I Frogged it

Jack

2012-02-17T10:41:00.006-05:00

Our Crankin friend Jack has passed away.

Goodbyes are not forever.

Goodbyes are not the end.

They simply mean I'll miss you

Until we CRANK again!

~Unknown Author

Kool-Aid Socks

2012-01-20T19:49:00.004-05:00

Well it wasn't a snow day today but I finished my Kool-Aid socks anyways.

If I decide to do this again I will make sure I have one skein that is 100grams instead of trying to dye two separate 50gram skeins. That didn't work out so well obviously. The sock on the right was my first attempt.

I like the one on the left better.

These socks were knit on Elsie's 60 cylinder & turned out to be about a size 8.
Now to find these mismatched socks a home.........................

Is Winter Really Here?

2012-01-19T19:30:00.007-05:00

Our snowmobile came out of the garage today....finally. This time it had snow to ride on, last time it was mostly grass. Fingers crossed the snow stays this time.

What was I up to on this very snowy day? Well I decided to make some yummmmy homemade soup & dye some yarn.

I made way too much soup. I think we will be eating for a week.

I was on Pinterest last night & saw a post about dyeing yarn in a crock pot. It looked simple enough so I gave it a try. First I soaked some Kroy yarn in the crock pot

threw in some Kool-aid

and VOILA!!!
If we have a snow day tomorrow I will turn this Kool-aid yarn into socks.

2011-11-11T14:04:00.012-05:00

I've had computer issues this week so I'm a little behind on what I wanted to post. This post is just going to be the whole week combined.

Last weekend we were so lucky to have beautiful weather so we were able to get some more painting done on the boat.

That's all the paint she's getting until next year.

Wednesday M & I went for a visit at A's farm. We had a lovely time chatting & knitting.

Before we left we got to meet A's chickens & tour the chicken coop. I've decided I love chickens & want some.......hmmm I wonder what the town by-law is for having chickens???????

I told A that I was moving out there. It's so peaceful & the view is breath taking. LOVE IT!!!!

Today Paige & I walked down to the Remembrance day ceremony. It was a little chilly but no rain or snow so I wasn't complaining. I've stood down there in a lot worst weather.

There was a good turn out & it was a nice ceremony.

I knit this breast cancer hat for a friend that is undergoing treatment. It's made with Sugar & Cream cotton & it was a very quick knit.

Do you see what I see when I look from this view? Really...what are the chances of that......A breast cancer hat with a boob on top. I wonder if the next will work up the same.

MOE knit the Cross Stitch cable hat for my Dad. It a nice unisex hat. It might be in my future.

Off to knit more socks........ it's getting chilly outside & the snow has started.

Out for a walk

2011-11-04T12:04:00.008-04:00

Paige & I were out for our walk today & I thought I would share some of the things we saw on our stroll through town.

First was a bumper sticker

There's the Explore the Bruce truck. I wonder what they are exploring today?

Next was a Christmas tree in a store window. I was going to take a picture but the store owner wouldn't let me. Not sure what she thought I was going to do with the picture but whatever. Anyway it's a snowing Christmas tree very cool idea. I might go back & take a video of it when the store is closed. (don't want to get arrested)

Headed down to the lake. BRRRRRRRR that water looks chilly.

Final stop the harbour. Really you should know by now no walk is complete until you go down to the harbour.

I'm heading back down there now to tape up the windows on the boat. Hopefully it will be warm enough to paint tomorrow then she is off to do her first job (since her makeover) on Monday.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

2011-11-03T12:50:00.010-04:00

There's a birthday in our house today so I baked the birthday boy his favourite.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins........ yum yum

Started off with the cream cheese & sugar for the center.

Chocolate................

These are the coolest ever. My friend M found these muffin cups for me. Isn't she the sweetest friend :) Love her!!!!

Done!!! Lookin yummy. Now I just have to wait for the birthday boy to get home so I can eat one. hmmmm Maybe I could say one fell on the floor or maybe the dog ate one. Will anyone count them? The recipe only made 11 sure that's it that's what I'll go with.

Happy Birthday Willy!!!!!! Love ya!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-11-01T18:30:00.004-04:00

Hello and welcome back.....(MOE & Gil)

You know when you really don't want to do something & you have this nagging voice in the back of your mind saying do it, do it, do it but you still don't want to. Well my naggin voices were.... oh lets not mention names.....Ok lets... MOE & Gil. They have finally got to me. (mostly MOE every time I talk to her she mentions it)
I'm a procrastinator so this blog has just died & also because I find it to be a time sucker. Time sucker! really... Pinterest now there is a time sucker and of course I love Pinterest. I think I need to find a way to hook my computer to my brain & let it do all the work. Honestly I'm not much of a writer (I'm sure you've noticed) Caps & periods are the most you are going to get out of me everything else is just overrated. So if you are really back & don't care about my grammar and spelling mistakes then all the power to ya baby read on..............

Why am I really here well I'm so EXCITED about something I made that actually turned out. (I know shocking isn't it)

TAADAAAA!!!!

This is the sock monkey costume that my son requested for Halloween. He was great about it & told me one year in advance. Again being the procrastinator I didn't start it until one month before Halloween.
The arms, legs, mouth & mask were all knit on my sock machines. The mitts were a little challenging since I had never really made mitts on my machine before. The first set of arms didn't match one was bigger than the other. Second time round was better & if there was a third time I still would have made changes. I re-knit the mouth 3 times before I got that right. The ears were crocheted & are actually 4 ears. I crocheted 2 together to made them stand up better. The scariest part was cutting the eye holes. Thankfully my sewing Mother (MOE) & my MIL helped complete it in time. And overall it was a complete success.

The strangest things happen when you go outside in a monkey suit............

You find Bananas just wandering around the neighbourhood. Really!! what kind of neighbourhood has bananas walking around?? Only the best neighbourhood ever!

I love my neighbours especially the CRAZY ones!!!

Hope everyone had a safe & Happy Halloween

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-22T22:50:00.007-04:00

Last weekend we cleaned out our garage. All winter he had used it as a dumping zone. Now I can get to all my sock machine stuff so I decided to look through some of it.
STUFF...... I have too much stuff.

How many yarn mast toppers do I really need??????

Auto Knitter ribber dials.........

I found these in a bag.

This is a ribber for my Creelman. Looks like it needs a little work.

Gear rings.

I dug through all the cylinders & found this one. I'm hoping it will fit in my Creelman World Star. I don't have the ribber for it but I looks like I have the ribber dials.

It's a 56 cylinder that is only 3 1/2 diameter. If it doesn't fit I'm not sure what machine it would be for.

More boxes to go through....... I wonder what else I will find...............

Patons Stretch sock yarn

2011-03-29T21:09:00.001-04:00

Lately I've been knitting with Patons Stretch. I figured I would get a head start on some Spring/Summer socks. Stretch requires a little more work than the Kroy I normally work with.

This yarn has elastic in it so when you wind into a yarn cake no extra tension should be applied. I wind it twice just to make sure. I also found that it knits a nice sock on a 60 cylinder or larger. A 54 cylinder seems to make a loose hem top that I haven't been happy with. If I actually used my ribber than maybe that would be the answer but I'm not seeing that in the near future.

Sunday's Favourite thing - A Knitting Podcast

2011-03-27T22:33:00.006-04:00

I've been listening to knitting podcasts for quite sometime now & I really enjoy listening to them when I'm in the car, walking the dog, knitting or in bed. Recently I found a new knitting podcast called The Knit Wits. I have to say it is the best knitting podcast by far. The only downfall is that I haven't been able to listen to it in bed because my giggling keeps my husband awake. I started by listening to their most recent podcast but have since downloaded all 25 & I'm slowly listening to them all.
Go have a listen & a few giggles. Enjoy!!

The Knit Wits podcast

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

2011-03-17T14:35:00.005-04:00

There were Leprechauns in my house today......

In the spirit of St. Patrick's day I surprised Will with a pair of green socks.

These were made with Cascade Heritage sock yarn on my Gearhart 72 cylinder.

Happy St. Patrick's Day enjoy your green beer!!!!!

Creelman Makeover

2011-03-14T22:00:00.002-04:00

I'm finally posting about my refurbished Creelman "Butch".

Last August my sister showed up on my doorstep with a cardboard box and a big grin on her face.

This is what I found inside.

This Creelman was rusted solid. I pulled out my evapo-rust & put it to work.

YUCK!!

Hours later this is how it looked. Not too bad.....

Handle before

and after

Wow that looks brand new.

All cleaned up & ready to reassemble.

It came with one 54 cylinder no weights, no needles & no yarn mast.

Now it has new needles, new cylinder spring and a yarn mast from an Auto Knitter.

It started knitting right away with no problems. I whipped up a sock within minutes. LOVE IT!!

MOE decided Butch needed a new paint job so she took him home.

When he returned he looked very handsome with his new makeover. Thanks MOE!!! & Thanks to my wonderful loving sister :) & her In Laws.

Snow Day!!!

2011-03-11T19:02:00.001-05:00

Today the kids were happy. It was a snow day & roads were closed.

MOE & I had planned to sew today so I ventured out.
When I walked into MOE's craft room she had everything out & ready to go.

Sitting on her cutting table was this................

"What the heck is that?" was my first question.

Not wanting to say what my initial thought was MOE proceeded to tell me it was to protect her finger when she is ironing.

We (or should I say MOE) was making St. Patrick's day dog scarves.

What else was going on in MOE's craft room?

MOE made a pincushion by making 5 heels on her sock machine. She followed the idea from Savitaks on Ravelry.

She also made this butterfly hat she saw on Brenda's blog. (Thanks for posting it Brenda) The free pattern can be found on Vallieskids blog.

I went home & found a model for the dog scarf. What a cutie!!

Our thoughts & prayers go out to all those affected by the earthquake & tsunami.

The Bathroom

2011-03-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

BEFORE

THE NEW SHOWER

THE NEW FLOOR

More to come!

Is Mother Nature teasing us?

2011-03-09T21:17:00.002-05:00

What's up with the weather??? Spring is less than 11 days away and all I'm seeing is ice and snow.

A view of Lake Huron (yes it's really there look close)

There's a little bit of open water.

Ok Mother Nature I like winter in all but really when is enough enough?? I even went back to double check Wiarton Willie's prediction. Which was.........

Willie Says Early Spring!

Ok so at what point will we stop using a rodent to predict Spring. Maybe next year we should put a little spin on Groundhog day and put a bounty on Wiarton Willie's head.

Who's with me!?!?

Hanging out

2011-03-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

Playing with my Sock Machines

2011-03-02T21:51:00.002-05:00

I have had several balls of Limbo Mexiko in my stash for quite awhile so I decided to try & knit it up on Elsie.

It worked.

Limbo Mexiko is a DK 8 ply yarn in 50 gram balls. Since this yarn is thicker I had to loosen the tension. This made the socks too wide for me. :( Oh well I'm sure they will find a home. I sure do love the colourway.

Here is a picture of my Auto Knitter with it's 100 slot cylinder. I've never really spent much time with it. I think maybe I should start by making it a setup bonnet.

When I looked around my craft room tonight I realized I have 7 sock machines setup with 6 different size cylinders. If only I had more hands.................

Dr.Seuss

2011-03-02T10:49:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Dr.Seuss!!!!!!!!

If Dr.Seuss were alive today he would have celebrated his 107th birthday.

It's also M's daughter's birthday too. Happy 15th Birthday T!!!

Good bye Scooby-doo I will miss you.

2011-02-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

Scooby-doo has been a big part of our lives & now he is getting kicked to the curb. My oldest son will soon be 14 (omg I cringe at the thought) so we figured it was time to update his bathroom. No more Scooby-doo. W loved Scooby & watched all his movies & TV shows and even dressed up as Scooby. He had gone through several Scooby costumes & use to wear it to kindergarten.

Here is the before picture.

It doesn't look too bad but there's no tub surround or tile so the shower could never be used.

Don't look up there's no ceiling.

After this renovation there still won't be a ceiling but at least it will be usable. The new shower and flooring are in and hopefully the drywall will be completed tomorrow. I will post an update soon.

Good bye Scooby-doo I will miss you.......

Mini Yarn Crawl

2011-02-11T21:01:00.005-05:00

I was kidnapped today by my Mom & Dad and taken on a mini yarn crawl.

First stop Stitch n' Flix in Sauble Beach.

Next stop Riverside Yarns in Owen Sound. Colleen was very helpful and she shared her Riverside hat pattern with me. I plan on making it out of Noro for my oldest son.I was also thinking about knitting the Sockhead hat out of the Poem Socks.

More projects and more yarn what was I thinking.........

Making Socks

2011-02-08T19:30:00.005-05:00

I've been making socks.

I finally knit up my Alpaca yarn that I bought May 2008 from Shears to You. I tried knitting it up not long after I bought it but quickly became frustrated with the 5 knots in one skein. It was thrown aside until now.

The yarn is 100% Alpaca 3 ply fawn and white colour blend. I decided to add nylon to the foot thinking it wouldn't be seen I was wrong. It is seen less on the inside. Maybe they should be worn inside out. I haven't wore them yet but they feel super soft.

The sock on the left is inside out. I need to look into some different nylon colours maybe invisible.

I'm still lovin the snowy winter days so I'm hoping Wiarton Willie's prediction was wrong.

Friday Find

2011-01-21T22:32:00.002-05:00

Today's find is the Pook Toque. These hats aren't new. They came out a couple years ago and are a Canadian company.

Lately it's been hard to get my boys to wear hats and if they do they don't pull them over their ears. (It's not cool MOM)
My youngest bought a Pook Toque and has really enjoyed wearing it. On the Pook Toque website it shows different ways to wear the hat. Here are a few samples.

I know the novelty will wear off but I take what I can get........................

The Death of my washing machine......

2011-01-18T22:25:00.000-05:00

This is what it looks like when your washing machine explodes.

Is it blood?????????

Nope just grease. Yuck what a mess!

It was a Maytag Neptune that was only 8 years old. It had been repaired 3 times in it's life. On the finally visit from the repairman I was told it wasn't worth fixing. The bearings were shot but it still worked. When it ran it sounded like a jet flying through my house. I continued to use it despite the noise. Rest in peace Maytag and may I never buy another one.

2 weeks????

2011-01-16T21:38:00.004-05:00

I've lost 2 weeks.......
Week 1 was spent working at the shop. We had lots of snow so it was busy and went fast.
Week 2 well now that's another story. Monday... I was at the dentist with my 13 year old son who needed a root canal. I know I was shocked too when I heard that. W's front tooth was turning gray which meant the nerve and blood supply was cut off and his tooth was dying. The result of his braces. I was told this happens once in a blue moon. Well here is my blue moon.Tuesday I had a dentist appointment to fix my cracked tooth. Tuesday night the boys had a hockey practice and I was cooking sausages for our potluck lunch on Wednesday for knitting. W was dropped off by another parent from the hockey team. This is when I'm told my hubby was hit in the eye by a hockey puck and was at the hospital. The sausages were put on hold and I went to find the car keys. Hubby had my truck so I had his car but he had the keys in his coat pocket at the hospital. No extra keys for that vehicle. So 9:30 at night I'm running to the hospital. Good thing we live only a few blocks away. I arrive to find this....
After 2 hours Will was transported by ambulance to the OS hospital for a cat scan. I'm told to wait. If surgery was needed he would be transported to London. Thank goodness emergency surgery was not needed so Will was brought back. The cat scan showed his orbit bone had 2 breaks. Wednesday we spent most of the day waiting to see a specialist. We are finally told no surgery was needed at this time. What a relief.

We see the specialist again next week. Thursday was spent being checked out at the dentist and Chiropractor. Next up eyes. Wow I'm not just a taxi for the boys now I'm Will's personal taxi. Friday was a school PA day.....kids home. Saturday was my day. I went to Spinrite to see my new friends Mikey and Diva Dan from The Crochet Crowd. They were putting on a loom demo. It was a fun day and I brought home a few (68) balls of sock yarn.......
I figured if I plan to miss this week of knitting group maybe I will actually get to go. I'll have to wait and see what I'm in for this week????

Experimental Knitting

2011-01-01T22:48:00.008-05:00

I saw headphone sleeves on Ravelry the other day & I thought I would try making them on my sock machine.

I removed all needles but 4 & started making i-cord with waste yarn then I added sock yarn. I held my headphone end into the i-cord. As I knit the i-cord the headphones were held into place by the yarn that goes from the last needle to the first needle. I continued to knit the headphones into the i-cord until I reached the section of the headphone that separates the two earbuds.

I continued up to only the right earbud. The second earbud would have to be done separately and be grafted by hand later.

This is what I ended up with on my first attempt.

I had a hard time estimating the length & I thought I had enough but it was too short so I never completed the second earbud. I also didn't like the long colourway of the sock yarn so I cut it all off & started over.

I dug out some Koigu mmmmmmmmm KOIGU..........

In my search for better yarn I found my Cool Corder. This got me thinking..........hmmmm I could whip up some i-cord with it & then just thread my headphones through it. Doing it that way means having to make three pieces & grafting them.

This method can still be done on the sock machine. Trust me it's way easier to knit the i-cord first then trying to knit around the headphones.

My headphones are old & the one side doesn't work so I decided not to cover the nonworking side. This makes it easier to tell which one to pop into my ear.

Maybe I should have just cut the nonworking side off then I could have made one piece instead of two. Practice makes perfect.

Happy New Year everyone & all the best in 2011.

Knooking

2010-12-28T18:15:00.004-05:00

Check out this you tube video on Knooking. I think this would be a great alternative to knitting especially if you are going on an airplane no pointy sticks involved.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T20:13:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

How about a game of Monopoly on Christmas Eve?

I never really enjoyed the game of Monopoly I liked the game of Life.

This game is CHOCOLATE................. so I'm playing this one.

mmmmmmmmmmmm........chocolate. Shhhh don't tell anyone but I already ate one of game pieces but I saved the label so we can still use it. :)

I'm off to play so Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!!

Oh yeah I almost forgot the Friday Find of the day was found be M our local Librarian. Annie Hoot & the knitting Extravaganza by Holly Clifton-Brown. It's a cute book. Thanks M for lending it to me.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Necklace

2010-12-21T10:06:00.004-05:00

MOE just sent me this link. Cable Braided Necklace LOVE IT!!!
I could see these made out of Koigu......gorgeous!!!!

A beautiful day for a boat ride

2010-12-20T21:33:00.004-05:00

Sunday wasn't a beautiful day on the lake but our boat had to get to work. We have the contract for another year working at the salt mine in the Goderich Harbour. With the weather we have been having lately there will be a lot of salt going out this winter.

The ice isn't too bad yet.

Tuesday is the first day of winter. BRING IT ON!

A Favourite Thing

2010-12-19T19:36:00.001-05:00

My favourite thing this week is CHOCOLATE mmmmmmmmmmmmmm chocolate. Honestly chocolate is my favourite thing every day of the week but chocolate covered licorice & swedish berries mmmmmmmmmmmm.

I was out buying some Christmas gifts & I thought why not treat myself to an early one.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm CHOCOLATE!!

Friday Find

2010-12-17T11:14:00.003-05:00

I have two Friday finds today.

First the Authentic Knitting board sock loom. I found these to be intriguing.

My second find crocheted Elf slippers. LOVE THEM!!!!!!

Favourite Thing

2010-12-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

My favourite thing this week...... my gauntlets, wrist warmers, arm warmers whatever you want to call them. I knit them on Elsie (my antique knitting machine).
I decided to make these extra long so I can wear t-shirts & still be warm in the winter. I'm always cold, no really like always cold. Especially after I eat. Strange I know I'm told that all the time.

I crocheted a cuff to jazz them up a bit.

I like how they peek out from under my coat.

I wonder what colour I should knit next.......

Friday Find of the Week

2010-12-10T21:25:00.005-05:00

Today's find of the week is a new LYS

MOE read about a new yarn store on Ravelry. Stitch 'N Flix is located inside Beach Flix in Sauble Beach.

The store was originally a movie store that now shares it's space with yarn.
MOE went to check it out & of course she bought something. You can't go to a yarn store & not be tempted.

She has already started making a baby sweater with her Cascade yarn.

MOE thought for a new store it had a tasteful variety of yarn & accessories. I will have to go check it out for myself & take some pictures.

Happy Knitting!!

MOE's Knitting

2010-12-06T17:03:00.003-05:00

I visited MOE on Friday and she has been knitting Koigu bracelets. You get her started on something & she runs with it.

I'm not sure she even knows how many she has made. My favourite one in the picture below is the one on the right.

MOE also made a sock scarf. The yarn is Patons Kroy 55617 Sporty Stripes

Look at that MOE even has some Christmas decorations up too.

This Week's Favourite Thing

2010-12-05T08:31:00.005-05:00

Since I've just decided to do a favourite thing every week I'm going to put in one for last week. Christmas Calendar 2010 by Garnstudio and Drops Design. This one will be my favourite until December 24.

I buy my boys advent calendars every year and this year I bought them the Dragon's Land Playmobil ones. Over the years they have had chocolate ones, lego ones but Playmobil seems to be their favourite. My boys didn't seem to get too excited about the knitting one either. Oh well I like it.....

This week's favourite thing is Bath & Body Works hand soap. Winter Candy Apple & Twisted Peppermint. They smell sooooooo yuuummmmmy!!!!

Santa Came to Town

2010-12-04T12:53:00.002-05:00

Our area received several inches of snow and we are loving it. Well most of it. Maybe not the hour it took (me) to shovel the driveway but other than that we love it.

In November I took a crochet class with my neighbour Sue. We traveled to Walkerton to Mikey & Diva Dan's for classes. I must say it was very entertaining and the desserts they served were amazing. Mikey is a crocheter that has hundreds of how to videos on youtube. Now that I have completed the classes I have been crocheting more and made this frog hat in only a few hours.

E loves it and has been wearing it nonstop. He hasn't even given me a chance to put the ends in.

Last night was our Santa Claus parade and it was a little chilly. We walked down to it and I was thinking that there should be a place to buy hot chocolate (& baileys). Maybe next year......

Oh look it's Santa.

Merry HOHO!!

Kidnapped by Facebook

2010-11-29T22:52:00.003-05:00

Where have I been??? I've been kidnapped by Facebook. It has sucked me in. I waste more time reading what everyone is doing & where they are going that I don't blog anymore about my own life & stuff. Not that anyone really cares but it is more like my life journal or diary. I think I need this more than ever. I need to document things because then I can go back & say "Oh yeah that's what I did yesterday!" (not that I'm getting old or anything......) Ok yes I will admit it ... I'm getting old but so is everyone (maybe some faster than others). I have never had a very good memory but really not being able to find a knitting bag for a couple of weeks is very frustrating. Checked dentist office, docs, chiro, local restaurant, knit group & Mom's only to find it packed away with Halloween stuff. Having a blog is not going to help me find my knitting bag the next time I put it in a really stupid spot but honestly I think I miss it. It helps me feel a bit organized. I use to scrapbook and in a way this is a little like scrapbooking. Pieces of my life documented. I'm sure my boys will look back at it and say "couldn't my Mom find anything better to do with her time?" Well boys if you are reading this I love you with all my heart. :)

A Teenager.......

2010-03-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

Wow..... Where has the time gone?
13 years old!!!
How is it possible?
My little boy is now a TEENAGER.
(I'm feeling old)

(a goofy teenager)

Happy Birthday Wyo!!!!!

Love ya!!

Wednesday Knitting Group

2010-03-04T13:26:00.006-05:00

What a fun-filled day of knitting & yarn goodness. It started with knitting group at the library.
We were a small group that came & went all day. We were surprised to have another new knitter join us & she brought along her half bobble bag. It's a cute felted bag & I love the colours.

G brought some Maple cookies for everyone to share.

I thought they would make good medals for all the Olympic knitters.
Look at all these Knitting Athletes. Don't they look happy showing off their projects (& cookies).

After knitting group I picked the boys up from school, had a quick bite to eat & headed out again.

Time for more yarn........ it sure was. 4 of us from the knitting group drove over to Riverside Yarns for Colleen's Olympic wrap up party.

Her store looked wonderful. She had lots of knitted projects displayed to help inspire us.

There were close to 20 knitters that came to show off their Olympic projects. Even more had registered projects but not everyone could come. We had show & tell of our projects that everyone OOed & AWed over. Then the draw for Gold, Silver & Bronze.

Our very own P from knitting group won Silver. Yeah!!!! It was a $50.00 gift certificate for Riverside Yarns. (DD quickly helped spend that!)

Here are the 3 Medalists. Way to go everyone!!

I had a great time & really enjoyed hanging out with the Meaford group again. I also loved seeing what everyone had knit. It was inspiring & of course................ I bought yarn. Only one ball & a magazine.

I had some self control not like someone else I know....................................

Thank you to Colleen from Riverside Yarns for hosting a fantastic party for all us Knitters.

Date.....

2010-03-01T22:24:00.003-05:00

I just realized my camera date is set at 2009. I have no idea how I did that. All the pictures I've taken lately are put into 2009 folder so I haven't been able to find them. I thought I was being smart by taking a picture of my Olympic mitts with the date to prove I got them done on time. Yeah so the date on them are 2009 02 26. It looks like I made them last year. I also took pictures of Bear sleeping on the couch with the same date. We hadn't adopted Bear yet. I am not sure how to fix this error.

The date on pictures is a great idea when you use it properly..............

Olympic project complete

2010-02-26T22:42:00.004-05:00

Blogger was acting weird so I didn't get to finish my last post. Oh well here is rest of it.

Last night I was trying to knit & watch hockey. I was thinking my mitt was looking a little weird but I was excited I was almost done. I thought I would finish them up this morning. I pulled out my mitts.....what was I thinking...... Did I even look at my knitting during the game?

It wasn't that long ago that I made the first one. How did I forget how to make it. Duh.... I left out the plain black row in between each patterned row.

I figured I ripped the second mitt out at least 5 times in total with all my mistakes. Forgetting the plain rows, starting a row with the wrong colour, forgetting decreases, decreasing in the wrong row, not being able to count.

After all that I finally finished them. I made sure I had them done tonight before the hockey game.

So here they are...........

They are for my niece. Fingers crossed they fit.

I will probably make them again but I won't be doing it while watching hockey.......or anything else.

Wednesday Knitting Group

2010-02-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

Some finished Olympic projects & almost finished projects.

S finished another hat with a flower & beads. The yarn is Paton Classic wool tweed.

This is G's LaLa shawl. G came over today and got some yarn to put an edge around it. Can't wait to see it blocked. The yarn is Zauberball.

M's mitts are looking very warm.

P has done well with her sweater.

Our new knitter brought a sweater she is working on.

MOE didn't make it to knitting group so I stopped by to see what she was knitting. She didn't enter the Olympics but she did finish this hat.

Started a fair isle hat.

I think she said this was a hat too but I'm not sure. It's doesn't look like one yet.

I wasn't doing very with my second mitt but now it's finally done.

Knitting Olympic Project

2010-02-22T20:48:00.001-05:00

I finished my Canadian earflap hat today.

I cheated......

I don't like seams in hats so I knit it in the round & put the maple leaf on after. So now I have learned two things during the Olympics. Stranding & duplicate stitch.

I made the pom pom huge but the boys said they LOVED IT!

GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!!

Wednesday Knitting Group

2010-02-17T20:01:00.000-05:00

There wasn't as much Olympic knitting going on today as I thought there would be but there sure was lots of knitting.

This is C's vest.

M's Olympic mitten.

G brought her socks to work on & left her Olympic La La's simple shawl at home.

S's scarf.

MOE completed her Button Tab Hat & S happily modeled it for her.

P has been knitting like crazy. Look at how much she has knit on her Girl Friday sweater. Way to go R for keeping an eye on your Mom & for taking away her yarn until the opening ceremonies started. (R is she feeding you?)

I completed my first Olympic mitt. It went a lot better today than last night. I have my fingers crossed that the second one will match.

My MIL has the Olympic spirit too. She knit these Canadian Toques for the boys.

THANKS Grandma!!!

Happy Olympic Knitting everyone!

My Olympic Project

2010-02-16T22:16:00.000-05:00

I am not enjoying my Olympic project. If the 2 that talked me into knitting an Olympic project were in the room when I was knitting well lets just say it might not of been safe for them..................

(At knitting tomorrow you might want to knit at the opposite end of the table from me.)

I was at MOE's this afternoon & started the cuff of my mitt. So tonight I thought I would sit & watch the Olympic Mens hockey while I worked on my project. I'm realizing now that the game is over & I can't tell you a thing that happened. All I know is that this mitt is stressing me out. My shoulder hurts & I'm no further ahead then I was. Ok so I know this was suppose to be challenging but enjoyable right? First off I did my m1 wrong for several rows before noticing. Then I started with the wrong colour on a couple of rows. What finally did me in was I increased too many so I had 4 stitches too many for my thumb. Don't even get me started on the 2 colours. No matter how I angle my head or stick out my tongue I'm just not getting the 2 strands of yarn.

Now that I frogged it I'm going to bed. Well first I'm going to look online & see what the score ended up being in the hockey game.

Fish Hat # 2

2010-02-15T22:22:00.004-05:00

Fish hat #2 is completed.

My son picked out all the colours & I think he did a great job. He did request the fish to have X's for eyes & for it to also have teeth but I can always change that later. The pressure was on to have it done for Tuesday. Whew! I did it......

Now with that out of the way I can get started on my mitts I'm making for the Knitting Olympics. Speaking of Knitting Olympics we were in Bracebridge on the weekend for hockey & I came across this cute little yarn shop. Their window was decorated with Canadian colours for the Olympics.

The store had classes posted & had just completed classes for the Canadian mittens in their window display.

I really like the earflap hat. I might just have to make one of those........

Happy Knitting everyone!!!!!

Knitting Olympics

2010-02-10T22:59:00.005-05:00

Ok so I said I wasn't doing the knitting Olympics right??? Well I was talked into it. I won't mention any names (G & P......) I finally gave in today at knitting group. Everyone else was getting ready or is ready to start. Then there was me..................... Fine I'll do it. (peer pressure) I'm making mittens. Wow not too exciting right. Well I thought I would try stranding. It's something I've never tried so why not. I think I'm going to use the pattern Nordic mittens by Lion Brand.

Here are some other projects being knit up for the Olympics.

Fingerless mitts
A Girl Friday sweater (yes P I think you are crazy. A whole sweater in 2 weeks.....CRAZY!)

Thrummed mittens. These are P's M is knitting her own pair also with Fleece Artist.

S is knitting a hat but I don't have the details on it. G wasn't at knitting today but she is knitting the Ishbel shawl. That makes 6 of us I not sure if I missed anyone or not.

Sue made an appearance today & did a little modeling too. She matches my fish.

Sue also modeled S's hat made with Malibrigo.
M made us homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch. It was yummy.

What else is new well this is my new favourite thing.

Yes it's a liquor store reusable bag & no it's not full of booze.

It's full of knitting.
It has 6 sections in it to keep all your knitting projects organized. Now isn't that slick. One of the girls at knitting brought one last week. It's a most have item now.

I'm off to figure out what I'm making my mittens out of (and maybe even do a swatch)

A Fishy Day

2010-02-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

I finished the fish hat today. This pattern is from Knitty winter 2008.

The boys were fighting over it so that means I have to knit another one. It was a fun knit so I don't mind.

The second one will be more colourful & dead. (which means the eyes will be X's)

I also finished some more mismatched socks.

Good thing I have sock machines because with all the requests I've had lately I would never be able to keep up. The boys have a pile of yarn next to my machines. I better get to work........

Too Funny!

2010-02-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

We are watching Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2010. OMG It's too funny. Our favourite commercial is the Budweiser Streaker.

Check it out on Youtube

Koigu socks

2010-02-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

These Koigu socks were made by MOE. We both decided to start knitting up some of the Koigu we bought last year when we visited the Koigu farm.

My son has made a request for new socks. He likes mismatched socks in lots of different colours. He has good taste because he went straight for the Koigu. Each sock was made with only 32 grams of yarn.

OOPS!!!

I've never had this happen before. This is my Great Uncle John's sock machine. I was working on the second half of a heel & the sock machine exploded.

I've made dozens of pairs on this machine & I haven't changed anything. I know it must be a weight problem but I also think it's time for a new spring. If you can believe it I saved the sock. I didn't have one dropped stitch. What are the chances of that?!

Stuff

2010-01-29T22:20:00.001-05:00

What do you do with the STUFF you collected when you were little? I've been going through some boxes in the basement & I forgot that I even had this stuff.

Annie photo album, Ghostbuster & Snow White sticker books, Alf game, Cabbage Patch kids, the Bionic Women, ET trading cards & McDonald toys.

Why did I ever keep this stuff? Michael Jackson trading cards.......... ok remember I was only 13.

A Coke can from the 1988 Winter Olympics. I also dug out some other Coke cans with pop still in it. I wonder what that would taste like.

I also saved Comics for over one year from the Sunday Sun.

My youngest son is 10 so he thinks it's pretty cool that I was 10 when I collected them.

I think this is the best. A Kraft peanut butter jar with a knitting Grandma bear on it. Grandma bear now has a new home in my knitting room. I don't know what made me save her but I'm glad I did.

As for the rest of the stuff back into the Rubbermaid box until I get bored and pull it all back out again.

Birthday Party

2010-01-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Today at knitting group we celebrated Sue's 60th birthday.

We had a great turn out today. Maybe we should have cake every week. We have also had some new members join us over the pass few weeks. It must be because of the our good company (or all the cakes we eat!!)

Some of the group have decided to join the knitting Olympics. Not sure what is going to be knit but it will be fun to watch. I'm not participating because I can't seem to get projects I've already started done. I'll try to take pictures of everyone's progress.

Happy Knitting!!!

Wednesday Knitting Group

2010-01-22T13:38:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I ever posted that we sold the knitting house in December. When knitting group started up again in September we had moved to the Library. We only met for a couple hours so starting in January we were able to have the Library from 10am-3pm. It's a wonderful facility. As a group we bought subscriptions to knitting magazines for the Library. In the future we also plan to buy knitting books. It's great to have all those books and the use of computers available to us. The library has wireless too so I have taken my laptop to knitting group. It's handy to be able to look up patterns on ravelry.

This week we celebrated a birthday at knitting. Of course we can't let a birthday pass without having cake. Black Forest cake.........yummy!!

Now what is everyone knitting. Well MOE has mittens on the needles and a sock fresh off the sock machine. The sock yarn is a new colour from Patons Stretch.

M has been knitting gifts. A baby bib, wash cloths and oven mitt. I thought the oven mitt was a puppet.... well it could be. It just needs eyes.

S made this cute hat for her granddaughter. This was the first time S made I-cord. Great job S!!

S is making another hat (without the I-cord daisies) for herself with Malabrigo.

P made this lacy cowl Pretty Thing by the Yarn Harlot.

A lady stopped in to ask about our knitting group. She showed us a hat she had just completed.
It a Dr. Who hat. Hopefully she will be back & we will have a new member in our group.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T23:56:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year everyone.

We had fun winter camping with friends for New Years. No I'm not that crazy.... we were in a camper with heat. We still did all the regular camping stuff like sitting around a campfire cooking our dinner & chatting.
The kids built snow forts & snowmen
This guy doesn't look finished.

They also had snowball fights with nonparticipating adults . We also went skating. There was a section of road that was turned into a skating rink. It was a little bumpy but still a lot of fun.

Just before midnight the party hats, horns & silly string came out.

I think the boys used their whole cans on each other. Brotherly love!!

Merry HOHO!!

2009-12-24T18:55:00.005-05:00

The house is decorated.
(Look close)

The village is being invaded. Look out Santa you might get eaten.

The cookies are baked.

Grandma came over & baked cookies with us.

The boys had a blast decorating them.

Thanks Grandma!!

The tree is up & the presents are wrapped.

Ok Santa we're ready......... Where are you???

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

Baaaah Humbug!!!

2009-12-11T17:41:00.006-05:00

I think I found the perfect gift to knit for Christmas........
click on this link

A lump of coal (click on more images under picture then select #2 & that's my favourite with the santa hat)

15 more days & it will all be over.......YAH!!

Torpedo's friend

2009-12-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

I emailed my friend Leo & he came over for the weekend. Party Party Party!!! We had a blast.

Leo is a Leopard Gecko & is about one year old. That's why he is so much bigger than me. I will get to 18-22" in length when fully grown.

Leo had to go home but hopefully he'll be back soon to hang out.

My new family is pretty good to me. I get served crickets everyday & they even read to me.
Can't beat that..............

Torpedo

2009-11-22T18:49:00.001-05:00

Hi I'm Torpedo a bearded dragon and I'm the newest member of El's family.

I really like hanging out with the boys.

Bear is pretty cool to hang with too.....

I found my favourite spot.

Off to email some friends. Nice to meet everyone.
See ya!

A visit to MOE's

2009-10-29T14:10:00.007-04:00

I checked out MOE's craft room & this is what I found.

Her sock machine gadgets are all matchypoo!! (is that even a word?)

The Creelman didn't come with heel weights so she made some with BB's from Walmart.
MOE has been busy knitting up a storm. These are all the socks she has made in the last 2 weeks. They were all made on her Creelman Brother Improved Money Maker.
Most of the socks are made with Patons Stretch Socks. There is one pair of Noro (top left) & one pair of Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Collection (bottom left).
I have shown MOE how to help me blog so she can keep everyone up to date with all her knitting projects.
Let's see if she actually does it now....

Podcast

2009-10-26T10:29:00.002-04:00

I recently found The Savvy Girls podcast & enjoyed listening to episode 9. In this episode there is an interview with one of the Malabrigo owners.

Go take a listen.....

Winter is coming

2009-10-25T20:44:00.006-04:00

No one wants to hear that but yes it's coming. We put our summer cars away today. Herbie is in storage all snug under his car cover. I'll miss him. See you in the Spring Herbie.....

I also finished my first pair of mittens.

Around here those are true signs that winter is nearly here. Now who is going to rake up all those leaves................................

more camping pics

2009-10-22T13:46:00.004-04:00

My friend Barb took these pictures of me at the pump station. (Thanks Barb!)

This is me wondering how the heck I'm getting under there to pull that lever.

This was before the leak. I moved way too fast to get that one.......

I think next time we go camping no one is allowed to use the toilet.........................

Camping Trip & no knitting

2009-10-20T23:00:00.002-04:00

I've never been a camper. I dropped out of Girl Guides because I hated camping. So buying a Winnebago & going camping for a weekend was a big step. As a family we have gone camping once in a tent & that lasted 12 hours. (never doing that again) In August we bought a 1979 Winnebago. Since then it has only been on a couple of gravel runs & then sat in the back yard. (it was like Cousin Eddy....did you ever see the Griswold Christmas?!) The kids love it & slept in it a lot. Our friends (well they were before we left for camping) invited us to go camping with them. We had it planned for 2 months. It was a Halloween themed weekend with site decorating, scavenger hunt, BBQ, pumpkin carving & trick or treating. I love Halloween!! I think it's the best time of the year so throwing in a little camping into the mix couldn't be that bad right?!
Will was really busy at work so I prepared the RV for our adventure. First off it meant getting the RV out of the backyard. Well before you can move it the thing needs to start. You know maybe this was my first sign. Dead battery....... That's ok we have booster cables. I managed to maneuver the beast out of the backyard & drove it out to the shop. (planning my route with as few turns as possible) Time to fill the water tanks & test the furnace. Ok this might have been sign #2. The hose was disconnected from the tank so water leaked all over the floor under the couch. Ok deal with that...... hook it up. Refill it...... Next up the furnace. Yeah that didn't work either. No big deal that's why space heaters were invented. How cold could it possibly get? (yeah we will talk about that later) That night I tell Will all about my adventures with the RV. He tells me he remembers the previous owner telling him that one water tank leaks. (great time to remember that) There are 2 tanks so maybe it was the one I haven't filled yet. When I went back out to the shop in the morning the tank had been leaking all night. #@%* So that makes sense why it was disconnected. It only leaked underneath so the inside was fine. I needed to drain that tank & run the water so it all goes in to the gray tank. Then I get the lesson on how to dump the tank. Ok really I would love to meet the person that invented that........(we will talk about that later too) I have to say the toilet does flush & the fridge seemed to work so that's a plus. The second water tank is a lot smaller but it held water. I figured we would just take a couple of jugs of water & only use the tank for flushing the toilet. At this point the RV is as good as it gets. I went to put gas in it & realized I can only get into the gas tank marked AUX. I can't find the key for the other side. Now I'm praying that 32 liters & what ever that was left in it will be enough to get us there. (the gas gauge doesn't work for that side. Really at this point does that surprise you?) I drove it back home to finish packing . Will had booked the weekend off so this was going to be our little vacation. We had planned on picking the kids up after school & head straight for the campsite. That didn't happen. Hockey came first so we were leaving right after that..... Nope Will was called into work. That meant I had to drive the RV in dark out to the campsite. (how many turns was that going to be) The boys, Bear & I did it. (we might have got lost in the park but we made it safe & sound) We got the RV plugged in & crossed our fingers the fridge worked. We headed over for a nice campfire at our friends site. The kids roasted hot dogs & marshmallows over the fire. We had a great visit then headed off to bed. Will ended up coming at 11:30pm only to have to leave for work again at 6:30am. The first night wasn't too bad I slept in one of the bunk beds it felt more like a coffin.
Day 2 I'm making breakfast & learn that you can't have the toaster & space heater plugged in at the same time. It trips the breaker. I also learned that the fridge works so well that it froze the milk & a few more items. The power issue was fixed. I went from 15amps to 30amps. This should mean I can run the space heater & the kettle. Nope now it trips the breaker in the RV. Ok so positive side to all of this I know how to fix it all if it ever happens again.
After breakfast I decide I'm going to move the RV ahead a few feet to make it easier for the Trick or Treaters to come into our site. I open a window to look out. (remember this cause I didn't!) I turned it over. I don't think Winnie likes the cold. I try a few more times then the battery is dead ....again.... I have two batteries so I learned that I can boost one battery off the other. That worked too. See there is always a positive side to every lesson.

The kids carved a pumpkin & then decorated the site.

Inside the cauldron was a flashlight that flashed & screamed help me in a creepy voice.

The graveyard had a strobe light & a fog machine. It looked really cool in the dark. (& dark it was out in the park)

We went for a walk to the park BBQ then to the beach where we saw 4 swans swimming in the cold lake.

I've never seen so many ladybugs in one spot. Maybe they were huddling to keep warm.
Trick or Treat time.......

We ended up having 58 kids. At home I'm lucky to have 12.
After trick or treating we all gathered around our campfire & popped some Jiffy Pop. I have never had Jiffy Pop. I was really excited about having it. I think it's all about the popping not about the eating.

Will showed up at 11:30pm again only to leave at 6am. Not much camping for him. I didn't end up sleeping very well again but this time it wasn't so much the bunk bed (coffin). It was the fact that I left a window open all night & it was freezing.....duh!! I only noticed it was open in the morning when I was opening the curtains.
Sunday was pretty quiet. We spent most of the morning packing & cleaning up our site. In the afternoon we went for a bike ride to the park store. I bought a spider dog cutter so then we had to have another campfire to try it out. It's child safe no blades gotta love that. I think I had more fun with it than the boys. It doesn't take much to amuse me.
Our camping experience was almost over. Just one more thing to do. Drive over to the pump out station. I saved the best for last....... This I was not looking forward to. Thank God for Steve. He was one of our friends that originally invited us on the camping trip. At this point do you think he was wondering why he did... We parked side by side so I could see how it's done & then do it myself. I got the gloves on & started to pull the hose out. Wrong hose. Steve found the right hose & he hooked it up. I knew where the lever was to release the tank (poop one first) so I was all ready to pull it. Yeah right I had to get to it first. It's at the back of the camper but in the middle. That meant I had to crawl under it. Ok so lets think about this for a minute........... I'm crawling on the cement pad that poop had probably been spilled on. GROSS! Well it had to be done. I scooted under & pulled on the lever. Nope I couldn't pull it out. I tried a few more time & finally Steve came to my rescue AGAIN. He pulled the lever & the hose started to leak. OMG I've never moved so fast in my life. I'm sure that would have made a great utube video. I was on the ground laughing so hard I couldn't get up. The people waiting in line behind us must have thought we were crazy. I know I did. After everything was cleaned out & rinsed off we headed home. This was definitely a trip to remember. We had a blast & we (yes including me) are looking forward to our next adventure. I'm going to watch the movie RV & see how crazy a camping trip can be.

Where do I begin.......

2009-10-12T20:20:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in over a month. What the heck....... Where have I been? I don't know. Honestly I just haven't felt like blogging. I have lots to blog about so I'm going to try to catch up. First off......

Other machine.................. No this is my Great Uncle's machine that I have on loan from the Museum. I blogged about this back in July 08. In case you forgot here is the link.
I have volunteered to clean it up & get it knitting again.

Do you think it knit a few pairs of socks in it's day?!?!

The needles are in great shape and just need some cleaning.

I have never seen a machine so dirty. I'm wondering if it has ever been cleaned.
It had 13 broken needle butts packed in all that gunk.

After having it home for only one hour it was knitting great & never dropped a stitch. I'm going to make socks for the Museum to sell as a fundraiser.

I've very excited to be given this opportunity to knit on the same machine my Great Uncle knit on years ago. Thanks Marguerite!!

My Baby turns 10

2009-09-04T22:44:00.005-04:00

My youngest turned 10 today. The day was filled with fun & friends. There was a nerf war (missed getting a picture of that actually I didn't want to get hit), ripstickin,
This is like skateboarding but with only 2 wheels & you wiggle to make it go. Yeah it's a lot harder than you think. Yes I tried then I walked away happy to have not broken any bones.

4 wheelin,

hangin out
& of course cake eatin......
If you look close you see I didn't have any candles so I used a match. Besides having to light it twice so he could make a wish it worked in a pinch........

Happy Birthday big guy!!!! Hope your day was everything you wanted it to be. We all had fun celebrating it with you!!!

A very Happy Birthday going out to Aunt RA too!!!!!

The machine arrived

2009-08-17T23:13:00.002-04:00

The machine I mentioned in my last post is not mine. ( I wish it was!!) It belongs to my MIL.

It was found at an auction sale & was delivered to my house yesterday. It's missing a buckle, weights & box but really that's no big deal. We can definitely work around that. This poor machine of course like many others ended up in a barn so it's a little rusty.

I spent the afternoon taking it all apart, cleaning it & oiling it. (yes.. neighbour in my kitchen)

New needles & a new spring & we were off to the races. It knits like a dream. It only missed knitting 2 stitches on the first row. After that it didn't miss any.

It will still need a little more elbow grease but for now it's ready to knit some socks.

Well maybe just tubes for now. After a few lessons I'm sure my MIL will be whipping out socks like crazy.

I'm OK

2009-08-10T23:46:00.002-04:00

I'm fine. I'm just busy with life....... Don't worry I'll be back soon with lots to talk about. Maybe even pictures of another machine that was purchased....................

What went on this week??

2009-07-18T20:10:00.007-04:00

MONDAY.......I was asked to do a demonstration with my sock machine at our local Museum. My youngest & I decided to do it together so we took two machines.

It was fun to hang out together & it was a nice day outside so the Museum was pretty quiet. It did give us a chance to look around a bit.

The dinosaur exhibit was the biggest hit with all the kids.

We were asked to do more demos this summer. I'm not sure how many more we will do maybe one more in August.

TUESDAY........ We went to Keady then watched a boat burn across the river. (the most excitement we have had around here in awhile) Thankfully no one was hurt.

WEDNESDAY........ Jack & Bev came for a visit. Jack had on a pair his socks of scraps. Love them!!!

I also bought one of Jack's extra machines. He had 11 & decided he would part with one. It's the Creelman he had brought to one of our Crankins.

THURSDAY......... MOE & my niece came for a visit. Of course I put MOE to work helping me clean my new Creelman. I had it back together put in a new spring & new needles & it was knitting before they headed home.

FRIDAY.............. The boys & I headed to the Walkerton Farmers Market. (I forgot my camera) It's not very big & I've seen most of the vendors in Keady but it was still fun to go to. On our way home we stopped in Paisley at Nature's Millworks. The Mill is having a weaving & rug hooking show so of course we had to go check it out. We saw Sue's Rooster rug & several other crafters projects. We will have to go back in August to see the quilt show. I will make sure I remember my camera on that trip.

What's up for next week..... Who knows.... In the summer we don't plan a lot. We just take one day at a time....

Knitting Lunch

2009-07-11T23:37:00.002-04:00

On Thursday Knitting group got together to celebrate my birthday/anniversary. We had a lovely lunch at Armen's Cafe. Of course we brought knitting.

This is C's shawl. Looks good & it's almost done.

Sue was working on her crochet. What is it? I never asked so I can't tell you.

G is working on another sock. How many is that now??

P is finishing up her Colourflow wrap & will soon be steeking it. I hope she takes lots of pictures. I want to see that.

Now we have P's Noro sock with a personality. I wonder what the second one will be like. (especially when C gets a hold of it)

Thanks girls for a special day of laughs, knitting & of course presents.

July 8

2009-07-10T23:32:00.000-04:00

July 8 was my 9th Anniversary to my 29th Birthday. Yes I know you can all do the math. I can't say I'm 29 forever so an Anniversary is as good as it gets.

There has been some secret knitting going on & I didn't know about it. I'm not one for surprises. I'm terrible at Christmas. I have to know what I'm getting for Christmas. I bribe the boys until they tell me what Will bought me. If that doesn't work I hunt until I find it. When I was little I would search too. If they were wrapped under the tree I would get a knife & slit the tape peak in & retape it. (shhhhh don't tell MOE)
Well MOE pulled this one off. 3 months in the making & hiding it from me. Well done MOE. I had no clue she was making this for my birthday. Now she can work on it without worrying about me stopping by.

I loved Shelley's blanket & had talked about making one with all my sock bits. MOE beat me to it. She spoke to the knitting group & had some sock bits in no time. MOE also raided my stash (scary I didn't even notice) The jackpot was when my Dad came up with the idea to ask Doug for some help & help he did..................................

He sent MOE home with one of his yarn bins full of all kinds of great bits. I had fun just looking through it all.

Briar Rose, Hand Maiden, Jitterbug, Qiviut (that's the $20 square!!) Noro silk garden, KOIGU, Lorna's Laces, louet, Claudia, elann & of course some of Doug's hand dyed yarn.
There are so many I can't name them all.

You don't realize how many different yarn bits you need to make one of these blanket until you get started.

Thanks to everyone that donated to my blanket. Or is it a skirt?!?!

The hardest part was having to leave the blanket at MOE's. I'm just like a little kid. I want to take it everywhere I go.

Is it done yet?!?!?! Can I take it home now? How about now? Now??

Thank you Mommy I loooooooooooooove it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knitting Videos

2009-07-06T00:20:00.001-04:00

Check out these knitting videos......

Extreme Knitting

Wind Knitting Factory

I found a strange knitting pattern Laptop Compubody Sock. Here is another pic of it . This would come in handy at night in bed. (like right now as I type in the dark)

On Saturday I visited Rhichard at Up Your Alley. It was great to see him again. Rhichard had his beautiful woven rugs, scarves, vests & other art pieces on display. Will, Bear & I were out walking so I didn't have my camera with me. No picture of Rhichard & his art. Sorry! I also met another Ravelry person when I was chatting with Rhichard. It was funny because I thought I recognized her but couldn't figure out from where. Then she mentioned where she was from & Rhichard said they chatted on Ravelry. I figured it out. Her Ravatar that's where I had seen her before. How cool was that!?!

It was nice meeting you Beaker & good luck finding a CSM.

Day ended on a good note

2009-06-29T13:44:00.004-04:00

Sunday morning I woke up to find this......... Well this was only one of 3 piles scattered around the house.

Gee it looks like a tangled mess of yarn. No big deal right!?!?!?! WRONG...........
It is my Koigu.........

My HUSBAND let Bear out into the main area of our house before he left for work & thought he would be fine until everyone got up. WRONG....................... My Colourflow wrap was in my knitting bag tucked beside the couch. The camera case was even on top of the bag. There were lots of other things lying around the house more accessible than my KOIGU. Socks hanging off my machines, balls of yarn in baskets, slippers, toys but no we had to go for the KOIGU..........

I couldn't salvage my Colourflow wrap. Yes I cried..................... I had about 5" done so that would be about 7 hours of work. I cried more............

This is what is left of my wrap.

Bear chewed a section & right through my circular needle. (I LOVE MY PUPPY!!) The yarn was broke in too many spots so I frogged it. (that's what I do best)

Anybody want to borrow my circular needle??

The tangled yarn is still trying to be straightened out. I had just joined a nice big ball of yarn (over 100grams) to my wrap too. If only it had been the day before at least I wouldn't have all this detangling to do.
Actually I should say all the detangling my husband has to do. He has volunteered to fix as much as he can. (I think he must be feeling a little guilty)

On a good note Bear graduated for Puppy class that same day.

We are very proud of Bear & all he has accomplished. He has come a long way in the 3 months that we have had him. Don't worry I still love him. Who couldn't love that face? (ok both those faces)

This is Marcel the instructor of the Puppy class. If only he was at our house in the am. Do you think he still would have let him graduate?????

MOE's first Creelman Socks

2009-06-29T13:32:00.003-04:00

Here is the first attempt at a heel.

And now..... Drum roll please........................

The first socks off the machine. Way to go MOE!!!

The socks have already been gifted to S (from South) for her Birthday.

MOE is very happy with her machine because it likes Kroy better than her Cooperative. Next up is to get the ribber going.

MOE's Creelman

2009-06-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

Here is the evidence that it knits.

I stopped by MOE's today to see how she is doing with her sock machine.

She was knittin up a storm on her front porch of course because it was hot as heck.
MOE had to make some modifications to a few things but that's what she does best.

The rod was a little wobbly so she stuck a candy wrap in the hole. That worked.
Next up a piece of wood had to be added in order for the machine to sit properly on the stand. The original piece was yucky so a fancier piece was used instead.

My Dad came up with this one. The hook hanging from the table with the heel forks on it is a hook from a peg board. He just made a little bit of a curve on it & it fit in an existing hole.

MOE tells me that she has completed one pair of socks on the machine. I'll have to go for another visit to take pictures of them.

MOE's First Find

2009-06-23T21:00:00.005-04:00

MOE found a Creelman Sock Machine.

The machine came with a homemade table. A little rusty but it looks like it will work well. (I've already asked to borrow it)

Here is the spread. Bear had to check it out too or maybe he just wanted to be in the picture.

I think this one is similar to Jack's machine.

The machine was pretty rusty & seized.

Now it's a little cleaner.

When I left MOE's house the machine was turning & the needles were going up & down. I received a call when I arrived home that it knits...............

We don't have the ribber working (yet) but MOE is excited to have a 60 cylinder.

The table has a new paint job & looks great. (I helped sand it so I should get to borrow it right!?)
What a great find MOE. Congratulations on the new addition to your Sock Machine addiction.

Mrs. Turtle

2009-06-20T22:35:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Turtle came for a visit.

Every year turtles comes up from the river to lay their eggs.

Bear was out doing his business & he discovered Mrs. Turtle in the grass. He thought it was great to have a new friend to play with. The only problem was his new friend didn't move very fast.

We left Mrs. Turtle so she could find a place to lay her legs.

She dug up 3 areas of our yard.

She never found the right place & moved on.

Bye Mrs. Turtle!!! See you next year.

Wednesday Summer Break

2009-06-17T22:38:00.001-04:00

Today was our last Wednesday Knitting Group until September. We have rented the studio out for July & August so that means nowhere to knit. With the boys home for the summer & the nice weather (well we are hoping for that) we decided to take a break.

Everyone brought food & knitting & we spent the day together.

There were lots of projects on the go. Remember P's Koigu Alligator wrap. Well she's not lovin it & she is thinking about ripping it out. I know she has a hang up on the yellow in it. Rip out that section & move on.

Sue blessed us with her presents today & brought along some of her rug hooking.

And one of her crocheted shawls made of Koigu.

C was working on her Triangle Prayer Shawl. For being a new knitter she is doing really well.

MOE is knitting Koigu Mori socks.

The MIL is making herself a organic cotton sweater. This is the back.

Look at these two. Great minds think alike....... They both brought sliced watermelon & are wearing the same colour.

Here are the other two that are matchy poo. They even match the lamp.........
S from South is having a birthday next week so we had to have cake.........

Happy Birthday S!!!!!! (it looks like she is licking her lips)

We had too much food again. This is what was left over. It was all very yummy. Thank you everyone for bringing food.

Dot is hosting a Saugeen Grannies garage sale on Saturday & brought by some jewelry for everyone to look at. Sue was in heaven. (you know her & her bling!)

Everyone added their favourite cleaning product to this basket & it was my gift for hosting all the knitting days. Now I can clean up after them all!! I also received a gift certificate for a spa treatment. AHHHH Heaven..........maybe I'll get a pedicure.

Thanks Girls you're the best!!!!

Here are some of our knitting group members. I missed getting Dot in the picture. (that woman never sits still long enough)

C thought I needed to be in one. Don't we all look so happy. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that C told us to say SEX.

Well everyone it's been fun. See you all in the Fall..................

6 more days of school, 6 more days of school!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I'm more excited than the kids. No more packing lunches yeah!!!!!

Now I need to get back to knitting socks & start posting again about my sock machines.

World Wide Knit in Pubic Day

2009-06-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

Our knitting group hosted a WWKIP day at our local Library. We had a really fun day. Lots of laughs (we thought we were going to get kicked out at one point) too much food (as usual) & new friends (even the press).

We had 20 door prizes & 27 people in total. Those are pretty good odds.

I had my own little corner. (Away from the rowdy ones. See that one in the picture she was the rowdiest!)
I did complete one pair of socks. I wasn`t sure I liked the colours when I saw this yarn on the cone. What a difference it makes when it is knit up. I really like the way it turned out. It`s too bad Patons decided not to go with it. I sent these socks home with MOE to finish & now she informs me they fit her & she is keeping them. Oh well...easy payment I guess. Good thing I have more yarn.

J showed off her beautiful Lizard Ridge Afghan. All it needed was a crocheted edge. So MOE gave J a quick crochet lesson & she was off to the races. J sent me a message yesterday & said she completed it. Wow that's a lot of work!

I don`t know what this is................. but it looks pretty.

T worked on a sock.

P, S from Port & I are worked on our Colourflow wraps. Looks like I`m in second place. (that is if we were racing...we aren`t right?!)

MOE worked on a baby hat made with the new Bernat Baby Stretch yarn.

L was one of our younger knitters & she completed her first pair of fingerless mitts. With all the excitement of the day I didn't get details on any projects. I don't know what this yarn is or the pattern. Very cute though. Great job L !!!!!!!

I think I ended up meeting everyone that came. People were coming & going it was hard to keep track. I realize I didn't take many pictures either. I think everyone enjoyed themselves because there has already been talk of next year's WWKIP day.

New Patons Kroy FX

2009-06-06T22:24:00.007-04:00

Patons has been at it again. Creating 10 new Jacquards & Striped yarn.

With new colours comes colours that didn't make the cut. Here is one.

Here is another one.I'll post pictures when I get them knit up.

Now we have the new Patons Kroy FX.

7 new colours & I have them all........

Now this is Patons Stretch. I'm not sure what the new colours are but this is what I have of it. Spinrite didn't have the new ones on the shelf yet so we will have to wait & see.

Very exciting all this yarn. Now where am I going to put it................................

Wednesday Knitting

2009-06-05T22:18:00.003-04:00

Here are some things the Knittin Girls are workin on or have completed.

MOE made this adorable elephant for her grandson's 1st birthday. It was a big hit after the tissue paper was taken away.

Look at that cute tail.

M is still on the mitten kick. We think she must be up to 25 pairs now. What a machine she is!!

G made a hat that she is not lovin but I think it looks good on LouLou (& she doesn't seem to be complaining about it)

P is off to a great start with her Alligator Wrap. KOIGU.......... YUMMY!!!

That's it for now. I'm still trying to be brave enough to rip out my Colourflow wrap. Maybe I'll get the boys to do it.....

My first Koigu Project.

2009-06-04T21:45:00.008-04:00

I haven't been posting much since my visits to Koigu. Do you think it has something to do with that??? Maybe I'm too busy rolling naked in all my Koigu.............................. I know I wouldn't be the only one. Gee... come to think of it I haven't seen Sue in a while...............

I did start knitting some of my Koigu. I'm making the Colourflow wrap with this beautiful hank MOE & I are splitting.

P, S from Port & I are doing a KAL. I have one inch done & now I'm going to FROGGIT.... My cast on is way too tight. It's rolling. I don't want it to roll. P & I even did 2 rows different so it wouldn't roll. It would have worked if I wasn't such a freakishly tight knitter.

I absolutely LOVE this yarn. It is wonderful to knit with. I just hope I don't go crazy knitting this project. 280 stitches in the round....stockinette stitch..................................

A Walk

2009-05-22T22:26:00.006-04:00

I've been MIA & not at my CSM. What have I've been doing. Walking.............
Now that we have a dog we walk everyday. Today we walked around Fairy Lake. It was absolutely beautiful.

Who wants to be stuck inside on a day like this.

I was looking in my CSM book & realized that I haven't made a pair of sock in a month. So the knit a pair of socks a day is definitely out the window............. Maybe it should have been one pair a month. I really need to get back at knitting socks.

Update on WWKIP Day.

We have door prizes............. P received donations from Colleen at Riverside Yarns.
Thank you Colleen!!!!

Koigu AGAIN!!!!!!!

2009-05-14T07:22:00.000-04:00

Yes I went again......but this time it was with the Knitting Group. What a fun time we had but I think I've lost one of my BFFs to SUE. Rhichard & Sue hit it off but then who doesn't with Sue. At one point of the tour I went back to make sure Sue didn't drown in a dye pot. Nope there she was laughing & talking dyeing with Rhichard. What a wild pair!!

We all got to meet Kersti. What a wonderfully talented girl she is. I'm glad she skipped school that day.

Who says you have to knit it ....just wear it.

We also met Maie & saw a lot of her designs. It was the most amazing experience to be surrounded by so much talent.

The three generations of Koigu.

Now we have the three generations of Koigu & of course Rhichard!!!!

Kersti is holding my specially autographed Knits from a Painter's Palette.

Thanks again Koigu for entertaining us. We had a blast!!!!!!

My Pregnant Friend

2009-05-10T20:05:00.004-04:00

S from Kitchener is PREGNANT !!!!!!! Happy Mother's Day!!

What a cute little bump............ Is it a girl or a boy??????

MIL did the ring test. If the needle (or ring) goes in a circle it's a boy. If it goes back & forth it's a girl. Well it went back & forth.

Maybe this sweater will be the right colour.

May 20 S goes for an ultrasound so we will have to wait.

Planning for WWKIP Day

2009-05-07T20:32:00.002-04:00

The decision was made today that our Knitting Group will be hosting a World Wide Knit in Public Day. It will be held at the Port Elgin Library from 10am to 3pm. Hopefully other Knitters & Crocheters will join us. I'll post more details when we are better organized.

Stay tuned..........

More Koigu

2009-05-01T23:35:00.000-04:00

Koigu, Koigu & more Koigu.

This room was full of yarn & beautiful knitted items made by Maie Landra. We didn't meet Maie on this visit but hopefully we will next time.

I see beads on this sweater Sue......

I love this pillow.

Gnomes I see gnomes in M's future.

Who wouldn't want to be wrapped in the great throw.

Hey M the shoes don't match.

I really tried to control myself when it came to purchasing yarn. This is all I bought. Koigu doesn't have a yarn that is actually sock yarn. This is Kersti yarn. It's named after Taiu's daughter. It's sock weight but doesn't have nylon in it. I'm going to try it in my sock machine but I have a few other projects in mind too.

We had such a great time & we can't thank Taiu & Rhichard enough for the wonderful day.

The Rainbow Room

2009-04-30T23:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures of Koigu. This is the Rainbow Room. What an appropriate name. This is where all the colour magic happens.

Here is Rhichard again with all his special powders...........

Pizza anyone???

Need a lift????

Where's the colour??

It's magic......

All done by the hands of Koigu. ( & I got to touch them......)

Ok so they aren't the only hands that dye but I touched those ones!!!!

Koigu

2009-04-29T23:46:00.001-04:00

We went to Koigu. Yes it's in Dornoch. Not Williamsford or Chatsworth.

Dornoch.

KOIGU!!!! Can you believe it. It was sooooooo much fun. We were welcomed with open arms.

I wanted to roll this rack right out to the van.

Yarn everywhere.................

Not just any yarn KOIGU.........................................

Hi Rhichard!!!!!!!

Rhichard is my new BFF. Love him........

Taiu is my other new BFF (they might not know this but they are in my world & that's all the matters)

I'm so grateful for all the time they spent with us. We had a history lesson about the company & a tour of the entire place. This made MOE's birthday very special.

Look at that beautifully dyed KOIGU.

Really ... do you think it's wrong to want to work there or just be there everyday naked & rolling around in all that KOIGU?? People that work in crack houses work in the nude right?!?!! (maybe they don't do the rolling around part) It's similar right?!?!! So you don't steal it.....yes right...... New Policy you can only work in the nude.

The yarn looks beautiful at every stage.

Ok wait I'm rethinking that..... You wouldn't want to get anything caught in the machinery.

This cart would fit in the van too.

Well that's it for now.

to be continued.......................

Happy Birthday MOE

2009-04-28T23:27:00.006-04:00

We celebrated MOE's birthday today by going on a little road trip. M had a surprise destination for MOE. We hopped in the van, set the GPS & we were off. MOE figured out where we were going about 20 minutes into the trip. There was no fooling her.

We saw sheep.

A dog with Bling. (it wasn't one of Sue's dog)

Some yarn.....................

HMMMMMMMMM where were we???????????????????????

Need a hint?

Moebius

2009-04-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

I finished a project. Yay me..........
Do I like it? It's ok. I was just experimenting. I knit it with Bernat felting. I had the yarn & I wanted a quick knit. The cast on was interesting. It took awhile to wrap my head around how it worked. Youtube is a wonderful tool. I never would have cast on without it.

If I make another one I will make it longer because I'm always cold.

If I can hand knit a Moebius then I can make one on my sock machine & I did.

I made this one on my Creelman. I was trying to make a Moebius for my niece but I didn't make it big enough. I wouldn't wear it like this but LouLou does.

This way looks better.
It's a very quick & easy knit. Make a tube, put a twist in it & stitch it up.

This is our new member of Wednesday Knitting Group. He needs a name.................

Any suggestions?

more on Wednesdays Knitting Group

2009-04-24T23:16:00.000-04:00

After the fiber lesson I went around to see what everyone was up to. This is the Fountain Pen shawl (from Interweave Spring 2009) that P is working on.

Oh but what is this...........................................

P's feet in store bought sport socks? I first met P in September & I have never seen her in anything but hand knit socks. Her feet must have been in shock.

I have been telling everyone that I made this but anyone that knows me just laughs. They know me better than that. First of all it's crocheted & I'm not so great at that. Second this would have involved following a pattern & I'm not so great at that either. My husband's Aunt made it & my MIL gave it to me.

It's beautiful.

S from Port was given some yarn. Some......35 balls of it. We will have to wait & see what she decides to make with it.

G finished her scarf. It's going to be a great Spring scarf because it keeps your neck feeling cool.

R my SIL came to knitting group for the first time. She doesn't knit but she brought a project she has been working on.
What a cute way to embellish a baby blanket. This will be for our soon to be here nephew.

Everyone seems to be busy making things but what the heck have I made..............................

Fiber Lesson

2009-04-22T21:39:00.006-04:00

Today at Knitting Group we had a fiber lesson from Dot. She surprised us with samples of cotton & silk.

It was great. It makes me want to spin........

The Cocoons were neat. The silk worms were around 22 years old so there wasn't any action goin on there.

This was my favourite part Dot's dreadlocks.

Looks great Dot but I think your dreads need a splash of colour.

Dot is that cotton or did you just roll a fatty!?!?!

Wednesday Knitting Group -Finished Projects

2009-04-17T12:07:00.001-04:00

Some knitting was going on this week...........................

Our newest knitter to the group has completed her first project. Her scarf/shawl looks great & of course she added bling to finish it off.

P finished her Herringbone socks.

Sue crocheted a Dragonfly.

G finished her shrug & M modeled it for her.

We have a washer machine at the Studio so when a knitting project needs to be felted we felt it. These are my MIL's clogs. I was hoping they would shrink too much so they would fit me but no luck. Her feet are a size 11 so we would have had to shrink them a lot more to ever fit me.

Before ..................................

After................................
They were wet so I had to take off my sock so it didn't get wet. Just don't look at my unpainted toes. (no one told me I would be modeling)

S (from South) finished her green shawl. Perfect for a cool Spring day.

I think the very productive Meaford Group inspired everyone...............What do you think!?!

Meaford girls

2009-04-16T07:16:00.004-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting about our great knitting day last week. We had visitors!!! The Meaford knitting group came & spend the day with us.

Look at them...........

Don't they all look soooooo happy to be there.................................

Well yeah!! Who wouldn't be ........ we had cupcakes. It worked out well because it was Nicki's birthday. We couldn't have planned it any better.

This is Ingrid with another one of her beautiful Koigu creations. That woman is amazing..... She knits with no patterns. She just makes it up as she goes along. Now that is talent.

I was stalking her in these photos. Every time she turned around I would take a picture. My favourite part is the bottom.....................BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

We must plan another meet up. We could try for World Wide Knit in Public Day. Anyone else want to join us??

Buckles

2009-04-13T15:37:00.004-04:00

Don't have a buckle for your CSM....................................

Make one......................

This is Marnie & Gordie's buckle. They got it from their Michigan CSM group.

Find something that works for you. How about this one.....

It's very simple. I just went to my cupboard & pulled out a jam jar lid. I used it & with my pickin needle or you could use a knitting needle. Voila!!!

It makes you think............ what else would work?

Knitting For Your Health

2009-04-13T13:05:00.003-04:00

G sent me a video link from CBS news about knitting for your health. Take a look it's interesting.

I also had a request to see the rest of Jack's newspaper article so here it is.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

Jack's Invention

2009-04-11T20:00:00.001-04:00

More from our Crankin......................

How many times have you made a sock & wondered if it was the right size. Well Jack doesn't wonder anymore. He has made this niffy tool to help him size his socks.

A lightbulb, a light socket, 12' ruler, a metal rod & some duck tape. Jack says any watt will work & it can be burnt out. Now that is using what you have on hand.

I'm going to make mine with a tennis ball. I can see myself dropping that one........

It fills in the heel to help you get an accurate measurement.

What a good idea..........

Ontario Crankin

2009-04-10T19:37:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful time we all had Crankin, chattin, eatin & just hangin out. The weather was horrible but Marnie & Gordie, Bev & Jack still ventured out in the snow to join us for our 2 day Crankin.

There was a Star among us...............

Jack was interviewed for his local newspaper. Front page even.... oh I forgot to get his autograph but I did get a hug........

Look at that sexy leg Oh yeah look at Jack's sock too. Jack is the expert ribber in the group. The rest of us only "fake rib" as Jack calls it.

We did get Marnie's ribbers working on her Legare & Auto Knitter. So we don't have any excuses for not ribbing. (right Marnie!!)

These are a pair of Jack's ribbed socks made with Echo Premier yarns. I had never heard of this yarn. Jack picked it up on sale at Mary Maxim.

We might be a small group but boy do we ever have a lot of fun.......

So next time I promise there won't be any snow...............

More pictures to come.....

Cast off Cast on

2009-04-05T20:04:00.005-04:00

It's been 3 weeks & it was time for the cast to come off.

I was a little nervous when the nurse started cutting. Then she told me that Wyatt couldn't be cut by the blade.

The cast came off & xrays were taken.

This cast didn't immobilize the thumb enough. He could still use it & it didn't heal properly. It was still swollen so on went a new one. Now he has a green one. Let's hope this one works.

I thought this would be a good picture to share so you could see how big Bear is. DH is 6' 2" Can you believe Bear is only 6 months old.

Wanna dance?!?!

New addition to our Family

2009-04-05T19:32:00.003-04:00

This is Bear our 6 month old puppy.........

We brought Bear home on a 7 day trail period from a shelter. After a few days there was no way we could ever give him up. We officially adopted Bear on Saturday. He is a very loving puppy & is adjusting well to his new home.

It's sad to think this little guy had been bounced around from house to house. I'm so happy he is here to stay in his forever home.