Late Late Late...

As one who is very familiar with procrastination and the trouble it gets me in, I find myself this week late in my goal for finishing the Fiddleheads for Heath for another reason - pure distraction. I was on my target (having the outsides done by end of the night Stitch n' Bitch), when I noticed an unusual amount of mistakes, 5 rows before, one less stitch, etc. Trying to do too many things at once, and knitting while I was extremely tired, I wasted a good 4 hours worth of colourwork that had to be ripped out. I saw no other way. Aggghhhhh! Well, they are now blocking, now that it's Sunday, and the week hasn't been that relaxing. Work has gone crazy this week too. Maybe the quality of my knitting is the direct reflection of my state of being and how aggitated I am!

The important thing is that I have to wait now, and have reached the goal (even though they were Christmas presents), and now onto finishing up the next Christmas present - Mrs. Lidster's Fiddleheads. But then there is the baby shower for one of my co-workers, my good friend on the Island, and many more - so many babies! I am attempting an elefante for each. Here go my lofty goals again.

I am doing well though and trying to go from my stash first. No new wool yet. So much inspiration though...

I am adding a list of my favorite sites that get me inspired! Check them out.

Shelagh Rogers in my head....

This weekend has been an absolute blessing in terms of a great freakin' hunkerin' down kind of time. The intermittent rain showers/sun had me in the mood to knit constantly, and finally get out into the the world to some much-needed errands like....BOOK SHOPPING (at the library of course :)).

I love spring storms that only last a little bit, with the dark clouds, the sun glinting through.

So, with Mom's mittens in the mail:

(in a god-awful-this-chick-cannot-wrap-a-square-box-to-save-her-life kind of way), including the cowl, I knit a whole outside Fiddlehead mitten for my sister in about 10 hours of knitting this weekend, the whole time listening to Shelagh Rogers' The Next Chapter podcasts from CBC radio. Love that show. I have a list of books a mile long recommended, mentioned, etc., that I can't wait to get to. Although now I'm looking for them at the library in audio format so I can put them on the IPOD and knit while I'm being read to.

Soon will be the day where I can knit and read at once.

I am starting to read Unless by the late Carol Shields. The first story I have read of hers, it is a poignant picture on a mother and her daughter and her lack of understanding/control on her daughter's life. Heartbreakingly full of grief. It is a physically small book, so a good one to start with, with so much knitting to do.

Goal this week: do 2 hours of knitting each day, get Heath's # 2 mitten outside completed by Saturday.

And ladies, a link that every woman in a relationship needs to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

New and Old

So, after seeing Mom last weekend, I have had an increased guilt level that I have not yet finished her Fiddlehead mittens. The blocking did not work out as well as I had hoped to increase their size, so I got down to it and tried it again.

No luck. One mitten I had just was a tighter knit, and therefore didn't have the give I needed to match the other. Last time I'm doing that size of needle for anyone over 12! But I think they might be ok.

Finished the first mitten liner (using Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri in Whipped Cream) in 2 days, then was inspired to finish the other liner last night. Got to the finishing of the thumb, which I think I can "whip" up in 15 minutes - VOILA! A package that can go out the door....now that it's warm out. Fantastic.

Now onto Heather's Christmas Fiddlehead mittens...then Mrs. Lidster's...now that it's spring.

Out with the old, in with the new:

I decided to stop the Debbie Bliss Cashermino Baby Matinee Jacket - although very cute, just too much of stockingette - too small. So I'm using the same wool (Debbie Bliss Cashermino in Lilac) and I dove into the Cabled Coat with Hood by Debbie Bliss - very cute:

And surprise surprise - cables are EASY!!! If you can do DPN, you can cable. I love Youtube!

The pattern will take some concentration, but it's only 4 rows repeated - If I've done it 100 times, I think I might be able to fly!

So someone better have a girl! No boys allowed!

Working on my Elefante, I went to Zellers for stuffing. Was there any? No. What there was PLENTY of were $5.00 king size pillows. Perfect. Can't get cheaper than that.  I really hate Zellers though - I always choose the wrong line!

I want to have a hippo equivalent of the Elefante so I can make it for the sista.

Books-wise, I started to read The Things I've Been Silent About. NOT IMPRESSED. I am quitting it, life is too short to ready something that is not grabbing me right away.

Next, who knows? I will be knitting though.

Elefante

My next project: Susan B. Anderson's Elefante. This is a very exciting pattern because a) spring is the time for babies...and the friends are starting to go nuts - which means baby shower gift time. Although I'm loving the Debbie Bliss Cashermino book patterns, they are getting a little monotonus with it being one colour. The pattern will use up some of my Cascade 220 wool which I bought in numerous rainbow colours for knitting mittens 3 years ago that I never did make (let's just say the prototype was hideous).

So far, I have made 4 little elephant legs taking about 1.5 hrs, but very fun!

Although there are a lot of ends, you just tye them up, and leave them on the inside, so no need to thread them in! I will then stuff them with pellets and stuffing as this will be a weighted little guy.

For the pattern, check out her blog at:

http://susanbanderson.blogspot.com/2007/04/page-18-elefante.html

On to the body!

Finished Projects - Yay!

#1: Simple Yet Effective Cowl, Handmaiden Yarn, Stone:

Mystery Baby Sprout Toque in Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran:

Two done! Yes!

Simplify, simplify....

As spring is almost here (cherry blossoms in Vancouver, crocuses popping up, warmish weather during the Olympics), it feels time for a spring clean of my blogs. For someone who was anti-blog for a while, the fact that I had more than 2 blogs seemed a little much. Too much to upkeep, and as usual, I kept up with my mentality of starting projects and never finishing them.

So, to make my life simple, I`m combining blogs. My reading blog and my knitting blog will become one, as both are equally important in my life.

So please - go to for some reading project archives.

Side note: a Honda Fit is driving past my window and I am JEALOUS!

-----------------

On Friday, I went back to another episode of Urban Yarn's Stitch and Bitch which is fast becoming a very fun Friday night. Finishing up the sprout toque for that mystery kid out there, (very cute), I was inspired earlier that day by the Simple Yet Effective cowl in Handmaiden Yarn done by Alexa. Soft, fuzzy, and the perfect gift a)I could give my mother, b) FINISH quicklyv(key word finish) and c) talk with Andrew and not get screwed up.

Sure enough, I blocked it last night, so here's hoping it is beautifully dry this morning! I can't wait to get home and see.

It turned out so well that I'm going to make another. At first I couldn't figure out the colour patterns, but if you go to Fleece Artist's websites, you can see just how they manipulated the rainbow:



I used Stone this time, but I'm thinking of getting Forest Fairie next time...beautiful turquoise...

While it's actually still cold out, I need to get going on the Christmas presents of Fiddlehead mittens for my Mom, sister, and Mrs. Lidster. I look forward to a nice morning/early afternoon of knitting to podcasts.

Then the gym.