Finally, Some Chatter

WiP: Emilien for Dallas; felted mittens; wedding blanket for Wedding #2 (last August. Shhhhh...)
FOs: None

Reading: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Remember, you can donate to the Canadian Red Cross here (any amount at all): http://www.redcross.ca/donate
You can also donate at your Alberta-local Starbucks, although if you need a tax receipt, you need to donate online. Only donate as much as you can, but remember that if you are more affluent, $20+ will get you a tax receipt. ;) I'm pretty sure that if you donate to the "Disaster-Relief Fund," if the Red Cross has left over money, it gets shuffled to the next disaster they need money for...Never a bad thing to have the extra!

It's been a busy couple week around here! Between flooding and not, we've done our engagement photos, and I had my birthday, and we even went up to Olds to take a look at their Fibre Festival market this past Saturday!

Dallas and I have been walking a lot, as I am now trying trim up a bit after all the weight training. Although the night before last we got absolutely soaked by a thunderstorm that rolled in halfway through our walk!

This weekend is Canada Day, and our forecast looks amazing! I'm stoked about having a long weekend to relax at home, although our plans had originally been to go out to my parents'.

I'm hoping to finish Dallas's sweater, and then to be able to block it, have it dry, and take some photos in Confederation Park this weekend! Fingers crossed he doesn't melt in it! If it's nice, I'll try to also coerce him into taking some photos of me in my Marion cardigan as well.

Otherwise, need to patch up his blanket, where some of the squares have had their sewing unravelled, try to finish the wedding blanket, and then maybe, just maybe, start my shawl.

But that might have time high jacked by the whole felted mitten thing.

Have a lovely long weekend, and Happy Canada Day! :)

Katie =^..^=

P.S. The Calgary Stampede is selling these t-shirts: "Hell or High Water" t-shirt
These are while supplies last, but proceeds are going to the Canadian Red Cross fund. 

So I Don't Chatter Dallas's Ears Off...A Post!

WiP: Dallas's Cardigan
FO: Marion (Yes, still counting it! hah)

 

 Basic Cardigan: Two Ways (Photo by Jared Flood)

So, this is the cardigan that I'm planning to make Dallas.  I have done my swatch, and I cast on last night. Little did I think about the back panel...Which I don't like. It's two strips of reverse stockinette stitch in the back surrounded by stockinette stitch.

Now, not only does this make for a bit of challenging time for me, since I have switch my stitch every so many stitches to create this "striping" as it were...It won't look good on Dallas. And I don't want to knit it! I kind of wish there had been a picture of the back in the ebook; I also could have looked at the Ravelry projects before I completely committed to this project, but that's my fault. haha I like the collar on this project, and the zipper, so I'll stick with that. 

But I think there are going to be multiple alterations. I already am sizing for a 46" chest, which is an inbetween size for the multiple measurements and gauges (I love that they are all listed, no doubt)! 

However, I'm also going to add a hem at the bottom to match the sleeves, and to avoid rolling because of the other changes I'm going to make. I'm going to shift the reverse stockinette to either side so that it lines up across the shoulders on both back and front. It will define the sleeve (I hope). I am then also going to do the reverse stockinette for the zipper and leave the rest alone. 

Now that I've said all this, I have a sneaking suspicion it won't work...But I'll get it worked out. I really don't want those lines down the back of the cardigan.

By the way, this is what we did the past weekend: 

It was my brother's wedding out in the West Kootenays. And that's my Marion cardigan in action! Sooooo comfy. I will provide better quality pictures soon. :D

(Dress is from: PinUpGirlClothing.com.)

Then it was Dallas's birthday, and we did a beautiful drive and took the inland ferries. Most excellent weekend. I had a few days off of work, so this has only been a two day week, which I'm certainly not complaining about.

This weekend, I plan to cast on my wedding shawl and a few other things that I have to get finished here soon so that I can then shift my focus back to prepping stock for August for the restart of the Etsy shop, and for the fall/winter craft shows.

This means I'll actually be able to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather, hopefully!

What're you up to this weekend?

Katie =^..^=

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 =^..^=

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:

 

This yarn is slowly going to become Bruce Weinstein's Basic Cardigan: Two Ways - Zipper Version

(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 =^..^=

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! ;) 

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 =^..^=

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.

Mike loved the combine, though!

Hence, 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! 

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

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 =^..^=