James Tiberius being my future nephew. James Tiberius is not his name – which is why that’s what I call him.
My sister-in-law is due in the next 10 days. I hope for her sake he’s not born on her birthday.
I also hope I finish this little cardigan in time. It’s mighty cute.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel: a Daybreak shawl in Tanis Fiber Arts buttercup yellow and midnight blue (yay for shopping in my stash!). Oh, and Battlestar Galactica s1 on Blu-Ray.
Hocus pocus. Time to focus.
Clearly the way to focus is to bribe my inner nerd.
I like Celtic knots. They remind me of my Irishness. Though, I have to say, I’m more Acadian French than Irish. Didn’t stop me from getting a Celtic knot tattoo. My underlying irishness (from Canada’s most Irish city!) is undoubtedly why I was drawn to the Knotty but Nice hat in Knitty.com’s winter 2009 edition. That, and, well, the designer’s husband (hat model for the pattern) is a total hottie. Nice bit of eye candy there.
I really like the result, however, I have to say, it doesn’t sit as nicely as I’d like. I’m going to try and block it and see if I can stretch out the cables a bit. It sits a bit more like a bucket hat instead of a beanie, like I was expecting.
But it’s darn cute anyway. Check it out:
Modelling my celtic knotted hat on my building's front stoop... a break from my weather day's marking extravaganza.
Pattern: Knotty but nice by Natalie Larson, available free on knitty.com
Yarn: Green label aran, by Tanis Fiber Arts.
Colourway: Spearmint. Tanis is an independent dyer in Montreal, and her yarns are available in downtown Hali at The Loop. I’ve used her yarns before in sock weight – Dad’s blue socks (that I have yet to finish) are in her sock yarn, in the Midnight colourway. I also have a glorious butter yellow in my stash that is waiting for a project, and a second skein of the Midnight. I am contemplating the Daybreak shawl for those.
Plus, it exactly matches my Ravelry mint tee, the one that says “a daily dose of fiber” with pictures of a rabbit, a llama, a sheep and a goat. Hee hee! I’m such a knitting nerd. A minty fresh knitting nerd.
And now, to return to this here pile o’ essays. Sigh.
I’m learning how to read charts! There is a project I want to tackle this year that will call for many, many charts. So I’m learning how to read charts. Plus, I love cables, so I really did have to learn how to read them for more complex projects.
I’m making the Knotty but nice hat featured in the recent winter issue of Knitty.com. It’s coming out beautifully.
See?
Knotty but nice cables
Sherry’s up. Good thing too, as she looks about ready to pop and has left work on Mat leave. I’ll have to drop it out to her house!
She’s having a baby girl – this is a new thing for a woman with two boys. So, I made a cute little Classic Cardigan out of some handpainted sock yarn I had in my stash and some cute pearl buttons I had on hand. It’s really adorable, and all said and done it didn’t take a long time to knit. I started it at the Risk game on December 27th, and it’s all done now. I’m giving it a block so the ribbed edging lies flat when I wrap it up. The finer gauge yarn knit up very nicely, but I’m a bit worried about the size… I’m glad I made the second size, but I think it’s come out more newborn size. Either way it’s still cute.
Pattern: Classic Cardigan, from Debbie Bliss’ Essential Baby.
Size: 3-6 months (second size)
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn (superwash merino) in “mermaid” blue for the edging, and Knit Picks Imagination Handpainted (alpaca/merino blend) in “unicorn”.
And now, on to baby #3 – and the second of these cardigans in my queue. The next is going to be mighty cute, I can’t wait to see it finished. It’s for my own wee nephew to be!
So I cast on for a Baktus Shawl (KAL with the Jane Austen Book Club) and was pondering what yarn I could use. I wanted to stashbust, but wasn’t sure what I had that would be appropriate… and then I remembered Kirsty.
This yarn makes me think of the late Kirsty MacColl, whose voice I adore.
Check out the wonderfully yummy yarn:
Such pretty colours
The simplicity of the pattern really lets the colourway shine, I think. I hope I don’t get a lot of pooling in the middle, I’m a bit worried about that. So far I’m really pleased with both the pattern and the yarn choice I made. Yay for stashbusting!
Calorimetry completed. I think there’s enough yarn left for a pair of fetchings, too. Pictures to come when it’s not snowing… I’m watching the Dr Who specials marathon and knitting 
hope my shoulder holds up!
ETA: I put the knitting down for the last two specials of the evening. The last of David Tennant as the Doctor, I wanted to give it my full attention. I’m really sad that he’s gone, now, actually. I really enjoyed him in that role. I’d never particularly watched Doctor Who before it came back with Eccleston, and while I liked Eccleston fine I found Tennant had a joviality that I warmed to. Curious to see the next go round. And sad that he’s still not a ginger.
Meanwhile, it has stopped snowing at last. Well, sort of. It’s light enough that I could get pictures in my entrance alcove, at least. So here’s the Weather Bombed Calorimetry, just ideal for walking to work.
Pattern: Calorimetry, from knitty.com
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, colourway Deja Vu, from Greggo Sewing in Fredericton. The unwound yarn was coloured like a hippie’s tie-dyed t-shirt, very cute.
This'll keep my ears toasty on my way to Java Moose!
Side view. What a cleverly constructed pattern.
Here is a list of projects I want to make over the course of 2010 for me:
And I also want to finish….
Plus I’d like to start drawing again, and I’m committed to at least one play backstage. That’ll keep me busy, don’t you think?
I was looking at my Ravelry projects, and I’m amazed by how much I’ve grown over the past year as a knitter. Behold the difference in hats alone:
The Littlest Stevedore Hat
Last December, I made my first hat ever. I made it for myself, it was the Robin’s Egg Blue Hat by Rachel Iufer. Great pattern, very easy. Love the seed stitch band. It falls off my head though, and this month when it fell behind a radiator the button split in twain. I have yet to replace it – must get on that. It was a lovely handpainted ceramic button, I’m not sure what I’m going to do as a replacement.
This year, I had decided, as I’ve mentioned, to make matching hats for Dad and Jeff. This one is Jeff’s:
Jeff enjoys his Christmas Hat
I mean, as far as head coverings go, it’s no knit Elvis wig, but it’ll do. And it’s nice and scrunchable – easy to fit into a pocket and to take out when he needs to go out onto the lot with a customer or what have you. I’m very pleased with the colour choice – I had been really concerned about it. My brother, dear as he is, is Mr. Neutral. I thought the sage green might be a bit bold, but it was a hit. This hat also features some of the neatest seaming I’ve ever done. I’m so pleased, and I hope he wears it in good health.
Pattern: Ski Beanie, from Son of Stitch n Bitch.
Yarn: City Tweed DK from Knit Picks, in Desert Sage. Used just shy of one ball.
Lastly, my Christmas tam. After all the knitting was done for everyone else (or, at least, mostly done), I decided I was going to make something for me. I love Ysolda’s patterns, and was earmarking a ball of Karabella Boise in my stash to make her Rose Red beret. I cast on on Christmas day, and finished it up two quick days later. Her directions are so clearly written, and I enjoyed having the choice to read line by line instead of following the chart. What a confidence builder of a pattern! I’m keen to try more lacework now. And check it out, my Christmas cashmere tam:
Cute hat for a snowy day
Lacework, cables, and I even had to block it. I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and I have a lot yet to learn! I’m going to make mittens to match the hat. I just threw on a puffy vest here on account of the raging blizzard you can see behind me on my street, so you’ll have to take my word that the green is going to be wonderful with my black pea coat. It’s super cute, and I’m glad I made the smallest size. I don’t like something super floppy.
Pattern: Rose Red by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Karabella Boise 50% cashmere 50% merino sportweight. Has a crazy halo for cashmere/merino, and it’s gorgeously soft. Like buddah, as Linda Richman would say. Used only one ball for the size small.
Christmas gift exchange tonight! I got to give away my cup cozy for Jay and the first of my Tudoras, the red one for Lisa. Both seemed to go over very well. And I gave Dre her gifts: a cozy Tudora and a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves. I had to finish up the Fetchings today – and it was tight. Between the Fetchings and the Tudora I used literally the entire skein of Merisoft handpainted. But oh they’re so pretty.
I will say that if I make the Fetchings again, I would do them in a solid. The cabling detail really does get lost in the handpainted yarn. But the colours are so pretty in the variegations, I knew as soon as I saw the yarn at L.K. Yarns in Halifax that I needed to get them and what it would be.
I still have half a skein of the red waiting for a second project. Haven’t determined what I will do with it.
Anyway, hopefully Lisa liked the colours.
Dre seemed to like hers at any rate:
This Christmas moment has been brought to you by Knitty.com magazine.
And I got a swanky pair of endpaper mitts in return! Wooo!!!! I’ve been eyeing that pattern for well over a year. It’s ever so pretty! Can’t wait to wear them. Yay for exchanging handmade gifts!
