Peacock Shawl

As a thank you for my wedding photographer, I knit her a shawl. I used the 'peacock' lace pattern from the Seraphim shawl pattern I bought, though I have seen that same pattern elsewhere on Ravelry. The lady who made the Seraphim shawl had it all nicely laid out in charts, so I followed her pattern.

I used a variated yarn that had blue, green, yellow and brown in it. I didn't like the way the yarn knitted up in stockinette, which is why I just did the lace -- it looks just lovely as lace! I knit three repeats of lace instead of the two Seraphim calls for since I was just knitting the lace. When I got to the end of the last chart I realised didn't have enough yarn to cast off!!! I had quite literally 7 inches of yarn left!!

I also wasn't sure how I wanted to start the shawl so I'd done a provisional cast on. Which meant, I needed yarn to finish that edge as well. Doh.

So, I went to Romni with the scrap of yarn I had from the first time I tried to cast on -- this shawl went through a few cycles of modification since I was winging it. I found a lovely yellow fingering weight superwash wool, that was, if you can believe it, the exact shade of yellow as in the variated wool!! Talk about luck!

So I knit one row in yellow then cast off the bottom. I decided to do three rows of seed stitch on the top (which is what I did on the sides as a boarder), and then cast off in that wonderful yellow. I'd bought two skeins as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. But when I stretched out the lace, I realised if I made it any larger my little photographer would be swimming in it. Heck, it fit me well enough!

Anyway, now that my photographer has it, I felt I should blog it. I'm really happy with how it turned out! And she says she likes it. I really hope she does... I wasn't sure what to make her....but since she was so impressed with the shawl I made for myself I thought it would be a good bet.

Assignment #5, Option 2 - No Strings Attached - 500 words

Maddie stared out the car window at the dark, empty street, her heart in her throat, a question on her lips. Phantoms of the salsa music from the club pounded against her skin. Tonight the silence between them was suffocating; it stole her voice. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Alejandro?"

"Yeah?"

“Um… Friends of mine are having a party next Saturday. It's a couples kind of thing.” Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, "I'd really like to introduce you to them. Will you come?"

"No," he replied, staring resolutely forward.

She sat silent, still, waiting for him to say something more; he didn’t. "Is that all the reply I'm to expect?" Maddie finally asked, fighting a bad English accent as she stole Mr. Darcy's line from Pride & Prejudice. Had her pride led her astray, just as Darcy's had, she wondered.

Alejandro shrugged, "What more is there to say?"

Maddie watched his broad, muscular shoulders roll gracefully under his tight polo shirt. She would not be distracted. "How about why?"

"Does it matter? The answer is still the same." He said sullenly.

"Yes it matters, damnit." She said, crossing her arms.

Silence filled the car, every long moment more stifling than the last. Alejandro rotated his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Very carefully, he pulled onto the entrance ramp for the QEW. Her heart twinged; he was taking her home.

Maddie broke the silence first. "Come on, Alejandro, talk to me. I deserve a better answer than just no. Why don't you want to meet my friends?"

"It's not that."

"Then what?" she asked, her words sharp.

"I don't want to talk about it," was his churlish reply.

"Of course not. Well I do. Why are you being such a closed mouth jerk?"

"Do you really want to have this conversation right now?" He countered caustically.

"Yes!" She all but yelled.

"We aren't a couple," Alejandro said with hushed venom. "I'm not lying to your friends."

"I didn't ask you to," she said from between clenched teeth. "I just, want to introduce you, to, my friends," her words haltingly pushed through the sea of her emotions. "Is that too much to ask?"

"What kind of relationship do you think we have?" He asked in a carefully neutral voice.

"What?" She replied, genuinely confused.

"Just answer the question."

She brushed her bangs behind her ear. "I don't know. I mean, I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure."

"So what did you think?" He pushed.

"I thought..." Maddie shook her head, her eyes glassy. "No, I'm not humiliating myself further. Clearly I was wrong."

"Maddie, don't be like that. I like you, you know I do. We have a lot of fun together. You dance..." His voice went husky, low, "like sex incarnate. And everything you promise on the dance floor, you deliver. You're amazing, really. But I like things how they are. Casual. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," She coughed, choking on her tears, "I understand."

Assignment #5, Option 1 - The Adulterer - 502 words

Maddie stared out the car window at the dark, empty street, her heart in her throat. Phantoms of the salsa music from the club pounded against her skin. Tonight the silence between them was suffocating; it stole her voice. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Alejandro?"

"Yeah?"

"Um.. Friends of mine are having a party next Saturday.” Maddie squeezed her eyes shut, "I'd really like to introduce you to them. Will you come?"

"No." His anger dripped from his short, sharp word.

She sat silent, still, waiting for him to say something more; he didn’t. "Is that all the reply I'm to expect?" Maddie finally asked, fighting a bad English accent as she stole Mr. Darcy's line from Pride & Prejudice. Had her pride led her astray, just as Darcy's had, she wondered.

"You know I can't do that Maddie. I have a fiancée! I can't be seen going to a party with someone else. What if Carmen found out?"

"Are you going to tell her?,” she asked, her voice flat with anger, “Because no one going will; they don’t know her.”

“No, of course not.” He rotated his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

“We go dancing almost every weekend, how is this so different?" Maddie stared at Alejandro expectantly.

"You're just my dance partner to her. Like a football buddy, it means nothing." He said, his eyes obstinately on the road.

"Bullshit! Are you telling me if she saw us dancing tonight she wouldn't mind?! Your hands were all over me! Anyone could have seen us!" Maddie ranted, her hands gesturing wildly with her words.

The streetlights strobed across Alejandro's face. He paled visibly.

“So why is that okay, but you won’t come with me to a private party? Why?” Her words were so hot they almost burnt her lips.

“Because we don’t have that kind of relationship Maddie!” Alejandro snapped, his hand smacking the steering wheel. In a strangled calm he continued, “Whether we like it or not, I’m going to marry Carmen. I have to show her some respect.”

"Wait," Maddie shook her head to clear her thoughts, "whether we like it or not? You don't want to marry her, do you?"

"I didn't say that," he spat.

"But you aren't denying it either. Shit, Alejandro do you love her?” Maddie asked, forgetting her own troubles to deal with the bigger issue.

“What's love got to do with it?” He countered.

“Everything! Marriage is about love!”

“No. Marriage is about duty, honour, family,” he explained, every word bitingly crisp.

“Is that why you're marrying her? Duty?” Maddie asked, shocked to her core.

“You wouldn't understand. It was how I was raised. How we both were. Carmen gets it.” His voice was sullen now.

“Marriage isn't a short term commitment… How can you risk it?” She breathed, her mind reeling.

“I'm not risking anything.” He scowled.

“Oh Ale, you're risking everything.” Her voice betrayed her heartache; she’d thought she loved him, but here sat a perfect stranger.

Assignment #4

So, assignment #4 is 300 words, open. Write anything you want. I didn't know what to write, so I took the advice of my brother-in-law (I still can't believe I have brothers-in-law! Squee!), and wrote about my groping incident on the Bathurst streetcar a little while back.

Without further ado, here it is: (302 words)

An thin, elderly gentleman with a briefcase fought his way to the back of the streetcar. He sat beside Gwen, a tall, round, thirty-something.

“There was an empty seat in front of the pregnant teacher, but he just had to sit beside me,” Gwen thought, irritated, her claustrophobia kicking in.

She glared at him. He tried to speak to her. The sharp, rank scent of booze accosted her. Instantly, she turned away, ignoring him.

The boys in front of Gwen voraciously ate fat cinnamon buns in brown paper bags. The pretty pregnant woman’s eyes sparkled as she talked with the teenagers surrounding them. They laughed and joked with their teacher. Gwen smiled. “Good kids this lot,” she thought.

Gwen froze. Something was touching her; no, someone. She could feel it on the underside of her thigh, through her jeans. She had to be mistaken. No, there it was again. A distinct sweep of fingers ending in a definite grope. Shocked, unable to make eye contact, she looked at the old man. He was reaching across his body under his briefcase to do it. This was no accident. Her stop was soon, maybe she could wait it out. His hand flexed, rubbing the underside of her thigh.

“Nope, can't do it,” she thought, half-panicked.

Too shy to say anything to him, ashamed of her fear, Gwen got up, staring resolutely forward, and walked the length of the streetcar to the driver.

She paused. “Should I say something?” she wondered. The consequences flashed before her. She would inconvenience everyone. “It was only my thigh,” she thought.

Gwen sat in a single seat, behind the driver. The next stop was hers. She got off the streetcar in a daze. Her brain finally catching up, yelled inside her head, "I WAS GROPED ON A STREETCAR!"

Opinions? Comments? Thoughts? No?

Setting Assignment

I thought I'd share my assignment... In 250 words I had to describe the childhood bedroom of a character. Here it is as I handed it in:

Sun filtered through the curtains, soaking the room in warm yellow light. The faint smell of apple perfume, and melted wax hung in the air. A feminine wallpaper of tiny red roses covered three walls; the fourth had a vintage Disney print and was the only wall not covered in some kind of poster. A dark oak double bed anchored one corner of the room. The headboard was a series of nooks, crammed full of stuffed animals, meticulously arranged. An alarm clock was nestled between two bunnies and a bear in the nearest nook. The bed was neatly made, with a chocolate brown, plush velvet pound puppy placed delicately on top. A quilt in soft hues of greens and blues, showing signs of recent repair with brighter patches here and there, covered the bed. At the end of the bed, pushed against the wall, sat a folded quilt in bright blues and white. In the opposite corner, behind the door, was an abandoned Lego city. Above it was a small bookcase. The bottom shelf was empty but for a handful of notebooks. The top shelf held a budding collection of fantasy novels. "Is this the real life, is this just fantasy," rang out from the boom box sitting on the edge of a glassy black dresser across from the bed. In the last corner was a matching, tall, glassy black dresser. The tops of both dressers were barely visible under the crush of toiletries, costume jewelry, candles and the like.

And below is what it became after revision, using suggestions from my teacher and classmates. I couldn't keep it under 250 words and make it what I wanted it to be, so this is 320-ish words:

Sunlight soaked the room in warm yellow light. Apple perfume, and melted wax hung in the air. Rosebud wallpaper covered three walls. Scenes of Mickey Mouse frolicking with his compatriots repeated across the fourth wall, even Pooh, Tiger, Piglet and Eeyore were there, all sketched in thin grey lines, some coloured in, others half drawn as if the artist had just walked away and would be back any moment. In spots hidden away from grown-up eyes, the wall was lovingly coloured in by small hands and waxy crayons. A full size oak bed anchored one corner of the room. The headboard was a series of nooks, crammed full of stuffed animals, meticulously arranged. An alarm clock was nestled between two bunnies and a bear in the nearest nook. In the opposite corner, behind the door, was an abandoned Lego city. Above it was a small bookcase. The bottom shelf was empty but for a handful of notebooks. The top shelf held a budding collection of fantasy novels. "Is this the real life, is this just fantasy," rang out from the boom box sitting on the edge of a glassy black dresser across from the bed. In the last corner was a matching, tall, glassy black dresser. The tops of both dressers were barely visible under the crush of toiletries, costume jewellery, candles, and the like. A thirteen year old girl sat cross-legged on the neatly made bed, a chocolate brown, plush velvet pound puppy gripped in one arm. She started down at the journal in her lap, her long wavy hair a dark shroud around her. A tear dropped to the page blurring the fresh ink. Her free hand caressed the quilt under her. Her fingers roamed the patches, some smoothed with age, others crisp and new. She revelled in the feel of the stitching, rough against her palm, strong and familiar. This was home, so why did she feel so lost?

Thoughts? Opinions? Maybe?

Finally Finished Christmas Knitting! HA!

Okay, so I don't have a picture (yet) as my husband wore them to work, but I finally finished his Christmas gift - a pair of thrum mittens!

I didn't have a pattern for thrum mittens specifically so I had to modify a regular mitten pattern. There was some trial and error - especially with the thumbs, but I did it! And they're even symmetrical/the same size! Ha! Hey, it's only my second pair of mittens ever, I'm really please about that part.

I like them so much I'm thinking of making myself a pair! Though, since I don't generally like cold weather, or more accurately my knees really don't. For my part, I've never had a problem with the cold, I'm a fan of layers, warm boots and bundling up, but now that I have FMS and joint troubles, I just can't take the cold like I used to. So, as a result, I'm not sure when I'd actually be out in weather cold enough to need thrum mittens. Plain mittens, sure, so I think I might knit them in the same lovely black yarn, since I've some left over.

But first I'm going to finish the hat I started for me in the same yarn. It got really cold last winter towards the end there, and I actually needed a warmer hat than my favourite go-to grey one. That grey hat, is a marvel! It's not very thick, wool-wise, but it is so warm! I love that hat. But like I said, I need a warmer one for really windy days. Nothing worse than a cold head! Or ears. I get ear aches from the wind.... So I'll have to find the hat, and the pattern, and so I can take that up again. It's been so long I don't even remember which pattern I finally decided on! ha!

Anyway, when I get pictures of the mittens, I'll share. I'm rather proud of them. Mostly because he loves them so. But also because they were a challenge for me, and are so damn cozy and soft and delicious!

Pumpkin Muffins!!

Okay, so, while preparing for my wedding, with all my spare time (HA!), I whipped up this pumpkin muffin recipe, and baked muffins for us to take to the hotel for snacks.  Clearly I'm a crafty over-achieving bride.  Geez.  It seemed logical at the time though, I swear!


Muffins!

Anyway, I'm so in love with my muffin recipe I wanted to share it. It's just so perfect for this time of year.  Not just because of the pumpkin, but the spices warm it up, and feed the cold soul.  Anyway, here it is!

Mel's Pumpkin Muffins
Makes: 24+ cupcake-sized muffins, or 12 giant muffins & 2 cupcake-sized muffins

Ingredients 

•  2 ½ cups flour (cake or all-purpose - cake will make a softer muffin)
• 1 cup instant oatmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 2 ½ heaping tsp. ground cinnamon 
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• ¾ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup currents or raisins (plumped)
•  4 eggs
•  2 cups pure pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup oil

For the topping: 

• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup instant oatmeal
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line 24 cupcake-sized cups.
2. Prepare topping by mixing the topping ingredients together, cutting or pinching the butter into the dry ingredients to make a crumble. Set topping aside.
3. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well mixed. 
4. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and milk. Add pumpkin, and whisk until fully combined. Stir in plumped currents.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
6. Fill cups almost completely full. Sprinkle topping evenly on all muffins. Bake in a pre-heated 375° oven for 25 minutes or until tested done with a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin. (my old crappy apartment oven takes 30 minutes)

I CAN HAS OCTOPUS!

Here he is in all his knitted glory!!



I just love him! Love love love him! I really hope I can make many more, but we'll see what actually gets done. I am one tentacle into the next octopus however.

I think the purple one will always be my favourite though, as I love the colours.. But I'm sure I will love my other octupuses just as well, in different ways.

He's not very big, but any bigger and I'd never get them done in time for the wedding, it's iffy at best as it is. I think he's just the right size to be an easy project, and totally cute! :D

Here's a picture to give you the idea of his scale:



Yes, he's sitting on top of the DVD case to Persuasion. I was watching it while I was finishing him.

It's done! It's done! It's done!!!!!

Last August I started knitting a shawl, that I was hoping to use at my wedding -- this before he even asked me!!

There have been starts and stops, tears, cursing, frogging, figuring, fudging, fixing... And now, it's done!!!!!!!



Side Detail


Corner Detail


I'm just so damn proud of this! It's by far the hardest thing I've ever attempted, never mind finished!



It's just so... fantastic!! YAY!!!!!

My Ring is Finally Done!!!

I got a call today from the Jewellers, my ring was ready, so my FH and I went down, I picked a Tahitian pearl, and Ta Da!



Isn't it pretty? I'm so so thrilled!

It's a Tahitian Pearl with a diamond swirl in 14K white gold. I got it at Crawfords in Toronto. They are so very wonderful! I was able to get my ring custom made, just exactly what I wanted!! :D




I cannot speak highly enough of the people at Crawfords. Leeanne, was so great! She quoted my ring, called me whenever the next step was ready, and helped me throughout the process. Everyone was so helpful, really. I enjoyed the process so much, from seeing the wax, to the rounds or pearl choosing. Leeanne even said if I find, in a few days I don't love the pearl, they will happily find me another pearl! Isn't that just the nicest thing??



I really really love my ring though, so I can't imagine wanting to change the pearl. The colour is so amazing! It's greenish and blueish, but bottom has a purplish tint, and it glimmers as I type. Oh my, I love it so!

Halloween Pictures!

As I've mentioned, Chris and I were Lucy, Daughter of the Devil, and her dad Satan. I was, of course Lucy, and Chris Satan. It was my idea, so I bought what we needed, and even helped Chris get his horns glued on.


Chris gluing on his horns.


Here's my waiting for Chris to be done - my costume was a lot less involved.


Chris and I together, before we went out for the night.

It was really warm at the apartment party we went to, so unfortunately Chris' horns did not stay glued on. I think it was the conbination of sweaty skin, and heavy horns that did it. If we do horns again, I'm leaving them/making sure I get them on thin stretchy cord so we don't have to glue them anywhere.

Chris got lots of attention; everyone was so impressed with his make-up. And likely the beard - apparently it itched like crazy, poor man! He bore it like a trooper though. All in all we had a fun time, but I think next year we need to have less involved (no face paint), and cooler (man was it hot in there!) costumes. Live and learn I guess!

I also made pumpkine cheesecake squares for the occasion, which, I'm only realising now, I never got any pictures of! *gasp* I guess I'll just have to make it again sometime? ;) They really were quite yummy. Though, I think if I make it again, I'll make it in pie or cake form, it really was too met and mushy to be proper squares, good though! So good. Everyone liked them. :D

Ipod Case

When I started going to the gym I realised right away that I'd want to bring my ipod nano with me. Exercising in silence is just unfun. The only problem with that is, my work-out pants have no pockets. Where to put my ipod? Normally, I'd stick it in the side of my bra, but exercising means sweating. Ipods and moisture do not mix.

I looked online just about everywhere google could take me, and the only cases I found would end up costing me way more than I wanted to spend. So I decided to make myself a case. A friend of mine works in a hardware store where they actually sell neoprene! How cool is that? So I got some neoprene, and some contact cement-like glue from him. I used fabric scraps from a yet unfinshed, but fully cut, sewing project. I bought the trim for another project, that I didn't end up using it on, and so had lots for this project. Yay re-purposing!

Side 1


Side 2


I cut the neoprene into a square, roughly big enough to wrap around my ipod, with room to sew it closed. I glued fabric to the front and back of the neoprene, then gave it time to dry. I sewed the fabric-covered neopreme case closed on three sides of the neoprene square, then I sewed the trim on. Took about an afternoon all told. Totally worth it. I think it looks great.

Ipod with Case


Ipod in Case


Of course, like 3 days after I get the case made, I drop my nano, and the screen goes on it! :( Boo-urns!! I love my little nano! I don't even like the newest generation. Who the hell wants a video camera on their bleeding MP3 player?! Honestly! So now I don't know what I'm going to do. The screen isn't fully dead, so I can navigate someone, but I can't change the setting, as I can't see them, and I have no idea when the battery is going to go, as I can't see anything on the right hand side of the screen. Bah! Bah I say!

Sunshine Yellow Seraphim

I've been lax in posting about my crafty things, I really have. This has to change! I have been knitting, honestly I have. I've also been doing some little cooking and baking too. I need to start posting about these things. I'm not really sure why I don't.... Hrm. something to think about there. Perhaps if I knew why I didn't I could fix it. It's not the effort, I don't do that much other things, honestly. Maybe it's my desire to hide from the world, being jobless, and feeling useless does that to a person I think. And although I'm doing things, I'm not earning any money, so perhaps I de-value them, or just feel guilty for enjoying them without paying for them?? I really don't know.

Anyway, enough with the inner reflection, and on to the knitting. Let me introduce (the whole, what one of you?) to my Sunshine Yellow Seraphim shawl.



I'm so very proud. I bought this beautiful yellow yarn at Romni Wools one day this past summer. Knowing full well I don't look good in yellow, I just couldn't help myself. I love yellow. It made me think of sunshine, and I just could not leave the store without it. It's not so often I fall in love with yarn these days, so I bought it. It was only 700 yards.
Not quite enough to make a shawl usually, but I used bigger needles, bought the Seraphim pattern that I'd fallen for, and knit it.

From this:


To this:


In a couple weeks. I was addicted to knitting this shawl. The yarn was such a joy to knit with! The pattern was simple and clear. The lace pattern at the bottom is just so graphic at this size. It's also pretty darn warm for a shawl! And not a bit of itchiness to it!

Please excuse the horrible picture of me, but I wanted to show the shawl on me for size. It's big. It actually fits me!! And I'm a tall fat chick, so that's saying something.



Every time I wear it out I get compliments on it. This of course pleases me greatly. I mean, what's better when you make things than to have others oo and ah, and tell you how pretty they are? Okay, being able to wear them and use them, and be happy with them yourself is paramount, but I still like having my skills/craftswoman-ship(I don't care if it's not a word, I'm not a man) appreciated.

Mom's Birthday Sweater (and Cake)!

Waaaaay back in December I cast on to knit my mommy a sweater. I finished it not a week or so before her birthday in March. I've been really lax in posting about it - I'm a bad poster, what can I say. Actually, I can say this, my lack of posting has absolutely nothing to do with the sweater itself! It was a joy to knit.

I used Cascade 220 superwash. It was the first time I'd used it, and frankly, it's lovely! It's even softer after it's been washed! I really loved the feel of it as I was knitting. Also, great stitch definition, and seemingly no desire to pile. The best part: it's actually affordable! I bought 8 balls of it, I believe, for $10.99 each, which was just enough for the sweater with about 1/4th a ball left over. I admit to freaking out about not having enough yarn, it really didn't look like it'd be enough, in the end, thankfully it was.



I used the Climbing Vines pattern from Interweave Knits Fall/Winter 2008 as a base. I didn't have the same gauge, I also wanted it longer, long sleeved, and a v-neck, since mom likes them best. I worked from my mom's measurements instead of any given by the pattern since I wanted it to, you know, fit her. I re-did all the math myself. The only place I used the pattern was when I was doing the sleeve caps and rounding the shoulder area of the body. I don't know how to do that bit, and I've yet to find a book explaining the technique, so I went by the instructions that matched closest with my starting number of stitches. All in all I think it worked out beautifully.



My mom really likes it, and actually wore it for her birthday dinner with the family, so I could not be happier. Without further ado, the finished sweater! (Yes, I still need to actually get a picture of her in it.)



For some reason this sweater was terribly hard to photograph. The first two photos above do no justice whatsoever to the lovely colour of it! The one directly above is closest. It's a pale, bright blue. Like a summer sky on a clear, sunny day. Can you remember that colour? I know it's hard for me, we've has so few clear, sunny days around these parts.

Did I mention that I also made my mommy's birthday cake? I did. I used SmittenKitchen's Double Chocolate Layer cake recipe. OMFG, the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my entire life. Seriously.



I used the ganache recipe for the filling. So simple. So good. So fool proof, or chocolate-impaired proof. Both my mom and myself love cream cheese frosting, so that's what I topped it with. I love the combination of sweet, rich cake, with the more tangy cream cheese frosting. So good. I tinted the frosting a robin's egg blue (or as close as I could get), as it's mom's absolute favourite colour. Then I tinted left over icing in a pastel green for the lettering. This is only the third time I've ever tried to do letting on a cake. Cut me some slack. It is not easy!



I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. The cake was huge. 9 inches around, and about 5 inches high. Huge. There were 35 people there (not that everyone had some, it was buffet afterall), but there was half a cake left over! Everyone enjoyed it; I know I sure did. It tasted flipping amazing! My mommy loved it, which is what really counts. She had been craving rich, moist chocolate cake, and I delivered! :D Baked from scratch. Yeah, that's right. Not from a box. Go me!

My First Shawl

Way back in March, I was in Hamilton visiting my parents, and for reasons I cannot fathom, I did not bring enough knitting! So I was there, with a 4.5 mm circular needle, most of my stash, but very limited patterns at hand. What I did have was the pattern for the very lovely Shetland Triangle shawl, I knew if I could just find a thin enough yarn, it would work. Thankfully I have two balls of Elann.com's Quencha, a sport weight alpaca blend. Just right!

So I started that shawl, knowing I'd have to buy more yarn - 2 balls would just never be enough - and hoping that new order would match my old yarn. I came into it with the knowledge it would never be perfect, and for once in my life being totally okay with that. It was just something to fill my time and keep my fingers busy. I felt then, that if I wasnt' knitting I was going to go stir crazy, so regardless of how it turned out, I would at least be entertaining myself. No pressure at all. What a wonderful way to start a lace project!!

It's taken me until today to be offically finished. I've knit other things inbetween, or at least, one other thing - a February Baby sweater, pictures to come when I get them from my mom, yes I forgot my camera. doh. So the shawl actually knit up pretty fast, I did use 640.5 yards (585.7m) of yarn afterall! It was an addictive knit. I loved the pattern, watching it grow, the simple reapeat that was so easy to remember, yet to fulfilling to execute.

The blocking process for a shawl was utterly new for me. Usually I don't block anything! This had to be blocked, and it had to be done just right becuase it was going to stay in that position! I bought blocking wires from Knitpicks as I couldn't find a good local source. Once I bought them I, of course, stumbled on a thread on Ravelry that told me where to get them on the cheap. Oh well, next time! I waited very impatiently for the wires - the shawl had been done for about a week, and I wanted so badly to block it already.



I blocked it the day the wires got to me! It took me over an hour to thread the wires and get it blocked out as evenly as I could. Man, what a pain in the ass that was! Seeing as we live in a small apartment, and the shawl, once blocked was really not small, the only available floor space to let it dry was under the bed. Thankfully it fit perfectly!


I'm just thrilled with how it's turned out. I could not be more happy in fact. I don't think it could be any more lovely than it is, little mistakes and all. I bet you can't spot them either! :D



Here's a close up of the tip. I'm so pleased with how the 'points' turned out! Just the hint of pointy-ness, exactly what I wanted. It may have taken a lot of effort to block it, but it sure was worth it.



This experiece has got me hooked on lace! I've got two more shawls on needles now, and skeins of yarn wating to make a third! I love this pattern so much I'm sure to make another one, at some point, at well :)

My Table

Last fall I started my very first solo 'reno' project -- I decided to refinish our dining/computer table. This is a 20yr old, very solid, Ikea table Chris has inherited from his parents. Over the years it's gotten a lot of abuse and love. Recently however the top of the table has started to peel, chip, and generally loose bits of it's varnish coating. The tipping point for myself that it was loosing it's varnish by becoming splinters in my hands. So very uncool. So I decided to do something about it.

I've done a few wood stripping projects with my best girl Neda, and what I've learned is this:

1. Chemical strippers burn like a mother-fucker when they hit your skin


2. And no matter how careful you think you're being, you will get burned, dozens of times if you are anything like me


3. Hand sanders, like most machinery scare me (to the point of refusing to use them)


4. They also aren't the easiest things to control


5. Gauges in tables also suck, and are much harder to get out than they are to get in

As a result of past experiences, and because I'm a little crazy frankly, I decided to sand the table top by hand. Just me and some sandpaper. What was I thinking?! If I do this again, I'm definitely going to suck it up and use a chemical. It would have gone soooo much faster. Still, the experience overall is very positive, so I don't regret my choice. I feel the table it more mine now because of all the time, effort and determination I've put into it.

It took me quite a few sessions, with sore muscles, raw fingertips, and a lot of dust, but I got it done - eventually.


Just in case you didn't' believe me about the dust - I looked like this at the end of every session with the table

Trouble was, I kinda started the project late in the year. The cold weather hit us much quicker than I thought it would. So by the time the table was 95% sanded, it was just too cold to open up the apartment to finish it, ventilation being key.

Last week (or was it the week before now? I can't remember) we had some really nice weather, so I took to my table again. After another 4 hours of hard labour sanding the table top, it was finally ready to be finished!



I picked polyurethane because it was fast, and frankly because it would take far fewer coats to get a reliable surface. We do eat and compute off this table, any finish needed to be able to stand up to our wear and tear. Took me two days of coating, and letting it dry, with ever window and door open in the place, and a fan blowing out the noxious fumes - man does that stuff smell vile! Kills brain cells too, if not ventilated. I spent most of my time out or on the balcony to negate that possibility.

The end result: Almost Like Glass!!!


I'm so proud. Honestly, I'm thrilled with how it turned out. The polyurethane tinted the wood just enough that it's the exact same colour of the legs! Or, more accurately, I didn't sand down past the finish time had put on the wood! Yay! I think it looks great. I could not possibly be happier. It's so smoooooooth! :D Go me!

Knitting FO Parade - 2008

I can't believe it's been sooooo long since I've talked about/shown off my knitting! It's not like I haven't been knitting; I have! Doh.

Here it is May 2009, and I realise I've not shown you anything since last summer!!

Time to set things right!


September 2008

[one]
I knit Sushi! And even made it a little bento box to complete the look. I didn't have/use any patterns, I just went by pictures I found on the internet. I knit this as a birthday gift for a friend that loves sushi. I'm incredibly proud of how it all turned out.



Especailly the Ginger Rose:



[Two]
I knit a sweater and hat set for Chris' newest nephew, Cooper. I used Knitty's Trellis pattern, but modified it a little, and designed or unvented as EZ would say, a hat to go with it. I knit this in Mission Falls Supwerwash wool. It was my first time working with it, but certainly not my last! It was such a pleasure to knit with! And to touch! There just aren't words for how soft and luxurious this yarn is! And it's soooo reasonably priced too!



Cooper's mommy, and her mommy both loved it! She even took pictures of him in it later in the fall! I was thrilled. I got to see him in it too, when Mommy and son came to visit in January. It looked soo cute on him! :D I love seeing things fit, and mommy's happy with my work. It makes it all worth while when my work is appreciated, I tell you what.


October 2008

[three]
I knit a Jester's Hat, and matching mittens for Chris'other nephew, Callum, for his first bday. I've only met Callum once, when he was 5 months old. I had no idea how big to make either the mits or the hat. So I guessed. I found 'averages' online, and guessed somewhere in the middle. I made the mittens in the smallest size pattern I could find, and hoped they'd be small enough (the pattern said it was for 2-4 year olds, so I made them a little shorter and hoped it would be enough). Lots of hope went into this one. Lots of fretting. I'm happy with how they turned out though. I think they were cute as could be.


Seen here being moddeled by my teddy bear, Shakespere.



Sadly, I have no idea how they fit/if they really ever fit as my numerous requests to know were never answered. :( Not even a thank you. *sigh* I figured if they were too big when he got them he'd likely grow into them by the end of winter. They live in Montreal, winters are long there. I think he did grow into them. I hope he got to wear them... But like I said, I don't know as they never said boo to me about it. Very unsatisfactroy ending for me. Only stealed my opinion that knitting for children should be avoided!


November 2008

[four]
Sweater Curse Defeated!!

Finally, I finished Chris' sweater! Just in time for hime to wear it to my Family's Christmas party. I was as proud as any peacock! It's perfect! Or at least as perfect as I could get it. Once I saw him in it, and saw him smile, tearing out that one damn sleeve seven times was worth it. It fit like a glove! He looks so smashing in it too, I think, anyway.




December 2008

[five]
Suprise Christmas knitting! I didn't think I was going to knit anything for Christmas, then I got the bright idea to knit slippers for Emyele, Cooper's mommy, and send her a kind of 'comfort' package. I based the size of the slippers on my feet since, from all the pictures I could find on Facebook of Emyele, she looked to be about my height. Again, I hoped I was gussing right. I unvented a pattern for the slippers since I couldn't find what I wanted. I knit them in a lovely grey wool blend that was machine washable. I was tickled pink with the result. Just what I envisioned.




Me modelling

They kinda remind me of Medival boots - something I didn't realise until I put them on. They were nice and warm too! They were also stretchy, so hopefully if her feet were bigger or smaller they'd still fit. Once again, I have no clue how they fit as I never got an answer. *sigh* I guess that means they were either not liked, or didn't fit. Very disappointing, but what can you do right? Mope. That's what I do!


[six]
I had a migraine one day in December, the kind that makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. That kind of pain. To distract myself I was on Ravelry pattern searching and found this pattern (Goldfish, I believe it's called) while looking for something else entirely. It made me smile. I had to make one. It was my bright spot through the pain. And now I loves him. My little Dope Fish.





I was so amused by my little fishie that I brought him home to show my mom. Both my parents got a kick out of him. He made them laugh and smile too. He's a charmer, my little Dope Fish. They always seem so impressed that I can knit things like that. heh. Anyway, my Pa suggested it would be a good toy for a baby since he has little fins that little baby hands could grab on to.

When I heard that Emyele was bringing Cooper to come meet Chris' family, I knew I had to knit one for him. I figured, even if he wasn't too interested in him, at least Emyele might get a kick out of him. I didn't take pictures of the second one. They are nearly identical. And frankly I finished him like the day before we went to meet Emyele and Cooper. I had just enough yarn in the same ball I used for mine to make Coopers. I was a couple yards away from not having enough. It was very nerve wracking as it I was knitting the fins on, I tell you what.


[seven]
For New Years, Chris and I went to a Silly Hat New Years Eve party at a friends house. The idea was we would all wear silly hats. I bought Chris a sombaro, I think they call them. He looked so so so amusing. I giggled and laughed and clapped like a school girl seeing him in it. I have to say though, I do think mine was the silliest by far. I knit a raw chicken in the form of a viking helmet!




Side View

I cannot take credit for the idea at all. I found it on Ravelry. The pattern was a little vague in how to do the decreasing and how to do the drumsticks, so I had to kinda make it up as I went along. The earflap instructions were aces though, and I'm very glad for it as I had no clue how to make them. I think it came out wonderfully myself. Everyone at the party liked it too, so that made me all more pleased.


That was the last thing I knit in 2008. I actually finished it on Christmas eve on the bus to Hamilton. Hopefully sooner, rather than later, I will post about the sweater I made my mommy. It really is lovely, and I'm ever so proud of it. But for now, this post is long enough!

Picture Story

I've been working part time in retail for the past month now. Really rather tiring. When I first started my feet got soooo sore, even after just a 4 hour shift! Now after 8 hours, my feet are sore, but no where near what they were the first few days. Thank the gods. But my point was, even working part time, it seems to suck up so much of my time!

So I have some unfinished business, or should I say finished business? *grins proudly* I finally finished my purple sweater! Ta Da!



Well, it's mostly finished. I haven't added buttons, but I've been wearing it with the fabulous broach as you see above and I'm really liking it. I'm thinking of just seaming up the button holes and wearing it as is.

I really do like it, it's so soft and warm but it's linty. oh. my. gods. If I knew the yarn was this linty I wouldn't have bought it! On the other hand, I'm very happy to have this sweater, linty or not. And proud of it too for that matter. I'm just never knitting with angora again. It's soft, warm, and lightweight, but it leaves fluff just everywhere

In the theme of showing off, I also wanted to show off the Banana Bread I made for Chris. This is the first time I've ever made it! I found the recpie online, the picture looked like my moms, and it seemed to have all the right things in it, so I went with it. If I do it again I won't be adding the cininmin, totally unnecessary and a little strange as I don't think it properly compliments the banana. Anyway, check it out! Isn't it pretty?





It tasted pretty darn good too. You don't even have to take my word for it. Take Chris'. He ate the whole loaf in two days, i.e. two sittings!

On a completely unrelated note: This is what passed as a Christmas tree at our house this year! It's barely 3ft tall and sat on our end table!



Can you believe it? Mom said it was just too much bother to bring the tree down from the attic, and move all the furniture around and such. *sigh* I really wish she had at least let me do it! I soo missed having a proper tree. Needless to say next year, gods willing, Chris and I are going to have a proper tree. I don't care how much space it takes up. We will make room. I want a proper tree. It's ironic, I'm not religious by any stretch of the imagination, but I so love the trappings of Christmas. I love the tree, the decorations, the candy, the cookies, even the carols. So we are going to have a proper tree. *nods*

On another completely unrelated note: one of the last few times I was at Chris' place, he cleaned out his bottom drawer in his dresser so I could have some space, isn't that just the sweetest thing? Anyway, that was where he kept his sexin' stuff. Somehow we got on the topic of condoms and how they fit. Me not having the right anatomy, and never having taken a close look at any condom, I wanted to know if they were all the same or what. This lead to his being surprised that I'd never played with one. Since I was so curious, he let me open one and play with it. This is the result. LMAO.



For some strange reason I can't really explain I just love this image.... I think I look pretty good in it, somehow.. aside from the dirigible sized/shaped condom, of course.