Wow

I was doing so well with the posting, and then I fell of the face of the earth again. Actually, the problem is that I never get home until 9ish on weeknights, and I had an intense bout of lethargy last weekend, which resulted in my not leaving the house or doing anything else for two days. It's actually a sad waste of a weekend, but sometimes there's nothing to be done.

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...

lull

Yay! Cynthia received the socks I knit for her! And if you haven't seen it yet, you should check out her Warming Grace project.

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).

Muse

So, I was at the Hawksley Workman concert on Monday, and I had an amazing time! It was in a theatre, which felt a little odd (it was different than previous shows that I've been to) but really fun! I find him really enjoyable to watch, and I highly recommend going if you get the chance. This was my third Hawksley concert, and I own three cds, so I am a bit of a fan. However, no performance is ever the same, and he rarely plays the songs in the same way they're recorded for the cd. He uses his voice as an instrument as well as singing, so it can seem a little odd (there's a lot of howling/screeching/warbling etc.) the first time you hear it, but now I think its interesting to hear how many different ways a song can be transformed. And then there's the conversation with the audience that flows through the performance. It has to be experienced to be understood.

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 morning

I need to try and get back to some kind of regular blogging schedule, for all my devoted readers .

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...

I won!

I got a package in the mail today, all the way from Cardiff!


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.

my progress, May 2

Sockapaloooza

Well, I bet no one out there even knew I was participating in Sockapaloooza! From my knitting lately (or lack thereof), I certainly wouldn't have guessed. I started these Pomatomus (sp?) socks during my trip.

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...

Absent

Well, I'm away from work for the next little while, so I don't know how often I'll be posting, but I'll see if I can get a few in. Yesterday I started my trip in Halifax, and today we're spending the night in St Stephen, NB. We've managed to see a lot of the countryside, as there is a lot of driving between meetings. However, there are also a lot of early mornings, which is why I'm on my way to bed now... (We are an hour ahead.)

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.

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.

Feb 17

I'm behind in posting this. This was my progress as of midnight on Feb. 17. I had sincerely intended to take a picture on Sunday evening, but as you can see, it didn't happen. Oh well... Someday I will post on a regular basis.

Nerves

I'm now decidedly nervous about my Olympic knitting... My lack of posts indicates a significant absence of actual knitting time. I will try and show a picture tomorrow, but basically, I am at mid-chest on the body and I've finished 1 and 2/3 arms. I need to finish the second arm, pick up and knit the neck band, and then do something like 18 inches of stockinette for the body! :O I am now seriously doubting my ability to get it done, but all I can do is see...

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

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.

under the weather

I haven't been feeling spectacular for a couple of days now. Nothing specific, just headachy and sore. And everything seems to take more effort than it really should. So, I've been sticking close to home and finishing things up. (Although not entirely. I worked out this morning, just walking. I probably overdid it, since I already wasn't feeling well. My reaction to not being able to pay for all of my items at the postal counter at the Bay was entirely out of proportion. When I'm overtired, sometimes my inner two-year-old gets away from me.) I finished my tivoli T and my 'peas and carrots' socks (pictures to come).

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

Akkk...

... So, my trip that has already been rescheduled many times has been postponed again. I'm understandably frustrated, but there are reasons. Anyway, I'll be around when I didn't expect to be; just in case anyone is interested.

SP package

This is a quick photo essay of the yarn I spun for my secret pal, Mel. This is the roving I bought at Rhinebeck in early October (yes, I'm slow... it took me until January to get it all spun, plied and washed.) She also got a pair of not-yet-felted fuzzy feet, but you'll see on her blog that she's an old pro at felting, so that shouldn't be a problem.


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.

Knitting spot

Oh right, and when I was talking about not being deserving of participating in SP7, did I also forget to mention that I just sent my last package to my spoilee, Mel? Yeah, its only a month late. Anyway, I have a short photo essay about the making of her gift, but I'll wait until she gets it to post that.


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

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I know, I'm a bit slow on the draw with the good wishes and all. What can I say. I also think this will be a picture heavy post, because my back is being disagreeable, and typing only seems to aggravate it.


SP gift

First, have I mentioned that Kelly was a great Secret Pal? Above you see copies of both Yarn Harlot books, a cake of Hello Yarn in Maple, fiber post cards from Cafe Press, a Knitwhits cat toy kit, a 'Fuck off I'm Knitting' mug and a set of Zephyr stitch markers (shown close below). I've been so well spoiled that I felt I shouldn't even sign up for SP7. I will wait until SP8 when I'm feeling a little more deserving.


stitch markers


grey fairisle

And a picture of another modified Sophie bag. I've determined that I didn't end up getting a picture of the ocean-coloured bag I embroidered after felting, which is unfortunate. Or of the two hats I made for my dad and brother-in-law. Although Jose did say it was the only hat that has fit him perfectly, so I was pretty happy with that.

Also, work is frustrating. I'm supposed to be travelling sometime soon, and the departure date has changed at least 4 times in the last week. I wonder what happened after I left this afternoon to have a massage treatment for my back? I guess I will see tomorrow.

high/low

Hey all! I'm sorry to have disappeared for so long. I do have a lot of knitting content to post, but things have been a bit crazy. Somebody is committing fraud on my account (writing large cheques to themselves, I'm not certain how they got the cheques) so its been taking most of my energy to deal with that for the past week.

So, since I have a plethora of photos to post, I thought I'd start with some of my Christmas knitting, now that its been given. I made five felted bags, based on the Sophie pattern, with modifications to each. They are all knit in Patons Classic Merino.


red


cable detail

I increased the size of the red, added the cable up the sides, and had three strands for the handle with a flat section where they meet in the middle (so I could continue the braid on each side).


blue

This is the original size knit with one strand of mohair held with the wool. It didn't shrink as much during felting.


grey w/ eyelets

This bag has an eyelet pattern around the top, which is difficult to see in this photo but looks alright in person.

I made knit flower pins for the blue and grey out of white yarn from the stash. Sadly I forgot to photograph them before I came back to ON.

(Yes, I know there are only three pictures. I'll have to find the other three later.)