mmmm chocolate

Yay! I finished my sister's socks.


Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Stile; 1 skein of col 8004
Needles: 2.25mm
Pattern: my usual 60 st toe-up, sr heel/toe sock
Notes: Made the leg extra long to keep the cold wind out. Royally screwed up the second sock. Had to unpick the short row toe and reknit. My 41st pair of socks.

My next pair of socks will be knit for Vicki - the winner of the Ride2Survive sock raffle. I've got the yarn, needles, and pattern. She's asked that this be a surprise so I can't post progress here or on Ravelry. I will have to distract you with more Ricky pictures.

When I got home from knit nite yesterday, there were two packages waiting for me! The first one had yarn that I swapped chocolate for but the other one was my Pushing Daisies swap package.


Thanks, Maria! She sent me some lovely alpaca/silk lace, iced tea, lip balm, stitch markers, and a little pouch of Eucalan. And Maria's a baker (currently taking baking/pastry classes at culinary school) so she sent me 7 ginormous chocolate chunk/chip cookies. One was immediately inhaled and I might have eaten one for breakfast this morning. They're really good.

Phoebe insists that I give her equal time on this blog so I present "Tortie and her toys":

my new toy

My new washing machine arrived. And I am enjoying it.


Oh wait - that gives you the wrong idea.

Here is my new toy:


And one of the best features - the door opens all the way.


Makes it sooo much easier to put in/pull out large quilts.

So the repair guy came and made a few adjustments to the door. He thinks it's the thicker seal that's causing the door to close stiffly. I just have to lean on it so that it clicks shut. He gave me a few tips - stick to warm/hot washes as the cold water can cause the seal to shrink, and it was a good idea that I didn't buy a higher end Bosch because the water heater tends to leak. He also mentioned that my Bosch should last about 10 years.

I've already washed my first load of laundry and I couldn't be happier to have clean clothes. It took 65 mins to wash a pretty large batch of clothes (so large that I had to split it into two dryer loads) so that's not too bad.

Penny, my Monkey swap pal got her package yesterday. Go take a look at the video of her cat, Solara playing with the catnip toy that I made.

You're probably wondering where I got the "washing machine babe" image from - my new ironing board cover. It pictures two other highly unlikely laundry scenarios:


I bet a guy drew these pictures.

buh-bye

My nieces left this morning. **sniff** I miss 'em already. Hubby and I went out to my parents' house for supper yesterday night (after an awesome knitting class - more on that later). We tried to take some nice pictures but...


I'm not so good at niece wrangling. All my other pictures show underwear (not mine and hubby should've said something when he had the camera). The girls posed nicely with their uncle.


Awwwww - don't they look cute?

It snowed Friday night and there was still snow on the ground Saturday morning. But the roads were clear so I drove to my Jean Wong knitting class (she also teaches Nihon Vogue classes in Seattle). It was awesome. I learned a lot about sewn bind-offs for ribbing - flat and in-the-round. We learned a short row shoulder shaping technique plus how to bind off at the shoulder. My head was ready to explode after the 6 hour class ended.

After we got home yesterday night, I finally got around to grafting the toe shut on my Monkey pal's socks.


Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: Araucania Ranco, col 110
Needles: 2.5mm dpns
Notes: Love this yarn and the colours. Feels very similar to Trekking XXL. My 32nd pair of finished socks.

I need to give the socks a bath and then I can send them off to my Monkey pal. I've got some great goodies for her, too!

I'm hot*

Literally... Twelve pounds of a med/long haired Phoebe has been parked in my lap for about an hour and the top of my thighs feel burnt. I'm not joking. She's a very warm kitty. I couldn't bring myself to throw her off because she doesn't lie on my lap that often. The things I put up with to get a little cat love.

In the mail today... My Wee Tiny Sock from Katy arrived.



Isn't it cute? I've put it on my sock blocker keychain and it's already hanging with my keys.

And there's been a little stash enhancement - STR Pink Granite.



I finished the Noro sock that I started Wed night.



I came across one knot but it didn't change colour at the knot. There was very little vm. The sock is very stiff and scratchy. It's taking a Eucalan bath right now because I can't wait for the second sock to be knit.

I also finished the first Monkey sock for my pal.



I must get started on the second sock right away. Some swappers have already finished knitting. The other urgent knit on my list is my homework for my Jean Wong finishing class on the 19th. I finally bought the dpns that I needed to make the other half of my swatches.

I hit a mental roadblock on my super secret project. I got some help yesterday night so I hope to make more progress today. Wish me luck.

* a la Paris Hilton

ETA: Holy cow! MagKnits is gone! But I haven't knit Jaywalkers yet!!!!!!

definitely not spring

It's snowing. Big fat flakes are falling out of the sky. It's March 28th. It's officially spring, right? Even Ricky thinks the snow is interesting enough to watch.



I made a quick trip out to a lys to pick up some dpns. I'm staying home the rest of the day to work on my Monkey swap socks and watch Doctor Who. Do you like my Monkeys?


I'm using a new yarn - Araucania Ranco (col 110 mauve). I got a skein from Fun Knits on Tues. I had been contemplating using a different yarn for my pal's socks but when this arrived, I knew it would be perfect for her. Ranco reminds me of Trekking XXL but slightly thicker. And the price is so reasonable - $13.55 for semi-solids and $14.95 for the multi. This may be my new favourite sock yarn!

all about swaps

A belated thank you to Sarah for a lovely Longing for Spring Swap package.


She sent me enough candy and chocolates to last the rest of the year! The package included some yummy Malabrigo yarn (col. Velvet Grapes), some Lily Sugar'n Cream cotton, a cute stuffed lamb, not one but three (!) sets of purple stitch markers, seeds for my garden, bath stuff, notepad/notebook, and did I mention the candy & chocolate (4 bags in total plus the quilting girl mints) LOL!

And I've joined 2 new swaps - the Monkey Sock Swap and the Wee Tiny Sock Swap (click on the button on the left for more info). Sign ups are closed to the general public for the MSS but the Wee Tiny is currently open until Thurs. So go sign up! I met 2 great friends during the last Wee Tiny - Purling Pirate and Ronnie and I look forward to meeting 2 more.

Have a great Easter!

ETA: Monkey Sock Swap Questionnaire answers posted here.

sooooo cute!

Pattern: Peapod Baby Set by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Premiere All Natural DK cotton; 4 skeins
Needles: 4mm Addi turbo circs for cardigan and 3.75mm dpns for hat
Notes: The directions aren't very clear in a coupla places. I wouldn't recommend this pattern for a newbie knitter.

This is the cutest baby sweater! I loved making it despite the ambiguous bits. It's going to the first grandbaby of a fellow quilter. I still need to put buttons on it. I have 2 sets of Beatrix Potter buttons but I think I'll ask the grandmother-to-be to pick the ones she likes most. I still have to make a pair of booties to go with the Peapod Set. I've picked Saartje's bootees but they're made with fingering yarn and the sweater yarn is DK. There might be some fancy math in my future...

I've been assigned my Longing for Spring spoilee. I've snooped around her blog, etc. I have some ideas for her swap package but I haven't started shopping yet. Swaps are sooo much fun!

Longing for Spring Swap

In a moment of weakness, I've joined a swap - Longing for Spring. I guess all this snow is getting to me. Sign ups are open until Feb 14 or until the 40 spaces are filled whichever comes first. There's still room!


Here's my answers to the questionnaire:

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
I knit. I crochet only when I have to. I learned to do both when I was young (less than 10) and I crocheted for many years. I never got the hang of knitting when I was young. I stopped crocheting about 20 years ago and haven't really done any since. I started knitting again about 6 years ago.

2. What are your favorite yarns/fibers? What are your least favorite yarns/fibers?
I like most yarns. I don't like anything itchy/scratchy or yarn that sheds a lot. Novelty is fine in small quantities.

3. What are your favorite colors? What are your least favorite colors?
Purple, purple, and purple are my favourite colours. I don't like orange/salmon/peach, greens, and yellows.

4. What ‘warm weather’ project are you looking forward to making this year?
We're still thawing out from under 10" of snow so the thought hasn't crossed my mind. I am reknitting the Bonita shirt so I guess that counts.

5. What are you favorite scents? Least favorite?
I love the smell of vanilla. I don't like fruity scents - lemon/lime/orange.

6. What is your favorite flower?
Oh that is a tough one - I have so many favourites. I love my Nerine Bowdenii. I also like Lithodora Diffusa for it's stunning blue colour.

7. What are your favorite spring time hobbies/activities?
Getting out into the garden and watching all the new growth. Watching the cherry/apple blossom trees blooming.

8. Do you have a garden? If you do, tell us a little about it. Do you like to plant flowers or vegetables?
Yes, I have a garden - 9 seperate flower beds; 3 of which we've added since buying the house. Our property is full sun with a very small shady corner so all my plants need to be drought tolerant. I grow mostly perennials but I do have a weakness for petunias, pansies, and impatiens (in a planter on our shaded porch). I don't grow vegetables because it's too hard to keep the pesky animals out and I don't like looking at chicken wire. The property came with 2 pear trees, some everbearing raspberry bushes, a gigantic rhubarb patch, and one lonely asparagus - all of which we enjoy (with the exception of the asparagus - what do you do with just one?). We have a 30 ft Norway Maple tree and a 20 ft Japanese Maple. We used to have a cherry blossom tree but it fell down last year during a fierce windstorm.

9. What are your favorite sweets?
Mmmmm... chocolate, of course. I prefer dark but will eat pretty much anything when I'm desperate. I also like fruit gummies.

10. Do you collect anything?
Fabric (I quilt, too), sock yarn, books, vintage quilts, vintage linen tablecloths/tea towels.

11. Do you have any allergies?
Sorta - I'm mildly allergic to many different foods and as long as I don't eat too much of them, I'm fine. I actively avoid caffeine so that I can eat as much chocolate as I want LOL!

12. Do you have any pets?
Yep - 2 kitties named Ricky and Phoebe. Does hubby count as a pet?

I can't wait to find out who my spoilee will be!

Monkey goodness

A big thank you goes to my Monkey pal (whoever you are) for all my lovely Monkey goodies. Lookit all the stuff that I got!

My package included the Thelonius sock pattern, Monkey lip balm, a project bag made with sock monkey fabric (I have some of that fabric in my stash :), some notecards, a mini calendar, enough yarn for not one but TWO pairs of socks (Louet Gems in Violet and Lorna's Laces in Black Purl), leftover sock yarn, of course, my Monkey socks (Socks That Rock in Tanzanite), and last but not least, 3 adorable monkey stitch markers. One of them is even holding a teeny tiny banana:


And here's a better picture of my Monkey socks:


I have been lusting after STR yarn for awhile now. My pal knew about my obsession. And when I saw these socks last week, I wanted some STR in Tanzanite. And now, I've got some! Talk about perfect!

And guess what - I still don't know who my swap pal is. The notecard instructed me to email her/him and they would reveal themselves to me. I have not received a reply yet. So many thanks to A. B. in California. I hope to find out who you are soon!

ETA: She has revealed herself! My Monkey pal is Manda (knitpsycho on Ravelry). And she's having a contest. Go and enter (you have until Fri Nov 9th) and you may win some yarny goodness!

it's a good day

So today is the day I pick the winner of my blog contest. My first idea was to put all the numbers in a bowl, bury some cat treats, and let Ricky/Phoebe help me.

Here's the bowl with a healthy amount of kibble at the bottom.


Here is Ricky nosing all the paper out of the way so that he can eat the kibble (he's thinking - "mmmmm breakfast in bed, I could get used to this"):


Not a single piece of paper was pulled out so I reloaded the bowl and tried Phoebe.


That still didn't work so I had to resort to the old fashioned method of just sticking my hand in there and pulling out a number. The winner is comment 24 - Jen! Yay! Jen - I've sent you a message on Ravelry.

Just after I drew the number, my friend Anna showed up and she's ok'd the yarn for her mumble mumble mumble. I called Three Bags Full to have the rest of the yarn put aside for me. I am using Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool in the colour 10 (medium denim). Now I have to wait for the Addi needles to arrive (they might have been mailed this morning) and then I can cast on.

Anna stayed for lunch and we had a nice chat and got caught up on our lives.

My Monkey swap pal, Jenn received her package from me! The Monkey socks fit (first time I've knit for a complete stranger) and she likes all the goodies I sent her. I'm happy that she's happy. Many thanks goes to my sister for buying the monkey nightshirt and mailing it to me. I had seen it before I signed up for the swap and when I went back to buy it for Jenn, they were all gone. I called my sister in Calgary and asked her to look for it. She's a super shopping queen and she found it for me. I owe her big time.

Yesterday night, I hunkered down and finished the socks for Pauline.


Yarn: On Line supersocke 100 Fun colour 763
Needles: 2.5mm metal dpns
Pattern: plain toe up (60 sts) with short row toe/heel and picot cuff

It is cold out there so I'm making curried squash soup for supper. I was also going to make lamb and cabbage rolls but I have to head into work for an hour so they'll have to wait until tomorrow. Bummer!

ETA: My Ravelry messaging is fixed. I had no idea that it was turned off. Wah! Please message me if you tried before and it didn't work.

wounded

Ricky can be such a bad cat some times. One minute, he's all cat-puddle-in-the-sunshine.


The next minute, he's hiding behind the laundry basket. And he's sporting an owie on his right eye.


Phoebe's on the other side of the laundry basket with a big tuft of Ricky fur between her toes. And if you look around, they've knocked over a bunch of stuff in the kitchen and there's clumps of white fur everywhere. Sigh...

I finished my first Monkey swap sock. I hope my pal likes it.


And I cast on a scarf with my alpaca yarn.


I took inspiration from the Illusion cable scarf. But I changed the width of the "cable" because I didn't want a 10" wide scarf. I don't know how big it'll be after blocking but I'll stretch it so that I can get as much length as I can. I can't get over how it really looks like a cable. It's not a tricky pattern. You need pointy needles to do the p2tog tbl but other than that, it's pretty easy.

I have almost finished the first mitten for hubby (gotta remember to take a picture). I need to knit a few more rows at the top (it's too short when he tried it on yesterday) and knit the thumb. I am quite happy with it.

River Rapids FO

Lookit - another FO!



Pattern: River Rapids sock by sockbug
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Moody Blues
Needles: 2.5mm dpns
Mods: Knit the sock toe up using the chart as is; used two different versions of the Sherman heel; knit 2x2 rib on the back of the leg rather than the lace for a better fit

And I did a little shopping for my Monkey swap pal.


I still haven't decided whether I'll knit her Monkeys with this yarn or if it's yarn I'll send her. But I should decide soon so that I can get them knitted up!

I have been helping out at Kids Quilt Camp on Mon and Tues plus we were out all day Sunday. So Phoebe was particularly clingy every time I sat down yesterday morning. See -


Usually, she only lasts 15 mins or so per lap session. But she hogged my lap for over an hour before I had to turf her so that I could make myself lunch. After lunch, I sat back down for a little more knitting and she stayed until I had to get up to go to work. She's back to normal today.

spoiled rotten

This lovely package of goodies arrived this morning from the UK. Thank you, Ronnie! She sent it to me as a "thank you" for getting her addicted to Kool Aid dyeing. Ronnie dyed the yarn especially for me. Her note says that she added the other colours because she thought all purple yarn would be too purple-y. Ronnie - there's no such thing as too much purple! The yarn is very soft and smells wonderfully fruity and the quilting book has lots of interesting projects. I am so lucky to have such a nice knitting friend.

There hasn't been any knitting this week. I helped some friends move on Wed and I also had to work. Yesterday, I went to my weekly quilt drop-in and did a bunch of errands afterwards (bought hubby a new electric shaver cuz his died and stopped at the used book store to pick up a few things that I'd been looking for). I didn't get anything accomplished when I got home. My legs are really sore from squatting to pick up boxes and climbing up and down all those stairs.

Today, I did some more shopping. I went to Daiso and it was worth the hour long drive. It's basically an upscale Japanese dollar store. Almost everything is $2 and most items are exclusive to Daiso. There are a lot of quirky Japanese things - like everything you need to build yourself a miniature zen garden for your coffee table. Other novelties include: chopstick cases, a bajillion different ways to store A4 paper, iron-on kanji/katakana characters, make-your-own cell phone charm kits, animal themed everything (want a frog hankie to go with that frog tote bag? Daiso has it), etc. Their specialty is housewares but they also carry cosmetics/beauty, crafts, hardware, bed & bath, and Japanese food items.


I came home with some yarn - 4 x 25g skeins of fingering weight 60% cotton 40% poly. I got enough for a pair socks. It feels like a thinner version of Lion's Cotton Ease. I got an enormous mesh washing bag. It's 2ft x 2ft - perfect for hubby's cycling clothes. There's a package of "europian color" origami paper for card making/scrap booking. And I got a chopstick case to store my dpns in - did you think I was going to use it for chopsticks? And I got the cutest little ironing board - a perfect match for my Clover mini iron. I restrained myself from buying all the Winnie the Pooh items. I did pick up a few other things but I can't show them to you cuz it's a secret. Shhh.

Speaking of secrets... I have been assigned my Monkey Swap Pal. Yay! I have made first contact and I'll be doing a little yarn shopping soon. And my secret pal has contacted me and I need to come up with a yarn wish list for her. I may shock her when I send her a very long list.

On my way home from Daiso, I made a quick stop at Dressew (an amazing place for fabric and costume making supplies - they have the largest and best selection of fake fur) to pick up some plastic toggles for the knitting/project bags. I also had to get a package of googly eyes. I was helping hubby sort through some of his "stuff" and I was vacuuming the dust off a Christmas decoration that his Mom made him. Well, the vacuum took off one of the eyes. So I have to fix it. Sigh...

Monkey Sock Swap 3 Questionnaire Answers

Here are my answers to the questionnaire:

Q: Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
A: I am probably an intermediate sock knitter.

Q: Shoe Size?
A: 7 to 8 depending on the shoe & socks

Q: Foot circumference
A: 8.5" - 9"

Q: Foot length
A: 9.75"

Q: What colors do you love?
A: Purple, lavender, amethyst, eggplant... Did I mention purple?

Q: Do you prefer solids or variegated?
A: Either

Q: Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn?
A: I like wool sock yarn with a little bit of nylon for durability

Q: What colors would you never wear?
A: I'll wear any colour for socks. But I don't wear taupe, green, orange, peachy-pink or yellow clothing.

Q: What are your favorite brands of yarn?
A: Where to start... there are so many. Cherry Tree Hill is very nice (and unavailable in Canada). My other favourites are Indigo Moon, Koigu, and Fleece Artist.

Q: Are there any new brands you would like to try?
A: I hear about Claudia Hand Painted a lot and would like to try that. Ditto for Socks That Rock. Also on my list is Lorna's Laces, Fleece Artist Sea Wool, and Fleece Artist Nova.

Q: Which of her patterns have you already knit?
A: I've only knit Monkey. I've made 3 socks using that pattern.

Q: Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own?
A: I have copies of all the free patterns. I would love to knit the knee high ones but seriously, my leg shape is too weird. I think the ones I like the most are Thelonius and Twisted Flower.

Q: Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US?
A: I would be happy with an international pal since I don't think there'll be another Canadian participating.

Q: Do you have any allergies?
A: Yes to food but nothing serious.

Q: Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?
A: My home is smoke free and I share it with 2 cats.

Q: Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name?
A: Yes, I'm on Ravelry and I'm yarnfloozy.

I can't wait until I find out who I'm knitting for. This is going to be lots of fun!

random Tuesday

I finished my first River Rapids sock yesterday.


Sorry 'bout the bad picture. I just couldn't get a good shot of my foot without completely obscuring the lace pattern. It really looks better in person.

In a moment of weakness, I signed up for the Monkey Sock Swap 3. Signups run til the end of August and your swap package needs to be in the mail by Nov 1. Check out the blog for more details. Ann and Ronnie were having so much fun last time that I was feeling left out so I had to join round 3.

I got some good mail today. The rest of Wendy's fabric arrived. She sent me some lovely cat fabric. The cats are so hilarious.



I also got my Fall IK. And it wasn't late this time! I picked up the Fall VK when I went out to mail Trish's socks so I have lots of good reading tonite.

"Just give me the good catnip and I'll stay out of your way" - Phoebe