GTA KNIT BLOG RING

How many are we now?  17 and hopefully counting.  I know there are other GTA bloggers out there, so if you want to join, well, er join...Let's show the world Toronto Knitters rock and there are many of us...Here is the list as I know it:

1. Knitting Up A Storm

2. Knit Me Purl Me

3. The One and Only Yarn Harlot

4. Chick With Sticks - Sue I'm having trouble with your url...Email me and let me know whats going on! We want to know whats going on.

5. Corrie's Knitting Stories - my knitting buddy and crochet mentor

6. Fibersantric - Sandra - my other knitting buddy, and awesome knit designer

7. Tell Me A Yarn - Check out her finished items

8. Knitting and Other Distractions - fairly new to the ring and loves my attempt at a button - so what's not to love about her?

9. Sermon Knits - Look at the 6ft long baby blanket she just finished - wow and double wow!

10. Click-Clack - One word - Talented - with web design and knitting

11. Catcher's Knit - Our newest member - thanks for being patience with me while trying to add you to the ring

12. CosmicPluto - Our 2nd newest member and, hold on to your hats folks - she works at a LYS

13. Curlie Girl - She knits, paints and makes TEDDY BEARS.

14. Etc. - Once you look at her finished projects, you have to think - she is new to knitting? No freaking way!

15.  Marmalade - Great content and her site is laid out so nicely - maybe I should bribe her to pretty mine up?  I have lots of yarn in my stash.

16. Kitty Cafe - She dyes her yarn, she makes beautiful teapots (good enough to sell, I think)

and last, but not least

17.  Is it a Sweater Yet? - I'm sure her husband must know how lucky he is to receive her wonderful sweaters?  Mark - do you, do you? IF not, I'll take them.

Thats all folks...Looking forward to seeing other Toronto knitters join the ring - you know where I am.

Isn't my room great?  Okay, I think so!  It is a blocking board/working table. I never thought I would block anything, so I didn't worry about it. But then Daisy came along and changed me.  But, I am getting cheap in my old age and didn't want to spend a ton on one, and couldn't wait for my husband to make me one. So, I took matters into my own hands.  I went to Home Depot, bought a piece of floor insulation, cut it into thirds, placed it on top of my arm chair (located in my bedroom), put all the tools needed with a lamp for light and VIOLA - presto chango - my new blocking/working table!  Yee Haw!  I love it.  It works so well, if I do say so myself.

Also - see the little, and I mean little sewing machine to the left of the lamp?  I have no idea how to use it, but I bought it for sewing the edges of fabric, small projects, etc.  Boy, am I on a roll with stuff to help me finish my knitting projects.  Yee Haw!  OH, I already said that.

Yes - that is the first Daisy sweater, the 1st sleeve is finished, and the 2nd one will be done tonight at my KNITTING NIGHT WITH THE GANG.  Sandra, Corrie and Jason (he doesn't have a blog yet!).

HAPPY KNITTING FOLKS!

Help Me - Please Someone!

With yet another stupid sewing problem.  I have completed Daisy, but, here is the dealio - I do not know which sewing technique to use to sew the raglin sleeves to the body of the cardigan. If anyone is out there and can explain it to me, I owuld be ever so grateful.  THANKS.

I'm Back!

Hello out there...Gone for a week at a wonderful cottage in Collingwood, Ontario - rested, relaxed and NOT happy to be back. I guess all good things must come to an end. Or so they say.

Knitting was pretty successful, I must say. I took three projects up and finished them! One is this pumpkin hat, featured on top of my nephew's head - what a great model he makes:

This is for my cousin's baby due in September. I used the basic berry hat pattern from Fiber Trends, changed the berry colour to orange, and purled one stitch every 11th stitch - and viola - a pumpkin hat.

I also completed the burgandy baby blanket that WAS in my WIP section - and no longer there, I might add. That thing took 2 years to complete. But now it is done. Feels like a weight off my shoulders - that's for sure. I now only have one WIP - a blanket for my house. It will get done - one day.

and a close up of the basket weave stitch:

And I finished the one of the two Daisy sweaters and stated the second one.

So that is the update. Oh I forgot, I went to Michael's before I left and bought all this freaking yarn on SALE:

11 balls of grey, Lion Brand Jiffy for 1.75 each! Holy cow, I could not contain my excitment. Then I spied this:

Paton's Kroy for 2.00 a ball. Who doesn't need more sock yarn? And then this:

Lion Brand Wool Ease, thick and quick! Whoa.

I was pretty excited with this one as well. I wanted to make a tube kind of poncho from the current issue of Knit It. You can find a picture of it on Sandra's site. But I have changed my mind, after seeing the poncho etc.com made. I can not seem to find the picture - but trust me it is fantastic. BUT, then I would have to go out and buy more of this yarn...aaahh.. Then I got an email from Sandra, and what did it say? She picked up three balls from NYC for me in the exact colour. Can you believe it? We bought the same yarn and the same colour in different countries. Wow, we have been knitting together way too long. Now I have 6 balls of this stuff to make the poncho, which I believe is the one from Sally Melville's Purl Stitch book.

I also got this: and this: and this:

I have also been going to thrift stores on the hunt for good yarn for cheap. I have purchased 11 balls of 100% wool in green, and 4 balls in black. I bought Icelander yarn for 70 cents and 5 balls of blue mohair for $1.99. And without further ado...

The mohair and the black yarn is missing, but I'm sure you get the picture - no pun intended. That is all for now.  I'm back to work on Monday so my knitting progress will slow down, Such as life. Have a good one folks.

And We Are Off...

To a cottage that is...See ya'all in a week - with knitting progress to show.  Have a great week everyone!

The French are coming! The French are coming!

My posts will be sparse for the next 2 weeks as we have family visiting from France.  We need to show them around town, which includes the CNTower, Niagara Falls, malls (for my sister in law), Playdium (for her son), driving ranges and last but not least a week at a cottage in Collingwood.  Wow!  So, knitting is coming along - like a snail.  But I did get about 2 and half hours of car knitting today, so Daisy is almost complete.  A wee bit on the left front, sleeves, blocking, and then sewing is all that is left.  Not too bad if I do say so myself. 

Good night, sweet dreams and happy knitting to all.

Grace Alert....

I have updated the Grace A Long Page for all those interested in our progess. One person is done and it is not me, the host.

I have finished another pair of baby socks! Yeah me! I'll post pics, but they are really not that interesting. What's next on the hit list? What isn't, but I will start seaming Grace (yeah, okay, whatever you say), and then on to baby hat #2! I decided to make a hat with the second left over ball of the black and white regia yarn to match the socks below.

Then onto baby hat #3 - a pumpkin hat - similar to the berry hat, but with orange instead of purple.

Then Daisy from knitty.com...

Happy Knitting Folks.

Pics, Pics, Pics

Here is the finished Berry Hat from Fiber Trends. I purchased mine here:

Here are the finished newborn socks, using up left over sock yarn I had. I also plan on making a newborn hat to match:

That's it.  I hope to finish another pair of newborn socks this evening at my knitting meeting. Again, using left over sock yarn and white sock yarn from Bernat. I am trying to get rid of the little bits and pieces of yarn I have from other projects.  For some reason I don't mind looking at the new, untouched yarn, but the little bits - they drive me CRAZY.   

MONDAY MORNING!

Camping was a success! Wow! I can't keep thinking/saying it - WOW! We had such a good time. I am not sure why, as usually it is quite stressful with two little ones, but this time - nooo - it was fantastic. We slept late, took naps, went to bed late, ate well and swam in the lake all day. Could not ask for a better weekend.

Knitting did take a backseat to all this fun, but I did manage to whip out one little pair of newborn socks from left over Regia yarn. In the next little while all that will be flying off my needles will be baby stuff. Not for my guys, but for the wee little ones coming in September. Two to be exact - my sister in law and my cousin are pregnant! Wow, (there I go again) I am really looking forward to see these two arrive and thankful I am not having another one.

So, countless pairs of socks in various sizes, two Daisys in different colours from Knitty, once berry hat (1 done), and my variation of a pumpkin hat (bought the yarn for it) and last but not least, the burgandy blanket. I have done about 20 rows from the last time I picked up, er, 2 years ago.

Have a good day folks....