Boneses new boots

Boneses new boots
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

It is BLOODY FREEZING here in SK. I pretty much hate the prairies all winter. It has been below minus 20 for a week now and I often question why anyone in their right mind lives here. Or, why AJ and I do, anyway. We have both lived in warm, or at least mild climates. This is just silly. Anyways, our poor little puppy basically has a brushcut for fur and ends up limping or crying when we walk him because the ground in so cold. We have a hoody and down doggy jacket for him, so his body is warm, but the little paws suffer. So we bought him these Mutt Luks. He didn't even try to bite them off or anything, he just walked around being hilarious and I had to video it. I was in tears he looked so funny. Enjoy.

PS. Now that he has warm body and warm feet, we realize he needs warm ears. His floppy little (actually huge) ears get so cold and now I have to somehow design a dog toque that will stay on to keep his ears warm. I'm thinking Weimaraners are not really meant to live in the Canadian prairies....

Baby Leland dancing to BEP

Baby Leland dancing to BEP
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

Was in Canmore last weekend visiting Pre and Leanne and baby Leland. First of all, this baby is the cutest cuddliest little peanut ever. He let me hold him for so long and never fussed. He is so amazing. So happy, so cute and just an awesome baby. He loves dancing in his Jolly Jumper and I snapped this quick vid catching him in the act.

My First Craft Sale

So here is the latest picture of Bones. He is getting so big. It has taken a colder turn here in S'toon and he is a huge wimp (not that I wouldn't be too). He hates going outside to pee, etc, and on walks he periodically limps through the snow and licks his feet to warm them up. Poor thing, little does he know that this -10 C business is nothing compared to what is to come. We are going to buy him little dog boots. And I am going to knit him a sweater.


Tristin brought the kids by the craft sale on Saturday. Chels got Ryder to try this hat on and we all decided he looked so cute, he had to have it. I am going to make strings for the ear flaps.


Here's all my hats! I knit between 30-35 for the craft sale. I sold about 20 preknit hats and then had about 10 custom orders, which I am working away at right now. I knit hats for 3 people during the craft sale which they picked up and were happy with. So I anxiously await a day where I can point someone out and say - Hey! I knit that!


So I also had homemade doggie biscuits that I baked all week. Peanut butter, banana buckwheat, peas n cheese, sweet potato and carrot oat, and bison bones. They sold like crazy! People love pampering their dogs. And on the far left there are some Christmas ornments I felted and needle-felted.


Below are the peanut butter bones before hitting the oven,


and after.


I was the only one selling homemade dog biscuits (I'm not that surprised), and I am definitely going to do it again next year. I even got AJ to taste some of them for me to see how they were. He said the peanut butter ones were too dry, but the sweet potato carrots were a bit better. Refused to try the bison bones (I used ground bison). Of course I tried them out on Bones, but since he likes garbage I couldn't really trust his opinion. If he didn't like them, I would have been concerned.

Not much longer till Christmas!

Leland

Have you ever seen a cuter baby? I don't think I have! Look at those eyes. He will definitely be a heartbreaker some day :)

Leland
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

This is the little blue hat I was knitting in the car with the kiwis. It is a little baby aviator hat knit in a soft baby blue yarn. I have to say it's a pretty cute hat. I got the pattern for free off the Ravelry website (as usual).

November Fun

So my friend Kate Yakimow had a little baby girl in December and when I visited with her while in Toronto I got to cuddle her. Beautiful little baby Leo. I knit her this dress. I got the pattern off the Ravelry website for free. It's called Little Sister Dress and it is a fantastic pattern. Knit in the round so no seams (I hate sewing up) and very quick. I have had many ladies ask for a big girl version :)


While Jenny, Wallis and Sidonie were here in Canada (Winnipeg) for my wedding, I spent a lot of time knitting. I was knitting the little blue aviator hat for Leland in this picture. We had lots of shopping trips and my mum would drive to I would knit in the back seat. A bit squishy with all three of us in the back, but fun being with my little kiwi sisters again. It was amazing having them here. A huge honour that they would make the trip.


We got our skiddy, ugly sliding doors taken out and a big window put in at the front. It still needs to be finished up, but we are really happy, it looks so much better. AJ was watching the hockey game with Bones in this picture. Bones is so funny, he actually does watch tv sometimes.


And here is he being superdog. We love when he stretches out like this. He's a very funny little dog.


Lastly I have a multi-coloured toque I knit for myself. I had originally used this wool to knit myself a scarf about 5 years ago. I never wore the scarf, even though I love the wool so much. Then I frogged it and knit a baggy toque. Didn't like that either. This is my newest knit with this wool. We'll see how much use it gets this winter. I like it a lot better as this toque than the other things.



I have a table at a craft sale on November 27th, 28th and 29th at Wilson's Greenhouse here in Saskatoon. So far I have knit 26 adult toques and 3 child toques. I am a knitting machine. All improvised designs and every one is different. Will post pictures of my toques next time. Off to the dog park with Bones :)

Beth and Ryan's wedding

So my sister-in-law Beth and her man Ryan got married on September 12th. My parents and Chels came for the wedding and it was a lot of fun. I knit Beth her garter too! The funny thing is, I have no pictures of Beth and Ryan, or of the wedding. I happen to be a lazy photographer and if others have cameras I don't bother. This means, sadly, that the only pictures I can post are of me and people :)

So first up, my friend Matt and I. Who knows what we are doing or what part of the night this is (my guess is later since I can't remember).


Matt's wonderful wife Kristen took the above and below pictures. Below is Chels and me right after the ceremony. It was so great to have my whole family their for a big day with my new family. Chels and I had a blast.


I have some new knits I need to post but don't feel like it now. So check back soon - I'll get them up.

Good news is that my cousin has been drumming me up some business and I am almost finished my first paid-for project! Will post soon. Am also going to try to get a table at a craft sale at a nearby church on November 14th. Hope I can get one. I'm going to knit up a bunch of toques and maybe some mitts too. Stay tuned.

My Something Blue

I forgot to show an important wedding participant that I knit. My garter! I knit garters for Tristin and Jana for their weddings which were in May/June 2006. I was going to borrow the one I knit Tristin for my something borrowed, but she couldn't find it, so I whipped this one up a day or two before our wedding. I really liked it. Unfortunately it got lost in the garter toss. I say unfortunately because I thought it might be neat to let Beth (AJ's sister) borrow it for her wedding. But I just whipped another one up for her.


I am making another pair of those felted slippers (below) for AJ. And then maybe some for me. I have too many projects to do and I should already be starting all my Christmas knitting...

New puppy, new job, new husband - and some knitting

So AJ and I got married. It was great! Best wedding I've ever been to :) The day was beautiful. A little windy, but the sun was out all day, which was pretty amazing considering there was a monsoon the day before! We had such a great time. Our dear friends from New Zealand came for the occasion, which is more of an honour than most people will realize.


The dinner was great, and the reception was a blast! I wish we could get married every year!


And of course there is our sweet little darling Bones. We are so in love with him. He is an absolute psycho, but so loving and so sweet. He is definitely a handful.


When we got him he was so little! Now he is huge. He's only 5 months, but he is more than twice the size he was when we got him. And growing.


He is a bit of a baby (no, he is a HUGE baby) and I am not sure how this first winter will go. He doesn't like going outside when it's raining and chilly. Little does he know the horror of a winter that's on it's way...


I knit these kick ass slippers for our dear friend Ben who came for our wedding from England! I knit him some slips a couple years ago, but they have been worn through. These ones will hold up a bit better. They are hands down my favorite slippers to knit. Favorite pattern for sure. So easy and they look awesome!


And here's a little hat I knit for myself out of some absolutely beautiful wool I bought a few years ago in Victoria. I had crocheted it into a scarf, but never wore it. Hopefully this will get some more wear. I think it will. I LOVE it!


Oh, and lastly, my new job. My life has changed completely because of this new job! I love it so much! I am (get this) a Chemistry Instructor at SIAST (Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology). I was a bit freaked at first, but it is going so well! I love it more than I thought possible.

So life is good. New puppy, new job and new husband, all within 2 months. Can't really ask for more :)

June?

Seriously. How the hell is it June already? I'm getting married in less than 2 months!!! Yay!!!

So here are some little hats I crocheted for my friend Pippa's baby girl (due in July). Hopefully they will fit her, I tend to make baby hats on the small side most of the time - not on purpose. I think these should be okay.




In between knitting my wedding hearts I have been knitting a little sweater for my good friends Pre and Leanne's baby (also due in July). I cannot wait to find out what their baby is (boy/girl) because I want to knit more for them but want it to be more gender specific.


I am hoping it fits baby Pre next fall and can keep him/her toasty for the chilly mountain nights. Hope you like it Lee!!

Oh, one last pic. Here is our sweet little puppy we get to take home on June 21st. We are going to call him Bones. He is a Weimaraner and I am absolutely in love with him. He is so sweet. I cannot wait to have him home!!


Come on, you love him, you know you do :)

Lots of Wedding Hearts

Pretty much all I have been doing is lots of wedding hearts. I am aiming for 80. I have about 55 so far. Close. Every now and then I need a break from them and below is what I squeeze in. I finally finished Jana's bunny slippers. Meaning, I finally sewed on the ears and sewed the eyes and nose, which is all I have had to do since January. I think I want some. But no time...


I also had time to crochet a chunky hat for my sis. It wasn't originally for her, but when she sees stuff she likes and it isn't specifically for anyone else, she gets it. It's her colour...


I am also knitting a little nongendered sweater for baby Precourt. It is going to be sweeeeeeeeeeet. I love knitting baby stuff. I have a while with this one since baby Pre isn't due till the last week in July and he/she certainly won't be wearing a sweater then...


This is all the wool I bought from Liquidation World in Yorkton one day when I was there for work. I popped in for something else... Can't remember because I was immediately drawn to the bin full of yarn. Turns out is was 10c a ball so I bought 40 and you guessed it, it only cost me $4. Best deal I have ever seen!!


Chels told me she had enough hats and needed a new pair of mitts so when we were in Victoria in February I took her to a little yarn store in Sidney and she bought this purple yarn so I could knit her some cute little mitts. Here they are.


And finally, back to the hearts. I am getting there. I need to start stuffing and sewing them and maybe testing to see if they actually felt. Wouldn't that be a bitch? Knitting all these little hearts and them not even felting. Shhhhh... of course that ISN'T what will happen. They will work the way I need them to.


Alright, off to work I go...

It's 4:30am and I can't sleep

These booties are for my friend Kate's baby Leo. As is the purple bib. I am so slack with sending them that they probably won't fit her by the time she gets them. Next week... For sure this time...






These are my sister's snugs. I finished them in time to take them to Victoria. I love them. Such a great pattern. I will have to knit myself some after the huge line up of things I need to knit already.


And finally, some heart shaped Empire cookies I made for Valentine's Day and I must say, they were fantastic. I cannot make these often or I will get fat. I love them.


I'm going to try to get back to sleep, more to come, hopefully sooner.

My Lion

I thought I would put up the pattern for my dropstitch hat, just for fun.


Materials:
-Vanna's Choice 100% acrylic (100g/156m) in Dusty Green

Tools:
-40cm (16 inch) circular needle size 5.5 mm
-4 double pointed needles in 5.5 mm
-stitch marker
-yarn needle

For the hat:

Using the circular needle, cast on 84 stitches. Place marker to mark start of the round and join, careful not to twist stitches.

Work K1P1 ribbing for 8 rows (or however many rows you want for the bottom band of the hat).

Next row, *knit 7 stitches, M1. Repeat from * to the end of the row. You should now have 96 stitches on your needle.

[(Optional) Work 2 rows stockinette, or go straight into the pattern, see below.]

Pattern:

Row 1: *K2, P2, K1, yo, K1, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row.
Rows 2-5: *K2, P2, K3, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 6: *K1, yo, K1, P2, K1, drop stitch all the way down to yo, K1, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 7-11: *K3, P2, K2, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row.
Row 12: *K1, drop stitch all the way down to yo, K1, P2, K1, yo, K1, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row.

Repeat Rows 1-12 one more time. Work Rows 1 and 2 again, then begin decreasing while wokring in pattern.

So for your last Row 3: *K2, P2tog, K3, P2. Repeat from * to the end of the row (84 stitches).
Row 4: *K2, P1, K3, P2tog. Repeat from * to the end of the row (72 stitches).
Row 5: *K2tog, P1, K3, P1. Repeat from * to the end of the row (60 stitches).
Row 6: *K1, P1, K1, drop stitch all the way down to yo, K1, P1. Repeat from * to the end of the row.

To finish up, move last 60 stitches to 3 double pointed needles (20 on each).
Decrease as follows:

Dec Row 1: [*K1, P1, repeat from * for 8 stitches, then K2tog.] Repeat [] to the end of the row (54 stitches).
Dec Row 2: [*K1, P1, repeat from * for 7 stitches, then P2tog.] Repeat [] to the end of the row (48 stiches).

Repeat Dec Rows 1 and 2, with one less stitch each time (ie. repeat for 6 stitches, repeat for 5 stitches, etc), until you have 6 stitches left altogether. Cut yarn and draw it through the 6 stitches, pull tight and sew tail into the inside of the hat. Sew in cast on yarn at bottom and you're done!

I made this pattern up as I went along, and have never really written a pattern out, so if there are any mistakes in the stitch numbers, rows, etc, please comment. I will fix it as soon as I can. Happy knitting!

Toronto was fantastic!

I Had the greatest time in Toronto! Lots of shopping and girl time with Jillie Bean (vintage shopping, shopping in stores we don't have in Saskie, and even tried on a few wedding dresses...) and a crazy fun National Sales Meeting.

On the first night we had an awards dinner. A bit long and boring, but we had olympic gold medal winner Catriona Le May-Doan speak, and she was pretty interesting and motivational. My work partner Robin and I thought it would be neat to take a picture with her gold medal. It will be the only time either of us will ever hold one.


Below is a picture of my whole work team (Saskatchewan on the left, manager in purple in the middle and Manitoba on the right). We had such a fun dinner and then a couple (too many) drinks. Tuesday morning came too quick. But we all made it through to Wednesday.


Then last weekend AJ and I went to Emma Lake with our friends Kirk and Renee. It was amazing. The weather warmed up nicely and we had many hot tubs, went zipping around on snowmobiles and on Saturday Renee and I went snowshoeing. The weather was beautiful. Not January-like at all. Hopefully it'll hold for awhile. While we were at the lake I knit up this slouchy hat.


I made up the pattern. It's very similar to one I made Chels a year or so ago, but hers fits tighter. I really like slouchy right now. I have more of this wool and will probably do another one. Don't know who for, but it doesn't matter. Really I should be finishing the snugs and knitting up some baby clothes for my friends who have recently had or are going to have babies. But there's plenty of time for that!!

Chelsea's Snugs

So I found the cutest pattern ever, especially for someone like Chels, who pretty much wears slippers 24/7. They're called Snugs and they are sort of like Ugg boots, but knit, and felted and a million times less expensive. Here are my snugs-in-progress.


I know, they look very ugly, right? Just wait until you see the final product. The pink is the outside and the green is going to line them. I have high hopes for these snugs. I have a little snugs pattern for babies and kids and will probably make some for special little tykes.

I was just in Toronto for a week to visit my bestie and to attend a national sales meeting for work. It was great. I love Toronto. I'll post pics another time. Off to the lake this weekend!

Happy New Year! I'm engaged!

We had a real Christmas tree this year. Our first Christmas together in our 3 years of dating, our first Christmas in our home. We loved it. It is January 7th and we still haven't taken it down. It's too depressing. After Christmas there is nothing to look forward to until summer. Nothing but a long and bloody freezing (Sunday was -38C, or -54C with wind chill - yep, I refused to leave the house) winter. Doesn't our tree look nice though? From outside and inside.



So here is a photo of a slouchy hat I knit for Beth. Her and Ryan got engaged on Christmas Eve!! AJ and I went to Winnipeg for Christmas with my sister and Jered (her man). It was great. I love going home for the holidays.


And on New Year's Eve, AJ asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes. I tried to take a picture of the ring, but it just never works, so just imagine a pretty sparkly ring on my finger and that's what it looks like! We would like to get married in August, but we haven't started planning anything yet so it might not happen that early.

That's all I got right now. Off to Toronto on Friday to spend the weekend with Jill and then attend my national sales meeting from Monday to Wednesday. Till then...