Sylvie the Procrasknitter

Birthdays, weaving, new house

2010-03-14T19:57:00.004-04:00

My grandaughter has just celebrated her first birthday (march 10)! Here she is enjoying her first piece of cake, she ended up wearing most of it lol!

We had a nice family supper for her and for my husband who celebrated his 61st birthday! on March 7. Boy time does fly!

We have been living in the city now for over 2 months and we are loving it! We were so ready for this move. I can clean the house in over half the time it took at the old place. We are almost done with the inside of the house and then Andy will start working on the outside so by the time summer time gets here we should be able to sit back and relax!

My craft room is all ready and most of my stuff is in place, including my new loom, I still have to clean it up and finish putting it together, I'm getting there nice and slow, I've started reading books and articles on how to weave.

It sounds like something I will really enjoy, can't wait to start! Here's a picture of the project that's on the loom from the lady who owned it before.

Been a long time, again!

2010-02-14T14:45:00.005-05:00

So, looks like I'm taking long breaks between posts! I've been super busy what with the new house in town, new granddaughter.

Here's a recent picture of Olivia, she's 11 months old now and walking (running) everywhere!

She's such a sweetheart! always smiling. I see her quite often since we live on the same street and we have a going date, I get her once a week for about 6 hours and starting this week I'll babysit her every Friday because her parents will both be working and the other 4 days she'll be at day-care.

We moved into our house on January 5, the upstairs is all done. So far we really enjoy living in the city, it's not noisy, the neighbors are all really nice and everything is so close! I don't have to plan half a day if all I want to do is go to the bank or library or do some shopping, and when I get take-out it's actually still hot when we eat it! Andy is working in finishing the basement, he should be done by, hopefully, early March. There will be a rec room, bedroom, bathroom and sewing/computer/loom room.

Which is the next thing I wanted to mention, I bought myself a Leclerc Nilus 36" floor loom.
I got it from a lady in Mississauga, it was her mother's, there is 3 garbage bags and 3 boxes full of yarn and threads for weaving and also 2 boxes of books and a binder full of notes and weaving samples (the lady (Eleanor) was a master weaver) about 2 dozen bobbins, 4 shuttles, 4 extra reeds and the list goes on. I got all this for $550!!! There is even a project on the loom so I'll be able to start as soon as it's set up in my craft room.

I can't believe it's been this long since I last posted!!!

2009-07-03T19:55:00.005-04:00

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I've been SO busy that I've neglected my blog. My granddaughter was born on March 10, 2009, her name is Olivia, isn't she the cutest baby you've ever seen!
here she is as a newborn getting ready to go home from the hospital,
wearing the same outfit to go home that her dad wore 27 years ago.

and now. She's the cutest baby! and when she smiles it lights up her whole face, she's such a joy!

I'll be posting more pictures as she grows that's for sure!

We've also bought a house in town,

we'll be moving back in the city after 30 years of living in the country, that's going to be quite the change for us! There is a lot of work to be done to it, it hasn't been updated and it was quite dirty inside. We took possession on April 17, so it's not even 3 months yet and we're already painting! all the flooring has been chosen, light fixtures bought (most of them) today we received the casings and baseboards.

All of this has kept me busy. which is why I haven't been blogging. Needless to say I haven't had much time to knit, I've knitted a 5-hour sweater for Olivia, a scarf for my daughter Cindy who turned 30 this year, I also sewed a little jacket for Olivia and pj's for my husband Andy,
I'm hoping to start knitting and sewing again soon.

Ajour Lace from Christine Noller

2009-02-15T20:34:00.003-05:00

Ajour Lace book from Christine Noller, contains 19 different shawl and stole patterns, lots of charts to help and a person could google the rest. Are you interested in buying it?

Sweetheart scarf is done!

2009-02-11T20:15:00.004-05:00

I finished another project over the weekend and here it is: I really enjoyed knitting it, it was easy to work on it and watch television at the same time, which is a good thing.

I also started another project, it's a secret and I won't tell! At the same time I'll pick another project from my UFO pile, don't know which one yet, maybe the Kiyo, it would make a nice spring sweater.

In other news, we bought a house! We take possession in April, there's work to be done to it, all new flooring, redo the bathroom and we want to put in a new kitchen (we're thinking white), and build a nice recreation room in the basement. It's going to be quite a switch, we've been living in the country for the past 28 years so I'm sure it'll be an adjustment to be back in town, but we're ready for it.

Two more projects done!

2009-01-29T18:45:00.004-05:00

I've just finished 2 more projects from my list, I'm so glad they are done! The first one is the yellow baby blanket, I wanted to finish it this week so I could give it as a baby shower gift (among other things) to my son's fiancee for our granddaughter:

I'm also done with the Mystery Stole 4, aka: Serendipity, it's a big relief to have this one done, I had a lot of problems with joining the 2 halves, just couldn't do it the way it was explained so I finally did the Kitchener stitch, if you look really close you can see where it was joined but I figure if you can see it you're too close! This is not the best of pictures and there is some beads in matte gold but you can't really see them.

I'm still working on the "Two Dozen Rosebuds and Sweetheart scarf" I'm done with the first half and I started on the second half, its supposed to have a whole bunch of garter stitch rows in the middle but I thought I would try and just start knitting the chart again, looks good to me.

So, now I have to decide what else I'm going to finish from my UFO list or if I'm going to start on something new?!

A new sweater & a new project

2009-01-19T20:50:00.007-05:00

I knitted a baby sweater last week, it's a 5-hour sweater which took me about 6 1/2 hours. I used worsted weight yarn and size 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) needles.
It's a pretty easy pattern to follow, I changed the end of the sleeves, I didn't like the way the regular ribbing looked so I matched the bottom of the sweater, I also added an I-cord to tie in front, I think it looks good.

I also started a new project, it will be a scarf, it's called "Two Dozen Rosebuds and Sweetheart scarf", (thank you Iris) I'm using garner color, laceweight yarn, if you look closely you can see hearts and little rosebuds. It took me 3 tries! I tried fingering weight and that was too big then I tried laceweight and that was too small, then I added 1 repeat width wise and it's turning out just right!

Regarding my New Year's resolution, I also finished my mystery 4 stole, it's blocking right now so hopefully I'll have a picture soon. I'm also working on the yellow baby blanket every morning, it's easy to work on and I don't have to finish a row if I have to put it away quickly. I'm also thinking of canceling a stole I've been working on, seems like a lot of work and I don't particularly like the project, we'll see.

It's been cold around here and we've been getting a fair amount of snow, I have to say that I really do enjoy walking outside this time of year, it's so nice and peaceful.

Busy week!

2009-01-11T19:10:00.004-05:00

Well I've had a busy week, I finished 2 of my eleven projects, only 9 to go! I finished Andy's slippers today and he's already wearing them.

and I finished and dyed my 2008 calendar scarf this is the before:

and this is the after:

I really like the way that turned out, exactly the color I wanted, might be too bright for some but I love it! and yes it's as bright as it looks :)

This week I'll be working on Mystery 4 stole, that's almost done, and on the yellow baby blanket, hopefully that's done by next Sunday. I have to get started on Andy's pj's.

I also have to take care of some company business, I also have quite a few errands to run so it'll be another busy week!

We're supposed to have a really cold spell later on this week so I guess I'll have a lot of time to knit.

My knitting and life goals for 2009

2009-01-04T19:47:00.007-05:00

I have quite a few projects on the needles and I'm really going to try and finish them before I start anything new (yeah, right!) I also want to knit from my stash before buying any new yarn (yeah, right!) but I will try, so here goes.

KNITTING GOALS FOR 2009:

First of all I have to finish the following:
1. green lacy cardigan (65% done)
2. Kioto sweater (25% done)
3. 3 scarves (different stages)
4. Mystery stole 4 (95% done)
5. 2008 Swedish Calendar scarf (90% done)
6. St. Brigid sweater (25% done)
7. slippers for Andy (50% done)
8. Casablanca (75% done)
9. blue baby blanket
10. yellow baby blanket
11. and any other one I might find in my craft room ;)

I'm kind of dedicating the month of January to finish a lot of this knitting, no pressure. And I have a gazillion projects I'd like to do :) I'd like to do some sewing too, I made myself a couple pairs of pj's and I bought fabric to make one for Andy, I also want to make myself a few tops for the summer. All this should keep me out of trouble, lol!

Regarding my surgery, everything is healing really well, by this time next year it will be hard to see any scars, which does not bother me in the least! The operation has given me the incentive I needed and I really want to lose 20 pounds, not an easy feat since the only exercise I can do is walking, but I will give it my best shot.

What I've been up to

2008-12-08T18:18:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted! I guess time got away from me! I'm feeling a lot better from my surgery, everything is healing quite well, looks like there won't be much scaring when all is said and done, not that I'll be going to a nudist beach any time soon lol! I'm doing more and more each day, Andy made sure I didn't do anything for 4 weeks! He was the greatest nurse a woman could ask for, he did all the cooking, laundry, housework and he even went grocery shopping!

I've been knitting a lot since there was not much else I could do,
one of my projects is this scarf,
I'm using bare wool from KnitPicks, I'll be dyeing it a chartreuse color (limey green)
when I'm done which should be by the end of December, it's really easy to knit.

I'm also working on these
two scarves, the blue one is for a friend's son

and the melon one is probably going to be for this friend,
hopefully done by Christmas.

I also finished this turquoise stole,
it's called "Way of Life" it's designed
by Birgit you can see some of her other the patterns here,
which I knitted for my daughter Cindy (here she is with her husband Mike)
don't they make the cutest couple!,
she chose the yarn color but I kept the pattern a secret, it was a KAL which lasted 8 weeks,
she really likes it.

There's a couple other projects I'm working on but I've put them aside while I finish
the scarves. I'm getting tired of having so many projects on the go, I'll have to do
something about that.

I will try and post more often from now on.

And it's over and done with!!!

2008-11-08T18:38:00.003-05:00

My operation that is. I got my breast reduction done on November 5 and everything went extremely well. I got at the hospital at 6:45 am and the operation started around 8:15 next thing
I remember it was about 1 p.m. when I was in the day surgery room and Andy was talking to me.

I got home around 6 p.m. I would've been home sooner but the Dr. had an emergency surgery.
He removed close to 4 pounds! I never figured it would be that much!!! Now they really look nice and perky ;)

The pain is a LOT less than I was expecting, which is a good thing! I'm already feeling relief in my back and Andy says I stand up straighter too. The bleeding has mostly stopped so I (Andy) only have to change gauze once a day to keep it fresh. There isn't to much bruising and it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would.

I've been napping and sleeping quite a lot which helps me feel better every day.

And I must be feeling better because I'm getting antsy to start knitting again!

DK The Nautical Knitter is having a contest !

2008-10-24T20:03:00.006-04:00

Go on over to her blog, http://www.nauticalknitter.com to check it out and to enter.

I'm sure the prize will be a nice one!

What's going on...

2008-10-19T20:05:00.002-04:00

I have been knitting, I'm working on Mystery Stole 4, I have 3 clues left to do on this one,
I'm also working on "Way of Life" a stole for my dear Cindy, I have 4 clues done on that one and 5 to go and I have to admit it's really looking good! I ordered yarn to start knitting a cardigan for Andy, I'm hoping to get it done so I can give it to him as a Christmas present

I've also been busy house cleaning and this week I'll been baking and figuring out some other food I can cook and freeze so that Andy won't have to order too much take-out! lol.

I'm trying to get all this ready before I go in for my operation on November 5. I'm really starting to get nervous even though everyone I've talked to about this says it's the best thing to do and they don't regret it for a minute, the thing that scares me the most is the pain after, I hope I'm not too much of a wuss.

That's about it for now, I'll try and post before November 5 and hopefully have picture of my knitting.

Clue 2 done and some pictures

2008-09-16T08:34:00.006-04:00

I've done clue 2 of the Mystery Stole 4,
I don't think my pictures does it justice.

The pictures below are from the Labor Day weekend,
while Andy was doing some work around the house

I was sitting on the porch working on a yellow baby blanket,
it's a crochet one so it's really easy and relaxing,
the good thing about it is you can stop and start anytime
since there is no complicated pattern to it.
Only in Ontario will a person sit on the porch
on a really hot summer day crocheting and drinking a hot coffee!

As I've mentioned in one of my previous posts
I'm going for a breast reduction on November 5,
it's only 50 days away as of today, it's really coming on fast now!
I'm a bit apprehensive, I know that part of my back problems
is my handicap on the left side and my breast size
and that it's the best thing to do to help my back and my overall health.
It's just the thought of what will be done, blah! From what I've read and
heard from other women it's THE thing to do for back problems,
the first few days are hell but then it gets better and the end result
is totally worth it, I sure hope so!

Mystery Stole 4

2008-09-13T18:31:00.003-04:00

I've been knitting on clue 1 of the Mystery Stole 4 and I'm really liking it, it's really interesting knitting, the stole is symmetrical so I'm knitting both ends at the same time. Here's a picture of one of the clue.

I also joined this group, Knitting-Delight, the next KAL will be called "Way of Life, it starts September 20, the last stole KAL knitted by this lady was "Pearled Romance" and it was gorgeous!, I'm sure this one will be too! I'll be knitting this one for my daughter Cindy, she chose a teal color.

And I'm back!!!

2008-08-03T21:34:00.002-04:00

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in sooo long! with all the rain we've been getting around here I've been really busy mowing, gardening and of course doing housework, running errands, keeping an eye on Cindy and Mike's cat, Biscuit (what a sweetheart!) you get the idea.

I've been slowly working on my St. Brigid (back is almost done), on my green sweater (only the sleeves left to do), working on my Casablanca KAL, I'm a couple clues behind on this one but catching up fast! I'll be back later this week with pictures.

My sister just came down from Quebec to visit for a few days, that was nice.

And oh yeah, guess who's going to be a grandma!!! you guessed it, moi :) Our son, Joey's fiancee is now about 8 weeks pregnant, she's due on March 5, as soon as they can they'll try and find out if it will be a girl or a boy, I can't wait!!!

St. Brigid progress

2008-05-21T19:53:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, things have been crazy around here, to say the least! But things are getting back to normal I'm happy to say. Now I'll have more time to do some knitting, woohoo!

I've done some work on my St. Brigid, here's what I've done so far:

I find it a very fairly easy pattern to follow and I really like the color and feel of the yarn.

Enter a contest!

2008-05-03T18:57:00.002-04:00

Abigail is having a contest! Go on her blog, leave a comment and be entered to win a prize!

That's all there is to it, what have you got to lose?!

What I did so far this week

2008-04-24T21:30:00.003-04:00

I started knitting St. Brigid on Monday, I started it 3 times! I did a swatch and thought I had it right, but it was way too wide (after doing 11 rows) so I tried another size needles, it was still too wide (after another 11 rows!)

I finally did it on size 4mm needles and it looks good so far, I'm up to row 19, here's a picture:

I've also did some knitting on my green cardigan, it's so easy! It's a 10 stitches repeat on the right side so it's not a problem to remember, so I can knit and watch t.v. at the same time.

I'm also working on "Secret of Bad Nauheim" when I have some free time :)

St. Brigid

2008-04-19T20:17:00.003-04:00

I picked up the library book at my daughter's home this morning. She and I have been looking all over the place for this book. Now it's in my possession and I'm not letting go till it's due back and maybe a bit longer!

I will be knitting the St. Brigid sweater, using yellow wool, I"ll be doing a swatch tomorrow and I'll probably be starting it on Monday, I can't wait!

Where's the pot?

2008-04-18T12:06:00.005-04:00

I don't know what's going on. Yesterday I:

1. My dear, dear daughter found "Aran Knitting from Alice Starmore" at a library!!! she's picking it up after work tonight and we'll find a way to get it to me this weekend (she lives in another town). WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! Now I can knit the St. Brigit sweater!
2. Sold our truck
3. I ordered 3 books earlier this week and they're in the mail.
4. Two different orders of yarn that was on back order are now on their way
5. Beads I ordered a couple weeks ago are in
6. I ordered a Japanese knitting magazine on Wednesday and it should be here Monday
7. I had a nice long phone call from my favorite sister-in-law and 2 friends I haven't heard from in quite while also called me

Right now I'm wondering what's going on, are things getting settled before something bad happens? After all these flowers, where's the pot!? Just in case my luck is on a roll, I bought tickets for the Super 7 lottery, the jackpot is $15 million! can you imagine how much yarn I can buy with that! First I'll have to get an Escalade to carry that yarn :)

I also did some knitting on my cardigan. Here's a picture:

In between this I'm working on the blue blankie and on "Secret of Bad Nauheim".

I've been good all week with exercising and my portions, I didn't lose any weight but my jeans are looser and I don't have to fall backwards on the bed to zip them up lol!

The weather is suppose to be fabulous this weekend so I'll be washing windows, sitting by the garden with Andy, and having steak on the BBQ Sunday.

Blue blankie clue 3

2008-04-15T09:40:00.003-04:00

Not much to report today, I just finished clue 3 of the blue blankie, I had help from my "Nouilles" when I took a picture.

I'll be starting on clue 4 of "Secret of Bad Nauheim" this afternoon. I also want to continue working on my green sweater, since Andy went back to work on Monday I'll probably be working on that at night because I'm pretty sure he'll be going to bed earlier.

It's really nice and sunny today so I'll also be spending some time outside and do some work in my flower garden.

Some knitting pictures

2008-04-05T19:59:00.003-04:00

I worked on clue 2 of the Rose Garden KAL and

on clue 2 of the Secret of Bad Nauheim,

I'm behind by a couple clues on the blue blankie and I'm caught up with the other one. I will probably work on the blanket all weekend.

I'm thinking of maybe looking for a part-time job, Andy is going back to work on April 18 and I have the feeling I'll have way too much time on my hands! there's only so much knitting a person can do, isn't there?

Not much else to report, no weight loss (or gain).

What I've been doing

2008-03-28T10:59:00.003-04:00

I've had a busy week, and all this with a head cold!

I did the first clue of Secret of Bad Nauheim, I find it pretty easy to knit. I have a feeling it's going to be a really pretty stole.

Clue 2 comes out today so you'll know what I'll be doing this weekend. Here's clue 1:

And I did the first part of the blue blanket, I'm behind 2 parts on this one, the pattern is SO pretty! It's going to make a really cute baby blanket.

I've also started on a summer cardigan for myself, it's going to look like this one, that Kathy, a fellow blogger has already knitted. Hope mine turns out just as nice!

And finally look who came over for breakfast this morning! We had a snowfall, hopefully the last one this year!

Now back to knitting!

My Secret of the Stole ii pictures

2008-03-22T15:42:00.003-04:00

Here it is! my Secret of the Stole ii, I couldn't decide which picture to use so I'm posting a few of them.

Thank you DK for this beautiful pattern I really enjoyed knitting this stole, now I can't wait till August when you come out with our next KAL!

All done!

2008-03-20T13:31:00.004-04:00

I'm all done with my Secret of the Stole ii, it's soaking right now, then I'll pin it.
I'll be posting a picture of it hopefully tomorrow.

On to the next projects, one is a baby blanket,
I'll be knitting this one in fingering weight
and it will be blue.

The Secret of Bad Nauheim starts soon and I'll be using lace weight that I'll be dying it in Chartreuse color way.

I've also joined another KAL, it called "Spring Shawl Mystery" she recommends
either pewter or mushroom lace weight yarn, I'll be using pewter and these beads,
this one starts in April.

My partner in crime, Peggy, enjoys joining KAL's as much as I do, I don't know which one enables the other.

Clue 8

2008-03-15T19:43:00.004-04:00

I finished clue 8 on Friday, here's a picture:

I started on clue 9, which is the last clue, I'm sad that it's over. The next one from DK won't be till August!!!

Not much else to report, I can't wait for the snow to be all gone, it's warming up slowly but surely! they keep calling for rain (which would help to melt all this snow) but we never get any!

Still not losing any weight, not gaining either.

Clue 7

2008-03-06T19:51:00.002-05:00

Clue 7 is done! and clue 8 comes out tomorrow, I'm so happy I was able to keep up this week. I had time to finish a pair of slippers I made for Andy and I even had time to work on a pj I'm sewing for Andy's 59th birthday tomorrow, I'll post a picture of that sometime soon.

Nothing else to report this week, still weigh the same, it's not for the lack of trying. I'll have to pay even more attention to my portions I guess!

Clue 6

2008-03-01T22:09:00.004-05:00

I finished clue 6 last night and I took pictures this morning.
Here's one showing clue 6 and one showing a close-up,
looking good if I do say so myself!

I've also joined another KAL! this one starts sometime this month, it's called "Secret of Bad Nauheim".

Hopefully it's towards the end of the month so that I'll be almost done with Secret of the Stole ii. I decided to use bare laceweight wool from KnitPicks, I bought some chartreuse dye mix at the same time so I'll be using that to dye the yarn after I'm done with the stole.

On the weight loss front, there's no news, no loss/no gain, which I guess is good. I'm planning on cutting back on breads and desserts this week just to see if it makes a difference.

Clue 5

2008-02-22T21:58:00.004-05:00

I'm all caught up! Finally! I worked on it all day to make sure I made the deadline to be able to win a prize. Here's a picture:

Tomorrow I start on clue 6, according to DK this clue should be interesting. I'm sure it will be!

New project!

2008-02-19T20:37:00.003-05:00

Today I received a really nice package in the mail,
I ordered 10 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool from Yarn and Fiber,
I plan to knit myself a lacy cardigan, it's a pattern from Knitter's magazine
Spring '98.

Sometime tomorrow I want to knit up a swatch and see what the yarn
and the lace pattern look like with this yarn.

I can't wait to get started!

Clue 4 done!

2008-02-18T21:05:00.003-05:00

I've just finished knitting clue 4 of my Secret of the Stole ii,
what a pleasure it is to knit! Now on to clue 5! Hopefully
I can get caught-up by Friday when the next clue comes out!

And thanks to my friend Peggy, I've joined a summer KAL, this one is called: Slow-Bee Mystery, what a cute name! There's nothing definite about the pattern, yarn, size or the shape of the shawl, so for now it IS a complete mystery!

On the weight loss front there's nothing to report, no loss, no gain. Maybe next week? Maybe eating out at the Keg (steak place) would have something to do with it!?

Clue 3 done!

2008-02-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

I finished clue 3 this morning, I've started on clue 4 and I'm really hoping to be able to have it done by Friday afternoon at the latest. I so enjoy working on this stole ( I think I said that before).

Here's a picture of it:

I didn't lose any weight last week so I'm really hoping for a 2 pound loss by Monday, I'm really trying to eat smaller portions which I think is my downfall, I DO eat healthy but too much of it is not a good thing.

I started going on my treadmill again and doing 20 minutes, I can't go outside at the moment because our driveway is like a skating rink! that's too bad because I would really enjoy walking in the cold, maybe I could walk on the lawn?

Clue 2

2008-02-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

I just finished clue 2, I just love this pattern! thanks DK.

I put away my other KAL for now it's way too aggravating, I'll try working on it again sometime this week and then I'll decide if I continue or not. I would like to actually enjoy the project I'm working on!

Dr's orders

2008-01-31T06:56:00.000-05:00

My neurologist sent me to see another Dr. because of ongoing bad back problems. So I went to see the surgeon on Tuesday and I'm going for a breast reduction in November, that should help with my back problems. The Dr. advised me that I should try and lose 20 lbs. before having the surgery, it would help with the healing process and I would also be happier with the results overall.

I was kind of glad that he told me that, at least he was honest enough, some people might've been offended but I figure it just might be the kind of incentive I need to lose the extra weight.

I plan on starting on this journey next Monday, give myself time to go to the grocery store and stock-up on healthy food. I'm an extremely slow loser and because of my handicap, osteoarthritis and my back problems the only exercise I can do safely is walking.

So here I go! Wish me luck!

Oh, no!!!

2008-01-16T21:02:00.000-05:00

This is what happened to me today, I was knitting along just fine on my Spring Shawl Surprice, working on row 67 and I get a little more than halfway through the row and what do I see about 3 rows down?

Check it out,

My lifeline was on row 66, I really don't know what happened, so I took a chance and frogged back about 7 rows and I'm really trying hard to pick-up all the stitches, at last count I had one missing, still trying to figure out where. I'll continue looking for it tomorrow and if I can't find it I'll just fudge it.

This is SO frustrating! I'm behind too, Clue 3 came out on Tuesday and here it is Thursday night. aaarrrgh! I was hoping to be caught up by now because the other KAL, Secret of the Stole ii, comes out on Friday.

Clue 1 of Spring Shawl Surprice

2008-01-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while but I have been busy knitting on my new KAL, I'm using Zephyr in Blueberry. I've frogged a lot in the past week, i probably would've been able to knit the first clue 4 times! lol! but I finally got it done today, here it is:

Clue 2 came out on Tuesday so I'm only 2 days behind, I'm hoping to catch up by next Tuesday. And on January 18 Secret of the Stole ii comes out, I'll be using Zephyr yarn in Copper colorway.

I also want to knit a stole from Victorian Lace Today, I haven't chosen which pattern yet I'm debating between 2 different patterns.

Andy has painted my sewing/computer room a nice olivey green, I will post pictures later when I've had the chance to do some clean-up.

A Touch of Whimsy scarf

2007-12-26T11:13:00.000-05:00

I knitted this scarf for my daughter Cindy, it took me about 2 weeks of knitting on and off,
it was a fairly easy pattern to do. It was my first time doing an I-cord,
the instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

Here's a close-up of the pattern and I-cord.

You can find the pattern here, I used worsted weight wool which should make it nice and warm for our cold winter days in Ontario, Canada.

Guinevere

2007-12-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

I've just taken Guinevere off the block! I'm amazed at how the stitches stand out!
I can hardly believe I made this myself!

This was my first lace project and my first KAL, I doing it so much that I'm doing it again! I joined the next "Secret of the Stole II" which will start January 18, I can't wait!

I also joined "Spring Shawl Surprice" which starts January 1, nice way to start the year I say.

These two patterns will only be using charts as opposed to written directions which is what I used on the first KAL. I've been doing some practicing and it's easier than I thought.

I'm blocking Guinevere!

2007-12-11T20:28:00.000-05:00

I finally found the time to block my Secret of the Stole aka: Guinevere, isn't that a pretty name for the stole!

It took me about an hour to block, easy actually. I bought some stainless steel welding wires and a sheet of insulation which came out to about $25, pretty cheap I say!

Here's a few pictures of it:

What I'm doing these days

2007-12-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

I've been busy lately, putting up my Christmas tree, decorating the house, Christmas shopping and of course knitting. I still haven't blocked my Secret of the Stole, aka: Guinevere, that's on my list of things to do tomorrow.

Here's a picture of my living room mantle:

Here's a picture of what I'm working on:

It's called La dentelle belle scarf, I got the pattern from this website. It's very easy to knit. I'm using sport weight yarn and size 3.75 mm (5 us) needles.

Andy and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary on December 6. How time flies when you're having fun! This picture was taken at our daughter's wedding a couple years ago (already!?)

Finished my stole!

2007-12-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

My first finished project of the year! This is my first lace project and my first KAL,
I really enjoyed it. I'll be blocking my stole sometime this week. I'll post pictures of that and of the stole after that's all done.

I found it amazing that women from all over the world participated in this project and all the different colors that was chosen for the stole.
We found out on Saturday that the name of the stole is "Guinevere". If you would like to purchase the pattern you can do so here.

As a matter of fact I enjoyed it so much that I joined "Secret of the Stole II" which will be starting January 1. For this KAL, I've chosen a pink Zephyr yarn.

And I also joined "Spring Shawl Surprise" which also starts January 1. For this one I'm undecided on the yarn, it's either the copper or the blue you see below.

I've knitted a swatch for that KAL using
the same yarn as I used for my stole,
I just wanted to see what it looked like.

Nice pattern isn't it?

Clue 6

2007-11-20T08:41:00.000-05:00

I'm done with clue 6 of "Secret of the Stole" I'm really impressed with the work that Nautical Knitter has put into this!

Here's a picture of clue 6

and an up-close of one of the pattern.

It's getting easier and easier for me to knit lace, a lot of counting and some frogging but not as much as when I first started! I'm still using a lifeline which has been a life-saver at times.

Well, back to knitting!

Clue 5 done!

2007-11-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late posting about clue 5, I finished it last Friday, it's really getting long! This picture doesn't do it justice. I started on clue 6 Sunday and I'm really hoping to be finished by Friday.

I also joined 2 more KAL that will start in January. One is Secret of the Stole II, for this one I chose a dark pink (magenta) and the other one is Spring Shawl Surprice, I chose a medium blue yarn called blueberry for this one. I figure that I'll have enough time to work on both of them since the Holidays will be over by then and there's not much to do at that time of year but spend time inside knitting by the fireplace!

Last Wednesday I had to go for an MRI for my back, I'll have to have one every year to keep an eye on my syrinx, I spent at least 45 minutes in the MRI machine, for some reason I was feeling panicky from the moment they slid me in there! I had 3 done last year and had no problem then.

I'm going to see my neurologist on December 13 to get the results, hopefully it's a good report and it's at that the syrinx hasn't changed since last year.

Clue 4 done!

2007-11-03T19:40:00.000-04:00

I finished clue 4! now I'm basically caught up, I received clue 5
this morning and I'm hoping to start on it sometime Sunday.

I also had time to finish a blanket for Andy, he's been asking for one for a while now, he covers himself up with it while he watches t.v. and he finds it comfortable when taking a nap in his favorite chair
.

Clue 3 done!

2007-10-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

I finished Clue 3 last night and I just love how the pattern is coming out. I can't wait to see what the name of this stole is.

I'll start on clue 4 today and I'm hoping to have it done by Friday which is when the next clue comes out.

I didn't have time to work on anything else because I wanted to concentrate on the Secret of the Stole. Hopefully I can work on my cardigan later this week.

Secret of the Stole, clue 2

2007-10-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

I'm finally done with clue 2! It took me a while I had to frog back a few times. Luckily I'm using a lifeline and I move it up every 5-6 rows, that has been a big help for sure!
This and the Bee Field stole are my first lace projects and I have to say it's getting easier and easier to follow the patterns, had I know lace knitting was this easy I would've started years ago!

I've also done work on my cardigan, I started the first sleeve and I'm about 1/3 of the way up. I haven't had time to work on my Bee Field stole, but I'm hoping to be caught up with my Secret of the Stole by this weekend and then I'll be able to do some work on it.

The weather has been just gorgeous around here, I really like it, it's been sunny and unusually warm in this part of the country, a lot of the leaves are still green although some trees have lost most of theirs, really weird to say the least.

Making progress!

2007-10-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

I've made progress on my Secret of the Stole, I've had to start it over a couple times (at least!) I think I've got the hang of it now. There is one mistake that I missed and it's too far down for me to fix it now, hopefully nobody notices!. I'm up to Row 63 now and I'm really enjoying the challenge.

I've also done work on my Honey Bee stole, I've put it aside for a few days while I work on my other stole.

I'm a glutton for punishment I guess working on 2 lace stoles at once and me who has never even done lace!

Problem solved!

2007-10-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that my knitting problem has been solved! I've had advice from Marlene and Annmarie and it helped a LOT!

Here's proof:

Now I can get started on my stole again :)

Trouble already!

2007-10-02T07:31:00.000-04:00

I'm already having trouble! Here's a couple of pictures.

I'm in the first part of the shawl, the beehive section.

Hopefully I can explain this right. The biggest problem I have is when I have to knit a stitch that was a yarn over on the previous row, how do I knit a stitch like that? it usually seems to be that that stitch is purled, which is easy.

It doesn't turn out right I can tell by looking at the picture and looking at my work.

I also seem to lose a stitch somewhere at either beginning, I count and check and recheck but the stitch disappears!

Look what came in the mail!!!

2007-09-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

I finally received my yarn for the Honey Bee stole!!!
Just look how pretty it is! What I have to do now is take that hank of yarn and somehow!? turn it into a ball of yarn. Easier said than done I bet!

I've also had time to do another swatch for "Secret of the Stole",
this time I added beads. On the right side you can see
some green beads (barely) and on the left side you can see clear beads.
They both look nice, but I think I prefer the green ones.
That's if I decide to use some in my stole!

Now that I'm done with my swatches I'll have to get back to my orange sweater, all I have to do now is put it together and to start on the right front of my cardigan.

Secret of the Stole KAL swatch #1

2007-09-15T13:39:00.000-04:00

Here's my first watch for Secret of the Stole KAL. I'm using Zephyr emerald colorway.

I had to frog it a few times but finally got it done! Next I'll try it with beads. That should be quite the story :)

I thought I would receive the rest of my order in the mail yesterday but I didn't. I still haven't received the yarn for the Honey Bee stole either. Mail seems so slow when you're waiting for something important! Oh, well! probably next week.

Some yarn has arrived!

2007-09-13T12:01:00.000-04:00

I received one ball of yarn this morning in the mail! This yarn is for the Secret of the Stole project, it's up to the person to decide if we want to use beads, I'm not sure I will yet. So I went to the store and bought my beads, just in case, I found some green ones and some black ones. I also had some mixed ones at home, there's some gold ones and some clear ones.
I'll do my swatch and try the different beads and see which ones look better with the yarn.

Now I have to wait for the rest of my order to come in and for the yarn for the Honey Bee Stole. Don't they say "Patience is a Virtue?!"

I'm finished with the left front of my cardigan. I'll be starting the right front sometime today. This yarn is a pleasure to work with!

Still waiting for Bee Fields & Secret of the Stole

2007-09-12T07:45:00.000-04:00

"
I'm still waiting and waiting! Everything is in transit, I received emails saying that my packages were mailed on Sept. 4, including Addi Lace turbo knitting needles. I'm really getting antsy to start on those two stoles. I can start on the Honey Bee stole as soon as I receive the yarn and the Secret of the stole starts October 5.

Otherwise, I've been knitting on my orange sweater,
I'm done with the sleeves, so now I have to sew the shoulder
seams then work on the collar that shouldn't take too long. I've also been working on the left side of my cardigan, I'm almost done, I'll probably work on that today while watching "All my Children".

Another thing, I live in the country and there has been reports of a cougar one road over from where we live, apparently it attacked a horse, the horse is o.k. just scratched up. So I'll be walking inside on my treadmill for a while!

Not so new anymore

2007-09-03T11:16:00.001-04:00

Look what happened to my new car! I had a car accident!

My car is now fixed and back home, I have to say that I'm a bit nervous driving, I know the feeling will go away before long.

In other news, I've been knitting on both my orange sweater, I have one sleeve done and the other one is already started. On my cardigan, I have about 1/3 of the left front done. I'll be doing more knitting this afternoon.

I also joined 2 KAL, one is the Bee Field stole,
I'll be doing this one in Buckwheat Honey colorway.
I received an email saying that my yarn will be mailed
on Tuesday and it should arrive within 7-10 days.
We are able to join this KAL at anytime. It will be
interesting to see the different yarns that people
will be using for this project.

The other KAL is the Secret of the Stole, this one I'll use this yarn, as the name implies, the whole project is hush-hush, we will get our first clue on October 5. I should receive the yarn for this project sometimes within the next week.

I've never done lace knitting, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Partly finished sweaters

2007-08-23T20:34:00.000-04:00

I've been busy today, I'm finally done with the front of my orange sweater!
Tomorrow I'll start on the sleeves, I usually do both at the same time, but this time I'll try them one at a time see if it's faster. Since they're short sleeves it should go pretty fast but with me you never know, I wear my name well, I really tend to procrastinate!

I also had the chance to finish the back of my cardigan,
I'll start the left front sometime this weekend.I really like the colorway of this yarn, it really goes nice with my jeans.

I like to have a couple or three projects that way I can knit on whatever project I feel like working on at the time.

I can't wait to receive my Honey Fields stole kit! I even ordered a set of Addi Lace knitting needles especially for that project, I really want to give it my best shot!

And last but not least a nice picture of my calico cat, Sammy. This is her favorite chair of all.

Bee Fields Stole Knit-along

2007-08-20T21:49:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on both the orange sweater and the multi-colors cardigan.

But while surfing the web this past week I found this Bee Fields Stole and I really liked it, so I ordered the kit from Wooly Wonka Fibers. I should receive the kit in about 3/4 weeks since so many women have ordered it too.

I joined the Bee Fields Stole Knitalong, I've never done a knitalong before, should be interesting to see the different
yarn colorways used by the different women.

Our daughter, Cindy and her husband Mike, are in England for 8 days, she works as a computer programmer/analyst (so does Mike) and she was chosen to go there to train her English counterparts with new programming language. I have to say that I'm quite proud of her! The company they work for was nice enough to allow Mike to go with her, he's able to work from the office in England.

Our son, Joey, is enjoying working for a new company after working for his Dad since he was 15, he's now 26. His fiancee, Kellie, will do her final year of college starting in early September, we're happy she's found something she really enjoys.

As for me, it's the regular routine for me, housework, errands. I'm finding more time for knitting since it's getting cooler outside and the garden doesn't need as much work.

My new ride!

2007-08-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

Well I finally got my new car!!!

We decided on a '07 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL, it's fully loaded and beige leather inside. It is SUCH a smooth ride and it has a lot of power, the sound system is awesome too!

We had gone to the dealership in our hometown and they said they couldn't find us a car as we described, that the red ones were all sold out all over our area. Well I looked on the internet and found one on another dealership's website, I called and they said they still had it. So I bought it over the phone! We had tried one before so we knew what kind of ride to expect. We were quite please with ourselves, to say the least! All and all we're really happy with our experience and our new car!

I've also done some knitting, I'm more than halfway done with the back of my cardigan, I really love the colorways on it. I'll take a picture when I'm done with the back.

Some knitting done

2007-07-23T13:30:00.000-04:00

Didn't do much this weekend, I wasn't feeling good Saturday, a bit queasy, turns out it was vertigo setting-in, I get that every month or so, not a fun thing to have.

I did do a bit of knitting on my sweater, with some help from Sammy,

later today I plan to work on my cardigan, I can't wait to see the final results!

This week we will be choosing a new car, haven't quite decided on what kind as of yet, there is so many different choices out there.

Knitting all weekend, almost!

2007-07-16T20:41:00.000-04:00

I spent a lot of time knitting my new cardigan this weekend, the border is in seed stitch and the rest is just plain stockinette stitch. Using chunky yarn means I can see results almost instantly.
Here's a picture of what part of the back looks like, I really love the colorways of this yarn, there is just the right amount of blue in it so it'll match up really nice with blue jeans.

I plan on buying a car as soon as I sell my '05 Ford, wonder how long that will take!?

So far, I tried a 07 Honda Accord SE, 07 Toyota Camry SE and a 07 Chevrolet Impala LTZ. I'll keep you updated as to what my final decision will be. My favorite is the Toyota Camry, a nice black one!

Knitted my gauge swatch

2007-07-13T08:16:00.000-04:00

I got my yarn in the mail yesterday! So this morning I knitted my gauge swatch and I got it right with the first try using the needles they recommended. It sure knits up fast, I'll be done the cardigan in no time at all since it's just a seed stitch for the bands and the rest is a stockinette stitch. I'll be able to knit on it while watching t.v..

I really like the way the colors blend in, I was a bit concerned that there would be stripping but as you can see there isn't. It'll go perfect with my usual attire of jeans!

My next project

2007-07-08T14:09:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on my orange sweater I'm almost done with the front and I'll start on the sleeves sometime this week.

I wanted to knit this jacket next using this yarn color 170, but I'm having trouble with my gauge swatch, I keep getting mixed up in my last row. So I've decided this cardigan using this yarn color 208, I already have the pattern and the wool is on it's way and I should receive it sometime this week, it's very easy to knit and hopefully the color I chose will look pretty when knitted-up.

This week I'll also have to make a decision regarding my old cat (he's almost 15), his kidneys are failing, he's also losing weight and I'm pretty sure he's showing early signs of Alzheimer's. That's one decision that will be REALLY hard for me to make but it has to be done. The vet is unable to tell me if he's suffering at the moment but one thing for sure he's not getting better.

Here's a nice picture of him:

What eles is happening in my life

2007-07-05T15:34:00.000-04:00

Here's a few pictures of my home.

Can you find Andy? These weeping willows make a great hiding place!

Here's one taken of the front of our house. We've been here 9 years now and I still love it!

This one is one of the rose bushes we have in the front of our home.

This one is our potato field, we planted 20 lbs of red potatoes and 20 lbs of white, that should give us a total of about 400 lbs! They are so delicious!

Cactus flower

2007-06-25T21:08:00.000-04:00

I planted a pear cactus last year in my garden and
it's doing pretty good, some pretty yellow flowers
came out this weekend and there is more to come!
I was surprised that it survived the winter in
our cold weather, it didn't look too good this spring
but it perked right-up after a while and started sprouting
more "leaves" and flowers buds.

I've been doing some knitting on my orange sweater, I'm more than halfway done with the front-half. I'm hoping to be finished with that part later this week and start the sleeves. This is a picture of the back but the front looks the same.

Another claim to fame!

2007-06-16T08:07:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of a covered bridge built in 1931 and it was named after my great-great grandfather on my Mom's side. He was one of the founding fathers of a little community called
Grand-Remous in Quebec.

The place is about 2 hours north-west of Ottawa.

I feel very proud that something so beautiful was named after a member of my family!

My claim to fame

2007-06-15T10:31:00.000-04:00

Bev needed a picture to go with the pattern that she had for those slippers. It so happens that I've knitted many pairs over the years. So I took a picture and send it to her and she posted it right away on her site.

I find it really cool that my name is now on the world-wide web!
Check it out for yourself!

checkerboard slippers

Here's another project

2007-06-07T17:16:00.000-04:00

I started this sweater a while back,
now with Andy retired, I will have more time to knit, sew and garden.

It's very easy to do, I plan to put a lining so that it's warmer for the fall season and I guess it would be less itchy too :)

This is the pattern I used, it's from the Fall 2001 Knitter's . I tried to find the closest color and I think I succeeded. It's very loose fitting, I might put a zipper on it too.
I'm using Alafoss Lopi Fuschia Heather from Camilla Valley
It's a chunky yarn and knits up really fast!

Back on track now!

2007-06-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

How do you like the new look! I had delete my original blog and lost everything!

So I decided I might as well start everything new, I found this three-column blog and really like
the colors and the the overall look.

Yesterday I sewed curtains for my laundry room, I really like the fabric and the flowers on it, it really looks good, gives the whole room a pinkish glow.

So I've been busy I did some knitting on my sweater, I will post pictures later. I will also post pictures of my other projects and future projects.