Self Portrait Monday: December 27, 2010

Knitting in the office edition. My back has been killing me, so I've been sitting in Rick's office chair and using his heating pad. I'm rocking the new Christmas pyjama pants, and knitting cloth 3 of 5 for that custom order. I've cranked out a few rows of my shawl in the past little bit, otherwise I'd probably have these done.

The past week was eventful to say the least. I worked a whole bunch in the days leading up to Christmas, and then got Christmas eve and Boxing day off. I have one more day of Christmas festivities tomorrow, and then it's the new year, and then my birthday shortly after. This time of year ends up in a whirlwind and I try to do my best to arrive at the end of it all in one piece.
I bought nearly $300 worth of yarn yesterday from Michael's. I would never spend that much though. They had a sweet sale (25% off entire purchase, including sale items) and then all the yarn I love using was on sale at huge discounts as well. Most of it was already discounted about 50%, but then Homespun was 70% off. CRAZY! I got enough to fill four regular shopping bags almost to bursting. Homespun, Thick & Quick, Roving and one skein of something sparkly (can't remember the name of that one)

Winston is feeling much better lately. He has an appointment with the vet tomorrow, hopefully the last one. He hasn't been eating much lately though. Not sure if it's from him being sick, or just because he has been eating more snacks (he loves potatoes and eggs!!!) between meals.

How have the holidays treated all of you?

L'entrevue Radio-Canada/The Radio-Canada Interview

Comme dit quelques jours passés, voici l'entrevue Radio-Canada. S'il te plaît, excusé mon accent horrible et mon vocabulaire qui fait pitié. Merci a mon partenaire Rick, pour avoir modifié le son a un format qui est compatible avec le blog. L'original peut être trouvée içi, sous la date du 23 décembre a 6h30.

- - - - - - - - - -

Like I said a couple days ago, here is the Radio-Canada interview! Thanks goes to Rick for editing the interview to a format usable here on the blog. The original can be found here under the December 23 heading in the 6h30 file.

Listen to the edited version Here

Busy for the holidays!

This year, the holiday season is working out great! I hadn't planned on any knit gifts to give to my friends or family, just a few commissioned things to work on, a few items that I am testing out to have ready for next fall/winter (thinking ahead!) and then some knitting for myself.
The lovely thing about all of this is that my stress level is greatly reduced compared to some other knitters. Another lovely thing is that I have time to give an interview to a local French radio station about knitting and Made In Windsor. I will be doing that later today at The House.
I will ask the interviewer if there is anywhere online I can get a recording so I can post it here.
I am incredibly nervous about all of this. I was educated in French from the age of 4 through 18, but I haven't used it much since then. I didn't believe my teachers when they said I'd lose the ability to speak the language if I didn't use if often.
I am determined to use my French abilities more often.
Do any of you know of any French art/craft blogs? Yarn specific would be great!

Self Portrait Monday: December 20, 2010

As you may have noticed, my Very Good Things posts have become sporadic at best. I work every Sunday, and I don't always get on my computer then. Yesterday, for example, I worked 10-4 at the restaurant, and then 5-10 at the other job. By the time I got home, I just wanted to relax.
To remedy not having these posts, and to get myself used to not looking like a total doofus in front of a camera, I am going to do Self Portrait Monday posts, and include some of the Very Good Things that happened that past week.

Total doofus look going on here. With added bed head. But, I am knitting a dishcloth for a custom order (this one is cloth number 1 of 5) which is great. Another good thing this week? I sent Rick to his parents house with the scarves for his sister in law. I finished them all up last night, and I am very happy with them. I did forget to take pictures, though. I also have most of my Christmas shopping done, which is awesome!

Something Very Bad did happen this past week. I wasn't going to mention anything about it, but I feel like I should. My parents went grocery shopping in Michigan last week. This is a common occurrence for people in the Windsor area, and my family is no exception. I don't know all the details, but they were rear-ended by a Jeep in my mom's Equinox. My mom spent some time in the emergency room in a neck brace, on a back board. I'm not sure how my dad did, or how he is feeling now. He's been in a bad accident in Michigan once in his life already (A few years back, he was rear ended by a semi truck, and pushed into the back of another semi truck. Thankfully, he was driving a large pickup truck at the time)

I'm glad they're ok. And I really hope the idiot in the Jeep (who was more concerned about the damage to his vehicle) has insurance and a good lawyer.

How have all of you been?

Another photo from the Made In Windsor Holiday Store

I just came across this picture in the group that Rick took of the store. Before I go on, I just have to say how great he is. He came out to the store to help set everything up. The one night he came, he came back to the apartment to pick up random things we needed (a desk lamp, speakers, tape etc etc etc) as well as dinner for me, among other things. He came back to the store the next day to take photos of everything. The lighting up there in the Attic is weird, at best, and took some great shots regardless.
My iiPhone/iPod cases are right at the top, with my hair bows right below. I haven't sold any yet, but I am hoping that I will soon.
The adorable owls underneath are Made From Scratch. She makes adorable stuff. Jewelry, owls, pillows, the list goes on. She is incredibly talented.

The Holiday Store is going so well. I really hope all of the artisans sell a ton of stuff.

The Made In Windsor Holiday Store

This is it. This is the rack of most of my wintery items I have for sale at the Made in Windsor holiday store.
It's right at the top of the stairs when you walk up, which is awesome! There are also mittens on the rack that are made by Dilly Daisy.
I've sold a handful of scarves already, as well as at least one cowl.
I also have baby blankets, iPhone cases and hair bows. I will be showing you photos of those over the next few days.
In other knitting news, I am nearly finished my knitting commission for a friend of mine. She wanted four scarves and a neck warmer for her brothers and their girlfriends. I am working on the last scarf right now, and I will hopefully post photos as soon as they are done.

Very Good Things

I haven't posted one of these in a little while, but that isn't for lack of Very Good Things happening. Lately I've just been really busy and the post has slipped my mind.

• The Holiday Store is AWESOME!
• I've sold at least 5 items in the store so far, possibly more
• I am almost done my knitting commission for Lucy
• We found out why Winston has been acting strange. Rick took him to the vet today, and found out he has a fungal infection. It's relatively easily (and inexpensively!) treated
• I have most of my Christmas shopping finished
• There is beautiful snow on the ground. As a non-driver, this makes me incredibly happy

What are your Very Good Things lately?

A few more recently knitted items!

 As promised, here are a few other items I've made recently.
I'm a little new with the photo editing, so the colours are a teensy bit off. They are much closer than the original photo, though! I must be on the right track. The butter-yellow scarf was made with leftover Homespun from a baby blanket. The next one in, the purple is doubled over the "clothes line" so it's actually twice as long. The blue/grey is also doubled over. This one is SUPER thick. Next time I combine these yarns, I'll have to use slightly larger needles. The last scarf is really long. Something like 8 feet, I think? It's made from some fuzzy yarn I got in a mill ends bag. It has a lot of natural fibres in it. It sheds quite a bit, which isn't too fun.
All of these are basic garter stitch. It's awesome using slightly textured yarns in scarves; they look way more interesting for very little work!
The second photo is another hat and a cowl. The hat is Homespun, once again, held with a plan yarn in a similar colour. That is one of the best combinations for hats in my opinion.
The cowl is made from some more remnant yarn I bought. I have quite a bit of it left, even after making three scarves and two cowls from it. It's the first cowl I made in that stitch pattern. Since then, I have changed it around a bit so that the eyelets are slanted at a farther angle. It looks awesome, and makes everything I use it for more fun to knit. I am working on another neck warmer in the same pattern for an order from a friend of mine right now.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with how much I've made in the past while. I am going to continue knitting winter accessories for a little while, and then start working on my personal projects. I have two shawls on the go, as well as my giant baby blanket that I put away at the beginning of the warm weather last year.

Some of my finished items

Last week, I brought my items into the Made In Windsor holiday store. I went in today to help Christine out with some of the inventory stuff, and I also did some photographing of a few of the items.
I started with the pottery, then jewelry and some clothing. Then I moved on to some of my stuff.
This first photo is three of the neck warmers I've made in the past few months. All super simple, holding two strands together.  These ones are super simple, and super quick to whip up. They're great for people who are out and active in the cold weather, and who don't want to mess around with long scarves getting in the way.

The second is just a scarf and a hat. I wish I could find more yarn like the one I used for the scarf for as good of a price as I found that stuff. It's Bernat Roving, but I got it in a bag of mill ends for ridiculously cheap. It's a really simple horizontal rib pattern. I've done a few variations on it, as well.
The hat is just Lion Homespun held with a similar shade of some worsted weight yarn. I have about 10 hats or so at the store, and I just finished another one for a friend of a friend. She placed the order through him when I had my art show at Phog.

i will post a few more photos of my items over the course of the next few days.

The Made In Windsor Holiday Store

From December 10th until the 23rd, I will be selling my knitted things in the Made In Windsor Holiday Store. I'm super excited.
This is going to be the best place to get holiday shopping done. I already have a few gifts planned to purchase there. I'm going to have to look around some more and see if I can get the rest of my gifts done there, too.
Most of the vendors that participated in the Sunday Open Air Crafters Markets are back for the holiday store, as well.
If you are in the area, you should check it out. It's in The Attic, at The House, at 131 Elliott Et. West. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday in Rino's Kitchen.
Stop by and grab a bite to eat, or a cup of locally roasted coffee, and have a relaxing, enjoyable shopping experience.

Payments accepted are cash, debit, Visa and MasterCard.

My new favourite bind-off

Have you ever found something, whether knitting-related or not, that totally changes your outlook on a task?
I used to hate binding off in the round, well, binding off period. I bind off really tightly apparently, and it makes things pucker like crazy. I've gotten into the habit of using a needle a few sizes larger to loosen things up a bit. The problem with this, is that not all yarns behave in a predictable manner, and I never really know what size of needle to actually use.
I came across this video a few days ago. Embedding is disabled, otherwise I would have that video sitting right here.

This has, without a doubt, made my life easier. I've been knitting a lot of cowls in the round, and this is the perfect way to finish them.
You should definitely take a look.

I Think This Is Heaven

Before you read anything else, click the photo to see it full size. I'll wait a moment till you come back.
...
All good?
ISN'T IT AWESOME!? It's all yarn! Look at it all! I'd love to have my yarn looking that nice. There are only two problems with this photo.
One is that I wouldn't know where to look for anything in particular. I'd need some sort of super organized organizational system. And I'm just not that organized at all.
Second I have no idea where it is from, or anything about it really. It looks like there is a weaving loom of some sort on the right? Or something? I don't even know.
If you have any idea where this is from, or where I can see other photos of the same studio PLEASE leave a comment!

Finally, a rEvolution

Today was the day. I finally brought a few items into rEvolution gallery+studio in Kingsville. I picked a few items from my massive stock pile of knitted things, and brought them in. Tamara, one of the owners, and I, along with her children, hung up my scarves and cowls on an awesome display rack in a pretty prominent part of the gallery.
rEvolution is pretty awesome, as I've mentioned before. I'm really hoping I can sell a few things out there, not just for me but for the studio/gallery itself. It's incredibly unique, and I'd love to see it succeed.

This week's Very good Things

Life has been awesome lately! I really have noting to complain about.

• Work is awesome! the cafe is great, as is Teaopia
• Rick's brother came to visit for the weekend, and he's hilarious
• I've been knitting a bit in my down time. Not as much as usual, but it's actually kind of nice to knit at my own leisure, instead of Needing to knit
• Rick has been taking care of the house because I've been working so much
• Delicious fancy ramen
• Delicious food from pho xic lo

Life is good!

Lost Projects and Some Progress

Do you ever lose track of some of your WIPs? Starting too many things in a short time frame, and just forgetting some. Or putting something heavy/warm (like a blanket of wool sweater) away for the warmer months, and the next time the cold hits, it slips your mind.
I went looking for some particular yarn the other day, and I came across a shawl and a blanket I started last winter. I don't remember ever blogging about the shawl, but the blanket I definitely have. They're both pretty neat items, and I'll be super happy once they're finished. I'm working on the shawl right now. It's pale pink, super thin, slightly fuzzy yarn. I totally love it.

I haven't forgotten about the Boneyard shawl. I recently joined the fourth (of six) skeins. I love how this yarn (Patons SWS) spit splices! I've never done that before this project, but it's awesome! I will soon post photos of the shawl. It's just hard to do now because it's all bunched up on the needles.

I have also been slowly sewing up baby booties that I had made over the summer. I have a store I want to bring them to, I just have to make some to have ready when they need them. I need to figure out a way to tag them. I want to have some sort of contact information attached to them, but I want it to be super professional looking.

What have all of you been up to?

This week's Very Good Things

In case you're new here, every Sunday I post about the Very Good Things that have happened in the week prior. This week has been particularly awesome.

• I started work at Teaopia. I worked there last holiday season, and I'm back again this year.
• I worked a bunch at Rino's Kitchen. Super awesome place.
• I sold a few things at Phog. I am going to pick up what is left tonight.
• I QUIT MY JOB AT ZEHRS! I worked at the same grocery store for just over 4 years, and it was finally time to say goodbye. I am so incredibly happy.
• Rick being awesome and driving out of our way so we could go out to dinner at an awesome place.

Life is pretty swell. If I could get rid of this cold, it would be even better.

Very Good Things

For those of you who are new to my blog, every Sunday I post about the Very Good Things that have happened during the week prior. There have been quite a few this week.

• I started my new job at Rino's Kitchen. This is a new, awesome cafe, owned by an awesome dude.
• Found out I will start working on Monday at Teaopia. This is just for the holidays. I worked there last year, as well.
• I've sold at least 4 things at my art show. Hopefully more since I last checked.
• I've made HUGE progress on my Boneyard shawl.
• Rick has been absolutely awesome.
• I helped a lost little chihuahua find her way home yesterday.
• We went out to see Ricks family last night

Life has been good! I just wish I could shake this darn cold.

The Boneyard shawl

I cast on for the Boneyard shawl on Saturday night. I saw it on Watch Stephen Knit a while back, and then on Ravelry a bit later. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pattern. I learned how to m1l and m1r, instead of taking the easy way out and doing YOs instead.

This is what it looked like after about an hour of knitting. Those blue things are my stitch markers. (I really want to get actual stitch markers, but I have no idea what I want them to look like)
I knit the shawl on the bus, I knit the shawl while watching TV, I knit the shawl pretty much every chance I could. I LOVE this pattern!
The yarn is Patons SWS (Soy Wool Solids) in Natural Berry. I bought this yarn from a really cool market when Rick and I went on our road trip. The only downside to this yarn is that it is SUPER splitty, and it sheds a bit. I am hoping once I wash it, some of the extra fibres will come out.

This is where I stand with the shawl now. The stitches nearly fill up my 29 inch circular needle. I have 4 ridges done, and I am closing in on the fifth. I think I will be able to get there before the end of this first skein.
The pattern calls for about 650 yards of a different yarn, but doesn't give a finished size. The way this is going now, I may have enough yarn for two shawls!

In other news, I set everything up for the art show at Phog yesterday. I filled up more of the wall space than I thought I would, and I still have a few things to finish the ends on, and possibly bring in. My other option for those is to bring them into one of the stores I have on the line to sell stuff through. Decisions, decisions.

What have all of you been up to lately?

Very AWESOME Things this week

This past week has been amazing. In case you're new, every Sunday I post my Very Good Things that have happened to me in the week prior. It's a good way to lift my mood when I'm feeling down about anything.

• Getting the ends tied in on everything I've made since moving into the new apartment
• Making the spreadsheet with all my finished items for the art show in it
• Having way more made than I thought I did
• Rick making awesome mint-pea soup
• Getting a raise at work
• Starting a new knitted project FOR ME!!!
• Today is Halloween. I'm not going trick or treating or anything like that, but I still enjoy the holiday.
• Rick bought me an awesome clothing rack as a surprise. He had it all set up when I got home from work.
• Getting things in order to hold on contest on here!
• Getting new knitted items made to be sold in a few local stores.

Life is good! What are your Very Good Things this week?

Working on the prices

This is me and my mess of finished objects. I am slowly but surely getting everything ready to go.
Thanks for taking this, Rick! Rick is super sick right now, and took a few photos of/for me, and I am super appreciative. I really hope he feels better soon.

Tagging my items

This is my tagging process. I am starting with little squares of paper. I cut a whole GIANT sheet of pink construction paper, and one in blue. The pink will be for the darker items, and the blue will be for the lighter ones. I figure this will make it a bit easier to find the tags on the items in a dark bar. I also have slightly smaller tags for my smaller items, like the iPhone cases and hair bows.

I am then punching teeny tiny little heart shaped holes into. I wanted to do normal sized circles, but I have no idea where that punch is. This is cute, in any case. I used to use this for my tags back when my knitted stuff was all cutesy and I did all my craft shows at nursing homes and churches. I've kind of moved past this, but the cute heart punch is here to stay, I guess.

I put pre cut string through the teeny tiny heart holes. I measured about how long I wanted the string, and figured out that if I wrap it around a little basket, It would be double the length I needed. Kind of like making tassels or fringe. So I cut all those pieces in two, and I had my string for my hang tags. I am pretty sure the string I am using is some sort of crochet cotton. Super durable.

Then I pass the string through the knitted item, tie it in a knot, and I am good to go! Goofy looking faces, and bad hair day are not required.
I will have some photos of my tagged, finished items soon!

Mad Rush!

The art show is this Monday. I guess I can only continue to rush to get as much made as possible. I have tomorrow (Saturday) off of work, so I plan on pricing/tagging everything and making a master list to bring to the bar and to keep with me. I don't want anything to go missing.
I am so incredibly nervous about this. I have spent the last month knitting my fingers off, and most of my time since May knitting as well, and I am so afraid that I will sell nothing. That all my work and money and time that has gone into this will bring me nothing. Sure, I love knitting, but I would love to get some sort of return on investment.

Do you guys get pre-show jitters? Not just art/craft shows, but anything really. I am so afraid no one will like my work.

This week's very good things

This week has been pretty awesome except for a few things. I dropped my iPhone and shattered the screen.

• I tied in the ends on SIXTEEN things I've knitted in the past couple weeks
• I finished knitting a couple things
• Work hasn't sucked as much as it usually does
• I  found a new awesome knitting blog to read. I am currently reading from the beginning (March 2006 or something like that)
• The puppy being his hilarious self
• Rick making delicious carrot soup
• Rick being awesome throughout my ridiculousness

What has been Very Good for you this week?

More stores!

I have been so busy with knitting for my phog art show (November 1-15, for those who have no idea what I am talking about) that I haven't had the time to make anything for the stores I would like to sell at. I have already spoken to the awesome people at rEvolution in Kingsville, and they are super cool. They told me to bring stuff in whenever I get the chance. I'd love to have stuff in there as soon as I am done at phog.
I am also planning on bring some baby booties into Bimbi For Mommy and Baby. This store is awesome. Lots of natural, organic baby items, and quite a few locally made items, as well! I am going to try to find some organic cotton or bamboo to make stuff for them.
There are some other local stores I want to get into. The only problem with this is that I need to get stock made. I also need to figure out pricing for everyone.

Very Good Things

I usually do these posts on Sunday, but I will be at work all day tomorrow, and I am not sure if I will have time to post. These are some of my very good things this week

• Rick and I making some AWESOME borscht, twice!
• It totally smells like fall outside. I love fall!'
• Getting some knitting done.
• Meeting someone in person that I've been talking to on Twitter for a while
• Having a good time at work with a select few of my coworkers
• Watching a bunch of Dead Like Me episodes with Rick

These are just a few of the awesome things from this week. What about yours?
Promise I will get back to knitting posts soon!

This weeks Very Good Things

A little late, once again, but yesterday Rick and I celebrated Thanksgiving with his family
-Getting some quality time in with Rick
-Cleaning out my room somewhat
-Being fairly productive with my knitting
-Seeing some awesome people at the crafters market
-Thanksgiving dinner with his family
-Watching loads of Netflix movies and tv shows

These are just a few of the things that were awesome this week. What about you?

Also, I will soon have some very awesome things to post about that are knitting related. Promise!!

My return to blogging, and my 300th post!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am back! We finally got our internet hooked up yesterday, and I am so excited. We watched some Netflix movies, and I got some knitting done in the process. More on that a bit later.

The apartment is amazing! Third floor walk up with hardwood floors, high ceilings and big windows. The neighbours all seem great, and the couple that take care of the building are fantastic. There is a huge park right across the street for Winton to run around in, and a bunch of other dogs in the area for him to play with.

I still have some unpacking and organizing to do, but I've been putting it off. I'm too busy enjoying the new place.

The only knitting I got done was a couple scarves. One is in Bernat Harmony, and the other is a mystery yarn. I'm starting another in the Harmony right away. I really love that yarn.

Like I mentioned in the title, this is my 300th post! It's hard to believe I've been blogging this long. I'd like to thank everyone who has joined me in this journey, commented on my posts and mentioned me on their blogs.

Very Good Things

I'll be very happy when I have Internet so I can post from my computer, but this will have to do for now.
-Getting an appointment made for the Internet. The technician will be here Tuesday
-Getting more stuff unpacked and put away. The living room is nearly done!
-Having time to knit
-Rick cooking awesome food
-Rick being super productive and getting a ton of stuff done when I've been slacking off
-Winston being incredibly well behaved
-Having awesome landlords
-Buying new towels for the bathroom. We have sry nice matching towels and rugs and such in there

What are your very good things this week?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Very good things

I know I usually post these on Sunday, but this is a little different.
-We moved into our new apartment nearly a week early
-I sold a few scarves at the crafters market which I wasn't even really set up to sell at
-Rino made delicious soup at the market
-I found $5 in a winter coat
-I found a bunch of stuff I thought I'd lost
-The apartment is fantastic
-The weather is delightfully fall-like. It's raining right now, but it's nice and cool otherwise. My favourite kind of weather
-I have a bunch of hours at work in the next week. Some people are on vacation, or need time off otherwise. The only crappy thing about it, is that we may be on strike soon
-I've been sleeping really well. Going to bed quite early, and up a bit earlier than usual. It's super nice

The new apartment is to blame for the missing posts. We don't have Internet yet, so I have to do everything from my phone. Not the greatest way to be a blogger, but it's all I have right now.
What are your Very Good Things this week?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Very Good Things

This week has been completely amazing. So much has happened.

• Rick and I checked out an awesome apartment
• Rick and I signed on the apartment the following day
• Winston being completely hilarious while playing at the part across the street from the apartment
• Getting rid of a TON of yarn I'd never get around to using
• Getting rid of a bunch of other stuff that's just been clutter and served no other purpose
• Making delicious scrambled eggs a couple times
• Good stuff happening for a few friends
• Getting $15 for amazon.ca in the mail

Life is still pretty awesome.

What are your awesome things this week? Are you making this a weekly post on your blog? Leave a link, and I'll check it out!

Reaching SABLE

SABLE is an acronym for yarn artists that stands for Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.
I've been there for a couple years now (and I'm 21, so I have a lot of life ahead of me) and I needed to get rid of some. I am going to be moving about a 10 minute drive from where I live (shorter if you hit all the green lights) and I really don't want to bring all this Stuff with me.
I decided to start sorting through my yarn into piles of "use regularly", "use once in a while", "rarely use" and "what the HECK is THIS stuff?" The first pile got sorted into my storage containers, the second is sitting on my couch waiting for a destination, and the last two have been bagged into shopping bags and listed on Kijiji.
For Free.
Yes, I am giving away an obscene amount of yarn. For Free. I've given about 3 pounds away already, and I have another 30 or so ready to go. That's a lot of yarn.
A friend of mine contacted me through the ad, and asked for some yarn to make hats for the cancer centre patients. I set aside a large box for her, and I'm just waiting for her to let me know when she can pick it up.

I can't believe how much yarn I am actually giving away.
How much yarn (or fabric, or buttons, or beads, or thread) do you have that you never see yourself using?

Very Good Things!

Doing this post every week helps show me that life isn't all bad as it has been feeling at times. These are my Very Good Things this week:

• Starting and finishing a fairly large baby blanket in exactly 7 days
• Going on a road trip with Rick
• Having awesome chocolate and tarts from a really "sweet" indie business
• Seeing some really neat places in Ontario that I hadn't seen in a while
• Checking out the Artists Co-op in Owen Sound
• Rick buying me the awesome shawl from the co-op
• Winston being as good as he was during the whole trip
• Spending time with my little family unit

There were lots more, but these are the ones that stick out the most.

What were your Very Good Things this week?

Baby Blanket Progress, among other things

The blanket I posted about on Monday has grown quite large in the past few days. I knit a ton of it while at Rick's house the past few days. We went on vacation together, and I hardly did any knitting on the trip. Totally okay with that, though. This photo is another one from the market by Mark Bradley.
I picked up 6 skeins of Patons Soy Wool Solids in a really amazing burgundy/berry colour to make a shawl with. I haven't decided on the pattern yet, I'm between two right now. They're similar, but still entirely different. I also have the needles ready to go.
Later on in the trip, Rick bought me an amazing handwoven shawl from The Owen Sound Artists Co-Op. A gentleman by the name of Ken Welch made the shawl, and I am so happy with it. I think weaving is quite interesting. I'd love to try it out one day.
I also got a request for a pair of red baby booties. I picked up that yarn while on vacation, as well. Those will be made as soon as I'm done this blanket.

Overall, life is good.

The Made In Windsor Crafters Market

The past three Sunday's I have been at the Made In Windsor crafter's market in downtown Windsor. It's been going on for about a month now, and has been steadily improving every week. I didn't have my items put out to sell because I was selling some shirts for Shane. It was kind of a quiet day, I am assuming because of the Labour Day weekend. Hopefully it will be bigger and better next week.
Among all the set up and making sure everything was in order, I did manage to start a baby blanket for a gift. I got a couple inches done, and I'm super happy with it. The yarn I am using is a HUGE ball of remnant yarn from Zellers. I got two balls of it, and one should finish a whole blanket. I have no idea what sort of yarn it is, but it's super colourful and super soft.

At the market, I got three pairs of super cute earrings from someone I hadn't met before named Kelly. Turns out she is my friend's step sister, and a favourite teacher's step daughter. Small world.

I am planning on doing all of my holiday gift-getting at the market this year. I have some gifts from certain vendors already picked out, I just need to remember to bring money with me to buy them one of these days.

There was also a very nice gentleman named Mark Bradley who took some amazing photographs. He took the one of my laughing my head off at the top of this post as well as a few others that I will be posting soon.

Very Good Things!

This past week has been pretty busy. I missed posting yesterday because I was so busy. This is the awesome stuff that has happened over the last week:

• FINALLY getting paid for a job I had last year. I am still owed a couple hundred dollars but this is better than before.
• Getting some super cute earrings at the crafters market
• The crafters market pretty much being problem free!
• Having Rick and Winston with me during the market
• Ricks parents and grandparents coming to the market, and both buying a few things
• Learning more about my Mac
• Being insanely productive and making a ton of baby booties (pictures to come one of these days!)
• Making lots o' money
• Networking!!!

What were your very good things this week?

More baby booties! And business cards, too.

Six pairs completed, and no signs of stopping!

I have been on a roll with these things! I am definitely enjoying making them, and modifying them to my needs. I have omitted the cuff on many pairs, and made most of them with stripes. I have also changed the needle size. They're working out really well.
The pink and white striped pair might be a gift for a relative who is having a baby. I may knit her a blanket instead, haven;t decided yet. The other two pairs are nice multi-coloured yarns I found in my stash. I have a few pairs that still need to be sewn up. One in purple and white and one in a really cool bright blue and white.
I will have a few pairs out for sale at this Sunday's Open Air Crafter's Market, and I'll be bringing some into rEvolution as soon as I get some business cards made.
On that note, Rick has designed some really awesome cards for me! I need to send them in to have them printed, and decide what type of paper I want them on. I will also have hang tags made so I can have the price right on the item for sale. This is so exciting for me!
I will keep you all posted on how this goes.

Very Good Things!

This past week was a complete turn around from the year before.

• Rick and I resolved our differences and got back together
• I got a lot of knitting done
• I saw my friends band play a really great show
• I worked in the K of C beer tent at the local festival

There were other things, too, but I am exhausted right now!

Finished baby booties!

I literally just cast off the second bootie and sewed it up in the last hour. I am super happy with how this project worked out.

I am trying to use Ravelry a bit more, so I will start linking to the patterns and such on there.
I used the Eco Baby Booties pattern, as I mentioned before, and some blue Bernat Handicrafter cotton. It was one of the tiny skeins (the one dishcloth size) and I still have about 4 or 5 yards left. I'll probably use that as trim on another pair.
I knit the pattern as indicated, but went to 4.25mm needles, because I didn't have the correct size.
I will definitely be making more of these, and probably tweaking the pattern to make larger sizes (this one says 0-6 months, but I'd love to do some up to 12 months)
Overall, I'd say these are a great project for someone like me who wants to get out of the habit of knitting rectangles, or a beginner who is looking for a small challenge.

I never thought I'd see the day when I knit something that is a pair

I really didn't. I've been knitting for something like 10 years (although, a couple years in the beginning, I wasn't knitting at all) and I've never made something that is one of two. Dishcloths, scarves, hats, neck warmers and blankets. That's about it.
Today, I cast on Eco Baby Booties (non-Rav link) in blue cotton.

I've been having a bit of trouble with them, which is 100% my fault, not the pattern at all. Because I am knitting with cotton on the same needles as I do the dishcloths, I keep trying to knit in the cloth pattern. I have had to un-knit and re-knit at least 5 different rows. Some of them I had to do twice. In the end though, I got it done.
I am very close to casting off, and I will start on the other one right away. They should both be done some time tomorrow, and I will post about them again.
This could be a whole new knitting obsession. I could develop my own baby bootie pattern (many seem to be based off the same basic idea, I could probably combine them) and then make a whole bunch of them.

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Nicole.
They are REALLY cute!

Very Good Things

Every Sunday I post about the very good things that happened to me in the week prior. This past week has been quite hard on me emotionally, but there were some good things.

• Working at Made In Windsor. The store is closed, but it is continuing on in another way.
• Doing the Made In Windsor Open Air Crafter's Market and making some money!
• Networking like crazy at the market.
• Seeing my "mom" (close friend's mom) for a couple hours
• Seeing my friend Colin on his birthday
• Getting an INSANE amount of knitting done in a couple days

What were your Very Good Things this week?

What I've been up to!

Knitting, for sure! Really though, I have finished a scarf and a cowl in the past couple days, started another scarf and finished and started dishcloths.
I started downloading podcasts, mostly knitting, but also a few others, such as green living and vegetarian life. I am definitely looking for more, so if you podcast, or have a favourite that you'd like to recommend, please do so!
I am getting all of my stuff ready for a show on Sunday. The Made In Windsor Open-Air Crafter's Market is an every Sunday thing, from now until who knows when, it really depends on the weather I guess. I am going to try to do a few of these in the coming months, in addition to the two phog shows I already have in the works.
Nothing brought into rEvolution, yet. I am going to do at least one show before I bring anything in there. I want to make sure I have enough stock at the shows before I worry about stores.
Today, I go back to work. I've had a couple days off, and been quite productive. I think it's time to go back to the grind, so I can appreciate my days off a little more.

What have all of you been up to?

Last week's Very Good Things

Every Sunday, I plan on posting about the Very Good Things that happened in the previous week. This is one of those posts.

• Getting my new MacBoo Pro
• Learning a ton of stuff about it
• Sewing up a TON of knitted stuff
• Working at Made In Windsor
• Finishing two goals on my 101 list
• Spending time with Rick
• Getting $65 from the gov. for "sales tax assistance"
• Seeing people I haven't seen since highschool

What were your very good things this week?

iPhone cases, and other such things

These are my latest two iPhone cases. They're made from some REALLY brightly coloured yarn that I got from Wal-Mart close to 5 years ago. The one on the left is way pink-er than it looks. It has a couple rows of stockinette thrown in there to add some interest. The blue one is pretty close to the actual colour.
I am managing to get through these pretty quickly, The pink one was started late last night, and finished today. I had to take apart a scarf that I'd made a couple years ago (and luckily never sold) so that I'd have enough of the yarn to finish it. I now have enough of that same colour to make quite a few bows and such, too.
I have been in a pretty fantastic mood the past few days. So many good things have been happening lately.
On that note, I may be absent for a few days. I just ordered a MacBook, and I should be getting it tomorrow. It's going to take me some time to get used to it, so I'm not sure when I'll be posting again.

Last week's "very good things"

Last week, I decided to start a series of posts on my blog about very good things that happened to me in the seven days prior. This is the second part of that series.

• Spending most of the week with Rick
• Rick making my breakfast a few times
• Finding Winston's teeth when he lost them
• Watching a million episodes of Supernatural
• Hot tubbing
• Visiting the store that will soon be selling my stuff
• Knitting like a mad woman, and finishing 4 things
• Working at Windsor Pride and having a blast
• Talking with some local journalists about the condition of our city and what can be done to fix it
• Having a crazy amount of hours at the jobs this week. Money Money Money!!!

What were your very good things this week? Let me know if you make this a regular post at your blog!

More brown cowls and other news

Have you ever bought those bags of "mill end" yarn? It's often a bag of the same type, sometimes different, but usually under $5.

This is some of my favourite yarn. It's cheap, and if you look hard enough, you can find some really great yarns. I picked up a bag of what I am assuming is Bernat Roving in the Cork colourway. It's super soft, and really nice to work with. It does pill somewhat, but nothing a lint shaver or roller couldn't fix. I've made a cowl out of it already, and started on a second. I'm using the same pattern for both.

In other news, I am going to soon be selling my knitted items at rEvolution gallery+studio in Kingsville. I'm super excited to get stock made up to bring in there. I'm hoping to have everything made and brought in by the 20th; 2 weeks from now. Ten bows and ten phone cases is what I am shooting for, and possibly some of the dishcloths that I already have made.

I don't think I mentioned this before, but Made In Windsor is closing the store front at the end of the month. Super saddening, but they are going to stay open in a different way. There is going to be a weekly market downtown every Sunday at a cool new place opening up. It's going to be in the parking lot, and there will be around 30 vendors. Once it starts cooling down some, I am going to hopefully do it a couple times. Until then, I will probably be volunteering/working there. This weekend, I will be working at the Made In Windsor booth at Windsor Pride. I have quite a few things that will hopefully be sold there, and I'm excited. Some of my friends will be partying at Pride, and I can't wait to hang out with them.

All in all, life is good. No complaints here!

Last weeks "very good things"

I am going to start posting something on my blog every week about the very good things that have happened in the past week. Inspired by Delacroix, on Tumblr, I am going to list a few things that made me happy.

• Spending time with Rick
• Winston being a total cutie pie
• Making delicious food with Rick
• Going to phog two nights in a row
• Finishing one of the goals
• Eating tons of watermelon
• Getting a cute dress

What were your very good things last week?

Much More Yarn

It's impossible for me to resist buying yarn at thrift shops, especially small-time independent ones.
Rick and I checked out a couple near his place, and I got a big bag of yarn for a really good price. Two skeins of burgundy, 8 or so of forest green, and one black, all 50g of Patons Beehive Shetland Chunky. I looked online, and it seems like the yarn is no longer called this. I have seen just Shetland Chunky, and for the current price of one skein, I got the whole lot of them.
I've made a burgundy scarf already, and I am starting on a forest green one. I am going to use most of it for scarves, and possibly make some phone cases.
Speaking of, I will be making more of those as soon as I get home. I have a few people in the Facebook group that want some.

Just one of those weeks...

Everyone gets them, and I am in the middle of one right now.
I am currently in a bit of a funk. My knitting isn't cooperating, my wrists are bugging me, and I can't stay focused on anything. I started on a really nice cowl, but I failed to notice that it was double twisted around the circular needle. I frogged that (the third time I frogged that particular project) and started a simple garter stitch scarf with the same yarn and needles.
Then my wrists started hurting again. I tried stretching them and then resting them, and they're still not 100%.

I think I just need a break from everything. I'm going to my boyfriends house for a few days this week. They have a pool and a hot tub, so I'll be able to relax there.

Fringe Bombing

Last night, my friend Sean and I went out for a walk downtown. We wandered around for a while, talking and catching up, and then I put up some yarn bombs. He took some photos, and we had a good time.
I am in the process of adding the photos to the Facebook album right now.

Join My FaceBook page!

I just created a FaceBook page for Knit, Nicole, Knit! I have a handful of people who have "liked" it already, and I'd love to have more!
There isn't a whole lot going on there just yet, as I am not at home and I don't have access to all of my photos. Once I get there, I will definitely add photos, and other such things to make it a little more interesting.
If any of you have any suggestions for the page, please let me know!

A Computer-less Vacation

The past few days I've spent more or less without a computer. I spent some time with Rick and his family, spent a few days at my parents house because of my work schedule, and I've been working quite a bit, too.
I haven't gotten a whole lot of knitting done, though.
I started a "Baby Bib O' Love" (Rav link) last night, to use up some of my cotton. I think I am going to add some stockinette rows at the bottom for some interest. I will also have to find some cute buttons.

I'll probably whip up a few of these. It seems people I know are on another baby-having spree.

I'm a winner!

The other day, I got an email from Robyn of Knit & Purl Mama saying that I won a prize in her blog giveaway! I got a second email a short time later with a TON of sock patterns in it! Super cool, they are all pretty neat looking socks. Unfortunately, I am not a sock knitter! I asked Robyn if I could pass the patterns along in a contest on my own blog. She gave me the OK, so that is what I will do!
I will be having a small contest on my blog with a couple prizes in the near future. I have to get some stuff worked out (cost of shipping actual prizes will determine how many I will have) and then I will start it up!
Stay tuned

The Hair Bows

Yesterday, I worked at Made In Windsor for the afternoon. I brought in more stock to sell, which I have mentioned here before, but never posted a picture.
These are the hair bows I've made in the past little bit, all packaged up and ready to go. They're just clipped onto pieces of cardstock that was in the scrap paper pie at the store. The top centre one was the first one that I made that I was satisfied with. They other ones are all a bit larger with a narrower band. I think I may make some multi-coloured ones soon. We will have to see.

Would you all care if...?

I am starting to be pretty regular in my irregular blogging here.
Would any of you care if I started posting about my personal life in addition to my knitting? I feel like most knit bloggers post about their kids/cooking/travels alongside their knitting.
I don't have kids, I don't cook, and I don't travel very far, but perhaps I could post about the shows I go to, or the people I meet?

Would anyone have any objections?

And then all was right in the world

You probably remember in my last post that I was having issues with my neck thing.
Well, all the problems were quickly resolved! I managed to undo the knitting back the 12 or 14 rows and pick up all the stitches once again. it took about an hour and a half to redo all the knitting I lost.
I have now set it aside, and picked up a few other projects. I started another hair bow, a dishcloth, started and finished a neck warmer, and I've been messing around with ideas for more warmers.
I am going to work on cleaning out my yarn closet very very soon.

Pretty pink iPhone case

I just finished sewing up an iPhone case a few minutes ago. I love knitting these, the sewing up, not so much. It looks a little wonky in the picture, so I stretched and straightened after the photo, then put my iPhone in. Then realized I wouldn't be able to take a photo that way and laughed at myself. The button is a really nice simple white shank button with a metal shank and little metal bit showing on the front. It looks really nice with the pink yarn. I do have to find more inexpensive shank-style buttons because my small stash is starting to run out. Perhaps I could use beads instead... No lack of supply there!
I have enough of this yarn to make a hair bow, and possibly half of another bow after the first.
I am going to be bringing this case along with my first batch of hair bows into Made In Windsor either today or sometime next week.
I have also completed another neck warmer with the off-white Thick and Quick I bought last week. That is in my "art show" pile. None of those things have their ends woven in. I am not sure if I will regret this later on down the line or not. Haha.
The airy dusty pink triangle scarf is still a work in progress. I have started feeling a bit burnt out on the fine yarn, fine needles, and endless yards of garter stitch.
OH NO!!! Ok, so, I knit while I am writing these posts, and an entire row of the triangle scarf has to be pulled out and re-knit. There are several odd mistakes in ONE ROW! This is awful and awesome at once. First, I found the mistakes right away, second, it's all in one place more or less. But, this yarn is a pain in my butt!!!
Hopefully this works out, I need to focus!
Edited to add only seconds later; I DROPPED A STITCH 10 ROWS BACK! I AM SO AFRAID RIGHT NOW!

Scarves, Bows, Cables and Business Cards

Michael's had a sale on a few types of yarn that I use, so I bought some the other day. A skein of Homespun and some Vanna's Choice to match, as well as a skein of Thick and Quick. I also got a pair of short needles (7 inch, if I remember correctly).
I started a neck warmer with the Thick and Quick. It's in seed stitch, and a little larger than I usually make them. I like the way it looks so far. Just a few more rows and I'll have it finished. I also started on a kerchief/scarf sort of thing with some of the yarn that was given to me by my friend's mom. It's a light, airy, almost lacy triangle of goodness. It's a dusty pink, very fine yarn, and I am pretty sure it is 100% acrylic. I'm not sure, and I don't want to burn any of it to check. The only downside to this yarn is that is tangles really easily. I have to stop quite often to get enough yarn out to knit the rest of the row and untangle it.
I have also ween working on the hair bows quite a bit. I got some good reviews from some friends, so I will keep plugging away at them.

I want to learn how to do cables. Yes, I know, ten or so years of knitting, and I've never done them. I've watched videos, and read tutorials, but I just can't quite grasp it. I think I need a one on one teacher.

I need to get more business cards made. I am very close to not having any of the ones I currently use, which are horribly outdated anyway. I have no idea where to order them from. I keep being told Vista Print, but I've had bad experiences with them, as have some of my friends. Any suggestions?

Not a whole lot to show

It's been two weeks since my last post. You'd think I would have a lot to show for it, but in reality, I didn't get much knitting done.
I did go to Niagara Falls and London with my boyfriend. We had a good time. I had the role of (bad) navigator. I got us all turned around on some back roads. We did eventually make it to the Falls. We left for London the following day.
I worked at Made In Windsor a whole lot. Sold a few of my things. I brought in some iPhone cases (finally) and sold one. It's quite simple, and I enjoy making them. Christine, the owner, told me the girl that bought it had been looking for one like it for some time. I am going to make another one in the same colour to replace it soon. This isn't the one that sold. It is the first one I made that I was completely happy with. I love that bright blue colour.
I made some of the hair bows that I was planning on making for a while. They're not all assembled, but there is a start to them. I need to find a hair clip to put them on that I really like.
I did a bit of experimenting with some knitted jewelry. I am unhappy with both versions that I have so far. I want to find a way to make them look nice, yet still remain simple enough where I will not get frustrated.
I went to Art In the Park and purchased a gift for my parents. I am going to give that to them sometime this week. It was unfortunately rained out on Sunday, so I'm not sure how well the vendors did.
Despite not having much to show for all of this, I did get some stuff done that I wanted to do. I am going to keep plugging away at all of them, and hopefully, by November, my art show at Phog will be a success!

Knitting lessons

Last week, I worked at Made in Windsor a few days. A friend of mine had contacted me beforehand and asked for knitting lessons. I happily obliged.
He came to the store twice with knitting needles and yarn in hand. I taught him how to make a dishcloth. He picked it up really fast. I gave him a small skein of cotton to make another cloth. He also bought a set of off brand Knifty Knitters and learned how to use those in minutes. I think he has three hats done now.
All in all, he was a great sudent. I was hesitant to teach him at first but I'm glad I did.

Some of the yarnbombs

I went back downtown the other day with a friend. We walked past some of the yarn bombs, so I took new photos. I still didn't get all of them. This is something I really need to improve on: documentation of my knitting. I'm working on it, though.

This one is near the art gallery. Not the one I shared before, I still can't get a decent picture of that one. This one looks perfect still, even after all the rain we've already had. There are more bike racks near this one, and I want to cover all of them.

This second one is another that I haven't photo-graphed. There is an iris or similar flower that was stuck into it probably a few days before I took the photo. That made me feel really good. Not only did someone see the piece, but they interacted with it. I want to get more in the area that one is in, as well.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way everything is going. I want to get more pieces made and put up as soon as possible. I am almost done the dishcloth order so I will have more time to knit whatever I want for a little while.

Ten cloths down!

I am ten (and a half) cloths into my custom order for Made In Windsor, and I'm still not tired of the rainbow yarn. I made it quite a bit farther than I thought I would. I have been working on a few other small projects in between, so maybe that helped.
Last night was craft night, and there was an awesome turn out. Mostly yarn artists, and a couple writers. Next month, hopefully there will be the same number of people, or more.
I have quite a few shifts coming up at Made In Windsor. I really enjoy working there and just being surrounded by the items that were made by the other consignors.

I have my very own art show!!

I spoke with a local bar owner last night, and I have an art show in the fall!
I will go in at the beginning and hang all of my knitted items on the walls of the bar, and two weeks later, take hopefully many less down.
This is going to be great exposure for me.
All I need to do now is get knitting.

A custom dishcloth order!

I love custom orders. I was recently asked to make some rainbow dishcloths for a friend of mine. I bought a large skein of cotton yarn on Sunday, and I am halfway through the second cloth. The deadline for these isn't for a while, but I am working on them pretty much exclusively.
Yesterday, I organized part of my yarn stash, and in the process, counted 45 skeins of cotton of various sizes. Some are the small ones that are just enough for a dishcloth, and others are the giant 12 ounce ones. And others are in between. I definitely want to knit all of this during my 101 project.
I am trying to figure out other things I could make with cotton, but I am currently stuck on cloths.
Suggestions?

Some late night yarn bombs

Late last week, my friend Sean and I went out yarn bombing. We go on walks together once in a while, and I asked if he wanted to combine a walk with some creativity, and he agreed. Six of the yarn bombs I have recently made went up in the downtown area. Some of my favourites, for sure.
This one is a light pink one that went up right in front of the art gallery on a pretty busy road. It was hard for Sean to get a decent photo of any of them because of poor lighting and not being familiar with an iPhone camera.
An other went up on the other side of the gallery, one near the bus station, one on a parking meter near a parking garage and two right near the downtown strip. I will try to get some other photos of these ones in the day light.
I am going to work on some more in brighter colours very soon.

It's a numbers game, now

Have you ever thought about the number of skeins and balls of yarn you have? Not just full, new, untouched skeins, but all the little bits left over from the big projects that no one ever throws away?
Have you ever counted them all?
I know I have a lot of untouched, perfect skeins. And a lot of leftovers from other people, and from my own projects, of course. I never know what to do with all of those little mis-matched bits.
I'd love to know how many I have.
But that would involve a lot of counting and untangling and probably swearing.
And time.
Time better spent knitting.

Needle Felting!

This past Sunday, I took a class at Made In Windsor and learned how to needle felt!
It was a fun class with a few other attendees, and we all made flower brooches. I had to leave the class a little bit early so I didn't get to completely finish it, but I will do that soon. We learned how to blend the colours, start the felting and attach the pieces together. All I have left to do is trim the bottom, attach the leaf and then attach the pin back.
It was really fun to learn how to do this awesome craft. I want to learn how to wet felt, as well, and there is a class coming up on that. I am planning on making a set of felted nesting bowls as part of my 101 list, and both of these techniques will come in handy.
I can't stop looking at this wonderful blue/purple colour! I am so excited to finish it.

Starting my new Mission 101

Back in January, I started a Mission 101 list. This mission is where one creates 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. I gave up because most of the goals were very time consuming and I didn't see progress on any of them.
Today is the day I am starting my new list.
Many of them are craft/knitting related. This is something I want to focus on more and more.
14. Make 200 things
15. Do 1 craft show
16. Start an Etsy shop
17. Knit 2 things for myself
18. Knit 1 large blanket (finishing the one I have going now counts)
19. Knit 2 things from patterns in my books
20. Knit 2 things from patterns online
21. Use up all my cotton yarn
22. Make a set of felted nesting bowls
23. Make the denim quilt
24. Knit 1 000 000 stitches
25. Give 10 hand made Christmas/birthday gifts
26. Make 5 moss jars
27. Do a 365 project with iphone camera and knitting and post on the 365 blog
28. Organize my yarn stash
29. Put up 50 yarn bombs
30. Make plantable paper
31. Make soap
32. Learn to crochet
33. Crochet something
34. Spin yarn
35. Make something from my spun yarn
36. Post on the knitting blog 100 times43. Have a craft night at my house
77. Purchase 10 items from Etsy

I am quite excited about this list. I feel like everything is something that can be accomplished. This post is counting for one of the knitting blog updates. I am also just starting on a new dishcloth. Which uses up cotton yarn, and, when completed, will be 2066 stitches towards my million stitch goal.

Are any of you/Have any of you done this mission?

Shipping knitted and bulky items

Several people have been asking me when I plan on opening an Etsy shop, or otherwise selling online. My answer is usually along the lines of "Whenever Canada Post drops their shipping costs".
To ship anything thicker than an envelope within Canada, it can cost as much as $13. That same package going to the US only costs about $6. That is where I am very confused. It costs less to send a package across an international border than it does to go to the other side of my own country.
I have considered crossing the border once a week to ship anything that would be cheaper to do that way. This would quickly become expensive and time consuming. Not to mention, I may have to pay duty to bring everything across.

How do you ship your items without costing the buyer an arm and a leg? I am trying to figure out how to ship my hats and scarves for less than $13.

Truckers knitting and quilting

There is an article in the Wall Street Journal about long haul truckers picking up hobbies like knitting. I think this is completely awesome.
I am one of those people you wouldn't think have a hobby like knitting. With the facial piercing, finger tattoos and hair that doesn't usually fit the norm, I look like the farthest thing from a knitter at times.
I would love to see more of the work of these truckers.
The gentleman in this photo, Kevin Abraham-Banks, is working on a sweater for his wife. That would be quite the gift, I think!
Like I've said before, and may others have said before me, knitting is a great hobby with which to pass the time. These guys are putting their down time to great use.


The original article is here.

Knitted Stop-Motion

Stop motion really seems to be blowing up all over the place. From music videos to commercials. This knitted stop motion (this is the making of) is amazing.
 

One more dishcloth, just for good measure!

I have finished yet an other cloth. This one is in the same Celadon colour I used for the scrubby cloth a little while ago. I paired it with white to match my kitchen, and it looks awesome! So spring-y and fresh. I think it's the bright white that does it.
That may be what my next grouping of cloths is. Any random, bright colour paired with white. I would need to get a rather large skein of white to work through the amount of the solids I have right now.
I am still working away on hats. I am trying to keep enough ready to bring into Made In Windsor on a regular basis. I have about four at home waiting to have their ends tied in and be priced. I think I may raise the price on them by a couple dollars. The cost of yarn seems to be creeping steadily upward and I don't want to lose money on any of them.

Blue and Yellow dishcloths

The stripey cloth I started ages ago is finally finished. It is a nice size at around 8 inches square. It isn't anything fancy like I said before, but I think the colours are quite nice.
As you can see, I have also started another cloth on the diagonal in the same colours. I am not sure where I am going with the groups of cloths in the same colour, but perhaps sets are the place to go. I think three cloths in similar colours bundled together would be nice. Once blue and yellow striped, one plain blue and one plain yellow, for example. Or maybe two diagonal and one horizontal? Suggestions?
I have no idea what colours to use, though. I don't have a whole lot of solid coloured cotton left, but if these go over well, I may purchase some more. What colours are your kitchens and bathrooms (in case you wanted to use them as face/wash cloths)? Or what colours would you love to see paired together?
I am always up for suggestions for this sort of thing!
I think I may give dishcloths for birthday gifts this year. My mom can always use more, many of my friends live on their own, and my relatives always seem to love anything I make.

Knitted Clothing

Okay, wow. This Dressy Sweater from Pickles is beautiful. I love the shape, and the simplicity. I really like the colours, but I think they would look absolutely awful on me. Pastels and I do not mix well, I think because I am so incredibly pale (for those who are in the know, I am the palest shade of Mary Kay everything.) I would love to have something like this in my wardrobe, but I really don't know how I would wear it. Or what colours to use. Or if I would do it in stripes or a solid colour. Or what type of yarn to use. Or if I would be able to make it symmetrical. Or if I would even finish it.
I doubt myself so often in my knitting. I need to really jump in to the deep end otherwise, I will never get started. This is yet an other reason I knit simple things.
Perhaps I need to start small, and build up to sweaters and socks and other stuff.
Perhaps I am destined to be a process knitter, and I will knit simple items for the rest of my life.
Either way, I really really like this dress.

Sick Sick Sick, Hats Hats Hats

I seem to have come down with some sort of ridiculous cold. I don't remember the last cold I had, I get them so rarely. Because of this, I am a total wuss when it comes to dealing with them. Rick is over for a few days because I don't have to work, and he has been making me tea a couple times a day. I am currently drinking one that I made myself, and it's not nearly as good as his. Maybe I should get sick more often, he takes pretty good care of me then.j

I brought two hats into Made In Windsor today. One was green that I don't think I mentioned on here at all, the other was brown. I am working on a grey hat now. Homespun and the grey I got from Zellers recently. I am trying to figure out other nice colours to start on after I finish this one. I really like the look of the Homespun, but it's not the manliest of yarns.
I am working on a few small projects to hopefully sell at Made In Windsor in the near future. They use a small amount of yarn, can be finished quickly, and are pretty enjoyable to knit. They should be shown soon!

More hats made

Hats are starting to become my main project. I have had a few of them ordered, and the first one has been given to the recipient.
The upper left in the image is a beautiful dark amethyst Homespun hat, for Kara from work. I haven't seen her to give it to her yet.
The brown in the upper right is from some mill-end yarn I bought last week. I am pretty sure it is Bernat Harmony, but I can't be certain. I just finished a second on in the same colour a few minutes ago. So very soft.
The black hat hiding in the lower left is a plain black worsted acrylic paired with a strand of Bernat Boucle if I remember correctly.
The blue in the lower right is supposed to be for Billy, but I haven't seen him in ages. Also, not sure if it's a little too feminine for him.
The grey hat in the centre is pretty awesome. It is the one that James bought, and probably my favourite of the bunch here. Three strands of slightly-thinner-than-worsted yarn in a wonderful charcoal grey. The fabric is a little stiff, but I am sure it will soften up with time. I am going to make more in that colour when I get home and have access to my stash.
I really hope I continue to sell hats for a bit longer. I am going to make some out of thinner yarn so they're not as warm, and can be warn during the slightly warmer weather.

A New Face Cloth, and Giving Up On Some Goals

I am on a bit of a cotton kick lately. I think this could be an understatement. I hadn't really knit much other than dishcloths for a while, due to some requests for them, and enjoying the switch from knitting scarves and such. I started a new one yesterday, and I am going to work on it later today. It's different, once again, from what I have made in the past because it is striped. Sure, it's nothing fancy, but I love stripes. Light blue and yellow, 35 stitches, on size 6 needles. It's doubled in size now, and looking pretty nice. I am taking a short break from working on it to work on the purple hat I have commissioned.
In other, unrelated news, I have temporarily given up on my mission 101. My goals were mostly long term ones, or had too many parts or something else that was just keeping me unmotivated. I will restart with a brand new list ASAP. Many of the goals will carry over, but
I am going to make sure I have goals that are more easily completed. I am going to continue with some of my knitting related goals (knit myself a blanket, use all of my cotton yarn, organize my whole stash) but give up some others (not buy yarn for 6 months, put my entire stash on Ravelry, knit 101 scarves/neck warmers).
Hopefully everything goes well with starting the new goal.
Perhaps I will start on the first day of Spring?