Knitting, and travelling, and knitting while traveling... and occasionally some travelling to knit!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
I am still alive
Friday, December 15, 2006
Christmas Cheer
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Christmas is nuts!
I've actually been doing some knitting, but I don't have any pictures. I designed a vest on the fly out of some Handmaiden yarn, and its almost done. Hopefully there will be pictures soon, although I can't promise anything before Christmas.
Anyway, I don't have a lot to say, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Dilemma
So, I've booked my flight home for Christmas, and I'll be gone from December 22 to January 2. I wasn't terribly concerned about not being here for New Year's Eve (NYE) since I've never done anything special for NYE before. Then, ideas started circulating for fun plans for NYE that involve dressing up and everything. I would dearly love to wear a great dress for something special like NYE with the boy, so I started looking into changing my flight.
Everyone I've talked to about this is supportive of me changing my flight (even though its money I don't really need to spend) except the boy. (Please note, I haven't mentioned the plan to my parents, as I don't think they'll be enthused either.) He keeps telling me I should use the time to visit my family (especially since I'll be leaving the country for an extended period at some point, probably this year). So, what do I do? If I change my flight, I'll be missing one full day with my extended family, and a day in the car with my immediate family. If I don't change my flight, I'll end up spending NYE playing board games with my cousins (which isn't bad, it just pales in comparison to other options). Advice?
Edited to add: I just read this over at Jo's
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Interest
shaved belly
A fun picture of Suki showing off her shaved belly and her scar from the surgery. She's back to "what are you doing here" when I spend too much time at home.
There is going to be an event in the Great Hall at the Museum of Civilization with knitters! I'm going to be hanging out with a bunch of lovely ladies and showing off some of my work!
Unleashing the Knitters:
So there's this guy who's doing a panel at the MLA, and he's checking to see how a meme or, depending on how you look at it, a chain letter, moves through the blogosphere. We knitters have a rather populous corner of the blogosphere, and one that I think routinely buffaloes those who attempt to study blogs and blogging. Who are all these knitters and what do they want? (Wool.) If blogging is concerned with social change, what the hell are all these people doing talking about yarn? (We'll get back to you when the plans for world domination are available in pdf format.)
Anyway, Jody explains it all in a way that is far more interesting and complete than I have the patience for, but do please play. All you need to do is mention and link to the project, ask others to participate, and then ping technocrati. Let's show the MLA a little knitting mojo, eh?
Monday, November 20, 2006
Suki
They took out two tiny stones, each smaller than my pinky finger nail, but they were definitely causing problems, so they had to come out. The vet thinks they're calcium related, which means the cat can no longer drink the last of the milk from my cereal. She's not going to be happy about that!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
WIPs
icarus progress
I have been making very slow progress on my Icarus, mostly because the yarn is fiddly and I can't do much else while I work on it. The yarn is the grey laceweight mohair that I won for my (incomplete) participation in the Knitting Olympics.
close up of icarus
gatsby girl
As a birthday treat to myself, I started the Gatsby Girl Sweater from the fall Interweave Knits. I even bought the suggested yarn (Rowan Cashsoft DK - it pills a bit while knitting, but feels lovely). I have also just come to the realization that I will not have enough yarn (I'm knitting at a tighter gauge than the pattern suggested, and using the stitch numbers from a larger size to make it fit the schematic for the size I want.) Note to self: Call Gisele at Wool N' Things to order more!
alpaca-from-NB scarf
I bought myself a skein of alpaca yarn from the only (or at least the only one I could find) yarn store in St. John during my trip to NB. I'm using the stitch pattern from a scarf in the booklet that came out with the fall Interweave Knits. It will be a short scarf (I just started the other half, because I'm not sure how much is left in the ball), but soft and warm!
hat
This is a hat promised to a friend last year. Yes, I'm running a little behind. Its knit in Patons Shetland Chunky, top down. I am stranding the part of the hat after the increases to create a nice, thick, inelastic fabric around the ears. Great for warmth while not crushing hair. I will do applied i-cord around the bottom to finish it off.
In other news, I finally ordered a swift and ball winder from Camilla Valley Farm. I missed them at the Inspirations Needle Craft Show, but the shipping is only $9!
Monday, November 13, 2006
News
Suki
Miss Princess Spooky Cat has been curled up on my lap all afternoon after the trauma of going to the vet. (Which is unusual. My cat hates being held most of the time.) Sadly, it seems she has a bladder stone, and will be having surgery on Monday. As the vet pointed out, I’m just glad it’s not a tumour.
Interestingly enough, it looks like I will have to take the day off work. I need to drop her off at the vet between 8:30 and 9, and pick her up between 4 and 6, which isn’t too bad if I had a car. Since I don’t, and I can’t take the cat on the bus, I think it will be a day off. Cabbing to and from the vet is expensive enough. If anyone in Ottawa has time to hang out during the day while I’m waiting, let me know.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The evil that is Steph
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Harlot in the house
Edited to add: As I'm sure everyone knows by now, Stephanie came to Ottawa on Thursday. She was hilarious. As if you didn't already know that. I took a short video, which I plan to upload to Youtube if I can figure out how.
knitters in Kanata
more knitters
There were bloggers (from L to R) Lissa, Orris, Justine, Nancy, and Heather. Behind us are Kathy, Mairi (blog not known) and Leanne
blogger blogging blogger
proof
Monday, October 30, 2006
My cat hates me
Sadly, I don't have any progress pictures (or any pictures at all) to show you. I am still working on the Gatsby Girl Sweater, the Icarus shawl, a baby blanket, and I've added a hat for a friend (my own design) and a scarf. The current socks and the jamesy sweater have been put in time out. I still have time to knit most days, but I obviously haven't been taking pictures.
Hmmm... other than that, I don't have a lot of news. I guess I should go play with the cat.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Southern Ontario
View from the balcony
Well, since I don't have any photos of the four or five projects I'm working on right now, I thought I'd post some of my photos from my trip south to a friend's cabin (somewhere near Gananoque?) The trip was in mid-September, so I thought the water was too cold for swimming, but you can faintly see the boy snorkeling in the last photo. I did get some canoing and walking in the woods in.
wet fall leaves
sunflowers growing from a tree
another lake view
the fish wind sock
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bad Blogger
I haven't posted in a very long time. More than a month.
Well, everyone says it, but I've been busy. I'm dating someone new, which is pretty exciting, and definitely takes up a bunch of my spare time. On top of that, I'm playing ultimate 2 times a week, doing judo 2 nights a week, and seeing other people as well.
Another new development is that I've started language training. I'm learning Arabic for my job, and it takes a lot of time and energy. I'm already considering what time it too early to go to bed, since I've had a rough day. Actually, I've only been in training for a week, but the run up to leaving my last position was also nuts.
Anwyay, I haven't done much knitting. In the past 2.5 months, I've finished (almost) 2 pairs of socks. That's it. It's only in the past two weeks that I've even started knitting regularly through the week. I've started the Icarus shawl in the grey mohair laceweight from Fyberspates and I bought myself some Rowan Cashsoft DK to start the Gatsby Girl Sweater from the new Interweave Knits. I could link, but I'm tired.
Bye
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
update
I have zero pictures of knitting to show, even though I have done some over the past month. I have to kitchener the toe of the first mega boots stretch sock and then start number two. I have only the cuff to finish on the second sock for a pair of footlets I'm making out of some of my hand dyed yarn. I'm halfway through ball 2 on a random baby blanket I'm making (with no recipient in mind yet). However, jamesey is languishing in the never ending ribbing section. I need to take it on the bus to knit, but there hasn't been as much bus riding lately, more biking and walking.
Work is getting busy again, and I expect the next month to be challenging. My boss is away, and there's lots of work coming up.
Other than that, soccer is going pretty well, but we rarely get many people out to practice. We'll see how many show tonight, given that its the hottest day of the summer so far. Also, I'm now learning how to play ultimate. Its fun, even if I don't really know what's going on!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
North and Interior
jungle
mask
big stairs
rounded corners
Altun Ha
cave entrance
Ceiba tree
storm at Caye Caulker
Monday, July 17, 2006
Make that in a few days...
Welcome to Caye Caulker
The Cayes (pronounced Keys) off the coast of Belize are small islands, at least partially formed by mangroves. They are in close proximity to the second longest reef in the world, so the snorkeling and diving are fabulous (I only tried the snorkeling). We stayed on Caye Caulker, which is very laid back. We also visited San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, which is both larger and busier.
Caye Caulker doesn't have many motorized vehicles, but there are always people meeting the boats who will help you carry your luggage to your hotel.
Lokal Flava
local transport
The one thing you do have to watch out for are the golf carts. They don't go very fast, but they're hard to hear coming.
daytime
sunset
This was taken during a sunset canoe trip on the landward side of the island. The mangroves act as a nursery for all of the creatures that you can see out on the reef.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
San Ignacio
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Caye Caulker
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Vacay
So, I'm leaving on vacation. I'm going to Belize for 10 days, or so. I'm excited, and I'll try and post a couple times, just to let J know I'm still alive. Other than that, I'll probably be quiet for the next two weeks (not that that differs much from the current state of affairs here.)
Friday, June 09, 2006
A saga of socks
My first pal actually flaked on me, so Alison kindly arranged for a sock angel (for whom I was a sock angel as well). Unfortunately (this portion of this sad story is entirely my fault), I had moved at some point and completely blanked on changing my address. So, the postal people say the package was delivered, but the people in that apartment (I still live in the same building) claim they never received any of my mail. (I don't believe them. They tried to steal money from me through mail they received. You'd think I'd have learned by now!)
But now it seems that Canada Post has taken a dislike to me. A few weeks ago, my new sockpal (the lovely Kayla, who is currently taking a break from blogging) emailed me to tell me that the sock package she had mailed to me had been returned to her! I was hyper alert to ensuring that I had submitted the right address this time, so I don't understand what the problem was. Anyway, she promised to remail, but I haven't seen anything yet! The last message I have on the subject is from May 16th. I clearly understand how Ms. Grumperina feels.
So, if I maybe don't participate in the next sock pal round and actually knit some socks for myself (and I've now sent out three pairs), please be understanding.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Wow
The other reason for my lack of posting is my lack of knitting. I've been working on some Mega Boots Stretch socks, which need to be frogged (too small, although I'm toying with the thought of turning it into a pair of fingerless gloves). And Jamesay will still be another 10 inches of ribbing, and I'm finding it difficult to work up the enthusiasm. I feel the need to knit something in pieces, so that I can have different things on different sides (if that made any sense at all).
So, its hot here today. I finally set up the fans I bought a few weeks ago in preparation for this weekend. The cat doesn’t like them, but hopefully they will help me be slightly more comfortable this summer than last. I wonder if a dehumidifier would help even more, as feeling mildly damp all the time makes the heat even harder to bear. Actually, given the orientation and size of the windows in my apartment, I’m thinking not. (I actually installed the blind and the curtain rod in the bedroom today. Now I just need to get curtain rods up in the living room before my parents show up in July. And the saddest part is that I've lived here for 9 months!)
I ran in the 5K race for the Ottawa Race Weekend on Saturday. According to the official results, I finished in 33:35, and I came in 2576th place (out of more than 6500). It was definitely a learning experience. Next time I’ll start much nearer to the front, cause I was frustrated trying to get around the many walkers for the first half (after that, it was slightly more spread out). They were very well organized for the number of people, though.
Soon to come, a draft about socks...
Saturday, May 13, 2006
lull
So, I don't have much to show as far as recent knitting. I've been working on nothing but my sockapaloooza socks for exclusively since March, so I had to start some new projects after I sent them off on Wednesday. I've started a new pair of socks, and a Jamesey. Nothing worth photographing yet.
And, although J forbid me to post the photos from her bridal shower yesterday, I'm going to break her rules...
J's shower
(I don't think this is the one she objected to anyway...) Anyway, this is near the end of the party. You can see the tops of the many wine bottles (for the August party, assuming they last that long).
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Muse
Tonight was my first soccer game of the season (it was an exhibition game against the WR1 team from my club (that's one division higher than the team I play on))! I remember why I love playing. At the same time, I felt much more fit than I did at the same time last year, so that makes me happy. I've been working on running for around 2 months now, and I'm doing a 5K at the end of the month, so its good to feel the improvement. Yay!
Finito
off the needles\
and on my feet...
Dear Sockpal,
They are done! And I love them! So I'm going to put them in the mail right after work. The envelope is already addressed. Only then will there be no fear of my "losing" them...
Sock Specs
Pattern: Pomatomus with minor modifications to make them fit a human being when knit with my tight knitting
Yarn: Fleece Artist 100% Washable Merino Wool, Colour ?
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Saturday morning
So, its 9:00 am, and I've already cleaned my bathroom and done the dishes. My cat has started waking me up right around sunrise every day, and since that's about when I get up on weekdays, I find it really difficult to sleep later on the weekend. Thankfully, since its the weekend, I'll be able to have a nap after I go get groceries.
I actually have a pretty packed weekend ahead of me...
1. Grocery shopping. I plan to stock up and get my order delivered, so I have to go today. I actually plan to buy fans today, because I sweated through the whole summer last year without (I was totally unprepared for my first Ottawa summer).
2. The gym - twice. I would go for a run outside, but the weather is not overly appealing.
3. Bar-b-q at Sarah's? (see above - rainy grey weather makes being outdoors less fun) Given the weather, there will still be a party indoors later, but I know myself. If I'm at home, cuddling under blankets and watching a movie, the likelihood of me getting off my ass to go out into the rain to get somewhere else is not high. Besides, with the waking up at 5:30ish, I tend to be in bed by 10 pm most nights.
4. Knitting. I need to finish my sockapaloooza socks this weekend, so I invited people out to knit at the Bridgehead in the Glebe (108 Third Avenue) starting around 2pm on Sunday. Anyone reading this is welcome to stop by.
5. The National Gallery. I've lived in Ottawa for almost 2 years now, and have been woefully negligent in taking in the sights since I've been here. It's time to put some effort into exploring the city and the surrounding region. I might even go to Montreal next weekend!
And then there are the assorted sundry items, like vacuuming and dusting/organizing, cooking for the coming week, and all those other things that pile up.
Anyway, I should get started...
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
I won!
prize
This is the prize I won in the Knitting Olympics draws, generously donated by Fyberspates. I have 200g of laceweight mohair and fancy star stitch markers!
So, since I've never knit anything with laceweight anything, does anyone have any pattern suggestions for patterns? I have approximately 850 m of the grey and 450 m each of the purple and the blue.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Sockapaloooza
pomatomus
I restarted once because I was nowhere near gauge, but I was still only a repeat in when I got home. (The observant among you will note that I didn't remotely follow the instructions for the heel, which looked interesting now that I've looked at the pattern. I now have to decide if I should do the toe as written. The really observant will notice that I added two stitches to every repeat. It was the only way I could fix the gauge problem since I didn't have any larger needles with me.) Sadly, as it stands now, I will have to send my sock pal a note that the socks will be delayed, but they are on the way...
Monday, March 20, 2006
Absent
I am getting some knitting done in the car. I've finished 1.5 repeats on Pomatomus socks in some Fleece Artist. They look really good, but I'm pretty sure I'm nowhere near gauge, so they won't fit. I'm going to block tonight to see if they grow any... Otherwise, I'll figure out how many more stiches I need tomorrow and start again. I figure I can add a few stitches to every repeat or I can add a 7th repeat if I need somewhere in the vicinity of 22 stitches. Given the sizing right now, that seems like a probable course of action.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
DNF
DNF
Now that its 11:30, I have to admit, I'm a DNF in the Knitting Olympics. I have somewhere between 5 and 6 inches left on the body before I'll be done. I am impressed that everything else is done though, including the weaving in of ends. I think it looks pretty good, and that I will like it when it is done.
I don't think I really considered how hard this event would be on me. After the first weekend, my hands and wrists were achy. Given that I have a history of tendon problems in my hands and that I work on a computer all day so couldn't afford to have my hands claw up, I ended up barely knitting during the week. Oh well, there are no excuses in the Olympics. I think if I were to do this again, I would pick something slightly smaller and pace myself more to spread my knitting time out over the full three weeks instead of cramming it all into the weekends. And get a new chair that would help me have better posture and support my elbows. That would be better for my hands and back. I guess, I've got a few years to train.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Nerves
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Progress
try 2, day 2
Here is my progress, just over 24 hours after starting my second effort. So far, all of my stitch counts are right. I have 6.5 inches along the raglan increase, so I have a few more inches left before its time to put the sleeve stitches on holders. It doesn't seem too bad, although a week of work is going to put a significant dent in my progress. I'm off to bed, and to ice my wrist in preparation for tomorrow.
Project Specs:
Pattern: Knit and Tonic's The Essential Stripe
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca and Silk, in an off-white, orange and blue
Needles: Size 4
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The heights?
olympic challenge
So, I kind of let this whole Olympic thing sneak up on me. (As you can see - I haven't even managed to post the button to my blog yet.) Thursday night, I realized that I was supposed to start knitting on Friday, and I hadn't even finished swatching. That, and all of my stitch markers were already on projects. I did manage to sort everything out, but I didn't actually cast on until this afternoon. Now, a few inches in, I've decided to rip. I found a few mistakes, too many to fudge, and I decided that if this is the Olympics, I might as well do this right.
first try
Lessons Learned: Count decreases, don't just assume you've done them.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
under the weather
I did want to write a quick post about my sock angel socks. I made these for someone from the Sockapal2za exchange whose sock pal didn't come through. These socks have caused me a lot of grief. I sincerely hope they fit her. I had measured out the gauge and they should fit, but then I keep reading different opinions from people on the amount of negative ease needed for socks. That, and stockinette socks always look big because I'm used to seeing socks that stretch more. Anyway, here they are.
socks
Project Specs:
Yarn: Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch, colour 707
Pattern: basic short row toe, short row heel, stockinette, with a picot bind off
10 stitches/inch
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Akkk...
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
SP package
spindle
yarn drying
finished
I have no idea how much yarn this came out to. Hopefully Mel can think of something to knit with it.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Knitting spot
knitting spot
So, I've seen this meme around, and thought I'd throw mine out there. The couch is really the only comfortable seating option in my apartment, so that's where I knit. I have to use one of the plastic chairs when I want to spin or read blogs. Please note that it isn't always this clean (see pictures that follow, which are mostly for my mom, who complained that she didn't know what my place looks like. She'll notice that I haven't gotten any neater.)
view to left
front view
view to right