The Little Knitter

Christmas knits

2010-12-31T10:25:00.007-06:00

I made some ornaments for people this year. This first picture shows some little mittens I made. I didn't actually knit these. I felted some wool sweaters I bought from VV and then cut out the mitten shape. I think they turned out well and people seemed to like them. My favorites are the striped ones.

I also crocheted a little snowman for my friend Kristen. I found the pattern on Lion Brand Yarn's website.

I crocheted the mitten below for my friend Adriana. She is going to be doing my matt leave at SIAST. She is an amazing person, she has helped me so much and she shares my love for knitting.

I knit the mini sweater ornament below (for some reason even though in my file it is right side up, stupid blogger has decided to turn it sideways and I can't figure out how to change it) for my friend Deb.

And I knit this hat below for Jillie. She is going to Europe for 3 months (today I think...)! I hope this hat will keep her head warm :) I made the pattern up and I quite like it.

I knit a bunch of other stuff but will save them for another post since I show be working right now...

Leland's replacement sweater

2010-11-16T08:18:00.004-06:00

Sweet little Leland grew out of his blue sweater. Since Leanne and Pre are such strong Nanook Knits supporters (always wear/use what I knit them) I had no problem knitting Leland a new sweater.

I used some chunky acrylic - basically the same stuff I used for the first sweater, but in black instead of grey. My gramma Inez gave me heck for knitting a black sweater for a baby. I am not allowed to knit black for my baby, says Gram.

This sweater pattern is just so easy and always looks so good. I am addicted to knitting seamless patterns because I hate sewing up so much. (I have 3 sweaters and an afghan that have been done for AGES, just sitting in my closet in pieces. I hate sewing up.)

I am hoping Wilson's Greenhouse will be a success, I have a bunch of knitted and crocheted stuff all ready to sell. I also already have a few batches of doggie treats ready. A couple more things to do and I should be good to go!

Growing Belly

2010-10-19T07:49:00.004-06:00

AJ has been taking some better pictures throughout the pregnancy, but these are ones I have taken on my phone some mornings when I feel like it. This first one was taken on September 23rd. My belly only really popped out around September 12th-14th when I was home for my Mum's birthday.

This was taken this morning. I can't tell if I got any bigger... Maybe a little bit? It's hard to tell on yourself. I see my belly every day.

I have been feeling tons of movement. I absolutely love it. It's the most amazing feeling in the world. Other people have felt baby move too. AJ, Chels, my parents, Beth, Debby. It's so exciting. I love being pregnant :)

Amaya Belle McCannell

2010-10-18T21:36:00.006-06:00

Ian and Melissa had a little baby girl on September 25th and her name is Amaya Belle. She is a perfect little peanut and we all love her. This is her and I the day she was born.

I gave them the pink crocheted converse booties, but she won't fit into them for awhile. So I knit up this little sleep sack for her to stay warm in during the winter. I like it so much I am going to have to knit one for my baby :)

I have had these little bumblebee buttons for about 12 years and never had anything to put them on. I thought they looked cute on this sleep sack. I sewed in a zipper under the white strip. Apparently Ian and Melissa like zippers a lot more than snaps or buttons. Easier to get on and do up on a wriggling baby!

I knit this green hat for Jana's friend. It is two strands of worsted held together, using 6 mm needles. It is a nice loose fit, not as tight as I normally do. I like the fit and may start doing more hats like this.

I lined it with some camouflage fleece for extra warmth and added my label (Nanook Knits). I may have to do more like this for the Wilson's Greenhouse Craft Sale next month! I'm very excited, both Mum and Chels are coming to work it with me. Last year Chels and I had such a great time, it's going to be great.

I'm going to have hats, scarves and other stuff that I can knit up before the sale. And of course, the doggie biscuits that flew off the table. More variety this year, including dairy-free and wheat-free for the poor allergy-burdened pups. I can't wait!

New Favourite

2010-09-16T14:20:00.003-06:00

So Melissa is due on September 30th (although we all think she could go any minute now) and I needed to make baby McCannell something adorable. Since Ian and Melissa chose not to find out what they were having, I will have to make this in blue or green too, but started with pink. Are these not the cutest little booties EVER?

When I saw the pattern I knew they would become a favourite of mine for babies. I love making cute things that are cute even to people who don't use that word. Jered and AJ both think these are very cute. That means they are awesome. They are however, not as easy as a lot of little tiny things I am used to making. They are definitely worth it, but my first run through these took longer than your average bootie takes me. I am hoping that the next pair will be easier, and so on.

I plan on making another pair in case they have a boy. And of course, a couple pairs for my baby. They are just too cute. I have two sweaters on the go for myself, and they are both close to completion. I basically just have to finish the collar/neck on both of them, and then sew them up. I am hoping to finish both this weekend.

Then on to more baby stuff!

I'm still here...

2010-08-15T23:17:00.004-06:00

It's been a crazy couple months I guess. I didn't forget to knit, or forget about the blog, I just got really busy! School was a nightmare. I barely stayed above water. But I made it through and enjoyed my month off (July). Had to go back to school, NOT voluntarily, to learn about adult education. Grumble, grumble, grumble, I just finished 3 weeks of it. Although I would rather have been walking Bones, knitting, reading non-school books, etc., it was actually very informative and I know I will use a lot of what I learned.

Anyways, Chels came to visit in June and bought some wool for me to make her some slippers (since she wore through the soles of her snugs). I thought they turned out great! I almost didn't want to give them to her, but since she paid for them...

AJ and I went to BC at the end of June for 10 days. Spent almost the whole time in Tofino. Beautiful place. AJ got lots of surfing in, well, a couple days anyway. I got lots of knitting in. I knit Pre and Leanne's little Leland another sweater (forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to them, so will have to wait for Leanne to send me one). And knit my friend Amy's baby Jasper this sweater. I knit it in a day. I found out we were going to get to have lunch with them and sat down and got right to it!

Wasn't sure how it would fit, but looks pretty good to me! He is adorable. Amy is a fantastic mum.

Speaking of babies, I am going to have to start knitting for my own soon, since I am 16 weeks pregnant :) I totally want to recall all the stuff I have knit in the past for friends because I just won't have enough time to get anough things knit! I want my baby wearing lots of homemade stuff.

I plan on having a table at the Wilson's Greenhouse craft sale again in November, so I have so much to do. I also have two new courses to teach on top of General Chemistry this fall, Pharmacology and Immunology. It's going to be a ridiculous couple months and then a fun-filled year with baby. It's all overwhelming right now. I should go knit...

Leland's hoody

2010-03-18T06:20:00.001-06:00

Leland hoody 2
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

Here's my little sweetie in his sweater. It was so big for so long, but now at the large age of 7 and a half months, he fits into it. I am knitting him another sweater right now, but I am thinking I may have made it too small. I'll get to see whether it fits or not in 2 weeks when AJ and I head to Canmore for Easter to do some snowboarding and visit with Pre and Leanne. Can't wait for more baby cuddles!

Noro Leftovers

2010-02-02T18:12:00.002-06:00

IMG_0969
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

I crocheted these up super quick using the leftovers from Andrea's fingerless mitts. Not as nicely striped, but will do the trick in spring or fall. I am not a big fan of fingerless in the freezing prairie winters, but 'round the campfire or when it warms up to above zero, they work nicely.

Noro armies

2010-02-02T18:10:00.003-06:00

noro armies
Originally uploaded by tarra.gray

My dear friend Andrea bought this wool for me to knit her some striped fingerless mitts. I alternated so that the stripes stood out more. I really like them. They kind of look like they don't match, but because of all the colours, they kind of do match.

Clucky?

2010-02-02T18:01:00.003-06:00

So everyone knows I LOVE babies. But then, who doesn't. They smell good, the are light and easy to cuddle, they are sooooooo cute. The cons are that they cry, they are ridiculously dependent and you can't put them in the kennel when you go away (like my Bones). I have not been clucky, ever. I thought for sure babies were NOT for me. Never want one. Too much work. But lately, well, I am finally getting a bit clucky.

I mean, look at this kid. He makes me want one! He is so cute I can't handle being away from him. I need to go visit him again. Well, and of course, his parents, my bffs, Pre and Leanne.

I bought him this little camo leisure suit from a garage sale in Regina one wicked Saturday morning "sale-ing" with my favorite cousin, Jana. It was a couple bucks and in good shape, and I just loved it. And look at little Leland in it! I wanna squeeze him.

The toque was knit by yours truly. A little big, but his teeny head will fit into it soon I'm sure. Love little Leland.

Christmas Knitting

2010-01-06T07:45:00.004-06:00

I knit this toque for Jered (Chelsea's man) last year or the year before. It's funny, it has relaxed since I knit it, but the top part forms a cone and won't loosen up. So it pops up off Jered's head. I decided to knit him a new one and kept this one because I like how it makes me look like an elf or a pixie.

At the craft sale a lady that was working one of the make-up tables came by and loved this hat I made that was small, for a child, but her baby is only a year old so she knew it would be too big. I knit her one exactly the same but for a little baby's head. The problem is, I can't find her number now! I hope I find it soon before her baby's head grows out of it and before winter is over...

My partner from Novartis, Robin, and his family came by my stand at the craft sale and his adorable wife decided the family all needed new toques. So they all put in their orders and this is what they got. I measured their heads to make sure I knit hats that fit. Robin is the only one I am concerned about. His head is quite large and I just hope I made his hat big enough!

On the way home for Christmas (on the drive from Regina to Winnipeg) My darling sister Chelsea drove the entire way so I could knit these little ditties up. I started them as we left Regina and when we got to Brandon, we were supposed to swap spots. I was already on the second one and Chels decided to let me finish them and drive the whole way.

So when we got to Winnipeg, all I had left to do was felt them! And they are so awesome. I love them. They are comfortable (because of the double sole) and so warm!! Finally some slippers for myself :)

I have so much knitting to do in this new year. I am working on some legwarmers for my bff Andrea, and just finished some fingerless mitts for her. She bought the wool a few months ago and I said I would knit them for her, but kind of got side tracked with the craft sale and Christmas and stuff. I also have to knit a couple hats for my cousin Jana's friend, a baby dress for Nikki's baby girl Sloane, and some slipper boots for Chels and my mum, and get started on craft sale stuff so I am not so rushed next November. So much knitting I don't know how I am going to do it. But maybe I can knit some stuff up during my two weeks in Mexico next month?

Boneses new boots

2009-12-13T13:13:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-13T13:08:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-04T10:47:00.007-06:00

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

2009-11-18T11:43:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-17T14:18:00.004-06:00

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

2009-10-25T22:45:00.004-06:00

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

2009-09-30T23:10:00.005-06:00

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

2009-09-28T22:30:00.006-06:00

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?

2009-06-09T20:03:00.008-06:00

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

2009-04-20T21:39:00.005-06:00

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

2009-03-14T04:35:00.006-06:00

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

2009-01-23T09:33:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-01-22T15:21:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-16T15:31:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-01-06T16:06:00.004-06:00

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...

Slippers Stage 2

2008-12-08T13:11:00.005-06:00

So I shrunk the slippers down and I really hope they fir their owners. It's hard to guage, but I have my fingers crossed. I still need to cut out the ears and sew them on as well as sew on a nose and eyes, but I am very pleased with them. The pattern is fantastic.

Below is an afghan I made for AJ and I. I have all the strips done, now I just need to sew them together. Anyone who knows me with my knitting knows that I hate sewing up most of all. That is the reason I have had the afghan done for months now, but haven't finished it. Also, I have a cardigan that has also been done for months but I just cannot sew it up. Brutal, I know. I will probably sew this up after Christmas. Same with the cardigan. Probably.

I have started a wicked slouchy beret for a friend and I love it so much. A new favorite pattern that will probably see a lot of use. Christmas is approaching fast and I have lots of pressies to make so the blog should be updated more often. BFN.

Quickie just because

2008-12-04T19:21:00.002-06:00

It's been a long while since my last post. This is just a smallie to tide people over and to fill the gap because it is a crazy time and I have lots to say about the past couple months. Below is a tuque I crocheted for my darling frenchie Julie. I started it when I was in Montreal for training, hanging out with her, and I just sent it to her last week even though it's been done since October. I even wore it once, naughty me. I love this hat pattern.

The slipper below if for my darling cousin Jana. But it is huge and needs to be shrunk. Plus I am going to add ears and make them pink bunny slippers. I will post them when they are done.

Yes, I like pink. Anyways, I have to go, that's all for now. But I will definitely post pics and stories from Vegas soon. My 30th in Vegas. Best birthday ever!!

30 in VEGAS - aka the best birthday I've ever had.

2008-11-17T19:38:00.008-06:00

So I am so slack but the end of last yer just absolutely FLEW by. Below is a picture of me at Beth and Ryan's housewarming. I am wearing a helmet because... All I can figure is that the game of ping pong I was watching was pretty intense. AJ and his brother are pretty competitive.

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year after I got back from training in Montreal. AJ, his dad and his brother Ian closed the fence in which makes the backyard look much better. Now we can get a puppy!! We're gonna wait until spring.

Our kitchen is a bit small for Thanksgiving with 8 people, but the food was good and the company even better.

After dinner we had a big ole game of Cranium - boys vs girls, which, I find is always a disappointment because the girls I play with are all about fun and don't care about winning. And that always leads to the boys beating us and gloating and being completely obnoxious (it's happened more than once). But after Cranium, came Twister. It was just Ian, Melissa, AJ and I after quite a few bevvies. AJ and Ian are, surprise surprise, ridiculously competitive at this game too. AJ nearly crushed me in one match.

At the end of October, for my 30th birthday, AJ and I met 10 of our friends (from Winnipeg originally) in Las Vegas!! We got their for Halloween. We were staying in Caesar's Palace, which I am sure must be the nicest hotel in Vegas. The 12 of us dressed up like gangsters and flappers. I must say, we looked good. We had a great dinner and then hit the strip, aiming to check out all the bars along it. I think we got as far as two. It was hard to leave Casino Royale with it's $1 Margaritas and Michelobes.

The boys hit the back jack table and played for a good hour, but I don't think any of them walked away any richer.

Saturday Greg came and met us (drove down from California for the night) and we had a big evening. We went to Pure on top of our hotel and could look down on the strip. Expensive drinks, but tons of fun. AJ went out with the boys that night and sent me back to the room :( Ended up being a good move as I went outlet shopping with the girls on Sunday and AJ couldn't function!! Then Sunday night we went out for dinner at a high end restaurant in Old Vegas before going to see Cirque du Soleil "O", which was absolutely amazing. We probably should have gone to bed after that since we all left the next day, but we stayed out late one more time. It is Las Vegas after all, and who knows when we'll be back (next year for Halloween!!!!). AJ and I had a brutal Monday, most of which we spent in airports trying to get home. We got delayed due to weather and had to stay the night in Calgary. Thank god Pre and Leanne were there too and we stayed with them.

Anyways, best birthday I have had yet. Tried to convince AJ we should get married but it was a no go. Stay tuned...

Overnighting in Yorkton

2008-09-16T18:36:00.004-06:00

With my new job comes a lot of travel. For instance, I had lunch with a very important doctor today in PA (Prince Albert), which is an hour and a half away from Saskatoon. I got there with lunch at 11:45 am. The receptionist just laughed at me and said, "Oh, we're nowhere near ready for lunch!!" So I sat patiently in the waiting room for an hour and a half until my doc was done with his morning patients and we could sit, have lunch and chat. It was SO worth it. I had a great discussion with him, and he was very respectful and let me do my Novartis thing, and then gave me his feedback on what he likes, uses and his thoughts on treating hypertension. (I know you're thinking, god you are such a dork, who else would be happy about that? But I'm new in this job and I really like when docs converse with me instead of nodding and walking away.) Anyways, then I hopped back in the minivan for another 4 hours on the road all the way to Yorkton. I will stay here tonight and tomorrow. It's kinda neat, although I miss AJ... already. I'm going to grab some dinner, but just thought before Hayley sends me another hint about being terrible with my blog, I'll whip out a quick one.

I am going to Novartis formal training in Montreal from Sept 28 to Oct 10. I LOVE Montreal so it will be fun, but it will also be super intense and full of reading and role play. Plus I will definitely miss AJ TONS for those 2 weeks. We got used to being together every day and I like it... I'm gonna fill the freezer full of meals for him so he doesn't have to cook for himself every night. I like to take care of him.

So for the knitting/crocheting part of the post, I am once again going back to an oldie. Simply because I have no pictures of the blanket I am almost done crocheting for AJ and I, and I have no pics of the slippers I am knitting my cousin Jana. Instead, here is a picture of a touque I crocheted for Jana last Christmas. It is a cream mohair and I love mohair. I got the pattern of CrochetMe. It was a snap. But most crochet patterns are.

Stay tuned. I have 3 things that are almost done, so should have some goodies to look at soon!!

No excuses... really.

2008-08-07T22:32:00.011-06:00

Ok, sorry. So a lot of shit has been happening. Yeah, so I moved to Saskatoon and was jobless and broke for what seemed like forever. But I got a lot of painting done in our house and went from absolutely hating our house to absolutely loving it. It's quite amazing what paint can do, isn't it? Here are some before and after pics.

Guest room before:

Disgusting nauseating torqouisey blue, hideous.

Guest room after:
Beautiful green, soft and delightful.

Then there is the HEINOUS purple rooms. I will let you know that not only was my get-ready room (girl closet, my office) a revolting purple, but the bathroom was the exact same colour, and the ceiling matched. Barf.

You hate it. I know you do because it makes me sick too... Just imagine a dark small bathroom with a dark purple ceiling. Disgusting.

So now the office is a softer, prettier, lighter brownish/purple. My room. I friggin love it.

And AJ and his dad put up a shower in our bathroom after I painted it a pleasant blue, with a white ceiling and I LOVE the bathroom now.

Our bedroom is ok. It matches the main room, a tolerable taupe colour. I can handle it, what I can't handle is that the idiots that painted it were completely careless and painted all over the ceiling as well. But I will fix it, because I take pride in our house.

And don't even get me STARTED on our backyard. The dipshits that owned the house before had a pond in the back. We didn't want it and they were to take it and leave the yard intact (fix it afterwards). They took the pond, but left 3 giant craters in our yard. We had to fill the craters and sod the yard. I'll be honest, I had a hand in filling the craters with dirt, but AJ's family did all the sod-laying. Thank you McCannells!

Now I absolutely LOVE our backyard.

Ok, so I should probably get into my job a bit. But it's late and I am tired and I don't feel like it. Just know that so far - love it. Think it will be awesome. But because this is a knitting blog, here are a couple oldies but not yet blogged knitted things.

First up, a headband I knitted myself. Pattern is from the knitty.com website. I love it. It's called quant and it rocks. But I have to say that I did use the modification by MissJen, because as much as I am all for asymmetry, symmetry looks better on this headband.

Next is the boy hat I made for Liam, my good friend in NZ, who wanted a brim camo hat. I tried to get camo by using a strand of camo varigated and a strand of brown, but this is what came out. Still pretty money. Hopefully he likes it!

Oh yeah, this is Bruno, my cousin Jana's chihuahua who I adore. He is so friggin cute!!

Ok and even though I'm not gonna get into my job details tonight, here are some pics of me driving what I WISH was my company car. It's a Chevy Silverado that I had on loan until my Dodge Caravan (SO NOT as hot) was done being serviced and detailed. I felt like a monster driving this truck. I want one.

Ok. Well that about does it for tonight. I hope that this has been enjoyable for those that feel I have been slacking (which I have). I promise I will try to be more on top of it. I am crocheting AJ and I a beautiful multi-coloured afghan for the winter, because we will need it. And then it is right into Christmas pressies. Stay tuned y'all!!

I miss my dog

2008-05-15T10:52:00.004-06:00

I miss Tiki. This dog is the greatest dog ever. I am so in love with him. I want a dog because I miss Tiki so much, but I am afraid that my dog won't be as amazing as Tiki. He is so adorable and so well-behaved. I miss walking him and playing with him. Look at him!! He is so great.

My Noro came in the other day so I have to get cracking on my sister's legwarmers. I hope to have them done when AJ and I drive through Regina. So much to do with moving all my parents stuff, I hardly have time to knit!

Ridiculous

2008-05-14T09:11:00.003-06:00

I have a couple completed knitted items to post once I take a photo. My green cardigan is being sewn up and then it's done!! I know, I can't believe it either. It's been a WIP since August. I almost didn't bother. But so glad I did.

Below you will see a photo of my darling little Ella. She has taken to "nursing" her toys, just like mommy nurses little baby Lucy. I can't think of anything cuter at the moment, can you? I would like to point out that Ellie the elephant (the toy that Ella is nursing in this photo), is an elephant that I knitted for her. I love it.

As soon as I finish the green cardigan, it'll be here. I hope to finish it today!

Back in the Peg

2008-05-04T23:01:00.009-06:00

It's way too late. I am SO tired and I NEED to go to bed. But I realized that I am still being so bad with posts, so now that I am home for 2 weeks, I am going to knit my little face off, and do lots of fun stuff and blog blog blog.

Here are some new pics of my family trip in New Zealand. Since my sister and my Mum and I are together again, we are trying to compile them all. There are about 900 (I took only 49, the rest is my Mum and Chels), but here are some of my faves.

This is me and my fam in Kaikoura. We loved it there. We stayed in a killer bed and breakfast called Admiral Creighton Bed and Breakfast and all of us HIGHLY recommend that place if you are in Kaikoura.

You know how you're not supposed to take pictures in museums and art galleries and such? Well, Chels doesn't really pay attention to those rules and took a bunch of pictures of this neat exhibit in the art gallery in Christchurch. It had all these cute little helpful hints. I'm quite fond of this one.

I went to Marine Land in Napier 3 years ago at Easter when I first moved to New Zealand, and held a cute little blue penguin then, but since pengies are my FAVE animal, I had to do it again. So worth it. They are so adorable.

Dad, Chels and I in Queenstown. We stayed in the most MONEY hotel there. It's new, so it was super reasonably priced, but I'm sure it's going to skyrocket when the owners realize what they have. It's right on the lake. Beautiful.

Oooooh, here's a goodie. Colin, Jenny, Roxane and I with my freshly bound thesis!!! Yes, that is it. That little purple book is my blood, sweat and tears from the past 2 years. Cute isn't it? You'd never know it almost sucked the life outta me.

So now I'm back in the Peg. I was in California, as I mentioned last post, as well as London. Then hit Vic, Van, Stoon, Gine and now home. This is me and my adorable little Gramma. One of THE grammas that taught me how to knit 22 or some crazy amount of years ago. I am almost done my army green cardigan that I started last August or September (that's what I am knitting in the pic). So close!! Can't wait!!

Here are some legwarmers I knit myself out of Noro Kureyon wool that I bought while in Victoria. I think they're friggin rad. Chels loves them so much she wants me to knit her some EXACTLY the same. So I had to order the same colour from Beehive in Vic because nowehere else I checked had the exact same colour.

AJ and I are looking for couches for our little house. I want leather. What do you think of these two sets? I love both and they are both a steal of a deal. I lean towards the brown for looks but the taupe for comfort. I'm gonna look around.

Well, that's me for tonight. I am so beat. Have to go to bed NOW. Later Gators.

I have a bad case of the travel bug

2008-04-10T11:25:00.006-06:00

Holy crap. Last post Feb 20th? Seriously? Wow, I guess I have just been all over the place. Literally. So had a fantastic time travelling NZ with my family. I love this picture of my Dad and Chels. This is at a B and B we stayed in in Kaikoura.

I managed to knit my friend Steve and Renae's new baby Luke a little tuque and sweater.

And my friend Erin's new nephew a little skull hoody. Chels has warned me that I will be responsible for outfitting any babies she has since I knit for people I don't even know.

Then headed to Cali to spend a week with Chantal and Greg - which was totally amazing. It was so great to catch up with them and I haven't been to Irvine to stay with them before. We had dinner on the beach in Newport (the OC) and watched the sunset. It was great.

Then I went to London to spend a week with Ben and Alaina, which rocked beyond belief. I am very much in love with London. My favorite attraction was the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.

I wish I could have stayed longer, but time and money didn't allow. Now I am in Victoria and LOVING it. It's my favorite city and I really hope I can live here one day. Next Wednesday I am off to Vancouver until the 20th, when I finally get to see my hot boyfriend. After a year apart I am so looking forward to being with him again, for good. I haven't been knitting that much. With all my flights it's hard and I could crochet, but just haven't. I'm itching though. Itching to knit. I am going to try and go buy some wool today so I can at least whip up a tuque or something! Now that I'm back in my home land, I'll probably be better at posting.

I honestly didn't think I could do it

2008-02-19T22:53:00.004-06:00

But I did. I have completed my thesis. It's all done. I know that tomorrow when Chris goes through the entire thing from start to finish, he will have a few suggestions and I will have to make some changes, but it is done. And if I had to hand it in tomorrow, I could. Yay!!

Below is a picture of Leanne with one of the headbands I knit her. It is one of my favorite patterns. It takes probably 45 minutes to knit start to finish and it is just awesome. I have 2 of them. I knit Leanne 2. You can get 2 out of a ball of yarn that is 85 metres long - seriously, how can you go wrong?

Here is Lee and Pre, he is wearing the tuque I knit him for Christmas. I love the wool. I wanted it to go camoflage when knit, but it ended up being stripey. It's ok though, the colours are still good.

Well, it's dinner time and I am going home to look over my thesis with Jenny. I would like her input before I get Chris' tomorrow. He is sort of pedantic and if I go through her first I know where he is being reasonable and where he is just being nit-picky.

Almost there! Yay!

Valentine's Day treat

2008-02-14T13:21:00.003-06:00

I got home at 8pm last night from work to find that AJ, aka the best boyfriend in the world, literally, had sent me the most beautiful flowers for Valentine's day. I had a very long, very bad day yesterday (see below), and I couldn't imagine a nicer thing to come home to. He just makes me smile. Adorable little Wallis asked me how you can send flowers from Canada.

Below is a picture of the black hat I made that was too big. Nobody with a big head wanted it so I felted it and I like how it fits much better now. I wore it the other day, but since it is summer down here, wool hats are not really necessary. It'll come in handy in Canada in the spring though.

It's Friday, but weekends are insignificant at the moment. My weeks don't actually end. This weekend I will be speding Saturday and Sunday trying to perfect everything so that I can take it to my university supervisor and we can look at the whole package to see if there are any gaps that need filling. I just want this to be over.

10 days

2008-02-13T23:38:00.006-06:00

It is 10 days until I print off my thesis. 10 more days of complete and utter hell. Day more days of feeling completely inadequate. 10 more days of sleepless nights. 10 more days until I can relax.

It is all I think about. The past 6 weeks have flown by. Of course this next 10 days will too. But they are gruelling days.

If anyone stumbling across this page has ever contemplated doing a Masters or a PhD, think LONG AND HARD, my friend. Think long and hard. Everyone tells me it's going to be worth it, but this has been a long 2 years of hard work, and an even longer 2 months of writing. I often wonder if it really will be worth it. I mean, I am completely shattered. I have lost all confidence in my intelligence. I have actually gone from loving science and taking pride in my work, to loathing science and scientists, and just wanting to hand it in as is, whether it's submittable (yes I know that isn't a word) or not. This Masters has almost sucked the life out of me. But only for 10 more days.

I would rather be...

2008-02-10T23:18:00.000-06:00

That's the game I play when I get sick of writing (which is pretty much every 5 minutes). I would rather be ... than writing my thesis. I won't say all the things I have thought of, but there's quite a few brutal things that I'm convinced would be more fun than this.

Only 2 more weeks. Only 2 more weeks. Thank friggin god. Anyways, I knit this tuque for my friend Lucky a few weeks ago. It is purple and yellow. But the words I wrote on it for him (at his request) could offend some people (and I'm sure they will offend when he wears it), so I won't post the picture in which you can see what it says.

I am completely exhausted. I barely sleep, and when I do it's not a deep sleep. Why on earth people go on to do a PhD is beyond me. I cannot wait to hand this %$#$*&% thing in. 2 more weeks.

Then I can go back to regular knitting again. I miss it.

Oh and then I get to see my family! And then I get to go home to AJ! So there is quite a big reward to finishing the horrid thesis. 2 more weeks.

More hats

2008-02-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

Another Sunday, another week closer to my friggin submission date. It feels like this damn thesis is never going to be good enough to submit, but luckily I don't care! I will hand it in no matter what. Because that's what I do, I hand things in on time. Chris seems ok with my status, as does my uni supervisor Dave, so if they both feel ok, I guess I can too...

So here is the black hat, made longer. I like it SO much better. But it is massive and I am thinking of felting it. Either that or giving it to someone with a massive head. Any takers?? If you have a large head and are looking for a new hat, let me know.

This next one is called reasonably hip and the pattern is available in the December issue of Magknits online. I love it. It's awesome. There are just so many great patterns available online nowadays. Knitting is seriously way more popular than people realize. It's hot. It's cool. Well, we knitters think so anyway.

All these hat patterns, although awesome, are not quite how I would do it, so of course I made up my own - and funnily enough, I like it the best. See below. This one is for AJ. I am sending it to him for Valentine's Day. I hope he likes it. I think it's rad. I will also be knitting this hat for Pre, in brown. I'm seriously in love with this hat. I think it the coolest hat ever. I love it. I hope AJ and Pre love it as much as I do. If they don't they can just give them back to me so I can wear them!

So I really need to get back to writing. It feels like I have got sweet FA done today. And that is not good. I have to go teach a step class in an hour too. Yikes. Time even flies when you're not having fun.

Oh yeah, and wanna hear something sick? I was reaching for a pile of papers on my desk today when a cockroach ran across the papers and onto the desk. Um yeah I freaked a bit and Alex who happened to be in the office chuckled but then helped me get it out of here and then he killed it. Ew, seriously? A cockroach in my friggin office?? That's a bit much...

Ok so acrylic is gross

2008-01-30T13:33:00.000-06:00

I finished the glitzy sweater and hated it so I threw it out. I know people who don't knit think - how on earth could you do that?? But if you make something and you think it's ugly - so ugly that you wouldn't wear it and you wouldn't even want to see it on someone else - it's easy. It felt absolutely disgusting on. The sequins were all itchy and the yarn had a squeaky feel to it. Bottom line - it was heinous. So I tossed it. Lesson learned? Bargain yarn is always good, but if there is a whole bin full of the same specialty yarn, there's probably a reason it didn't sell at full price.

Anyways here's my new project. I finished it. I actually frogged it back and made the body of the hat longer. I blocked it last night and will sew in the brim tonight.

I also finished a hat for AJ that is similar to the one above, but way cooler. I will post a picture once it's sewn up. I am also going to make Pre one because it's such a rad pattern.

Hopefully one day I will pick up that green cardigan I started last August and finish it. I am on the sleeves but have totally lost interest. It's a shame because I really want it to be done - I love what it's going to be, just can't get it there yet.

Back to writing...

Ravelry is worse than crack, worse than Facebook even. Oh yes it is.

2008-01-26T15:45:00.000-06:00

Damn you Knit World ladies!!! I was shopping at Knit World maybe 2 weeks ago as they had a major sale, and well, you can't afford not to buy wool when it's on sale. Even if you already have way too much. Anyways, they know me there (3 years living here, a trip to Knit World once a week - not surprising. They even know me by name...) and one of the lovely Knit World ladies (Jeanie, if any of you frequent Hamilton Knit World) asked me if I was on Ravelry. Ravelry? I asked. What's that? It's knitter's crack is what it is. It's a sort of knitting/crocheting forum, I guess. It allows you to post your projects while you're working on them or when they're done. It allows you to see other knitters projects and get the pattern sthey used. It has helpful hints and groups and AAaaaaaaarggggggh!!! You can easily spend 2 hours on there at a time and not even realize it. NOT GOOD WHEN YOU HAVE A THESIS TO WRITE.
So anyways, I am hooked. Literally go on it everyday. I love putting my projects in it. They following picture is of my friend Jonathans arms wearing some armwarmers I made him. I crocheted them. I made up the pattern and it's posted on Crochetme. I have even had some nice comments about them and on Ravelry, my armies (that's what I called them) are listed as someone's favorite!! I know, I know, I am out of control, but it's awesome!! I've even realized that I am not alone with this horrible addiction. There are other obsessed knitters out there besides me!

Here is a little sweater I am making myself. It's white/cream sort of yarn (acrylic, normally yuck, but I love this stuff) with sequins throughout. I bought a whole bunch of it when it was on sale at Spotlight ($2 a ball) and was saving it to make a half sweater. I came across this pattern on ravelry and it was exactly what I wanted. It's about half way done. I will post when it's finished, but I thought I would mention the lesson I learned, yet again, while making this. ALWAYS check the dye lot of yarn you buy in bulk. You see that greyish sort of stripe in the middle? Yeah, I didn't mean to buy different dye lots. Fortunately, I noticed early anough in the piece so I am making it look stripey. I think it will still look good, sort of a tone on tone effect. But let it be a lesson. Hopefully (this being the 3rd time I have made this mistake) I will not make this silly mistake again.

So I should get back to ravelry, I mean, back to writing my thesis...

Sunday at work

2008-01-19T17:33:00.003-06:00

It's Sunday and I am working. At least it's kind of cloudy out. I have good days and bad days with writing my thesis. Today is a bad day. I hate it today. It's stupid.
Anyways, here are some new goodies I've knit. First up, some fingerless mitts for Leanne.

The my friend Alaina was going to the UK, so I thought, it's winter up there, I might as well make her some too since she's a smoker. So I made these ones up one night and the next day I quickly crocheted her a matching tuque. I love both of them and will make them again (my own design). They are pictured on little 8 year old hands here. They actually fit small adult hands much better.

Below we have a little baby sweater for Ross and Ang's new baby (now 8 days overdue). My favorite pattern to knit for babies because it is ridiculously easy. I made it a bit bigger than normal, at Ang's request. It feels nice and snuggly and reminds me of a lamb.

Finally we have some slippers I knit for AJ. I knit them absolutely massive and then felted them so they became really thick and wicked. They should be SO warm. I will send them to him soon...

Jenny and Colin and the kids went to Whangamata for 2 weeks and Sidonie wanted to take her bike but felt bad since I have been using it to get to work. I didn't mind at all, I have my old bike, it just sucks. But Jenny felt bad too so she listed me as a driver for her Figaro!! I drove it to work today. I friggin love it. Will post a picture of it soon.

Well, best be getting back to work.

Wallis' ponchos

2008-01-15T14:04:00.000-06:00

As I said, since I am flat out with thesis writing, I will be posting old stuff I've knit that hasn't really been seen yet because my knitting isn't progressing as fast as usual. I am at work writing too late and by the time I get home and eat dinner, I only have an hour or two to knit before bed. How I long for the day the bloody thesis is handed in and I can knit freely again, like a machine.

Anyways, about 2 and a half years ago when I was first getting to know the Malcolms (now my family, can't imagine my life without them), Jenny asked me if I could knit her daughters a poncho each. This was back when I had no friends and literally knit from 5 pm until I went to bed. I was pumping out knitted garments like you wouldn't believe. So I knit one for Sidonie first. Jenny and I chose some yarn we liked and I used the poncho pattern from the first Stitch n Bitch. It fits Wallis now so we used her to model.

Wallis was allowed to pick out her own yarn. So she picked what, in my opinion, is the ugliest, most heinous yarn to work with. Not only is it gross to touch (feels dirty all the time, even when it's clean, just that gross synthetic feel), it was a total cow to knit with. You can barely pick out the stitches on the needle, and the colourful stuff? Yuck, as well as pain in the butt. BUT, I adore Wallis and she is so cute only she could pull off something so hideous to look at, so I did it. And it was WELL worth it. She wore it everyday for ages, she loved it so much, and it did look quite cute on her.

The pattern is very easy and that's a bonus when you are using disgustingly awkward yarn.

I had some pretty, colourful mohair that I wanted to use to knit this U vest from the first issue of Knit1 and I was going to keep it for myself, but I hated it on me, so I gave it to Wallis too. She is just THE BEST person to knit for (or give knitted stuff to) besides my mum and sister, because she LOVES anything you give her and wears it all the time.

Yes it did fit me, don't raise your eyebrows at me. I just think it suits Wallis more than it suits me anyway. Honestly, this little girl is the sweetest thing. She even kits with me sometimes. She has a sweater on the go. Most times she gets bored mid-row and gets me to finish the row so she can watch tv. I will make sure she is a fully competent knitter before I leave NZ.

Well, I must get back to my thesis. That's the first of many long finished projects I'll post. I am knitting AJ some slippers and I think they are going to be awesome. I am going to felt them so they are thicker and warmer and will post them when I finish.

New Year, new colours, new projects... oh wait - maybe I should finish my thesis...

2008-01-03T16:52:00.000-06:00

Hello yous. Happy New Year!! So I had a fantastic time in the Peg for Christmas. Best ever. It was amazing to see my parents, sister and grandparents, as well as my friends and of course my incredibly awesome boyfriend AJ. All my knitted gifts have been given, but silly me, I forgot to take pictures of them before giving them away, so all of you better send me some pics of you in my knitted things so I can post them. Or else no more knitted anything for you! Seriously please take a picture and email it to me so I can post it. Please? Thank you. Wallis took this picture of me knitting my friend Pre's tuque the week before I went home. She is so adorable. She has this uncanny way of stating the obvious in a really cute voice. "Tarra (pronounced - to my disgust - Tah-rra instead of Tear-ra) you love knitting, aye (pronounced I)?"

Just knitting some slippers for my friend Ben who is living in London and finding it a wee bit cold. What a wuss. Haha, London is like Mexico compared to Winnipeg. Harden up boy. Says me who found the "beautiful" (according to my Mum) -10C FREEZING while I was home. I actually should be writing my thesis. Right now, and everyday for the next 2 months. But come on. Like I am not going to try to squeeze in as much knitting/crocheting as possible. Even if I have to stay up a half an hour later at night to fit some in. I can't give up my craft. I just can't. It makes me happy.

Fortunately Sidonie took some photos of a few things I knitted for her, Jenny and Wallis ages ago, that I haven't posted yet, so I can use those for awhile and not worry about having to finish things to post here. Cheating, I know, but better than nothing, aye?

6 more sleeps!!!

2007-12-16T13:39:00.000-06:00

Well, needless to say I am beyond excited to go home for Christmas. I cannot wait to give my parents and sister a hug. I miss them so much it hurts. It is brutal that I can only go back for a week - but at the same time, I get to go back for a week!! I am just ridiculously excited to see my family and friends.

So we had a work Christmas party just over a week ago and the theme was Woodstock. We all dressed up and it was a blast. But we started drinking at noon and thank god Colin rescued me at 5:30pm - it could have got a bit messy (ok fine, messier...). AgResearch nerds sure know how to party!!

I have been having knit nights at my house with some girls from work for about 2 months now. Every Thursday they come over and we sit and knit and chat (gossip). I have always wanted a knitting group and never been able to get one up and running. This one is so much fun! The first one I just taught them how to knit, and now they're all working on stuff, some crochet, I do whatever I feel like doing. I am racing through Christmas presents. I have a pile of them on my desk. I must say it's my most creative year. I have made up all my own patterns. Hopefully the recipients will be happy.

Colin and Jenny are amazing. They have let us take over their living room on Thursday nights. We had our first one in my little room, but it was quite crowded, and a bit of a pain trucking all the chairs from inside out to my room. So now we just stay in the house. The kids all know that Thursday is knit night and Jenny is a very good hostess. We always invite her to come knit with us, but she hasn't yet. I think she just can't be bothered. This Thursday will be our last one of 2007, and our last one with Leanne as she is moving up to Whangerei. I hope that we pick it back up in the new year because it is a lot of fun.

I better get to work. Lots of things to do before I leave for Canada!!

Ella's tuque (beanie) and mitts

2007-11-27T13:39:00.001-06:00

Ross sent me some pictures of Ella in the tuque and mitts I knit for her. So of course I had to share. It's so hard for me to judge baby/toddler tuques. I always end up knitting them super tiny. I made Wallis try the tuque on before I finished it up, thinking if it fits a 7 year old it surely will fit a 2 and a half year old. It was a bit snug on Wallis but seems to fit Ella fine.

Doesn't she look adorable. As usual. I feel bad for any babies that I will have. Ella has set the standard for cuteness so insanely high. She is just so sweet and adorable. I hope I can have a baby as cute as her. They called me last night and she thanked me for knitting them for her and told me she loves them. Awwwwwwwwwww!!!

It's funny, because we are heading right into summer down here, but the little peanut wanted to wear her new knitted goods at breakfast and while colouring. God I love her. She isn't even wearing a jacket to put the mitt string through, but they hang nicely around her neck. I just hope they still fit her next winter!

Jillian's sweater

2007-11-22T20:09:00.000-06:00

Um, oh my friggin god. This is why I knit for my friends babies. This is my friend Amanda's baby Jillian. I sent her the little skull vest and this sweater. SHE IS SO CUTE!!!! This is definitely my favorite baby sweater to knit. I think it looks great.

Crystal just had her little girl, called her Gracie - I friggin love that name. I had Grace on my girl name list, but might have to take it off since I don't want my kids to have the same names as any of my friends kids. (What kids? Yeah I know. I'm a little overprepared.) But I'll have to send Crystal her little pink and taupe sweater even though I am going home in a month. Will post the bag I crocheted tomorrow. I think it looks great.

Going to see Justin Timberlake tonight - yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha!! Come on, I know you're jealous...

My love

2007-11-21T02:18:00.000-06:00

Since I can't have one of my own right now, I have adopted Jenny and Colin's dog, Tiki, as my own. He is a yellow lab, completely obnoxious and beyond adorable. He loves me the most because I take him for walks every morning before I go to work. He possibly loves AJ more, but only because AJ is a softie and Tiki knows that. All of these pictures are of Tiki by my little house in the back. He is always walking by it, sitting outside my door or lying next to it after a walk. What can I say? The dog LOVES me!!

I cannot wait to get a dog. I almost want to call it Tiki because I love that name so much, but I won't because there is only one Tiki. I am going to knit him a blanket for his bed before I go back to Canada so he has something to remember me by. Haha, yeah right, it's more so that I can have a part of me here with him when I go.

On the knitting front: have knitted Ella and Ang beanies and some mitts for Ella. Still working on that army/mossy green cardigan for myself, and am almost done a bag for a friend. Pictures will be up soon.

MAJOR faux pas...

2007-11-01T13:29:00.000-06:00

In all my knitting books, there is some mention of the rule that you don't knit a sweater for your boyfriend. You just don't. It's not bad luck, per se, it just sets the knitter up for disappointment and potentially causes unnecesaary tension in the relationship. I broke that rule. Last year I knit AJ a zip-up sweater for his birthday. I wanted to. I adore the guy, so why wouldn't I? I get it, the rule, I do get why it's a bad idea. It takes a long time to knit a sweater (especially for a guy, as most of them don't like cute little cropped or chest-hugging sweaters) and one may feel unappreciated when the sweater is not worn enough, or at all. I put all this aside. I have knit things for people I have just met, or barely know, or friend's of friend's, so I decided that if I could do that I could knit a sweater for my boyfriend. And so far so good. I knit it over a year ago. And even though I have only seen him wear it once - on his birthday last year (keep in mind that he has been travelling since March, so right after our NZ summer, and is now back in Canada so I don't even see him, let alone the sweater) - I don't care. Every hour I spent knitting it was worth it. If he never wears it again, it won't matter. He has something made with love from me. It's too bad the photo is not a bit closer up, because I quite like the detail of the sleeves, but look at how nicely it fits him. I "borrowed" one of his hoodies so I could get the measurements exact. I think is looks great on him, don't you?

I bought this awesome camoflage-coloured wool in Winnipeg at Christmas from my favorite wool store, Ram Wools. I didn't have a plan for it, but because it was camoflage I needed it. They told me it would stripe more than go patchy like camoflage should, but when crocheted into a tuque, it did go camoflage. It's too bad that this photo is also a bit far away, but look at the beautiful background. It's a photo of AJ by a volcano in Indonesia. I still have one more ball and I am making one for me because I love the wool SO much!! (It's my favorite wool to knit with. Most tuques I knit for my friends are in that wool. I forget what it's called, but I'll post it soon. I buy heaps whenever I go back to Canada because it is perfect. A nice weight wool that doesn't itch and one ball is more than enough for a tuque.)

He is so grateful too, which makes a knitter want to knit for that person even more. I am on the sleeves of my army green cardigan, which means that I have lost all interest in it. Plus it is November and time to start knitting Christmas presents. I have to put down the sleeves and go back every so often because I need to start the Christmas tuques. I have SO much wool right now in my room. I wonder if I will get through it all before moving back to Canada? Doesn't matter, I'll squeeze it into my suitcase if I have to!

Thanksgiving

2007-10-29T13:45:00.000-06:00

This is super late as we had Thanksgiving on Saturday October 6th, but I been busy (knitting). This was the third annual New Zealand (Canadian) Thanksgiving at Jenny and Colin's and it was once again a hit! Jenny and I have perfected feeding 15-20 people. Early in the day, Wallis decided to let the neighbours know that we were having Canadian Thanksgiving by writing it on the driveway in sidewalk chalk. She is way too adorable.

Shelley and Grant (part of the original kiwi Canadian Thanksgiving crew) brought their new little baby Matthew along for his first outing at 5 weeks old. Vicki (Jenny's sister) had a good cuddle with him (as did everyone that could get their hands on him).

Sorry, no pictures of dinner. No time. Once dinner was called a wave of hands and mouths filled the kitchen. I can tell you that it did look great and tasted even better. The rest of the night was spent playing Singstar (like karaoke) and EVERYONE (even the shyest people) had a go. I may have hogged the mic at one point. I love Singstar - especially after a glass of wine or 4 :)

Wallis and Jonathan having a battle - can't remember what song.

Alaina, me and Nathan chatting on the couch about what song we will do next, while Kiko watches.

Wallis and Sidonie (regular singers that night) - with (L-R) Jenny, Roxane, James and Connor in the background.

It was another successful night. As always it was so much fun that I forgot how much I missed being at home for Thanksgiving. I wonder if they will carry on the tradition next year when I am back in Canada? Doubt it.

My birthday

2007-10-28T20:10:00.000-06:00

This was my third birthday in New Zealand and hands down the best yet. We had drinks and nibbles at the house with Jenny, Colin and the kids. Nathan, Jonathan and Dave came over armed with delicious food and a divine chocolate and hazelnut cake.

Wallis, the little helper, helped me to blow out the candles and cut the cake.

I received tons of awesome gifts from some great friends. Wallis even wrote me a story and ilustrated it. It's called Sneaky the Snake and it is friggin ADORABLE. Colin, James (Colin and Jenny's brother-in-law), Jonathan, Nathan, Dave and I all left for town at about 11:30pm. We met up with my friend Alaina, and I even met up with Rachel later on. We danced the night away and Colin and I ended up getting home at 4:30 am after a walk through the McDonald's drive-thru!!

The next day was a bit fuzzy. I slept until noon!! I could here Wallis outside saying, "Dad!! Tarra is still asleep and it's lunchtime!! I want to give her her present can I wake her up??" The answer was no, but I dragged myself out of bed eventually and put myself through a shower. I went outside to find Wallis had made me a giant T out of some wood. She still needs to paint it, but what a doll. I am a very lucky birthday girl.

I have had 29 amazing, fun and lucky years. I can't wait to see what my 30th year has in store. (Ugh... 30)

Thailand

2007-10-25T13:37:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from Thailand. I have quite a few so I'll just post my faves. On the knitting front I have just sewn up a tank top that I crocheted before I went to Thailand (I HATE sewing up - I often have projects completed for ages before I sew them up, it's brutal) and I am wearing today. And I pretty much love it because it pretty much rules. I'll take a photo soon because it must be seen. It's from the Rowan Cotton Tape (It's a tape thing) pattern book. Very cool.

We headed to Chaing Mai first and did a 2 day trek which was awesome. We swam by waterfalls and walked through amazing jungly sort of trees, ate curry and thai pancakes in a little thai village, and even slept on the floor in a bamboo hut. Here is AJ by a rice paddy. They are so cool.

This photo is quite embarassing, but those of you who know me will know that my ankles do NOT look like this normally. After a 12 hour flight, a 12 hour bus ride to Chaing Mai and another 12 hour bus ride back to Bangkok a couple days later, my ankles became cankles. My family was brought to tears from laughing so hard, so have a chuckle at my expense.

Hahaha, yeah laugh it up people. Just don't come crying to me when it happens to you. It's traumatizing - you worry that they will never go back to normal. Thank god mine did! Next up we have me on a motorbike by the sea (no I didn't drive it, I was on the back) and then AJ and I at sunset on Koh Lanta. It was by far the most spectacular sunset I have ever seen. It lasted so long. We enjoyed it with my friend from high school Kristin and her boyfriend Mauro.

Here is a picture of AJ bringing me a beer on the beach. This is a little place called Ton Sai and it is very secluded and wonderful. It is a short way from Krabi and around the corner from Raileh. Our little hut only cost 100 Baht/night (about 4 kiwi dollars) but here is the catch - shower and toilet outside, roof and walls didn't meet so mozzie net around the bed and power from 6pm until about 4am. Pretty budget, but alright when you only stay a couple nights. Oh yeah, and these beers were 100 Baht each, so they getcha there too.

Here is the reggae bar that AJ and I went to lots while we were staying in Ton Sai. The guys that worked there were awesome - so laid back. And they laid those mats out at night so you could just lay back and chill while looking up at the stars.

And last one for now is one from the fill moon party on Koh Pah Ngan. Fluorescent paint and blacks lights made it for me. It was a bit pricey to get painted, but looked mean so I had to! Definitely a fun night. A long haul though, AJ and I stayed at the beach until about 7:00 am, went to town for some breakfast (AJ found 1000 Baht on the ground so we had Baileys and coffees and steaks for breakkie - yum!) and then went and crashed out hard. Needless to say the next day was a rough one spent recovering.

My birthday is Sunday so I am having some friends over for drinks and nibbles on Saturday night and then we will hit town. I will most likely take a few pictures and post them next week. Have a good weekend!!

Crocheted bolero

2007-10-22T13:31:00.001-06:00

I decided to just take a picture of the bolero on its own. I can't be bothered getting all prettied up for the camera right now for a proper picture, but when (if) I can, I'll post it. I have worn it a couple times and I really do love it. It's fuzzy and warm (believe it or not). I must say that this pattern came out of the Debbie Stoller book Stitch n Bitch Crochet - the Happy Hooker. An EXCELLENT buy (as are all her knitting books). It takes you through the basics and onto more advanced crocheting. I would (and do) highly recommend any/all of Debbie Stoller's books if you have any interest in knitting/crocheting.

This is the pattern up close. It is so worth doing and I will probably do it again in another colour/wool for myself if not for someone else.

I put in some hard hours of knitting my army green cardie this weekend (it was labour weekend for us) and I am quite excited to finish that. It is going to be so nice. I wish I had a picture of Jenny, Wallis and I sitting in the living room yesterday all knitting together. I love little knitting groups. Wallis suggested that her mom and I have a knitting night at least once a week. I told her I have a knitting night every day of the week!!

Ella

2007-10-22T13:22:00.000-06:00

I brought my camera to work today so that I could pull off some pics of Ella I took while in Havelock North. She's friggin adorable.

She keeps herself busy and although I love to play with her, it's also fun watching her play on her own.

And the lucky little munchkin has a sandbox in her backyard! It was fun building mini sandcastles with her (fill a bucket, turn it over, and there is your mini castle) - even though as soon as it's finished she knocks it down :)

My next trip to see Ross, Ang and Ella is tentatively set for the weekend of November 10 and 11th. Can't wait!!

9 hours of knitting - the bus to Hastings and back

2007-10-15T13:39:00.000-06:00

I still haven't taken a picture of my bolero. But I'm wearing it today and was hoping that when I got home I would take a picture so I can post it tomorrow. I really do love it. I am in the middle of knitting an army green (my FAVOURITE colour) cardigan in mohair for myself. It is the business. I cannot wait to finish it.

I went to visit Ross, Ang and Ella this past weekend and had the best time!! Ella is getting so big and becoming such a sweet little girl (instead of being a sweet little baby). If you want to see how Ella really feels about me - go to Ross, Ang and Ella's page in my links. Friggin adorable. Ang and I picked out some more wool so I can knit Ella a beanie and some mitts, a beanie for Ang, and a little jumper for the new baby (due in January). Those will be quick knits so I will probably get on those after my cardie. There aren't enough hours in the day for knitting!!!

I spoke to AJ yesterday and we are sorting out him coming to see me at Christmas while I am (briefly) in Winnipeg. I cannot wait to go home and see my family, friends and my boyfriend. Hopefully I can get a lot of crocheting done on the plane :) It'll be 12 hours of hard core crocheting! I can easily get 4, maybe 5 beanies done in that time, easily...

Cheating - an old photo

2007-10-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

I have finished this crocheted bolero I started months and months ago - and I LOVE it. I have been too busy to take a photo of it to post, so I am going to be naughty and post a photo of my friend Jeff posing in a tuque I knit him when I first moved here almost 3 years ago.

Jeff Palmer is a proud Palmer, hence the tuque with his family name. He is actually the father of the sweet little Leni who I knit the blue and brown cardie for. I just realized I knit them both brown and blue things...

Tomorrow we are having our annual Thanksgiving dinner at Jenny and Colin's house. This is our third year. I love that my kiwi friends get so into a canadian holiday. We are having about 17-18 people. I have a can of pumpkin from Canada (because I taste a huge difference between New Zealand pumpkin and Canadian pumpkin) to make pumpkin pie and we are having turkey and potatoes and brussels sprouts and stuffing - the whole deal. It is so much fun that I forget how sad it is that I'm away from my family (sort of). I am actually so excited. I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!! I am going to pig out (as per usual). Hopefully I'll have some fun pics from our dinner to post Monday. Happy Thanksgiving!

More baby knits

2007-09-24T14:12:00.000-06:00

I finished 3 little baby knits this week. This first one is for my friend Crystal who is due in about 8 weeks, I believe. It is knit in the softest, nicest wool and although it is a bit chunky I think it is quite cute. I love pink with taupe. It is an adaptation of the pattern I used for the next sweater.

You're probably thinking, was it really necessary to post both? They look exactly the same. Yes, it is necessary for a few reasons. The first being that although they look the same, this one has a different cuff and bottom. Secondly, one has stripes and the other doesn't. And the last reason is because I want to mention that the wool for these 2 sweaters cost me, in total, $12. Yeah! I know! Awesome. I love sale wool. Oh, and the best part? They took me less than 4 hours each to knit. Gotta love quick knits.

But this last one is by far my favorite. It is for Amanda's baby, who, for all I know, could be born right now, but I haven't heard anything yet. She is due this week. Anyways, this is a mini version of Chelsea's, but with a hood and a vest instead of full sleeves. It has a little tab with buttons on the front to allow an easier pull over baby's head.

My friend Alaina asked me if I could knit her an adult-sized one. Haha, back of the line, honey. Although I am knitting her a headband like the one I am wearing in the pictures I entered in the calendar contest. That headband is great. It's warm but doesn't mess up your hair like a tuque does!

Matthew Isaac Smolenski

2007-09-17T14:17:00.000-06:00

I'm in love with this soft, tiny, beautiful little baby boy. He smells so wonderful, he is the lightest little peanut ever. He is so sweet and cute. I just adore him. Mind you, I have only been around him for about an hour, and he slept the whole time.

He was born on August 29th to my friends Shelley and Grant. Apparently the labour wasn't that pleasant. Approximately 24 hours or so and a few stitches. As baby crazy as I am when I hold them, as soon as I see the look on any woman's face when I ask about labour, I instantly realize I am not ready to go through agony like that yet!! (But are we women ever READY for labour??)

So I am now almost finished a little pink sweater for my friend Amanda's baby girl (who is due in a week). I must say it rocks. Amanda and I have very similar taste - so the sweater is pink and black with a black skull on it. I know, I know, so not appropriate for a baby, but I know Amanda will love it. It's kind of a mini version of Chelsea's skull sweater, but the skull is on the front. I will post a picture soon. Then my next task is a baby sweater for my friend Crystal who is due in about 9 weeks. AND THEN I finally get back to knitting for me!! Just kidding, I wish. Then it's time to begin Christmas prezzies. Oh and in between knitting, I have to somehow find time to wirte my thesis.

Baby fever

2007-09-10T19:07:00.001-06:00

I'm not saying I'm getting sick of knitting mini sweaters and booties and tiny little tuques for babies. I'm not saying that at all. All I'm saying is it would be nice if I had a little break sometime soon so I could get started on Christmas presents for big people. They take longer and Christmas comes way too fast when you are a knitter!!

Having said that, I LOVE knitting for babies. It's quicker and the things are the cutest. I just finished the miniature Highlanders jersey and gave it to Shelley and I must say, I did a great job. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo before giving it to Shell. I may have to sneak a picture next time I am over cuddling sweet little Matthew. He won't fit it for a few months, but right in time for the Super 14 season.

Here is Leni, my good friends Nikki and Jeff's little baby girl, sporting a little cardie I knit her a few months ago. Again with the long arms!! The patterns I follow are always saying to knit 7.5 inch arms. After this one, I have decided to shorten the arms by at least an inch, maybe 2.

Next up I am knitting for my good friend Amanda, who is having a baby girl, and my good friend Crystal, who is also expecting a girl. Didn't I tell you it was nonstop??

Chelsea's purses

2007-09-02T14:39:00.001-06:00

I don't know anyone who has as many handbags as my sister Chelsea. It's unbelievable. And they are all very stylie. It is quite an honour when she sports a purse that I have knit for her. I made this first one a few years ago and lined it with some black with multi-coloured polka dots material.

I love bamboo handles and always wanted to make a purse with them. This purse is the absolute easiest purse to knit imaginable. You just knit a big rectangle, then wrap the ends over the handle and sew it up. I used thick cotton wool to make it strong enough to not need a lining.

This last purse is my favorite. It is the first thing I have ever felted (on purpose). I knit it with a lightweight wool, and it was so floppy when I finished it that I thought it would be useless, but as soon as I felted it, it got a lot tougher and held it's shape much better. I love the little mini pouch, although I'm not really sure how useful it is!

One day I think I will knit myself a purse. Maybe the felted one. I just have so many people to knit for these days. Maybe if my friends stopped having babies I would have some time to knit for myself!!

More knits!

2007-08-23T14:35:00.000-06:00

My sister Chelsea took some pictures so I could show the stuff I have made for her in the past. Check it out:

This one is a skull sweater I knit for her for Christmas last year and a black tuque with cables (hard to see the cables).

This is a scarf I knit her, I don't think you can see how cool the pattern is. It's crisscross rib. I love it!

This is a pink cable tuque I knit for Chels a couple years ago. I sewed little purple star buttons on it for some sass.

This is Chelsea's boyfriend Jered in a tuque I knit for him at Christmas. She gave him the black eye for looking at another girl. Haha, just kidding, he's a rugby player and got it in their championship match - which they won.

I'm pretty much a tuque specialist, as it's an easy present (I can start and finish most tuques in 2 hours) and in a cold canadian winter - extremely useful. But that was before all my friends started having babies. Now I am a baby sweater-knitting machine. Right now I am knitting a little sweater for my friend Shelley's baby boy (unborn) that is a little version of the Highlanders jersey (Shelley and Grant's favorite Super 14 team). Will post it upon completion.

Knitty Calendar

2007-08-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

I entered this contest. I don't usually enter contests, but this one - well, I just couldn't pass it up. There is a website called knitty.com and they have issues for every season. In the issues are various patterns that you can download for free. Some of them are a bit unusual, but some of them are awesome. I have downloaded quite a few patterns. For the contest, you were allowed 3 pictures, of the same garment or different ones, that will be going in a calendar of knitty knits. The point was to make nice pictures that would look good on a wall for a month, showing off the piece (not just knitter wearing the garment, posing with a cheesy smile). Below are the pictures I entered. The little girl in the picture with me is Wallis (7), daughter of my friend Jenny and she is wearing a poncho I knit for her a couple years ago. Quite an eyesore actually, but she chose the colours and wool and LOVES it. She does look rather cute in it too. The photographer was Sidonie (13) (Jenny's other daughter). The knitty garments are the vest, the headband and the fingerless gloves. I have my fingers crossed. We had little time, so we had only one photo session, but I think they are ok. And I am just glad I entered. Wish me luck!!

We call this one "Picking grapefruit". Many kiwis have fruit trees if some sort in their backyards.

This one is called "Crossing the street".

Simply called "Cuppa tea".

Sorry, beanie

2007-08-16T14:22:00.000-06:00

Kiwis have lots of funny names for things. Well, maybe not funny, just different than we north americans (for those of you who don't know, canadians come for north america too, not just americans). However, in this case, I think we canadians stand alone. No one knows what the hell a tuque is. See picture below. It is simply the french name for beanie. But to me a beanie is a little round hat with a propeller on top, so I prefer to say tuque.

Below is a picture of my bestest friend Jillie with a "beanie" I made about 2 years ago. I like it because it has green in it and because it has cables. Also because it is knit in a thick cotton yarn as not to itch.

the little knitter??

2007-08-09T22:19:00.000-06:00

Funny, I actually haven't posted anything I have knit yet. Since that is semi what this blog is for, I am going to begin with some of my past projects. I am living out of my suitcase at a friends house right now, so I am not really knitting anything, but when I finish a new project I will post a picture of it right away.

Here's some of my collection from 2005:

This is little Sydney, my beautiful friend Tristin's daughter when she was only a few months old. I adapted a pattern for a baby sweater that I knit for little Ella (see below) for finer wool on smaller needles. It is a bit big, but she grew into it. I also had to adapt the pattern for the little bear hood because the pattern made the hood way to big for little Sydney. The bear combo is one of my favorites.

This is little Ella in the sweater I knit for her (Ross and Ang picked out the wool and pattern). Again, a bit big, but she grew into it. She is also modelling Sydney's bear hood as I needed to make sure it would fit and they are like 3 weeks apart. Adorable.

Here are some things from the 2006 collection:

This is a little dress I crocheted for my good friends Chantal and Greg's little baby Ava. It is from a knitting book my Gramma used to knit for my cousin, myself and my sister. The patterns are classic, you just don't see detail like that anymore. I love this dress. Worth the effort.

I have missed about 8 friends weddings since living at the bottom of the world, but none has been more devastating than Tristin's (a best friend) and Jana's (only cousin). I knit them each a garter to wear under their dress. Jana's dress was blue, so she got the white one, Tristin's dress was white, so she got the blue one.

I know, I know, it seems like all I knit is baby stuff, but seriously, it's getting ridiculous! I only know pregnant, trying to be pregnant or recently new mothers. ALL my friends have babies or will in the next sort of 6 months. So my knitting needles seem to only knit baby stuff. I have also knit my sister a couple sweaters, a new tuque, and a purse (which is part of the 2007 collection and I plan on putting up here because it is awesome!), I have knit my best friend Jillie a sweater, my Mum a shawl and a poncho, my Dad some golf club covers, AJ a sweater and a tuque (camouflage - I love it) and countless tuques for friends. But unfortunately I don't have photos of them. It's ok, I have plenty of stuff to show off, and there will definitely be more to come.

I will post the 2007 collection another time.

Long time no blog

2007-08-08T14:36:00.000-06:00

Yeah I know, I am brutal, but I have a totally legit excuse. I have been in Thailand for a whole month travelling around with AJ. It was GREAT!!! I was so apprehensive about "backpacking", I thought it was so not me. But I actually found it much easier than I thought it would be. But alas, now I am back to New Zealand, back to work and back to reality. Sigh. Actually, I should get my a in g because a month is a huge time to be on holiday and I do have a thesis to write... I am waiting for AJ to send me a CD of our pictures because I am lazy and if I know someone else is taking pictures I don't bother. I have a few that I will definitely post with stories, but his are way better. Thailand was so hot and (in most places) so beautiful. We did some really fun things, like a 2 day trek with elephants, hikes up mountains, swims in waterfalls and bamboo rafting, I did a thai cooking course, we hopped from island to island in the south and we kayaked around and just laid on the beaches all day - it was fantastic. Pictures to come but just wanted to say that's where I've been. Now back to work...

Happy Canada Day!!

2007-07-01T19:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Canada Day canadians! It was Canada Day yesterday for me. My very good friends Ross and Ang sent me some pancake mix and real canadian maple syrup so I made myself a FAT stack of pancakes yesterday for brekkie and loaded them up with butter and drowned them in maple syrup. They were delicious. It was rainy and gross and awful out yesterday (and the whole past week). Good ole Hamilton winter. I have had about enough. Good thing I leave for Thailand in a week!! I have all my shots, I have a first aid/toiletries bag full of everything (hopefully) I may need. I have a pile of stuff that I am going to pack, but I keep trying to skim things off of it since I know I will shop and want to cram more stuff in my pack. I cannot wait. It is so close! I am dreading the flight, but hopefully I will be ok. I think I may need to buy those compression stockings so that my ankles don't swell up to cankles (calf/ankle), or tankles (as my pregnant friend Bronnie likes to call them). I have so much to do before I go. I am in a good place at work though. I feel good about my project. It is flowing well and I will easily be able to pick up where I left off when I am back in August. Well, better get back to it. Laters.

Only 2 more weeks!

2007-06-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

Well, my trip is only 2 weeks away and I am getting super excited but also nervous. I had my tetanus shot today and I warned the nurse that I was a huge suck, so she got a nother nurse to hold my hand and I looked away and while I was talking she just jabbed it in, no warning, nothing. It was perfect. I mean the shot would never be enjoyable, but the quicker the better I think. How embarassing, 28 years old and holding a nurses hand. I can't help it - I hate needles! It was over quick though and now I am just left with an achey right arm. I feel like I am pretty much ready. I am worried about crazy mosquito bites because the little buggers love me (I must have deliciously sweet blood), but I bought a bunch of tropical strength mozzie repellent and plan on bathing in it every day. I know what I am going to pack too, I have a checklist. It's a pretty small one, it will be interesting to see how I cope with 2 outfits for the whole trip. I shudder at the thought. I just know that I have to carry my pack everywhere and the lighter the better. How exciting!! I am so not the backpacker type. This trip could make or break me, and my relationship with AJ. We haven't spent that much time together, I haven't seen him in 4 months, and soon we will be together for a month, day and night. I'm going in with a positive attitude. It's scary, but it will be a blast. And I cannot wait to get out of cold, wet and windy New Zealand. I've had enough rain and wind for awhile. I can't wait for the sun and heat! And especially after the brutal past month I am so looking forward to this trip. Only 2 more weeks...

Canada vs the All Blacks

2007-06-17T23:12:00.000-06:00

I debated whether or not I should go to the Canada vs the All Blacks game here in Hamilton on Saturday June 16th. What?????? Yeah, that's what I thought when I finally gave my head a shake. I would have kicked my own ass if I had have missed it. And despite losing 64-13, Canada actually put up a relatively good fight, check out this quote from the All Blacks web page

"Though they beat Canada 64-13 at Waikato Stadium on Saturday night, the All Blacks admitted they were flattered by the scoreline, had underestimated the Canadians and needed to improve quickly before Sunday's test against the Springboks in Durban."

and

"Henry admitted Canada were better than he had thought they would be after they held the All Blacks to 26-13 at halftime before New Zealand's superior fitness and speed told in the second half.The All Blacks were poor in the first half, playing like a side that expected the points to come, and skipper Reuben Thorne admitted they were surprised by the aggression of the Canadians."

Nice. Go Canada. And as I ran to the right gate (no matter who I go with, we always sem to be at the wrong gate right when the national anthems start!) and I heard Oh Canada, I was overcome with emotion. I haven't heard our national anthem in so long, and being as homesick as I am, it was wonderful to hear. The haka was wicked, as usual. Hopefully someone I know in Canada got to see the haka and how cool it is. All in all, I am so glad I went. I doubt I will ever again get to see the All Blacks play Canada, although I do hope that that wasn't the last time I see the All Blacks live. My favorite team.

More smiles

2007-06-11T14:45:00.000-06:00

I had a nice long chat with Ross and Ang last night. That always make me feel better. And of course had some little comments thrown in from Ella. Hearing that sweet little baby voice always makes me happy. They were here awhile ago and I was lucky enough to go to dinner with them and brunch the next day! It was great since I haven't had the chance to see them much since Gisborne in October (which is where the picture below was taken). Here are some pictures from the last time I saw them. Ella can fully talk now, in sentences, and she says the most adorable things. She read to me (sort of) at the restaurant and it was too cute. I hate that they live so far away because it is so hard for to get away from Hamilton to get down to Hawkes Bay for a weekend. I am going to try once I am back from Thailand to get down there (if Chris lets me - the pressure is majorly on) but if all else fails, I will definitely spend a good 2 weeks with them before I leave the country to go home.

When I need to smile

2007-06-10T18:36:00.000-06:00

I know this is an old picture, but it is one of the things I look at right now to make myself happy. I'm really homesick. I miss my parents more than anything. I miss AJ. I love New Zealand and I know that when I am not here anymore I will want to be here, but right now things are just, well, I just feel different.

New stuff

2007-06-06T14:37:00.000-06:00

I sort of got sick of BlogSpirit because it is not that user friendly. I see all my friends blogs and they have pictures posted right in their posts and I want that! But try as I may, I can't do that on my other blog. So I thought, stuff it. I'll get a new blog like everyone else's and have fun pictures and stuff like that.
I don't really have much to say right now. I am pretty consumed with the whole "Doug" situation. It's all I can think about. I am getting super behind in work and it sucks, because I leave in less than 5 weeks (YAY!!!) to go meet AJ in Thailand and I have so much to do before then. It's just so hard. The whole ordeal has been very traumatic. I am trying to be strong and move on as fast as I can, but this crazy thing and how it's affecting me, well, I have no control over it... yet. One day soon I will have my sanity back.
New Zealand is heading in to winter, and fast. It went from nice autumn weather with the leaves falling and the odd hot day, to cold and rainy with the odd frost. It's ok because I am staying in a house (my boss fro the gym) for the next month and they have a cozy warm house with a heat pump which I of course have cranked all the time. I am looking after their 20 year-old (yes, 20, not a typo) cat who is super cute even though I don't like cats. She's blind and slow and does cute quirky little things. She actually looks and acts like an old lady. She sits really slowly (probably so she doesn't break a hip) and sometimes she drools, poor thing. But it's nice to have something to look after right now.
I should probably get started today. I am pretty slack since the "incident", I can't concentrate at all. But at least I have started to actually do things in the lab again. I think my supervisor is pretty worried that I won't finish my thesis. But I will. I always finish things I start. I will finish and and it in on time. That's all for now.
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