, I have been ignoring this blog all year. It seems that Ravelry has everything I can ever wanted from knitting. I have documented all my wip (more than I care to admitted), my FOs and all my upcoming projects that I want to cast on soon (or in this lifetime)

Ravelry is such a great site - kind of make me wish that I came up with the idea first.

The Reveal

2007-12-19T22:13:00.000-05:00

Finally, the reveal of my secret pal! I have been particpating in Secret Pal since August and today I received my last package from my Pal. She's no other than Lesley. She has been spoiling me since September with thoughtful gift and wonderful yarns. Here's my last packageLindt Chocolates (how did you know????), hand cream, lip balm, pampered foot and leg cream (I drafted my hubby to massage it in), ornaments, Beads and DB yarn for a hat pattern. (I must admit, the dental floss threw me off until I read the instructions for them) LOL and cute and wonderul stitch markers.

and my absolute fave:

Personalized stitch markers! I ADORE them! I have an obsession about stitch markers lately and this was the icing cake! Oh thank you!

I can't wait to get to know my pal a bit more. However, the family is off to a ski chalet for Christmas week and we're leaving this Friday. I would not have any access to the net for a while - how primitive!!! LOL.

Mommy's Little Helper

2007-12-09T22:16:00.001-05:00

This weekend had flew by. It was filled with putting up the Christmas tree, decorating it, putting up Christmas lights and shopping. Good thing I had my two little elves to help me:

While shopping for additional ornaments for the tree, the knitter in me can't resist this

Of course, in a perfect world, these ornaments would be knitted by yours truly, but instant gratification won the vote on this one. Decorating the tree with a toddler and pre-schooler took longer than expected but it truly bought out the magic of the holidays. Complete with broken ornaments, screaming toddler and frazzled mom. However, the finished product ain't half bad.After putting the kids to bed, I started this sweater for a friend who's wife will be delivering in February. This original designed is by Anny Purl. I volunteer to test-knit the Hickery Dickery Dot in size 3 months. I am knitting this in a simple cotton from Cottontot. The front is done and I am finishing up the back. I'm hoping to have this finish by next week.

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days, we officially had our first snow. Like every other city in North America that ever experienced the first snow of the season - no one knew how to drive, everyone and their brothers stocked up on bread and milk, we all ran to Home Depot panicking that the last snow shovel might be sold out. When I tuned into the weather channel and they announce a winter storm watch, the whole city braced for a gruesome .....1/2 day of storm. Yep, we're a paranoid bunch!

The snow was beautiful, well, at least from the inside anyway. Since this was the first snow and Aliana is a bit obsessed about Frosty the Snowman lately, Max took her out to build one.

I can't even take credit for this snowman because I didn't go out at all. My little boy, who's future looks promising as a couch potato, opted to stay in with a bowl of popcorn and an episode of Blue's Clue. I had no choice but to sit with him, right?

Awwww - he sures takes after his mommy when it comes to his laziness! (notice the hand movement from bowl to mouth!)

While Hubby and Aliana was out playing, I stayed in and made Beef Stew. They both came in red cheeked and I sat them down for a nice hearty meal. My goodness, all I was missing was a film crew since it really felt like another Campbell Soup commercial.

I've made some progress on the Fleece Artist Northumberland sweater. I must admit, knitting in the round with just ribbing of K4, P4... my brain was slipping into comatose. I'm sure eventually I will finish this sweater. My goal would be Winter 2010!

Since I developed this love for the Continental method, I decide to knit Max a yoke sweater. This one is knitted from Dream in Color in Dusky Aurora. I figure I'll keep knitting this up to the arm hole and I'll figure out a texture stitch for the yoke later. That's me - knitting on the fly. I can barely follow a pattern so I'm not sure what possess me to knit this sweater without one. As with all handpainted yarn, they always recommended that I use 2 balls and alternate between rows so the color all blend together. It says it on all the label, my LYS had mentioned it when I bought it, all the blogs I read had talked about it.

Since I think that I am always the exception to the rules and that the knitting gods is smiling on

me, I proceed to knit this using one ball at a time. I guess I shouldn't whine as much since it was expected. There's a HUGE color difference halfway up the sweater. Oh well, if my Hubby mentions it, I will tell him it's an artistic intention.

Knitting VS. Hoarding

2007-11-23T12:01:00.001-05:00

In the past couple of months, it seems I have been hoarding yarns more than I have been knitting them. (Trust me, I haven't blogged about all my purchases) It just seems denial is more effective. Once the yarns are bought, I'll just stick them in the back of my stash and forget about them. There... no guilt feeling...see no evil, hear no evil. Must buy more yarn!!!

Well, I actually took the time and entered it into Ravelry. The grand total is: 485 balls of yarns, 56,663 meters of yarns!!!

There - I said it - My name is Joy and I have a Yarn Addiction! Of course, the only way to rectify this was to start knitting because there's no way in hell would I go on a yarn diet! If I start knitting more, my stash would start to deplete, which will allow me to buy yarn guilt-free.....well, less guilt anyway!

Here's my latest:

A basic yoke sweater made with the softest Malabrigo. I made it in a Size 4 for Aliana. This sweater may be a very basic and plain sweater but I wanted to knit this while learning a new technique. I knitted this whole sweater using the Continental method. Wow! Talk about knitting in double the time! I don't think I will ever go back to the English method. However, I haven't quite mastered the purl stitch yet in Continental. It's still awkward and I still find myself switching hand for purling. This was my first time knitting a yoke sweater and I think my next one would be a lopi sweater.

Also, Michael's had a huge sale on yarn recently and I bought a bunch of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease to knit baby hats. I just started this for Arison today:

Oh, so much knitting, so little time!

Halifax and Halloween

2007-11-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

This past week has been a whirlwind! I find myself constantly trying to catch up. I just came back from another business trip, this time to Halifax! Of course, I don’t have many pictures to show since I forgot my camera at home, but then again, I was also packing in the middle of the night and wildly throwing irrelevant clothes into a luggage. Needless to say, I was a wee bit unprepared for this trip.

I was only there for 2 days and my agenda was jammed packed, This was a FAM trip for one of my hotels that I sell for, so they want to make sure that I get the full scope of Halifax while I was there. I was told that they had fitted a weeks worth of Halifax in 2 days. Fun!

During all the meetings, eating, walking and seeing…. I was able to sneak out to a LYS called The Loop Café. There I was able to get a locally hand-dyed, hand-spun sock yarn called Celestrial Merino. Also, I checked out their local Farmer’s Market. I was very impress and surprised to see how many little craft booths sells hand knitted items. Thrum mittens seems to be a popular item there. As much as I love hand-knitted item, I can’t seem to buy it from someone else knowing that I can make that myself. Weird!

I also spotted a small booth that sells wools that was spun from a local farm. I LOVE Farmer’s Market! Also, this thank you is long over due! My Halloween Swap Pal is no other than Curlytop!! She sent me an awesome package for Halloween. I just luuurrve the Mango tea! Also, in the package were Halloween Tattoos and Candy Corn which my 2 kids took off with it before I can get a picture of it.

Speaking of Halloween, here we are:

Tea surpirses

2007-11-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

Look what Debbie, my tea swap partner sent me. An awesome package packed with so much goodies and yarns! The teas are awesome! Organic Green Earl Grey and Earl Grey infused with Lavender and 2 bags of Forte. I can't wait to try all of them. I imagine myself sitting back with a fine cuppa early grey and knitting!

Also, she included a bag of chocolate chip cookies and a box of chocolate dipped biscuits (that was consumed in one sitting!) A very cute and clever mug was in the box too. It's a "memo" cup that came with chalk to jot down all my To-Do list. *sigh*, if only my to-do list was 4 lines long!

Along with all these great things, she included 5 balls of Callista that would be perfect for Arison's next sweater. Thank you thank you sooo much!

A long post......

2007-10-30T16:41:00.000-05:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since I last posted but I have good reason.....pure laziness. First and fore most, look what came in the mail last night from my awesome secret pal - I love to knit baby items so the pattern book was a great idea. So many cute patterns in there. Also a blue/green malabrigo. Now, I don't know how she know this but Malabrigo is one of my favorite yarns of all time. It knits up beautifully and so butter soft. On her note to me, she told me that she bought it at 100purewool.com.

I have never heard of this website and didn't realized that they are the original Malabrigo. What an enabler! After reading this, I dropped everything and logged on. $100 later...... well, I digress.

Along with the wool, she also included a felted pattern purse. Of course, due to the softness of Malabrigo, I had never had the heart to felt it but I think I will give it a try. Along with these wonderful gifts, she also included 2 pumpkin sippy cups for my two munchkins. The picture only showed one because my oldest had already taken off with one of them. Of course, it wouldn't really be Halloween without candies and that's just what she included. Some Halloween chocolate. Thanks Pal! You're the best!

In other news, I was in Chicago all week last week for a conference. Well, not really Chicago, but the suburbs of it called Oak Brook Hills. Since I was going to be there the whole week, I was able to buy some really nice yarns from one of the Swaps site. I had it shipped directly to myself at the hotel to avoid heavy shipping fees and duties to Canada. Here's the haul:

A bunch of Debbie Bliss, Gedifra and Skacels. At checked in, the front desk agent handed me the box. I love getting yarns at a hotel!!!

Of course, since I wasn't in Downtown and did not rented a car, a Chicago yarn crawl was out of the question. My scheduled was packed full the whole week but I managed to slipped out to Knitche, a cute little store in Downers Grove, IL. I got my souvenir -

In other news, when I came home, I decided to finish this sweater by sewing on the zipper.

I couldn't get Aliana to stop making silly faces at me so this was the best picture I can take. After taking this picture, I find myself sounding just like my mother, " Young lady, if you keep crossing your eyes, it's going to stay that way!"

I also started this sweater a few weeks ago and haven't touched it since.

Ahhh - Knitting ADD strikes again!

Coffee Swap Questionaires

2007-10-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? Ground

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Loaded, please!

3. Regular or flavored? Both

4. How do you drink your coffee? sweet and creamy ( I like it to taste like a Haagan Daz coffee ice cream)

5. Favorite coffee ever? Thai Ice Coffee

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? Not fussy at all

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Love croissants smothered with butter

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I dont' really like strong coffee

9. Yarn/fiber you love? Natural and soft merino

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? I hate acrylics

11. What's on your needles? Oh - too many to count since I have severe knitting ADD

12. Favorite colors? at the moment, sage green

13. Allergies? None

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? Obviously I love knitting, well, actually, I love collecting yarn then the actual knitting. I know, weird!

The Rock - the golf course, not the actor

2007-10-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I was invited to join a team outing with my colleagues, which turns out to be an opportunity of a lifetime. We played a private 18 holes game of golf at The Rock in Muskoka, Ontario.

The Rock was designed by the legendary Nick Faldo and has became a destination place for many golf fanatics. After a 3 hour shuttle drive to Muskoka, we were greeted by the sales team. We went on a hard-hat tour of the soon-to-open JW Marriott Resort (make sense since we’re the off-site sales team)

Afterward, I was equipped with my own golf cart and rental clubs that would make most golf-pros beamed with pride. Apparently, they were Taylor-Made brand and I was told was one of the best. Of course, the last time yours truly was on a golf course was when I was 8 and I was playing putt-putt with mommy and daddy. It was the equivalent to handing over 50g of pure cashmere to a non-knitter. Absolutely no appreciation for it!

I took several pictures of me with the cart, the ball, and the club. Mind you, on several hole, I just literally threw the ball across the course since after 6 tries, all I have managed to do was tore up the turf without any contacts with the damn ball.

By the 8th hole and 30 golf balls later, I was getting the hang of it. I actually like it quite a lot and thinking about taking proper lessons come spring. I mean, for crying out loud, I am a hotel sales manager who doesn’t know how to play golf! What an embarrassment to the industry!

In knitting news, all I’ve manage was to knit was a combination of stocking-stitch and garter stitch sweater for Aliana. (I'll post pics soon) It’s been a bit hectic here in the household so I can’t follow any patterns lately. Also, I will be getting ready to fly out to Chicago for a 1 week sales training this weekend. Hopefully, I can do a Chicago yarn crawl.

By the way, today is the start of my diet (Ha – I let that one slipped in, didn’t I?)

.....and the winner is......

2007-10-12T16:51:00.000-05:00

Rowen!

Check your e-mail, your invite is on it's way!

Ravelry Invite

2007-10-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

I have been on Ravelry for about 2 months now and I can't get enough of it. However, there is still a huge waiting list for the invite.

I have another invite up for grab so please leave me a comment and I will be drawing names on Friday, October 12.

Weekend full of celebrations!

2007-10-07T19:49:00.001-05:00

It's been a fun filled weekend thus far. October 5th was my birthday and I had seen 32 seasons come and gone. October tends to be a cold month which calls for a hot stew on a crisp, chilly fall day.

Not this year! It was 27 degrees on my birthday! I was out walking in shorts and T-shirt! I guess global warming is good for something. Just in time for my birthday, my Knit Pick Options Harmony arrived. I bought the whole set since I'm obsessively like that. I have the whole set in Addis and Options, since they came out with another materials, what the hell! Another set won't hurt! Of course, I had my birthday to justified it. I have so many straights bamboo that I would soon need to swap it since I don't use it anymore.

The harmonies are gorgeous. As much as I love wood, I still prefer my hold Options more since I knit a bit faster with metals. However, these needles would be great with really slick yarns like silk and bamboo. Speaking of bamboo, I started these in Sirdar Baby Bamboo for Arison -

Also, since it was my birthday, I dragged hubby to Spun Art (my LYS) and made him buy me this

I already casted on in a size 3 for Aliana. Yes, I know, I am suffering from sever knitting ADD. I have too many WIP to count.

Tomorrow's is Canadian Thanksgiving but our family decided to celebrate today. We all did a pot luck and I was in charge of one appetizer. I'd made Asparagus Puff Pastries which seems to be a hit. Here's the Recipe:

Coat asparagus in Olive oil, salt, pepper and some Parmesan cheese. Cut thawed frozen butter pastries (President's Choice is awesome!), wrap spiraled style on the asparagus, baked on parchment paper at 375 F until golden brown. Super easy and surely a crowd pleaser!

Voila! Bon Appetit! So easy and leaves more time for knitting! Happy Thanksgiving!

A Lust for Cable

2007-09-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, Can't get my mind off this pattern: I really want to make this using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It's going to be a very soft sweater. Maybe if I cast on today, I can finish this by the time the kids leave for college in 18 years.

My awesome Secret Pal

2007-09-25T20:39:00.001-05:00

Here's what my wonderful secret pal sent me:

She sent me the most softest yarn that I have ever petted. Blue Sky Alpacas Alpacas & Silk in the most exquisite shade. It's a very pale pink which goes very nicely with the yarn texture. Along with this skein is also a 10 1/2 needle and a pattern to make my very own lace scarf. I had never knitted lace before because I have always been intimidated by the small needles, so my pal got me to started off on a pattern that can be knitted on a larger needle. I have to admit, it doesn't seem that scary anymore *smile*. I can't wait to cast on! I think I would have to forsaken all other projects so I can play with this yarn. It's like she read my mind! I have been drooling over this yarn for a VERY long time and now I finally get to play with it! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

This yarn also comes in it's very own project bag. A satin, peach pouch that's perfect for me to tote it to work.
She also got my 2 munchkins a gift too. Aliana already begged me to read her the new book for bedtime tonight.

Last but not least - the coolest gadget every made!!! What a genius my pal is to come up with this:

a crochet hook key chain! How clever is that? I am forever dropping stitches when I knit that it's a wonder I ever finished anything, but with this handy, dandy key chain, I will always have a crochet hook. What a great idea! She should totally patent this idea!

My pal had put so much thought into this and I totally appreciate it! I was already tearing into the chocolate while I was reading her letter until I realize that it was suppose to be a reward for each repeats of the pattern. Oh well......*laugh* now I have more excuse to buy more chocolate!

A Package!

2007-09-24T20:58:00.000-05:00

After a long and staggering day at the office, I came home at 8pm today to find a lovely package from my fabulous secret pal waiting for me! It's about 10 pm right now and I can't locate my camera so I would haveto wait and show it off tomorrow. *yawn*

I think I'll go to bed and take my new yarn with me to pet it! My husband will definitely think I leaped off the edge of the sane world.

Cherry Pickin'

2007-09-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

Over the last few days, I've been obsessing about my kids not having any hats for the winter. Of course, they have about 5 hats each in their closet but none that was knitted by me. So off I went to dig in my stash and to find some cute patterns. I knitted this out of Itty-Bitty hat book and loved it, it was really fun to knit.

The pattern called for cotton but I wanted it to be a bit warm so I used good ol' sheep's wool.

Also, I found this cute little pattern on Ravelry for a backpack. I downloaded last Friday and hoping to cast on soon using the cheapest yarn I can find since my 2 toddler will probably drag it everywhere with them.

The finished product

2007-09-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

When I had purchased the Dream in Color Tulip kit last Saturday, I was so excited that I casted on the very next day on the trip to Vancouver. I had used the knit pick needles to knit it and of course, I took the whole stinking binder with me through security. Needless to say, it took more than 2 security guards to approve of me taking several impaling objects on the plane.

I knitted the first half on the way there and knitted the rest of it on the way back. Here it is:

For the sleeves, it had called for US 7 DPN which I didn't have on me so I bought some at Urban Yarns in Vancouver. They are Crystal Palace Daisey needles which is made out of Resin. It feels like plastic to me but it a really great needles. I couldn't believe it but it was so flexible and so smooth that my stitches just glide along beautifully. I also love the whymsically colors that it comes in and I think I would need to get a few more sets in different sizes. Of course, after I put an order for the new Knit Pick Harmany needles. Is that a dream set or what?

Back home again....

2007-09-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

What a week! I don't think I want to see another airport for a very long time! I started my business trip in Vancouver. What a gorgeous city. Here's the view from my seat:

Since this was the first leg of the 3 city tour, my energy and enthusiasm was high. Of course, instead of buying another city "shot glass" as a souvenir, I decided that I would need souvenir yarns. So, first stop is Urban Yarn in Vancouver:

I had dragged my colleague with me and she ended up buying a mitten kit. Yeh! Another converter! I also walked out with this:
Then it was off to Edmonton. What a great little city. I didn't know that they have the largest shopping mall in North America. They have several hundreds of store, but sadly, no yarn shop. Go figure! My secret pal recommended the River City Yarn shop in downtown. Of course, I can't pass that up. I went there with 3 other "non-knitting" colleague and decided to wait in the car. It must have been in a record since I was in and out of there in 7 minutes flat. I got this:

and this:

Not bad, for under 10 min, huh?

Then in Calgary, I hit 2 stores, Make 1 Yarn Studio. This little shop as a bit of warehouse feel.

While I was there, they had just received a bunch of Lorna's Lace shipment. There was a few die-hard knitter rummaging through them. I was quite good and only bought this:

Last but not least, I ended up at Pudding Yarns not too far from downtown Calgary. It was a cute little shop that carries a lot of the British names, even Roosters.

Since this was my last stop, I was dead tired but I still made out with a small purchase of this:

Now I'm home and finally sleeping in my own bed. My next business trip isn't until the end of October and I will be in Chicago for a whole week. Better start saving up!

Tulips in September

2007-09-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

Today was the Knitter's fair in Waterloo/Kitchener, ON. I got up at the crack of dawn to meet my friend there and do a little shopping. I didn't even bother combing my hair, put on makeup or even wear anything matching. Basically, I had to get out of the house before any of my 2 munchkins wake up, otherwise I could never leave.
The fair was jam packed with over 50 vendors. Basically, it was like having 50 yarn shops crammed into one roof (a knitter's dream come true). Over the last year, I was a bit of a yarn hoard and had collected a huge stash of some really quality yarns already. So coming to a fair like this, I can afford to be a bit more discriminating. My friend, on the other hand, was very overwhelmed.

Believe it or not, I almost walked out of there empty-handed since the stuff there wasn't anything different then the everyday things that LYS carries. Then........ just when I was about to walk out..... I saw this from the corner of my eyes:
The Dreams in Color Tulip kit from Unwinded Yarn Shop! Ever since the Harlot blogged about this, I have been on the hunt for it. However, there's always about 2 month waiting list for it. Then, here it was... just sitting there, over 20 kits made up. Oh happy, happy, joy, joy!!!! Of course, now I also have to buy some nice stitch markers to go along with it
Over all, it was an awesome buy! I now have to pack since I will be heading over to the west coast for my business trip tomorrow morning. I haven't even started to organize myself yet. Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary all in one week! It's going to be a doozy!

Now, which project to take?

Labour Day Weekend

2007-09-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

This labour weekend has been a whirlwind of apple picking, ribfest, birthday party and home improvement. Can one fit anymore activities into a 3 day weekend?

My hubby has been busy all weekend re-doing our front stair stoops (demolishing it, and repaving it) Also, we went apple picking at Chudleighs. It's a yearly thing that hopefully will turn into a family fall tradition. This is our 3rd year doing it and Aliana looks forward to it every year. This time, Arison spent the day in the backpack.

I also got some knitting done. I started the Monkey Socks. Actually it was started last week on Cherry Tree hill Socks yarn but I messed it up so badly that the whole thing had to be frogged. So, for a fresh start, I switched yarns and now using Fleece Artist Merino Socks. I found that the color is a bit too busy for this pattern but I'm happily knitting along.

Also, I'm making some good headway with Arison's sweater. I only pick it up when I'm watching TV since I consider this pattern to be pretty much idiot proof. Of course, I also suffer from severe Knitting ADD and started the Saartje's Booties on a cotton yarn. Can't say I like it very much though. I think I would have to try it with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.

SP Questionaire 2

2007-08-27T13:20:00.000-05:00

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
My crochet hook - unfortunately, I am the queen of drop stitches. I hate to frog anything so sometime I would stay up hours at a time to perform knitting surgery.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project? Absolutely! At least several project since I have knitting ADD. Normally a sweater in the luggage, socks or mittens in the purse and a brand new yarn and pattern in case I’m bored with other 2.

3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot? I love London, however, I went there before the knitting bug bit me. So I totally missed out doing the London Yarn Crawl.

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it? Cast Off – Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. The book really doesn’t have any patterns, just her witty observation on the knitting world. I love to pick it up and laugh along with her. I bought it at her book launch so I had it authographed.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)? No but I’m going to look into it and start downloading it into my Ipod.

6. If you could only knit with 1 color for the rest of your life, what color would that be? I am a total schizo when it comes to color but at the moment, I would have to say “Sage Green”.

7. If you were far into a project and then noticed a mistake near the beginning what would you do? It depends, if I have too many stitched, I’m the “k2tog” kind of girl but if it’s drastic like a mis-crossed cable, I would perform knitting surgery.

8. Where is the most unusual spot you've ever knit? In the bathroom, and that’s only because I need to get away from my kids for 5 min for some peace and quiet!!!!

Oh Debbie, How I love you so!

2007-08-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

My LYS had a tent sales yesterday. Do I need to say more? YARN TENT SALE!!!!! How it works is they provide 3 size bags, Small, Medium & Large, each prices at $45, $90 & $150 and you can stuff as much yarn as you can into the bag. I went to the sale with a very low budget of $50 but I can't pass up these great yarns so I went over budget by only about $40 and grabbed the medium bag. Here's the haul:

I went straight for the Debbie Bliss. I got a bag of Alpaca Silk, a bag of cotton silk, 9 balls of Cashmerino Aran, 6 balls of Cathay, 10 balls of Enzio and a bunch of handspuned/hand dyed for my Secret Pals.

In other new, I had received my Ravelry invitation on Monday (User: joyja) and have been taking pictures of my stash since. I'm practically ecstatic about it... it's a really great website.

Also, I have been assigned my secret pals and we have a tons of things in common. I'm going to have a fun time spoiling her. I also met my spoiler! I can't wait to get to know her better.

Here's the latest project that I have been working on:

This is the back of the sweater for Arison. It's out of Debbie Bliss Cotton knits.

Secret Pals Questionaire

2007-08-05T23:02:00.000-05:00

Wow! My very first secret pal! Here's the questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love almost anything Rowan and Debbie Bliss. Wools or wool/blends tends to be my fiber of choice. I mainly knit superwash for my kids. I absolultely do NOT like acrylic. Mainly wools with blended acrylic is ok. Even though I started on acrylics, I soon knew the benefit of being a fibre snob! Items just turns out so much better!

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I use the knit pick binders for my knit pick needles, and I bought a beautiful handmade circular case off etsy for my addis. I keep my straight needles in a vase.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I learned to knit when I was 8 and it was only the knit stitch. I didn't know how to bind off, purl or pick up dropped stitches, so I would have rows of rows of garter stitch scarf still stuck on the needle with mistakes everywhere. I finally picked it up again when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby and on Mat. Leave. Even though I've only been knitting for almost a year, I had advanced really fast and now considered myself an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? hhmm...no, but I should really get one. A great list for hubby to know about!

5. What's your favorite scent? I love powdery smell, ( a newborn's head) Can you tell I have a baby in the house? LOL My favorite parfume is Cashmere by Donna Karan (go figure, I didn't realize that my scent would be my passion a few years later!)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Not really... but there are days when nothing else will do except a chocolate bar. I love all chocolate with Almonds in it.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?I tried orgami but all I got was just a jar full of cranes, I tried sewing but I'm still figuring out how to wind a bobbin, and I tried cross stitch but figure it's a waste of my time since I can't wear it. I think I'm going to stick to knitting.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes, my computer can play mp3. I like most music (top forties) I know, I know, very un-orginal.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love green and pink. I don't have any strong dislike for colors in yarns but I normally will not buy black. Not because I don't like the color, it's just depresses me when I knit since I can't see any real stitch definitions.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I've been happily married for 4 years. We have a 3 years old daughter and 1 year old boy. No, we do not have pets, 2 things that poops and eat is enough, thank you. I wear hats, mittens, scarves and ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I like to knit sweaters and sweaters for my kids.

13. What are you knitting right now? Lady Eleanor, my son's sweater and a sweater for myself

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I am a die hard circular fan. I love my addis and knit pick but I'm dying to try the wooden ones.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? yes, both

17. How old is your oldest UFO? about 8 months

18. What is your favorite holiday? X-mas

19. Is there anything that you collect? I love books and I have extendsive cooking books, chick lits and gardeing books. (one would think that my garden would look nicer and my food would taste better with all those books that I own)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I would love to try rosewood and/or ebony circular needles and I am looking for the that cute Tulip sweater knit that the harlot been knitting up. I don't have a subscription to anything, which is ironic since I buy everything magazine every season

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I would love to know how to knit continental

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I've started on a sock, still on the needle though and I have a few socks yarns. My feet is a size 8

23. When is your birthday? October 5, 1975

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Not yet, as of tonight, I have only 700 people in front of me.

Ravelry and RAKs

2007-07-26T12:27:00.000-05:00

I keep checking my inbox everyday, patiently waiting for my Ravelry invite. My camera is poised, ready to start snapping away at my stash so I can finally start organizing. As of today:

Found you!
You signed up on June 12, 2007
You are #8554 on the list.
1702 people are ahead of you in line.
12016 people are behind you in line.
33% of the list has been invited so far

This is where I am. I guess I should be thankful that I'm not part of the people behind myself. 1700 isn't so bad when you look at the 12016!

While I was surfing around Knitty Coffee Shop, I came across RAK (random acts of kindness) topic. I finally figured out what it is! It's quite brilliant and cute, really. There various knitter posting a bunch of stuff that they would love to have and you can send that to them. In return, you post what you wish for and hopefully someone would send something back to you. I love giving things so this would just be up my valley. So far, I'd picked 3 people and I want to send some stuff out this weekend.

In the meantime, I set aside the Lady E because I'm not sure what I want to do yet, so I'd started on a sweater for Arison. The pattern is out of Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for All Seasons which I'm knitting out of cabled wool. I should be able to post a pic real soon.

To Dye or Not to Dye

2007-07-24T08:44:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I got struck with a huge urge to try my hand at dyeing. I had about 2 skeins of bulky Kraemer 100% supersoft wool from the Yarn Crawl that I was dying to try (no pun intended) . I bought a few packets of kool-aid during my last grocery outing, so I was ready to go.

Got the directions off Knitty.com and figured that it was pretty easy enough:

I thought I would try a solid color first and orange seems to be the prettiest color at the time. Here it is soaking, waiting to be put in the microwave.
Maybe I'll wear plastic gloves next time
Hanging out to dry

I thought I try hand-dying

The overall effects

The results? A blotchy and streaky yarn that smell a lot like fruit. I don't think Koigu will be calling me anytime soon!

What NOT to do

2007-07-18T09:27:00.000-05:00

I will try not to constantly google"Lady Eleanor" and checking out other people's finished project.
I will not compare my choice of color to other colorways and wishing I had bought a more neutral, understated color.
I will not admire other people's gauge, but will celebrate my own wonky and uneven gauge
I will not read about another Lady Eleanor that's made with Noro Silk Garden and wishing that I didn't go cheap, but will be content about the Noro Kureyon that I've chosen.
I will refrain the urge to rip back and start the whole thing over on a a neutral color Noro Silk garden with smaller needles.

If step 1-5 is followed, a finished brightly colored, uneven, scratchy stole will be mine. (ok, I guess it won't hurt to buy just ONE skein of silk garden and just do a swatch???)

My latest obsessions

2007-07-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest project that has me giddy with joy everytime I pick it up: Lady Eleanor

I'm knitting it in Noro Kureyon 166. I've done some research for the most appropriate yarns before I started this and most people knit it out of Noro Silk Garden. Since I got this yarn 40% off at a closing sale, I would have to be happy with just the Kureyon. It seems that they both knit up to the same gauge but silk garden is softer. I'm hoping after I give this stole a good soak in Eucalan, it would soften up considerably.

I have always been intimidate by entralacs. It looks hard and seems like it would make a knitter slit her own throat with a dull butter knife. However, I found that the pattern is really easy to memorize and knit up. I can't seem to put it down since the color changes just have me totally enthralled.

I've just finished Aliana's pink sweater. I started this sweater about 5 months ago and put it aside. To be completely honest, I don't think I would have ever finished it but something in me refuse to have an unfinished sweater in which my 2 year old would surely grow out of unless I start knitting it. Right now, all it needs is a zipper and it'll be done. For sure, the sweater will continue to sit there, Again.

Latest Aquisitions

2007-06-24T11:57:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I had time or energy to blog. The last months has been a total whirlwind! The family took a week long trip to Washington DC, then we had Arison's 1st b-day party to throw and I returned back to work after being home with the kids for over a year. All this and in-between landscaping that I'm trying to fit in, it doesn't leave much time for knitting.

I've started the Thrill Mittens using Mission Falls and all it needs is the embellishments and the crochet edging.

While I was in DC, I got these:

Also this - Koiguu KPPM - I wanteds to know what all the fusses is about.

Who has time to knit when there's so many yarns out there waiting to be bought????

Yarn crawling with the Harlot

2007-05-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

Bright and early Saturday morning, I found my bleary-eyed self heading into downtown via Go Transit, Subway, and Street Car for the yarn crawl with the harlot. Being a suburbia mom driving a minivan, public transportation confuses me. I think I consulted the map about 20 times before jumping on the right train/car. Everyone met here first:

We took the street cars most of the time and I think we got a few funny looks from the passengers. Not every day do you see 20-some people whipping out their needles at the same time. Knitters - we love to travel in packs.

How many knitters can fit into a bus shelter? 20 - well, that's only because we ran out of knitters. Maybe we should have try to find a phone booth?Our 2nd stop. A very chic and Uber cool yarn shop. It's like the Banana Republic of knitting.
3rd Stop - the famous Romni Wools. I think I died and went to yarn heaven. Every colors, brands, materials a knitter can every dream of. While I was in there, I was mentally calculating how much money I can get for my left kidney. Since this was my first time in there, I was totally overwhelm. I would have to make the trip back there by myself really soon.
4th Stop - Lettuce Knit. What a sweet and charming little shop. It's much smaller than I had imagined it but it carried some really nice wools and the cutest accessories. Since we were already in Kensington Market, we stop for lunch at the Big Fat Burritos. The food there is brilliant. I'm thinking about going back there in a couple of days just to have the burritos. A girl can never have too much Guacamole!5th and last stop: Alterknit. A little cafe equipped with chocolate, caffeine and yarn. What a combination!
My purchase: I had to practice more discipline and restraint than a celibate monk. I think I did pretty good. 4 balls of Lang Mille (doesn't really count since it's a gift for my mother), 3 hanks of Misti Cotton, 2 hank of natural Kraemer (I'm hoping to hand dye it myself), 4 balls of sock yarns.
All in all.... it was a fabulous day spent with the Guru and fellow knitters. I had good food, good conversations and awesome shopping spree. I'm planning to organize another yarn crawl really soon...... just me and my Visa!

My Knitting Idol

2007-05-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka Yarn Harlot) had launched her Cast Off book here in Canada this past Friday. Yours truly was there to catch a glimpse of her and to finally reaffirm self that knitting is totally not for losers. It's hard not to feel isolated and weird sometime since I live with a muggle who thinks a sweater on sale for $20 from Sears is superior to the one that I spent 60 hours knitting, frogging and re-knitting again.

Needless to say, the book store was cramped with enthusiastic knitters waving their pointy little sticks and gushing about the latest bamboo yarns. I felt like I finally found my way home! Even though I got there early,they still only had standing room left. The atmosphere was incredible. Anxious knitters awaiting their guru to make an entrance and nervous employees standing guard, velvet roping entrances (tres VIP). The applause was thunderous when the Harlot arrived.....and if you think her writing is amusing and funny........she's more hilarious in real life!

I was standing right next to her daughter (Meghan, friend and Ken)

Here's Joe, her husband (god, I'm such a groupie!)A signed book and a pic with the author herself...

While waiting in line, I mentioned to another knitter that knitting cable is hard without a cable needle. She taught me right then and there how to do it. I love knitters!
After the signing, I went to the Spotted Dick for the after party. I must say, I preferred my Dick to be unspotted! (oh, get your mind out of the gutter!.....I just don't like raisins in my bread pudding!) There were quite a number of us there and I would imagine that when morning came, a lot of tinking had to be done.

The very next morning, I went on a yarn crawl with the Harlot. More to come in another post...

Looky Look!

2007-05-20T21:32:00.000-05:00

In the past couple of months, I've hit a lot of online sales and put a huge dent into my credit card. A lot of these vendors do not ship to Canada and if they do, they usually charge a shipping fee equivalent to my first born. Lucky me that my parent lives in the states so I normally ship everything there and when they come over to visit, they'll haul all my treasures too. Well, my mom came to visit on Friday.........and looky look!

Nashua Creative Focus Chunky in Copper and Worsted in Delphinium
Atacama in Blue Jean and Plums, Lorna Lace Bull Frog in Vera and Cherry Tree Hill Socks Here's Araucania Nature Wool in Lime...Iceland Wool and Noro KureyonDebbie Bliss Cashmerino in Cream.... Rowan Little Big Wool in Pearl

Rowan Little Big Wool in AmberKnit Picks Dancing Sock Yarns...

Elann's SonataRowan Big Wool in Acer

And finally....my Swift and Ball Winder

It sure feels like Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Knitting comes to a halt!

2007-05-18T08:29:00.001-05:00

I was knitting along happily this morning. The sun was shining, the kids were still asleep, I was bliss. Just me and my knitting. Until I looked down at my knitting and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Mis-crossed cables! AAGGGHHHHH! I'm going to be up all night performing knitting surgery. However, I remember browsing the book store and seeing the book Knit Fix. Hmmm, maybe this would be a good excuse to go get one.

Too holey?

2007-05-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

I started this sweater for Max last night. He mentioned that I haven't knitted him anything (of course, he denied this) and conveniently forgot about that Tan Alpaca sweater with the funky neck he wouldn't wear. I'm using RYC Soft tweed and knitting the sweater "Bruce" from their RYC Winter book 6. I love the pattern and the color, but more so..... the model that's wearing it.

After I showed Max what I was knitting for him, he gave me a lukewarm enthusiastic, " It's nice, but don't you think it's a little holey?" (meaning - the lace yarn over between the cable). I glared at him and continue to knit.

Stash Enhancement

2007-05-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

Look what the UPS and the Postal Carrier bought me today. YARNS! 'Tis a good day to stay home and receive random packages. UPS man was the first to arrive this morning with a package from Rowan. Can it be true? Is Rowan that generous? I had express my disappointments with their yarns and pattern earlier last month. The pattern was filled with errors and when I contacted their head office, I was assured that it didn't have any errors on it. After an extensive Internet search, ripping out my work 5 times and swearing that I'll never knit again, I finally found the corrections. What a shame that the lady that handled my call didn't realized that they were revisions for this pattern. Also, the yarn had so many knots in them where I have to cut and rejoin so many times. One ball had 4 knots in them! With only 68 meters, I lost a lot of yardage. Thus that's probably why I'm on my 19th ball for a pattern that called for 17. I wasn't looking for any compensation but Rowan was generous enough to send me Rowan Biggy Print for another project in the Arabesque book.

Later, the postman arrived with this:

It's the RYC Soft Tweed in Slate. When I saw that awesome sweater on the cover, I knew that I had to knit that for hubby. I ordered this from Knithappen.net. I think I'm going to cast this on tonight.

The Clapotis is done!

2007-05-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

I'm finally done with the Clapotis. I actually modify the pattern a bit so I would have enough yarns but wouldn't you know it... I still had to run back the Yarnopolis twice to buy it. I totally suck at guesstimating yarns. You think that referring to the pattern might help... but no, it never seems to work for me.

I knitted this in Manos del Uruagay (5 skeins at $16.95 per skeins) Stupid me, I didn't realize that the yardage was so short in each hanks. At that price, I could have used Malabrigo or even the orginal yarn that they called for (Lorna's Lace Lion & Lamb). Anyway, this was for my mom and she loves neutral colors. The Manos was the only one at the time with soft neutral brown hanging at LYS. It actually blocked really nicely and became a lot softer. I think my mom would love it.

You have got to be kidding!

2007-05-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

Well, the grace sweater is now sewn up but it's still on the needle. I've ran out of yarn AGAIN! The pattern calls for 17 balls and now I just went through the 18th one. It's so frustrating! I'm contemplating turning this so-called turtle neck into a crew neck since I can't be bother to buy another freakin' ball. However, knowing me, I would totally pissed myself off every time I'll wear it.

In the meantime, I cast on the Fleece Artist sweater. It's a fairly easy knit which is done in the round with only 4 x 4 ribbing.

Last weekend was the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Wouldn't you know it, my mother lives in Maryland. I asked her to go so I can live vicarious through her. Now, please understand, my mom is not a knitter. She's a crocheter (primarily afghan, one design and with acrylic only). I called her on her cell while she was there. I think she was totally overwhelm by the 10,000 of people attending the show. I was channeling, yelling, spelling K.O.I.G.U. and Socks That Rocks. I don't think she has any clue what I want though.

She ended up at this one booth, called me and balked to me at price of yarns. "$26 for a hank of yarn? Are they mad???" she yelled. Well, when I asked her what it was made of, she said "100% cashmere"

She's definitely not a knitter.

MmmmmMalabrigo.......

2007-05-01T14:12:00.000-05:00

Look what arrived in the mail today. MmmmMalabrigo. 8 beautiful skeins of it! I can't believe how soft it is.

Finally, the Grace sweater is being wash and block. The last ball of yarn came in the mail today so I was able to finish the sleeve. I'm soaking it in Eucalan and will block it. Hopefully, I can finish the collar tomorrow.

Little Big Wool

2007-04-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done with my Grace sweater which is knitted out of Rowan's Little Big Wool. It required 17 balls to complete the project. The pattern is fun and kept me amused and had knitted up quickly. Unfortunately, there's only about 68 meters in one balls, so it got quite expensive (about $160). I don't remember ever paying that much for a store bought sweater, but hey, I guess it's worth it when I'm investing that much time into it.

This was my first time using Rowan and I must say, I was very disappointed. A lot of the balls had knots in them and I lost a lot of meters just cutting and rejoining the yarns. Needless to say, I was up last night knitting and hoping to finish the sleeves when I ran out of yarn. I couldn't even finish the sleeves, much less have anymore to knit the neckline. So, I have to buy another ball just to finish it.

I did e-mail Rowan a couple of days ago expressing my disappointment. I normally do not complain but because of the poor quality wool, and wrong patterns with out any published corrections, I was a bit ticked. They e-mailed me and told me that they will be sending me enough yarn for another project to compensate. That really helped the frustration!

In the meantime, this has been calling out t0 me:

It's an eggplant color. You can't really see it since I was too lazy to take this pic outside in natural light. But Oh Baby! it's soft and cozy! It's the Northumberland Pullover by Fleece Artist.

Too many work in progress...

2007-04-27T15:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I've finally jumped on the bandwagon (late as always). This will be my first posting so I thought I start with pictures of all the work in progress. It's quite embarassing, really, either I have serious Acute Casting-onitis or I'm suffering from Knitting ADD

here's the Clapotis that I'm knitting from Manos del Uraguay in #42 for my mother. I started with 3 skeins and now looks like I would need another one. You can't see the drop stitches yet but once it's blocked, I think it would look beautiful.

I'm hoping to make a fitted Turtle neck Sweater out of this one. It's "Babi" Kid Mohair bloucle that's been hand-dyed by Fleece Artist. This is my first time knitting with anything that's boucle and I'm not too happy about it. I thought this will be mindless knitting using only garter stitch but since the yarn is so, well, Loopy, it's taking all of my concentration to make sure I knit it in the right hole.

This was my first ever socks. I totally was walking on air the first time I turned the heel. I'm knitting this on Addi 12 inch but had to switch to dpn when turning the heel. Doesn't bother me since I Love Addi's.

This one is being crochet. I really like the easy pattern and self striping yarn by Trendsetter (tonalita) My mom is really good at crochet so I might just let her finish this one up for me.

Here's my favorite and the one that I'm currently workign on. It's "Grace" from Rowan Arabesque. I'm knitting the 2nd sleeves now and hoping to block and seam in the next couple of days. This one is costing me an arm and a leg to knit up.

This is a quick knit that I'm knitting fro Aliana and hopefully passing it down to Arison. It's a size 4 sweather that's knitted up in Lion's Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick. It just needs the sleeves knitted up.

Ok, I'm on the fence with this one. It's a toddler sweater knitted in the round with cheapest and ugliest Acrylic yarn that money can buy. I don't know if I should just give up or keep on knitting. I hate the color, hate the material and hate the needle.

This is a back of a Cardigan for Aliana that I'm knitting out of Alpaca/Wool blend yarn. Hopefully, she won't grow out of it by the time I'm finish with it.

Another acrylic poncho. It really only needs some more fringes. I just can't seem to bring myself to finish it. This project has been mocking me ever since.

This is a beautiful cardigan from Vogue Winter 2006/7. I started on bamboo but thinking about switching to Addis. It's knitted on Worsted Cabled Merino. The stiches is showing really nicely with this yarn.

My first ever sweater. It was knitted for Max in less than 3 weeks from alpaca/wool blend in soft Camel color. The neck is weird and twisted. I haven't had the energy or time to frog it and reknit.

A cable purse knitted from Lion's Brand thick and Quick. Probably only need about an hour of knitting time before it's done. Oh well, so much knitting, so little time.

I started this sweater during Christmas time from Bernat "Glacier". I know, I know, another acrylic. Maybe that's why it's not finished?