New project I am working on...

I am putting together along with my friend Angie this learning to knit project bags for the women (and possibly men) in Northern Canada.

I am making small project bags, and inside of them I am putting a simple knitted hat pattern, a ball of yarn, a stitch marker and a pair of small circular needles.  All in all enough to make an adult knitted hat. 

Angie is going to donate the needles, and will also be asking her store patrons for donations for the needles.  I will supply the rest and the shipping; unless anyone wants to donate some items?

I wanted to use the circular needles as they fit really well in the project bags.

I will be putting together 10 sets for this first shipment and hope to get them off by the beginning of September.  I haven't made up my mind yet, exactly who will be getting them, as there are a couple of options.  I am not sure to donate to the elderly or to younger girls/women?

Any input would be welcome?

Headbands all finished......

Here are all my headbands finished.  The top three are for the children, the bottom two are for me and dd.  I think I will take the pale green/aqua one for myself.

They were so easy to make and a great way of using up odds and ends of yarn.  Also I know that if Nora loses hers at school it won't matter as they were not expensive to make.

When I was at The Knitting Basket on Thursday a lady saw what I was making and she wanted the "pattern" for them, and bought the same striped pink/grey yarn to make some for her grand children.  

Who knew I was a knitting pattern designer😎  I did warn her how complicated the pattern was!!

For those of you who want the "knitting pattern," you can see it here.

My next knitted project a woolly hat to donate to dd for a charity fundraiser she is organizing for the United Way.

Learning something new

Would you believe I have been knitting now for nearly two years?  I am not an expert knitter, still haven't knit a pair of socks but I am a bit more confident than I was when I first started.

I still go to a sit and knit not every week, but a lot of the time and the last time I was there, a lady had brought in a pile of books that she didn't want and asked Angie to sell them and donate the money to charity.  So I had a look through them and picked out a couple including the one below, you can read more about the book here (it's an Amazon link).

What caught my eye was this poncho.  I remember having a poncho back in the 70's and thought it looked simple enough while trying out new to me stitches.  Did you have a knitted poncho back in the 70's? 

I did have a few issues, so turned to Angie for guidance, and this is where I learned something new and something so simple that you wonder why I didn't think of that.

The pattern involves purling two stitches together and then a yarn over.  I was getting mixed up with all of that, so Angie suggested I put in stitch markers everytime I did a pattern repeat so I could make sure I had enough stitches on my needles. 

Those stitch markers are a blessing it makes is so much simpler for me to see where I am.  I am quite excited to see how I make out with this.  The yarn I am using is Patons Misty, which is 48% acrylic, 32 % nylon, 10% wool and 10% mohair.  So it should be quite light to wear and pretty with it.  It is a pale green with a bit of beige in it, very Spring like.

I have to thank Angie for lending me her large stitch markers, mine are smaller and wouldn't fit around the 9.00 mm needles.

Happy Canada Day and Yarn Along.

Today is Canada Day and it's Canada's 148th birthday.  You can read more about how Canada Day came about here.  As dh is contracted out to a factory and they can't shut down the big mills mid-week, so they are celebrating Canada Day on Friday; he gets a nice long weekend, which I think is better.

I have a couple of small finishes for my Yarn Along post this week.

I made another baby hat for Hannah (dh's co-worker's baby), this time a slightly bigger size; I love how it came out so pretty:

I also made a soft toy using this pattern:

Now please remember I only started knitting the middle of March of this year.  I have a long way to go before I can really say I am a knitter, but for my first attempt this wasn't bad.  I used 100% cotton yarn and this is the father size.  I need to practice my hand finishing as that leaves a lot to be desired.  

Angie at The Knitting Basket made a great suggestion at the Tuesday Knit and Stitch to knit my next one on smaller needles so it is a tighter weave, and that way you don't see the stuffing.  So instead of using US# 6, I will probably use US# 4 or 4.5.  

I printed out the pattern and you will need pages 1 through 20 for the body and pages 2 through 9 for the hat.  It is super simple to follow, I had no problems and it is a pretty quick and easy knit.  I am going to try it with some worsted yarn in a smaller size and in purple for Our Little Princess as that is her favourite colour.

The blue and yellow one I am going to give to Our Little Munchkin, as it reminds me of a Smurf and the blue food colouring "incident"!  Do you remember that?  If not you can read about it here.

I am not reading any books at the moment, just too busy with other things.

For more Yarn Along posts with Ginny please click on this link.

Can't wait to see what your comments are today.....

Every week, the Toronto Life magazine/website posts in their real estate section, Home/Cottage/Condo of the week.  Not every week; I in turn post about them on here.

So my question is when you hear the word cottage what do you envision?

Why am I asking this?  This week's "Cottage of the Week," to my mind is NOT a cottage.  Not only is it an island, which is fine, but it has a price tag of $12 million.  My idea of a cottage is somewhere small, cozy and a place you can relax, without worrying that you may or may not disturb or make a mark on the designer decor.

The "Home of the Week," is pricey at $5.8 million, but according to one of the comments on the post, it's the going rate.  When I was looking at the photos I kept thinking there was something missing, it wasn't until I got to the end I realized what....painting's, there is nothing hanging on the walls.  One of the closets is full of clothes so someone must live there?

On a side note.  Our daughter and son-in-law got married at the Golf and Country Club that this house backs onto.  Nice area, close to the city, so that's why the price is what it is.

The "Condo of the Week," is on the market for $700,000.  It's okay but doesn't show well, as it looks cluttered to me and I am not a huge fan of that sort of duct work being exposed, but that is just me.  The outdoor terrace is nice though, but if that a/c unit is noisy it won't be a great area to sit.

I spent a great couple of hours at The Knitting Basket, helping Angie out with a couple of things with her blog and Facebook page.  Pop by and say hello if you have a minute.  I love the shawl pattern she posted on there.  That yarn she is featuring would be lovely knit in it.  But NO I WILL NOT BUY ANY MORE YARN UNTIL I FINISH SOMETHING!!!!  The two balls I picked up on Thursday while there don't count do they???

Small bits and bobs for Yarn Along.

Nothing major finished other than another dishcloth.  I used this pattern on the top dishcloth; the bottom one is a plain knit one.

I went to the Knit and Sit at The Knitting Basket on Tuesday.  Angie is having a table sale throughout the month of June and I was able to pick up some goodies, like this yarn which I am making into a baby hat for the little girl born earlier this month.  This baby hat was well received, so I thought I would make her a larger one.

It's such a bright and light hat and so girlie.

I also picked up these goodies:

The three smaller balls, are for more baby hats, as I have another baby due in October (no relation to us, just friends), so want to include them in the gift I give the new parents. I love knitting with that type of yarn.  The larger ball is for a project I have in mind......I will reveal more later!!

One thing I have discovered that like quilting, my stash of yarn is getting bigger and bigger, and I swore up and down I wasn't going to start a stash of yarn!!

If you do a craft or hobby, what do you have a stash of?  And is it out of control (LOL)?

For more Yarn Along posts, please click on this link.

Yarn Barf on Yarn Along

It's one of those terms I had never heard off until I started to knit.  This is what Yarn Barf looks like:

What's even funnier, Gillian was showing us on this post How to Wind a Skein of Yarn Yourself.  Guess I should have read that first before I started knitting.

I have read two books this week.  Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran, you can read my review here.

 Also The Vagrants by Yiyun Li, and you can read my review here.

I have been putting the binding on Our Little Munchkin's quilt this past week.  So very little knitting has been done.  I did go to The Knitting Basket to the sit and knit and got a little more done on my dish cloth:

However I have pulled it all out again, as I got lost in the pattern.  I find I can't concentrate on my knitting when talking.  I know don't talk, but it doesn't happen that way!  This dishcloth is proving to be a tricky thing to knit for some reason.........

So here we are now, just plain knitting:

I prefer the prior pattern and may give it a go again later when I spend more time concentrating.

For more Yarn Along with Ginny posts, please click on this link.

Yarn Along- June 2nd 2015

Not an awful lot to show this week, knitting wise.  I did a bit more of the baby blanket, but not enough for you to notice a big difference.  I did get my flower brooch finished and it is so cute.

I did read this book however and it was so good.  

"Sweater Quest, my year of knitting dangerously," by Adrienne Martini.  I think both knitters and non-knitters would enjoy this book.  It reminded me of a gossip magazine for the knitting world.  For the non-knitters out there, you will not believe some of the things that went/go on in the knitting world.  It does say if you enjoyed the movie, "Julie and Julia," this is the knitting equivalent; and I totally agree.  

The book is centred around the author who wants to knit a "Mary Tudor," sweater.  Now for those of us who is not in the know like I was, the first thing you think is how can someone write a whole book about a bloody sweater/cardigan?  However before you know it you are sucked right into this real life story.  I was also sitting with my mouth open at the story behind the designer of the sweater pattern Alice Starmore.  Oh, I hope to goodness she doesn't sue me for mentioning her name?  She is what I would call trigger happy when it comes to suing folk.  

If you enjoy looking up things on Google this book is also for you, as there are so many names, things and places I had to look up, just to see what's what.  Chapter 7 was of interest to me as the author travels to Toronto to meet with various knitting people, so more places and people to look up.  The author does kindly say, "Given that I don't live in Toronto, which is quickly becoming the center stitch in the modern knitting world......." that makes me realize I have a lot more learning and day tripping to do right on my own door step.

Obviously the one thing you have to look up at the end of the book, is the cardigan that the author ended up knitting.  It is a piece of art, you can see a photo of it here, that is also where you can read more about the author of the book Adrienne.  Make sure you click on the photos to see the detail, it is gorgeous, and no wonder people ooh and aah over it.

Here are links to other things mentioned in the book:

Virtual Yarns

New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck

Yarn Harlot - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Purple Purl

Amy R. Singer - Knitty.com

Lettuce Knit

The Knitter's Review Retreat

Camilla Valley Farms - super close to where I live.

There are many more interesting people and places mentioned in this book.

Stars out 5 : 5 Loved the book, very interesting.  Well worth the read even if you don't knit.

Had another good frustrating time at The Knitting Basket on Tuesday.  Angie was trying to teach me the Magic Loop way of knitting mittens.  I just couldn't wrap my head around it at all.  Will keep trying though.  Here is her latest blog post.

Too see more blog posts in this week's Yarn Along with Ginny, please click on this link.

Yarn Along - May 20th, 2015

I only have one finish this week for Yarn Along. Too see what everyone else has been up too, click on the icon above.  I completed my knitted hat for myself:

I used Martha Stewart Alpaca blend yarn I  picked up a couple of years ago in Michael's.  I would make the body of this hat a couple of inches longer as I prefer to turn up my rim like in the photo below.

I am still plowing along with the baby blanket:

and reading this book:

Also spent a few hours at The Knitting Basket on Tuesday with Angie and the gang.

Helped her get her next blog post out, you can read it here

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Tuesday's knit and stitch.

I attended my second knit and stitch session on Tuesday and I am pleased to say I didn't have to "stay behind" class to have Angie re-do my work.  Would you believe I managed to drop a stitch and decided in my wisdom to pull out the row and then put all the stitches back on backwards...........I know who knew there was a right way and wrong way to put on stitches????

I have now knit one full ball of yarn in dark gray and have started on the light gray ball:

I'll let you into a little secret, I have "lost" a stitch somewhere as I now have 124 stitches instead of 125........oops.  I bought some stitch markers and boy do they make things a lot easier I have discovered.

"Y" is knitting with some fancy dancy yarn, and I think she mentioned a shawl or something?  She is the best knitter ever and also weaves, crochets.  She also has the funkiest hair ever.

"J" was starting on a pair of socks.  She is fun and was telling us a story about a friend of a friend who has a fish called "DWAYNE," as when he dies that's where he is going...........down the dwayne!!   No matter how many times I hear that I laugh.

Then there is "A" an expert knitter and so quiet, and such a good help when I make a mistake; which believe me is often!  She is knitting a sweater using a yarn with YAK wool in it.  It's super soft:

Finally there was Angie our beloved leader.  Patience of a saint; well she has to have dealing with me.  She was knitting a tank top, but it wasn't going as planned, so she pulled it all out and started again.  Me, I would have cried and had a melt down if that had happened to me, but Angie took it all in her stride.  That is why she is the one in charge!!!

If you want to learn more about The Knitting Basket, Angie has a Facebook page/site, Google it under The Knitting Basket, Alliston, Ontario.

Can't wait until next Tuesday as it is The Knitting Basket's 2nd birthday and "Y's" birthday as well!!