.post-title { margin:.25em 0; font:bold 130%/1.4em Georgia,Serif; color:#333; } .post-title a, .post-title strong { background:url("http://www.blogblog.com/dots/bg_post_title.gif") no-repeat 0 .25em; display:block; color:#333; text-decoration:none; padding:0 0 1px 45px; } .post-title a:hover { color:#000; } Knittingupastorm: November 2006
 

Knitting Up A Storm!


Wednesday, November 29, 2006

This is a quickie post because I dont have much knitting news to show you. I am so tired at the end of the day that when the kids go to bed, I am lucky to make it to 9:30pm without falling asleep much less feel like knitting. Thought I had pink eye, but I don't. I have a cold or something that is making my head feel like a huge balloon. Maybe I am dead tired because of being sick.

Anyhoo, at the end of the year I total all the projects I have made and in 2005 I finished 38 projects, in 2006 I have only 33. My knitting excitement might be wearing down, or maybe life gets in the way, I am not sure. Of the 38 items knit in 2005, 12 of them were scarves, but in 2006 I only knit 2 scarves. I knit twice as many socks in 2006 then in 2005, so I that is good.

I know these stats because I am a very anal organized individual who keeps track of my stash, start/end dates of projects, needle inventory and info on FO. Oh yeah, and I record all my gauge swatches for yarn I know will be used in the future. No use in knitting two swatches, eh? Thankfully excel is such a great tool, as one spreadsheet keeps all the info needed.

If anyone is interested in using my excel spreadsheet for their purposes, let me know and I can email it to you.

Have a good one.

posted by Lisa @ 10:43 a.m. 

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Friday, November 24, 2006

One of the day care workers at my girls' centre loved the Newsboy Hat I made for them and asked me to make one for her and she would pay me. I really don't like getting paid for knitting, so I made one for her as a gift. One of the biggest reasons I dont like commission knitting is, I have to be that much careful with the product. However, if it is a gift, those little imperfections are not as big of a deal! I think she was quite surprised when I gave it to her. Yeah!

This is a sock I am making for Chris, using Regia sock yarn. The heel is an after thought heel, and I really like knitting these types of heels. Basically, you knit down to where the heel is, using waste yarn, knit half the total of stitches, go back to the working yarn and re-knit the stitches on the waste yarn. Keep knitting until about 3.5 - 4" short of the total foot length. Decrease for the toe, graft, weave in ends. Now to the heel - take out waste yarn and put stitches on 2 dpns. I knit 35 stitches on the waste yarn, therefore I had 70 stitches to re-arrange onto 3 dpns. Decrease like the toe to, I think 1/3 of the total stitches, graft, weave in ends!

My other WIP - a sock for me using, yet again Regia. I think Regia sock yarn is my all time favorite to knit with. I like the feel of the Fleece Artist sock yarn, however, it is not as durable as the Regia. If I am going to knit a pair of socks, I want them to last longer than 6 months! The FA socks I recently made, now have a freaking hole in the heel. Had I made the after thought heel, I could have unravelled it and re-knit it. Hind sight is 20/20, eh?


I do not have that many pictures from our DR trip, but here is one of them, taking on the last day:

Happy and relaxed. Wish I could say I feel that way now. Lucky me, I have pink eye to deal with. I go from sand and sun to crazy home/work life and pink eye.

Anyhoo - have a good one.

posted by Lisa @ 9:05 a.m. 

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Thursday, November 23, 2006

Hi all - I have so much to say but have no time to write it all down too make sense for anyone to read. I can re-cap though:

  • photobucket wont upload my pictures for some reason, so no WIP/FO updates.
  • vacation pics haven't even been looked at in closer detail, so thoese will have to wait - sorry Brenda!
  • trying to find a home for my cat Meeko. I have my reasons, and trying to find a way to document them so hopefully someone in the GTA will fall in love with her and take better care of her than I can.
  • unpack from my trip.
  • clean my house from top to bottom for a huge Christmas party on December 9th.
  • oh yeah, and work? Freaking nutso crazy....it looks like some overtime is in the cards for me

When I have more time to elaborate, I will - in the mean time - if anyone knows a home to place a big fat cat in where she will be exercised to lose weight and be loved, please contact me directly and I will let you know why I'm giving her up!

Thanks!

posted by Lisa @ 1:54 p.m. 

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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Hey guys - back from my vacation and it was WONDERFUL. The beach, pool, my guy and the food was just excellent. I'll post pics soon of my time and WIPs.

Now, I am catching up with work stuff and trying to get over this tired dead like a dog feeling. Man I need a vacation to get over the one I just had.

Have fun.

posted by Lisa @ 10:40 a.m. 

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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

This fall back the clock thing is killing me. I am so tired at night and really tired in the morning. My eyes feel like freaking golf balls. Thankfully coffee helps, but not much knitting is done in my condition. Knitting news? Well the other secret Christmas knitting gift is going on, but knitting mitts is painfully boring. I need to force myself to pick up the needles, but will be very happy to have them done. Knitting mittens is not my favourite thing, but a matching pair with the recently finished clapotis will look awesome, and much appreciated.

My one week trip to the DR will start on Saturday and I've decided to only bring Chris' socks to work on. Catching up on reading novels, doing some sukodo puzzles and taking LOTS of naps are on the agenda.

Hopefully I can force myself to post one more time before I leave, but I am so busy at work that I doubt I will have any knitting updates.

Cheers.

posted by Lisa @ 9:46 a.m. 

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Monday, November 06, 2006

And then there were two:

Yep, miss Maddie has joined girls hockey. Woo freaking hoo. I am totally forcing her to do this, but after 4 skates, she LOVES it. I am quite surprised, but pleasantly happy she does like it. Saturday was the first time she actually skated like a hockey player instead of a robot. Hopefully this attitude will continue.

In knitting news, one project of my secret Christmas knitting is done. A clapotis for a very special family member:

I am quite pleased to have this thing done. Man, the clap may look good when it is done, very easy to knit, but man what a freaking boring project. I am VERY happy to have it done and just in time for my one week trip to the Dominican Republic this Saturday! Chris and I are taking a vacation alone, just the two of us down South!

posted by Lisa @ 9:36 a.m. 

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

Trick or Treating festivities were so great. I love seeing all the little guys and gals dressed up so wonderfully. Here are my two:

Wonder Woman (with a big fake hair piece, which totally makes the outfit - and of course the boots):

(Clearer)

My Pirate:

(Clearer)

It appears I had more success with my knitting in October, because I knit up 5.5 balls versus in September where I ripped out two sweaters with a total of 20 balls added back to the stash. As you can see September wasn't the best month for knitting. October is a whole different can of worms. Hope you had a great Halloween!

posted by Lisa @ 9:05 a.m. 

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