Knitting In The North

Oh, Balls!

Liam has a great love of balls.  Ball was, in fact, his first word (far sooner than Mommy, or even Mooom - not that it bothers me or anything), and balls of all kinds hold his attention for ages.  He likes, as many babes do, to hold them and throw them and roll them and toss them at your head.

 

For Christmas, then, I decided Liam definitely needed a collection of felted balls.  I plan to stuff his stocking with them, so he can happily take them out and throw them at his siblings' heads, while they are busily sorting their own loot. 

 

The pattern, Baby's First Ball from the book  Knitting For Baby by Melanie Falick (oh, how I love Melanie Falick) and Kristin Nicholas, is wonderful.  Easy to memorize, so even when you're sick or overwhemed or grumpy you can still manage to work a few wedges on the latest ball.  I'm using four colours, and am shooting for six balls, although I'm enjoying the knitting so much, I might need to keep going.  We may well be buried in felted balls by Christmas.  I'll let you know.
  

FO: Thorpe

My, how things can change overnight!  Just yesterday I was bemoaning the grey-ness out there, and today we're blanketed in white.  The first snowfall is always exciting around here, making me want to break out the Christmas music and build a snowman and go tobogganing and decorate and make gifts and bake good things.  Since I've got a sick babe at the moment, I've had to content myself with Christmas music and baking cookies, and planning to knit this for Brian (in green, to look like Link's). 

 

I did drag Liam out for a few quick minutes, for his first look at the snow.  What a puzzled little face!  He's so serious, when processing something new - he just stood there, taking it all in.  Which made me want to kiss his face right off.  (I'll ask him now, if he needs me to kiss his face off, and he'll shake his head.  No thanks, Mommy.  It makes it even sweeter when he offers me a kiss, all on his own.)  Anyway, it was the perfect opportunity to try out his new hat (you know - the one that fits!).

 

Particulars:

Yarn - Paton's Classic Wool for the body, with leftovers of Knitpick's Comfy Bulky for the trim

Needles - 5mm

Notes/Modifications - I held the Classic Wool doubled, which gave me just about spot on gauge.  It was a little stiff feeling while knitting, but softened up nicely for wearing.  The finished hat has a fairly thick finished fabric, perfect for snowy days, and it holds it's shape nicely, without feeling stiff.  This hat is fast becoming my standby winter hat pattern - once I get past the fiddly beginning, it's smooth sailing, and I am always thrilled at how smoothly the crocheted edging goes on, and how well it finishes the hat off.

 

 

Many Thanks

 

A most wonderful package arrived in the mail today - a gift from Lorette!  Lorette recently took a journey to Ireland, and came home with this fabulous Donegal tweed (along with some other good stuff).   She kindly offered the yarn up as a giveaway on her blog, and I was the lucky winner!  Along with the sweet yarn, Lorette included a fancy little box, perfect for holding stitch markers and the like, and an adorable black sheep tape measure (because every family needs a black sheep, right?). 

 

I must admit, this couldn't have happened at a better time - I've been feeling a bit, well, blue lately, and a bit tired and rundown from all my to-ing and fro-ing.  Having this appear at my door today was just the tonic I needed to get me though this week.  The discussions have already begun about what exactly this yarn wants to be (Gwenyth thinks it might just want to be a Neighborly vest - with a twist, of course - and I'm quite sure both Brian & Katie will know just what this yarn has in mind for itself).  I'm sure the ideas and plans will keep me entertained right into the weekend, when hopefully things will slow down. 

 

So - Thank You, Lorette!  You are very kind, sending a bit of bright blue cheer to us here in the grey, far North! 

There is Too Much, Let Me Sum Up

With the arrival of the official first day of fall, I feel like I should touch on the summer lists that have been important around here over the summer (which is really over now.  Really?  Already?).

My summer knitting list - ahem.  What can I say?  I knit not a single thing from the list all summer long!  I'm not sure why, really.  One item was started and then frogged, but I still like the pattern & plan to knit it one day.  Another was cast on, but put aside for other, more important projects.  Sorry, Ali - maybe next year I'll do better!

What was a big success, though, was our Summer Things To Do list.  Although I estimate we actually did just over half of the items on it, this list served it's purpose of keeping us mindful and intentional during our schedule-free days.  It was great to see the kids turn to the list when the "I'm bored"s were ready to strike, and we all found satisfaction in marking something "complete".  We will definitely make this an annual practice in our home! 

How about you?  Did your summer go as planned?  

Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

 

What to do on a rainy, cool morning with six kids wandering around?  Sort buttons, of course!  It's amazing, really, how dumping a jar of assorted buttons out on the dining room table will draw them all in like a magnet. 

Taking my button jumble from the various jars and containers, and turning it into this nicely organized collection kept everyone busy for a good hour - even Liam (who obviously only got to check out the few giant buttons lying around - no matter how hard he tried!).  The rest of the time, he made messes elsewhere, trying out his new sweater:

 

Now that appropriate buttons have been found, I just need a quiet evening to sew them on, and you can get a better look at the finished product.  Finishing the knitting on this, though, made it legal for me to cast on my own fall sweater - always a thrilling enterprise! 

Making Progress

Even though life has been so busy lately, there has been knitting going on.  I'm slowly getting there with my Good Stuff socks.  I'm using 2mm DPNs, and finding it much rougher going than I do when I use my usual 2.5mm needles.  Also, to keep the gorgeous striping action, these socks are knit on less stitches than I usually use, so they're long and skinny.  They will fit, though, and I found some amazing clog-type shoes at the thrift store to wear them with, so I really should get busy.

In contrast, Liam's Baby Sophisticate sweater is flying along!  The pattern sizing only goes to 6-12mths, but it's a fairly standard top down coconstruction, so I added a few increase rows before I separated the sleeves.  I can't wait to see Liam in this, it looks so much like a tiny smoking jacket - so sweet.  I'm using Knitpicks Comfy Bulky in the Planetarium colourway - it's such a soft, squishy yarn.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it wears over time.

Even though we've had the most amazing summer weather ever, I've surprised myself,  finding my thoughts turning to fall of late.  I've been thinking about upcoming sweaters, Christmas knitting, starting a fire in the fireplace...  Mmmmm, I can almost see the leaves turning! 

Do you have big winter knitting plans?

Using the Good Stuff

 

I realized the other day that I've fallen back into a bad habit.  I have a collection of beautiful sock yarn, but I leave it in it's box, waiting.  Stuart gave me these beautiful rosewood DPNs last fall, but they've stayed in their pretty little tin.  Enough!  I tell myself.  It is time to use the nice things. 

I have to give myself permission to work with beautiful materials, and there is a part of me that is afraid to, as if what I create with this yarn, these needles, will not be "perfect" enough to justify their use.  Sigh...  Imperfection...  The good part of this is that I recognize it now, and can take steps to change my thought processes.

Yesterday, I pulled out the pretty needles, and one of my favourite skeins of yarn.  I cast on for a pair of toe-up socks, sitting at the computer watching a tutorial for the Magic Cast On until I figured it out.  

It's raining here, and I can think of nothing I'd rather do than throw a loaf of banana bread in the oven, and then curl up with my sock, my nice needles, my pretty yarn, and a good cup of tea.  I remind myself: self-care is important.  How are you taking care of yourself today?  

Collections and Lists

I love collecting things, and I love lists.  I'm not sure if there is a correlation, but I get the same sense of satisfaction from the two.  Something about an itemized list, or a laid out collection, soothes the need for order in my chaotic little world. 

Apparently, I'm not the only one like this - Gwenyth has started to show a great appreciation for both lists and collections; she seems to thrive in the safety of a careful list (ummm....  if we stick to it - life can get in the way around here), and has started to amass collections of things.  Sacred things.  Like these special rocks, carefully set up on the lid of Modge Podge.

This whole year (which is now almost half over - can you believe it?!) I've been part of a Ravelry group called Stash & Burn, which has been running a NaKniAnyMoDo - basically, set some goals at the beginning of the month, and then try to fulfill them.  I'm finding it terribly motivating, and when I read about Ali's Summer Knitting Goals Contest, I knew I was in. 

Here, then, are my summer knitting goals: 

• Copper Penny Socks from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn
• Sidelines Top from IK Fall 08
• Sabine, by Julie Weisenberger
• Knit some other pair of socks, possibly for one of the kids
• Finish the Palette scarf I started on my way to Hawaii, or rip it out and find a better purpose for the yarn.

Writing all these things down suddenly make my goals seem kind of big - what do you think, can I do it? 

Was, Wasn't, Will Be Again

 

 

Katie has been telling me that all the girls at school are wearing these triangular scarves draped around their neck, and it might be nice if she had one, too.  A scarf?!  For Katie?!  But of course!  Naturally, I turned to my stash, and the wonders of Ravelry, rather than the mall.

I dug up some Shine that I had sitting around, and whipped up Reclamation by Stephanie Japel.  Er - I thought I'd whipped it up, but it turned out she had dreamed of a larger version.  No big, I thought, I'll just undo the cast off, and add on.  Super easy. 

Then the soft yarn snagged on a zipper pull, and I changed the plan to unravelling a bunch, but not all of the scarf, and adding on.  Still pretty easy.

Today?  Today the much smaller triangle is nowhere to be seen.  Liam was carrying it around for a while, and it was last seen with Brian (on his head, the story goes), but does anyone know where it is now?  No.  No idea.  Fruitless searching.  Frustrated mom, ranting about messy houses where no one picks up after themselves.  

Now?  More peaceful mom, with a new ball of yarn, and a new beginning.  It was, then it wasn't, but it will be again.  

TCT - Challenge Yourself

My sister has been on a big kick lately - figuring out personality types.  It turns out (after having her ask me questions over the phone), I'm a blend of Type A & B, which sounds about right to me.  The little blurb at the end of the test commented that I can be mellow, but appreciate the spice of a challenge in my life.  This really does hit the nail on the head for me; one thing that I find important in my life is to live peacefully and accept what's going on around me, but also to find ways to challenge myself all the time.  If I go too long without a challenge, I get restless and feel stagnant.

This, of course, is one of the things I most love about knitting.  I love that there is always something more to learn, something new to try.  Over the last year, I've kept busy with comfort knitting, but have recently begun to feel the need to push myself a bit again.  With that in mind, I've cast on this week for the Almeara Gloves in the latest Vogue Knitting.  

 

    

I chose a yarn that I thought would be hard wearing, and suitable with both of my winter coats; I ended up using Patons Classic Wool, in Black Tweed.  This is a charcoal-ey yarn, with flecks of every bright colour you can think of.  The yarn itself is very nice to work with, and I think will make soft, warm gloves.

This project involves several new-to-me elements.  I have not tried knitting gloves before, nor have I ever knit such complicated cables, and especially not from a chart.  Whew!  I need kid-free knitting time to work on these, and find myself flexing my ankles and pointing my toes at the ceiling when I sit working on them.  After an evening long session the night before last, I drove Stuart crazy tossing and turning in bed, dreaming about cable crossings.  Still, the challenge is invigorating, and I love diving deep into a project like this.

What are you doing to challenge yourself this month?

PS - Just wanted to give you a heads up on a yarn giveaway - While Tangerine Dreams lives here in BC, and spins beautiful art yarn.  She's giving a lovely Valentine-ish skein away right now!  (She also has a scrumptious baby boy, if you like that sort of thing.)