Pas de Valse pics and new yarn

I've knit to the armhole, and tried following the pattern for the armhole decreases, but it's just too loose the way the designer has set it up, in keeping with the loose gauge which she's designed, which I'm not knitting. I've made a firmer fabric with my bugga, so I want a firmer armhole decrease. I'm going to adapt the Larch cardi decreases and then, try to go back and do the top down sleeves as per the pattern.

so far:



The purl part is the extension, which starts at the bottom of the front on both left and front, and gradually increases out as it is knit up.

Left side (facing); right side for wearer:



Right side is looser - I switched how I did the increase for the extension, so this will have to be tightened up at the end.



and some new yarn loves:

Canon Hand Dyes custom self-striping yarn in "The silence often of pure innocence persuades, when speaking fails ~ Winter's Tale" from theamyleeshow



I'm so on a blue kick right now..and still loving pinks and reds too:

VG Samhain in Traveller - this was my winning colorway inspiration last fall. I finally buckled and bought the colorway on VG Traveller which is a superwash merino when it was re-offered in January. The skeins that came were much more orange than I expected, but still beautiful:



and White-Faced Meadowhawk from the VG Valentine Bonbons 2013 box:



so in love with this. Cold. Dead. Hands.

Here's the rest of the box; better pics to come...



As with last year, I have been tracking yardage out and in. Even with the yarny acquisitions, I'm ahead, currently 9K yards out (thanks to some older lys yarns that I've given to a friend to fundraise with).

mid-Feb Bugga knitting

It's mid-February, and I'm one skein into a hopefully 3-skein bugga cardi again - The Pas de Valse.
It's intended to be made with 2" of ease, but I'm knitting the size down, so I can get some negative ease. So far so good. I ended up knitting the extension to 50 stitches on each side. One side looks very clean (right side for cardi wearer), and the left side is pretty ragged. I'm hoping the stitches will relax once I've blocked it at the end. The yarn again is a dream to knit with and a very soothing blue-green. So enjoying this.

Hopefully, pics to come later.

Swatching and new stuff

ok, so I have been busy this month swatching - I've been swatching for 2 projects - Pull me Over which I am knitting with a worsted weight yarn as per the pattern, but which is a BFL-silk blend, so it stretched a lot in blocking, and seems to have sprung back up post-blocking. I had to re-jig the numbers and now I've set it aside to re-calculate and test to make sure.

the second is Pas de Valse which is a wrap-like cardi which I want to make with bugga - but Blue Lobster is the colorway,



and I'm wanting to make it with more negative ease so it'll be more flattering.

yes, still on a blue-teal kick.

Last week I went to the new Sizzling Tandoor Restaurant that's opened at Uptown. Super busy for lunch and well worth it to make a reservation. Buffet is $12.00 + tax and really good. I went through twice for a variety of curries, salad, and went back for the rice dessert. They bring naan to the table. Not a huge restaurant considering Uptown has been needing restaurants for awhile...but seats about 40-50 people. Mostly what's in the space is large wood tables and comfy bulky seating. A few booths..and really good food. I haven't been for dinner yet but I expect that will come about soon.
They haven't updated their website - but they also have a location downtown.

Also, Good Earth Coffeehouse opened  - I went down for the free coffee on their grand opening day on Thursday..but haven't been in for the variety of lunch options offered, and also lots of baked goods. I did try the chocolate chunk cookie which was really yummy. They also have good seating, and a few seats along the windows facing Future Shop..also, a few outdoor tables which I imagine will be very popular come summer.

The candy shop at Uptown closed. Not sure when as I haven't been out walking as much..or I'd walk down the new part, and not go in. Also, Shaw is open on the upper deck to the left of the escalator/stairs.

I've also been exploring Pinterest - lots of cool ideas on there and I added a button on the upper left there if you want to see what's fascinating me today.

Mitts and a Hat, Lessons, and Resolutions.

Mitts. These mitts were promised to the wife of a colleague at work last year:



The mitts took EIGHT hours of my time. yep. 8 hours. Mostly it was enjoyable..but I'd offered to knit the gloves in 3 colors. The welts are black and brown (2 different yarns), and the light brown in between is the same as the main body of the glove. Needles to say, a lot of ends to weave in ! and I haven't finished weaving them all in..and this pic is pre-blocking.

I'm not sure what I was thinking. When I offered to knit these fingerless gloves, I was thinking they'd be a quick knit, and I was trying to make a point to my friend about how friends do things for each other. The lesson has almost been lost now. I pretty much have realized why I don't knit for others.

Up until the last couple of years, I'd say the word mooch and my friend were pretty much synonymous. He was always checking out the free food leftovers (I know, a lot of guys do this)...even if they weren't always safe (old food, expired food, creamy sauces / salads left out on the counter top for god knows how long - ewwwww!), always angling to get a free lunch somewhere, to get an advantage over someone else. In the first 3 years I knew him, we never traded lunches..it was always.."are you buying me lunch?" Well, you know, we are all unique in this world.

To put this in perspective, my colleague does computer consulting on the side. To help me with my network at home, he spent 3 hours with me, rearranged some cables, and wasn't able to diagnose the issue. He wanted to charge me $50/hr for 3 hours, but instead, he settled for me buying 3 lunches.

His wife is offering to pay.for.the.yarn. The yarn was in my stash and cost maybe $30-4- !!
8 hours at his rate would be $400.00. I'm trying to be the person who offered to knit gloves.

Hat

This hat



is a hat I knit to donate, again hmm..knitting for others, reinforcing again why I shouldn't do these things...and why knitting hats is not something that I do often. Knitting the hat itself was fairly enjoyable..until my mind wandered away by itself and I found myself making a pattern but not necessarily the one that I was supposed to be following.

It's done and ready to mail. The yarn is Verdant Gryphon Mondegreen in Dirty Deeds done with Sheep.

It was this:



Content is  60% Blue Faced Leicester wool, 20% baby camel, 20% silk
4 oz / 200 yds;  4.5 sts/" on US#8 4-ply worsted weight
It is really an enjoyable knit, and didn't seem to change shape much when washed. Very soft pre- and post-blocking.

and now this:



Hopefully, it makes someone happy.

Christmas

I had a great Christmas holiday, 2 weeks off from work including all of the holidays. It was a nice break. My family had unexpected visitors. well, my dad expected them but didn't tell my mom until the day before. So, it was rushed and busy, exciting, and energetic..from Christmas eve until the 28th..and the rest of the time I unwound and did relaxing activites from my lists. I did some knitting, some organizing, put up my tree, found some shelves for a cabinet I have that I'd been looking for for about 3 years...and baking. No cookies this year, but I did make quiche. So, I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished, and returned to work feeling refreshed and happy.

Lessons and Resolutions
I learned that everyone's family looks perfect from the outside...and I'm astonished by how little we really help ourselves when we are growing up. Family dynamics can be so enlightening.
I also learned a lot about myself and how much I've grown in interacting with my own family and its own dynamics.
  
For knitting, I realized again that knitting for others can be a chore and a blessing. It frees you up to give a little to others, pour some love in, but it can add pressure too, depending on the timelines..and it can just feel boring if the yarn or the pattern isn't right...which can basically end up killing the love you felt when you volunteered to do it.

As with the last two years, I am trying to be a better person this year..to relax more, and reduce the pressure that I create. Almost all of the pressure these last few years has been perceived by me...and projected. I have intuited, interpreted, reacted, apologized, stepped back, reflected, and now......
I'm done, and I'm letting it all go to just enjoy life as a it comes.

• Friendships change, some new people have come into my life, and some people have moved away. Some have come and gone, and some have moved away but still stay close. 

Really, as my friend Lynn said..it's all about them.."what a person thinks or does is all about them, it's not about you"..and not about me.

So, again, I'm knitting what I want when I want, and not worrying about deadlines or requirements or going to conferences, and trying to rush around to do things.  

• Speaking of such, looks like Sock Summit was moved out a year to accommodate the 13 being potentially unlucky..so I'm off the hook there. Ironically, 4 at the end of a number is superstitiously bad for Chinese, being death at the end. i.e. never buy a house or get a room number at a hotel ending in 4. So hopefully, they've figured out a way to counteract that by then.  

I've also been letting go of a lot of stuff these last few years..physically, and emotionally and so I'm sure that I'll be doing more organizing and letting go of more stuff this year...continuing eating healthy and trying to get out more, and sleep more.

I'd like to try doing some sewing again, knit more sportweight sweaters as I really like this weight for knitting and wearing, and possibly some travel towards the summer or fall. We'll see, as I said before, I'm just going to take it as it goes..and try to steer a little.
 

Merry Christmas - pssst...it's a sale!

Sweet Fiber yarns is having a holiday sale - 30% off all purchases over $30 (before shipping) - expires December 31, 2012. Canadians - shipping cost is $6 and don't forget there's HST.
Also, the Knit City colorway is still available on the Super Sweet Sock base, and also the Cashmerino Worsted base.

Free pattern from Tin Can Knits on ravelry.

and I'll be updating my Enabler tab as I see more sales, so if you get an update, and don't see any new changes to the Pages, look on that tab.

Happy Holidays.

Ta Da - # 12 of 12 Done!

Bound-off, finished, blocked, and pics -



Project: Blue Water Mahogany Cardi
Pattern: Water and Stone by Veera Valimaki
Yarn: Verdant Gryphon Bugga in Dyeing Poison Frog (3.16 sk)
Needles: US 6 SN,
Size 38" for the 36" - but I adjusted the stitch count to fit me, rather than blindly following the pattern.
Time taken: 7 weeks elapsed from swatching to bind-off. Mostly knit in the evenings, weekends, and some lunch hours for the parts of the body. 1-1.5 weeks in there, I also took a break from knitting as I was doing a lot of keying for work..Need to save my wrists.

Mods: The pattern is intended to be mid-thigh, I shortened this so it's a length I'll really wear year round. I used a provisional cast-on for the start. I also did a twisted rib instead of a rib, and matched the length of the cuffs to the hem, and I added an inch at the waist, since I'm long-waisted. Bind-off is using JSSBO, purl side on the cable portion so it curled less.

The yarn softened up so much and it's so drapey, it's really lovely, and the yarn shows off the cables nicely. I really enjoyed knitting this pattern, and made the cables without a cable needle. It took a bit of attention at the beginning to make sure the shoulders were set up correctly, and I was a bit frustrated that the design required you to pick up the sides of the starting piece, but it turned out great, and it's a necessary evil to place the cardigan on the back so that it sits below the plain stockinette piece.

Details:

Back cable and neck (left), and double cable on the front (right):



Front cable (left) and cuff (right):

 

I had hoped to finish this by the end of the year, and ended up finishing earlier than expected.
So, now I'm swatching for my next love - Pull me Over, with SG Codex from my stash (a BFL-silk blend). It's worsted weight, so a  bit of a shift from the last project. Colorway is Captain Nemo which is a blue-green teal..more on the green side to my eye than blue.

Knitting the Sleeves

I've had a few revelations this week... I realized tonight that I have been blindly following patterns for sleeves. The one I'm currently knitting says to decrease every 3". This is too steep for my arms. It seems that I should be knitting 3-1/4" to 4" before decreasing and I should stop before I complete all of the decreases. I came home tonight and measured my arm, and around my elbow. I will definitely have to try it on again before completing the next decrease row.

Other discovered these last few days - Phillips' Ginger Ale Soda - so yummy! It's cool and gingery without the regular bit of ginger ale like Canada Dry...veerrry nice and Ottavio Italian Bakery. I had no idea they have a coffee shop there and food. I succumber to a loaf of bread, some Prosciutto, and lovely soft cheese - soooo yummy! then, went back for a few bottles of soda.

This weekend - to put up my Christmas tree (I hope); also, Christmas Moss St. Market and a few errands. Hopefully, good weather - it's still in the 50s these days (yay!)

Also, note to self..I'd like some more HUE tights.

Cabling at the hem

I've reached the cable portion for the Water and Stone Cardi. Actually, the modified length I'm making. The pattern makes this cardi mid-thigh. I just don't wear the longer sweaters year round; I'm sure I'll get more use out of a cardi which is shorter, so I've knitted to 15" from the armhole (instead of going onto 18"), and I think I may only knit an inch or two of ribbing, instead of 4".

I'm thinking of knitting a twisted rib though to make it more decorative than a regular rib.

At the waist

Front:



Back:



I just re-looked at the pattern on this, and the length is 41" which is a wee bit long - not sure I'll knit down that far - I'd be sitting on it.

Yarn is really lovely, and I'm enjoying the cables.

Did I forget to post a pic of my finished Color Affection ?

Lovely cables

I'm making progress on my cables, and really loving knitting with this yarn.
The fabric was too loose at the gauge of the pattern, so I went down to a US6, and I need to knit 2 more inches to the underarm, since I have more rows to reach the same distance.







My Eye of Newt Arrived - lovely and more pink than I'd expected:



and I finally seamed my sleeves:



The weather's dipping below 50F these days, so I'm digging out my knitted garments. Need to finish adding buttons to my Fall Forest Cardi. I found some lovely metal leaves last month, so these will go well together.

Also, destashing again so I'll put up a page when I've updated all the pics, and adjusted prices for local pickup.

Oooh Oooh - A Bit of Excitement

(a) I'm finished my Modern Neopolitan Color Affliction aka Color Affection Shawl (#10)

It blocked out huge..now waiting for good light to take a picture.

(b) Swatching for Water and Stone - a lovely cabled cardi, with VG Bugga in Dyeing Poison Frog - a beautiful blend of blues and mahogany.

(c) I submitted this photo for  the 5th Monday Customer Photo Inspiration Contest  at Verdant Gryphon - the theme was samhain / Hallowe'en / Celebration of Death Festivities from other cultures - and it won with the most votes (found on google images):

 

Gryphon translated it into these lovelies:

Eidos: The Morrigan

Bugga: Eye of Newt

  Traveller: Samhain and Mondegreen: Ooh, ooh, windshield woman:

More info here on their blog from October 25, 2012

It's like a love child between Peacock Butterfly and Crimson Dropwing:

 

All snail photos copyright by Verdant Gryphon.