I think I spoke too soon

I thought I was going to make it through these holidays injury-free. I hoped, I even blogged about it.
I wasn't quite so lucky.
Sunday, I was scheduled to work from noon until 5, and my boss asked me to stay until 8 to close the department.
Around 4 pm, I was unloading stock in a cooler (I work in a grocery store), came out and went to page the store manager, and felt a sharp stabbing pain my my left chest area. It was hard to breathe, and I couldn't quite see straight.
I sat down on the counter for a bit, trying to relax and take a few deep breaths. That hurt even more. I tried to wait it out, but the pain just got worse.
I eventually called the manager over, saying I needed to go home or something.
I took a cab to the hospital, and waited in emergency for about 3 hours. When I finally saw the doctor, he diagnosed me with what I assumed I had: a pulled/sprained muscle in my chest wall. He suggested just Advil, and ice, and to take it easy. I haven't been able to knit much, which has just made everything boring. I am used to sitting around and knitting, and this whole not doing anything with my hands is an entirely foreign feeling.
It has started to feel better, which is nice. Still not 100%, but I didn't expect to bounce right back.
All this to say, better safe than sorry. Because it was the left side of my chest, and the recent occurence of heart problems among some of my parents friends, I didn't want to take a chance.

Merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas day has come and gone, and I am still knitting.
I finished all but one of the gifts. I have been working on it off and on lately. Since yesterday afternoon, it;s been mostly off, though. I tripped and fell on some metal in my Dads garage (while looking at my new freezer! More on this later) and I cut up my hands pretty good. They're feeling a little better tonight, and I think I may do some knitting before I head to bed.
As for everyone else, they all seem to love their scarves or neck warmer.
In other Christmas news, Santa spoiled me again this year. A new freezer chest (small sized, because it's only me at my place!), cast iron pans, baking sheets and muffin tins, some clothes, candy, and other things. My boyfriend's parents gave me a Michael's gift card and a few other things.
So far, the holidays have been fairly normal. No flooded basements, (yes, this happened) no trees falling over, (this one too) no severe injuries (my hands aren't TOO bad). Yeah, I'd say I'm surviving these holidays so far! The 29th is the last Christmas celebration, and then we have New Years Eve, and then my birthday. Such a busy season!

Christmas Knitting Progress

I am getting there!
I have finished the first three scarves, and I have two cowls to go! Rick and I decided to use 2 scarves that I had already made, both to save time, and because they were pretty much exactly what he wanted.
I have not gotten tired of knitting these, at all. I think it's mostly that I have several small projects, rather than one large one.
I think I may have stressed out about all this for no good reason. We will see if this is the case when it comes time to exchange gifts.

Christmas Gifts

I do believe I posted too soon.
I was asked on Sunday, by a particular person to knit his family members each a scarf for Christmas. Now, let's see, Sunday was the 13th, Christmas is the 25th. My very basic math tells me that makes TWELVE days to knit SEVEN scarves.
I may be crazy, but I started yesterday, and I'm almost done the first. It is knit out of Phentex "Fashion Twenty-three" in the seasonally-appropriate "Icicle White" colourway. I got this at Zellers
The next one will be In Lion Homespun, I can't remember the name of the colour, but it's a wonderful blue. Pictures of that one will come when I start it.
I have two scarves that I made recently out of Wool Ease T&Q that will be used. They were supposed to go to Made In Windsor, but are appropriate for the recipients.
Pictures of all of these will happen as soon as they arrive in my inbox. I took a couple pictures with my cell phone, and it's terribly slow sending photos.

I FINALLY got some of my dishcloths to Made In Windsor today. I sent in fourteen to be sold, and an other eight or so to be given away as gifts, or in gift baskets or whatever. They were significantly smaller than the other cloths, and I would have felt bad charging for them.

Thinking about using Ravelry

I signed up for Ravelry quite some time ago, but I rarely use it.
I do sign in when I want to see some patterns, and when I want to look at yarn, but I don't have my stash listed, or things I'd like to knit, nor do I use any of the other features that I am not even sure if they exist.I am thinking of starting to use it for those purposes in the near future. Stash more than anything. I never know what I have, and what I need to get when the sales at Michael's are on. Also, when I get requests for custom items, I would like to know if I have the require yarn "in stock", so to speak. This would save me a lot of time, simply by eliminating extra trips to the yarn store, or wasting time online looking for yarn that may be out of my budget.
I do have some issues with Ravelry though, and it's not the site itself, but me and my stash. I am given a lot of yarn that is not a full skein, is missing its label or is otherwise difficult, if not impossible, to identify. Also, I am often without camera, so I wouldn't be able to photograph the yarn to add it to my stash. Lastly, I rarely, if ever, use patterns. This could make things sort of goofy when I use the yarn, and have no way of recording how or when it was used.
Maybe I'm complicating things, and Ravelry is much simpler than this. Like I said, I haven't really used the site. What are your thoughts on Ravelry?

My first Adgitize payout!

Recently, I started advertising with Adgitize. I have been a member since May, but I've not placed an ad until November 23rd.
I've seen a spike in traffic ever since. The number of comments on here has gone up. My ad revenue (through Adgitize, and other sources) has increased greatly.
I can't recommend Adgitize enough!

Just a few days ago, I got my first payout from them.
They deposit into PayPal after you earn $10, or send you a cheque after $50. I chose the PayPal deposit because I often make online purchases, and PayPal can be difficult when you are transferring from a Canadian bank account.
As you can see, I earned $10.18, around half of that was earned since I started advertising.
If I can make back at least my $24 investment, I will likely continue to advertise through them. Their system is incredibly simple to use, any questions that are sent in are answered promptly (as little as an hour, in my experience!) and there is a high likelihood of earning a fair bit of money!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I will answer them in the comments.
Please note that I included my referral code in this post. If you do sign up, please do use it!

Knitting Machine Yarn

My mom was recently given a large bag of cones of knitting machine yarn. A woman who was friends with both of my maternal grandparents had it sitting in her basement for a while. She heard through the grapevine that I knit items for charity, and wanted to give me the yarn. (I haven't been doing as much charity knitting lately, but I have been trying to do some.)
I am trying to think of what I could make out of this yarn. So far, nothing has come to mind because it is so fine.
My other option is to donate the yarn to Blankets 4 Canada, to see if they can use it. I know that in the past, machine yarn has been used, held double, or even triple, to make some of the squares.
If you were given about 15 cones of knitting machine yarn, what would you make? (If you didn't have access to a knitting machine, of course.)

More cotton yarn

I bought more cotton yarn a couple days ago. Like I said a couple days ago, I knit dishcloths all the time. I got two 340 gram skeins of Bernat Handicrafter from Zellers. The first is Lazy Daisy, and the second is Summer Splash (Actually quite a bit lighter, and more yellow, in person)

I've already made a couple cloths out of the Summer Splash. I'm planning on having at least three done to bring into Made In Windsor, at some point this week.
Between working two jobs (I got a second job a couple weeks ago. I know I should have shared sooner!) a social life, boyfriend and taking care of my apartment, I don't have a ton of knitting time. I have been trying to knit more while on the internet, and on the bus, but sometimes, I just want to sit still for a while.
Do you ever get that? Where you just don't WANT to knit? (or crochet? or sew? or do any other craft?)

I Love Etsy!

I don't sell on Etsy, yet, but I do love the whole idea of it. I am hoping to open a shop in the new year!
I have mentioned my I Love Etsy blog on here a few times before, but never really explained what it's about.
I use Tumblr as a blogging platform. Rick got me into it a few months back, and it is an addiction. I have it set to update every 3 hours. I occasionally post more often, but the minimum is every 3 hours. I am hoping to get that to every 2 hours by the new year, and every hour by the 1 year mark.
I often use the search feature on Etsy to look up random words that pop in my head. I will pick an item or two with that word to put on the blog. I also post a topic in the Promotions forum almost every day. I ask people to post ONLY the URL of their shop, or an other shop they think should be promoted. I get quite a few comments every time I post.
This has become a slight problem.
It seems that the majority of people promoting their shop in the forums are people with an inferior product, or inferior photographs. I have seen some amazing items for sale that I would have loved to promote if it weren't for the terrible photos. I have also seen some terrible products with fantastic photographs. Only a few have been able to reach both of those.
I am not pointing fingers here. I am a terrible photographer, one of the reasons there are next to no pictures on this blog that I have taken. Etsy sellers really should follow the advice of so many others. Take better photographs! Sometimes, it's as simple as using a different background. Other times, a tripod should be used (I have seen a few blurry photos floating around Etsy lately)

All this being said, I want to help out as many sellers as possible. If you sell on Etsy, leave your shop URL in the comments on this post. I also welcome the URLs of any of your favourite shops. Please keep in mind that I try to get a variety of sellers and items on there.
Thanks!

Preparing for the holidays

I don't feel the pressure to knit Christmas presents for anyone.
I do knit a few gifts for the holidays, but usually, I buy gift cards and some candy for all my gift recipients. I know I should try to buy handmade, but not everyone is into that movement as much as I am.
Once the craft shows are done, I don't have a whole lot of motivation to knit for others.
There is also the pressure of making something they will use and enjoy. I don't want to spend a few hours on a scarf, only to have it tossed aside by the recipient because it's not quite the right shade of blue.
This being said, I LOVE knitting dishcloths as gifts! Well, I love knitting dishcloths in general. I don't know if it's the natural feel of cotton and bamboo needles, or knowing that they are a useful item, or something else entirely.
I just finished a set of five for my boyfriend's mom, in blue and white. I have a few short bits of yarn left, and I may try to make a log cabin cloth with some of it.
I am planning on bundling a few cloths together with a piece of yarn in the same colour I used to knit them and give them as gifts. I also plan on selling them at Made In Windsor after the holidays.
The only issue, is that I don't know how many cloths is enough for a bundle.
I was thinking three would be sufficient, but I've had a couple people suggest 8. Their logic is one for each day of the week, plus an extra to have on laundry day. This makes sense, but seems like a lot of cloths to have.
What do you think? How many dishcloths should be in a package? Three? Five? Eight? Give me your suggestions and justifications.

Any long-time followers may remember this picture from waaay back when I started this blog. In a post all about dishcloths I was working on at the time.

Welcome Adgitizers!

Welcome to my blog. For those who have been here before, welcome back!
I invite you to have a look around my blog, comment on any posts you enjoy and feel free to ask questions!

I started my Adgitize campaign on November 23 2009, and so far, it has brought me a fair bit of traffic. If I do well with this campaign, I plan on renewing when it is done.

If you have any suggestions or questions for me, as an Adgitizer or a blogger, please leave them here, along with a way for me to contact you, and I will answer you as promptly as possible.

A Knitting Video I Found on YouTube

I found this while browsing YouTube a little while ago. I knew I needed to share it here.

Working at Made In Windsor

I'm currently sitting and working at Made In Windsor, knitting a dishcloth for a Christmas gift.
This is one of the best, most inspiring places for me to knit. I am surrounded by other hand crafted items, there are wonderful smelling candles nearby, and amazing local music playing almost constantly.
There are also really neat classes going on almost every week. I've taken a couple of them, and made some really neat stuff.
This picture is actually from the last time I worked and took a class. I don't often wear dresses, and chose to wear one for just such an occasion.
The store is fantastic and has a ton of amazing people selling amazing things. I have already purchased myself a t shirt by a fantastic local graphic designer, and I plan on getting a few gifts for other important people in my life. Can't talk about those, because I know they read the blog!
If you happen to be nearby (Windsor, Ontario and surrounding area) you should really pop in and have a look. It's located at 1465 Ottawa St. The hours are on the MIW blog, if you are interested.

The craft show

Today was my craft show out in Essex. I did it at the same place I did my very first craft show a few years back.
I did very poorly. I only sold 4 dishcloths and 2 coffee cup cozies. No scarves. No hats. This was a huge let down because I had spent so much time on both of those things for what seems like no reason.
The traffic just wasn't there. Very few people came through, which seemed unusual. Also, one of the other crafters (there were only about 8 of us total, after 3 of them didn't show up for one reason or an other) was selling similar items for MUCH cheaper than I do.
I just can't compete with some people. The yarn she was using was low quality, whereas mine is much nicer. She was losing money on some items she was selling (Hand sewn aprons for 4 or 5 dollars. The material alone would cost more!)

I need to figure out some new items to sell for any spring time shows that I may sign up to do.

My, My, My How The Time Does Fly*

I have been getting so many things ready for the craft show that I haven't had time to blog at all.
I went to Made In Windsor today to pick up the stuff that I need for the show upcoming show. I still need to put prices on all of the items that I will be selling. This is my least favourite part of show preparation.
It's incredibly difficult for me to put a price on what I made with my own two hands. Anyone who sells handmade goods has probably had this problem before. It takes so much time to make the item, first of all, plus the cost of materials. Then you have to decide if that if a price that someone is willing to pay.

In happier news, I have some awesome announcements to make in the next month or so. It's great for you, awesome for me, and it's slowly but surely making itself work.

*If you know where this is from, you win 100 internet points. (Please note internet points are not redeemable for cash or goods)

I Sold A Hat!

A couple weeks ago, a coworker asked for me to make him a slouchy hat in a dark grey colour. I picked up a skein of HomeSpun while I was in London (Ontario, haha) with Rick for a wedding a few weeks ago. I started it in the car on he way home, and finished it within a couple days.
We finally had a shift together yesterday, I gave it to him, and it looks awesome! I'm hoping he'll be able to send me a picture, but no promises there.

An other good thing about bringing my knits into work is that other coworkers will ask about what I am making or delivering, and some of them ask to buy more of my things! My boss may buy a hat for her teenage daughter, and one of the ladies in my department may buy a hat for her 2 year old. I can't wait to see if they go for it!

Busy busy!

I haven not been updating, once again. This time, it's for a few reasons.
I have been cranking out kids hats off of the knifty knitter. I've been working on some scarves. Finished a couple dishcloths. I have been very productive.
But. My wrists have been hurting. There is no denying that it is knitting related. Even if it's not, it is definitely being aggravated by it.
I've been trying to stretch my wrists often. And I've been taking a ton of breaks, but they still hurt.
I am going to try to take it easy with typing, knitting, and other such things for a few days and see if that helps at all.

Mason-Dixon Knitting

I got the book on Thursday, just as I was leaving to go to Rick's house. I read most of it, and I must say, I love this book. The pictures are wonderful, the writing is fantastic (I wouldn't expect any less from these two lovely ladies) and the patterns are amazing.
Like I said before, I'm not much for knitting from patterns, but I might just break that for some of these patterns.

Also, the video in the last post is of me. I know I've posted pictures and such before, but just for any new readers who don;t know who I am.

A Video About Yarn Bombing

More Yarn

Yesterday, Rick and I went on a quest to find a white belt at Value Village. Not to be confused with Value City in the U.S., Value Village is a thrift store. We looked and looked, but couldn't find a suitable belt for the wedding we are attending on Friday. I will be checking at a couple vintage stores tomorrow.
The trip to VV was not entirely a bust. They often have yarn in bags for a couple dollars each. I always look through, hoping to find something useful. Until now, I have never found anything worth picking up.
I got three skeins of Astrakhan, by Berella, in the Ocean colourway. They are 90% superwash wool and 10% fine nylon. Three skeins, three bucks. Not a bad find, if I do say so myself. There is only a very very slight odor... It's not musty or anything, so I think a quick wash will solve it.
The one problem with the yarn is... stuff stuck in it. It looks like Easter basket stuffing, and wood shavings. I think that when I unwind the yarn to wash it, it should all fall out. If that fails, I will just have to pick through it and get it all out.
I'm planning on making a kids hat and an adult hat out of this. It's rare for me to have an exact plan for yarn when I buy it, but this yarn told me that's what it wanted to be.

Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines, and SwagBucks

Okay, I may be a little late on this one.

I just purchased Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside The Lines from Amazon the other day. I have been planning on ordering it since it was released, but I haven't had the extra money, or a credit card.
I have gotten both of these in the past week and ordered the book right away.
I am a member of SwagBucks**, and recently redeemed nearly all of my points for Amazon.com gift cards. I had something like $20 (US) in credits in my account, and got my credit card so I could finally place my order.
Since I am in Canada, it will probably take a bit longer for me to receive it. I am so excited, though. I rarely knit from patterns, but I love collecting knitting-related books.
Once I get it, I will certainly post a review of some sort!

**Yes, there is a referral code in there. If you do sign up, I'd appreciate if you used my code!

New yarn!

I know I haven't been updating much lately, but fear not, I have not forgotten you!
The other day, I returned some yarn from the scarf I just finished for Rick. I know, returning yarn is sort of crazy, but I knew I could get other yarn with that money.
And more yarn is what I got.
I bought three skeins of Bernat Harmony, in different colours. One dark pink, a lavender colour, and black.
All I can say is this yarn is amazing. Super soft, has just the right amount of texture. If I double it, it's perfect for the Knifty Knitter.
And, best of all, it's affordable! Coming in at $3.99 a skein for 169 meters/184 yards, this will keep me going for a little while.

I have been working on a lot of craft show things lately. I have two in November that I at determined to do really well at. I am taking the day off work, risking losing a decent amount of pay. I'm trying to figure out a way to make deals on my product without losing a lot of money.
Have any of you ever done a raffle at a craft show? Give a ticket away with each purchase over $X and draw at the end of the show? The only problem with this is that I don't drive, and I wouldn't want to make the winner come pick up the prize.

I'm open to suggestions!

Made In Windsor Grand Opening Follow Up

Christine, from Made In Windsor, just got around to updating about the grand opening party. I did post a few things about it a little while back, but now I have more pictures, taken by Christine herself.
I spent most of the day working on hats on my large Knify Knitter loom. I guess I was doing a demo of sorts. I had quite a few young kids staring at me and asking what I was doing. I showed them a finished product, and asked if they wanted to help. Many parents were very hesitant, worried that the child would ruin what I was making. Little did they know that the task at hand was very simple. All I did was ask for help holding the yarn so it wouldn't roll onto the floor. This little boy (I can't remember his name!!!) was an absolute joy to hang out with. he would watch what I was doing, and then just talk away about something or other, and then gently pat the yarn and smile. He's a lot like me, now that I think about it! Several other kids followed suit during the day, content to hold some super soft yarn. A couple of the older kids helped me by actually wrapping the yarn or making the stitches. Knifty Knitters are great for kids, they're super easy to learn, nearly instant gratification, and inexpensive.
After a while, I went outside to enjoy the sun with Dianne, who I mentioned in the other post. She was making cookie pieces, and I started working on an other hat. Later that night, there were 3 of us sitting outside with our craft of choice: knitting, crochet, knifty knitter-ing. It was a lot of fun talking yarn with others, I saw spit-splicing up close (I don't use 100% often, if ever, and that was sort of a foreign concept to me. It just seemed like a ridiculous idea that would never work) we discussed various types of yarn, taking on too many commissions and a bunch of other yarn-y topics.
All in all, awesome day. I talked to a lot of people, networked quite a bit, and left with a smile on my face.

The scarf is finished, among other things

I finished Rick's scarf the other day, it's been given to him, and he's worn it a couple times. He loves it. He said he'd take pictures once he's figured out a creative way to photograph it.

I bought 5 small skeins of Bernat Handicrafter cotton to make dishcloths for a Christmas gift. Not saying who they're for, just in case she happens to read this. These will have to wait a while before I start working on them. I do have a good reason for this, promise! (I'll tell you more about this at the end of the post)

I started working on a Thick and Quick scarf in Fig. I love this yarn, I know I've said it before, but it's true. I love the colours it is available in. I love the way it feels. I love how easy it is to knit with. I may start ordering this yarn wholesale, if my sales at Made In Windsor pick up a little.

The reason I have to wait on the dishcloths for Christmas, is because I have my first craft show of the year! I'm back at Iler Lodge (where I did my first show) on the first Saturday of November. This will be the first time I go back there since almost a year ago. Both of my maternal grandparents lived there, and it is an amazing place. The way this show works is that each vendor donate a portion of their proceeds instead of paying a table fee, and those funds go to the residents activities. I enjoy the way this works. If I don't sell anything, it costs me nothing. If I sell a whole bunch of stuff, I donate accordingly. The Fig scarf is for this show, as is the Lion Homespun hat I have started on the green Knifty Knitter loom. Oh, and the 5 or so other dishcloths I have made in as many days.

This is starting to become addictive again! I have started knitting on the city bus more and more. And when I go to Phog, I make sure to bring knitting with me, even if it isn't craft night!

Is this officially an obsession?

I think I have a problem, ladies and gentlemen.
You see, I am currently working on a new hat on the Knifty Knitter, and my loom tool is all silly, and the rubber grip is sliding off the metal. The tool itself is only a couple dollars, but I would have to go into the yarn section at Michael's to pick it up. This would mean that I am tempted to buy new yarn. I never go to Michael's without the coupon from the flier. Ever since they started making them only available online, I haven't gone yarn shopping since I don't have a printer.

I then weighed yarn against getting groceries.

Am I crazy? I haven't gotten groceries in... Three weeks? I live on my own, so I am usually pretty happy with soup and pasta. But, I have hardly any fruit and veg, no bread/tortillas/pitas, no cheese, and very little of other things that I eat regularly.

I think I need to go get real food and check my head while I'm at it. Yarn shopping can wait.

Made In Windsor Grand Opening

Yesterday was the Made in Windsor grand opening! I was there from about 10 am until 10:30 pm, and had an awesome time.
I finished a black hat on the Knifty Knitter, then started a purple one, and finished that one by the end of the night.
Dianne Clinton of Off The Chain crocheted a pink bunny hat for my friend Amy and I offered to model it. Owen, of Windsor Visuals, made me laugh while I was trying to do some sort of bunny buck teeth something or other. Despite the fact that I look incredibly ridiculous, I do like this picture. The hat is adorable, and totally suits Amy. She came in and picked it up and was incredibly excited. Check out Dianne's website. She does awesome charity work, and crochets mittens for Mitts for Tits.

The Art Gallery of Windsor also had some activities for the kids, and bigger kids I suppose. We painted Plexiglas to turn it into a fridge magnet. I sorta just messed around with the paint and got this. It kind of matches my kitchen, but at the same time totally doesn't.
A few other vendors did their thing and demonstrated their craft. I answered a lot of questions about Knifty Knitters and knitting in general.
All in all, the day was a great success. As soon as Christine posts about the day, I will have more pictures, and an other post! Make sure you check that one out, there will be pictures of super cute kids helping me knit.

Featured on Bike Windsor

I love riding my bike. It is my favourite mode of transpo-rtation, as long as the wind is in my favour. There is a group of local cyclists that I have ridden with before. Their site is Bike Windsor, run by Darren, that I taught to knit a while back.
Just the other day, one of the contributors to the site, Kari, posted something about the city needing more bike racks, and included this photo. I remember putting this tag up way back in July, the same day as Phog Phest. It looks like it's holding up pretty well.

Still knitting the scarf!

But still no pictures. I think I may just wait until it's finished, with ends woven in, to show you all what it looks like. Just imagine the last picture, only a million times longer.

I am still working on hats on the Knifty Knitter. I haven't made much progress, though, since I've been so busy with everything else. I have been trying to find other interesting colour combinations from the yarn that I already have.

Otherwise, I have been working on my other blogs, DistillingWater and I Love Etsy. If you use tumblr, please follow!

A Good Reputation

Recently, I have been spending quite a bit of time at Phog. There are always new faces in there, as well as people who haven't been there in a while. One of the regulars and I had a couple drinks last night, and he knew nearly everyone that set foot in the door. As they made their rounds to say hello, he would stop them and chat for a short while. He would then introduce me as the Yarn Bomber.
Most people that frequent Phog are not subscribers to the Windsor Star, and therefore did not know who I was. Or, they knew my name from the WAMM article, but not my face.
I received several compliments from everyone, and generally enjoyed myself. It showed me how much certain people care about their city and what goes on in it.

It also showed me how much people love the tags and how I should really get back to knitting them and putting them up.

Rick's Grey Scarf and Made In Windsor

I started on the second skein a few days ago. The first one ended up giving me about 32 inches of scarf. If the other skeins are the same length, I'll likely only need 4 of them.
I still love knitting it, but it's starting to get to a less portable length. Do any of you have any tricks on how to keep large-ish projects portable enough to knit them on a city bus, or in a car? I'm scared the end is going to drag on the floor. I will likely post a photo of the scarf in the next few days.

In other news, I have sold an other hat at Made In Windsor! I am hoping to bring a couple more items in at some point this week to replace the two that have sold so far. If I sell at least 2 items a month, I will be incredibly happy. This shoudln't be hard, as long as everyone keeps promoting the store.

The Windsor Star Article

Graffiti a stitch at a time

By Rita Poliakov, The Windsor StarAugust 27, 2009

Nicole Drouillard is trying to fix up Windsor, but she's not using a hammer and nails or a garbage bag.

She's using yarn.

Drouillard and several of her friends have been knitting multicoloured decorations out of yarn and hanging them on Windsor's door handles, parking meters and railings.

To Drouillard, who started the initiative with her friend Samantha Cooper, they're the best kind of graffiti.

"It's art I'm putting up on a wall or a parking meter without the owner's permission, that's how I would define graffiti," she said. "It kind of draws attention to something it wouldn't have attention drawn to. ... It adds a little bit of colour, when people see it, that's different."

Drouillard's main goal is to spice up her neighbourhood. She started in early spring and usually hangs her knitted pieces outside of businesses that she thinks could use some decorations.

"It's mostly businesses that I support or my friends support or places that look like they can use a little bit of colour," she said.

The first one went up in front of Phog Lounge, and it was well received.

"I think Windsor needs it," said Tom Lucier, the co-owner of Phog. "It's so weird, because it stops so many people. Everyday I probably see a dozen people do a complete double take. People on bikes crane their necks."

Lucier sees this project as a pick-me-up for Windsor.

"I think Windsorites in general that are not involved in making the city better need to see that there are people that see the city differently," he said.

The concept for removable graffiti isn't unique. Similar decorations were knitted in cities like New York, Montreal and Ottawa.

Drouillard and her friends got the idea to knit decorations while surfing the web.

"It's something we kind of saw on the Internet, and I'm like, I think it's kind of cool. Windsor's down in the dumps. A little bit of colour might brighten it up," she said.

Drouillard, who learned to knit in Girl Guides when she was 11, can make several decorations a day.

"It's super simple. It takes me an hour maybe, so I can get several done in a day. It's just basically a rectangle. I leave a really long tail on it and sew it on whatever it's going to go," she said, adding that it doesn't take much to make.

"(It's) just two sticks and string. It's not hard. It's something anyone can do whether or not you have artistic talent," she said.

While Drouillard and her friends have seen mixed reactions to their art, they focus on the positive.

"Yeah there's a lot of people that hate it. There's a lot that are stoked on it," she said. "People like different things sometimes."

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

If you would like to see the full article form the digital edition, you can see the screen grab Owen took for me Here.

A photo of the plain, knitted scarf

RICK! DON'T LOOK AT THIS! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SURPRISE UNTIL I'M DONE AT LEAST THE FIRST SKEIN!

This is the scarf as of about 10pm yesterday. It's actually more like a dark grey than a brownish, or whatever this colour is.

It's really mindless, and I am usually knitting it while catching up on blogs. I am a little nervous that the fact that it is so simple, and on such small needles that I will get bored of it. For right now, it is ok, I figure if I can get it done by the beginning of October, I will be all set.

One of the interviews!

Here is one of the interviews I have done recently.
Thanks so much for picking me!

A plain knitted scarf

It has been quite some time since I have knit a plain, garter stitch scarf. Recently, my boyfriend asked me to knit him a plain grey scarf. We looked at yarn the other day, and settled on Alpaca Natrual Blends, by Bernat in the Ebony colourway.
I picked up 5 skeins from Zellers (a not on this later in the post) today, and the wrong size needles. I saw 10, and picked up 10mm and went home. The yarn calls for US 10s, which are 6mm. Luckily, I had the right size at home, and I'm starting to knit right now. It's 20 stitches across, but this might change, depending on how wide Rick decides he wants it.

On buying yarn at Zellers: I was shocked to find that identical yarn at Michael's was 60 cents more a skein than at Zellers. This isn't a huge difference, but if I was buying a lot of yarn (5 skeins isn't a LOT but is a significant amount) there would be. Just goes to show that you should shop around before buying yarn for future projects!

My 200th update!!!

This makes update number 200!
When I started this blog, I didn't have any sort of expectations. I was blogging to record my knitting efforts. And I didn't even do a good job at that. I kept up with it, regardless, and here I am, 18 months, 79 followers, and countless comments later.
Thank you. Each and every one of you. The newcomers, and those of you who have been here from the get-go.

Yesterday, I met up with local photographer Tyler Brownbridge. He works for the Windsor Star, and photographed some of my yarn bombs for an article. Oh, I was in the pictures, too. That article should run either this Thursday or next, and as soon as it does, I will post it here.

Back to dishcloths

I am thinking about starting to knit more dishcloths. I have several made, but I think I should make more.
Adam, Christine's husband, suggested that I make some for Made In Windsor, and after some thought, it would be a good idea. No one else has anything similar there, everyone can use them, and they're easy to make.
Once I sell a few more items, I will likely bring in a few dishcloth packs to sell.

Yarn Shopping!

I went to Michael's yesterday armed with a 40% off coupon and a sales flier.
Wool Ease Thick & Quick was on for $5 a skein. I am used to paying about $8 each. I purchased 2 skeins of Black and one Fig. I am planning on trying the yarn out on the Knifty Knitters to see how they look as slouchy hats.
Speaking of slouchy hats, Christine from Made In Windsor informed me that I sold one on opening day! This means that I have covered my cost for the first month (I purchased a half space, which is $10 a month) as well as covered the cost of yarn for that project. Any sales after this one are money in my pocket! If I can sell one item a week, I would be incredibly happy. I am also trying to finish items around that rate to make sure I have enough stock to keep my space filled.

If any of you are Etsy sellers, you should leave me a link to your shop here so I can include one of your items on my I Love Etsy blog.

Over a week with no posts!

I am sorry for deserting you, dear readers!
I have been planning several posts, but had to abandon them for a short while, because of a work injury. As some of you know, I work in a deli in a grocery store. On Monday, a holiday for us Canadians, I was opening a salami, when the knife I was using slipped. I ended up cutting my thumb pretty deeply. I went to the hospital where they suggested I just use Steri Strips to keep the wound shut, rather than wait around about 3 hours until I could get in to get stitches. So that's what I did. My dear boyfriend, Rick, brought me to dinner after to cheer me up.
Because of this silly injury, I haven't been knitting a whole lot.
Otherwise, life is great! I have done several interviews with different people, the first of with was Kate H. from WAMM. WAMM, Windsor Arts & Music Monthly, is an awesome local paper that is always a great read. She came into craft night a few weeks back and asked if I would be interested in doing an interview. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity. She sent the questions to me via Facebook and I answered right away.
Kate's a super sweet girl and an awesome writer. (She read some of her poetry at the Gendered Experience show)
I have also been interviewed for the local regular newspaper. I'm not sure when that article will be published, I'm hoping someone on Twitter will let me know when they see it, because I don't get the paper delivered.
In other news, I have started a couple of new blogs. This time, I have used the Tumblr platform, as opposed to Blogger. Tumblr is a SUPER simple way to blog and I am enjoying it very much. I have two blogs over there, which are updated several times a day.
The first is DistillingWater. This is my personal blog. A sort of catch-all for anything and everything that interests me.
The second is I Love Etsy. I am posting several Etsy items every day with a link to the sellers shop. This one is a lot of fun. I look through Etsy for about an hour a day, and find 10 or so items that I really like and post them.
Overall, life is great.

Interviews, Oh My!

I have been contacted twice over the past 24 hours asking if I would like to be interviewed about my knitting.
This is something I really don't understand. I don't believe I do anything of great interest, but I am totally flattered someone else thinks so.
As soon as the interviews are posted, I will certainly post links here!

Also, I will be going sometime next week to the Made In Windsor store to drop off my items to be sold. I am so excited! I still need to get everything together, decide on prices and fill out some forms. I am nervous, but I trust Christine to make this as awesome as possible!

The Made In Windsor store!!

Like I mentioned the other day, I'll be selling my things in the Made In Windsor store.
I stopped by and yarn bombed them. It wasn't hidden (I did it during the middle of the day!) and I was caught!
You can see the awesome banner and the mascots, Dot and Dash, in the background.
Unfortunately, this tag was taken down or stolen or something. Which is super super depressing, because I put up a few more in the area, hoping that they would all stay up for a while. I'll have to bike down there to see if any are left.

A new yarn bomb!

This is yet an other tag I put up downtown. It was sent to me on Twitter by a very nice guy by the name of Konstantine. He saw it and snapped a picture and asked if it was mine.
What a wonderful thing the internet is at times.
I can't quite remember putting this one up, because it was likely during my tagging spree the day of Phog Phest. I do remember that yarn, though. I made a few more with the same stuff, and I still have a couple left to go up.

I also decided to use some of my old knitted scarves that haven't sold at craft shows as tags. some of them are the perfect width to use on things like railings and fences. I'l have to go out and take some measurements before I bring them out, but many of them would look awesome!

Selling in a real brick and mortar store!

I am so incredibly excited!!!
Like the title says, I'll soon be selling my things in a real store! Windsor will soon be the home of Made In Windsor, a "one stop shop for everything funky and handcrafted".
This will be my first time selling on consignment, and I am kind of nervous, but I am going through with this no matter what.
I am planning on bringing in my cowls and slouchy hats for now, possibly some baby blankets, depending on how many items I decide to bring.
As soon as the store opens, I will come with pictures!

Knitting On CBC

Remember Phog? Well, we had Phog Phest last week, and I am in the video podcast. Knitting, of all things.

Knitta, Please!

This video more or less describes the reasons I yarn bomb.
Magda is, in my mind, THE originator of knit graffiti. (despite the fact that the bus is crocheted)

Guerrilla knitter hits Mexico City - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Long Time, No Update

I promise I didn't forget about you! I've been working my back side off 90% of the time, and I just haven't had the time to knit.
The red cowl is still on the needles. I'm not sure how long Sonia wants it, so I'm waiting on her input.
Other than that, I have started a tumblr. It is sort of a catch all for anything that I find interesting. Leave a message here if you follow me on there!

Craft Night at Phog!

This past Thursday was Craft Night. But it wasn't just any craft night, it was probably the best we've had so far.
Several new faces showed up, as well as a couple that hadn't been in a while, not to mention most of the regulars. I taught Richard how to knit, and once he got going, he did well.
I started on the red tube scarf for Sonia. Still working on it for short bursts between work. (I got a second job working from home. I'm working for Windsor Insider, doing something I have a great feeling about.) Figures this is the only photo of me knitting that night, and I'm texting. Yes, I did shave my head, no my hair is not all falling out, it's the lighting and the angle that makes me look bald.
After craft night, we went outside and played with Sam's banners (I hate the word bunting) up against a wall, and she took some fantastic pictures.
Here is one.
We tried stringing the flags up on yarn between two hydro poles, but the wind was not letting us do this. Let to right in this photo: Richard, Justin (of Broken City Lab), Ashley, Sam and myself. (I'm not that tall, Sam and Ashley are just short)
I'm not sure who suggested it, but eventually we moved over to a wall, and put them all up there.
Photos of this are available at Sam's blog.

Attracting attention

I was just tagged in a picture on Facebook, only it was not a picture of me.
It was one of my yarn bombs. It made me insanely happy. I sorta giggled and grinned with my silly mouth guard in. And then I drooled on myself.***

I love how most of our parking meters seem to have a slant to them.

This picture was taken by one of the members of Killbourne, an awesome all female band from Calgary, Alberta. I put this one up the night of the art show, outside of one of my favourite bars downtown other than Phog. Seeing this helps ease the pain of losing the giant tag. It's showing me that the work is being noticed.
And appreciated.

***I grind my teeth at night, so I have to wear a mouth guard. I keep it in sometimes during the day, because I clench my jaw. It makes me drool if my mouth is open too long.

Knitting sadness

Wow, nearly a week without updates! I guess this shows how busy I've been!
An other road trip happened, this time just a couple hours away. I did manage some knitting on the drive. Not enough to make up for what happened back at home.

The large piece that was surrounded in controversy a couple weeks ago is gone. It was not taken down by any of the parties involved with Dan's piece, this has already been checked out.
This really really bums me out. I really don't want any flack from anyone, I need to mourn the loss of my favourite piece.

Knitting and Tagging and Life in General

The weather is starting to get pretty warm and staying that way. I am hoping to keep up with the knitting. I will either keep chugging along with the tags, or move onto some nice cotton dishcloths.
I don't remember the last time I made dishcloths. I know I found one in my knitting closet that was THISCLOSE to being finished. And then I finished it. Other than that, not a clue as to when the last time I started one was.

As far as the tagging goes, everything is awesome. I went out bombing on Thursday, after craft night, and put up at least 5 pieces. I've been moving outwards from the general downtown area. And away from just parking meters. And away from the ground.
More information about this will come when I have pictures. I still depend on others to take pictures for me, because I still have NO idea where my camera is.

Updates will be getting a little more spread apart for the next little bit seeing as I haven't been knitting as much. I will keep them coming though!

Sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm modifying the layout a bit, and you may be seeing some of my posts disappear or reappear at random times.
This will all be done within the next couple hours.
Sorry for the inconvenience!

Pictures from Gendered Experience

The show on Friday night went well. I didn't sell a ton, but I made slightly more than what I had set my goal at. I did, however, meet a ton of awesome people.
Partway through the night, Steve came over and took a look at what I had. He modeled some of the winter-wear, and looked really good while doing it.
These pictures were taken by Sam, who also had a table at the show. She sold a few things, but I think this show was more about fun than money making.
If and when I ever start selling online, I plan on using local musicians, models and artists to model my things. Based solely on the antics that ensued while Steve was trying stuff on, he will be one of the first people I ask.
He is also known as Furs, and can be found on Myspace HERE.
This is just a goofy picture, and he's wearing one of the slouchy hats I made on the Knifty Knitter (that you can barely see, because of the lighting).
The more excited I am about something, the square-er my smile is. It's ridiculous. I was obviously having a blast here.
I had a ton of fun talking to all the artists and musicians and just generally hanging out.
I really really hope that Gendered Experience happens again.

This is a knitting blog

I realize this is a knitting blog, but something has to be addressed. I may use a few inappropriate words in here, and I just wanted to warn you.
In my last post about stolen artwork, I received several anonymous comments peppered with foul language stating how "fucking stupid" I am for doing what I did. I'm sorry, but stealing artwork to cause a little controversy took way more brain cells than typing the words "fucking stupid" did.
The art is back in its place, and that was the plan from the get-go. I moved my piece around the corner into a much less visible place, because Denial asked me to.
Someone asked why I even bothered with approving the anon comments. I could have avoided all the potential drama caused by the wank from the people that don't have the balls to post even a first name.
I don't believe in censorship. Plain and simple. Especially censorship of the creative community.
I say the words "fuck" and "shit" a lot. I am aware of this. I don't say it around the elderly or the young. If I happen to hear others saying such things around those that I don't think should hear such things, I call them out. I have lost count of the number of times that I have politely asked people to watch their language on city buses and in other public places.
This is not censorship, this is asking for respect.
But to say that one cannot fully express their creativity IS censorship. I understand this can be spun around and one can say that in removing Denial's art, I am doing exactly what I am against.
No, that is not what I was doing.
What I was doing was starting shit.
And if you have a problem with a creative-type expressing herself, move to North Korea and eliminate all forms of self expression.

I encourage all forms of comment on this post. And Dan, if on the off chance that you stumble across this, and you still have a problem with what I did, let me know. I'll gladly stop by the gallery and further explain myself.

The secret knitting is revealed!

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I was starting a new tag, but that I couldn't say what it was.
First, watch this video (WARNING: some foul language is used)

Notice the Make Something Beautiful piece.

Now look at this.

That's the same piece.
Sitting in my kitchen.

Late last night, I went out with a couple friends, asked Dan to borrow his drill to fix my door (THIS IS THE TRUTH! a screw on my door pulled out of the frame and my screwdriver just wasn't cutting it.) and left out that we were stealing his graffiti.
We were in and out in under 10 minutes. and this time includes putting up the replacement piece.
This is where the knitting comes in.
I knit a red, black and white square, about 4 feet in size, to staple up in the place where this piece was.
Dan (the same Dan that made my business cards) contacted me this morning asking me to return the piece.
I happily obliged, and bought him a cake to apologize for any hard feelings. I also showed him pictures of the tag, it the original spot, and the new spot.
This is the start of the removal. I had it stapled up pretty securely, and it took a few minutes with flat-head screwdrivers to get them all out.
Once it was down, we screwed the original piece back into its permanent home and ran around the corner to hang the knitted version in a similar spot.
This is the new home, where I hope it stays for a few months. It's quite secure, and will take some effort to remove it.

I do hope that there are no hurt feelings for anyone involved in the original installation. This was meant to grab attention, and I hoped for no negative in that area.
I just like to start shit, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so.

Art show preparation

I've been knitting away on all sorts of things to sell at the art show Friday.
I have about five hats made so far, and I have an other one on the loom that I should have finished by tomorrow. They're all pretty awesome, if I say so myself! But then again, I may be a little biased.
I still need to drag out my craft show bin to see what I need to get before the show itself. Since I moved out on my own, I left quite a few things that I used for the shows at my parents house because it belonged to either my Mom or my Dad. I'll have to see if they will let me borrow what I need, or I'll have to find somewhere else to get it all.
I always leave art/craft show preparation to the last minute. I work better under a little pressure. I've never forgotten anything super important, and if I forget something less important, either I do without it, or I find a reasonable substitute.
Have you ever forgotten something super important for a craft show?

It's Sunday!

I didn't start anything today, but yesterday, I did!
Like I mentioned in my last post, I am preparing for a small local show. I decided I'm going to make a few Knifty Knitter hats and see how those do. Nothing fancy, just straight tubes with 1 or 2 yarns at a time.
Short post today, I'm off to bed super early.

Preparing for a small show

On Friday June 12th, I will have a small table at a local art and music show.
I'm not 100% sure what I will be selling, as I don't think scarves will be the greatest idea for a late spring show.
I am looking for any suggestions of things to whip up quickly before then!

Knitted bicycle!

Well, sort of.
Darren, of Photo404 and Bike Windsor, has covered the frame of his bicycle in knitting.
I taught him how to knit at Broken City Lab and Craft Night At Phog over the past few weeks, and he ran with it. It looks even better up close.

I have business cards now!

Yesterday, I popped into printhouse. It is a local printing, sign & graphic design studio, owned by local artist Dan Bombardier aka 03N!@L (Denial).

This is the picture that is on the front. Taken by Samantha before craft night last week. It's about a block and a half from the printhouse location, and Dan had seen it a few days ago, and thought it was an amazing idea.

When I went to pick up the cards today (yes, it's that quick) I saw them, and LOVED them. On the back, he has all my contact information, as well as a small intarsia chart.
Amazing.
Then he had me help install his new toilet. Yes, I can do it all, knit graffiti, knit scarves, do laundry, perm hair, and now, I am also a plumber. It was hilarious, and I learned a few things about toilets and their installation in the process.

I am going to my first Stitch n Bitch tonight. I'm pretty excited for that. Hoping to network and bring SnB and OH! C.N.A.P together for some larger projects.

Lastly, I started on a large tag last night, it will be nearly 4 feet square when finished. Once it is up, pictures will be posted, and the full explanation will be here!

The Knifty Knitter at Craft Night At Phog!

Like I mentioned in the Craft Night post, I worked on a hat on the largest of the Knifty Knitter looms. It is a beige-ish colour paired with a pale olive green.
I love my Knifty Knitters. They are a bit of a pain to use at times, especially if I have been at it for a while, my hands tend to cramp up.
Hats work up rather quickly on them. I've finished 3 of the second largest hats in one day before. I'm not as quick with them anymore, but I'm sure if I tried, I could probably get bac to that speed.
I started an other hat on the second largest size with some of the yarn that Victoria brought into CNAP the other night. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

A Yarn Bomber's Manifesto

we anonymously promote knitting as adventure;
we aim to soften the edges of an otherwise cruel, harsh environment.
we juxtaspose vandalism
with the non-threatening nature of knitting.

We aim to readdress the nature of graffiti with a non permanent,
non destructive, cosy medium.
If you don't like it, just unpick it.

We are a non discriminating collective.
We aim to recruit members to tag on an international scale.

Knitstable today, the world tomorrow!

Actively contributing to a more positive type of global warming.

do you have too much responsibilty in your life?
do you yearn for something pointless?
If the answer is yes
then join the movement and become an outlaw knitter.

Taken from incogknito graffiti

Craft Night and other things

I've been away from my barely-working computer for a few days, and haven't had time to update anything!
Darren always has amazing pictures of craft night, Broken City Lab and everything else. Here is one of the group.
I got quite a bit of knitting done on my Knifty Knitter, and we goofed around and had a couple drinks as always. I helped Darren with his knitting, and his progress from the start to the end of his future tag is amazing!
We had a few new people join us, as well as some familiar faces. I'm thinking of starting group crafts in the near future.

I am having RIDICULOUS computer problems, updates will be sparse until I get it fixed.

This week is flying by!

I can't believe it's Friday already, and I haven't posted at all this week!
I went out and did a little more yarn bombing, had craft night yesterday, and I've been having a good time all around.
This was taken by Darren's camera (timers are a wonderful thing!) after craft night. I headed home sort of early, it had been a long day.

It's Sunday again!

So I started something! But first, what I finished.
I have completed a few tags here and there this past week, as well as 2 scarves with the new yarn I picked up. Pictures of the tags will happen when they find their new homes.
And today, I started an other tag. This one is made out of yarn I bought ages ago in a large bag of mill ends. I do that quite often, if I find something interesting in those bags. I often use the yarn for charity square knitting, and it's PERFECT for knitting tags: cheap, colourful and plentiful. The particular yarn I chose for today's tag (which will likely go on a parking meter) is crazy! It's got pompom things, and eyelash things and it's multi colour and awesome! Pain to knit with, though. I'm trying to figure out how I am going to sew it up once it's on the meter. Usually I leave a long tail of the yarn and use that to sew it up. In this case, it will be pretty difficult with all the little bobbles and thingys all over it. I'll likely end up just taking a scrap piece of blue similar to the blue in the yarn itself and sew it up with that.

More tags to come soon, I'm sure!

In the news?

According to a few locals, the tags were on the local news channel recently. And we were credited as "mystery artists".
As soon as I have more information, I will post it here!

Some yarn bombing news

There is good news and bad news in this post, a fair warning.

The good news first! The Phog Video was featured on one of my favourite knitting blogs on Monday. I was shocked when it came up in my Google Following list. I had a huge grin on my face right away, and then Twittered about it pretty much immediately. It's crazy how far the internet reaches.

Now for the bad news. The Cheetahs tag was taken down at some point. I expected this at some point, but not so soon. It was a very pretty tag, pink/red sparkly eye lash yarn, wrapped around the fence at the far end of the patio. For those who are not locals or who are not aware, Cheetahs is an Adult Entertainment venue, as it says on their sign. Once Sam and I have more tags up, I do plan on hitting them again. Perhaps something larger, yet less visible would be appropriate.

I am still working on a few tags here and there, but I have been alternating between them and some scarves. I just cast off the white Phentex scarf, and I'm starting on a grey/black one right now. It seems odd to be knitting scarves at the beginning of summer, but I like to think ahead.

The ORIGINAL Yarn Bombers

I just found this post on one of the guerilla knitting blogs I follow.
It's about original "yarn bombing".
Enjoy

So sick!

I have been super sick for the past couple days, and my knitting time has suffered!
I picked up 4 skeins of super fuzzy yarn the other day from Zellers for some scarves for craft shows this winter. It's called Fashion Twenty-Three by Phentex. It's nothing fancy, but it does the job. I have already started a scarf on 8mm needles, and it seems perfect for a cold winter day.
In other knitting news, I am still working on making tags. My knitting has been slow lately, because I got a tattoo on my fingers the other day (first tattoo!!) and it is pretty much where I hold my needle at. Give it a couple more days, and everything will be back to normal!

It's Sunday!

With all the hooplah surrounding the local yarn bombing (the entry right before this one, if you missed it) I have been starting new projects every other day at least.
I've completed a total of 6 tags, 3 of which have been installed. The other 3 may make it up this Tuesday. I have yet to decide where they will be going, but I do have a plan for the locations that will be tagged.

I live in Windsor, Ontario, which some people seem to think is a suburb of Detroit. When Detroit held the Super Bowl, several thousand people crossed the border every day to get into Windsor's full nude strip clubs and exotic massage parlous. We have several of both. I have decided that every one of them in the downtown area will get a frilly pink thing knit for them and placed on the outside. The male strip will get a fuzzy blue one.

Pictures will come soon!

Yarn Bombing

Start something... Tuesday?

I missed Sunday! I ended up sleeping for a good portion of the day. I haven't been feeling 100% for the past little while, and sleep seemed like a good remedy. As far as I can tell, it was a great choice! Yesterday was a great day, and today, despite the rainy weather, I feel awesome.
This morning, I was checking Twitter (Feel free to follow me! I update fairly often about everything from knitting, to what I'm eating, to where I am headed for the day) and noticed that a local person with a lot of influence was talking about guerrilla knitting. He wanted his business to be "tagged" at some point this summer. Little did he know that I had already cast on his tag.
I am using size 9 needles, and some random acrylic multi-coloured yarn I found in one of my boxes. I am doing mostly garter stitch, with the occasional stockinette , or lacy area.
As soon as this piece goes up, I will update with more information. I plan on making several tags and going out sometime this week and throwing them all up.

I can't find my cotton!

I was looking to start a few dishcloths for my apartment, because at the moment, I am using face cloths to wash my dishes. And then I realized I can't find any of my dishcloth cotton!
I have small bits and pieces, maybe enough to knit a full cloth, but my full skeins are still tucked away in the black hole that is my craft closet.
I plan on clearing out some of the non-crafty things, like boxes of DVDs, blankets and stuffed animals in the very near future.

In baby blanket news, I'm just past half way finished the one I started Sunday. I want to work on it, but the beautiful weather we've been having over the past couple days, and into the next few, might slow down its progress.

What do you knit when the weather says it's too warm for wool?

Condolences

Knitters are a close group, I've said it before.
I'd like to send my condolences to Kay and her family on the passing of her husband, Peter.

A knitted hammock

I am a LiveJournal user, and recently, in one of the knitting communities I follow, an other use by the name of gernboken posted about his adventures in knitting a hammock.
As soon as I saw it I KNEW I needed to speak with him! Through the magic of the internet, I bring you this:

Knitting needles

A skein of yarnA hammockGernboken's real name is Sean, and he's been knitting off and on since the winter of 2007. He is lucky enough to be from Moultonborough, NH, so he can shop at the brick and mortar location of Pattern Works.

Sean started knitting the hammock out of necessity. He and his wife purchased a nylon camping hammock that rolled up into a ball, but it was left outside all winter, and suffered from the elements. Rather than forking over around $200 for a new hammock, he decided to try to make it himself. Many of his crazy crafting ideas come from asking "I wonder if I could make..." And a knitted hammock was born.
Sort of...
There aren't any patterns out there for this sort of thing, so it was all trial and error. He started with a giant circular needle, made with 2 pieces of dowel, some eye bolts and a piece of nylon rope in between. After realizing this would be unnecessary, he continued on with "regular" straight needles.
After knitting and frogging a few times, he's still in the trial and error stage. More updates will follow!

Being male in the knitting has always seemed to me like something that would bring a lot of attention. Turns out I am somewhat right about that. As Sean says, single guys should all take up knitting, "Knitting in public is second only to having a puppy if you want random women to come over and start talking to you. Of course a lot of them are pretty old. Maybe stick with puppies."

In addition to knitting, Sean draws and writes, has sculptures in the works, and would like to start working with polymer clay. He and his step father also brew hard cider, which, in my mind, is a craft, and the end results are probably more fun than a knitted scarf.

Sean does warn that knitting a hammock may not be as cost effective as he initially thought. A friend told him that knitting is a cheap form of entertainment, but if you're "in it for the sweaters, it's cheaper just to buy one"

Thank you so much for the interview, Sean!

Start Something Sunday!

Today is Sunday! I was planning on adventuring through the city again, but the weather isn't as nice as I thought it would be, and I got called into work.
I did take the time to start a baby blanket though. I am using the same sort of baby yarn that I usually do, in a very, very pale blue. I'm only a couple rows in, but I am enjoying it! I think this is just what I need to get out of my scarf and cowl funk!
More about the blanket soon!

Yet an other cowl

I promise I will start knitting more interesting things soon!
I started knitting an other cowl, this one in some left over Wool Ease that I've had laying around for quite some time. I'm not sure what the colour, but it is a nice sky blue. It's slightly smaller than the rest of the cowls I've been making, only because I don't want to run out of yarn before it's long enough.

I am going to start using my Knifty Knitters more often. If anyone has any patterns or ideas for them, please share!

I am cheating today!

For those who celebrate, Happy Easter!
I didn't start anything today, I admit it. I did finish casting off the other cowl I started the other day, though. It's done using the same "pattern" as the other cowl, same yarn, different colorway. I used the Gypsy colour. Which is amazing. I'm not a blue lover, but it has every other colour in it, plus sparkle. It's pretty sweet.

I'm running out of ideas on what to knit next. I have TONS of leftover bits or all sorts of random yarn that I want to use up, but I never know what to make out of them. If you happen to have any suggestions of what I should knit next, please let me know! Keep in mind that I can't use copyrighted patterns, because I usually sell what I make.

The Siren Cowl

I told you I would update! I come with much information about the Siren cowl. And a cell phone picture!
I started knitting this Sunday, because Sonia told me she wanted a gold cowl. I didn't have any gold yarn, but I thought this might be a reasonable substitute. There is a strand of sparkly running through this yarn. If she doesn't like it, I will probably just bring it to one of my future craft shows.
It's knit in 5x5 rib on 8mm circs. If i remember correctly, it's 60 stitches around. It may be 50 though. I'm not a big fan of patterns, I tend to make things up as I go along, so if I ever want to make this again, I will have to go through the cowl itself and get all the details out.
In any case, here it is! Pardon the terrible picture quality, and the fact that it's a mirror picture, I still haven't found my camera in any of the many boxes I have unpacked.
AHH! the picture doesn't work! Sorry everyone, here is a link!
ALSO! I actually took the time to weave in the ends before I photographed this! I think that's a first!

It's Still Sunday!

I didn't forget about you today, I promise! I've just been busy.
Today was my first day back to work since moving on my own, and I decided to stay out late last night anyway.
In the in between time, I managed to start a new cowl. This one in Moda Dea "Cache" in the Siren colorway. It's being done on... Circular needles? (I can't recall the size at the moment, but I will post a more accurate description later this week.)
I'm actually very close to finishing it, more will come soon!

I'm Back!

Mostly moved in, and I'm loving it!
I have put all my yarn into storage containers of all different sorts, and that feels great! Since I am using clear containers for most of it, it's easy to see where everything is without pulling it all out.
I have been knitting on many of my moving in breaks. A few dishcloths have been finished, but also blew the dust off of my Knifty Knitters. I have seen some awesome hats made on them by some friends of friends, and I decided to try some out. I used the green loom, 3 strands of yarn and made a slouchy hat. Well, attempted to make a slouchy hat. The resulting fabric was a little thick to slouch properly. And the hat is a little small.This photo was taken by Owen, an absolutely lovely local photographer who I finally met in person at Craft Night At Phog.
More posts and photos soon!

Culling My Stash

I have been knitting for about 9 years, which, I guess, is a long time seeing as I'm only 20. In this time, I have managed to acquire what I consider to be a substantial stash. And, if you take into consideration that most of this was given to me, it seems even larger.
I am moving out of my parents house for the first time this weekend. I have been storing my yarn somewhat sloppily in large tote bins belonging to my mother. I have tried to reorganise my stash a few times, and have succeeded, but I have always wanted clear containers to store them in.
And here comes Canadian Tire to the rescue!For those of you that don't know what Canadian Tire is, please visit the website.
I found some awesome storage containers here. Five drawers, clear, sturdy, and they have wheels! I figured I would need about 3 to house my yarn. So that's what I got. I expected to need one of those zippered Bed-In-A-Bag bags to put the small leftovers in.
Needless to say, I underestimated. By a lot. I have about half my stash in, and I didn't want to get rid of anything, because it is all precious to me, but nothing else fit!
I've buckled down and started a "give away" pile. It started out small, mostly filled with what I thought were ugly colours, or odd textures. Then it grew. And grew. And grew.
I am giving a nearly full garage bag to my local Blankets for Canada group. I have blogged about them before, and it is a charity that is easy to help. A pattern is given, but when I make my squares, I generally free hand them.
It's a great way to get rid of leftovers, and it doesn't matter how ugly the yarn is, it always looks great when it's joined into a blanket!


Just a note, since I am moving, I don't know when I will have full internet back, and I might not be updating for a few days!

Two "tomorrows" later!

Wow! I completely forgot to blog yesterday! I worked most of the day and then came home and slept for a while. I needed to catch up!
I do have a picture of the cowl I made while it was still being knit.
The colour is pretty spot on (Wool Ease T&Q in Taupe). It's quite a bit longer than what the picture shows, because I continued knitting for a little while after the picture was taken. The pattern is a modified version of a few patterns I found online. It needs a little more tweaking until I will be SUPER happy with it, but this cowl, in my opinion, is awesome!

Sunday!

I have been SO busy lately! I got the key to my new apartment today, and I'm super excited. I have been all over the place this past week, and having a good time.
I finished a few dishcloths while using public transportation, continued a scarf I've been working on, and I'm thinking of starting a cowl for myself.
Speaking of cowls! I will post the pictures of Sonia's cowl tomorrow! I have the pictures on my computer somewhere, and I just need to find them.
As far as starting something new today, I didn't have time because of work and visiting the new place. But as soon as I start something, I will post!

This one is TOTALLY a cowl!

Yes, what I started today is a cowl, no ifs, ands, or buts about it!
Like I mentioned in my last post, Sonia asked me to knit her a "tubular scarf", and I googled "knit cowl pattern" and this is the first pattern that popped up. I picked up the yarn yesterday, Wool Ease, in Taupe. It's a really pretty colour, and my FAVOURITE yarn. I don't have any pictures yet, but I am up to row 11, and the pattern is really easy! The only change I made other than the colour, is that it's on 10mm needles.
I'm in the middle of a million things, but I will update again soon!