Pages

Saturday 19 October 2013

From Lots of Nothing to a Little Something

I don't need to tell you that it's been pretty quiet around here.  There's been no spinning happening, not much knitting...not much of anything really.  My knitting mojo has been M.I.A since the late spring.  There's been a few pairs of socks, but nothing to really say much about.

So imagine my surprise when I realized that I've finished two items in two days.

Naturally, there is a pair of socks here.


I can't tell you anything about the yarn because I found it in my stash, neatly wound into a cake with no tags. I suspect it's Cascade 220 Superwash Sport Multi in either "Blues" or "Teals"...but I could easily be wrong on that.

The other item was knit up in a flash. I started this last night in the hopes that I'd have something different, something other than socks to knit.  And it was finished in less than 24 hours - guess I needed the break from socks!  I'm always surprised at just how fast hats are - truly instant gratification.


This was knit in a worsted weight yarn from Windblest Farms here in Lanark.  The hat pattern came with the wool and I'm really pleased with it!  It's a deep enough hat that it comes down over my ears and well down the back of my neck.  Not to mention the lovely eyelet pattern.  This too is a gift, but I think I might have to make a few more - plus one for me.

And these my friends, are gifts which officially marks the start of the Christmas knitting frenzy.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

How Did That Happen

So I got up this morning, got Ian out the door for school and logged into my computer to go to work. It's Tuesday which means it is a work-from-home-day. As I was waiting for the remote systems to come up I scanned through my personal email, Facebook, and Ravelry - just to see what was going on.

Today I had a note from a friend asking if I was OK because I hadn't posted anything on the blog in so long and that it was really unlike me and that she was quite concerned for my welfare.

She's right of course - it is out of character. So I'll share with all of you the dirty little secret of my absence.

Pinterest.

A colleague told me about it - urged me to give it a try. So I did. And honestly, I think it is more addictive than crack. I tell myself that I'm going upstairs to send a few emails and do the banking. A few hours later when Chuck comes up the stairs to tell me its time for bed, the emails aren't written and the bills are unpaid but I've pinned things. Am I going to use these things? Not sure. I've found two household tips that work well but apart from that, not much. Certainly not enough to justify the hours I've spent staring at the screen.

Add to that the fact that when I'm pinning "pretty-things-that-I-won't-use", I'm not knitting. Neither am I spinning. So I have almost nothing to show you. Almost.

This is the sock I was knitting in Winnipeg. Not the second sock. The sock. I've knit about 2.5 inches of the ribbing for the second sock.


This is another pair I started. Why did I start another pair instead of finishing the first pair? Good question. I have no idea.


This sock is knit with Fleece Artist "Trail Socks" in Blomidon

I also managed to almost finish this. This is about 40g of a merino/cashmere blend  (80/20). I got this as part of the Spring Canadian Fibre Box from Ottawa Valley Fibre Arts. I don't know who the producer is, other than it came from a small mill in Ontario. I spun it into about 200 yards of two ply laceweight. It still needs to be finished (i.e. soaked and set) but I'm quite pleased with it.


Now, if you'll excuse me, I apparently have some banking I've neglected.