I'm knitting a hat

This is it, the hat from Rebecca magazine #32:



Ignore the beads, please. They do look cute in the picture, but I won't be adding beads or embroidery or anything like that. It is a cute hat, with ribbing to the top and a pompom. I'm doing it in black Debbie Bliss alpaca-silk (80% alpalca and 20% silk, very soft).

It should be finished today, but will need to be blocked to get it into the right shape for head-wearing. Right now, the ribbing is pulling it in so that it looks like a lampshade!

all about knitting

Life is certainly fast and furious these days! its been only four days since I updated my journal, but it seems like a week's worth of events have gone by... no wonder I'm so exhausted!

I am designing another pair of socks, using the Esprit yarn from Elann.com. This yarn has a minute amount of elastic in it, and is otherwise cotton. It is half the price of Cascade fixation, which is the same composition, but I think the Esprit colours are nicer! This colour is, I think, called Rose Garden. The photo turned it into a kind of bright red and pink, but it is actually a beautiful rose colour and the what looks pink in the photo is a subtler rose-grey. It really looks like a rose garden in the fall, doesn't it, when the greens are muted to silver and sable?



Since today was payday, I did splurge a bit on this new knitting book:



Let me just say, if you're going to buy this book, do it through Amazon - its much less expensive! Its all lace. And much of it is Vintage lace patterns, which as you know is my greatest knitting passion... for my knitting friends who want to see what's inside, here are a couple of shawl patterns that fall in the category of desirable...







The patterns are very well described and have charts, and there are so many! And there are sections on knitting patterns from the 1800's and Weldon's Practical Knitter (a newspaper type knitting magazine that I've always wanted but never found).

Finally, on the yarn front, a dear friend wanted to give me a cheer-up gift because of the minor surgery I went through recently, and asked what I wanted. I said "Habu!" Habu is a Japanese art fiber company in New York city. You can walk in and view their marvelous silk and exotic yarns and purchase right there, but you can't get it anywhere else. My friend found that two online companies are starting to sell Habu - naturesong.com and pureknits.com. I thought this gift would be at most, maybe one or two balls of their silk and mohair, (and it should have been - my friends are way, way too generous! I'm very grateful.) but this is what came in the mail yesterday!!!!



Its just amazing. Its a couple of sample packs that contain a ball or two of each of the different yarns. Aren't the colours beautiful? The cones are laceweight baby alpaca in a natural camel colour. There is 100% silk in shiny and matt, and silk boucle, and something called Paper, which is actually linen and alpaca, and a wine-coloured cashmere lace-weight. Two of the silk and mohair balls are hand-dyed with brown, tan, and black and the other is green, dark and light... each is enough for a lace scarf in one ball! Good thing I have that new Victorian Lace book, no?

It arrives when you really need it!

Look what showed up on my doorstep today!!!



The first bundle that looks very much like the bundle of wool it is, is from Headwater Farm in Ontario. Look at this lovely yarn!



The dark green lace weight is called Ilga, the light green is a DK weight, and of course some self-striping sock yarn. The sock colours are really in autumn colours – I thought they were green and grey and gold from the monitor picture, but they are brown and orange!

But the un-spun batts! OMG! Look at these beautiful yarns of unspun wool for making the true traditional feather and fan shawls. There are some patterns for this traditional yarn in the book Folk Shawls. I tried to make one a year ago, but was using some big cone of some mystery yarn I got at the thrift shop and it didn’t look the way it was supposed to. Now I have the real thing – and in the incredible natural colours, too! That big batt of natural white? $3.50 Canadian for the whole batt! And I got 2 of them!

Canada, O Canada! How I love thee for thy incredible yarns!

Now the next one, is the mysterious much-anticipated package from Nadine, that traveled across the ocean! It is dated August 29 on the customs slip! Well 6 wks isn’t unexpected but when you are waiting for Nadine’s surprises...each week seems like a year!

OOOOOooooo on the customs slip it says something else, too! Schokolade! I think this is chocolate in German!



What beautiful things… now this is the sock yarn colour that I really love – a lovely soft blue in very gradual colour changes… And this chocolate! I am eating a Sarotti Stille Affel-Vanille feinste vollmilch schokolade right now this very minute. Mmmmm hmmmm mffffh…. (yum) Oh my, this is incredible! The apple is all spicy and melty in the middle of the chocolate. But look at these: tiny, tiny glass apple and pewter teapot! I will make them into stitch markers, which is what Nadine intended, I think.



But I can’t show the rest of the contents of the box or even what category it is in, because they are intended as Christmas presents for someone who might read it here…

Thank you Nad – this is a very inspiring box!

Commemorate

A couple of days ago, I finished the scarf I designed to commemorate Sausage.



The ends are Louisa Harding Kimono Angora, and the lace section is Louisa Harding Impressions. The angora part is a wide hem stitch, so its double-sided, and then there is a lace section of his little paw prints. The main body of the scarf is a lace pattern called "Willow Leaf" and along the edges of the willow leaves, I have little white pearls (these represent my tears). It turned out the way I was hoping, but the Impressions yarn isn't as soft as I would like. I'd like to try this pattern again with a different yarn. I was planning to submit this pattern to one of the online knitting mags, but I think it needs refining, so will hold off on that this season.

Now, I am going to eat cherry pie and read and knit! Sunday. Such a good day of the week!

"Eat slugs, Malfoy!"

ahhhhhh.....this is a picture of me, tonight:

comfy robe, slippers, ginger ale, and Pepto Bismol.



and I'm watching the Chamber of Secrets. So when Ron said "Eat slugs, Malfoy!" my insides heaved along....yikes. I do have the tummywumbles... up all last night {sigh}... and on a diet, as you see, of ginger and pep.

a friend did a little errand for me though, to the LYS and came back with this!



My LYS, thinking their order of Koigu would never come (its been 6 months), ordered a similar hand-dyed yarn based on Louet Gems Merino Pearl from Claudia Co (www.claudiaco.com). I got Black Walnut - a very bloody red and black - and Jungle, a verdant shade, as you can see. Also new for me today is One Skein Wonders, a new book that will help me use those single skeins I've been hoarding... {grin}.

All day I've been resting and knitting, knitting and resting, (ok, I've watched TV too and am dying to tell you who won Project Runway, but I won't in case you haven't seen it. But I did cry throughout the last episode!) and have some fine results! Here are two secret surprises that I won't reveal until later! But both are my own original designs... (sorry, deliberately fuzzy to protect the suspense!)





Next knitting project for me: Christmas Stockings a la Dr. Suess!



...along with the Professor's Shawl and Holly's gloves of course, and the Hedwig Owl Gloves for the Leaky Crafts....I've already done all the designing and planning for each of these projects, and have the yarn...it just takes a while to actually knit them...

oh dear. more slugs. must go and lie down more...no playing on the computer tonight, I'm afraid.

doing the bills...

How To Do The Bills
An Instructive and Amusing Tale

“To calculate your routine household finances, you must set up a regular time and a regular place. It is imperative that you will not be interrupted. This place should be congenial and, if possible, have a window with good light and a pleasing aspect. Morning is more beneficial than afternoon or evening.”
~from A Gentlewoman’s Guide to an Orderly Household, 1865


Sounds like good advice. I will try this and perhaps it will help me through my bill-paying-block this morning!

Set up special place:
Check out bill-paying desk especially set up for this purpose; hmmmm, Over-flowing with old bills and receipts.

Coffee table in front room will have to do – is only surface not covered by knitting projects & artwork.

Set up coffee table with checkbook, pen, calculator.

Oops – forgot bills. Go sort current bills from old bills on bill-paying desk.

Check for pleasing aspect in window…. Ooooo the neighbours are adding a second storey screened porch! That’s interesting – I wonder where they are; they’re obviously not at home while all this building is going on…what’s that? Is the workman not wearing a shirt? In this weather? Hmmm, wonder if the view is better from upstairs window?

Oops. Go back to coffee table and bills. Sit down.

Must have tea.

Set up tea things on coffee table.

Put tea kettle on to boil.

Notice cat has no food (by tripping over cat as she frantically tried to call attention to empty bowl).

Fill cat bowl.

Settle back at coffee table.

Hmmm decide on International Decaf Coffee instead of tea. French Vanilla. No, Hazelnut. No Vanilla, No Mocha. No, definitely Vanilla.

Go get special cup for International French coffee, Oui! Oui!

Sit down at table.

Open checkbook.

Remember that checkbook hasn’t been balanced since March. Is there enough money in there for the bills? It seems so, but… what about all those debits that haven’t been recorded?

Must have congenial music.

Enya.

No, Steve Halpern.

No, Sting.

No, definitely Enya.

Where's my Enya CD? Go look in pile of CDs. Find Enya under wing chair.

Go rescue huffy tea kettle and fill cup.

Sit down at coffee table.

Get up and look for un-recorded debit slips. Find pile on kitchen table. Find another pile on dining room table. Search through purse. Yup – more there. Oh, there’s one squished into pocket of rain coat. Search through purse used before this purse. Find third pile.

Gather all debit slips and bring to coffee table.

Sip coffee. Listen to music.

Decide to write witty story of bill paying for amusement of lj friends.

Set up typewriter in front of window.

Look out window. Watch workmen. What? 30 minutes have passed? Must go back to hard work of paying bills.

Go back to coffee table. Sort debit slips by month.

Oh! I didn’t know I spent so much on yarn this summer. Go find yarn in question. Oh, yes, lovely yarn! Sort yarn. Put in plastic bags (where are those bags?) Label each one with name and description of project I might make with said yarn. Hmmmm. Can’t remember what I wanted this one for. May just thumb quickly though a couple of knitting magazines to refresh my memory. Will just put this yarn in order.

Oh. Coffee is cold.

Will just heat up water and warm cup.

There ready now. Sit back at coffee table.

Write out bills due this week. There must be enough money in there for these, at least!

Remember Project Runway marathon starts at 10 am.

Check watch. 9:45.

Must get this done!

Feel very virtuous about new determination.

Start on debit slips with marvelous new plan.

Add all debit slips up on calculator to obtain one grand sum.

Record this in checkbook as “Past Debits – March thru Sept.

Subtract grand sum from current balance.

There! That job’s done!

This book was right – a special time and place makes all the difference!

pretty visions

My online friend, Carina, sent me a gift of beauty. These are precious: her grandmother’s knitting needles, wrapped with ribbon and roses. Look how wonderful! See the tips? Her grandmother knit so much that the tips are lighter than the rest…that’s so unbelievably great! I’m honored beyond belief to be the recipient of such a family treasure, and will cherish these and remember their story every time I use them. And, as you can see, Catherine also approved and tried to claim them as her own….



I had another gift this week: my friend Marky sent me some Australian knitting mags! Four of them! Look at the inspiration:



Now here is something interesting – even the ads in these magazines have must-knit projects in them! like this Little yarn monkey:



Isn’t he cute? I think I could make him, just from looking at the picture…

And the articles: this one on Op Shops (Charity or thrift shops to us Yanks) – its right up my street! And I got a particular kick out of the bluebird picture, because I think I’ve found most of the items in it right in our own Goodwill shop!



Lots of projects to keep me busy here…one of the mags is all sock patterns! Marky – you’re the best!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Vet’s called me yesterday to pick up Sausage’s ashes. I cried all the way up and all the way back. They are in a big flowered tin, like a tea tin, and I think they weigh as much as he did in life. I am trying to decide whether to keep them or to scatter them around the peach tree in the back yard… maybe I need to let some time pass to decide.