Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2013 -Day One

This year for Knitting and Crochet Blog Week there is a bit of a “Harry Potter” theme.  Today’s question has to do with which ‘house’ our knitting style belongs.  This was a hard decision because I really fit 2 houses with a bit of a third.  But I think this one is mostly ‘me’.

The House of Bee: Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest.

One look at my project list on Ravelry will explain why I finally decided this was ‘my’ knitting house.  I like to do a lot of knitting over the year, but I also usually have a bunch of projects on the go at the same time.   And I’ve been know to drop all my current projects when something really ‘cool’ comes along.

Drop by Eskimimi Makes and see what ‘house’ best describes you.

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Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week -Day Seven

 

Wow, last day this was rather fun.  I’ll have to see what the topics are for next year.

 

What is my typical crafting time?  Anytime, anywhere.  When I was at Western I always had a knitting project in my backpack.  Some days it was hard to fit in the history textbooks  🙂  These days I always have a handful of projects on the go so I can always have a project to suit the occasion.  For example, we’ve had a lot of road/bridge construction in the County for the last few years, so I’ve taken to carrying a pair of socks to work on while stopped waiting .  I also bring knitting to appointments, like on Monday.  Knitting made OVFC board meetings a lot less boring too.  The car is the best place to get knitting done and I’m lucky since I rarely have to do the driving.  I also do a lot of knitting in the evening watching tv with Colin.  For the last year I’ve actually had ‘official’ knitting time.  I join the Knit Wits in Eganville for an evening full of knitting and chatting.  They are a great group of ladies, mostly youngish mothers like me.  If our husbands knew how little we talked about them, there would be many bruised egos all over Renfrew County  🙂  We’ve even got the next generation started.  One of the girls brings her little girls knitting.  Ella wants to come too, but that will only be a once in a while event.  Momma needs some grown-up time -besides, when would I have time to make Christmas surprises?

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week -Day Six

Day Six, we’re in the home stretch now.  Do I want to learn anything new or is there something I would like to try?

I actually have two things I’d like to try/learn some day.  The first is to attempt an Alice Starmore fair isle pattern.  More specifically, this pattern:

I’ve made one of her aran patterns, but I’m terrified to try the colour-work.  They look so complicated.  I don’t know that I would ever have the courage to cut my knitting apart!!

 

The second thing I would like to learn is how to spin.  I have always loved old spinning wheels.  In  fact, I nearly brought one home from Newfoundland when Mom and I were there doing family tree research in 2000 -we couldn’t fit it into the Cavalier with the luggage  🙂

The new wheels look so compact and architectural.  I’m sure I could fit one into this old house.  I do have a drop spindle somewhere in my sewing room.  I should dig it our and see if I can find someone to teach me.  Because heaven knows I need another obsession hobby.

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week -Day Five

 

 

And now for something completely different, wordless post:

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog -day Four

Day four wants to know ‘where is it now’:

Today’s theme is to talk about the fate of one of my knitting projects.  I’m sure there will be lots of stories about projects that took forever to knit and were given to the recipient only to be quickly ‘lost’ or ‘misused’, but this isn’t one of those.

I made this baby sweater when I was in high school (told you I’ve been knitting forever).  I’ve always liked to make baby sweaters in between larger projects.  It’s about as close to instant gratification that a knitter can have.  This yarn for this sweater likely came from Eaton’s, probably Lady Fair -most of it did back then.  The pattern is an old Bee Hive.  If I could get into my sewing room I’d show you the cover.  Most of the sweaters I made were given away.  I’ve often wished I kept more.  This sweater I kept because I love the pattern and the yarn is so fine.  It took a while to finish.  I’m so glad I kept it, it looked so beautiful on Ella and it seemed to fit forever.  I even made a second one out of Kroy which lasted even longer.  Now neither sweater fits and both have been put away for Ella’s babies.

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog -day Three

Day three is about Organizing our Stash:

How is my stash organized?  Ha!  That’s a good question.  Is un-organized an organizational system -like un-homeschooling?  Or is it a lack of organization?  When Colin and I married, nearly 8 years ago, I had to pack up my stash and move here to the farm.  I sort of sorted my stash into boxes marked ‘Baby’ ‘Socks’ and ‘Other’.  Not really much of a system.  The last few years I’ve discovered two really nice yarn shops, one fairly close and the other one back in Bowmanville.  Both of these stores have been working hard at expanding my stash  🙂  I love all the new sock yarns and rarely leave these stores without some.  Unfortunately, since having Ella, my stash organization (or non-organization) has taken a turn for the worse.  My Bowmanville LYS always sells her yarn in lovely brown paper bags (with handles).  The bags have become my new ‘organizing’ method, i.e., dump wool in bag.

And no, I’m not posting a picture  🙂

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week -day Two

Day two asks what we have learned over the last year:

Even though I have been knitting forever -even Mom can’t remember when she taught me to knit -I’ve actually learned a few things last year.  The first thing I learned was how to sew my knitting together.  The girls at Knit Night couldn’t believe I didn’t know how to sew stuff together, but why would I do it when my Mom is happy to do it for me?  Besides, if Mom does my sewing, I can get started knitting the next project  🙂  My friend Christina was very kind and showed me her very precise way of sewing seams.

I also learned how to knit socks from the toe-up and with the Magic Loop method.  I’ve actually learned two ways to do toe-up.  One way doesn’t seem to fit well (except on Colin) but I have the formula that will let me design socks in any wool for any person.  The second way gives you most of the formula but leaves out the most important number.  You have to look in her book to get that number -but these socks fit smaller feet nicer.

I’m really not sold on the Magic Loop method.  I already know who to do socks two at  a time with 2 circular needles, so it is likely just a case of the method you learn first being better.  I find Magic Loop requires a lot of fiddling and has the hazard of pulling the wrong end of the Loop and loosing stitches.  All that said, it’s handy to know alternate techniques.  Now I can still do small circular work even if I only have long circulars free.

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week -day One

This is my first year participating in the Knitting & Crochet Blog week.  I thought it might be fun to have a theme for each days post.  So here we go.

Chose 2 yarns that I love or hate:

Berroco Vintage -this yarn is 50% acrylic, 40% wool and 10% nylon and is reasonably priced.  This is such a beautiful yarn to work with and has great colour selection.  I’ve used it for a couple of projects.  This is Ella’s red shrug.  It is a beautiful colour red, the computer doesn’t do it justice.  Even though it has a fair bit of wool in it, the Vintage is very soft and comfy -it has to be or else Ella wouldn’t wear it.   I’m in the midst of another Vintage project, cable socks for an unnamed person.  I like the way they are knitting up but have yet to see how well they wear for socks.

Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock Yarn Fingering -this yarn is 50% alpaca, 30% merino, 10% silk, and 10% nylon.  I have a hard time not buying more of this wool every time I’m at my favourite LYS.  The colourways are so beautiful.  Have you felt this wool?  It is so soft.  I have 3 skeins of colour 09.  It is a mixture of loden green/brown/mustard brown/rust/wine/mallard blue.  I’m planning on making the Sontag from Piecework.  This is another version, but will give you the idea.  The gauge isn’t quite right, but I hope to make it work.  Otherwise I will have to make my own pattern and I’m still new at that.

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Second Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week -day Seven

Wow, last day this was rather fun.  I’ll have to see what the topics are for next year.

What is my typical crafting time?  Anytime, anywhere.  When I was at Western I always had a knitting project in my backpack.  Some days it was hard to fit in the history textbooks  🙂  These days I always have a handful of projects on the go so I can always have a project to suit the occasion.  For example, we’ve had a lot of road/bridge construction in the County for the last few years, so I’ve taken to carrying a pair of socks to work on while stopped waiting .  I also bring knitting to appointments, like on Monday.  Knitting made OVFC board meetings a lot less boring too.  The car is the best place to get knitting done and I’m lucky since I rarely have to do the driving.  I also do a lot of knitting in the evening watching tv with Colin.  For the last year I’ve actually had ‘official’ knitting time.  I join the Knit Wits in Eganville for an evening full of knitting and chatting.  They are a great group of ladies, mostly youngish mothers like me.  If our husbands knew how little we talked about them, there would be many bruised egos all over Renfrew County  🙂  We’ve even got the next generation started.  One of the girls brings her little girls knitting.  Ella wants to come too, but that will only be a once in a while event.  Momma needs some grown-up time -besides, when would I have time to make Christmas surprises?

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