Vegetable Sisters

Dazed and Confused

2010-08-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Day 6,

Roman Baths (2), Castles (3), Harbours (lost count), Churches (ditto), St. Michael's Mount,

Tintern Abby

And a visit to Colour Mart (no pictures, but there should be~mind boggling!) has left us just a little overwhelmed. More detail when the mind(s) are less boggled!

Liza {who's looking forward to her bed}

End of Day 2 Touring...Possible 2 days behind.

2010-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

So, it is the end of day 2 of touring and day 3 of travel. Day 1 was a right off. Landed in London and found our hotel in Newbury with only a little bit of trouble...always helps to have the directions that you have printed off.

Day 1 - traveled to Avebury and walked around the town and saw all of the stones. Then drove down to Stonehenge. It really is just landed in the middle of a field. Rather amazing! Finished there and drove down to Plymouth at the coast.

Day 2 - started bright and early and started with driving down to Truro. Walked around the town and looked at the cathedral and abbey. Amazing. Continued on down the road to St. Michael's Mount. We took the boat over to the island but by the time we finished climbing and walking around, the tide had come down enough that we were able to walk back to shore. Once finished walking around the town, we got back on the road. We looked for a castle just off the main highway but never did see it. We did however, find a very quaint town and wandered around it. Got back on the road and finished the drive to Exeter where we have just finished having dinner and are settling in for the night.

Tomorrow, we are off to Bath. After that...not sure. Will depend on how much more I can drive after touring.

Cheers to all,
Heather and Liza

PANIC!!

2010-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

And Liza thinks she has stress! I am panicking on getting ready AND I have the stress of knowing that I have to drive on the wrong side of the road in 3 days....count them....3 DAYS!!! Not only driving on the wrong side of the road, but I have Liza in the car with me....she has been told she only gets one panic attack....then she gets blind folded! :o)

Heather

Fingers and toes, fingers and toes.

2010-07-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Those lyrics from this Tragically Hip song are running thru' my head right now. Because when one is is doing the Kermit the Frog, run around waving your arms over your head panic move, it totally makes sense to spend 2 hours at the salon having a mani/pedi. Yes, yes it does.

Other ways to "calm panic" (that is to say, totally procrastinate), includes searching Google images for photos of places we will be, say, like here:

The Bridge of Allan (town/city closest to UK Knit Camp)

Or here:

University of Stirling where Knit Camp is being held.

Liza {who could not find a video of that Kermit the Frog move anywhere on line and the one that plays in her head is a little hard to post ;-)}

Chaos, confusion and panic

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Four more sleeps and then we're off here:

And here:
And here:

Where we'll be attending this event.

The panic, chaos and confusion is 'cause we're so not ready. Wish us luck!/div>

Liza {who's maybe a wee bit stressed!}

Just because

2009-10-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Someone was suggesting it was way past time to post again, I am. Not that I have anything interesting to say, or any cool pictures to share.

There's been some knitting, the red/grey/black Dragon Scale Scarf (Rav link) is finished, just needs to be blocked and have the ends woven in. A couple more socks have been finished, but until I find the bag of second skeins, they are doomed to a lonely existence.

Of course there are a number of new projects on the needles, but well, we don't need to discuss that. At least not until I have pictures.

Liza {who promises to find the cable for the camera so she can have pictures for the next post}

Status Update

2009-06-03T14:52:00.001-07:00

For those who may be concerned, Vegetable Sister #2 is back home and says she's doing well.

Liza {who thinks tomorrow may be a different story}

Happier Post

2008-12-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

Some time ago Knitting Grammy tagged me for a meme. I'm supposed to tell you 6 quirky but boring and unspectacular things about myself. I'm normally not too fond of such things, as I always have difficulty coming up with clever stuff to write. However, I can do boring and unspectacular quite well ;-)

1. I can do the Vulcan salute with both hands.

2. I am the world's most impatient driver and will drive *miles* out of my way, as long as it means I'm still moving. Sitting still in traffic drives me (more) mental.

3. I am very, very fond of movies where I can watch stuff blow up (just *stuff* though, I'm not into gore).

4. I seem to be somewhat addicted to Home and Garden television shows.

5. I'm afraid of heights and bridges in particular. Somehow I always feel like I'm falling or sliding off of bridges as I go over them (living in Saskatoon, The City of Bridges, was a particularly interesting time for me).

6. Inspite of this, I love, love, love carnival rides. As long as they aren't open, like the ferris wheel.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and wish everyone of you all the best in the New Year.

Liza {who hopes that was boring and unspectacular enough}

Not a good year.

2008-11-23T11:08:00.001-08:00

For the fur-babies at chez hairball.

We lost Manhattan on Friday. Same deal as Callisto, only worse, so we didn't even try to prolong things.

I think I'm just numb now. I suspect it will hit me at some point, but for now I'm not nearly the basket case I was with Callisto.

RIP Little Miss

Liza

P.S. I'll try to have a happier post up soon.

Moving On

2008-09-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I did a progress report. And since it's been so long, I'll just add on to the previous updates.

2) Offspring # 2’s Blue Sky Alpacas’ Hooded Pullover in Dyed Cotton (the one that was supposed to be for Christmas). Sleeves done, just needs sewing up and hood. Hasn't been touched.

3) Jumbo cat blanket (aka an afghan for the living room, but I might as well be honest about it’s eventual fate). Another ball of yarn finished, but now it's stalled as the rest of the yarn is buried under a bunch of stuff left over from the house shaking project (something else that's been stalled). Yarn still buried, need to change that.

4) KP&S’s Weekend Neck Down Jacket in Blue Sky Alpacas’ bulky. First sleeve is finished, but I'm not that happy with the look of the cuff, so I may take that out. Yeah, still debating about taking out that sleeve. Should stop debating about it, it's getting cooler and I could use this soon.

5) All the little kid items (charity knitting) that have been languishing about. I’m counting this as one item even though there are, oh, 2 vests, 3 cardi’s, 2 pullovers and a baby sweater in the bunch . Mostly because they all just need a little bit of finishing work. Nada. The next Charity Knit Nite is this Friday, so I think I need to pull these out for that.

7) The Blue Sky Alpacas’ Eyelet Cardigan in Dyed Cotton (it just needs finishing work). Nothing, still. I did just uncover this (it had fallen to the bottom of the pile, maybe I'll look at it this week.

9) My version of Mr. Greenjeans in Dream in Color’s Cocoakiss. Body finished, cast off first sleeve last night. Just needs the button band and ends woven in.

10) KP&S’s Neckdown Wrap Cardigan in Malabrigo. First sleeve finished. Nothing new.

11) Blue Sky Alpacas’ Scoop Neck Vest in Classic Elite’s Renaissance. Zero progress. Needs to be seamed and the neckline knit. Really don't have an excuse not to seam this up, not after the very excelent class on finishing I took at M1, taught by one talented person.

12) Fleece Artist’s Lady of the Lake in Curlylocks and Fleece Artist Aran Yarn. Needles still missing/unknown. When I stop with this work thing, maybe I'll have time to find them. Yeah, still on the missing list.

So, given so little progress, what have I been doing? Well, aside from working a bit here and there and maybe taking a trip to California, this is what I've been doing:

Knitting Pure and Simple's Neck Down Hooded Tunic:

I'm using Schafer's Marjaana in Mary Breckinridge for this one. This is a really nice yarn, 50% Merino and 50% Tussah silk. Yummy. The yarn has been aging in my stash for quite a while and after several trial runs with different patterns, I decided this yarn needed something fairly plain in order to show it off properly:
I've also been working on a version of the now famous Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky:

For this one I'm using Dream in Color's Classy in Deep Sea Flower. I lurrve this colour (anyone surprised by that?) and see this sweater being ultra useful. That is if it ever gets done. The left front has already been knit twice (knitter error~the pattern is just fine):

There are other things in the works, but I think I'll leave those for another time.

Liza {who is not going to mention that there may have been new project cast this weekend~nope, not her, she wouldn't have done that!}

Sad News

2008-08-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Inspite of all our and the vet's care and attention, Callisto didn't make it.

He rallied a few times, but after another stay in hospital and the insertion of a feeding tube, he just continued to decline.

So, Monday morning I made what I think was the right decision for him and had him put down.

RIP big guy.

Liza

Negative Ease

2008-08-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

In knitting, the right amount of negative ease can be a good thing. Certain sweaters rely on negative ease for proper fitting, for example:

(Yosemite from Knitty Spring '08~this one has 7 inches of negative ease).

Socks are another area where negative ease can be a good thing (better to fit into your shoes, m'dear).

However, negative ease in one's life? Not so good. When you feel the squeeze in your time, energy (mental or physical) or finances, it can be worrisome. And when you feel that squeeze in all areas? Well, something has to give. And in my case it was knitting & computer time, so I guess it's okay that I haven't had time to blog, 'cause there wasn't much knitting to talk about.

Things are starting to ease up though, the parental units are moved, I'm working less, and the cat (Callisto~the big guy) is doing better. Which is a relief. And in a fit of wild exuberance over said relief, I may have done something, umm, foolish? Undoable (for me anyway)? Bit off more than I can chew?

So what is this that I have committed to? Nothing less than starting *and* finishing the Lotus Blossom Tank:

(Interweave Knits Summer 2006)

during the Olympics. Cast on date: August 8~finishing date: August 18. Okay, skip foolish etc. The correct term I believe is, insane. Going to try though.

Liza {who's very used to the precarious position she can find herself in as she jumps into a project with both feet, while flying by the seat of her pants}

Once More Into the Breach

2008-07-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Or at least the living room. Seems the house shaking project is underway once more. It's slow going, but I can now see the trunk (which serves as a coffee table) for the first time in months. There's still a bit more to move and at some point I'll probably re-organize the stuff that I've moved down stairs, but for now it's fine.

There is one slight (okay, fairly large) hitch in this whole program. The Ikea in Calgary is out of these:
And that's the main storage piece for the new studio area. Which means I won't be able to finish organizing that area any time soon~arrrrggghhh!

Oh well, moving on. On to knitting that is. Haven't been knitting quite as much as I usually do, this summer seems unusually busy, what with (gasp) working and Mom and Dad moving and then just the usual extra work in the yard. However, a Doctor Who marathon last weekend with the members of the Dork Squad (some of whom actually post over there) gave me the opportunity to work on Thermal.

This one might be done for Fall/Winter 2010. Yeah, dense stitch patterns over 268 stitches on 2.5 mm needles in fingering weight yarn. do not make for a quick knits. I do like it though. And I think I'll end up getting a lot of use out of it.

Liza {who's just discovering what unused muscles were called into play today during the house shaking process~owwwwwie!}

Hit and Run Posting

2008-06-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Oh my, how has this much time passed? Oh yeah, it's that thing called work. Something I'm not exactly used to you know. And it's really interfering in my social/knitting life. Since, I'm somewhat pressed for time, this is going to be another drive-by update.

2) Offspring # 2’s Blue Sky Alpacas’ Hooded Pullover in Dyed Cotton (the one that was supposed to be for Christmas). Sleeves done, just needs sewing up and hood.

3) Jumbo cat blanket (aka an afghan for the living room, but I might as well be honest about it’s eventual fate). Another ball of yarn finished, but now it's stalled as the rest of the yarn is buried under a bunch of stuff left over from the house shaking project (something else that's been stalled).

4) KP&S’s Weekend Neck Down Jacket in Blue Sky Alpacas’ bulky. First sleeve is finished, but I'm not that happy with the look of the cuff, so I may take that out .

5) All the little kid items (charity knitting) that have been languishing about. I’m counting this as one item even though there are, oh, 2 vests, 3 cardi’s, 2 pullovers and a baby sweater in the bunch . Mostly because they all just need a little bit of finishing work. Nada.

6) At least 2 pairs of socks of the ½ dozen or so on the needles. Done.

7) The Blue Sky Alpacas’ Eyelet Cardigan in Dyed Cotton (it just needs finishing work). Nothing, still.

9) My version of Mr. Greenjeans in Dream in Color’s Cocoakiss. Body finished, cast off first sleeve last night.

10) KP&S’s Neckdown Wrap Cardigan in Malabrigo. First sleeve finished.

11) Blue Sky Alpacas’ Scoop Neck Vest in Classic Elite’s Renaissance. Zero progress.

12) Fleece Artist’s Lady of the Lake in Curlylocks and Fleece Artist Aran Yarn. Needles still missing/unknown. When I stop with this work thing, maybe I'll have time to find them.

And just to prove I haven't really mended my ADD/procrastinator ways, look at what I cast on for the other day.

Liza {who notes that of course the perfect thing to cast on for summer knitting is a long-sleeved wool shirt}

Random Wednesday

2008-04-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

In fine knit blogger tradition (one started by, I believe, mamacate) I declare today a random day.

To start, the bad:

1. I'm sick. Offspring #2 shared the cold/flu thing (need to talk to that child about what/when one should share and when not to) and an elephant has taken up residence in my chest. A small elephant to be sure, but an elephant none the less.
2. Gas is up to $1.15 per litre
3. I missed Knit Nite at M1 last night, I missed my quilt group meeting this morning and it now looks like this concert is a no go for me as well.
4. I have a criminally short attention span.

The good:

1. Between avoiding too much driving around ($1.15/L!) and being sick, I've had lots of knitting time.
2. Mr. Greenjeans and the jumbo cat blanket have both grown a few inches. There may have been a few other things jumping on to my needles as well (see #4 above). For example, this pretty little thing might, just might, be several inches into the rib.

The pattern calls for Blue Sky Alpaca's Sportweight held double, but as usual, I'm changing things up a bit and am using these two together:

This is their Alpaca Silk in Wisteria (#114)

And this is the Suri Merino in Dusk (#418)

I'm loving the fabric these two are turning into. It's looking kinda tweedy and it's soooooo soft!

Also landing on my needles (I was just sitting there, I swear, and the yarn just jumped on) is Roam from Knitty:

I've had this yarn in my stash for a bit and I guess it got lonely or tired of being ignored or something. Oh, and of course, I did change things a bit. The yarn shown is lovely, but the colourway was not for me. So instead I'm using this one:

Hand Maiden's Great Big Sea in the colour Nova Scotia. Just a note, on my skeins, the light green is more of a yellow green. Again, loving the fabric it's making up into. However, the seed stitch pattern is (for me anyway) slooooowwww.

3. The chicken noodle soup I made yesterday is very good and well timed!

Totally Random:

1. Eugene Levy's son Daniel (in spite of the eyebrows) is a hottie. Who'da guessed that?
2. Signs of spring are here. It's shedding season and absolutely everything I own is coated in a fuzzy/furry grey layer.
3. A new study showed that over 90% of the food marketed towards kids is crap. No really? And someone paid for that study? I think any parent could have told you that.

Liza {who wishes she could find someone to give her money to find out the obvious}

It's Heather Day

2008-03-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's that time of year again, time to celebrate the natal day of my partner in crime. As of today she's ........ years old (come on now, did ya really think I was gonna say the *actual* number? )

I remember being, well, less than thrilled with the idea of a new sibling, but over the years, those feelings have certainly changed. It's great to have someone who will help you move furniture, chose a special outfit, go to exercise classes with you (or not) and enable your shoe and purse habits, not to mention the yarn habit. It's even good to have someone who can say to you "Were you drinking when you bought that?" (and no, I wasn't, it's just my inability to just say no to a sale). So, all in all, this whole baby sister thing has worked out pretty well, I think. Thanks for being you kid. Happy Birthday and many, many, many returns of the day.

Liza {who thinks the baby brother or puppy would have been a really bad idea}

Cheer-up Post

2008-03-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Since my last couple of posts have been of a fairly cranky nature, I feel I need to post something a little more, well, light-hearted. So, here we go, LOLCats and Monty Python references, how can that not make you smile?

Liza {who adds, this post brought to you by I Can Has Cheezburger. Making regular people wet themselves and the grammar police cringe since January 11, 2007 }

Beware the Ides of March

2008-03-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

This line popped into my head yesterday when I changed the date on the calendar by my knitting spot.

However, unlike Caesar, I don't have to worry about assassination, only bad knitting.

I dunno what I've done to anger the knitting gods, but for the past few days everything I've done has been, well, crap. The Swallowtail Shawl hasn't progressed since Wednesday.

I've worked on it, but have ended up going backwards! Very frustrating.

So, I thought I should do something else and on Friday brought several different projects to TGIF at Make One. The first thing I went with was the Sleeveless Wrap Top from Blue Sky Alpacas.

Uh, yeah, that was a no go. Then I pulled out the second sock (of the second pair) of #6 on my MP 2008 list. The sock that I said earlier this month was at the gusset. Um, no it wasn't, however I didn't clue into this fact and blew right past the need for the heel turn and started picking up stitches.

It was at that point that I decided to give up and cast on for some brainless knitting in the form of a roll-brim hat that I'll donate to charity. It seems this is what the knitting gods wanted me to do, as that project moved smoothly for the rest of TGIF and I was able to continue on easily at Pub Nite (it's at the crown shaping).

I think I was being sent a message, but I'm not sure what exactly the message was. Was I getting to cocky with my knitting? Or was this a reminder that sometimes I need to stop focusing so hard on myself and look at the bigger picture?

Either way, I did end up with a mental list of things I need to remember:

1) Read ahead in the pattern.

2) Before ripping out what you did before you read ahead in the pattern, make sure that any changes you make are actually needed, as your style of knitting may not match exactly with the pattern designers.

3) Check for errata.

4) Please learn to count to three!?!

Oh, and I forgot this one:

5) Because your memory is, well, less than reliable (no really?), when picking up a project after a protracted break, it is not a bad idea to review what's been done so far and what still needs to be done. Even if you're sure, you know where you left off. And a quick glance at the pattern wouldn't go amiss either.

Liza {who's avoiding the whole issue today, by spending it with her fabric stash}

Two Steps Forward Five Steps Back

2008-03-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know that's not exactly how the saying goes, but that's my interpretation right now. And what, one may ask, has me feeling this way? Well, there are a few things.

The first situation we need to examine is only partially my fault. I say only, partially 'cause certain people convinced me this was a good idea. And said good idea? Nothing less than a KAL for the Swallowtail Shawl. Now don't get me wrong, it's a lovely pattern, see:

Well written, nice clear charts, etc., etc. However, there seems to be the knitting equivalent to PEBCK happening here (for those of you who don't speak computereze, this means Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard). Yep, it seems I am a dumbass who can't count to three on a regular and ongoing basis. Sigh.

The second situation contributing to the 5 steps back feeling? Well, that'd be this house. I you remember last week we had ourselves a plumbing situation. After some time and more $$ than I'd like to have spent (think of the yarn that could have been) I got that mostly sorted out. There's still a tap that needs replacing, but I think I'm just going to have to figure out how to do that by myself, even if it kills me. Oh, and does anyone know of a plumbing equivalent to the Knitting Help videos? All in all though, sounds things are improving, right? That's what I thought too, ha! The house was just waiting. It seems that now the side door on the garage is not latching properly. In a strong wind, the door now pops/blows open. And what is one of Calgary's weather's most notable features? Yeah, strong winds. Of course, I'm not even going to mention the furnace, the fence that's falling down or the mouse (mice?) in the compost bin.

And the final 5 steps back situation? That'd be the house shaking project. The one that designed to make life easier? Not so much. A month later I have 3 messy/unusable spaces where before there was one messy/unusable space, one semi-messy/inconvenient space and one lovely living room. But that, well, it could be a post all on it's own. And it might just be, maybe even with pictures to illustrate.

Liza {who really needs to remember that other saying. The one that goes "Those who fail to plan, should plan to fail" or at least should be prepared for a mess. Just saying}

Drive-by Progress Report

2008-03-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

The house shaking project is slow going, but there has been a bit work on the knitting front. At least enough to fool myself into thinking there is a need for a progress report:

2) Offspring # 2’s Blue Sky Alpacas’ Hooded Pullover in Dyed Cotton (the one that was supposed to be for Christmas). Second sleeve is at the cap shaping.
3) Jumbo cat blanket (aka an afghan for the living room, but I might as well be honest about it’s eventual fate). Finished off another ball of yarn here, so maybe a couple of inches done.
4) KP&S’s Weekend Neck Down Jacket in Blue Sky Alpacas’ bulky. This has been loaded into a knitting bag, and then taken back out. Nothing more's happened though.
5) All the little kid items (charity knitting) that have been languishing about. I’m counting this as one item even though there are, oh, 2 vests, 3 cardi’s, 2 pullovers and a baby sweater in the bunch . Mostly because they all just need a little bit of finishing work. Nada.
6) At least 2 pairs of socks of the ½ dozen or so on the needles. At the gusset for the second sock of the second pair.
7) The Blue Sky Alpacas’ Eyelet Cardigan in Dyed Cotton (it just needs finishing work). Nothing, which is just so dumb, it wouldn't take that much time to finish!
8) 2 new items for charity (deadline of Feb. 8th for charity knit night @ Make One Yarn Studio). Done.
9) My version of Mr. Greenjeans in Dream in Color’s Cocoakiss. Zip.
10) KP&S’s Neckdown Wrap Cardigan in Malabrigo (same pattern as the one in the previous post). Body done, working on the first sleeve.
11) Blue Sky Alpacas’ Scoop Neck Vest in Classic Elite’s Renaissance. Zero progress.
12) Fleece Artist’s Lady of the Lake in Curlylocks and Fleece Artist Aran Yarn. Took this one out of the bag the other day and realized that in one of my cleaning fits (they do happen, just not often) I'd put the needles away. Arrrggh. One day, when I have a bit of time (and patience) I'll sort that out.

And with that, I'll leave you with a picture of the yarn that fell into my bag after Tuesday's Knit Nite:

Curious Creek's Wasonga in Glacier Lakes.

Liza {who says, we won't mention that the project for this yarn has already been cast on~shhhhh!}

Falling Apart

2008-03-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

No not me (or at least not me this time), but rather this house. This time we have plumbing issues. Sigh. This means I'm going to have to venture into manland to buy fixtures. And since I have no freakin' clue how to chose such things, I'll have to throw myself on the mercy of the folks there. Fun times.

So what does this have to do with knitting you ask? Well, more than you might expect. In fine ostrich type behaviour, I've been doing my best to avoid thinking about said plumbing issues all week. And since said issues are least evident when one is sitting on the couch in the family room with the TV on, that is exactly where my butt has been planted. So, prime knitting time.

This Friday, M1 hosted a Leap Year party and one of the activities was a mini sock exchange and my contribution to the exchange was one of this week's plumbing avoidance activities. These little goobers (shown below) are just so cute and a really quick knit. That is, if you don't have gauge issues and end up knitting more than one. Not that I'd know about that personally, uh un.

Oh and BTW, I may have figured out away around my picture/camera/computer issues and there may (or may not) be pictures of my actual sock exchange socks coming soon (both the one I made and I received).

Of course, that little sock would not have taken all my attention this week, so I've also been working on my second Wrap Sweater:

(I'm using Malabrigo Worsted in Tuareg for this one)

I'd left off at the point where you divide for the sleeves and as of last night it's now just a few rows from the cast off at the bottom of the body. I hope to get to the sleeves by the end of the weekend.

Or not, as the weekend is a bit busy. There's the trip to manland to contend with (yeah, there goes several hours I'm sure). And the other Vegetable Sister is coming over today to help with the "turn the house upside down" project. Speaking of which, I should wrap this up and go prepare for that.

Liza {who really doesn't do mornings well~it's almost 11 am and she's still in her jammies}

Not Talking

2008-02-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

Or rather, not writing much because, honestly, there's not much to talk about. There's no knitting talk, as my knitting has slowed waaaaayyy down due to a couple of bigger non-knitting projects I'm working on. And I don't want to talk about the bigger projects either. The first is because it's a super secret project (in other words, if it ends up looking like something one of the cats left in the litter box, I want to be able to deny all knowledge of it). The second project involves taking my house and turning it upside down and giving it a good shake. The process of which is interesting to me, but is totally boring for anyone else, especially without pictures to illustrate (really must figure out the camera/computer thing).

The one thing I have been doing that I can/will talk about is shopping. And can I say I have mixed feelings about that endeavor? Shopping at places like Out of Hand where one can purchase things like this pattern:

Or this:

Well, that's my idea of a good time. And going to HMV to pick up Series One of Torchwood, well that's a pretty good option too. However, shopping for pants. Not so much. One day I will find the perfect combo of thigh/butt/waist/leg size and length, but today was not that day. I did end up with a couple of pairs from Eddie Bauer at a fairly reasonable price (not as reasonable as someone else found though) so it's all good.

Liza {who notes and when she does find those illusive perfect pants, the style will promptly be discontinued}

Thinking of Spring

2008-02-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

Even though Calgary is still firmly in the grasp of Old Man Winter, I'm dreaming about spring. Specifically, knitting for spring. This pattern was in the last shipment from Blue Sky Alpaca

And then there was this yarn, (Skinny Dyed Cotton in Zinc)

And well, the temptation was just too great. So, even though I should be working on something useful like my bulky sweater or thrummed mitts or the like, I'm busy trying to figure out how to shorten the skirt portion of that top and looking on-line for pretty ribbon.

Liza {who's planning to close all the blinds, turn up the heat and pretend it's close enough to spring to make knitting this reasonable}

What I didn't talk about

2008-02-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had a whole long post ready to go in which I whined a whole lot about sleep or rather not sleeping, but I decided that was something I wasn't going to bore folks (including myself) about. Instead I'm gonna show you what happens when you go to Tuesday Knit Nite after a new shipment arrives.

It seems you see yummy yarn like this:
(Dream in Color's Smooshy)

And you decide you must make this:
(Jeanie from Knitty Winter 2007)

So, you buy said yarn and thus break your determination that you were not going to buy anymore yarn. Or at least, not buy anymore yarn that day. I am soooo weak. However, it must be noted that I did not buy this:

(Jordana Paige's Bella in Purl)

.
Yet, anyway.

In other news, our weather has greatly improved as a chinook has blown in. Yay!

Liza {who's sure she'll break down on that bag sooner or later, it's perfect!}

Progress Report

2008-02-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

In an effort to keep on track, I thought I'd give a progress report on my Mission Possible 2008 goals at the begining of each month. Or that's the plan, we'll see how that goes.

1) Give away, sell, whatever, but get rid of the 2 bags of random “what was I thinking” yarn (seems if you put a sale sign on it, I’ll buy anything). Done
2) Offspring # 2’s Blue Sky Alpacas’ Hooded Pullover in Dyed Cotton (the one that was supposed to be for Christmas). Finished first sleeve, working on the second.
3) Jumbo cat blanket (aka an afghan for the living room, but I might as well be honest about it’s eventual fate). A couple more inches done~man this is a slog.

4) KP&S’s Weekend Neck Down Jacket in Blue Sky Alpacas’ bulky. Not touched this for a couple of weeks. Really could have used it this week though, it's been cold!
5) All the little kid items (charity knitting) that have been languishing about. I’m counting this as one item even though there are, oh, 2 vests, 3 cardi’s, 2 pullovers and a baby sweater in the bunch . Mostly because they all just need a little bit of finishing work. Nada.
6) At least 2 pairs of socks of the ½ dozen or so on the needles. One pair finished, of course I also started another pair since making this list, but we won't talk about that.
7) The Blue Sky Alpacas’ Eyelet Cardigan in Dyed Cotton (it just needs finishing work). Haven't even pulled it out of it's bag yet. However, it is a summer sweater and well, summer feels a long way off yet.
8) 2 new items for charity (deadline of Feb. 8th for charity knit night @ Make One Yarn Studio). Nothing here, better hurry with this as that's this Friday. Someone please explain how it got to be FEBRUARY already?
9) My version of Mr. Greenjeans in Dream in Color’s Cocoakiss. If moving it from one knitting bag to another counts as progress, then there's been some. Otherwise, not so much.
10) KP&S’s Neckdown Wrap Cardigan in Malabrigo (same pattern as the one in the previous post). Ditto.
11) Blue Sky Alpacas’ Scoop Neck Vest in Classic Elite’s Renaissance. I found the final ball of yarn for this that I'd misplaced, that counts as progress, doesn't it?
12) Fleece Artist’s Lady of the Lake in Curlylocks and Fleece Artist Aran Yarn. Not even sure where this one's gotten too. Probably in the pile of project bags beside my knitting spot.

As an aside, living in Calgary can provide some interesting suprises. For example, I opened my kitchen blinds this morning in time to see this whip by. And I do mean whip, it was going fast!

Liza {who wonders about these folks sanity, it was flippin' cold this morning and they're out there in a balloon? }

New Year, New Post.

2008-01-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing like starting the year off right. If by "right" you mean as usual, even though you kinda, sorta decided to change your usual MO as part of a New Year's resolution. I had decided to stop putting off the things I want to do, like blogging more and finishing up projects and trying out new techniques etc. Yeah, going well, that. Sigh, procrastination is my second (and third and fourth) name.

However, I am determined to fight that tendency and as part of that effort, I've joined Mission Possible 2008 over on Ravelry. I thought I'd share my list here as well, as sort of a back-up reminder system. So here it is:

1) Give away, sell, whatever, but get rid of the 2 bags of random “what was I thinking” yarn (seems if you put a sale sign on it, I’ll buy anything).

2) Offspring # 2’s Blue Sky Alpacas’ Hooded Pullover in Dyed Cotton (the one that was supposed to be for Christmas).

3) Jumbo cat blanket (aka an afghan for the living room, but I might as well be honest about it’s eventual fate).

4) KP&S’s Weekend Neck Down Jacket in Blue Sky Alpacas’ bulky.

6) At least 2 pairs of socks of the ½ dozen or so on the needles.

7) The Blue Sky Alpacas’ Eyelet Cardigan in Dyed Cotton (it just needs finishing work).

8) 2 new items for charity (deadline of Feb. 8th for charity knit night @ Make One Yarn Studio).

9) My version of Mr. Greenjeans in Dream in Color’s Cocoakiss.

10) KP&S’s Neckdown Wrap Cardigan in Malabrigo (same pattern as the one in the previous post).

11) Blue Sky Alpacas’ Scoop Neck Vest in Classic Elite’s Renaissance.

12) Fleece Artist’s Lady of the Lake in Curlylocks and Fleece Artist Aran Yarn.

Well, that all took an inordinate amount of time, so I think I'll leave it at that for now.

Liza {who still retains her title of technodolt}

Bowing to pressure

2007-11-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

So, yeah not so much with the updating here, eh? It's not that there's been no knitting, in fact there's been quite a lot. It's the lack of pictures that's the problem. Someday I'll figure out the techmologies enough that I can take my own pictures, however, today is not that day. So, you'll have to settle for what I can yank off the interwebs.

The most recent thing off the needles is a Knitting Pure and Simple's wrap cardigan.I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Black Purl and it's looking pretty good if I do say so myself.

Also off the needles (finally) is the Rectangular Shawl. It still needs the crochet edging, I think I might need to get some help with that though.

Another FO is a Chevron Scarf, the pattern's from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, by Joelle Hoverson. It's a nice pattern and a fairly easy knit but, I'd have to say, waiting to the actual last minute to knit this one would be a mistake. Four balls of fingering-weight yarn on 3.75mm needles does not, IMNSHO, a quick knit make. I don't have any pictures of my version, but here are a lot of wonderful ones.

There are more FOs, but I think I've pushed my luck w/the whole techmology thing today (only managed to delete something unintentionally once this time). So, I think I'll leave the rest for another day. Who knows, maybe by the next time I update I'll actually have figured out the picture thing.

Liza {who adds, but don't count on that}

Summer Knitting

2007-09-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

I have been getting nothing but grief for not posting for almost 2 months...yes, I know. I am a bad blogger. I promise I will attempt to get better at it. However, on to the reason for the post. I have been busy knitting this summer and have finally taken a couple of pictures of the items to post.

First off...2 new pair of socks. Both of these socks are made out of Tofutsies in the great pattern that KnittingGrammy started me out on. Indy decided he also needed to be in on the photo.

Next project is a Chevron Scarf made out of Koigu. I still haven't blocked it so you don't get a full picture, just a shot to give you an idea of it.

The next pair of socks a simple version of the 2 socks made out of Tofutsies. I made this pair out of Drops Alpaca. These are going to be going to a very good friend of mine as a little thank you for her support this summer. Hopefully she will like them.

And last but not least, I made a kitten bed for my little fuzzies. I of course had to deviate from the pattern and it did not turn out to be what I wanted at all!! However, from the pictures, both Dega and Indy don't seem to mind that it didn't really turn out. I am going to have to try this pattern again and actually, follow the pattern completely.

I promise I will post in the next couple of days on what is currently on my needles. Until then...peace....out!

Sock Bandwagon

2007-07-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

It was a couple of years ago that Liza told me she was going to take a knitting sock class. My reaction, why would you do that? What purpose is there to knit socks? I mean...you can get 4 pair for $5.00 at any Walmart or Zellers...why knit them?

Over the last couple of years I have watched Liza and many others knit socks. At M1 SnB I have listened to many talk about the sock yarn they have just gotten, the pattern that they were going to knit on their next pair, the pattern they were designing for knitting socks. Let me tell you, it was overwhelming and frankly, I felt totally out of the loop. I decided I was going to take a class....no classes available at M1 for at least a month. To understand this issue, you need to understand that when I get an idea in my head, it has to happen now....not in a month, not in a week....NOW!! I couldn't wait that long! So, over to the patterns I go to see if there is a pattern that will walk me through the process of knitting socks. Of course this is rather funny considering I suck at reading patterns...why do I think I will be able to actually accomplish this? Because I am desperate....remember I must do it NOW!! Obviously Knitting Grammy heard the desperation in my voice as she offered to meet me at M1 that Friday afternoon to teach me the miracle knitting of socks. So, over the next couple of Friday afternoons Knitting Grammy and I met at M1 and went through the process of knitting a sock....the final outcome....

My first sock made out of Opal Sock yarn. Dega, my oldest cat, checking it out. Yes, I did make the second sock. So I now have a matching pair and I am now hooked on knitting socks. And yes, I now know why people knit socks rather than just buying all at Walmart or Zellers.

My second pair is made out of Tofutsies (picture to come at a later date). My third pair which I casted on last night are again out of Tofutsies. Yes, I know...boring doing it out of the same type of yarn but I was desperate last night to start something new and all my other sock yarn needs to be wound.......hmmm... LIZA!!

Well, whadda ya know, actual FOs!

2007-06-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, some are, some not so much. These are. It's a shot of various hats and one scarf all destined for assorted charities. The grey hat and scarf are from Knitting With Balls and while it's a nice pattern that turned out well, I have to say, I won't be doing that scarf again anytime soon. I forgot how much I dislike the fisherman rib type patterns (once did a whole sweater in it, eek!~okay, it was a toddler sweater, but still!). The rest of the hats are just your basic roll-brim hats.

Okay, here we have an almost FO, along with the requisite cute kitty pic. The kitty is Miss Manhattan aka Manny, the only girl in the gang at my house.

The item she's checking out is a finished top for a Halloween quilt featuring, what else, a black kitty. D'ya think Manny recognises the resemblance?

This is the quilt sans Manny. Kinda cute, eh? Even if I do say so myself. It's an original design, or at least as original as one can be with a very basic 4-patch as your basis. And it took much longer than it should have to get this far (how long I'm not saying).

This is another not quite FO. It's the Rectangle Shawl from Blue Sky Alpacas done in their Alpaca Silk (Spring). I love this yarn and the pattern is so pretty, but I'd memorized the pattern after 2 or 3 repeats and now I'm, well, bored. I'll be dragging it with me to knit group at Make One tonite and every Tuesday until I finish it. That's the only way to make sure it gets finished.

And to round out the project content, a picture of a couple of kitty blankets made for the Meow Foundation.
This is an important organization in our household as all four kitties are Meow alumni.

Well, this has taken me longer to do than I ever would have expected (kept doing the same, wrong, thing~arrrggghhh computers!) so that's all for now folks. I leave you with one more kitty pic.

Meet Mustang, the resident Himbo. The boy is cute, but brains? Yeah, not so much. Note, he's checking out the loveseat after all the interesting stuff was packed away.

Liza {who notes, knowing the classic definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results) does not prevent one from indulging in that very thing}

Two Sisters from Calgary

2007-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

To stop the harassment of our knitting friends.....we have created a BLOG!!

We will try to keep track of our endeavors and hopefully show pictures of our FOs. We are both knitters but we both also have different other hobbies and interests that we will be posting about. I am sure there will also be pictures of our respective kitties. Heather has 2 and Liza has 4....yes, I said 4.

Heather :o)