It is the start of the year of the Serpent (or snake). People born in a Serpent year are said to be intelligent and quick, but prone to dishonesty. (Ouch!) They are also known as elegant seducers. Hmm, I’m not sure if I like that any better. lol! I am a Serpent, so I suppose I should embrace the good and the bad!
Today is also Totally Useless Stitch Along day! If you’d like to know more about this pointless but fun stitch along, check out It’s Daffycat.
My container for this month contains lots of pretty metallics. I’ve been stitching less than normal for the past couple of weeks thanks to my tennis elbow, but I was able to get in quite a bit of stitching before I had to rest. All in all, I think it is a pretty little collection.
TUSAL orts for February 2013
In other news, we made it through the storm quite nicely. All in all, our area of Toronto ended up with around 30cm (about 1′) of snow. And thanks to a couple days of sun, it has already started to melt a bit. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 4C and rain! So, the snow might all be gone by bedtime tomorrow. Sadly, the little man did not get to go outside to play. He ended up back in bed yesterday afternoon, and while he is much better today, he is a bit weak from not really eating for five days. There is always the next snow storm, though! 😉
Poor Baby Man has been home sick for four days now. It is only a really nasty cold, but it has knocked his poor little body for a loop. All he has done is sleep and watch Mythbusters for the past few days. Not even our newly arrived set of Minecraft Lego could tempt him off the sofa.
Today I would have kept him home anyway. We are right in the path of that big storm making its way across parts of Canada and the U.S.. School buses were cancelled for our school board, but schools were surprisingly left open. Given the state of the roads at even 8 am this morning, I think that was very irresponsible. But, all I can do is choose to keep my little guy home and safe.
Here’s a little look at what it was like outside here at about 4pm today.
A world of white just beyond our balcony.
A car stuck in the snow. (Our street is still owned by the builder, so we are the very last to be ploughed.)
A mini snowdrift in the corner.
Pretty trees and large snowdrifts.
Our little tree is looking lovely in white.
Motorist shovelling our busiest highway, during rush hour! They want to get home!!
I hope all of you in the path of the storm are staying cozy and safe. Our only problem is we are out of hot chocolate and bacon!!
Baby Man and I have spent the last couple of days home sick. He is just about back to his old self, and should be off to school this afternoon. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to a long nap this afternoon.
The Stitching Blog question for Blog Hop #15 is very appropriate:
Eventually there comes a time when you’re not feeling well, whether it’s the flu or a cold or something else entirely. The question is, do you manage any stitching when you’re under the weather or does it just have to wait for better days?
I rarely stitch or knit or anything when I’m sick. Instead I read, watch a bit of TV, and sleep as much as I can. Mostly I sleep. 😉
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop: Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
So *cough* I’m still stitching. The arm, well, its okay. I’m supposed to rest it until the 27th. Yeah…
Holly Berries Ornament, designed by Carolyn Mitchell
This is Holly Berry Ornament by Carolyn Mitchell. It is a small design that uses the same stitches as a larger design, Holly Berry Trivet, that was published in the Festive 2011 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread. The fibres are DMC perle cotton #5 and 1/16th ribbon from Kreinik. It is stitched on #18 mono canvas.
Holly Berries close-up
It was a fun and quick design to do. Although I will admit that I don’t care for the navy blue smyrna crosses around the holly. I think they are a bit too bulky. I might substitute them for something else when I do the larger piece.
And it is pretty obvious that I haven’t finish finished this yet. I need to do the “lacy binding stitch” all the way around, and add a hanger and tassel. That I will tackle when I’m back to my “normal” self. 😉
So, I might not be resting my arm as much as I should be. But this is so cute!
All Your Pie tape measure cover
The pattern is All Your Pie Tape Measure Cover, designed by Tabitha Rose. It is available through Ravelry for only $2.00. And it is a perfect way to show off your multi-crafty skills since it uses both knitting and crochet. I used Bernat Satin in Sable (I think) and the filling is Red Heart Soft in Really Red.
Now I really am resting my hand. Honest… maybe. We will see what the doctor says this afternoon.
Ornament SAL News: Don’t forget to add yourself to the Ornament SAL check in for January. It will be closing sometime around midnight Eastern tonight (or early tomorrow morning).
Before I was told to rest my hand I spent some time working on Chocolate Humbug Bag from Northern Pine Designs.
Chocolate Humbug Bag from Northern Pine Designs (WIP)
I think it is looking really pretty. To be honest, though, the instructions are a little confusing. Which is why I have to pull out this beautiful Jessica stitch:
A Jessica Stitch
I’m one row too low. Instead of ripping it out right now and restitching it, I’m going to do the diagonal line of stitches that mark the edge of this section. Then I will work up from them. But my heart will break when I have to rip out that lovely stitch. 🙁
I may not be able to knit thanks to a sore hand and a bad elbow, and I can still wind up yarn for future projects!
Winding Yarn: You vs. LYS
I have to wind all my hanked (or skeined, depending on the term you prefer to use) yarn myself. While I’m lucky enough to live in Toronto, a city with several excellent and well-known yarn shops, I don’t do a lot of shopping at them because none have a particular good selection of non-wooly yarn. And, a few don’t even offer to wind your purchases for you. So, I’ve got the Amish-style swift that my dad built for me, and an adequate ball winder from Knit Picks, and every few months I grit my teeth and wind up some yarn.
My handmade swift (Thanks, Dad!)
So, why would you want a shop to wind yarn for you? Well:
You don’t have a swift and ball winder of your own.
It is over 1,000 metres and you do have a life. 😉
You want to get started on your project right away.
There are, however, many advantages to winding your own yarn. Such as:
You can’t always return yarn that has been wounding into a cake, even if it was done by the store. So, keep your yarn in a hank/skein if you think you might want to return it.
It is easier to trade or sell your yarn if it is still in a hank.
The shop could wind the yarn more tightly than you like, and it could bounce back after being washed, shrinking your project.
Yarn is easier to store in a hank, depending on your storage system.
Yarn cakes can trap moisture and smells much more readily than hanks. They also make cozier homes for bugs. Yuck!
You can check the ball for knots, weak spots, and strange colour changes as you wind it. This will allow you to be prepared for what might be coming, and also allow you to splice out bad spots.
One thing to watch for when winding your own cakes is tension. A yarn cake is wound too tight if it feels very firm when you give it squeeze. It should bounce back, not feel like a hockey puck!
Balls of yarn ready to go… when I can knit again.
What about centre-pull vs. working from the outside? As a non-wooly, I always work from the outside of a cake or ball of yarn. Non-wooly yarn (especially 100% cotton, bamboo-heavy blends, and silk) tend to collapse if you work from the inside. The yarns are slicker than wool. They don’t have the little hairs that wooly yarns have, and those hairs are what helps those yarn cakes stay together well when working from the inside. If you don’t like the idea of your yarn rolling around on the floor when you work from the outside, consider setting the yarn in a small bag or on your lap. (To be honest, my yarn almost never escapes from me.) And when you work from the outside, you can use the centre of the cake for storing your label!
One last thing about yarn swifts. They come in a few different varieties, and can range from reasonably priced to very expensive (just like ball winders). Knit Picks even puts theirs on sale once in a while. But, you can make your own. Check out this Pinterest board I’ve put together for a few ideas.
Wondering how to use a ball winder and swift? Check out this short video from Webs Yarn Store.
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Paper Crafter, and more!
Also known as Silverlotus & Stitchinglotus
Located just outside of Toronto, Canada. Contact Me
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Paper Crafter, and more!
