Me Too! Me Too!

Following the lead of Marie Grace and Elizabeth...my knitting bags!

The Via Diagonale bag is holding a sample swatch for a Rowan Calmer cardigan that I'm trialling using Sublime Extra Fine Merino.

The Citrus coloured Vera Bradley bag is holding a surprise Christmas present for a little girl...the real surprise is that she isn't one of mine!!

The brown VB bag is holding the cast on edge of my second Fleece Artist sock.

Inside the large turquoise and brown tote is the mostly completed back of Gillian's Toggle Coat.

And finally, in the zippered bag that looks like a throw pillow...the DPNs and yarn needed to finally finish the sleeves for DH's Adirondack
Sweater.

Hey, you didn't think I'd let you peek inside my knitting bags, did ya?

A Couple Finished Objects

Well, not really a couple of finished objects I suppose, because the sock is a lone sock, not a pair and therefore isn't really a finished object unless I intend to hang it on my fireplace on Christmas Eve.

Ellery is reluctantly and sleepily modeling the Silkroad Cardigan. Miss Elle was invited to a mock-sleepover party and was required to wear jammies and a robe. She outgrew her last bathrobe so she "borrowed" the cardigan for the party. I'm sure this is only the beginning for me, with three daughters and all... Anyway, ignore the surly, bleary-eyed pose, the picture was snapped fairly late in the evening after the festivities.

Once again, I'm a bit disappointed with the finished product. As usual, I substituted yarns (in part to wear down my stash) and while the Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed is sturdy for everyday wear (my intended use for the cardy), it really doesn't drape as nicely as the Silkroad Aran would have. Yeah, I know, soft and drapey really doesn't produce a sweater that you can wear around the house with jeans everyday. Another knitting Catch-22.


The sock is Fleece Artist Merino and I'm rather pleased with the way it turned out. The colour is nice, the yarn is soft, the fit is great...only one problem...

I really don't feel like knitting another sock right now. Hopefully the feeling of sock-fatigue will pass quickly and I won't become another single sock knitter statistic.

Otherwise, things are busy. After Gilly's trip to the dentist on Monday the whole family (cept for Dad) came down with a really nasty tummy bug and the next two days were spent...well, I'll spare you the details. We're all up and around now though and hopelessly behind on schoolwork and social obligations!!

Poor Boo Bear...

Didn't have the nerve to post a photo of the actual offending object (which the dentist thoughtfully returned to me so that the toothfairy could steal it), but that is pretty much what Gillian's tooth looked like.

Gillian is orally defensive and really dislikes trips to the dentist. We have a fabulously compassionate pediatric dentist with a super-cool, kid-friendly waiting room that rivals DisneyWorld, but our semi-annual check-ups always wind up with me on my back in the exam chair clawing Gillian to my chest like a Fiddler crab clutching its prey. I manage for the duration of a peek, prod, clean and flouride swab, but both the dentist and I figured that I'd never last for an extraction. Although she did assuage my fears that I'd faint during the procedure. Apparently, fainting is quite difficult to manage from a prone position. whodda thunk?

Dr. D suggested that sedation was the most merciful option for both Gilly and I, although she did stop short of suggesting that she medicate both of us. Anyway, today was the big day. Gilly was put to sleep and her "too far-gone to save" tooth was pulled. She had some minor fillings done at the same time.

Anyway...

Good news - No more trips to the dentist for a little while at least! Gillian wasn't sick after the anesthetic. I did manage to log some knitting time in the waiting room.

Bad news - Gilly is a bit bruised and sore from the procedure. I was a bit nervous (characteristic understatement) so I couldn't work on seaming my cardigan, which requires bright light and focussed concentration. Neither could I work on my sock, since I must remove my footwear and try it on a regular intervals to get the toe right...and I was enough of a sniveling spectacle in the dentist's office already.

so, no new finished objects to report...but I get to play toothfairy one more time!

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers...

for me at least is that they are finished!!

Warning: If you are my SIL...look away!





It's my nephew's Christmas present! It's part of a theme...the girls brought home an adorably soft Tigger toy for C from our Disney trip and I knit a Tigger sweater to go with it.

It's Kieran from Bees Knees Knits . I fell in love with the self-striping sock yarn/toddler sweater combinations when Devan first appeared in Knitty a couple years ago. I just had to wait for someone of an appropriate size to show up!! Thanks nephew C.

The sleeves are Opal Sock Yarn in Tiger and the body of the sweater is Jawoll Sock Yarn Cotton in a deep, slightly heathered charcoal colour. Thanks Haley at Knitomatic...
for selecting the colour for me. Once again, my first instinct (in this case a flat black) would have been totally wrong for this project. I appreciate your gentle suggestion for a softer shade.

I didn't tinker with the pattern that much this time. I did simplify the ribbing on the sweater body and sleeves (simple 1 X 1 ribbing without contrasting colour), but other than that, I made the pattern as written. FWIW, the patterns are very clear and spell out specific techniques for things like decreasing etc. when they are important for the appearance of the project. Gotta love that!

Anyway, one down...cast on something new. Gillian has a knitted toggle coat from the consignment store (I desperately needed something for her to practice "buttoning" with and EVERYTHING in the stores this year has a zipper.) that is flattering, but not a perfect fit in the sleeves. The pattern is VERY simple with lots of straight knitting, so I figured that careful measurements and gauge squares, plus a bit of math should allow me to duplicate the garment using some bulky acrylic stuff I have on hand.

This is similar to the sweater that I'm trying to duplicate:


In other knitting news, I'm almost done my first Fleece Artist Sock.

and...notice the WIP bars on the side of the blog. I'm pretty proud of them, even if they don't line up correctly!

Canada's Last Great War Veteran

deserves a state funeral.

If you agree please sign this petition.





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Be the Life of Your Next Stitch N Bitch ...

with this...




What a find...it happened to be on display with the New Releases at our local library when I dashed in today. On a whim, I tossed it into my bag when I headed out to SNB tonight.

It's seriously too much fun, lots of gruesome photos of mostly 70's acrylic nightmares (hey, I'm allowed to poke fun, I lived through those days) and Stitchy McYarnpants usual witty captions. Definitely an excellent stocking stuffer for the jaded knitters on your holiday gift list!

In other knitting news, I'm almost done seaming the Tiger Sock Yarn pullover, am steeling my courage to seam the Silkroad Aran Cardigan and must remind myself to finish the sleeves on DH's Adirondack Sweater.

With all that seaming (hate seaming...hate seaming...hate seaming) filling up my "to do" basket, I started a pair of socks! Simple, ribbed socks from Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks, Warm Feet" using some Fleece Artist merino in an aubergine/brown/lavender mix.

Look, if my knitting is supposed to be therapeutic, then I need something a bit more repetitive and mindless than finishing.

I'm pretty close to finishing the Tiger sweater, so maybe pictures of it next time!