Sisters are the Best.

This came in the mail yesterday... My sister is lucky enough to live in Winnipeg (I know, this sounds weird, what with the long cold winters and the short mosquito summers) but she lives in the land of Ram Wools! She was able to pop in to their local pre-internet sale days in early January and scoffed up some Colinette treasures for herself and for me! This is Chrysalis, a cotton ribbony confection, hand dyed in the sunrise colourway... roses, grays, hint of yellow and mint. Mmmm. She also got herself the yarn in plums, and wants me to design a pattern for us both.

The newest pullover has begun, in the Color Baby yarn (still available as of this posting day, and SUCH a nice yarn...recommended!) from Elann. I have started this one with a big wandering cable ribbing pattern... not difficult, but designed to add elasticity to the lower body, creating a more fitted silhouette. The Cabled Cardigan is now finished and blocked and I will be finding buttons today. It should be photo-ready by tomorrow.

Post Yarn Packages.... woo hoo.

Yarn from Elann! I found the deal for Color Baby by Stampato, 100% merino from Australia, spun and dyed in italy, too irresistable! The 10 bag set was less than $30, so I ordered the green multi and the custard colours. (so greedy, I know, but it's MERINO. You understand.)

And the yarn from Ram Wool came too. The Fleece Artist Somoko (sock yarn) in cedar....

Lovely.

Almost done the cable cardigan (finally) and will reveal photo after the blocking. The Color Baby has been swatched and plans started, and the Somoko has been wound into a ball and the socks begun, so lots on the needles right now. Meanwhile, I have added Yoga to my weekly workout routine (2 step classes and 1 or 2 general cardio/weight sessions.)... I find some of it easy, woohoo downward dog and warrior, but some very difficult, side plank and dancers pose. Will keep at it though, it is different from the same old same old....

A new book on Blurb! I finally finished the design of my little book of some of my paintings! The site, Blurb, allows you to download software that you can use to design your book, and then when it is ready, upload the book back to them and they will publish and mail the results to you. This one is 24 pages of 21 paintings and descriptions of the inspirations for each. I will show you here, when the book arrives. Meanwhile, check it out here!

Detour, Change of Direction

As often happens with the best mind-plans, when it comes down to execution of said design, the patterns don't always work the way you think they will... this is well known to me, and usually does not deter me from plunging ahead and trying something new. The cable cardigan in the "round" has been the test of this method. I had no problems with the body and the sleeves, but come to the change of direction and the joining and continuing of the yoke, well, just suffice it to say that there was some ripping out and picking up of cable stitches across more than 350 stitches on large circular needles, then re-knitting, then a whole sideways cable piece that was knit once for 9 inches, then ripped because I thought it too plain, then re-knit for the entire length, then attached to body, then stitches picked up and knit again, then.... I didn't like it at all.

Then more ripping and more calculating and more picking up and more knitting....

and I am somewhat, cautiously optimistic that I may have, possibly, found the design that will stick with this one.... I hope!

Meanwhile, at the construction zone, we are having great success with the beautiful floors, and I now have my living room done and a temporary small rug down, waiting for the perfect rug to be found.... notice the close up of the hardwood beneath the cable cardigan.

The only room left is the kitchen, and so this is how it looks today, but hubby is hard at work and a big chunk of this will be done today. The trickiest part will be the island, and meeting up evenly on the other side.... he's good though, and I have no doubts that it will come together more smoothly than my #$!@* cable cardigan. :)

Knitting update...

The new cabled cardigan is coming along well, and I only have a few inches of second sleeve to go, before the dramatic yolk design, not yet quite worked out in my head, much less on paper, but we cross that cable when we reach it, eh?
The second project on the go is the new yarn Arabesque from Elann, in four colours, that I am randomly blocking about the back of a chunky pullover. I knit this one when I am too tired to concentrate on the busy cables of the cardigan. The blocks are easy and the knitting just stocking stitch. The yarn is chunky enough to go up quickly too.
This sweater is using the same shape and measurements that I used for the Noro Blossom Turtleneck and will probably look and fit the same, just the colour blocks are different. It will show how different yarn and different colour placements can make a totally different sweater with the same basic pattern!

I managed to catch a deal at the once a year clearout at Ram Wool. It was Tuesday and Wednesday only, and I scooped up a new Fleece Artist sock yarn in multi-greens, as well as some addi's for 30% off. The yarn is sold out as of today (sorry for my greed) but I will show you how it looks when it arrives, so you can covet it yourself, and find a sale in the (hopefully) near future.

and lastly, as an update, here are a couple of photos of my home, the hardwood project is well underway, and the dining room is finished, with the furniture back (shoved aside), and the boxes of hardwood in the middle. The living room is prepped and ready to start the boards. I LOVE this wood.

Glorious Sunday

Last night we had a little snowstorm, lots of wind and cold and this morning I woke up to this....

I walked across to the park and made the first footsteps in an otherwise perfect sunny-snow surface. The sun through the trees and the windless cold air was delightful.

This afternoon, as I knit and watch football, my dear one is doing this....

The hardwood has started to appear! We have been prepping the floors (ripping out carpets and unsticking vinyl floors) getting three rooms ready for almost 2 weeks, and I love it. Hubby is my hero.

Finger Puppet Kitties

So here is the final version of Kitty Puppets.

They are the mates to the Finger Puppies and the Poppets, and you can mix and match!

These are really easy and use scraps of worsted weight yarns and sock yarn for the embroidered details. Knit on 4mm needles (US 6), use Orange or white or grey for body and cream colour for face. I used black sock yarn for eyes and rose sock yarn for nose and mouth line.
Cast on 10 in body colour... Knit 4 rows (garter stitch: Knit every row). Stocking Stitch next 2rows (Knit right side, Purl wrong side). Next row: Knit 3, Knit in the front and back of the next stitch (one increase), K2, Knit in the front and back of the next stitch (another increse), K3. Work for 3 more rows in stocking stitch, then cast off the next row. WAIT to sew up until all embroidery is done.
Muzzle: with cream colour, Cast on 3. Knit row one, purl row two, cast off all stitches. Leave 8 inches of yarn to sew up. Use the tail to sew around the face in position in the middle of head (see photo). Using eye colour, make french knot eyes in the upper part of the face. Using the rose, place 2 horizonal lines for nose, and one vertical line from nose to bottom of face. Securely fasten the ends of the embroidery on the inside of the kitty. To make the ears center the back seam behind the cat and sew the top of the head in a flat seam from right to left, leaving points (corners) that will look like ears. A little tug at the tips to pull them up will also help. Now you can stitch up the back opening, and sew in all the ends of yarns.