Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Chat, Chat, Chat...

WiP: Rosy Clutch (Cascade 220 in the white colour)

FOs: Marion by Andi Satterlund

That's right! Two weeks and I finished my cardigan~! :D (I'm counting it as finished. Right now it's getting its ends weaved in and its buttons sewn on.)

I found some cool vintage buttons at Suzie Q's in Inglewood, which was cool. although I was a bit disappointed in their selection, I did like the store. I will definitely remember that there are more suited for picking up beads than buttons.

The buttons, though, are going to fit in with the whole "vintage" vibe that this cardigan (and the outfit I'm going to wear it with) has! 

Anyway. Not up to much else. Working on a bag to felt, working 9-5. And our weather's supposed to get crazy again!

Just keeping my fingers crossed that it's nice next Sunday for my brother's wedding.

What are you up to right now?

Katie =^..^=

Friday, April 26, 2013

Extra Chatter Day Today

WiP: Marion by Andi Satterlund

That's right! I didn't feel like doing a queue enhancement today, because I got the exciting opportunity to head to the Calgary Comic Expo, which has been sold out for the past few weeks!

Granted, when this is posted, I will already be there...And also, it will just be for the market, mostly. But that's OK!

And it's awesome, because I get to hand out with a friend I have seen in five years! All the better. :)

Super excited. Just wish I would have had the foresight to grab my Rapunzel braid...And Mike Sheep! haha

Then tomorrow I head out to find buttons for my cardigan. Here's hoping I find something extra cool. 

What're you doing this weekend?

Katie =^..^=

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Legitimate Progress!

WiP: Marion by Andi Satterlund (Cascade 220, Black)

So, the body of the cardigan was done on Friday. I struggled with the sleeves all weekend due to not having fully comprehended the instructions (I still blame the cold medication).


But, by Tuesday, I figured the sleeve out and finished it last night, so now I'm working on the other sleeve. I'll take a picture of the sleeve cap when I get home tonight.Both of these pictures don't show how dark the black is. 

And! Dallas was a doll (and he wants a cardigan), so he went out and bought the required amount for me in the Cascade 220 Heathers - Forest:



(Photo by Jared Flood)

This will be a process that I hope to finish by the fall, considering that it is a LOT of stockinette. But I have been zooming through these sweaters, so who knows? They're faster than blankets! (And lacy shawls.)

Actually, I think once I finish my cardigan, I need to start on my shawl and see if I can progress through the yarn overs and k2tog without losing stitches or adding too many. I almost had it the last time I cast on...But so far, no good. I guess we'll see this time! I love doing lace, but I almost always seem to do something early on that completely screws it up. I guess I should be thankful that it's early on, and not when I'm nearly finished!

Anyway.

What are you folks knitting/crocheting/spinning/creating right now? 

Let me know!

Katie =^..^=

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Ah-Ha Moment...Followed by the Doh Moment

WiP: Marion by Andi Satterlund
FOs: None

Reading: Same as last chatter

The sun's finally shining more than not! Yay! (Although I've now probably jinxed us...)

So, the Ah-Ha! Moment! I figured out the sleeve cap on the Marion that I'm knitting right now.

The Doh! Moment! - I reread the instructions, and what I had "figured out" was exactly what was written there, I just had misread it.

Yes, folks, that's right. I've been struggling with this sleeve since Friday.

This is a good indication that cold meds and knitting new things do not necessarily mix. Booooo. hahaha

Have you had any "Ah-Ha!" Moments recently? Let me know in the comments!

Katie =^..^=

P.S. Dallas went and bought yarn all by himself today. I'm making him a cardigan, and we had discussed the yarn and colour and he had seen the options, but the store we were in didn't have enough. So he went to our really local yarn store (The Loop) and bought what I need! So awesome. I like making yarn minions~! Vwee hee hee! ;) 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Should Be Following the YarnHarlot's Advice...

WiP: Marion
FOs: None

Reading: A Very Dangerous Method by John Kerr & A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

So, the YarnHarlot's (Stephanie Pearl McPhee) advice, which came from of friend of hers, is that you shouldn't ever knit anything during the last winter months that look like the last winter months. I.e., knit spring colours, not the endless fields of black stockinette that I'm in right now!

I'm not complaining about the pattern. It's well written, super simple, and I'm going to love the end product. But it's hard going right now. I've got about 20 more rows on the body and then I'm done that part and just need to do the sleeves. So I'm trucking along, which is awesome.

But I'm still stuck in the fields of black stockinette, broken up by the cables on either end that will become the button band.

Anyway.  That's my update. The 6" of snow we got this past weekend is slowly melting. Plans had to drastically change this coming weekend because of events beyond my circumstances.

Three weeks until my brother's wedding (which is what I need this cardigan for...).

It's a whirlwind. I'm just trying to stay caught up.I'm missing going to the gym, but seem to need all my energy for work and normal house things. Sleep has been hard. Maybe this weekend I'll get a bit better caught up!

Have a lovely day, my dears.

Katie =^..^=

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Intrepid Adventurer: Mike Sheep Makes a Reappearance

I'm sending my thoughts and love to everyone in Boston that was involved in the explosions. I cannot say elegantly what I know in my heart, so I will leave it there...I'm also sending love and healing thoughts to the families who have lost their loved ones in the earthquake; and also everyone else who is suffering loss or hunger or strife in our world.

And now, I will let you continue on to something with a ligher theme!

WiP: Marion by Andi Satterlund
In-Progress, but on hold: Itty Bitty Baby Cardigan
FOs: none

Reading: A Most Dangerous Method by John Kerr

Still dazzled by his previous experiences in the Canadian Rockies, recovering from being called a "Shrome" by Navene in WDW, AND still coming off of his delight with the experiences that he had in Japan and Singapore, Mike Sheep made an adventure out this week to the Calgary Stampede's Aggie Days.

This event was crowded with families, mostly those families with small children, so although Mike Sheep was fine, the one who was carrying him - me - was looked at suspiciously.
combine, Mike Sheep, Bighorn Sheep, sheep, farming equipment, massiveIndonesia batik, Mike Sheep, big horn sheep, sheep, travelling gnome, intrepid adventurer


Mike loved the combine, though!

Yann Martel, Life of Pi, finished bookRoyal Japan ball winder, wool winder, wool, newHence, after I was able to convince Mike that we no longer needed to stay at Aggie Days, we traipsed to The Loop in Kensington, where I was able to finally procure a decent Royal ball winder! Thus began a weekend where I read to my heart's content (Finally finished Yann Martel's Life of Pi) and worked on the Marion cardigan, which so far has been a delightful and quick knit. Although I think that the next thing I knit needs to have bright spring colours in it! Marion, Cardigan, Andi Satterlund, black cardigan, woman's cardigan, knitting, women's knitting

This seclusion was partially implemented due to that, when I woke up, this was the view out my front window:
epic snow day snow

And our building's landscapers had been there only minutes before! Although most of it has now blown away or melted...It's going to be a messy drive to work tomorrow!

Hope all is well for you! What did you do this weekend?

Katie =^..^=

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Chatter-Less

WiP: Itty Bitty Baby Cardigan out of Cascade 220 "817" Superwash DK, and Sweet Georgia Superwash DK "Snapdragon".

FO: None

I've had a really hard time finding anything I want to talk about. So I figured I would finally share a picture of the itty bitty baby cardigan I've been working on. I love how it pooled on the back, with the kind of zig-zag!

I'm working on one sleeve, and have to finish that and the other and pick up the collar; I'm doing the shawl collar. I also modified the sleeve so that it actually doesn't have the cable and bobble pattern, but instead a moss stitch panel in the middle of a field of stockinette. This is in part because the pattern was getting lost in the colours, and in part because I was super worried that I was going to run out of yarn.

But it'll still look cute, I think.

Weather's been gloomy and up and down the past couple of days. Today it's the terrible spring sleet that melts as soon as it hits you and makes  everything damp.

I can't wait for some warmth!

Anyway...Not much else. Just been busy.

Hope everyone is well, and I'll try to chat at you all more next week!

Katie =^..^=

Friday, April 5, 2013

Queue Enhancement Friday: Recently Added to My Queue!

Been awhile! This is what I have added to my queue recently.

Kelly Brooker, baby sweater, baby knits 
Duelling Wands by Kelly Brooker (picture courtesy Julia Stanfield)

Andi Satterlund, Marion, cropped cardigan, cardigan, women's knits, knitting

Megan Ellinger, knitting, blanket, felted, puzzle 

Sarah Wilson, knitting, felting, men's accessories, The Sexy Knitter 
Cuboid Felted Box Bag by Sarah Wilson (aka The Sexy Knitter)

Lace shawl, shawl, knitting, lace, knitted lace, Chrissy Gardiner, Stampede, women's accessories 

What have YOU added to your queue recently? Let me know! I love being enabled with knitting patterns.

Have a lovely day, my knitties~!

Katie =^..^=

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

You Know You're a Knitter When...

WIP: Sirdar Baby Girls' Cardie (Sirdar Snuggly DK 1268)
In: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport and Sweet Georgia Superwash DK, Snapdragon
FOs: Trigger Finger Mittens
HFO: To-Felt-Mitten hands (need thumbs done)

You Know You're a Knitter When (A Purely Subjective List in No Particularly Order):

You're staring at someone's hands because that's where the colourwork mittens are

You want to have babies to be able to dress them in all the cute knitting

You've read through all of the YarnHarlot's archives

Your significant other goes to work with yarn and fibre stuck on him (consistently)

You go to work with the same "yarn stains"

You like it when your significant other plays video games, so you can sit with them and knit

Every time you go on a road trip, you stop at a yarn store (Or at least research if there is one)

You always have at least one knitting project in your bag

You scoff at the Ford commercial that says that the truck isn't going to be carrying yarn (even better if you drive a truck, which I do)


Any others? Contribute your thoughts in the comments!

Katie =^..^=