Knitting In The North

Winner

One of the podcasts I listen to, Socks in the City, recently had a contest, and I was a winner!  I feel so fortunate, I've won a couple of contests over the last year or so, and the prizes are always so fun!

The prize Carrie sent was a skein of Austermann Step, in colourway 27.  This is a great blend of black, orange, magenta and purpley blue.  I'm thinking Katie would really love a pair of socks in this, and I'll probably have enough to make a pair for Gwenyth, too!  I really like working with the Step yarn, it's very soft.

If you haven't checked out this podcast before, and you like knitting socks, I recommend you check it out.  Carrie is a lot of fun, and very enthusiastic about sock yarn, and different patterns.

Hey, guess what?  The doorbell just rang as I was writing this, and it was my postman, bringing me the yarn for my maternity sweater!  Hooray!  Now, I just need to feel well enough to knit!  Think healthy, non-nauseous, non-dizzy thoughts for me - I've been feeling pretty rough the last little bit, and haven't even been able to knit for the last two days!  You know things are really bad when that happens.  I want to knit, but when I sit and look at it, I feel dizzy and tired, so I'm giving myself a bit of a break.  But I'm so close to finishing Brian's car sweater (I'm on the second sleeve!), that I really want to get it done for him.  And get this sweater done for me!  Pretty soon, I'm going to need it!

Fall Colours

• My knitting in the last week or so has been hurried - lots of little things that "need" to be done.  Interestingly enough, this is also what it's been like at home.  I feel like we've not accomplished much in any particular areas, but have completed lots of little "must do" tasks.  All good, and necessary, but there's not a big feeling of accomplishment when your day is filled with 5 minute jobs, and your knitting is full of one day projects.
• Hats.  Lots and lots of hats.  My knitting group is part of the women's ministry for a local church, and so we contribute knitted items for the church's annual Fall Fair.  I have several hats in the bag so far, and a couple of more in the wings.  It all needs to be handed in this Wednesday night, so with the deadline looming, my hands are constantly holding needles with little things on it.  Although I will confess my selfishness - even though I am not expecting a baby, there is one hat, made from the leftovers of my green Horcrux socks, that I simply cannot part with.  I love it deeply.
• Baby, baby, baby.  Most of the hats are baby sized, but I'm also working on a sweater (this is the back of it, here) for my friend who had a baby.  The gift I made her was very neutral, leaning towards "boy colours", but when I saw this yarn months ago, I knew it would be wonderful for my friend.  This little sweater is occupying my non-hat-knitting knitting moments.
• That Darn Robe is making slow progress.  I refuse to accept that my fascination with the baby knits is in any way a purposeful distraction from the miles of stocking stitch.  To prove that I have not forgotten this project, I keep it sitting on the end table in our living room.  It won't stop looking at me.
• I'm always watching for "knitting content" in books and movies, and found a new knitting moment this week!  I've recently started reading a series of books called the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, and in my reading the other night, the Scottish husband couldn't believe his wife didn't know how to "clickit".  All children, boys and girls, were taught to knit their own stockings, and the men thought it was very funny to have to teach her.  I was amused at how excited I was to see knitting mentioned in an unrelated fiction book.
• In the podcast category, I've discovered a new one that I'm deeply in love with!  The Creative Mom Podcast is really amazing.  Amy does knit, although so far I haven't heard a lot of knitting content; still, her thoughts on creativity, and encouragement to step outside our comfortable and established mediums have been wonderful.  She also has an excellent speaking voice, and wonderful taste in music.  A weekly podcast, there are 60 some archived episodes, and I'm slowly rationing them out, hating the thought that one day I'll be all caught up, and have to wait a whole week for the next one.  Kind of like that feeling when you discover some talented author you'd never heard of before, and go crazy reading everything ever written by him/her, and then have to wait a year for the next book to come out.
• I've started a new creative exercise, partly inspired by the above podcast, of journaling something I see each day that speaks to me.  For myself, I'm using this as an opportunity to develop my relationship with God, so am looking for either moments when I see God working in my day, or insights into the Character of God.  It's been an excellent discipline as well as a creative outlet for me, although each day I'm wishing to express myself more and more, and I get frustrated when there's just not enough time in the day for it.  Maybe I should look a little closer for the Character traits of Patience and Acceptance, eh?
• Hooray!  I was just about to post this, when I heard the dog barking, and looked to see the postman walking up the path.  I ran quickly to open the door before he could ring the bell and wake the napping babies, and was rewarded to receive my first installment of the Woolgirl Sock Club!  I've never taken part in a club like this before, and have been impatiently waiting my first delivery.  When I saw the address on the parcel, I must have looked very happy, because Brian asked me who it was for.  I said, "Me!"  He looked at me with a smile, and asked, "What is it?"  "What do you think it is," I bantered.  He sighed, "Yarn?"  "Yup," I replied gleefully.  He looked at me a little reprovingly.  "Mom," he said, "you can't always get yarn!"

Pod Stalking

Last year, Stuart gave me an iPod Nano for Mother's Day.  I will admit, I had no idea whatsoever what I would do with such a thing.  At the time, I only had heard of Cast On, by Brenda Dayne.  I had a nice little ritual - once a week, while Brian was at preschool, I put Gwenyth down for a nap, curled up in the sunshine, and knit while I listened.  I've made many more podcast discoveries since then - here are some of my favourites:

1. 1) Obviously, Cast On has to top the list - it would seem almost sacrilegious to have it any other way!

2) Stash and Burn is also wonderful - Jenny and Nicole are great, and I love being encouraged to work through some of my stash.

3) Changelings Knit and Stitch is a new favourite - she's only put out a few episodes, but this Australian has some great features.  I love the Thrifty Crafter segment!

4) Sticks and String is also by an Australian, who reminds me so much of my husband, it's not even funny!  Well, except for the knitting.  He's a pretty established podcaster now, and has some really awesome musical selections.

5) If you like to cook as well as knit, check out  The Knitting Cook!  Faith also spins, and I love hearing what she has to say about fibre and food things.

6) I'm going to sneak this one in as well, it's a brand new podcast called Knit Therapy.  I don't know if she has a site yet, but this is Kim, my recent ISE 4 pal.  It's so much fun learning more about someone like this, and it was a big thrill here when she mentioned me, and the scarf I sent her, on her most recent episode. :0)  If you search for Knit Therapy on iTunes, it should pop right up!

What about you?  Do you listen to podcasts?  Any of your favourites I might not know about?  Did I share any new ones with you?  I'd love to hear about it!

Happy knitting news today - I finished the Cool Hemp Ponchette last night.  It is currently drying, and I hope to beg Stuart to take a shot at a flattering modeled photo as soon as it's ready to go.  I'm waiting for this kit to arrive, so in the meantime I'm working on my ankle socks, and I started Knit and Tonic's Dream Swatch headwrap/scarfy thing out of the ball of Rowan Tapestry I bought in Calgary.  So, I'm managing to keep busy, even though I'm impatient.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention - I'm trying not to have picture-less posts if I can help it.  I had no fibre goodness to share today, so above is a shot of my rose bush, in front of the blooming lilacs.  Mmmm, this is my favourite time of year for my front garden.