Here Be Knitting

It's almost the end of January!

It's been five weeks since I last posted, and lots of knitting is happening.

The Come Sail Away baby blanket has been gifted to the young mother and her sweet baby son.  She advised me a few days later that he loved his blanket.  He didn't squirm under it or kick it off.  So, I was right to remake it with much softer yarn.  I'm still waiting for a picture of him wrapped up in it. ;>D

With that project out of the way,I decided to do a smaller project that would be finished quickly and I could wear it to ward off the winter chill.  I had a fitted cowl in my Ravelry queue that fit the bill, called Hoarfrost.  My lovely friend Roberta sent it to me as a Birthday/Christmas gift, along with a couple of other patterns.  It fits well and the silky yarn of rayon/linen feels lovely against the skin.

I decided to make an even smaller project after that.  Wee socks for the wee baby.  However, I think they'd fit a doll, not a baby, so I'm going to start over with a slightly bigger size.  They're still cute, don't you think?

Right around the same time, I dug into my basket and found a UFO.  The Liquid Silver Shawl which I started well over a year ago, then got bored with and put away for a while.  (AACHOO! - my allergies are acting up - badly.  AAAAAACHOOOOO!!!)  I've picked up the shawl again and only have a couple of more repeats to do on it and it will be ready for blocking.

I've also started a new project for knit nights, which had to be an easy knit and something I'd wear.  I found a lovely free scarf pattern that fit the bill, as well as being a stash-buster.  Two more balls of yarn (Madil Kid Seta) will be used up.  Hah!  The pattern name is Billowy Delight and can be accessed here on Ravelry.

An added note on the Killybegs sweater.  I've worn it a lot and love it!  I'm so pleased I got over not wanting to knit sweaters for myself.

I'll admit even though I'm doing some stash-busting knitting, I also had a small addition to the stash this month.  Two of my knitting friends acquired Fyberspates Royal Wedding Yarn, the colour of which matches Catherine's beautiful engagement ring that was originally given to Diana. It has a silver thread running through it as well.  I just had to have a hank of it too, and we're likely going to do a knit-along with it.  We're not going to be knitting the same design, but likely all doing a shawl of some kind. I'm looking forward to it.  (trumpet sound)....

January has been a strange month.  I'm so used to it being SO cold, yet we've had mild weather most of the time.  It's only gone close to -20C a couple of times and helped the time pass much faster.

We continue to be blessed with large numbers of the Common Redpoll and they're eating me into the poor house.  Little do they realize how spoiled they are getting straight niger seed in those seed socks.

 

A-A-A-AAAACHOOOO!  I have a sinking feeling this might be a cold, not allergies.  On that happy note I'll sign off for now.

It's Winter, but who's counting?

Christmas is only 4 days away.  We don't do a whole lot in our house for Christmas.  However, I do like to decorate a tree.  Since we don't have a lot of room, I usually get a small Norfolk Island pine, put the one string of lights I have on it and hang up a few ornaments.  I especially love the pretty white, fluffy bird sitting in the front, along with a couple of new ornaments:

This year I picked up this sweet Cardinal in a nest:

A friend gave me this darling Chickadee (sitting on binoculars) this week and I love it!

On the knitting front,  I finished the Come Sail Away baby blankie, along with a matching toque.  We're still waiting for the babe to make his appearance.

The Hitchhiker Scarf is almost done.  I'm just about out of yarn and when that happens, will cast off and block the scarf.

Not long ago, I discovered a knitting book that I love.  It's called Contemporary Irish Knits, and I've started a cardigan from the book, called Killybegs.  It's coming along well, and I'm only hoping I won't hate it when I try it on.

In my last post I reported only having a few birds left in the yard.  I'm delighted to report that at least 2 dozen Common Redpolls have showed up and likely will spend the winter here.  They don't come every year and I'm always happy when they show up.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

Update!

I finished the Springy Ring Socks a couple of days ago and love the feel of the yarn on my feet.

They're fraternal twins, but that's okay.

Last night I was working on my Hitchhiker scarf and discovered I had miscounted the row numbers.  I ended up with a mess which really bugged me, so frogged the offending rows and fixed it up.  All is right with the scarf now and I'll carry on.

I also didn't like the way the Sailboat baby blankie was looking on the larger needles (6mm), so frogged that too and have restarted it on 5 mm needles.  It's looking much better, so should be able to get done in short order.

While cleaning up my computer/sewing room, I found some cross stitch projects. I have two small birth announcement pictures, one of which I'd like to do for this new baby.  Help me decide!

Or

 Today, it's sunny and very windy.  At least the temperature isn't below freezing, but we're hovering around 5C.

 

 

Canada Calling: Summer's over!

And I'm sad about that.  However, we've had a lovely fall, with temps only down low in the last couple of weeks.  Ken managed to come down with a terrible cold which he thoughtfully shared with me.  We're on the mend now and into the fall chore of firewood for the winter.

As mentioned in the last blog post, I ordered some scrummy yarn for socks.  One pair is on the needles and 2/3 done.  I love the colours of the Mini Mochi yarn, but am not fond of the yarn's tendency to split.  If you're not careful and tug on it too hard, it breaks.  The joys of unspun yarn.

I love the Springy Ring look, however my purl rows are not the greatest, so have decided to use the Poems yarn for either plain socks, or will look for a pattern I could use.

I finally finished the Modern Quilt Wrap and have worn it a couple of times.  I'm very happy with it, but am glad it's done.  It got very boring towards the end.....

 I found out a few weeks ago that my nephew and his partner are expecting a baby at the end of the year, so went browsing on Ravelry for a baby blanket pattern.  I found this - Come Sail Away and have actually finished the blanket, but hated the Red Heart Comfort yarn. 

I can't imagine this yarn giving comfort to any baby, so have started it all over again with Red Heart Soft yarn, which although it's acrylic, it's very soft and suitable for this great-nephew to be.  I'm not sure you can even see the sailboats in the pattern, but wanted a denim type blue.  No pastels please.

Now that the Quilt Wrap is finished I needed a new project for knit night; nothing complicated.  I found the Hitchhiker Scarf and am very taken with it.  I'm using a lovely springy sock yarn I bought from a knitting friend (you know who you are, Ladibug).  This was supposed to be a KAL with Ladibug, however, life has intervened in hers, and she's not been able to knit along with me.  The scarf can be made almost any width and length, and when you think you're finished, just cast off!  I love it.

I'm sad to report all my lovely summer and fall birds have flown south, leaving only the die hard Black Capped Chickadees, Blue Jays and Woodpeckers (both Downy and Hairy).  Yesterday we had a pair of Bald Eagles visit, but no pictures.  I should take my camera outside today in hopes of catching them around here.

 

 

Canada Calling: I've got knitting fever!

I LOVE Ravelry!  Last night while paging through my friends' activity, I came upon these CUTE socks.

I knew immediately I HAD to make them.  After checking out the pattern and discovering it's in a Scandinavian language I don't understand, I knew I could still do it.  The rings on the socks are the same as the rings on the Springy Ring mitts I knitted last year.  Also, the socks in the original pattern are done in a worsted weight, so I'm changing that too. 

I clicked on one of my favourite on-line yarn stores to see what yarn I could find.  Hee hee, I found two yarns I liked:

Crystal Palace Mini Mochi Baby Face

And Universal Yarns Poems Aurora Borealis

Now I have to wait until they get here!  Oh well, I'm still working on my Modern Quilt Wrap.  It's coming along, slowly.

Heh, just what I need - more yarn!

Canada Calling: It's a Hot One

After all the flood waters of spring, we've had next to no rain here all summer, and the ground is cracking!  I'm afraid I'll fall through to China.  It's cloudy and windy today with a few spits of rain, but not really the amount we need.

Since I last posted, my granddaughter came to visit for two weeks. 

One of the first things we did was pedicures.

It was a fun visit since we went thrifting at Value Village and outfitted her with a big bag of clothes for school.  There were (I think), six tops, 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts and a hair straightening machine.

 

Here we are at Grand Beach for the day, modeling a pair of the shorts and one of the shirts. 

Down the beach where we were there were hardly any people.  We set up our chairs and after walking the beach for a while, sat and read the whole afternoon.  It was lovely.

The beach looks very different now due to a bad storm last year which washed away part of the dunes and the beach, leaving a tree which used to be up in the dunes, now down on the beach.

Dear Granddaughter was quite pleased with the beach dress we bought her from one of the outdoor kiosks.  I wonder if she'll ever wear it again.

This picture of our little fish pond was taken on July 4.  My, how things have changed in six weeks.  See below:

The huge plants are purple millet, and I'm wondering if any of the birds will eat it.

 

Although they're difficult to see, we had a song sparrow nest in my stand of Karl Forster grass.  After we discovered them, mama bird moved the babies. ;>(

One the Knitting Front:  Not much new to report.  I'm still doggedly working on the Modern Quilt Wrap at knit nights and am at least 60% done.  Now when I drape it around my neck it actually looks like something.

I've found two new patterns I'd like to try once the quilt wrap is done.  Gotta love Ravelry for being able to find new inspiring ideas.  The new patterns are Hitchhiker  and  Cladonia  and I have plenty of stash yarn so I should be able to find something that works.

 

 

Canada Calling: Yes, summer finally made it!

A friend just pointed out that summer must not have arrived here yet.  I think it was a veiled hint that I haven't posted in a while.  The grass is green, it's sunny today, and quite a few of my spring flowers have bloomed.  This time, I can post a current picture instead of one from past years.

Japanese Iris and regular Daisies

Our remodel of the fish pond is pretty much done and we hope to have the five Koi put out this coming weekend.  Pictures to come!

Ken & I took our annual trip to the Whiteshell lake area last week for 5 days.  We usually go in October, but decided to try it in late June this year.  Not such a great idea.  The weather could have been better, and the fishing was no better for Ken than in October.  The horseflies were horrendous, and unknowingly, I brought home a very itchy case of poison ivy! 

 

A small Jack was caught and released, along with two other fish that took the bait but were able to shake off the hook.

We like fishing by Rainbow Falls, a popular place for both humans and wildlife.

 

I have a confession to make!  I haven't knitted a stitch in almost two weeks.  I've been working on two long-term projects which are advancing at a snail's pace.  The striped scarf (a different one from the one pictured on earlier posts), and the Modern Quilt Wrap, with pictures posted earlier.

I did go shopping in early June for a replacement for my car.  My mechanic had suggested that it wasn't worth it to sink any more money into a ten year old vehicle.  I test drove quite a few small SUVs and finally settled on a Hyundai Tucson.  It's a lovely little car which will be easier on the gas consumption than the old one.  It's even got heated seats for the cold Manitoba winters!

Canada Calling: Spring is still hiding.

The weather is still rainy, windy and the ground is saturated.  South Manitoba is on flood alert.  It's usually the Red River that causes grief, which it has, but now we have an epic flood on the Assiniboine River too. It's going to be a "once in 300 years" flood.  Fortunately, I don't live near either river, but we had a few nervous days earlier in the spring with a large drainage ditch right next to our property.

With the flooding worries, I have my knitting projects to keep me busy.  I've been wanting to make the Modern Quilt Wrap for a very long time.  Following is the official designer's photo:

Here is the box of yarn that arrived from Elann for this shawl.  I love the colours:

I felt I couldn't afford the price of the Kidsilk Haze yarn called for, and have become a fan of the Elann equivalent of Silken Kydd.  The price is at least half that of the KSH.  The main difference is the colour choice available.  I had to substitute a couple of colours but am very satisfied with the way it's progressing.

Apparently only half the yarn is used when making this shawl, so will have to think of something to make to use up the leftovers.

Sigh, not much in the way of spring flowers to be seen outside in the swamp land known as my back yard, but I do have some daffodils:

We have seven ducks in the dugout... a pair of Mallards, and the others I haven't looked up in the bird book yet.  I'll have to try to get some pictures of them.

I'll close with more garden pictures from other years... always hopeful:

Wouldn't I love to see some of these right now:

No sign of these little guys yet:

Hoping to see the sun and feel the heat soon!

Canada Calling: Where is Spring hiding?

We haven't been having any real spring-like weather for the last few weeks.  It's been more like snow, then rain, then more snow.  I'm getting very low on firewood and wish I could find some dry wood that didn't cost the earth to bring home.  In this kind of weather, a roaring fire in the wood stove is comforting. 

In my last post I mentioned the problems I had getting the Mezquita Shawl started.  Everything turned out well and I just finished it. 

Once it was finished I looked over my Ravelry queue and yarn stash to try to find something simple to start on.  It was hard to make up my mind, but I decided on this yarn:

It's beautiful, but quite slippery and it's NOT lace weight.  I'm on my fourth version of a scarf.  I had a difficult time deciding on a pattern, then on the number of stitches.  Here's where I'm at now, and I think it's going to be fine:

A closer look:

We've been truck shopping and after thinking long and hard, picked up our Nissan Frontier King Cab 4x4 nine days ago.  Ken's really happy to have a fully functioning vehicle instead of wondering if his old one was going to give up the ghost.

 

Because I'm hopeful for Spring to show up soon, I think I'll post some more garden pictures, if only to cheer me up:

Hurry up sun!  I'm waiting!

Canada Calling: Have you seen Spring anywhere?

The snow is slowly melting and everything looks dirty, messy and ugly.  The only redeeming feature is the temps are a little warmer than last month.  Oh, and - it may help with the flooding risks in the Red River Valley.

The knitting is continuing, with both the Fernfrost scarf and the striped scarf finished.  Since I highlighted the striped scarf in the last two blog posts, I won't do it again, since it really doesn't look any different.  I'm happy with the Fernfrost and wouldn't mind doing it again sometime in slightly heavier yarn.

I started a new project that I thought would be easy and uncomplicated.  Hah!  It seems I can't count beyond 10 without issues.  The new project is the Mezquita Shawl with a very easy chart to follow.  I've started this project three times because of my inability to count.  Last night, my interchangeable needle came apart and dropped a bunch of stitches.  I transferred the whole mess to another needle, had to fool around to fix up some of the stitches, recounted everything three times and marked out the repeats with stitch markers before I knitted the row.  After all, it was 361 stitches.  Anyhow, it seemed to work out, so I'm ready to continue on.

The yarn is really lovely - a merino/tencel blend with a delicious sheen to it.

Here is the designer's picture of the finished project.  I'll post my own picture as I get further along:

To help banish the "spring blues" Ken suggested a weekend weenie roast.  It was fun, and pictures follow:

So there you have it, roasted weiners, sour cream & onion chips and adult beverages.  A good way to banish winter.