Via Design Sponge, even these yellow (yellow!) Inhabit pillows from 2Modern are contendors for a new accent colours. So exciting! I can see the day easily being eaten by DesignSponge and the Flickr Corners of My Home pool. Truly addictive content, hard to pull oneself away. This really gives Blair from Wise Craft's brilliant suggestion of a computer free day something to think about.
Winter's still going strong in these parts. Another stormy grey Saturday. A temperature of -15 plus wind chill equals a nice -27 celcius. Beautiful. Just like last Saturday. What is this spring you speak of? I believe this calls for some CBC Radio, coffee, and crafting.
No big complaints here. I do love an excuse to stay warm at home and listen to the radio. Don McKellar now has a radio show, following Go. Ahhh, cozy day.
Another project almost complete? Must be time to start another. Something new hit over the weekend, a sneak at the swatch for now. This is the Lily Chin Gramercy I picked up last month, swatched in stripes for fun. Seems it's all about the blue these days.
I like how the colours work together, I think I'll even keep the stripes. I caved on quite a long-standing (1 month?) string of no-yarn-buying when I picked this stuff up, and it's sadly given me the bug to buy more. Left to my own vices, I would spend it all on yarn and craft supplies, which would realistically only take up space in my home, and create an urge to buy more. Oh, how resisting the temptation to buy more is hard. There's always a sale, always a good deal to be found, always a new pattern to try, especially this time of year.
Restraint!
Instead, I've been investing lots more in the art department in an attempt to fill some empty apartment walls. Every Wednesday morning for the past few months, I've hit myself in the head after finding that I've missed another great piece on Tiny Showcase. On Tuesday nights, they release a new print that usually sells out by next morning. I've been meaning to make a greater effort to check on Tuesday evening to see what's to be had, but have yet to be successful. Miraculously, this week's SET of prints was still available.
Bear & Wolf, a fun two print set by Irina Troitskaya. The whole concept of Tiny Showcase is up there in my books.
At long last, a completed project I can call my own. With Alison, on the way home from Rhode Island this past summer, we stopped in at a yarn shop in Saratoga Springs. Great shop, friendly staff, lots of fun things to touch and buy. I suspect that had we hit this shop closer to the beginning of the trip, and not on our way home, I would have spent much more/had more money to spend here. I picked up two balls of Blue Sky Alpaca for this garter rib scarf.
A very short garter rib scarf, mind you, but a garter rib scarf nonetheless. I knew I'd want a simple and quick knit one day, and this one sure fit the bill. I can't quite get my camera to capture the luscious red without overexposing it to death, but I assure you, it's a beautiful deep red. I love the colour, and the texture is just superb, I'm sold on this stuff. I may well even wear this scarf one day, or find a very luxiourious child to sport it for me.
Kate, you've done it again, without even missing a beat this time. Oh, how I miss the Kate and Anna shopping adventures. This one looks like it was lots of fun. This Room 6? Wow. Tell me, did you attend the Spend on Trend event I spotted on Room 6's site? I can see these adorable Horn of Plenty wares adorning your beautiful apartment. You Vancouverites get it all, hey?
You must have read my mind--fed up with following knitting charts and never-ending projects, you've sent the perfect rescue: chocolate, a knit-inspiring book, and for my need for more mindless knitting: a felting project. I love the blue on blue used on the Black Sheep Bags pattern. Thanks again.
I've been meaning to get to this for a while. At home sick today, and after a full day's rest, I think it's time I cross this one off the list. A few weeks ago, this fine package arrived at my doorstep. The intricate packaging and decadent chocolates are both long-gone, but inside...a beautiful new needle case from Vancouver friend Kate. Anyone who knows Kate will tell attest to the fact that her taste is impeccable; I have so missed her since she's moved back to British Columbia.
I love this needle case, and its arrival couldn't be more timely. I don't much use my current needle case, its use is usually followed by much brooding. More on that in a bit, let's admire the beauty of this one first.
I so admire the attention to detail used here, I'd love to know who made it. Straight stitching, perfect edges and buttonholes, even a small bit of applique. My former needle case looks a shamble compared to this.
I'm happy to put my former needle holder to rest. It was quickly constructed one day during an organizing flurry. After picking up knitting needles all over the house, I impulsively made a needle holder. Never having much patience for sitting in front of a sewing machine, the end result was a functional, but not so pretty needle case. The mix of crooked stitching (in white thread!), uneven tension, and pockets that hold nothing bigger than a thimble maddened me. This, combined with needles that flailed out of it every time I went near it, made me generally leave it never to be used.
My favourite feature is my use of safety pins, a true testament to my lack of sewing patience. Rather than stitch the closure, I completed this with safety pins. I do love the fabric, I'll be happy to re-purpose it. This is remnant t-shirt fabric from Victoria, BC's Smoking Lily, which Kate brought me to on a one-hour photo tour of Victoria.
So, again, thank you Kate. I'm so touched by your thoughtfulness.
That's right, still kicking. I've been enthralled this month by other peoples' projects. I'm still amazed that every single day, someone out there is crafting up a storm and sharing it online. My jaw remains open and drooling at the talent out there. Great respect to all of you sharing your work.
For me, projects remain at a steady crawl, but indeed still moving forward. Interlock Balloons has seen the most attention of late, but not enough to have the pattern memorized--two little post-it-notes still inch up and down the chart as I knit, some days they don't move at all. I'm eager to see this one gone, I've already got a few new projects on the brain. It's a snowy, bleary day today, so here's hoping for some progress.
A slight modification worth noting: I've changed the edge to a slipped-stitch edge. In hindsight, this scarf could well have use the double slipped-stitch edge used on the Backyard Leaves scarf. I've long wondered why this scarf wasn't designed with a more complimentary edge. Anyone else agree?
In eager anticipation of finishing up some projects, a local yarn sale has brought some of Lily Chin's (one of the fastest crocheters in the west, don't you know) new Superwash Merino into my already yarn-filled home. Friends of mine with babies, or with babies on the way, please turn around, and don't come back until March or April. There's stuff's going to be cute, I tell you.
Ok, so as mentioned, on with the dreary day, hoping for some progress today. Happy Chinese New Year.
End of December, hey? These past few months have gone by in a snap, hard to believe the end of the year is here already. September? October? Last Wednesday? Where'd you all go?
With the time flying like this, it's been tricky to fit in the knitting bits. Seems appropriate to do a year-end wrap-up, and get set for the coming year. Rather than covering completed items (of which there are few), here are the top 5 projects that will get bumped to the new year:
Knitty's Shedir: Seems like only a few rows left, how's this one slip through
Interlocking balloons hasn't made any progress since I took this photo last month
From Interweave Knits Fall 2005, cable and rib sock. Singular.
The least complete of all: Phildar Licorne zippered cardigan from Tendances Printemps 2005
Here's hoping that 2006 brings these stragglers round the bend. With much luck and perserverance, I'll manage to tackle these before beginning anything new in the new year. A difficult task for me, I like the allure of something new. We shall see!
Happy Christmas! All the best for the new year.
See? I can bake. You haven't got the best of me yet, Martha. From the same Holiday Baking issue as my last Martha run-in, the Chocolate-black pepper cookies are a safe bet for great tasting baking. I highly recommend. Tasty combination of chocolate, coffee, and pepper. A rare combination of spicy and sweet.
Somewhere along the lines this week, I stumbled on the Anticraft, a most macabre Knitty-like assembly of knitting patterns and... Well, I'm not sure exactly what. Gloom and despair? The dark side of knitting?
With projects like the above Bad Juju and Snowball's Chance in Hell armwarmers, and difficulty ratings like MoonPrincess RavenDark and AntiCraft SuperStar, there's some pretty quirky and dark matter to be found. Definitely uncharted territory.
Ahhhh, Saturday. Finally. My favourite--Saturday morning, coffee and the CBC.
While listening to Go this morning, I found these great yamaneko buttons, and can't help but share. Do enjoy the day.
It's been some time, really. Knitting and yarn have crossed my path only via housecleaning lately. A knitting slump, indeed. I've had a number of projects tossing around in idea phase for a few weeks, and haven't had the chance to dive in. Finally, on Friday while putting away some books, I picked up Scarf Style again, and decided to start in on Interlocking Balloons.
Yup. Another scarf it is. The weather's certainly cold enough for it. Snowy, windy, and wind chill has already set in. Ahhh, winter.
And, despite my feelings of ill-will toward Martha in the baking department, I can't help but get sucked back in by the so so pretty christmas crafts on her web site right now.
Pretty cute and hard to resist. I can say without a doubt that I'm not going to tackle this, so someone else out there, knock yourself out and make these glitter bird centerpiece and tinsel trees.
Martha, ohhhh, Martha. For weeks now I've been pouring over your Holiday Cookies magazine. A beautiful issue, there's no doubt. More than 100 recipes for the season, it's barely possible to narrow it down to a few to choose and bake.
This issue has truly inspired me; you've pulled out all the stops. I've already gone out and picked only the highest quality ingredients - even the unsalted butter - I promise, no cheating or substituting this time. I've spent nearly 40 dollars on ribbon, I've been narrowing my choices of cellophane bags and decorative tins, and I know that with enough shopping, I'll find all of the personal touches I need to wrap my baking. Everything is going to be perfect this year.
I get goosebumps just thinking of it. I'm going to present each and every one of my loved ones with the most beautifully packaged delicious baked goods they've seen in their lives. Me. I'm going to do this. This year. This year, Martha, this year! And I owe it all to you.
Except. Well, except the fact that your recipes are still impossible. I honestly thought you'd changed. In an attempt to reproduce your candy-stripe cookie sticks, I cut out the 3X6" cardboard stencil like the instructions call for and set myself to work. I baked the cookies two at a time, just like you've asked.
Baked two at a time, these cookies are impossible to pull off
Two. At a time. And then when they came out the oven slightly golden brown, I tried tried tried to roll them up as quickly to reproduce your work of art. The best I got are burned fingers and broken rectangles with high arches. Not what I was expecting.
So, Martha, I'm not sure exactly sure what else to say on the matter. Really. I'm really just not quite sure about this anymore.
Oh, how it has been a long haul. After weeks of squeezing every possible knitting minute out of every possible day, Miri's Forbes Forest came out complete this past weekend. I wasn't sure I was ever going to see the end of this scarf, but to no avail, billions of bobbles, cables, and popcorn stitches came together here to make this scarf complete.
I wasn't convinced at first. The cables and bobbles looked weak when I started in, and I wondered if alpaca could do this pattern justice. But, as I worked through and gave it a test block with some steam, the stitches opened up, and the pattern bloomed through to the end.
Without a doubt, this is a scarf I would have never picked myself. Before this swap, I'd not even remotely considered making this scarf, not even for a second. But, now that I've made it, and I see first-hand what this pattern's got to offer, for sure I'd make it again. I'm even considering one for myself.
The Forbes Forest pattern is genius, and kept me interested right to the end. Casting off was bittersweet; happy to be finished, and sad to say goodbye to the pattern. I already miss working on this, and am sad to see it go.
Miri, I hope this scarf finds you well, it's certainly cold enough in these parts for this super warm scarf. It should arrive with you shortly! Loads of thanks to Kris and Jacqueline for hosting the SYNO swap--great idea, fabulous hosts!
Completely unrelated--remember these? Japanese blogger Not Wild Style has put together a collection of hundreds of images of blank tapes in Cassette Jam 05.
Happy Halloween!
Via kraf-o-la, this book by Jess Hutchison may well save me from re-learning how to crochet. The crochet hook and I don't get along so well, despite any adminaration I may have for crocheted items. Do have a look--this free bunny pattern should whet your pallet.
I've grown a small urge to crochet again, and have been secretly stalking these free patterns. Now that knit patterns are to be found, let's just say the crochet thoughts are out the window. Hooray, I've staved off the crochet hook for another day.
Shoptoberfest was a success! Love visiting Toronto (operative word: visiting); so much to see, nice switch to a faster pace. The faster pace was much required, only a few hours of shopping time by the time I got into town on Saturday.
Did a quick runaround downtown, spending most of my time at H&M, where a few purchases were made. When you live in a government town, stocking up on non-government-worker wear is a must. What a lunatic store though, that H&M, intense patience required. 3 floors of clothes and accessories thrown randomly throughout the store.
No yarn shopping, the closest I came was picking up a few scarves. That's right, I got scarves the easy way. It's ridiculous how much I fell in love with this plain grey acrylic scarf. Of all colours, and all fabrics: grey acrylic. Toronto has some fun yarn shops though, in particular Knitomatic, Lettuce Knit, and the crazy mess at Romni, but I truly don't need any more yarn. Honest. So no yarn shopping this round. Only yarn in the form of finished product is allowed in the house right now, anway.
I keep meaning to post a thank you for all the postcards received from the Postcard Swap.
Clockwise from top, postcards from Lisa, Adam (K-State card), Melanie and Brad (no blogs). Hope the trial run helped iron-out any Swap Bot bugs. Imagine, organizing a swap without even one person having to juggle Excel graphs.
With a heavy heart, I'm passing on a yearly tradition, Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. I've attended with Mr. Clickety Click since we met, and while he's in Waterloo zigge-zagge-zigge-zagge-ing it up, I'll be celebrating a new tradition: Shoptoberfest. Off instead to Toronto for one-day power-shop--I see visits to H&M, some new shoes, and some downtown fun coming my way.
Happy weekend, happy shopping!
Scarf swap scarf has arrived--hooray! An utterly perfect Backyard Leaves arrived just in time for fall scarf season. Perfect timing, Winnie, thanks a million. ...Still amazed at how quickly you turned this scarf around.
Thanks again Winnie, love it!Many thanks to Emily for the great SP5 gifts. Love the stitch markers and the hand-dyed wool, and looking forward to trying my hand at the mitten pattern you sent along. The chocolate's long gone, and the tea kept me warm on some chilly days this past weekend.
Thanks again, hope you had fun with SP5--have fun with SP6. Cheers!
