Warmth in the North

snow day

*** If your looking for the contest it's over here ***

    It snowed today and even though it isn't sticking to the ground yet I'm less than excited about the prospect of 9 months of winter.  I decided to brave the slippery roads anyway and went to ceramics with some friends.  I'm never going to be an artist (those talents were given in spades to one of my sisters) but it's still a ton of fun.

    I decided in honor of the three months of the year when it doesn't snow up here to paint a red daisy.  I know red daisies don't exist but I'm using my limited artistic license.  You pay for whatever piece you'd like to paint and then three dollars every time you go and paint so it's a fairly cheep way to spend an eveing with friends.

    These little paint trays are my favorite part of the whole process.  Little dollops of colour just waiting to be used seem full of possibilities.  I like painting even though I'm rubbish and some lucky people will be getting random dishes for Christmas this year.

books are wonderful ~ contest over

    I can't wait for The Knitter's Book of Wool to be released and for my copy to arrive.  As a way of entertaining myself until then I'm holding a contest.  Up for grabs is a copy of The Knitter's Book of Wool.

    I'll randomly choose a winner from the comments on October 9th ~ 4 days before the release date.  This way if you already have a pre-order you can cancel it.  If Amazon delivers to where ever you live I'll just have a copy sent to you but if you're Amazon-less I'll mail it out from up here. 

    So leave a comment before 7pm pacific October 9th and let me know what's on your needles, hook, loom, wheel or other crafty implement.

winter hat #2

     Hats are really, really quick, nothing like a little bit of instant gratification.  Since I had quite a bit of extra green yarn from the first hat I decided to stripe with it.  At first I wasn't sure how well the stripes would contrast since the two colours are so dark.  I think it's subtle enough to work for my brother but still adds a little bit of interest.

    My only real problem is all the leftover yarn, it looks like I'll be able to get another hat out of the black yarn.  I wasn't really expecting to get three hats out of the two skeins but it's going to be more than possible.  What type of hat will come next remains a mystery for now.  I may take a break from hats for a few days and knit something else.

just in case...

Pattern ~ Turn a Square by Jared Flood

Yarn ~ Cascade Yarns 220 Heathers in British Green and Cascade Yarns 220 Wool in Black

Needles ~ 4.0mm (US6) & 4.5mm (US7)

a finished hat

    I wasn't sure what sort of hat to knit for my brother until I came upon this picture.  He'd requested a hat that would cover his ears but without having him around to try it on fit looked like it might be a problem.  Of course I could use measurements but they can be hard to get and unless you take them yourself are always a bit iffy. 

    I'm not sure where he got the hat he's wearing (our Nana may have knit it) during this snowball fight last Christmas but it was the answer to my problems.  If he'll wear that than he should be alright wearing something similar.   So for my first attempt I've knit a simple k2, p1 ribbed hat.

    He'll be able to adjust the length so that it fits perfectly.  I hope it fits him since I just improvised everything including the decreases but since it's stretchy things should be ok.  Next up will be something slightly more refined maybe even a subtle stripe.

just in case...

Pattern ~ improvised

Yarn ~ Cascade 220 Heathers in British Green

Needles ~ 5.0mm (US 8)

bea is having a contest

The title of this post is self-explanatory I guess... Bea is having a really great contest on her blog, click the link to visit her.  She also has a really interesting post over here about her friend Eva who's trying to get to Antarctica that you should check out.

manly colours

    My youngest brother asked for a replacement winter hat last spring.  It was a funny conversation, he came to me with the hat I'd knit him a few years ago and began questioning me.  How hard is it to knit something like this?  How long does it take?  I can't remember all the questions but I was sort of confused until he pointed out that his old hat was getting a bit warn.  By the end of the conversation he'd decided that he was worth my time and asked for a new toque.

    I've been keeping my eye out for yarn but hadn't found anything dark and plain enough in the store up here.  This weekend I went to River City Yarns in Edmonton and picked up these two skeins of Cascade 220.  The black is sure to be a winner but I decided to get the heathered green as well just for fun.  I'm hoping to knit at least one this week so that I can send it home with a belt I'm weaving my father.

    On an entirely different note, I've noticed that a lot of people talk about feeling out of place or shunned in LYS and I'm really interested in how that happens.  Saturday was the grand opening of the second location of River City Yarns and most of the people in the store seemed to know one another.  I just wandered the store quickly grabbed the yarn I wanted and stood in line with a non knitting friend. 

    Maybe I'm just oblivious to normal social clues but at no point did I feel gauche or out of place.  In fact although I've only ever been twice before and never to this location the woman at the cash recognized me.  Have any of you ever felt as if the people in a yarn store didn't want you there?

now open

    On most days I drive past this hay bale tower on my way to work.  It's the only one of it's kind around here and until a few weeks ago it advertised "Hay for Sale".  You can still see the hay sign resting on the ground but the main attraction has changed.  During the last days of August the Meat Cutting was coming soon, then one afternoon it was suddenly open.

    There isn't much evidence of either the facility or the hay from the road but the whole operation intrigues me.  I'm sure there is a need for a butcher of some sort around here since lots of people both raise cattle and hunt but I wonder how you go from hay to meat.  At the same time it's defiantly the most restful billboard I've ever encountered nothing about it makes me want to shut my eyes while driving.

    Today I'm making the seven hour drive to Edmonton where I'm sure to be assaulted by advertisements with a slightly different tone.  Than again I doubt the population of Edmonton has the same demand for cattle feed or personalized butchery.  I'm looking forward to a weekend away but I just might miss some things.

big is better... for me

    I almost always carry a large purse, my last version was a dark brown Fossil that has needed replacing and I really wanted more colour.  For a while I'd discounted "knitting bags" from my search since they come in smaller sizes that don't do me much good for everyday use.  Most of my coworkers carry backpacks and they are practical but something about them screams textbooks and not in a good way.  So far I've stuck with purses and been happy if slightly limited.

    This huge bag arrived recently (the mums are for scale) and I'm really happy with it.  I like being able to have one purse and not have to switch from bag to bag all the time.  So anything I carry needs to be good for work, errands and a decent amount of air travel.  While I've never been a boy scout, "be prepared" has always struck me as a great motto. 

    I wouldn't usually pester you with a new purse but this one is really a knitting bag, a Namaste Hermosa to be exact.  Honestly I'm not sure how useful it would be if you only wanted to use it for knitting unless you were creating a body suit for a giant.  This thing is huge, which is great since it lets me carry everything plus my knitting.  I was a little wary of getting a bag from Namaste since they aren't made out of leather but so far I'm happy with the quality of the materials.

    Yesterday's yarn is Foot Loose by Diamond Yarn in the wonderfully inspiring colourway #5.  I picked it up a few days ago at the weaving/spinning/knitting store that recently opened up in town.  It's nice and squishy although a tiny bit thicker than the indie yarns I've already used.

stacking up

    Unfortunately my knitting is still at a crawl and little barn raising squares are my only results.  I really need to block the last few months worth before they threaten to become unmanageable.  Almost all of them need to have ends woven in as well before they are well and truly finished. 

    My current dilemma is figuring out where to store them until the final stage as they've begun to dominate my knitting basket.  Overtime is taking over my life and little squares are taking over the basket.  Maybe I'll get a basket just for little squares but while I think about it I'll start adding pink to the mix.

staving off the cold

    I need to remember to toss my camera in my bag sometime this week.  With regular work and overtime I've had hardly anytime to knit let alone take pictures but I'd really like some of the changing season.  Autumn is in full swing, cold and rainy stretches followed by a few warm sunny days.  This used to be my favorite season but the colours are so much muddier up here than in Ontario.

    The mums are my little attempt to bring back a bit of fall colour.  I'm not able to get the leaves to change quite so vibrantly so this will have to do.  Mums are such a simple flower but they seem so cheerful to me, natures one last push for life before winter.  They come in so many colours but the simple dusty pink is a perfect pick me up as the cold moves in.