Saturday, November 12, 2011

2011 Goals: Almost Year-End Update

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

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

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

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

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Tania Fiber Arts Red Label Giveaway

Tania Fiber Arts is having another giveaway! It's for one of her absolutely gorgeous yarns of Red Label in the Gold colourway. Go to her blog to check it out.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Yarn Dyeing

This summer my colleagues and I took an escapade into dyeing our own yarn with Kool-Aid and Wilton dyes. The results were fantastic!

T used only orange Kool-Aid, and Wilton's Cornflower Blue. The orange came out bright and vibrant. The blue came out dynamic with purple mixed into it.


S used a mixture of green and blue, and then threw in a bit of cornflower once she saw it brought out purple. Her result is a beautiful green which invokes an enchanted forest.


I used a mixture of strawberry Kool-Aid with pink Wilton's dye and purple Kool-Aid with purple Wilton's dye. I was ecstatic with the result. It ended up more pink than purple once knitted up, but I love the projects I made with it. The yarn we all dyed was Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes Bare.



I used up one skein to make Ysolda Teague's Ripley and tante ehm's Camp Out Fingerless Mitts. I still have another skein left which I will make a scarf or cowl with.


Saturday, June 18, 2011

New blog header and background

I finally got around to creating a new header and background for my blog. Thanks to ScrapArtist for the amazing digital scrapbooking material. I am especially in love with the cookie alphabet from Set My Soul on Fire.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

International Yarn Bombing Day - Gatineau, Quebec

Today is the first ever International Yarn Bombing Day. It is in conjunction with the World Wide Knit in Public Day. My colleagues and I decided about a month ago to participate in the International Yarn Bombing Day. Here is our story.

T had a crazy idea about a month ago to yarnbomb something, anything, it didn't matter what. We were able to get 6 colleagues involved in the project. After much discussion about WHAT we were going to yarnbomb (a fire hydrant, bike rack, pole, trees), we decided on a park bench. There are always tons of people out walking on the path in Gatineau, Quebec and we thought it would be pretty simple to do. We could each knit or crochet (or both) a strip in whatever yarn, colour and pattern we liked, and then we'd stitch them all together to make a blanket of sorts. The result is a crazy, wild combination of colours, patterns, flowers, tassles, pom-poms and a sheep! The result:


We spent our lunch hour yesterday yarnbombing the bench as none of us could make it out today. We then surreptitiously, but probably obviously found a spot a little further down and watched if anyone would notice it. No one took the bait at first, but then two men walking down the path saw it. One looked a little outraged, maybe even thought it was a tourist's blanket that was saving the bench. He asked the gents sitting on the next bench if they knew anything about it, then he proceeded to look around the back where we tied on the blanket. Then, the most unexpected thing happened.... he smiled and the two men sat down on it!! For about half an hour. We were elated and excited at this turn of events. When we left that evening, the blanket was still there. We're hoping it lasts at least until Monday.

My favourite part of the whole experience was working together with other yarn crafters to create something together for the public to enjoy; the creation of dialogue between the crafter and an audience. Also, I loved the sheep.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

TFA Giveaway!

Tanis Fiber Arts is having a giveaway! Check out her blog here:

Happy spring giveaway!

Good luck!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Yarn Blitz 2011

My colleagues and I went on a yarn blitz yesterday, and I went a little crazy with buying yarn! We visited 5 different stores in Ottawa, and towns outside of Ottawa. Our stops: Wool-Tyme in Nepean, Textile Traditions in Almonte, The Ashton Store in Ashton, Yarn Forward in Ottawa and Knit-Knackers in Ottawa.

Here is my stash:

Top Row: Patons Kroy FX, Regia 4-fadig, Turtlepurl Striped Turtle Toes, Patons Lace, Handmaiden Yarns Marrakesh, and SweetGeorgia CashSilk Lace.

Bottom Row: Diamond Footloose x 3, Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton, Patons Lace, Estelle Baby Silk Lace, and Estelle Arequipa x 2.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Update: 2011 Goals

I've not been doing too well with my goals this year so far, and I'm going to get behind on them even more now. I completed two socks from Cookie A's new book, Knit.Sock.Love, but I think I need a break from the sock knitting for a little while. I haven't completed my first project from Tanis' Year in Colour, and I've already received the second shipment!! I keep buying more yarn for making socks, and not using what's in my stash! I've been pretty good at matching up patterns with my stash though.

My cross-stitch goal has not been worked on at all.

My sewing goal has progressed, I've hemmed a pair of jeans! Next stop... trousers.

This weekend my friends from work and I are going on an Ottawa area yarn blitz before our friend E to return to Saskatoon. I'm hoping to get some yarn for socks, shawls and sweaters.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Goals for 2011

My knitting goals for 2011
1) I joined Tanis Fiber Arts' Year In Colour club. Knit all yarn which arrives with patterns provided.
2) I bought Cookie A's new book Knit.Sock.Love and joined a KAL group for it on Ravelry. Knit all socks in the book with the group. This will bring me into 2012.
3) Complete matching up my stash with patterns and knit at least 3 items.

My cross-stitch goals for 2011
1) Complete my current project

My sewing goals for 2011
1) Learn how to hem pants

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Sewing Machine

So my latest crafty news is that I bought a sewing machine over the holidays. I've already hemmed my extraneously long curtains for practice and am hoping to test out a too long pair of pyjamas so I can hem my work pants. Very excited!