Magrathea

I started the shawl Magrathea while in Manitoba for B's sister's wedding. I'm using a local dyer yarn, Yvieknits in colourway Emerald Isle.

Farm Basket and Summer Projects

B and I have been getting a farm basket for the summer. So far it's been great. The veggies are healthy looking and abundant. We even got fruit a few times!

We decided to go with La Ferme Rosée in Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, Quebec. The farm is all organic and the pick up is just down the street from us.

Last week's haul was the best yet.

We got: corn, chinese cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, kohlrabi, tomatoes, green onions, yellow summer squash, carrots, cherry tomatoes, garlic and peas!

On the knitting front, I finished a few projects over the summer including this cute baby sweater. The pattern is Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallée. I like naming my projects based on the colour name and the project name. This yarn didn't have a colour name (just a number) so I've called it camouflage sunnyside. Now all it needs is a baby to wear it. My nephew is too old now. I must befriend a pregnant woman.

Earlier this spring I managed to get my marrakesch socks a pair of socks done. I love the yarn - it's self-striping! My feet are so small, I only used half a ball of the yarn, so I can make a second pair with what's left.

On other craft fronts, I've decided to take up jewellery-making! I'm not sure how successful it will be, but I plan on taking a course at our local bead store to start off. I took some time on the weekend to draft up some designs, and I really enjoyed the creativity which came from it.

Yarn Dyeing

I tried my hand at dyeing yarn again this weekend. This time with Wilton's food dye. The result was interesting, and the colour split up quite a lot. It came out purple, pink and blue! I'm going to use it to knit up Goodale Sweater.

The formula:

• Knit Picks Peruvian Highland Wool in Fingering
• Wilton's Violet Icing Dye
• Vinegar

Steps I took:

• Soaked the yarn in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes.
• Heated up a full pot of water on high (electric stove). When steam began rising, I turned it down to 4 and put in the yarn.
• Let the water heat back up with the yarn in it.
• Mixed about 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) of Violet to about 1 cup boiling water.
• Added the dye to the pot.
• Left to simmer on 4 for about 20-30 minutes.
• Poured in 1 cup of vinegar.
• Watched the magic happen.
• When the water came out on a spoon clear, I made the mistake to empty the pot of water. I should have let the water and yarn cool together.
• Let the yarn cool without its water.
• Rinsed. No colour ran!!
• Hung to dry.

Another TFA Giveaway!

Tanis Fiber Arts is having another fantastic giveaway. Check out her blog posting to submit your chance at a Baby Shane Blanket kit. What's your favourite palette? http://tanisfiberarts.blogspot.ca/2012/03/giveaway.html

Grape Love Study and Another Year In Colour

I've completed my gorgeous Striped Study Shawl! I think these two Malabrigo colours go so well together. One was called Velvet Grapes and the other Light of Love. Thanks to my friend E for getting me the Light of Love!

As for the Year in Colour club, I've joined up again for the 2012 year. I am in love with Tanis Fiber Arts yarn and colours. They are amazing. January's colourway is called Truffle and the pattern was designed by Hannah Fettig and called Flying in Formation. The colour is a blend of purple, green and brown.

The Blueberry in space cowl is on hold... I didn't make it in time to finish with the KAL. I ended up twisting the cowl from the beginning and only noticed about 2 inches into it. I had to rip the entire thing and start anew. I'm back to the same spot, but I decided to start a new wrap for B's and my trip to Mexico at the beginning of April! I'm using my gorgeous madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in colourway Mica, bought over Christmas in Nanaimo. I'm knitting up Hannah Fettig's Panoramic Stole from the fabulous book Coastal Knits.

As for my "no buying yarn" goal for the year, I was able to last 2 months! Yesterday I bought some amazing yarn from Tanis' One of a Kind (OOAK) Etsy shop. More to come when it's been delivered!

Sad news, the LYS Knit-Knackers is moving to Smith Falls at the end of the month. I must go and stock up on some of the amazing sock yarn they have before they go. Their selection is great.

In cross-stitch news, I've been able to work some more on my cross-stitch. It's been years now since I've picked it up. Hopefully if I do a little bit of it each weekend I'll get it done in the next few months.

I haven't done any scrapbooking lately, but I think it has to do with my craft room/office still being so disorganized! It's tough to get things flowing and functional after a move. It's been 9 months, and it's still a work in progress.

A New Year - 2012

I'm back from my trip out West to Vancouver Island, and this year I'm determined to write up my blog some more. I had a fantastic time out West, and was able to see some very beautiful scenery and some amazing yarn.

We visited the amazing Malaspina Galleries on Gabriola Island. These are a sandstone formation created by the erosion of the sandstone. Now that the boring stuff is done with, here's a great picture:


I loved walking along the shoreline, seeing views that you just don't get here. One of my favorite things to do was find rocks. Shells are hard to find, but I did manage to get my hands of some beach glass! My first ever. I also found a fantastic tile piece worn down by the waves.


My Christmas present this year was an amazing Cowichan vest, handspun and knit by Salish Coast knitters from around Duncan. It was knit by Henrietta Charlie from the Tseycum band.


We also did a little pottery shopping and I got these two amazing pieces, one with what the artist calls dimples (the starfish-looking one) and the other which is crystalline glazed work.


My stash has grown by a bit, mostly with madelinetosh. This yarn is not found here in the Ottawa River Valley (as far as I know anyway). And I just love it!

This year's goals will be to:
1) not buy any yarn. This will be a tough one.
2) knit up as much as I can/want from my stash.
3) knit up a number of last year's Tanis Fiber Arts' club patterns.

Right now I have 2 projects on the go, one shawl and one cowl.

The shawl is being knit from Malabrigo Light of Love and Velvet Grapes and is the Striped study shawl pattern. I'm calling it grape love study.



I just started the scarf the other day as a KAL with the Tanis Fiber Arts group on Ravelry. I'm knitting it in Pink Label in Bluberry. The pattern is Objects in Space and I'm calling my project blueberry in space.

2011 Goals: Almost Year-End Update

My goals for 2011 have been coming along slowly. I blogged about my goals for the year back in February. You can read the post here.

Knitting:
1) I have still only knit 1 project from Tanis Fiber Arts' Year In Colour 2011 Club. There is a KAL in January, so I'm hoping to get one of the projects done. I happily signed up for a second year of Tanis' wonderful yarn, and cannot wait for my last 2011 shipment. It will be a pattern by Kristen Kapur! So exciting.
2) I knit 3 of the 19 projects with the KAL. I began a 4th, but didn't like the pattern, so I frogged it. I did manage to purchase almost all yarn needed to complete knitting my way through the book.
3) I matched up most of my stash so far with patterns. There are still a few I'm not sure about because I don't know how the yarn will knit up. I will have to knit up a test before deciding. I've knit up 2 items from my stash yarn.

Cross-stitch:
1) I still haven't touched my cross-stitch. I'm hoping when my new craft room is set up, I will be able to spend some time on this, but it may be in 2012.

Sewing:
1) I still haven't hemmed those trousers yet, but I did hem a pair of jeans, make curtains for our new place, hemmed others, and made a small bag to carry my knitting notions in. I'm feeling more comfortable behind the sewing machine, and hemming those trousers will be next.