Knitting In The North

Under The Wire

Whew!  I've been knitting my fingers to the bone the last few days, and have just made it!  Here, my Panda Wool socks, finished in time to be my August contribution to Sock a Month 4 (I'm pretty sure I'm the very last pair of the month!).

I followed the toe up sock tutorial by Ann Budd in the Summer Interweave Knits.  I didn't do any mods, although the knee socks ended up not quite as long as I was hoping they would be (I used only 2 balls of Panda Wool).  This is okay, since after we returned home, Jeannie tried sock #1 on, and loved them.  They fit her perfectly, and just seem to suit her, so I've lost another pair!  First Katie, now Jeannie.  The next ones are definitely for me!  This is kind of a goofy picture, but I'll make sure to get Jeannie to model them for me - her birthday is coming up soon, so I might make her wait for them until then!

Vacation Gluttony

During our holiday, I had the pleasure of teaching Stuart the finer points of a good yarn crawl.  We really only visited three different stores, but one involved a ferry ride, so I figure that counts for bonus points.

Fun Knits is a place I'd heard a lot about, so I was really excited to take the ferry over to Quadra Island and pay a visit.  I spent a nice hour or so there, exploring and visiting, and found a few treasures I couldn't leave without:

 

Here are two big balls of Hemp yarn, destined to be the Hemp Bag in No Sheep for You, and some superwash fingering merino, which may be socks, or something else, like a small, lacy shawl.  Maybe this would be good for a Swallowtail?  It's almost too nice to make socks out of!

As we were driving through Campbell River, we happened across Needle & Arts Centre.  They were super friendly, and had a great selection, but to be honest, I was tired and getting yarned out that day!  Who knew it was possible?

We dropped by Uptown Yarns in Courtenay not once, but twice over the week!  I couldn't find a site for them, but the lady there assured me that they will post yarn if needed.

I picked up a ball of Phildar sock yarn in dark blue, to be the solid part of the Bees Knees pattern I bought to make for Gwenyth.  I also brought home a ball of Lanett superwash merino.  My thought was that if I used it as contrast toes and heels (and maybe cuffs, too?) with the blue-ish Lorna's Laces I ordered recently, I could stretch it a bit.  I didn't have the LL with me, so was just taking a shot in the dark, but they match perfectly!  I can't wait to give it a try.

Naturally, when I saw Panda Wool I had to get a couple balls, these are Jet Black.  I also found Regia Silk on sale, so picked up two of those, as well.

There was a sale bin of Light Lopi!  I have heard a lot about this yarn, so didn't want to pass it up.  There are three balls of red and two of white, and I'm envisioning some crisp colourwork.

This one skein of Sweatermaker handspun was too good to resist!  I came away with a pattern for a cabled headband, and the shop lady said she figured I would get two bands out of one skein.  Or maybe a baby hat?  We'll see.  The bamboo needles are 4.5mm, since last time I needed a pair that size, I found at least three pairs of 4.0mm, and no 4.5mm ones.  The rosewood needles are 5.5mm, and a special treat (from Fun Knits, though, not Uptown Yarns).  I bought them to knit my scarf out of the Sea Silk that I bought for my birthday - Sea Silk on rosewood needles sounds like the height of luxury to me!

I have heard Peg mention the $2.00 sale bin at her LYS, so of course I had to check it out!  And look at the yarny goodness I found!  Five balls of Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran, and one ball (I can't remember exactly what is was) of a brown/blue blend to make Katie a winter hat.  I'm thinking just a basic rolled brim would be great - she values simplicity, just like her Mum.

Phew!  Are you tired out yet?  I know I am!  What a lot of goodies - I feel so spoiled, which is good, since I'm pretty sure this is my last yarn purchase until next year!  At least I'll have lots to keep me busy, right? 

 

The Kindness of Friends

If you know Ruth already, then you know about the amazing visit we had on my trip home from the Island.  We planned to travel home through Whistler, instead of the usual highway that we take up north, both because we'd never been there before, and also because Ruth lives there.  Ruth and I have come to know each other over the last year and a half or so, through our blogs.  I can't remember how I first stumbled across her site, but I know I stopped to have a read because she lived in Saskatchewan (then), and I'm always interested in other Canadian knitters.  What I discovered, though, was not just a fellow knitter, but an amazingly creative woman, who I am so pleased to now call a friend.

Ruth and her family were incredibly welcoming; the kids all got on like a house on fire (and at times sounded a bit like, well, a house on fire).  Rob prepared the most amazing meal, which we ate outside:

Because it was chilly, and I had planned poorly, I had the special honour of wearing the Noro sweater during my stay - it was wonderfully warm and comfortable, and now I think I'll have to make one of my own, one day.  Funnily enough, the plan had been to cozy up and knit together, and this didn't really happen.  We did, however, have wonderful knitting conversation, looked at WIPs and stash, and tried to ignore the men muttering asides in the background when we discussed the different techniques.  I consider myself blessed indeed to have made such a friend, and all through the wonders of blogging.

Home Sweet Home

We made it!  I have so many things to talk about, I'm not sure where to start, so I'll likely be breaking it all down and sharing bits and pieces over the next little while.  We ended up leaving on Saturday the 18th, encountered much rain and chill at first, had some ferry crossing drama, loved the island (as always, Courtenay is our most favourite place ever), had an amazing trip home, including a very special visit with a very special person, and arrived home Sunday night. 

To make a long story short (too late!), there was a lot of this:

Quite a bit of this:

A little bit of this (picture for my Mum, to prove that I really do "camping stuff" like wash dishes):

And as much as possible of this:

All in all, a wonderful time away, but I'm glad to be home.  Now there's the huge task of laundry and clean up, but we'll survive that, too, I'm sure.

As everyone always says, I didn't have as much knitting time as I hoped.  Even during the driving in the truck, I spent time knitting, but I also read, and there were a few hours each way during which I had to sit, quietly breathing, and watching the horizon (the twisty mountain roads can really get to me at times).  I did, however, finish the Eyelet Cardigan, including weaving in the ends, and finish the first of my Panda Wool socks (there's a story to the socks, but I'll save this for another day, too).  I did manage a small "yarn crawl", and enjoyed some stash enhancement which I will also share with you soon!  For now, I'm off to knit, clean, and do laundry (probably in that order)!

Let the Finishing Begin!

You know the labels you can assign to each post?  Is it just me, or is almost every single entry of mine tagged "Stash"?  Hmmm.

My Kpixie order arrived today!  Hello, yarn!

Goodbye, laundry, camping preparations, housework!  The Blue Sky Cotton is a different dye lot than what came in the kit, but so far I don't see a big difference between the two lots.  I'm hoping that using this one skein for all the finishing will help it not be too noticeable!  Also, see the extras!  Two skeins of Lorna's Laces, both closeouts, plus a skein of the famous Tofutsie yarn!  There was also a little something else, but it's for a gift for a friend of mine who's expecting, so you'll have to wait until next month to see that.  Come to think of it, maybe that's what I should take along with me on our trip!  What do you think?

Sockapalooza Goodness!

They're here!  I've been watching so many bloggers receive their amazing Sockapalooza socks, and I admit, I've been a little green with envy.  How fitting, then for these amazing green (and blue) socks to show up in my mailbox!

My (sadly, blogless) swap pal, Adrienne (in England) knit these awesome, comfy socks from Colinette Jitterbug.  They fit perfectly, and the colours are happy and fun, and go great with my jeans.  She included a set of sock stitch markers, and a little postcard.  Thank you so much, Adrienne!  I love them!

My mother in law and I had fun deconstructing the pattern, paying close attention to the heel.  (Mary was just starting the heel flap on her first sock yesterday, so heels are all good.)  It was also very satisfying to show both my in-laws what Welsh sock wool looks like now.  On our visit to my LYS this week, there was a pair of thick woolen socks (knit from Briggs and Little Tuffy, or something like that) on display, and she told me that this is what she expected when she heard I was knitting socks.  What a big difference, eh?

My own knitting has been a bit slow this week.  Between getting things ready for our Great Camping Adventure, spending time with Stuart's family, and just feeling restless and escaping the house every night after the kids were in bed, not much knitting has been done.  Still, I've been slowing progressing up the leg of my Panda Wool socks. I'm using the knee sock pattern from Summer 2007 IK, and am including the M1 increase up the back of the leg.  I'm not sure exactly how tall these will be, though, as I'm just going to keep going until I almost run out of yarn.  (I feel like I've said all this already - are you getting tired of hearing it?) 

Travel knitting has also been on my mind this week.  I plan on taking Brian's orange and blue sweater, and the Panda Wool socks.  I think my knitting bag will also include a ball of Dugly-Uck yarn, just in case.  Although, really, I think perhaps Dave and I should just do a switch - I'm pretty sure my idea of a dugly uck colourway would be right up his alley, and vice versa.  It's amazing to me how knitters can encompass so much variety, both in what we knit, and in what form we knit it in.  Thank goodness, though - like the saying goes, how boring would life be if we all did it the same way!

My Compliments, Ann Bud

Stuart's parents are here, visiting from Ontario.  Stuart's mum, Mary (who is doing much, much better, and is totally back to her old self, if you remember all the health stuff from last fall) has been a knitter her whole life - I mean, really, I don't think it's possible to grow up in Wales and not be a knitter, you know?  Anyway, the last few years, she has moved away from knitting, which was a bit sad for me, as this was just as I was growing to love the craft, and I had hoped we would be able to share this.  It's a bit tricky marrying into a traditional Welsh family, when you are not very... traditional.  (I did produce a grandson with all possible haste, which smoothed things greatly, but still.)

Mary was completely surprised by the things I knit, by the patterns and yarn that you can buy now, and was deeply fascinated by my Panda Wool socks.  At first, she looked with a bit of interest.  Then she looked some more.  When I told her about the kids' Christmas Knitting requests, she thought that perhaps she could knit something up for one of them.  We looked through my box of wool, and made plans to go down to the LYS one day this week.

But this sock, well, Mary had never seen anything like this before!  This was not some thick wool thing, that she used to hate to knit.  This was pretty, and colourful, and had bamboo in it!  Then I pulled a dirty trick - I brought out my sock yarn bin. Just so she could have a look, you know?  Before you knew it, she had chosen a couple of balls, I had needles in her had, and we had pulled out Knitting Rules, so she could follow along Stephanie's basic sock pattern.  It's not like I had to teach her anything, because the lady knows far, far more about knitting than I will ever forget, but it was a special feeling, sitting side by side on the couch, knitting on our socks.  Last Saturday, I was listening to an interview with Ann Bud on Knitpick's latest podcast episode.  She called herself an "evangelist" of sock knitting, and I was happy to share the love here!

The Eyelet Cardigan has had all the knitting completed, and I am still waiting for my last skein of yarn.  I was told that blocking it out ahead of time will help with the finishing process, so that's what I'm doing. 

In the meantime, I'm working away on my toe-up sock.  I did the heel this weekend, and am now climbing the leg.  (I know you love pictures, and I tried, I really did, but it just wasn't working - sorry.)  I don't know how far up I will get with these - I was hoping for knee socks, but I think I might run out of yarn before I reach the knee.  I guess I'll just keep going until I have to stop!  I am still in love with the Panda Wool, and am truly hoping I'll find some on my holiday to Vancouver Island next week.  You know, to avoid the shipping costs! 

And a big thank you, to all of you who offered to be my yarn broker.  You just don't know what you may have set yourself up for!  At least there are several of you, I'll have to put you into a rotation or something clever like that!   

The Curse Lives

I should have known it was too good to be true.  You remember how excited I was to start knitting myself the Eyelet Cardigan, how pleased I am with the pattern, how much I enjoy the yarn.  I should have known right then that I would get smacked, and smacked down hard.  The Curse could never allow me to simply knit myself a sweater!  This just can not be!

You saw all my progress, right?  I finished the back, knit the fronts, and moved on to the sleeves.  It was just as I was about to finish the first sleeve that I had a nasty thought.  I said to myself, "Self, you don't seem to have much yarn left!  What's that all about?"  I took a closer look.  Nope, I was right.  Not much yarn left.  I had a look at the pattern.  I still have the neckband and button bands to knit, and they are fairly wide and ribbed.  Wide and ribbed says to me that a whole lot of yarn is going to be needed.  Definitely more than the 70 or so yards I would have after finishing the second sleeve. 

You should know this - I have never run out of yarn.  I admit, I'm a little obsessive, usually, about ordering an extra ball or skein of whatever I'm using just in case.  And I almost always have two balls or skeins left over at the end.  I can not explain this, it just is.  I do tend to knit a little loose, but other than that, I have no explanation, until now.  Apparently, I was being set up for a major smackdown further along the road.  This is the first time I have ever bought a kit for knitting, and it didn't even occur to me to order an extra skein.  This is a kit, right?  They obviously know how much yarn I'm going to need!  Hahahahahaha. 

In a panic, I ripped out the first sleeve, and modified it slightly, eliminating the turn-back cuff, and shortening it a pattern repeat.  "Maybe this will do the trick," I told myself hopefully.

Nope.  I can not trick The Curse.  The Curse knows these little tricks.  All the little tricks.  Time to move on to the big tricks.  I hopped over to Kpixie to order myself another skein of the Blue Sky Cotton.  "It will all be okay, Self,"  I told myself.  Then I went to check out.  Did you know that the flat rate shipping to Canada is $15.00?  $15.00!  For one skein of yarn!  I shut it all down, close to tears.  I told Stuart my dilemma, and my plan to rip out the whole thing, and re-knit in the smaller size.  No, no, Stuart tells me.  Order the yarn I need, and to make the shipping costs worthwhile, order some other yarn, too!  You gotta love thinking like this, right?  So, a parcel is slowing grinding along the border winging it's way here, with a single skein of Blue Sky Cotton in Stone (please pray with me that the dye lot is not too drastically different), along with some "extra yarn", just to make the shipping costs worthwhile. 

At least we know every cloud has it's silver lining, right?  Or Tofutsie lining, as the case may be.

    

SP 11 Questionnaire

As the title suggests, here is my questionnaire for Secret Pal 11.  Obviously, if this is "been there, done that", skip on.  We're off to visit Barkerville tomorrow, and I hope to have lots of knitting to show for my time in the truck!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?  I made a pair of socks from Rowan Cashsoft that I love, and I really like Panda Wool; any soft, natural fibres are all good.  I'm not a total yarn snob, there are lots of synthetics that I like, but I hate anything novelty-ish or squeaky.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?  My straights are in a glass jar, my DPNs in a little pitcher, and the circs in a basket.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?  I've been knitting about a year and a half.  I'd call myself an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?  I have an Amazon.ca list

5. What's your favorite scent?  The ocean, or the air just after a rainstorm.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?  Chocolate, chocolate, more chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?  I spin, but try to restrict myself to these two hobbies.  There's only so much time, and so much to do!

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 a huge variety of music.  I find music extremely significant, and love stuff with meaningful lyrics.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?  Green, turquoise, blue - anything in that general area is my favourite, but I love most colours.  I'm not a big orange/yellow fan.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?  Married, three kids, one dog.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?  Yes

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?  Right now, I'm on a big sock thing. 

13. What are you knitting right now?  Blue Sky Eyelet Cardigan, sweater for my son, two pairs of socks, shawl for my mum.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?  Definitely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?  I prefer circulars to straights, but use them both.  I'm really into bamboo right now, although it can be tricksy to find up here.

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

17. How old is your oldest UFO?  A year?

18. What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?  Teapots, seashells

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've been longing to try Koigu - it drives me crazy that it's a Canadian yarn and I've never been able to get my hands on it!  I subscribe to Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?  I have the book Socks Soar on Circular Needles, and I really want to try this one out.  I am longing to try knitting lace, with real lace-weight yarn, but am completely intimidated by it.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?  Yes, I wear a ladies size 8 (North American sizes)

23. When is your birthday?  July

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?  Not yet, but soon!

Like Minds

A little bit ago, an old friend came for a visit.  She doesn't live here anymore, but was up visiting family, and we bravely merged our children for an afternoon.  (It was actually quite fun, and made me long to have a few more babies!  Our oldest three match quite well, being the same gender, and less than a year apart in each case.  When I asked Stuart, though, if it made him long for a huge family, he just laughed.)  What a treat to have someone sit down on my bed and rifle through my yarn basket!  (She also rifled my sock yarn bin, exclaiming with pleasure at a "new" yarn, or a particular colour.)  It did my heart good to spend some time in the company of someone who appreciates fibre the same way that I do.  I've often felt a bit envious when I read of other bloggers meeting up with friends "in real life", and have wished for a chance to do the same.  (If my plans work out, I'll have a few more chances later in the month on our camping trip to the Island.)  Like many knitters, I have stash packed away safely in bins, but the yarn in the photo I couldn't bear to put away.  It's too pretty, and I like to pet it every now and then, and gaze at it for inspiration.  Look, now, two more things to add to my Thankful List!  Good friends, and good yarn, what could be better?

We had an Interesting Learning Experience with Brian yesterday.  You see, a week or so ago, the big kids had their annual eye exam, and Katie is in need of a new pair of glasses.  We went into the vision centre to pick out some new frames, and while she was trying them on (and trying them on, and trying them on...), Brian fell in love with a pair of Spiderman frames.  They aren't anything too exciting, plain blue fronts, but have a web pattern on the arms, and his little heart struggles against the injustice that Stuart, Katie and I all wear glasses, and he doesn't.  Yesterday, we popped in to see if Kate's new specs were ready, and visited for a few minutes; then we headed off to the museum for some rainy day fun.  I had just settled down with my sock knitting, when I saw Brian run past in dress up clothes, including a pair of glasses.  "How strange," I thought, "I don't remember them having glasses to try on before?"  Then, I saw the price tag.  After a Very Serious Discussion on what it means to take something that doesn't belong to you, we packed up and headed back to the vision centre so Brian could apologize, and return the frames.  It was very sad for him, and very difficult, but he did it, and I'm glad.  Now, let's hope the poor little guy has learned this lesson!  Whew!