Evolved Yarn

Moving

2006-05-16T15:32:00.000-06:00

I've decided to move this blog. I haven't been focusing on knitting as much. I have been bouncing around between crafts like squirrel on coffee. So, I thought I would put together a general crafty blog. You can now find me at Caffeinated Crafts. See you there!!

Small stuff

2006-02-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting some small and quick projects to try to get back into a regular knitting pattern. Here are some pictures of them.

First is a picture of a simple scarf that I made for myself out of the Noro Cash Laine that I got from my first Secret Pal!!

Next were some fingerless lace-up opera gloves for DD#1. This pattern from Ysolda.me.uk is wonderful!! It was so easy to follow and they knitted up very quickly! I will definitely be making another pair!

The last thing that I finished was a watch band for DD#2. She had a watch from Old Navy that was on a sweatband. She loved it, but alas, it was not a good idea to wash it in the washing machine more than once! LOL!! So, when I saw a pattern for the same thing at Knitty, I just had to make her one. She loves it!!

Lastly, I have started making a Panta for DD#2. It is a really easy pattern by Naiara on the Craftster site
I should be done it tonight, but here is a picture of it in progress.

Well, that is it on the knitting front. Here in Calgary, it is snowing again. I was really enjoying the pretend winter we were having and am not to pleased with Mother Nature for sending us "real" winter!!! Oh well, the kids are enjoying it, so that is all that I can ask for LOL!!!

I'm alive!

2006-02-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know if anyone is still checking up on me here, but I am still alive. The xmas season took over and I never got back in the swing of writing on here. But I am finally finding some extra time again, so here I am!!!
There hasn't been too much knitting going on either. After doing xmas presents, I sort of needed a break. I made some fingerless gloves for DD#1 this week though and it was great getting back into something. I am making a watch band for DD#2 right now and will probably finish that tonight. Then I will pick up the Celtic Knot sweater again and try to get in a rythmn of finishing it. I think that I am not as interested in the design as I was when I started it, so it has stalled. I have also decided to frog One Baaad Poncho because I am not really the ponch type! There I have said it!! That feels so freeing! I will put up some pictures tomorrow of the gloves-- they are really great.
For now, it is great to be back!! Here's hoping that I will keep up on this!!

Look what I got!!!

2005-11-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Look what I got!!

I am soooo spoiled! My super Secret Pal sent me this beautiful, huge skein of mohair. It is a mohair, wool, nylon blend from Plymouth Yarn called Outback Mohair. I haven't ever seen this before. It is so beautiful and so soft and the skein has 220 yards on it!! My Secret Pal sent along a pattern for gloves and I think this yarn would be perfect for that! I also got a beautiful, sparkly pen and a homemade notebook!! I am so touched by these amazing gifts! Thank you Secret Pal!! I can hardly wait to find out who you are!!

With the weather getting colder here, I was thinking about making myself a new scarf. I decided to use the beautiful yarn that Anna from clickety click gave me for SP5, but I couldn't find a scarf pattern that did this alpaca justice. Then I came across the cowl inset collar from Frugal Haus. It is turning out really nice! It is oh so soft!! I can hardly wait for it to be done!!

Life has been busy here. The kids are running in all directions and I seem to be driving more lately - a lot more!! The snow is coming though, we've had a taste already, and I am not a snow driver. I am better off the roads at this time of year. It is time to cocoon, make soup and knit. I love this time of year!!

I'm Back!

2005-10-25T08:13:00.000-06:00

I'm here!!! My mother-in-law is safely home and life here has been trying to get back to normal. When did we get so busy??

I owe a huge thank you to my Secret Pal!! I'm sorry it has been so delayed!! I received a HUGE box in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited to receive such a big box and even more excited when I opened it up to reveal skeins and skeins and skeins of hand spun wool!!! I am so spoiled!! It is just perfect!! I feel so honored to receive such a wonderful handmade gift. I am going to figure out the exact yardage and then spoil myself or hubby (because he can't take his eyes off of it) with something special. Also in the box were some beautiful candles and Yarn Harlot's book "At Knit's End". It is a great read and hubby picks it up now and then as well and tells me about a certain passage LOL!! Secret Pal, THANK YOU!!!! I am so greatful for such a beautiful present! You are the best!!
In other knitting news, I have finished all my knitted xmas presents! Now I can get back to knitting for me LOL!! I have finished the back of the Celtic Knot sweater and have started on the front. I want to finish a few things because I have a few more that I would like to start. So many projects, so little time!!
We are having a Chinook right now which means temperatures are above normal so DH and the kids finished the picket fence around my garden!! I really didn't think that it was going to get done before next spring!! This also means that we can finish cleaning up the yard before winter hits. The kids are excited because we may actually not have snow and ice for Halloween! This will be a first since we moved to Calgary. (knock wood!!).
Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I will get to this more often!!

What Chick are You

2005-10-06T08:19:00.000-06:00

You are BELLA. Floating around in a cloud of
patchouli, you're all about peace, love, and
floaty shawls. You're quirky, generous and you
don't give an organic fig about fitting in.
Which is not to say you're not open to a little
adventure. You've been known to stray from your
vegetarian, new-age ways. Hey, as they say in
yoga class, happiness is all about balance.
Happiness is also your favorite yarn, the
softest alpaca in the world.

Which Chick Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Snow

2005-09-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to this.....

the first snow of the season. It's ok though, it is really just cold rain at this time of year. It was gone by 10am. It is the start of the season though, winter is going to be here soon. I have a feeling it is going to be a hard winter. It just seems to be in the air. Tomorrow, though, it is supposed to go up to 20C so it will be a beautiful day! Went to the dentist today and knit in the waiting room for an hour while DH and DD#2 were taking there turns. The receptionist there knits and remembered that I did, so I showed her what I was up to when I went in. It is sure nice running into other knitters.
It was a busy weekend. DH worked 2 days of overtime. DS started kickboxing again. DD#2 went climbing and is going to join the Junior Climbing Club and DD#1 went to a job fair for London Drugs. She had a 2 hour interview. It looks pretty positive! I am so proud of her!! She is such a great teenager!

Road trip and SP6

2005-09-22T20:00:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful visit with our friends up in Cold Lake this past weekend. The kids were all happy to see their friends again, as were the adults. The neighbourhood they moved into is great. There are alot of friendly families there. I do miss that neighbourhood feeling. Since our friends moved away, our neighbourhood has slowly dissolved. It doesn't seem to exist here. It is a shame, because there are some great families around here, but most of the kids are a lot younger than mine. We are so tempted to maybe move up there, but DH has a great job here, the winter up there is harder than here and I just don't know if I am up to another big move. There are so many thoughts running through my head!!
I have heard from my Secret Pal (HI!!!) and have sent word to my spoilee. I am just about ready to send off my first package. I find it so much fun to spoil someone else!! I wonder who my Secret Pal is this time!!
In knitting news, I am still working on my Celtic knot sweater. I have gotten back into it though and am almost finished the back. I can hardly wait to get to the cabling on the front! I haven't made much progress on the cabled shrug yet, I have to do that one when I'm not distracted and between the kids, dh and the new fall shows, that isn't happening very often LOL!!
Well, off to knit and watch the OC!! I will leave you with a picture of my crazy Daisy on the drive up to Cold Lake.

Willy Wonka

2005-09-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

I loved this movie. We own it and I *have* forced the kids to watch it over and over because it is go sood-- strike that, reverse it LOL!!!

Willy Wonka
Congratulations! You scored 82!

You are a true fan, or maybe you were forced to watch the movie over
and over again as a child. Who knows. Whatever the case, you should be
proud that you ranked so high on my charts.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 19% on Golden Tickets

Link: The True Willy Wonka Test written by pumpkinfish23 on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Catching up

2005-09-13T18:37:00.000-06:00

There has been a lot of blog reading going on here, but not a lot of blog writing. I think I am addicted to reading other peoples' blogs. There are so many wonderful, articulate and witty knitting bloggers out there. Sometimes it makes me feel a little inept and I think that is what keeps me from writing sometimes. I feel like I don't have as much interesting things to talk about and can't write as well. I've never been much of a journaler and creative writing wasn't my best subject. So, I need to get over the feeling that I am still in school (it has been a long time LOL!!) and just write for myself and to keep a record of my knitting and daily adventures.
So, what have I been up to? I have been enjoying my new coffee maker immensely. It is so easy and it makes great coffee. I love being able to pick the flavour of coffee I feel like. We have had some family dentist trips. DD#1 isn't happy at the amount of cavities she has and mom is trying not to gloat that she doesn't have any!! LOL!! We are heading up to Cold Lake this weekend to visit our friends. I've got to prepare my liver for the weekend. I stopped in to The Knitting Room to pick up some yarn that my friend needed and walked out with just one knitting book for myself. It is a book of hat patterns called sandnes luer Tema 01 Barn. It has some great patterns! I also picked up a set of caesine dpns for my daughter to use to make a hat for a friend. Oh yes, and one small thing for my future SP!! I can hardly wait for this round to start!!

I have finished one of my nieces' xmas presents, but can't show a picture so that it remains a surprise. I have also been working on my celtic knot sweater. It is moving slowly, but surely. I have made a few more sets of stitch markers. They are so much fun to make! I will send some to my future SP and would love to swap some with other knitters.
I bought a new knitting bag from Michaels. It is from Eagle and is called the Good to Go bag. It has a lot of great pockets and such. I love it, but haven't been able to use it yet as it has a canvas tent kind of smell and I am worried that it will transfer to my yarn. I have Frebreezed it a couple of times, but there hasn't been much change. Hopefully the smell will fade and I will be able to use it soon.

I have done a bit more canning. I have canned 45lbs of apples in the form of apple sauce, apple jelly and my favorite, apple butter. I still have a few pounds left, but will leave them for the kids to eat and maybe make a couple of apple crisps.
Well, that is about it for now. Off to work on my sweater!

SP6 Questionaire

2005-09-12T22:21:00.000-06:00

I am getting so excited about SP6!! I can hardly wait to get my partner and start sending things!! Here are my questionaire answers:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I don't consider myself a yarn snob, but I don't usually buy Red Heart. Lion Brand and Bernat do have some nice yarns though, especially the ones that have natural fibres. I do think there are times that synthetic, washable fibres are in order though, especially for children when items will need to be washed over and over.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I have just started spinning and I do crochet, but not that often.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
I don't have any allergies, but I don't like strong smelling perfumes and candles.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I have been knitting on and off for years, but only constistantly for 2 years.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No, I don't

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I like vanilla, lavender and white musk.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
No, not really.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I like to try my hand at all types of crafts, but other than knitting, my favourite would be beading.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like most kinds of music, though I am not too fond of country, christian or rap. Yes, I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite colour? Or--do you have a colour family/season/palette you prefer? Any colours you just can't stand?
I love purples and greens, though I am trying to choose other colours for some variety. I think my least favourite colour would be yellow, though I don't mind some yellows.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am happily married with 3 kids. I have one nutty dog, Daisy and one black cat, Karma.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I would love to travel. I would love to one day set foot in Ireland and Scotland. It would feel like coming home.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love natural fibres like silk, wool, flax and hemp.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I do not like itchy wool. Other than that, I don't like acrylics like Red Heart, but do like fun acrylics.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I love cables! Especially, celtic looking cables.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like to knit bags and purses and am starting to enjoy knitting whole sweaters.

17. What are you knitting right now?
I am knitting One Baaad Poncho from Hello Yarns, the Cabled Shrug from the autumn Interweave Knits, and the Celtic Knot sweater from Estelle yarns.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I have made one for my daughter and am making one for myself. I think they would be good gifts for little girls.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I love circular needles and have a beautiful set of Denise needles.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love caesine needles. I also like bamboo and plastic. I can't use aluminum (though I like to collect old ones) because the noise of them rubbing together really bothers me.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I have one pair of socks that have been "almost done" for more than a year.

22. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself from a book in high school, but a few years ago, a friend helped me perfect my technique.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
The socks at over a year.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I like Hello Kitty. I also like llamas and sheep.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I love autumn and spring!

26. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect yarn and knitting needles LOL!! Besides that, I like fountain pens and faeries.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I can't think of anything in particular, but I would love to find something that shows a lot of different cables as I enjoy cabling.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
I have been eyeing Rogue for a while and now Eris as well.

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I wear a ladies size 9 or 10. Big feet for my 5'2" frame LOL!!

SP5 and SP6

2005-08-31T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well, it is the last day of August. Where did the summer go? The weather here hasn't been that great, but this past week has been nice. There has been so much rain this summer that I actually have green grass at the end of August! That doesn't happen very often here.
I have found out who my Secret Pal was!! It was Anna over at clicketyclick She has made my first time doing Secret Pal so much fun!! Her last gift for me was a gift certificate for Amazon.ca!!! I haven't decided what I want to get yet, I am looking at a few knitting books, but also my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, is coming out with a new novel in September and I might just have to use the gift certificate for that. I will have to give it a bit more thought!!
Another person has made this round of Secret Pal wonderful! It is the person I was sending gifts to, Meghan, at Butterfly Knits. I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful person to send to! She was so sweet and we shared some great emails! This is a great way to make knitting friends! Because of these wonderful women, I have joined up for the next round of secret pal- Secret Pal 6!

On the knitting front, I've made a little progress on the Celtic Knot Sweater. I am almost finished the back. I have to tell you how great Estelle Yarns is. I am using one of their free patterns from their web site. They have a note on there that the cable pattern isn't printing right so they will mail you the pattern. I emailed them and asked for it and I received it so quickly!! I think that it is great for a company to follow up on a free pattern that way. Their 100% silk yarn is so wonderful too!

I have made my very first purchases on ebay! Since DD#1 and I have found an interest in spinning, I decided to pick up some roving. I got some silk noil and silk cap from Knit-Knackers Yarn Warehouse and some 50% Merino/50% Hemp from knitterpatsy
It is has been fun and I am sure I will buy again from ebay! I think I am hooked LOL!!

We brought some donations to Goodwill today so I just had to run in and check what yarn they had :) I found some blue chunky Elenka 100% wool made by White Buffalo Mills. I am thinking of making another bag and felting it. I will have to check my stash to see if I have anything to compliment it. If I don't have any chunky wool, I think I can probably use 2 strands of a worsted weight.

In other news, I have done some more canning. I have made some strawberry rhubbarb jam, blueberry jam and carrot cake jam. I am hoping to find a good deal on apples and pears in the next month so that I can make some apple sauce, pear sauce, apple jelly and apple butter. That will probably be it for this season other than making some cakes in jars for Christmas presents.
Oh! and I bought myself a new coffee maker! It is a Melitta One to One. It is one of those coffee makers that makes one cup of coffee at a time. I love it! It makes great coffee and it is so quick and easy to clean up! I am going to try to find one of those refillable coffee pods so I can use my own coffee if I want.
Well, I'm off to bed. I have to figure out how to make this blogging thing a habit. If anyone has any tips for keeping up on it, I would love to hear them!

SP and spinning

2005-08-11T17:41:00.000-06:00

I'm still here. I think I've been going through a blog slump. There have been things to write about, and pictures to post, but I just haven't been inspired to do so. I have to thank my secret pal for inspiring me to write today because she sent me a wonderful package! She sent me 3 beautiful balls of Luxury Alpaca Peru in a beautiful bluey purple. I was just fondling this stuff at my lys!! I feel like I was being watched!! LOL!! She also sent me some more cable needles, I haven't tried the U shaped ones yet and will definitely experiment with them while making the Cabled Shrug from the newest Interweave Knits. Also in the package was this small, but very special mirror. It has a picture of a fairy on the back and looks hand made! I love it and feel like I have my own little fairy with me all the time. Secret Pal, I will think of you everytime I look at it!! Thank you so much for the beautiful and personalized gifts!!!

In other news, I *finally* blocked Soliel! She looks so much better now and so far isn't rolling up at the bottom. I haven't been able to wear her much yet as the weather has turned here in Calgary and is a bit cooler and rainy. Also she isn't a good choice to wear when I am canning! So far this season, I have put up 4 quarts (10lbs) of peaches, 8 jars of peach jam, 10 jars of peach raspberry jam, 4 jars of mango plum jam and 11 jars of cantaloupe jam. Tomorrow I am going to make strawberry rhubarb jam and blueberry jam. I do love canning and hate to stop once I get started!!
I frogged the 4 rows of the Cabled Shrug that I started so that I could use that yarn to make Silk Tweed Celtic Knot sweater from Estelle Yarns. I think it was more suited towards this pattern. I restarted the Cabled Shrug with Mission Falls 1824 Wool in a beautiful blue green that I picked up for my birthday present from Knit One, Chat too. I think it will be much cozier in this. I have also started some xmas presents for my nieces, but this is a surprise so I can't share what I am making. I have more projects on the go then I ever have before! It is a bit overwhelming!

And besides all this, DD#1 and I have started spinning. I made up a couple of drop spindles and we picked up some Fleece Artist roving from Gina Browns. We are having a lot of fun learning to spin and can see how this could be addictive. DD#1 just wants to spin and isn't too interested in knitting with the results, but said that she would spin yarn and I could knit with it!! It would be great to have my own source of hand spun yarn!!! I will have to really encourage this hobby of hers. I just bought my first thing off of ebay! It is 50% Merino/ 50% hemp roving. DD#1 is so excited about this and can hardly wait until it arrives for her to play with. I think I will have to invest in a better spindle though as I feel the ones I made aren't heavy enough (if that makes sense).
Last weekend, we met my sister and her family up in Drumheller. We love going there and really should more often as it is only about 1 1/2 hours away. We took them to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and then into the Red Deer River to look for fossils and rocks. We found a bunch of slate, some petrified wood and a few more bison teeth. It was a great day and it was really good to see my sister and her family. I hope they enjoyed the reat of their vacation, they were on their way to Yoho National Park next.
Well, I think that is about it. I am just about ready to send my last package to the secret pal I am spoiling and I think I will sign up for Secret Pal 6 (SP6). I had so much fun this time around. I'm off to get blue hair dye for DD#1 and green for DS!

Silk Garden Beanie

2005-07-28T19:04:00.000-06:00

I finished the Silk Garden Beanie from And She Knits Too! What a great and easy pattern! I love the way the Noro Silk Garden knitted up with this pattern. I will definitely be making more of these for friends and family. It only took one ball of Silk Garden so it was a great way to use some of this yarn. I love Noro yarns! I will be looking forward to wearing it when it gets a bit cooler-- if I can get it off of DD#2!!

I've made some more stitch markers. I found these cute bracelets at the dollar store, so I took the beads off and made them into stitch markers. These were the easiest ones I have made since they already had the head pin in them!! I have 60 of these- only 6 pink ones though as they only had one pink bracelet. If anyone wants to swap for some of them I would be happy to.
I had a great find at VV Boutique this week. I found 2 men's identical, extra, extra large, turtleneck sweaters made of 100% merino wool!!! They are off-white or beige and sooooo soft!! I have started to take them apart and got 175 yards of sport weight yarn just from one collar!! There is going to be so much yarn from these 2 sweaters!!
Yesterday I turned 36! I don't know where the time is going :) Dh got me some roses that I woke up to on my bedside table. They are beautiful. I also got some perfume from the Body Shop. It is called the Invent Your Scent Blending Set. It is a bunch of small spray bottles from their new perfume line that you can mix and match. I love it! I talked to my Mom and Dad on Monday and my brother from Ontario on-line last night. I got an ecard from my other brother and his wife today and also in the mail I got a present from my sister. Tomorrow I am off to my lys to get some yarn from dh for my birthday. It was definitely a quiet birthday, but it was wonderful to spend it with my hubby and kids.

Koolaid Bag

2005-07-25T16:21:00.000-06:00

My Koolaid bag is done!!!! I finished the bag and had to dye some more yarn for the handles. I used some off white yarn from a recycled sweater and used 2 packets of green koolaid. It produced a brighter green. I am very pleased with the bag. This is the first thing that I have felted. I found that I can felt in my front loading LG washing machine, it just takes a long time. I ended up putting it the sanitary wash which uses extra hot water. I started and stopped it so many times, that I probably could have let it go through the whole cycle. I will have to try felting something else and see if I get the same results. I am going to keep my newest knitting project in my koolaid bag. I have started the Cable Shrug from the fall 2005 Interweave Knits. I am using the beige 100% silk that I got from Estelle Yarns. Wish me luck!! This is a very involved cable pattern, but I do love cabling so I think it will work out fine. I was thinking of using this yarn for a sweater from Hot Knits, but the gauge just wasn't right so I when I saw this pattern, I just knew I had to make it and the yarn is the perfect gauge. It looks so comfy, just what I will need come winter here.

We spent a little more time in the garden this weekend. We put the 2 lilac bushes in and found another larger one at Rona for a great price and put that one in the back yard. I also got a few more perennials on sale and got them in as well. DD#2 was working on her herb garden as well. I love the bricks that she is putting in it. When it is all lush and full, it will look beautiful! She wants to dry the herbs to make teas and bath products. We also weeded the back yard and got rid of the thistles and the caterpillers living on them. I don't want any near my new lilac LOL!!
I have started trying to organize my yarn stash. I used to use one big blue Rubbermaid tote, but I just couldn't tell what was in it and it was getting too small. So we went and got some drawers by Gracious Living. I got 4 and I think I need at least 2 more. I can't believe the stress I was feeling while trying to organize my yarn!! I was trying to figure out what to put where and what goes with what-- I really need to relax LOL!!! Now I just have to figure out where to put these drawers. I would like them in my bedroom so that I could see them all the time in hopes of getting inspired, but it probably be more logical to put them in the basement. The Vulcan in me will probably win-- it usually does!

Diamonds in Silk

2005-07-20T16:08:00.000-06:00

I finished Diamonds in Silk. It is beautiful and so practical!! It is great to keep in my knitting bag with my keys, cell phone and bank card to take with me into a store instead of my whole bag! I of course didn't check my gauge, so it was a bit too small, but I just added an extra pattern repeat and everything was fine. It is also knit a bit tighter, so I didn't bother lining it as it is quite sturdy. I may add a zipper eventually if I find one I like, but so far I haven't needed it. I would definitely recomend it to use up that one ball of Noro.

I decided to make the Felted "No Rules" Bag from Angel Hair Yarn Company with my Koolaid yarn. Here is the bag unfelted. I still have to make the handles, but I needed to dye some more yarn for them. I will get those done tonight and then felt the whole thing tomorrow. It was a very easy pattern to follow (I love knitting in the round!) and I chose to make the flat bottom. Now we will see if my front loading washer will felt! Cross your fingers for me!!

I found a cute bag on clearance at Old Navy that will make a perfect take-along knitting bag. I got one for myself and on for DD#2. The handles for the drawsting on the bag and it was only $2.99!! Perfect!!!
I've am also adding a picture of the 100% Merino that I reclaimed from a thrift store sweater. It is sooooo soft!! It is made up of 5 different colours of fingering weight merino. I am not sure what I will make with it yet, but I have over 600 yards of it!! I find I am acquiring more yarn that I know what to do with, but it is so much fun and so rewarding to reclaim a sweater. I am also including another picture of the kniddy knoddy that dh made me. He originally made it with nails, but has since changed it to screws. The screws are placed a yard apart so that everytime I go around a screw, I count one yard. So far it has worked wonderfully.

The last pictures for today are of some yarn that I found at VV boutique. The first is 5 complete and 2 partial balls of Southern Cross Matisse made in France. It is colour MA 27- a rusty red. It is 56% cotton and 44% viscose. It is so soft!! I almost have enough for a tank top, but not quite so I will have to find something else to make with this. The other yarn was a bag of thick/thin yarn. Only one had the yarn band on it, but it all feels the same. The yarn band says Caprice les fils marnel yarns made in Denmark. It is 60% cotton and 40% acrylic. It is soooo soft. I have one ball each of pink, yellow and off white and a small bit of light pink. I love finding good yarn at the thrift store. They had some cones of yarn, but most were acrylic and the one that was cotton fingering weight didn't seem to have enough on it, though I am kicking myself for not buying it and seeing how much there was.
Besides thrift store shopping, we have been working on our front garden. I got 2 lilac bushes, some lavender and chives put in and DD#1 has got some perenial herbs to plant on her side. Hopefully all the roots will get settled before winter hits here. We have such a short growing season. The gardens look so neat now though, so that is so rewarding.
I received an early birthday card from my lys- Knit One, Chat Too. It is a coupon for 15% off!!! Woohoo!!! Dh and I are going to go on a date on his Friday off after my birthday and have lunch at Shillelagh's pub and then spend some money at Knit One, Chat Too. I am thinking of getting some yarn to do Rogue. I need to figure out what I want before I get there.

Batman and Kool-aid

2005-07-11T17:18:00.000-06:00

We had a great weekend! There was another birthday in the house. My oldest turned 16!!! How did that happen?!? She was so little not that long ago and now she has turned into a beautiful young lady! It is amazing to see her becoming her own person with her own ideals and unique personality. I am such a proud mama!!!!

This morning I got inspired! While browsing around blogland I came across Cara's blog and saw her post on Koolaid dying. I've been meaning to try this and she made it sound so easy!! I had found 5 balls of beige 100% wool from VV boutique a few weeks ago and bought it for 99c with the thought of trying to dye it and then felt it. So I ran downstairs to my trusty supply of mason jars and grabbed 5. I poured 1 packet of koolaid into each of 4 jars (2 different reds, green and light blue) and filled them with hot water. Then I made each ball wet and put them in the jars. I only had these colours, so with the last jar, I tried some Wilton dye. I have lots of colours of those as I used to make all my birthday cakes. I filled the jar with warm water and added some of the dye, stirred it to mix it and popped in the wool. I put all the jars out in the sun for the day. It only took maybe 4 hours to absorb all the dye. The Wilton one still had colour left in the water, but I liked how the yarn looked so I took that one out. The blue koolaid was a colour changing one that went from white to blue, so I guess that is why the water was a cloudy white when done. I love how they all turned out. I threw each ball into a pillow case and threw them into the washing machine on gentle and cold with some vinegar. I was just trying to get that old wool smell out, but thought I would add the vinegar for good measure. When that was done, my dd and I got out the tangles and wound them into skeins. They are outside drying right now!! I am sooo pleased with how they turned out. I am definitely going to be doing this again. I am thinking of making something like the Booga Bag
with these.

Frogging, frogging, frogging!!

2005-07-07T17:19:00.000-06:00

I've spent the last couple of days frogging some recycled sweaters. I've noticed that I tend to pick green sweaters from the second hand stores. The first one was 65% lambswool, 30% nylon and 5% cashmere. It is very soft and worsted weight. The second one is 50% wool and 50% acrylic. It is oh so soft and a chunky weight. I decided to get something that wasn't green LOL!! and picked a pink fuzzy sweater. It is 72% acrylic and 28% wool so it will make something soft and washable. The colour is gorgeous!!
While I was spending my time frogging, both of my daughters decided they wanted to try as well. My oldest took apart a green chunky sweater and my youngest took apart a green chunky tank top (no sleeves to deal with). They had so much fun and my youngest can hardly wait to knit something with her new found yarn!!
I can't do anymore frogging right now as my home made kniddy knoddy needs some repair. One of the nails keeps coming loose and falling out so dear hubby is going to get some 3" screws to put in instead. Hopefully he does it soon, because I have this beautiful 100% merino that I have started to take apart that needs to be wound up!!

The other thing I found at the second hand store, was a beautiful set of wood needles. The are a size 11 I think and are made by Abel Morrall's. I can't find a lot of information about this company on the net except that it was formed in the 1700's. I found pictures of a couple sets of dpns, but no straight needles. I am so curious now!! They are beautiful and sooooo smooth!!!!! If anyone knows more about these or this company, I would love the information!!!

Stitch Markers and Birthdays

2005-07-04T18:29:00.000-06:00

Aahhh!! My baby turned 10 yesterday!!! I am feeling so old LOL!! Not really!! I can't believe it was 10 years ago though that I gave birth to my youngest! Time just flies by soooo fast. It makes you realize that you need to live for right now. Here is a picture of her birthday cake -- like mother, like daughter!!

This weekend I was looking for something small and quick to knit. I decided to use some of my Noro Silk Garden to make Diamonds in Silk
from Titanium Rose . It is a great pattern and is knitting up beautifully!!

While hubby took the kids swimming yesterday, I made some Hello Kitty stitch markers. I found these cute necklaces and took them apart to get the beads. I love how they turned out and ended up making about 35!!! If anyone wants to swap some, just let me know -- I have lots LOL!!!

There was also a trip to The Knitting Room this weekend to get some 5.5mm casein needles. I swear that was all I was going in for!! How does this happen?? I spent over $50!! I bought a set in 5.5mm and 2.75mm, I got 2 balls of yarn from the sale basket for my daughter after the wonderful ladies there oooing and aahhing over her cotton tape facecloth she was knitting. I picked up the fall issue of Interweave Knits!!! There are quite a few projects in there I want to make!! Lastly, I picked up three skeins of wool from Custom Woolen Mills in colours #23- black, #104- a bluey green, and #15 a dark pink. Custom Woolen Mills is so close to me - about 1/2 hour away. I have to go there soon (when I have some extra money LOL!!) and take a tour and visit their store!!

Done!

2005-06-28T18:42:00.000-06:00

Soleil is done!! She just needs to be blocked. I am so excited as this is my first sweater ever! It went off with very few hitches and I just loved knitting her up. I loved knitting in the round as I dislike seaming LOL!! I did a three-needle bind off on the shoulders which was so easy! I had never done that before either. And the lace was fun! I only had to frog it once and then I got the hang of it. What I would do different if I make another one, would be to add some length to it as it rest just so on my hips that it wants to roll up. Hopefully blocking it will fix that a bit, but where it is sitting, I am not sure it will. I also did 2 rows of single crochets around the armholes and the neck which makes it lie a lot flatter. I would love to have done a small scalloped edge to the neckline and may think about that if I do another one.

Now what to do...??? I bought 14 balls of 100% Silk from Estelle Yarns (in colour 27- Natural) at one of my LYS called Knit One, Chat Too. What a wonderful store by the way! I will definitely go back there for more yarn! I was thinking of knitting Rachel from Hot Knits .

But I am not sure if I am ready to start that yet and I would love it if this pattern was in the round LOL!! And then I got that beautiful Noro from my Secret Pal! But I am not sure exactly what I want to do with that yet. So... I decided to take apart a sweater that I got a VV boutique for $3.99. It is an angora/ lambs wool blend with a thread of stretchy nylon spun through it.

My 16 year old daughter hated that I was taking it apart because it is/was so soft and fit her perfectly, but just wasn't her colour. Oh well!! LOL!!!

I also found this beautiful piece of fabric that looks like it is from a sample book and it is the perfect size to make a purse/bag.

I was thinking of sewing it up sort of like a messenger bag and making the colour swatches into pockets. I am not going to use a pattern, so I hope it works out like I see it in my head LOL!! I will get my daughter to help as she is the best seamstress in the house and she doesn't usually use a pattern when she creates something.

Decisions, decisions!!!!!

Thank You Secret Pal!

2005-06-27T23:14:00.000-06:00

Woohoo!! I went to check the mail today and there and behold was my first package from my secret pal! I couldn't wait to open it and did so right in the car. I opened the box to see red-- paper that is lol!! What I found under the paper was wonderful! There was a bunch of Hello Kitty stuff- a pen, a neat magnetic notepad and a great spring note book!! I do love Hello Kitty!! And then I found the chocolate! There were some Canadian eh? Smarties (they didn't last long!)

Then onto the best part! two beatuiful skeins of Noro Cash Laine in colour #14 - a reddish burgundy and black mixture! It is sooo beautiful and oh so soft!!! I will have to find something special to make with this!

Secret Pal--- thank you so much!!! I feel so spoiled and so curious about who you are! You are a great secret pal and thank you for making my first time doing this so great!!

The Elemental Balance Test

2005-06-25T23:05:00.000-06:00

Harmony
~ 77% Water ~ 77% Wind ~ 66% Earth ~ 81% Fire ~

And I know and I believe

There's a way out to the sea of happiness

It seems your personality is in perfect harmony; your impulses are
tempered with thoughtfulness, and your emotions are balanced with a
healthy amount of reason.

In order to maintain that harmony, try wearing a Jade, a Chrysoprase or an Agate; all three enhance balance and stability, as does the Snowflake Obsidian that will help remain balanced during times of change.

In detail: You are more balanced than most people. Your Ground Chakra, (associated with the element of fire and representing our basic desires and driving force), your Creative Chakra, (associated with the element of earth and representing our need to preserve and grow), your Heart Chakra, (associated with the element of water and representing our sense of love and compassion), and your Throat Chakra, (associated with the element of wind and represents our desire to learn and communicate), appear to be on an equal footing with each others.

These are the results you will get if you score highly on...

None of the four elements: Balance Wind: Gust Fire: Blaze Water: River Earth: Valley Wind & Fire: Thunder Wind & Water: Clouds Wind & Earth: Canyon Fire & Earth: Lava Fire & Water: Tornado Water & Earth: Trees Wind, Fire & Earth: Storm Wind, Fire & Water: Stars Wind, Water & Earth: Forest Fire, Water & Earth: Avalanche All four elements: Harmony

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 96% on water
You scored higher than 66% on wind
You scored higher than 70% on earth
You scored higher than 92% on fire

Link: The Elemental Balance Test written by Nitsuki on Ok Cupid

Am I a Geek? Yep!

2005-06-25T22:47:00.000-06:00

You are 68% geek

You are a geek. Good for you! Considering the endless complexity of the universe, as well as whatever discipline you happen to be most interested in, you'll never be bored as long as you have a good book store, a net connection, and thousands of dollars worth of expensive equipment. Assuming you're a technical geek, you'll be able to afford it, too. If you're not a technical geek, you're geek enough to mate with a technical geek and thereby get the needed dough. Dating tip: Don't date a geek of the same persuasion as you. You'll constantly try to out-geek the other.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

I'm Here, I'm Here!!

2005-06-16T19:49:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm still around. It has been a very busy month. We have had our friend and her son stay with us so she could be here and help with her daughters' big dance recital. Then her parents and mother-in-law and grandma-in-law (Nan to us) came for a visit and to see the girls dance. We dog-sat Shadow their big black lab for a few days and really enjoyed having her here.
It was a fun 2 weeks and we got a lot of knitting done. I showed my friend how to knit on her last visit and she is hooked!! We spent most mornings knitting and drinking coffee and ended most evenings knitting and drinking beer. I took her to a few local yarn stores and we both spent more money than we should. I got some beautiful cotton/viscose blend called Reflection by Circulo Yarns

I decided to make Soliel from Knitty with it. I had to frog the lace just once before I got the hang of it and now I am almost finished the body. This is the first sweater that I have ever made and so far it is going nicely.

This week I also whipped up a couple of swiffer covers. I found the pattern at Knitplayground . It is really simple and works like a darn!! I will have to make some more so I have a nice stash.

I also have a few pictures of the yarn I bought while I was in BC and one of Hurry Up Armwarmers finished.

On other news, I have sent off my first package to my Secret Pal. She already received it and loved it!! It was so exciting to see what I sent her on her blog and have her gush over it. I am so glad that I am participating in SP5!! It is so much fun to make someone happy!! I always liked buying my friends something little that I thought was perfect for them. Hopefully she likes everything I send. I already have a few things colleted for my next package!

Rain

2005-06-02T11:10:00.000-06:00

I have to stop saying that I will take pictures tomorrow!! Everytime I do, it rains the next day! I like taking pictures outside because the light is so much better, but I guess if I want to put some pictures on my blog, it will have to be inside for now.
Oh!! I got an ecard from my Secret Pal!!! Thank you Secret Pal! This is going to be so much fun!!
I'm off to the craft store and then my hubby is going to spend some time trying to get this awful knot out of my neck. I can barely move my head!!

We're Home!

2005-05-31T21:06:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a trip!! It was great, but I am glad to be home and to sleep in my own bed! We went to BC for 10 days to visit family and friends.

We kept busy visiting someone different every day. I managed to get to only one knitting store - Knitopia - in White Rock. What a wonderful store!! It is packed floor to ceiling with all types of yarn. I picked up a few things on sale and some wonderful yarn to send to my secret pal. I was going to go to Yarn Barn Gifts and Chocolate Shop in Chilliwack on the way back to Alberta, but I missed the turn off the highway as they changed it from 2 years ago when I was there last. I was hoping to pick up some more casein pearl needles. I found them there 2 years ago and fell in love with them. I find casein so nice to work with. They are easy on my hands and the yarn moves so nicely on them. Oh well, I will have to pester my sis-in-law to check out the store and pick me up some before she comes out. I picked up 2 new knitting books- Weekend Knitting and Knitting Pretty. I finished Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers and started a simple hat for my daughter to match the poncho she wanted. I will take some pictures tomorrow of my new yarn and my fo!
I am also sooooo excited that SP5 has started!! I am just about ready to send a package to my secret pal. I hope she likes it!! This is so much fun!!

SP5 Questions

2005-05-31T21:04:00.000-06:00

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
No, I don't think so, but that said, I usually do avoid Red Heart and other similar yarn.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I do crochet a bit and would love to learn to spin.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No allergies, though I don't like strong smelling perfumes.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I have been knitting on and off for years, but only consistantly for 2 years.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No, not yet, but I could make one if it is needed.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I like vanilla, lavendar and white musk.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
No not really, but I do like PEZ.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I like to try my hand at all types of crafts, but other than knitting, my favourite would be beading.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like all types of music except rap, hip hop and country. Yes, I can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like greens and purples and tend to buy those colours. I also love earthy tones of browns and greys and greens.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married with 3 kids. I have one nutty dog, Daisy and one black cat, Karma.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Wow, life dreams!! I guess it would be to travel. I would love to see the world especially Scotland and Ireland.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love natural fibres like silk, wool, flax and hemp.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I do not like itchy wool. Other than that, I don't like acrylics like Red Heart, but do like fun acrylics.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Noro!!! and cabling.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love to knit bags and purses and "useful" items.

17. What are you knitting right now?
I am knitting a simple touque for my daughter, a poncho out of wool from Ireland, and I just finished some fingerless gloves from some Noro.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Ponchos make a quick and simple gift and I will see if I like them after I finish the one I am making. I don't get if that classifies me or something?

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I like both!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer caesine, but also like bamboo circular. I don't use aluminum because I don't like the sound they make, though I love to look at them.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I have one pair almost done- they've been almost done for a year. I will probably do another pair as I have enough sock yarn to make 4 or 5 more pairs LOL!

22. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself from a book in high school, but a few years ago, a friend helped me perfect my technique.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
I started my socks about 2 years ago, otherwise I like to finish things.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I like Hello Kitty and faeries.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I like spring.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect yarn and knitting needles LOL!! Besides that, I like fountain pens and faeries.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any subscriptions, but I do like Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I can't think of anything in particular, but I would love to find something that shows a lot of different cables as I enjoy cabling.

Great Weekend

2005-05-16T22:38:00.000-06:00

I had a great weekend! We had our friends from Cold Lake stay this weekend. We had a great visit and I showed my friend how to knit. We went to the Sumo Lounge at Eau Claire Market for some wonderful sushi! I ate so much, but my taste buds wanted more!! *Note to self-- don't have beer when you are eating sushi as the beer intake lessens the sushi intake* We left the kids to their own devices with all the ingredients to make homemade sushi. They thought it was great and even cleaned up after themselves. What great kids we have!!

We were sad to see our friends go and are looking forward to our next visit. This week is going to be busy as we get ready for our own trip. I already have found knitting stores all the way from here to BC!! Oh and I am looking forward to seeing family as well!! LOL!!

On another note, If found this link
It is for World Wide Knit in Public Day! This sounds like fun! I will be out knitting for sure and hope to see other knitters as well.

I worked on One Baaad Poncho this weekend and got two more repeats done and I am almost up to the thumb on my second Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers. Hopefully I will be able to figure out how to do the thumb on the other side. If it isn't raining tomorrow as they are calling for, I will try to get some pictures up.

LYS

2005-05-12T10:25:00.000-06:00

I made a trip to my LYS yesterday. I was very good and only bought a few notions and one book. I picked up A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting by Cat Bordhi.

I also started a new project. I am making "One Baaad Poncho" from Hello Yarn. I am using Wool Blend Aran in a denim blue from Tivoli Spinners from Ireland. It is a beautiful 100% wool that isn't itchy!! It is really nice to work with and I love the pattern. I will take some pictures today and put them up on my blog later.
We have some friends from Cold Lake coming into town this weekend so it will be a fun weekend full of beer and sushi!!

Celtic Horoscope

2005-05-09T19:41:00.000-06:00

You Are A Cypress Tree

You are strong, adaptable, and striving to be content.

You're good at taking what life has to give - even if you don't like it.

A passionate lover who can't be satisfied, you are quick tempered at times.

You hate loneliness, want love and affection, and need to be needed.

A bit of a live wire, you love to gain knowledge any cost... and you can be careless at times.

What is Your Celtic Horoscope?

Sushi

2005-05-09T19:08:00.000-06:00

I didn't get as much knitting done on our road trip as I hoped, spent too much time chatting with hubby while the kids watched movies in the back of the van. Having that dvd player in the van sure makes for a quiet road trip. I bet my parents would have loved one with all the travelling we did across Canada and to the western States when I was a kid. It sure would have made for less arguing between us kids. Growing up with a lot of road trips was great actually. We saw so much and spent some great time together as a family. I wish we could do more of it with our own family.
We spent over 2 hours at IKEA and I was a good girl and only spent about $30. We went to Warp 1 comic shop for Free Comic Book Day . We shared a great dinner with our friends at a Japanese restaraunt near the IKEA. It is amazing how much sushi one can eat and still want more. I could live on sushi!!

I am currently frogging a navy blue 100% cotton sweater made in India. The tag with the brand was ripped out, so I am not sure what company made it, but the yarn is very nice and it is coming apart quite easily.
I signed up for Secret Pal 5!! I can hardly wait for it to start!! I am so excited that I had a dream last night about receiving a package! LOL!! Crazy eh? I am scanning other blogs to get ideas of what to send. This is going to be so much fun!!!

One down One to Go

2005-05-06T17:30:00.000-06:00

One down and one to go!! I think I am becoming a midnight knitter! LOL!! I stayed up 'til 1 am last night telling myself "Just a few more rows and I will go to bed!" Well I finished one Hurry Up Spring Armwarmer before bed. I have to say that I am quite proud of the result. I was hoping to get to the more colourful part of the skein of yarn, but I will save that for a hat. Here is a picture of the end result.

I will cast on armwarmer #2 tonight and work on it in the car tomorrow on our way to Edmonton. We are meeting some friends up there for the day. Look out IKEA here we come!!

What Kind of Yarn are You

2005-05-04T22:09:00.000-06:00

You are Merino Wool.
You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to
keep you close because you are so softhearted.
You love to be comfortable and warm from your
head to your toes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Cold Lake

2005-05-03T18:18:00.000-06:00

We had a beautiful weekend visiting our friends in Cold Lake, Alberta .

The lake has thawed quite a bit in the last month and will be beautiful this summer!! Cold Lake is the biggest inland marina in Western Canada.
I got a little bit of knitting done on the drive. I worked on "Hurry Up Spring Arm Warmers" from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation. They are coming along very nicely and I am excited to get to the thumb gusset because I have never done one of those before! I am using Noro Silk Garden which I love!! I will have to find something else to make with this yarn because it is so beautiful!!

I would have liked to have knit more, but I was either driving or keeping my hubby awake while he was driving. He works night shift so he was completely off his game driving during the day.

My New Passion

2005-04-26T19:33:00.000-06:00

My newest passion is recycling yarn. I was canoeing (surfing in Canada) the net one day looking at different knitting sites, when I came across neauveau . Well!! I was inspired!! In the last week and a half, I have bought 15 gently used sweaters in all different fibres. I have finished unravelling and skeining 5 already and am working on the next one. Here are some pictures of the first sweater.

This is sooooo much fun!! Now I have to decide what to do with all my acquired yarn!

The Beginning

2005-04-26T18:40:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am!! I've been meaning to start one of these for so long and I have finally made the jump into BlogLand!! This is going to be a blog about alot of things going on in my life, but mostly about knitting and my new love of recycled yarn! Please bear with me as I get my feet wet and get into the habit of daily journaling. Please share your suggestions, advice and ideas on how to make my blog better and more interesting.
Wish me luck!!!