Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Booty-licioius

Yes, I have actual knitting content. While it seems I have been knitting, progress is slow when you jump around to 3, 4, sometimes 5 different projects. These are a gift for someone I know who is expecting her first child in early October .Theses booties are just so darned cute, bet you can't make just one pair!


I picked up yet another distraction yesterday, from my local grocery store. The sixth book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon , A Breath of Snow and Ashes. It has been awhile since I read the fifth novel The Fiery Cross, so I will re-read that first. So if im absent from the blog you know where I will be, curled up in a corner, maybe even the bathtub (it's a great place to hide from the kids) pouring over close to 2000 pages.

Knitting projects in the works, I hope to update the sidebar soon. I am still on sleeve island with my MHC, Clown sock just about done, FBS 1 chart complete now on to the 2nd. With the yarn for the corset being lugged around just in case I need to start something else.

Off to try and read and knit and the same time, HA! I can't chew gum and walk at the same time, but hell it's worth a try.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Truth be told.

All right the truth is out Kay had the right answer. Kay your IT, I will post to your blog. Really you guys an extra toe! This game was a hoot. Thanks for playing.

For the blog game going on at the knitty board, my Four truths and a lie revealed.

1. My freshwater turtle turned up, alive after living in the ocean for 6 months.
TRUE - We cleaned the turtles tank one day, and let him roam the room as usual. We lived right on a breakwater where the ocean at high tide was under my porch stairs. Waldo got out somehow and 6 months later a guy on the boat docked below was shouting "No friggin way that's a turtle!" His buddy thought he was smoking crack. I of course ran down to find Waldo alive although not well, the salt water had eaten a hole in his shell.
2. I previously worked at a secluded fish farm with one other person for weeks on end.
TRUE - This fish farm was accessible by boat (a very long trip) or by seaplane and planted in a bay on the ocean. My longest stint our there was 5 weeks.

3. I was born with an extra toe on my right foot.
FALSE - But I so had you going! LOL

4. I was once stranded on the ocean with no sight of land.
TRUE - Going to aforementioned fish farm, both boats enroute broke down, with a storm blowing up. We also endend up in American waters, not good. We manged to make a new drive belt out of duck tape and hump our way to the fish farm. This trip was supposed to take 5 hours it took us 14. I have yet to tell my mother this ever happend.
5. As a child I had my tongue frozen to a sign post.
TRUE - Not only did I do this once, but twice yeah I was a dumb kid with a wicked older brother.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Tell the truth, you can't lie.

For the blog game going on at the knitty board, my Four truths and a lie:
1. My freshwater turtle turned up, alive after living in the ocean for 6 months.
2. I previously worked at a secluded fish farm with one other person for weeks on end.
3. I was born with an extra toe on my right foot.
4. I was once stranded on the ocean with no sight of land.
5. As a child I had my tongue frozen to a sign post.

Remember anything is possible ;)

Show your sky day


After picking up my son from his sitter, this graced the sky over our beautiful city for well over an hour. It is also our city's namesake. "The city of rainbow's" So for Sandy over at Sandy's Knitting from my sky to yours.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Knitter's in sheeps clothing.

All the productivity I talked about last post was shopping related. I found the best jammies ever, they screamed, begged and pleaded for me to buy them. Intially I thought what a perfect gift for my best knitting co-hort. What could be a better present than flannel jammies? (Besides yarn of course.) Well let me tell you there is something better, these!

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better...
...two, two, two chicks in one! I found a second pair!

When I purchased these they were going to be a part of her Christmas present but how can one hold back, these just had to be gifted. I couldn't resist, Christmas is tooo far away. It was worth it, can you tell? Look at those smiles. And just when our husbands thought we had already lost our everlovingminds, we decided we should wear them to our Knit Night Thursday. I think after this Thursday it should be mandatory that all our Thursday Knit Knitters wear jammies.

Last night we also said good-bye to my brother, he left this morning. It's amazing how easily you can slip back into the brother/sister relationship. It's like he never left. There is 9 years between him and I, so I was the pesky little sister. I'm sure he thinks I haven't changed.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Additional Pictures

I couldn't edit the previous post. So here are my boys in all their glory at the Cannery Road Race on Saturday.

Forgive me Father...

..for I have sinned, it has been 4 days since my last post. Wow, time flies. While I have felt extremely productive, I have no productivity to produce. Go figure. I am nearing completion on a knitted gift, just some finishing touches. Yes, I am still on sleeve island, the boat should be around to pick me up in a few weeks, if I'm lucky. I swatched for the corset, but I moved on to the FBS because of an off hand comment from my mother's friend about my hand-dyed yarn. I'm fickle, I'm married, I don't need another long term commitment, just a little flirtation is good. Last but never least a sock, a sock with second sock gauge syndrome*.

*Second Sock Gauge Syndrome - Often referred to as SSGS. a condition that causes the second sock to be knit at a tighter gauge despite using the same number of stitches and the same size needles. Tests to knit the sock directly after finishing the first have not proved to be beneficial. More test knitting is needed, thus more sock yarn shopping must ensue before this disease can be conquered.

This weekend was a runners weekend, runners being my son"K" and husband. Son "L" and I are just there for their for moral support, to hold clothing items, and take pictures. Saturday was spent at the Cannery Road Race where my son came 3rd in the 1Km Fun Run. for his efforts he received a cookie medal attached by string licorce. (photo of said medal not available, it came to an unfateful end seconds after being awarded). Meaning, "L" ate it. My husband came 4th in the 10K for his age group and 6th overall. Way to go boys!

Sunday we took part in the the 25th Terry Fox Run. The four of us biked the run together. Everyone who registered received a Commemorative coin, and we bought the boys a t-shirt. We had a great time, and will definately be there for the years to come. Rest in Peace Terry.


Thursday, September 15, 2005

Ho Humming along

Well it seems that I have been super busy doing nothing. I keep finding other things to distract me from knitting. Why? I don't know, maybe it was the lack of knitting projects on the needles. I needed to find more. I don't really need to start anthing new. Little progress has been made on any of my projects so nothing to show. I did swatch for my corset in the Elann Baby Silk. Yummm.

My brother is here to visit for a week, and I have learned he has started a tatoo that will go all the way down and around his arm, and he wants to eventually do the other arm too. He designed and drew the tatoo himself and it's pretty nice. I'm not so sure I like the whole arm tatoo idea though. It's his body though so what I think doesn't matter. I have knit night tonight so if any knitting gets done I'll fill you in. Mostly I just talk and eat. So I leave you with a picture taken from my office window. Come on be jealous, I know you wanna.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Namesake

My Must Have Cardigan sleeves (till death do us part will now be called MHC) are soon to be, as my blog namesake states, Unravelled! How'd I know that my blog name would be soo appropriate? A hunch, I think not.

I was two sleeves in and two balls gone when I thought "Dude shouldn't these be longer for a whole ball of yarn!" I look in my project bag and find some lonely addi's, undressed and floating about. Hmmm, I get the needle checker out, 4.5mm. I look at my sleeves in progress, aren't those supposed to be 4.5mm? Insert foul word here. I had forgotten to change my needles after the cuffs, I was being so careful not to screw up the two sleeves on one circular needle that I knit merrily away on the 4mm! I have knit and re-knit this pattern so many times that I should have 3 completed cardigan by now. All my own stupidty of course. So to momentarily avoid undoing I made up an Excel chart (that I have not a clue how to put up here) in hopes that I might actally get this right. And to torture myself further a progress photo of my soon to be unravelled sleeves. At least now I can correct all those mistakes I made in the double moss stitch during increasing.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Hamburger Face

Whenever we have hamburgers for dinner my son asks for Ketchup eyes and “mouse”, and Mustard nose. In case you were wondering what we eat up here in the north, mouse is not on the menu. “Mouse” is the 4 year old version of “mouth” for those who don’t have children. “And mommy you’re going to do it right, cause Daddy makes an UGLY hamburger face!” All right that’s one hamburger face coming up hold the UGLY.

Last night I was all dressed up with nowhere to go so I thought I would take a FO picture of my silk shrug. Well if not having anywhere to go wasn't bad enough, my camera was dead. I knew what I had to do, I marched into my room changed into the flannel and headed to the couch to knit. What was I thinking, going out on a Friday night when I could be snuggled up on the couch with my flannel and my pup and some great knitting? I did get the picture of me modeling my silk shrug today. It was knit from fleece artist silk, using an adaptation of the shrugs from Knitter’s. I’m still not sure if I will ever wear it, but damn isn’t it pretty!

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Yarn fondling

"The package" arrived today, the package containing the Peruvian Collection Baby Silk. I immediatly ripped open the box, slipped the yarn out of it plastic, and ahem fondled it. Until I remember, oh no, this beautiful bounty was not all for me and I had just fondled someone elses yarn. I'm thinking I just broke rule #2 of the knitters code, One must NEVER fondle anothers yarn until the owner fondles it first. Well shit, now what'll I do? Screw the rule, I broke it already and she'll never know, take it all out and fondle it freely I say.

Ok, now that I have recovered from the silk encounter, I think this might be just the yarn I need for the pattern I bought yesterday. I have no restraint. I will be swatching tonight, with the baby silk doubled to see what I come up with. I would be swatching right now, but damn I left my needles at home today. The pattern is the Corset Tank from Annie Modesitt, and has been added to my ever growing list of want-to knits.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Knitty is Here

The Knitty Fall issue is up. I have only glanced at the patterns but already have my eye on Ella a triangular shawl, knit with HandMaiden, Lady Godiva. I see a knit-along in the very near future, NO? I know just the person who will be knititng along with me because she needs another shawl in her pile of finished objects. *wink, wink* Maybe said person will see this before she goes to the LYS and heads home.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Really, you knit socks?

The boy I spoke of earlier is the younger of my two children, he is 4. He was still not feeling well, so off to the doctor’s office to get his test results and have a rash he developed examined. When the doctor finished doctoring, he spied the socks poking out of my purse and asked what I was knitting. “Really, you knit socks? I love wool socks” I snickered wondering if I knit him socks could I barter less time in the waiting room. It was confirmed the boy does have strep, but not an allergic reaction, he gave me a different RX for antibiotics “just in case” with a recommendation to stay home until his throat feels better.

I worked a few rows on my socks at the doctor’s office, and when we returned home I attempted to work on the sleeves of the Must Have. However, playing nurse had me up and down more times than Mary’s pants at a picnic, that I soon gave up.

So when you can’t knit, what else do you do? You think about it! In the line up of future knits, Angelina, pattern from White Lies Designs purchased from Elann. I will use the coveted alpaca my husband trekked all over Peru for (that's his story anyway). He was under some pressure for this wool quest. We had an agreement, I was happy for him to go as long as he got off that return flight with wool, alpaca to be specific. That man done good, he brought me home three large cones of fine alpaca in three colours. He wasn’t sure what colour to get so he bought them all, at a bargain no less. My heart swelled, and the corny quote from Jerry McGuire came to mind “You complete me”. It was the fibre talking, I cant be held responsible for corny movie quotes.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Knitter's Unite

If you haven't already been to Give A Little , go and visit , the generosity is astounding. I donated the money for a future yarn purchase to the Canadian Red Cross . Keep up the good work Margene and Susan.

I have finished the back of the Must Have Cardigan, and I have cast on for the sleeves. I am attempting to knit both sleeves simultaneously for the first time. We’ll see. The current sock project hasn’t been touched in over a week, but I brought it along when I visited the E.R. with the boy . The good news: we were in and out of the E.R. in 20 minutes. The bad news: the boy has strep throat. Worse news: I never even got the socks out of my purse.

A big shout out to my friend on the road. Visit that new yarn shop for me, I give you permission to be an enabler. Pick up something for me, if it shouts Michelle or even whispers, your thoughtfulness will be reimbursed. Travel safe.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Crash Course

Well after several long days of deciphering the "whozits", "whatzits" and sometimes "%$&#zits" of this blog speak they cal HTML, I now have a functioning knit blog. After peeking at everyone's source, peeping blogger that's me, I discovered that it's not rocket science. My largest hurdle was properly adjusting the code that comes with Bloggers' templates. I still have a lot to add but will work on that slowly, so be patient. I am proud to have conquered my first tasks, but am ready to get on with the knittin'.

My knitting has suffered this week but I managed to work on my Must Have Cardigan. This cardigan was promised to my mother the first Christmas after I started knitting. Cough, cough, now 2 Christmas later she may just get it. One can only hope. I love this pattern, but somehow it reclined in the knitting basket for ages. The Peruvian Highland wool from Elann compliments the texture of this pattern. The color is Ruby and the perfect "blue-toned" red, (a specific request). Who knew there was a blue-toned red? But for my mother anything, afterall I was a teenage girl once, she's due.

And because I don't have a progress pic of the Must Have, I'll show you my future project, Butterfly. A birthday gift from almost 1 year ago, given to me by the best kind of friend to have...a knitting friend. They always know what to get you.