Hey all – long time no write! Summer sucked me in and spit me back out again – I can’t believe September is already here – packing lunches and homework again. Neither of these two activities rates high on my list of favourties due to the amount of knitting time lost during a year!

The boy has entered Grade 4, and the girl Grade 6 (eek! that is kind of officially pre-teen country isn’t it?). Two days in and neither is particularly impressed with the experience.

What I’m knitting

On the knitting front there has been progress. The Swallowtail Shawl in my handspun is done and I couldn’t be more pleased. The colour changes are gorgeous and the repeats were long enough that I got several rows out of each colour even towards the long end of the knitting.

Pattern: Evelyn Clark’s Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits, Fall 2006
Yarn: Handspun from 100g of Blue Faced Leicester from Fleece Artist
Needles: KP Options in 3.5 mm

I am still plugging away on the Print O the Wave from Eunny Jang in Handmaiden Sea Silk…no sideways pics of this though. I am more than halfway through the repeats on the main body and will have to contemplate the border – somehow I am NOT keen on picking up 8 gazillion stitches around the edge.

Lastly – I am making some progress on my Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits…granted that it doesn’t look like much but the Berroco Ultra Alpaca is terrific to knit…

Colour is darker and more heathery than it looks here…love love love…cross fingers it will fit.

In my mailbox

I participated in the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenany this summer and received this awesome package from my downstream pal…whose email I am looking for right now – I will credit with an actual name and link but my brain has big holes in it!

Anyway – here is the package of goodness:

That’s a huge 8oz bit of spinning fiber from Crown Mountain Farms – the blue yarn on the left is my pal’s own handspun – pretty pretty blues and greens and very very soft. The sock yarn on the right is her own handdyed (damn I wish I had a link for you to her etsy shop…next time!). There were also two bars of soap (lavender and almond – yum!!!), some lindt chocolates (not shown…um possibly devoured at this point) and a cute little notepad that says “Homespun” on the top.

My own upstream pal was in England, moving to Australia next week so my fingers are crossed she’ll get her parcel in time!

Spinning…span…spun!

More Fleece Artist – this is wool-silk in lovely browns, copper and burgundy/pink. I am spinnign thin again and now that I figured out what was going wrong the last time I tried to ply with thread, I’m going to try again.

Dye party

I spent Sunday dyeing my little heart out. A pound and a half of silk and a pound of merino-tencel blend. I am hoping to update the shop in the next few days and then I will be going on hiatus for about three months as I start French language training half days in the hopes of meeting the language requirements for my new position before Christmas. I suspect that blog updates will also be scarce and while I’ll be reading other blogs I probably won’t be commenting much (not a big change from the summer!) I am hoping to show you the Rambouillet that Chris and I are processing and to confess I had little stumble and am the proud owner of two unbelieveably gorgeous BFL fleeces that need to get cleaned and put away while the weather is still nice.

Here’s a little taste of what I dyed up…

These are 3 of the merino-tencel rovings…shininess due to the flash on the first two.

Take care!

The new job is kicking me in the rear. I can’t explain why. It isn’t far off what I was doing before…just…more.

Anyway – here is the loveliest of merino I received as part of a fibre swap. This is from woolydaisy. Isn’t it pretty! The top on top (heh heh…aren’t I the funny one) is garnet and the bottom is topaz (coincidentally my birthstone) – I’ m having stripped mitten thoughts…

Thanks woolydaisy!!!

Next…tranquil Canadian summer pictures….

Sigh…I just wanna go back. There was chipmunk (named Chippie…what else!) that would eat from your hand if you were still enough. There was knitting and spinning on the screened in porch. And best of all? There was a guest cabin where the kids hung out. Kind of like the kids table at family dinners but EVEN BETTER.

At some point the knitting/spinning adventures will get updated included, but not limited to:

- a finished Swallowtail shawl out of handspun

- self-striping yarn in four colours – hand dyed and handspun

- the fleece I bought with Chriss - I have learned that when it comes to processing your own fleece, clean is a relative term.

Happyish Monday!

Yeah…there’s no denying Handmaiden Fine Yarn

That’s Casbah - a gateway yarn if I ever felt one. It is so soft that it has been living on my computer desk for regulary snuggling.

And this might be some Sea Silk - destined to be one of these (and its all Leanne and Nancy’s faults). Plus mine for needing to join everyone on the bandwagon.

There’s more – I updated my Ravelry stash if you have access and want all the gory details – I’m too embarrassed to roll it all out here at once. But I went to Knitter’s Frolic…and it was an excellent way to part with some of my tax return.

In the done-with-that Department, we have Icarus.

Icarus from Interweave Knits from Summer 2006 – which I knit in about 6 weeks – breaking my all time knitting record.

Last weekend I ended up – through a series of coincidences – do a spinning demonstration at the Canada Agriculture Museum (click for cute cows). In about 6 hours I spun up just under 100 grams of some South African Fine I had dyed last year. I chose really bright colours because I knew there would be tons of little kids. The funnest part was watching the kids get completely mesmerized by the wheel. They would walk in and literally sink to the floor. Had I known the wheel had so much power over toddlers I would have bought one a LONG time ago!!!

And lastly – Madeline and I went to Toronto a few weeks ago (conveniently when Knitter’s Frolic was happening) and delivered the Tomten Jacket to its rightful owner.

Miss Ava – 9 months and the best model a knitter could ask for…

With Icarus done I’ve turned my sights on the Susie Hoodie from More Big Girl Knits. This will be the first sweater I have ever made for myself. I am nervous about my gauge (.25 of a stitch less than the 17 called for) but I think when the waist decreases are done I’ll take it off the needles and make sure it isn’t too big.

And if it is…I guess I’ll have to eat more.

Edited to add: Wanna-Baa reminded me of these great pics…amazing what 9 months can do for a baby (scroll way down)

Tomtem jacket – done! Pics don’t include buttons but I will save that for when the jacket is modeled by its rightful owner…

Pattern? EZ’s Tomten Jacket as described in Knitting Without Tears

Yarn? KnitPicks Bare DK Superwash – hand-dyed with Profast Acid Dyes in coordinating colours

Needles? Boye 4.5 mm straights

Sudden appearance of spacing between lines? Blogger.

Jacket back – love me some hood!

Lastly – a recipe…

Prepare 9×13 baking dish.

Turn to stove and begin to preheat.

Turn back to baking dish.

Voila!

Cassoulet de chat noir

I recommend a nice Pinot Noir.

If you aren’t sure, the symptoms associated with “January” are:

1. Regret at having foregone making resolutions because it’s now the end of January and you haven’t even failed at anything yet.
2. Sore toes from kicking the humungous block of ice stuck to the bumper behind the back tire on your car.
3. A bill from the repair shop because even though you finally got the ice off the bumper? It also took out the electrical wires that run the brake lights.
4. A nagging sense of not moving forward.
5. Sick of all your hand-knitted winter stuff? Yeah, me too.
6. Inability to even imagine what being warm when outside feels like.
7. The realization that even a touch of beige would brighten things up outside.
8. You recognize winter festivals for what they are: pathetic attempts by the establishment to keep the masses from becoming angry (and therefore riotous and looting) as winter grinds on and on and on and on…

Just me?

Anyway – there is some knitting happening. But there is also a BUDGET.

And as any knitter knows, the budget has many drawbacks but the worst of it is the need to knit from stash. And spin from stash. Back before the Great Money Sucking Kitchen Renovation of 2007, I pulled out the spinning stash and people? I may not have knitting stash beyond life expectancy but I would if I spun up everything!

So for my next post (i.e. when I am NOT blogging on company time) I will get some purty dyeing pictures up for you…and some WIPs.

No FOs though…cause everyone knows that when you are on a severely restrictive yarn diet the only sanity lies in casting on as much of the stash as possible.

Just me?

Dyed Wool!

On the 4th, the loveliest of hostesses J at After Asia invited the Ottawa knitters to her place in the country for a day of dying on her lawn. In addition to J, there was Leanne of the fabu Kitchener Stitch (among her many talents), Sarah whose Klaralund I to covet, Linda, Nancy, a few more knitters (and a spinner) I never managed to introduce myself to.

We got together ostensibly to dye, but also to say goodbye to Tara who is off on a two-year assignment to Sudan and Mairie who is moving to Toronto and is one of the most exquisite knitters I have ever met. Far better knitters than I have wonderful pics on their blogs – check out Leanne and Nancy above. Grieve for Nancy who loves kittens but couldn’t take one home.

I had Alex with me…and two skeins of KnitPicks Bare fingering weight merino (you may decide which I felt was more important – why ruin the fun!). I let him choose the colours for the first skein from the acid dyes. It turned out beautifully!

I dyed the second skein with Kool-Aid, and less satisfactory results. Leanne and I agreed…it was definitely meh.

Dyed More Wool!

Since we both had skeins we were less than happy with, Leanne came to my house last night and we overdyed. I managed to turn the Meh Skein into something a bit funkier by immersion dyeing it in a diluted violet without too much stirring – it has an almost tie dyed quality now. And I like it much better…I think.

Got Ravelrized!

Come on by and visit if you are there too – screen name is ambergem after this lovely girl

Developed Startitis!

Oh Jeanne I am envying you and your August UFOs!! (good work though – don’t let me stop you – I am just wondering why it is that for every one you finish I seem to cast one on?)

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool in Raspberry
Needles: 4.5 mm
Pattern: Seamless Raglan from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Without Tears and Knitting Workshop

FOs! FOs! More and more FOs!

Baby Ava’s Baby Surprise Jacket got done and not a moment too soon. It is so small that if her mother doesn’t put it on her RIGHT NOW, the difference between a baby sweater and one for a teddy bear is probably only one feeding away. Hopefully I will have pics soon but in the meantime, here is the finished product. In retrospect I wish I had done a crocheted edge around the neck.

Yarn: KnitPicks Palette – leftovers from Northern Lights Mittens
Needles: 4.00 mm Options
Pattern: Baby Surprise from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop

And when you feel like all your projects are HUGE and will never get done…then its usually time to whip up a washcloth or two.

Spun!

I have been spinning a bit – right now I have some of this incredibly slick copper coloured superwash merino I purchased at The Black Lamb when I bought my wheel. I am spinning it quite thin and thinking narrow lacy scarf thoughts.

And finally…spinning that is a lot less crafty!

Last Tuesday I suddenly started to get quite dizzy. Turns out I am suffering from a benign positional vertigo – a huge improvement over the inoperable fast-growing cancerous tumour I was fretting about (we like to practice extreme self-diagnosis in my family). Basically I can do weird exercises and try to dislodge some loose particles in my inner ear that is disrupting the fluid and causing me to feel off balance.

All I can say is…whhheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Some people have to take drugs to feel like this!!!!

On Friday I start two weeks of holidays…and not a moment too soon!

Warning – the following paragraph may contain whining.

I hate my job right now and the petition to remove the Board at my condo has been received and Deposal Day is August 27th. I’m not sure if I am looking forward to it or not. And it going 35 degrees today with a humidex of 45 – which registers as “Disgusting” on the Weasley thermometre.

Done! Thanks for hanging in there!

Now the good stuff.

First of all — I was blissfully unaware that August 1st is the best day of the whole year. For some, this day is Christmas, for others the beginning of tax season and for still others its the first day of school.

For me its the day a very very important book arrives in my mailbox. I am saving the reading until I am ready. Ready will be a quiet house. The cats are resting so nothing is going to get broken. I have a steaming cup of coffee beside me. Then its time to dive in. Time to dive, straight and deep, right into the heart of the IKEA catalogue. Harry Potter is just going to have to wait.

Next up – an FO!!!

Northern Light mittens from Knitpicks - knit as shown with the same colours (yarn is Palette). Knit on dpns of unknown size (thicker than socks though – maybe a 4mm or so). I love them with a fondness that is bordering on unnatural. They were a fun, if not quick knit. My fairisle sucks big time but they shore do look purty from afar!

I so loved the colourway – and had so much left over – that I immediately embarked on my next bit of obsessive knitting…

Pretty no?

Is this one more clear?

Its Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Surprise Jacket. Everything you have heard about brilliant design? EZ’s genius? ALL true.

In order to knit this, I had to put aside my Mystery Stole. I am on Clue 3 and as of Friday will be completely behind when Clue 5 is released.

The excitement and speculation are mounting – cause Melanie is going to reveal the theme that day to the Yahoo group. (by the way, my guess is the elements – the border looks like water – the graphical bit like wind, then flames above the diagonal lines…and the next bit looks like rocks to me)

Both of these have shoved aside the Dale Fairisle Sweater with Scary Steeks…

I love love love the lace on these. They are a bit loose – which is worrying me in a nagging way I am choosing to ignore and will cast on the second one anyway – but I had to add 1/3 more stitches – not only because I have Fred Flintstone feet (wide, flat and easily double your vehicle acceleration) but because the pattern is ridiculously small. Note to self: pedicure!

Here’s a lacey closeup.

There’s plenty of other projects floating around – like Lizard Ridge (4 blocks knit – a zillion to go)

The nagging voice in my head is telling me to get ready for work. I must obey the voice.à

Edited to add at 1:09 p.m. – I am 14 people away from Ravelry!!!! Tonight? Tomorrow? Can I elbow people out of the way virtually?

I went to Canada’s Wonderland with the dear son and proved that 37 isn’t too old to go on a ride that made me think I was going to die. Actually – this is more accurate. Except that in addition to the screaming I heard Alex say, “THIS IS AWESOME!!!!” That’s when I knew I was in big trouble.

We had a great time. I conquered my fear (over and over and over and over). We ate crap. We spent a lot of time in line and upside down. I got soaked on the water ride. It was all good.

Our first day Alex and Luke connected over foam building blocks. Alex built and Luke destroyed. All was well in the world. Luke had a new hero. Although Alex later admitted to Luke’s mom that Luke had more energy than he had.

The day before was far more sedate. Day one was a trip to the Toronto Zoo. I love the zoo. Alex loved the zoo but Alex did not like all that walking. What he did like was taking pictures. He took photos of everything. I had to step in and take pictures though because his intentions are great but his execution is not so wonderful. We wandered for about 5 hours and I had to agree that my legs were getting pretty tired too.

I can’t help but think that this polar bear is thinking “These people look delicious!”

This was a yarn-free trip because Alex is not a kid who likes a yarn store. In fact, unless it is a video rental place or carries video games, Alex is distinctly unhappy about shopping of any kind. So we did kid stuff. It was really nice to connect with him on stuff we both like. As he gets older and becomes more boyish – and I get more fibre-y in my choice of pastimes – we are connecting less and less. Although he is a lot more interested in spinning than Madeline is. He wants to know how the wheel works, what plying is etc. He asks interesting questions!

This week I have the kids in camp for three days while I paint — its slow going — mostly because I lack the resolve to work at it for more than an hour or two at a time.

There has been knitting going on – but not much to actually show.

I did manage to turn this:

Into this:

That’s the Couleurs de Provence colours. It is gorgeous and will be off, shortly, to Jeanne who was brave enough to admit to a love of self-patterning sock yarn. I am very pleased with it – particularly since I don’t generally like the colours of commercial sock yarns.

I can tell you that skeining self-patterning sock yarn is the most agonizing and irritating of jobs. Having to do it twice because the skeinwinder umbrella thingy collapsed causing all kinds of knots and generally ickiness may have cause a temper tantrum that is, in retrospect, somewhat embarrassing.

Its kid mohair-silk-nylon boucle – 400metres per skein for $12.99. Serious bargain compared to the Fleece Artist Goldilocks (which is likely better quality – but WAYYYY more expensive). It is dyeable and the PLAN (now I have one!) is to spin up enough corriedale for a carrying yarn, dye it all and make my sister the shawl I will reluctantly turn into a poncho – cause she’s my sister and I love her even though ponchos are just SO 2003. This is for the girl who wears dresses over jeans and for whom hair colour is…optional.

Now I want a drum carder. I also had a wonderful time chatting with other knitters and spinners around me including the delightful Christine of Daisychains and Buttercups. Please go say hello and wish her luck – she is up to her elbows washing the Shetland fleece she bought at St. Distaff’s.

Home Depot had these fantastic Safari storage boxes – with windows! – and I bought eight of them to manage the stash – the knitting stash mind you. Here is the fabulous stash all organized – one box for sock yarn, one for current projects on the needles, another for orphaned skeins and one for large amounts meant for a single project.

Pattern: From Sheep in the City

Final prerequisite cuteness…

I took the kids to Parc Omega on Sunday – and I just want you to know that when I grow up I want an Arctic wolf cub for a pet. I have never seen anything so cute in my entire life. The cub was chasing butterflies around…I’d put up the picture but I don’t have a telephoto lens and he or she is barely visible against the ground.

Here is some homegrown cuteness for you though –

Next week I have an order coming from KnitPicks…I can hardly wait!!