Twenty Years...and I'm Still Blogging!

 

On February 8, 2003, I posted my first weblog.  It was short, sweet and simple -- a quote from knitting icon, Elizabeth Zimmerman: 

"...But I can knit.  I knit all year, day in, day out.  It is my passion, and I rarely knit the same thing twice the same way."

I don't remember the source of the quote -- perhaps one of her books (I own three) or perhaps from someone like Clara Parkes who, at the time, had created the first online forum for knitters, called "Knitter's Review", named for her website and her work, which explores all things knitting.  The forum is no longer -- Clara retired it after Ravelry took off -- but Clara is still busy exploring.  I have several of her books and get her daily 'Respite' newsletter.  I'm still a big fan of all things Clara!

My second post was several months later, but eventually I got into it, and posted regularly, blogging under the heading, "The Lady Who Knits on the Bus".  My "handle" on Clara's forum was "TLWKTB".  Seriously!

In that second post I described a cardigan I was knitting out of -- believe it or not -- Sugar 'n' Cream Cotton.  I liked the cardi and wore it quite a bit, but it's long gone now.  The pattern -- Sitcom Chic -- was from a new (to me) designer, a young woman named Bonnie Marie Burns, and it was published in an equally new magazine called Knitty -- which is still going strong today.  The cardigan was really cute -- I might even knit it again sometime, but not in that heavy cotton yarn! LOL!

In the early days of weblogs, I didn't have a camera that could download photos onto my computer -- which at the time was a tower, not a laptop.  I had to scan them in -- which means photos were few and far between indeed.  

Twenty years on, Elizabeth is no longer with us, but I'm betting she's still knitting -- probably using angel hair!  As for me, I'm still knitting too; it's the first craft I do each morning, with my coffee, as I read the headlines, check the weather and figure out the priorities of my day.  

In grief after my DH died in 2006, all my hands wanted to do was knit.  I can't remember the project(s) on the needles at the time, but knitting -- and cutting fabric strips for quilting -- were what kept me sane for a good long time.  They still do.

Now, of course, I have Ravelry to thank for tracking both my stash and my projects, and for introducing me to many new friends and acquaintances.  Recently an art quilt colleague and I discovered that before we met on Facebook as part of the Studio Art Quilt Associates community, we were friends on Ravelry!  Moreover, we share not only a love of knitting and quilting, but also a love of cross stitch.

Today, I'm thankful for the technology that's provided a platform for my writing, and a vehicle for connecting with friends and family across the miles.  I'm thankful for all the creative minds to which I've been introduced: all the artwork, all the designs, and all the patterns.  And I'm especially thankful for the communities that surround the various textile genres: knitting, quilting, spinning, stitching, fine art and fine craft.  With few exceptions the people I've encountered therein are friendly, inspiring and encouraging.

For example, in my SAQA Members Facebook group, I've been able to share my work, to see and admire and be inspired by that of my colleagues, and to have support and encouragement when needed.  Yesterday I asked for advice on how to write a certain style of Artist's Statement go go with my Art in the Park Residency paperwork -- and I got that advice quickly, with encouragement tucked inside.

So...thanks for sticking with me all these years -- if you have been -- and thanks for joining me more recently, if that's the case.  (You can get these posts in your e-mail if you submit a request through the "Follow It" box in the sidebar.)

Who knows what the next twenty years will bring?  I just hope they find me knitting every day.

-- With love and thanks,  The Lady Who Knits on the Bus

And Now...the End is Near...

No, I'm not referring to my view of the world now that Mr. T. is ruling the U.S....that's a topic for another time and place.  ;-)

I'm referring to the status of several of my projects.  In other words, I'm on a finishing frenzy!  Yep; this week I've been working on facings, labels and sleeves.

Two pieces are now completely finished...

On the way to the finish line!

Another six have sleeves awaiting attachment -- and two of those need their facings (long in place) sewn down before that can happen.

Thus...much work to do yet to get them show-ready -- and by that I mean for possible touring with my 15 x 15 Group, or at the Lacombe Art Show and Sale at which I hope to have a booth again in April.

Still...there has been time for a little bit of play -- to whit, some snow dyeing with my friend and SAQA colleague, Mary Wilton.  She'd not snow dyed before, so a couple of weeks ago she spent the day here with me, doing exactly that.  The snow was still a bit powdery for my liking, but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to weather, and as it was a fair day, with slightly warmer temps (minus teens rather than minus thirties Celsius), we worked with what we had.

I did two tubs -- one with blues/reds and one with blues/yellows.  I was aiming for skies and fields.

Perhaps we could have left the batches longer, but Mary had a time limit (getting home before it got too dark as the highway conditions were tricky), so we left them for only about 5 hours.  For my part, the results I got were mixed.  The blues/reds turned out like this:

Fabric: heavy-weight cotton

Fabric: a scrap of medium-weight cotton

Fabric: a poly-cotton blend

Fabric: white-on-white quilting cotton

Fabric: bleached muslin

Fabric: more of the same medium-weight cotton
(as above)

There were also three small pieces of poly cotton blend that came out such pale shades of blue that I couldn't photograph them well, but they'll make lovely skies for "minis".  :-)

As for the blues/yellows...the results were so mixed that this past weekend I "snoverdyed" them!

There's been no fresh snowfall since Mary's visit.  Instead, there's been a warming trend with day-time melts and night-time freezes, so the snow is now "older" and more crystalline.  I still left the tub for only about 5 hours, but I like these results much better:

Fabric: heavy-weight cotton

Fabric: medium-weight cotton

Fabric: bleached muslin

There was a fourth piece -- medium-weight cotton -- which I'd deliberately folded for the first snow-dye, and which I decided to leave folded for 'snoverdyeing'.

Medium-weight cotton, folded for dyeing

I'm not partial to fabric manipulation as a rule, but in this case I threw caution to the wind...and have to admit I rather like it.  I will probably cut it up and stitch on it as I can't (at this point) envision it in a landscape...but one never knows, does one?!

More play is on the way as my Academy of Quilting class with Elizabeth Barton starts Friday...and I've purchased yet another Craftsy class -- "Inspired Modern Quilts" with Elizabeth Hartman -- to give me a foundation for designing them, using some concrete "patterns" (more like guidelines for fabric selection, quantity and placement).  I've plenty of fabric so hope I'll find the right stuff without having to do much (if any) shopping.  If I get the samples made, I'll have some nice pieces to give as gifts...

And knitting continues: one pair of Harry Potter House Socks half-finished, and these also under construction...

Yarn: Paton's Kroy Socks 4-ply
 from my stash
Pattern: "Yin Yang Kitty Ankle Socks"
by Geena Garcia (free on Ravelry)
modified to be made top-down, using
the "Rose City Rollers" pattern
by Mara Catherine Bryner
(also free on Ravelry)

Yes; the pattern calls for the second sock to have its colours reversed... ;-)

Now...it's time for some exercise, but before I go I'll link this up to WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network -- and wish you all a great afternoon!

Goin' to Philly! (with Knitting)

No, not me...but this little piece I finished earlier this afternoon:

January Surprise
6" x 8" (before mat)
Mono-print on organza, spatter-painted,
fused to commercial cotton, machine quilted.

It's not being sent on that mat -- I just placed it there because it's grey-white and it needed some sort of background for the photo!  I expect it will be put on a black mat by the good folks at SAQA, as it's going to be one of the pieces up for bid at the ICE (Inspire - Connect - Engage) Spotlight Auction fundraiser at the 2016 SAQA Conference in Philadelphia.

I called it "January Surprise" for a variety of reasons -- I made it in January (groan -- that's SO obvious!); it was half of a larger sample I made when I was playing with mono-printing over the New Year's weekend; I was surprised how much I enjoyed the process...and am thinking of doing more of it; and...well the impression of a wee red bird is supposed to be a cardinal...and if one sees a cardinal on the Canadian prairie -- farther west than Manitoba, that is -- it's a surprise indeed!

I have another piece of this mono-printed organza that will be made and matted (actually using that mat) and offered for sale at the Lacombe Art Show and Sale in April (God willing and my DD and I are accepted for a booth!)

Meanwhile, speaking of my DD...her birthday (as I know I've mentioned before) is this week...and while she won't get it on time, I have been diligently knitting on her gift.  She requested a skirt...in a tweed, please...and she found a pattern.  We had the Perfect Yarn in The Shop -- in the Perfect Colour -- so late last week I cast on, and here's where it is so far...

Pattern: "Carnaby"  by Nikol Lohr,
found in Knitty - Deep Fall Issue 2010
Yarn: Harrap Tweed from Sirdar 
in Colour #105 - "Horbury"

NOTE: This is the skirt on the needles.  The waist is on the left; the hem, on the right.  It will sit on the hips, and be buttoned down one side.  The panels are a simple "box stitch" (think: miniature checker-board); the gores are done with short rows which require some concentration but aren't difficult.  I'm lovin' it!

And though it might seem crazy, in the fine tradition of always having socks on the go, I've cast on again this month for a new challenge from the Ravelry group, "Socks from Stash".  It's an easy challenge: make a pair of socks using at least two colours of yarn from your stash.  I'm making a pair of "Ribbed Bigfoot Socks" from Robbin Koenig on Ravelry, which were originally designed for men, but which I've sized down.  The sock pattern is a simple "knit 3, purl 2" rib pretty much the entire time.  I'm using one colour (actually, a multi-colour) for the cuff (2"), heel and toe, and black for the rest.  Uses up yarn, fairly mindless process...may or may not be done by month-end.  No matter.  I'm enjoying myself!

All the news that's fit to print for today...off to do more quilt binding...and to watch a video about artist David Hockney via hoopla digital (free with my library card.  Aren't libraries wonderful?)...

Walking the Line

I've been a bit slow off the mark with the EB Master Class this month.  You guessed it: the topic is "Line".  When EB announced it, I knew exactly which of my finished pieces I wanted to use as a starting point...but then stalled at how to work on it without copying myself!

The work was based on this photo:

By a road near Northbow Lodge
December 2008

Here's the piece I made:

Sentinels (C) 2013

And here's how I began to manipulate it for each of three possible design ideas:

First, I turned the photo of the piece into a 'contour drawing' with my photo editing program:

I traced this onto a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 tracing paper -- just the main lines I could see -- using a Sharpie (R) marker.  I copied this tracing paper image onto plain paper, and enlarged it slightly.  From the enlarged drawing I isolated a section and enlarged that:

"Idea 1"

Second, I found a detail photo of the original piece:

I converted it to 8-bit grey-scale.  I know...not much difference!  ;-)   It was the snow, after all!

From there I converted it into a "contour drawing", isolated a section of that and enlarged it:

"Idea 2"

And then another:

"Idea 3"

I think all three have potential for recreation in fabric and thread, to differing degrees.  I've sent the three 'Ideas' off to EB and await her feedback.

On other fronts, I've been hand-stitching a piece intended for the Spotlight Silent Auction fund-raiser at the SAQA conference in Portland (I have to have it sent off within 10 days), and finished the March block for the "Zen" Block-of-the Month.  The latter was once again an experience that was not particularly relaxing...the flimsy background fabric (provided with the pattern) argued with the less flimsy dark and medium prints, and only a good spritz with "Best Press" made the block lie nicely when it was finished.

Silent auction piece - WIP
Auditioning stitch placement

March "Zen" BOM: "Coxey's Camp"

On the knitting front, my entry for the March challenge in the "Socks From Stash" Ravelry group is going well...I am nearing the toe on the first sock...and the wedding prayer shawl is proceeding apace: by the end of today I'll have finished 7.5 of 25 pattern repeats (each is 24 rows), keeping me on track for the end of May...

Now I think I'll link this up with Nina Marie's Friday post (because I still can!) and take a nap...!

A Little Sewdio R & R

A couple of days ago, I posted my first finished piece for EB's Master Class, and her generous critique.  Before the next assignment arrives (Feb. 1!), I'm taking some time to work on other projects.

Some of you may remember that almost a year ago I posted about a Carpenter's Star medallion piece I was assembling from a kit I'd won as a door prize some years ago.  Fairly small, as these things, go (48" square without all the added borders), I was making it as a test piece for a larger version for which I've been commissioned.

I'm glad I practiced!  Actually, though, it's pretty easy if you follow the chart provided by the designer (Debbie Maddy of Calico Carriage).  I've only reversed a couple of the pieces, necessitating a 'do-over'.

The medallion itself consists of eight rows of blocks.  On Monday, I finished sewing the first four rows, which I'd pieced together a few months ago:

It's wider than my design wall and as deep!

Due to its size, I had to make this note to myself:

This end up!

Today I'm working on the bottom four rows, which have their own label:

Top half of the bottom half...

In between, I finished a baby blanket for a wee one who's arrival is now past due...This morning, I washed it and here it lies on towels on the spare room floor, blocking and drying:

Pattern: "Saurey" from Berroco Yarns
Yarn: Katia "Pisco" - Aran weight,
cotton/acrylic/linen (discontinued)

With this project, I've removed another 5 balls of yarn from my stash, which pleases me no end as whittling it down is one of my unspoken objectives for this year.  Another project designed to do so is participating in the "Socks From Stash" monthly challenges on Ravelry.  I'm a bit behind and won't finish the January pair on time (they have to be cast on and knit up entirely within the given month), but I'm plugging away on the second of the pair and love the pattern which, for a change, is pour moi:

Pattern: "Isabella D'Este" by Jayme Stahl
from Clara Parkes' Knitter's Book of Socks
Yarn: Diamond Luxury Collection "Foot Loose",
super-wash, extra-fine merino wool, nylon
in colour #6307 - Grey (discontinued)

February's project will be a 'plain vanilla' sock in my brightest sock yarn:

ONline Supersocke 4-fach
NEON Color, #01721
Super-wash wool, nylon

That ought to keep away the 'February Blahs', eh?  ;-)

A reminder for the knitters among you, Gentle Readers:  the deadline to enter "Celebrate the Yarn Harlot" draw for one of three selections of lace-weight yarn is midnight, January 31, in whatever time zone you are.  I will make a random-number-generated draw after I awaken on Sunday, February 1.  To enter, read the instructions on THIS BLOG POST.  :-)

And now to connect to WIP Wednesday over at TNTN, and get back to the sewdio!

And Then There's Knitting

Tosh Sock
"Twig"

Three things I love: my daughter, knitting socks, and a challenge.  The last few weeks I've enjoyed all three in combination.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my daughter's birthday was Monday.  In the fall, she'd suggested another pair of hand-knit socks -- this time in shades of brown.  She was really after variegated, but it took some time to find exactly what she wanted, and nothing at The Crafty Lady (where I work once a week) seemed to fill the bill.

Eventually I found Madelinetosh "Tosh Sock" in the 'Twig' colour-way -- not exactly variegated, but very nicely dyed indeed -- and ordered it from an online US retailer (there are online stores in Canada that carry "Tosh Sock" and a LYS in Edmonton that carries it and would mail order it, but none had 'Twig' in stock).  The yarn arrived too close to Christmas for a finished gift...but with a January birthday...

That's what I aimed for.  And...I seemed to find the perfect pattern in Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Socks. I cast on, knit the cuff and first chart, and decided to see if anyone on Ravelry.com had made these.  Good thing, too, because it seems that this pattern has one draw-back: it has a long leg (not to-the-knee but...) -- and a long, slender leg at that.  Many of the knitters had had to move up from 60 to 72 stitches (it's a 12-row pattern repeat) and go up at least one needle size (up from 2.25 mm to...2.5, 3, 3.25...) just to get it over the heel (these are knit top-down).

Hmmm.

Now, my daughter's legs begin somewhere close to her neck (grin); that is, her entire being is long and slender and a bit curvy, unlike her mother (built like a box -- a short, square box).  Just after New Year's I wrote her for her desired leg length and the circumference of her calf at the top of her desired cuff -- something I hadn't needed for the plain vanilla socks in self-patterning yarns I've knit for her in the past.  She was away; her reply took a while to arrive.  When it did, there was some figuring...knit, knit, knit....and more figuring...

Suffice to say, as of this morning, I'm starting the heel flap on the first sock of the pair, and hope I've finagled the pattern sufficiently so that when I get back to the foot, it will flow with the leg.

Here's what it looked like on the needles, with 11 rows to go to the start of the heel:

And stretched over my hand for effect:

The pattern is "Elm" by Cookie A -- aptly named as the criss-cross ribbing resembles tree trunks.  My specs are as follows:

• Cuff, Chart A and first 6 rows of Chart B: 72 stitches and 2.5 mm needles;
• Rest of Chart B, all of Chart C, first 11 rows of Chart A and onward: 72 stitches and 2.25 mm needles;
• Leg length: 7.5"
• Yarn: Madelinetosh "Tosh Sock" in 'Twig' - 1 skein: 100% super-wash merino wool, fingering weight (per label).

I am completely grateful to two gals on Ravelry -- Frey-ja and Raelin in the KBOS forum -- for their ongoing advice, encouragement and support as I work out this project.

Onward and heel-ward!  :-)

The Handwork Begins

"Posh Poppies" has become a Portable Project!  This afternoon I made the bias stems and began to lay them down on the background...to which they will be hand-stitched.

First I made the stems using my "Celtic Bias Bars" rather than my Clover Bias Tape maker.  No reason, except that (perhaps) it "felt" less "fiddly".  :-)

Then, per the instructions in the PP pattern, I drew the design out on a larger (wider) piece of recycled laminate using a Sharpie (R) permanent marker.  Using the clear plastic as a guide, I pinned two of the stems to the background with wee applique pins.  I played around for a while with the leaves, laying them into the design, but decided it was best to stitch down these first two stems before trying to add anything else to the lay out.

Maybe by Friday I'll have something finished to show you on this front.   Meanwhile, it means my sewing machine has been freed up for other projects!

Stems for poppies 1 and 2 layed down

On the Finished Front, there is one thing: the second of the two hats commissioned by a customer from the shop was finished last week, and picked up earlier this week by said customer.  Here's what it looked like on a shop mannequin:

Swirly Slouch Hat by Lori Patterns
(C) 2013

The pattern is available on Ravelry.  Alas, the yarn selected by my client did not create a 'swirly' effect, which is best shown using self-striping yarn, such as something by Noro.  The yarn for the above had is Berroco's 'Remix' in the denim colour-way.  It works, but it's not exactly 'swirly'.  :-)

I like the pattern, even though the grafting of the back seam is a bit fiddly -- not nearly as easy as grafting sock toes!  I'm thinking there's one like it -- perhaps a bit more 'swirly' -- on my 'knit for Christmas' list.

This evening, though, both stitching and knitting are being set aside in favour of a cuppa dark roast and a cozy mystery.  See ya!

In Betwixt and Between

WIP Wednesday and Off-the-Wall Friday, that is.

This is another week in which I'm filling in for Lori at The Crafty Lady.  (She's got a booth at "Creative Stitches and Crafting Alive" in Edmonton.)  If you're in Lacombe tomorrow or Saturday, do drop by!  We've just had some shipments of yarn, and there's lots to see.  :-)  Of course, if you're in Edmonton, drop by the Show and see Lori at The Crafty Lady Booth.  She'll be the gal with great yarn, red hair and a big grin.  Tell her I sent you!

Monday was my first "usual Monday in Lacombe" since the end of June; I got back to my Anglican Rosary (10 a.m.) followed by coffee, aquacize (11 a.m.), lunch and Woolly Theology.  Dropped the finished shop sample off for Lori to take to the Creative Stitches show in Edmonton:

"Girl's Cropped Cardigan" - Schachenmayr SNC Inspirations #162
Yarn: Bravo Micro Crande

Tuesday...haircut; mow lawns (front and back): clear out beans (now finished) and weeds from garden; nap; read...

Wednesday: guy hired to clean furnace/ducts (first time in 5 years at least) didn't show; called his cell; found out he was stuck in northern Alberta with a broken-down vehicle, awaiting parts.  When I called, he said, "Gosh; I guess I'd better call my other customers, eh?"  Sigh....Re-booked for 2 weeks from now...I hope...

So...what to do with the gift of a day sans the noise and interruption of a Duct-cleaning Machine?

1. Start with a drawing (based on a real-life model):

2. Trace it onto the fabric.  I used a mechanical pencil.

3. Paint it with stitch.  I used black thread and FMQ:

4.  Quilt it:

5. Then paint it with Tsukineko ink, acrylic paint, Fabrico marker, textile medium, textile paint...

And there comes the rub.  Look closely at the green leaves, especially on the lower left of the photo.  Sigh.  Too much liquid = running.  Nothing I did could save it.  Even after drying it doesn't meet my standards.

What to do?  Dye more background fabric; re-do the drawing and stitching and quilting; paint again -- with less liquid and more control.

This is my piece for the 15 x 15 "Time" theme..."To Everything There is a Season".  Apt, no?

Meanwhile, the "Wasabi Hat" is finished:

"Wasabi Hat" on a dinner plate

And I've started Hat #5 in my "10 Weeks, 10 Hats" self-challenge.  Truth be told, I'm almost finished it, as I have only the decreases to the crown to do.  In quiet moments at TCL, this is what I'm doing, so I should be finished sometime tomorrow and on to Hat #6.

And after work this evening I trundled over to the Lacombe Memorial Centre (LMC), because the "10 x 10: The Unknown Artist" exhibit was supposed to be hung today.

I didn't realize the LMC was closed...the Library, which is open till 8 p.m., was shut off from the main area by a sliding door...the kind that's really a sort of wide 'mesh'.  Even so, I was able to get a sneak peek:

See the green piece, the second from the left?!  That's mine!  Whoa!  "Tree Study II" is right up there near the entry to the exhibit!!

And here are the details of the show:

I can hardly wait to see the whole thing.  Of course, I'll be at the Preview evening on Wednesday... Excited?  Who, me?  ;-)

Maybe I'll hook up to Off-the-wall Friday, just for fun...

Have a great weekend!

St. Monica's Under the Sky

Awoke to snow and blowing snow this morning (as forecast, believe it or not!), and sighed with pleasure.  Sometimes, on a Sunday, I just want to have a quiet day at home, not trekking 43 km. in to church and back...just writing Morning Pages, reading Morning Prayer, and making a leisurely start to my day.  Today, I was blessed to be able to do just that!

After breakfast and some 'net travel, I moved into my 'sewdio' and finished this, complete with branches and shadows.

For those of you interested in the nitty-gritty of the process, the additional branches (compared to this) were done with simple black 50-wt cotton thread, along with the last of the quilting of the tree trunk.  The shadows on the roof (bottom right) were created with MistyFuse to attach 2 layers of fine tulle -- a bit of grey and a bit of brown -- and a touch of InkTense pencil (black) over-laid with a hint of dilute white acrylic craft paint (this last in the white area between the two roof sections).

And because one of you asked: yes, the building was assembled from little pieces of fabric and fused with Wonder Under.  The tree is also fused onto the background (a piece of my own hand-dyed muslin), but it's all-of-a-piece except for the thread-painted branches.  The roof of the bell tower and the cross were the toughest because of the angle at which the original photo put them, and because they were so **!!@@ tiny.

Still and all, looking at it properly matted, I'm rather pleased with it.  Nine down, three more to go before the show in mid-April.  :-)

On the knitting front, there was no rescuing that poor camisole.  Taking in the full amount of excess fabric through the back might have worked...but in the end, the entire piece was made at least two sizes too large for me.  Part of it was a gauge problem -- the punishment I get for not swatching (I intensely dislike swatching, but as in over 50 years of knitting this is only my second "disaster", I'm not about to start now) -- and part of it was that I simply selected too large a size for my body.  Twenty pounds have left my frame since I began that piece, so I guess it was inevitable!    No worries, though!  I have attached a yarn label to it (it's silk and cashmere), and will give it away.  I have enough of the yarn left over -- almost 4 full balls --  to make it again (swatching this time) or to make something completely different, which is likely what I'll do.

I've resolved not to let it bother me and to move on to my next UFO, which is coming along nicely.  It's a sleeveless turtleneck that I began ??? ago using "Piazza" from Schachenmayr Nomotta -- a yarn that is now discontinued, but of which I bought plenty from elann.com back in the day.  It's a cotton blend, and the colourway is a deep coral cotton twisted with white synthetic for a bit of shine.  The back was long finished, and I am making my way up the front.  The pattern I'm using was free from elann.com but I can no longer find it on their website: the Gedifra Korfu Sleeveless Turtleneck.  It's a very pretty open-work pattern with simple construction and this time I'm sure it'll fit, because the size is based on my current measurements, which I must have had before I gained those 20 pounds!

Araucania 'Atacama" - Colour #501

Resolve leads to reward, right?  My reward for finishing the turtleneck and a third UFO (a pair of cabled fingerless gloves, of which the first is done) will be to start a new project.  I have just enough Araucania Atacama to make the "Windward" shawlette/scarf with I purchased last month from designer  Heidi Kirrmaier's Ravelry shop.  I got this yarn on sale at Knit & Caboodle in Canmore some years ago (2007?) while on a retreat with the Gillihook Heritage Knitters' Guild to which I belonged at the time.  It's in a wonderful raspberries-and-cream colour-way, perfect for the coming spring.

Now while the light is good I want to work a couple more lines of that Nova Scotia tartan I've been working on in my Atlantic Seaboard Sampler (designed by Jeannette Douglas of Calgary).   Here's a photo of my progress up to bedtime last night:

Thirteen lines done and 10 to go till this pattern row is finished!

The snow has stopped but it's still breezy.  After the sampler, I know I need to go out and do some shovelling if I'm going to get into Lacombe tomorrow -- and from there to Red Deer to give my sweet little car its regular maintenance service and oil change!

Have a lovely rest of your Sunday!

I Think I'm in Love

Those of you who've followed me for a bit know that before I was a quilter, I was an embroiderer, and before that, a knitter.  I am all three all the time now (phew! no wonder I get tired!), but I am always and forever will be a knitter.  In fact, I imagine Heaven is the home of the most fabulous yarn shoppe... but I digress.

For the past decade (or so it seems), I've been inordinately fond of knitting socks.  My favourite needles for socks are 2.75 mm. double points (DPNs).  I've used bamboo (merely okay) and birch (okay) but far and away prefer metal.  Until recently, my collection of 2.5 mm - 3.00 mm. DPNs looked like this:

What a motley crew!  My grandfather would've described this collection as 'six of a dozen, assorted' -- and rightly so!  Bent, misshapen, varying lengths and quantities.  Sigh.

What's a sock-knitter to do?

Well. 'Nuff said.  I went to Lori at The Crafty Lady in Lacombe for a DPN 'fix', and came home with a set of these babies:

Knitter's Pride Nova

They're Knitter's Pride Nova DPNs, 2.75 mm, five in a set, 6" long, shiny, lightweight, smooth, sharp-pointed (but not so you'd prick your finger), and perfect for my latest project.  Here you see them being modelled in the first of a pair of Short n Sweet Fingerless Mitts, designed by Anne Sahakian, and available as a free download on Ravelry.

The yarn is Peruvian Baby Silk (80% baby alpaca; 20% silk), from Elann's Peruvian collection.  I amassed an inordinate amount of this (and it's look-alike, Baby Cashmere) in raspberry -- and a bit in other colours -- several years ago, and tend to knit it up in delicious 1, 2 or 3-ball projects (this one takes 2) for special people's special occasions.  (In this case, my friend B is having a birthday at the beginning of February.)  My hands love to knit with this yarn, and now, on these needles...well, as I said, I think I'm in love!