Maybe Santa Could Use Those Socks

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Heather

Again, I somehow manage not to post for several days even though I have actually been working on quite a few things.  Baby Man likes to get in the way when I take pictures, so I often put off my blog posts until he is asleep.  And then I want to sleep myself, or make dinner or do something else, so I just never get around to it.

Anyway, on Sunday I finished up my second of my Lily of the Valley Socks.  I am still totally in love with them.  Next time, though, I would knit them at a gauge tighter than 8 stitches an inch.  They are just a touch too big, but I think they will wear fine regardless.

Lily of the Valley socks, August 2009

Lily of the Valley Sock by Susan Lawrence/Knit Picks
Yarn: S. R. Kertzer’s On Your Toes Bamboo, Ivory

lilyonfeet

You can see in the second picture how nicely the nupps stand out when the socks are worn.  (My stitches coming from the heel flap don’t actually gap like they look like in the picture.  I think that is just a weird shadow or something.)

I’ve also been slaving away on my 2-at-a-time socks.  They are going slowly because I find the whole process really fiddly.  But I’m nearly done the heel flap, and after that it is pretty much smooth sailing since there is no pattern on the foot.

2atatime-august19

Cabled Corn by Antje Gillingham in Knitting Circles Around Socks
Yarn: Cascade Fixation, Ivory

And I am making progress on my Tesla scarf too.  I’ve got another 20″ to go before I start the bottom ruffle.  Argh! 20″!?!  It has taken me more than 2 months to get to 30″.  I guess I’m going so slow because this is my take-along project and because I am still not sure about the colour.  I mean, what the heck am I going to wear this with?

tesla-august19

Tesla by Deb Barnhill in Knotions
Yarn: Dye-Version’s Silk Seacell, Moss

tesla-closeup

The lace pattern itself is lovely, and really easy to memorize.   I’m using a row counter (the blue thingee in the top picture) to help me remember where I am since I set aside for weeks at a time.  I keep a note card with it with the two patterns lines written on it (each repeated twice) just in case I forget what I need to do.

And, yes, I have most definitely been cross stitching.  My main project for the past two days has been Swrilygig from Brent Creek.  I bet you didn’t think I was a Bent Creek kind of a girl, eh?  Well, I’m stitching it to take part in this challenge over on Stitch Bitch.  That means I can’t share a picture.  But trust me, it is pretty.  Dinky Dyes silks, beads, and, well I haven’t decided how to finish it yet.  But I am sure it will look lovely.  I hope…

I’ve also been working on Baby Man’s stocking like a good mommy.  Santa is very nearly done.  Understand the post title now?  The poor man has no feet!  With some hard work, I should get his boots done today, and possibly make some serious inroads on this staff.

stocking-august19

Naughty or Nice by Dimensions
Kit with my own 28ct Lugana

And just for curiosity’s sake, I thought I would keep track of how many different projects I have worked on over a week.  I started keeping track on Monday, and I am already up to 5.

  • Tesla
  • Cabled Corn (the 2-at-a-time socks)
  • Naughty or Nice Stocking
  • Swrilygig
  • unnamed crochet project

Yep, I have trouble staying focused.  Actually, it is just because some projects are better suited to certain times of the day.  Cross stitch and Baby Man don’t mix well, and the two balls of yarn from the socks get tangled easily.  And, well, I have trouble staying focused.  Speaking of which, it is time for me to get some work done.  I’m planning on starting the Central Park Hoodie when my yarn arrives in a couple of days.

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Flowery Finishes

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Heather

I’ve had a couple of flowery days of progress, and knocked another thing off my August To Do list!

First, I finished up Planet June’s crocheted African Violets.  These are to adorable, and very easy to make.  I used Bernat Satin, and put some craft gravel in the centre of the pot to give the finished piece some weight.

African Violets, Planet June, August 2009

African Violets by Planet June
Yarn: Bernat Satin, various colours

Not the best picture in the world, unfortunately.  I just don’t have Dani’s skills.  You can see several great pictures at the Planet June store, and I’m happy to say that mine looks just like them!  And that, I think, is the sign of a great pattern.  If a piece made by someone who has only been crocheting for six months can turn out as good as the model, the directions must be awesome.

My next flowery finish was the first sock in my pair of Lily of the Valley Socks.  I am totally in love with this sock.  When it is worn, the nupps produce such lovely little bumps on the fabric, and I feel like I have one of my favourite flowers dancing around my feet.

lilyofthevalley-1stsock

Lily of the Valley Sock by Susan Lawrence/Knit Picks
Yarn: S. R. Kertzer’s On Your Toes Bamboo, Ivory

I’ve already cast on the second sock.  Goodness knows I don’t want to fall pray to the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome with this pair.  And, truthfully, I’m already thinking ahead to what I will knit next.  Possibly another pair of socks or maybe, because fall is just around the corner, I will do a pair of fingerless gloves.

As for cross stitching, I have finally finished the Mill Hill ornament I shared the other day.

Ice Blue Snowflake, Mill Hill, August 2009

Ice Blue Snowflake by Mill Hill
Fabric: 28ct evenweave
Fibre: DMC and unknown metallic
Beads: Mill Hill in various sizes

I was only able to do three fringes on the bottom because there was not enough Ice beads in the kit, and I didn’t have any in my stash either.  (Which is actually really odd.  They must be kitted up with something and I over looked them.) I still think it is darling.  And I just love these Treasured Diamond kits.  If anyone has any they would like to trade for, or even the chart from one they have used, let me know!

I’m now working on Baby Man’s Christmas stocking (have I mentioned how I detest the white floss in Dimension’s kits?) and Casltes in the Air part 4.  I’ve also picked up Celtic Thunder from Enchanting Lair again because I have been thinking about the Creativ Festival.

I have booked my classes for the fall Creativ Festival.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take all of the Teresa Wenztler classes.  She will be using Appleton wool in her crewel and bargello classes, and I have that pesky allergy that causes me to break out in a rash and makes my tongue swell.  So, as much as I enjoy TW’s classes, I’m not going to put myself through that.  I am taking her two other classes, the two classes she is teaching with Jennifer from Dragon Dreams, one of Jennifer’s classes, and a framing class from Laura Dickson of Enchanting Lair. I wish I could take more classes, but I can’t be in two places at once or take Baby Man with me.  (I will be buying the kit for Enchanting Lair’s Celtic Treasure Sewing Kit if I can.  I love it!)

Oh, and I will be attending the Breakfast with Teresa and Jennifer event.  I may go to the Swarovski dinner too if I can find someone to go with.  I’m not to keen on going by myself.

That’s it for me today.  Time to wake up Baby Man and get on with the day.  Household chores await, and maybe some knitting and cross stitch time too, if  I’m lucky.  One place says it will rain all day and another says it will stay clear, so I have no idea if I will be able to take Baby Man to the park today.  Oh well!

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Thoughts on Stitching

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Heather

I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and answer the questions that Melissa posted over on Musing from a Three Bedroom Ranch.

1)Why do you stitch?

I stitch to stay sane; to make beautiful things; so I can give gifts that try to express how I feel about someone; so that I have an outlet for my creativity.  Oddly, I also stitch partly because it is a womanly thing, something the our fore-mothers have done and hopefully our daughters will do.  It is a way to feel connected to other women and to women of the past.  And, I hope that one day I can pass on my love to a granddaughter or daughter-in-law since, sadly, I expect Baby Man will have no interest in stitching.  (I have hope he might like knitting.  Yeah, I’m a dreamer.)

2) On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being least important and 10 being most important what is your cross stitch passion level?

I’d say 9.  I love cross stitch.  I’d do more if I could, but it isn’t too toddler-friendly.  I think when Baby Man gets older and I can stitch when he is awake, I will probably knit much less and go back to cross stitching most of the time.

3)If you’re only option for cross stitch supplies and patterns happened to be the major chain craft stores would you just walk away from the little X? Kiss it goodbye?

I hope that never happens!  And, really, except for needing some DMC, I could probably live off my stash until the end of my life. But, if I had too, I think I could make due with what is in a mass market store (i.e. Dimensions designs).  It may not always be to my taste exactly, but I do like some Dimensions designs.  (Did I just say that?!)

4)Also are you so passionate about cross stitch that if indeed your only option was the major chain craft stores, would that inspire you to create your own cross stitch pieces because you have to stitch and you’ve stitched your way through the whole of Dimensions catalog–because you must stitch and the thought of life without a relationship with the little X leaves you feeling empty?

I think that I might try designing.  I keep thinking I would like to do a band sampler or something of all my favourite speciality stitches.

5)Finally what do the cross stitch magazines on the market offer you? Do they relate to you as a cross stitcher? Do you look at them and think to yourself, who do they think buys this magazine? I guess what I’m asking, when you see the current cross stitch magazines do they make you feel like they know their readers or do you find it’s more of the same? What could they do to be ambassadors for the art of cross stitch other than putting a sampler on the cover with “F-U” on it? What are we missing on a PR level that could change the opinion of cross stitch itself?

I’m a bit meh on cross stitch magazines lately.  The whole trend toward simpler designs isn’t really for me, even though I have been stitching a lot of them lately.  I think the designs I generally like aren’t right for magazines: large TW or Mirabila pieces mainly.  I think that U.K. magazines do a great job with all kinds of articles to read, great cover kits, and a wide variety of styles.  And the inclusion of large designs in every issue is great.

I don’t know that magazines are the right way to attract new people to cross stitch.  I mean, do you go look at magazines for things you don’t do?  I don’t.  Cross stitch needs to be passed on at the person level.  We need to out there stitching interesting designs, offering to teach the skills in schools, etc.

I’ve also noticed, as has Anna at Stitch Bitch, that all those people doing “cool” cross stitch are using Adia cloth and plain old DMC.  They aren’t being adventurous in terms of materials, methods or stitches.  I like how a lot of regular designers are experimenting with overdyed threads and handdyed fabric.  (Although I will admit to being really annoyed when a small ornament expects you to spend $50 on materials.)  Maybe a meeting of the minds is required here.  But I don’t think cross stitch will ever be really popular if the “cool” designers stick to simple methods and materials and if the regular designers stick with simple motifs.

6) And finally, finally, do you do other crafts and if so what are they and why do they pull you away from cross stitch?

I knit and crochet. I’ve also been known to sew a little and do a wee bit of scrapbooking.  I knit and crochet mainly because they are more toddler-friendly.  I also like having a finished piece that I can wear, like the lovely socks I knit all the time.

To head off in another direction, Silkweaver announced the Showcase 2009 winners yesterday, and sadly I wasn’t one of them.  You can see all of the winners here. Congratulations, ladies, all of your pieces are beautiful.

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Formal Garden Finish

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Heather

I seem to be speeding along quite nicely this month, working on fulfilling my August goals. Not only have I finished crocheting the bear parts for the Baby Man’s afghan, but I have also finally finished part 3 of Papillon Creation’s Castles in the Air.  The formal garden is done, and the peacock is started.

cita-August8,2009

Castles in the Air (Parts 1-3, and some 4) by Papillon Creations
Fibres: DMC and Petite Treasure Braid
Fabric: 28ct Lugana in Wind from Enchanting Lair

cita-August8,2009-2

I’m also moving along on my Lily of the Valley Socks, even with all the nupps.  I believe I have done 60 so far with another 40 to go.  My nupp-making confidence has grown by leaps and bounds, but I’m still not quite ready to tackle this Lily of the Valley Stole again.  (For you non-knitters, a nupp is like 5 stitches in one, knit in a special way to make it look like a pretty little lump on the fabric.  In this case, they mimic the flowers on a Lily of the Valley.  They can be very fiddly to do, unless you cheat a little, like I am.)

lilysock-august8,2009-1

Lily of the Valley Sock by Susan Lawrence/Knit Picks
Yarn: S. R. Kertzer’s On Your Toes Bamboo, Ivory

lilysock-august8,2009-2

I’ve circled a nupp in the photo above.  It is hard to see, but it sits on the fabric and gives dimension to the pattern.  Now, you may be wondering how I’m “cheating” when I’m making these.  Since there are 5 strands to these nupps, I’m slipping the first two, knitting the next three through the back loop, and then slipping the two I slipped before over the new stitch.. Viola!  A nupp!  The nupps on the foot of the sock are only 3 strands, so  I won’t have to do this for them.  Even with all this fussing, I think these are my favourite pair of socks so far.  I can see myself knitting them again and again, so that I always have a pair to wear.

I have one more thing to share: I have two pieces that are finalists in the Silkweaver Showcase 2009!  I can’t believe it!  My Seaside Garden is in small, and How Does Your Garden Grow is in medium.  You can see the finalists here:

I believe the winners are to be announced today.  I don’t expect to win because there are several pieces much more lovely than mine, and I don’t think they picked the best pieces that I entered either.  I think my H Fairy was much prettier than my How Does Your Garden Grow.  But, to each their own, eh?

I do have to admit that it is gratifying to see my How Does Your Garden Grow as a finalist.  For that design I picked all the colours, and wasn’t sure how good of a job I did.  It is nice to know that someone other than me likes it!

Well, back to stitching!

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Gardens, Snowflakes and Yet Another Sock

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Heather

The last couple of days have been pretty busy. My mom was down for a visit and we were able to escape, sans baby, to the Eaton Centre to do some shopping and enjoy a lovely lunch. That evening, quanta and I went to a 13-course Chinese dinner to celebrate my sister-in-law’s (i.e. his sister’s) upcoming wedding. And then we spent the night at a friend’s place and had a super lunch with them. It was nice to get out and spend some time with adults.  And I went more than 24 hours between changing diapers!

All of this, of course, means I haven’t done much knitting or cross stitch.  But, tonight I’m going to plop down in front of the TV for a little while and try to get side 2 and 3 of Casltes in the Air Part 3.  Here’s a look at what I’ve done so far on side 2:

cita-aug6

And here is the Mill Hill ornament that is almost done:

snowflake

And, lastly, my latest sock.  After a bad yarn-to-pattern sock attempt the other day, I decided it was time to try that Lily of the Valley sock I’ve been talking about for a while.  I took it with me last night and was able to get a fair little bit done this morning before everyone else woke up.  (One of the bonuses of being a mommy is that internal alarm clock.)  Here’s where I am so far, almost done the first repeat of the flowers.  I apologize for the poor picture quality, there just isn’t enough light here at night even with a flash.

lily-aug6

Tomorrow the classes for the fall Creativ Festival are released.  I’m so excited!  There is supposed to be a breakfast event with Teresa Wentzler and Jennifer Aikman-Smith (Dragon Dreams), and who knows what else.  Believe me, I will be on the phone first thing on the 10th booking my classes.

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A Rainbow-Coloured Failure

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Heather

I’ve finally had my first knitting failure.  It isn’t because I don’t possess the skill required (entrelac is actually really easy if you have good directions), nor it is because because I kept making mistakes.  I’ve been defeated by my yarn.

It started like this: I signed up for an entrelac class at my LYS. The suggested yarn was Fiesta Ballet.  It is lovely, but it contains wool which means it is out for me.  So, instead of using Super 10 or something I’ve already used 100 times, I decided to try Blue Heron’s Cotton Rayon Seed.  I bought a lovely colourway that was shades of purple.  Just wonderful!  And then quanta bought me a new purple leather jacket.  It was a totally different hue than the yarn, so I decided to exchange the yarn for another colourway.  This is what I brought home:

sunriseyarn_medium

The same yarn, in colourway Sunrise.  The purple in it was a pretty good match for the jacket, and I thought it would bring a nice splash of colour to my fall wardrobe, even though, if I am completely honest, this isn’t something I would ever buy.

The first entrelac class rolls around, and using some Super 10 I have lying around, I knit up this practise piece:

entrelac-firstclass

Even this loose piece looks cool, like the knitting is woven.  (It is a wee bit wonky because I used needles that were too large because the ones I should have used were in a project.  Clearly I need more knitting needles.  Like these new Zephyrs. But I digress.)

During the second class we started our actual project, an entrelac scarf.  My feeling that the yarn wasn’t quite right for me grew as the class went on.  A few ladies in the class say they like it, so I kept going.  When I got home I buried it in my knitting bag and worked on some other projects.  Yesterday afternoon, though, I thought it was time to dig it out and see if it had grown prettier with time.  Sadly, this is what I have:

entrelacscarf

Yuck!  It has been unravelled and the yarn banished to my stash until I find the right project for it.  I don’t expect it to see the light of day again any time soon.  What a shame, really.  And all because I got a leather jacket that I love.

On the plus side, I picked up some Berroco Touché last week that will make a lovely scarf for my new jacket, in a shade of green that almost exactly matches the lining of my jacket.  I guess there is a silver, or maybe green, lining to everything.

touche

In other news, tonight I hope to finish up a lovely little cross stitched Mill Hill ornament, and possibly get more done on Part 3 of Casltes in the Air.  (Yes, I’m still stuck on that.)  I promise, patient readers, more cross stitch posts are coming.  And one on crochet gauge too.  (Let’s just say I have some stress issues.)

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Goodbye July

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Heather

Another month over.  Honestly, you’d think that the passage of time wouldn’t come as a surprise, but it always seems to.  It has been a busy month for me: Baby Man’s year and half check-up, a wedding, a shower, a day at the office, a hair cut, a couple of knitting classes, donating blood.  That sure shows how my life has slowed down, doesn’t it?  When that small number of events means it has been a busy month something is either really right or really wrong.  I feel really blessed and happy that  my life has a slower pace now.  I’ve got lots of time for crafting and lots of time for Baby Man.

With it being the end of the month, it is time to review my goals:

  1. Finish the remaining secret gift
  2. Make significant progress on Baby Man’s Christmas socking
  3. Make significant progress on Baby Man’s birth sampler, Victoria Sampler’s Heirloom Birth Sampler (yes, I still haven’t stitched one)
  4. No more stash of any sort (with the exception of the two cross stitch charts I have on order and am still waiting for; no rush for those)
  5. Finish the pink socks
  6. Finish a Baby Surprise Jacket for a gift
  7. Lose 3lbs (for real this month)
  8. Complete part 3 of Castles in the Air

Let’s see.  The secret gift was Morgan, and we all know that turned out poorly.  I did make great progress on Baby Man’s stocking and I started the birth sampler.  I also finished the pink socks and the Baby Surprise Jacket.  I did not lose 3lbs or complete Part 3 of Castles in the Air.

I’m also so happy that I finished things that weren’t on my list, mainly the Ribbed Lace Bolero and the Scroll Lace wrap. Yep, I finished that up last night.  It still needs to be blocked, so it looks a little odd right now with the lace scrunched up and the bind off rolling over.

So, what about August?  The hottest time of the summer isn’t the best time to knit.  (Although we haven’t had much of a hot summer here in Southern Ontario.)  But, then again, fall will be here very quickly, and I need more socks and a scarf to complement my new jacket. So, my goals:

  1. Crochet all the bear pieces for this afghan my mom is making for Baby Man (so far I have five heads and half a body done)
  2. Make significant progress on Baby Man’s Christmas stocking
  3. Lose 3lbs (I mean it this time!!)
  4. Make progress on entrelac scarf (which I still need to share you all)
  5. No Stash!!
  6. Complete part 3 of Castles in the Air and start Part 4
  7. Start another pair of socks
  8. Think about Christmas gifts
  9. Finish crocheting the African violets

I think that all sounds reasonable.

You may have noticed that I didn’t comment on my no stash goal for July.  To be honest, I did buy some things.  I bought a cross stitch kit that will be a Christmas gift (doesn’t count), some floss for the wedding sampler for my sister-in-law (doesn’t count), yarn to finish up a  project I’m working on (kinda counts), and yarn for the Scroll Lace wrap (counts, but I finished it, so that sort of makes it not count since it is not stash now by a finished object).  And today at my LYS’s sale I bought some yarn… two more balls of Rowan Calmer in the same colour/dye lot that I already have (which means I can make something other than a scarf from it all now) and four skeins of Berroco Touche at a great price to make a… well, a scarf.  But it will be cool and full of cables!  My thought is that there is so little yarn I can use due to the animal fibre allergy problem that it is okay to take advantage of a sale to get things I can use. That and all of that yarn today cost me less than $37Can, a steal!

On to other news, Lynn B from Happiness is Cross Stitching is having a contest on her blog to celebrate 1 year of blogging.  Congratulations Lynn!  Here is the first prize:

lynnnsprize

Isn’t that fabulous?  Head over to her blog to see the 2nd and 3rd place prizes and to find out how to enter.

As for my ball of Ultra Alpaca that I was thinking of offering as a draw, I will most likely do it in early September.  Just in time for hat making and other cool weather knitting.

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