What a great idea!

Hey there gang... I am so happy that it is cooler here in the Lower mainland! Summer is great but heat is not my thing! Don't get me wrong, I love the sunny days, I just enjoy the cooler days too!

So I am happy to also report that I am making good progress on the baby kimono, I don't know if this pattern is the best way to do this, but hey.... gotta try things out. I am using way more yarn than the pattern sggested, and as you may know that is a bit of a concern. I don't feel like the size of the kimono is extrordinary so I don't think that I am making the "amazing humongous baby jacket" I promise to update on if that happens or not.

I was also making great headway on a purple blanket that I was knitting, and then I ran out of a yarn.... but a friend of mine is going to be saving my ass from having to buy more yarn! This is going to be a gift blanket, and it knits up so quick... as I am using huge needles and double stranding the yarns. A great baby or child blanket. Honestly it is a great blanket, and I have made several for gifts, they have several great things going for them..... washable, cushy, and warm. Double stranding means that I use up more of my stash in less time!

My plan for stash busting, is going okay. The last couple of months I have felt that I have not made as much progress as i wanted to. Som months were really slow! I have a few projects that I am knitting in pieces so I don't finish a ball as I finish a piece..... so I am making progress on my projects but not knocking down my stash. Oh well I am keeping up with my goal for knitting my stash down.

Now that 2009 is half through (yikes!) I am going to count all yarn used. purchased recently or not. I will start that next month. I don't think that it will have much bearing on my tally, as I am still planning on knitting from Stash primarily.

Okay.....so the link in the title and the image at the top.

I have been listening to some new podcasts, and the KIPing It Real podcast is a new one for me.

(more on new podcasts in another post)

Anyway the host mentioned an intresting project that she had hear of. The 3-50 Project is basically an idea for supporting the local Brick-and-mortar stores in your local area. You budget 50 dollars each month and split it between three local shops that you would HATE to loose in this economy. Thereby supporting the locals but not breaking your monthly budget! I encourage you to pop by and check it out. I have already tried to begin this idea, but I wasn't supporting three stores..... just my LYS. :D Let me know what you think.. I would be intrested.

Trying to keep up...

but the world is going so fast!!!!

LOL

So here I am again with cute animal pictures!

I have several things to babble about, but I have no idea if I will hit you with it all at once. I am having a mini vacation this weekend. I am off four days in a row. We were camping this weekend already, but there was much rain so we came home this morning instead of tomorrow morning.... well that is sometimes how it goes!

We do camp in a lovely area.

See?

Pretty. Aside from the sad state of the dead pine trees due to the pine beetle infestation here in BC. This area is about 2 and a half hours north from home here in Langley. The spike buck you see in the upper photo thought we were pretty intresting to look at, he visited every day! LOL Even the dog didn't bother him.

Okay enough of that. I have completed the Crimson and Coccoa baby Blanket. Thank goodness! I am seriously falling out of love with this blanket style, but I have to admit they look great and don't take too much time. I think the verrigated yarns are the best to use though, they keep your interest longer. When I finally got to the border, I felt very put upon! lol but I wanted to finish it off so I can get it in the mail soon.

Speaking of mail... I have several packets to get out. Sorry guys, I suck and I have a small amount of play money at the moment. The will be gone before the next month. I apoligize profusley, and you know why!

I am working on a Baby Kimono for my niece at the moment as well as the Central Park Hoodie, Hunters Vest and the other straggler projects! The Kimono pattern is one I have never knit, so it has been intresting so far. I think the pattern is very clear and so far so good.. seperation for the fronts and back is mere centimeters away.

I think that I will be re-starting the blanket for my pal James. I don't know where I am in the thing, and I think that is what is keeping me from completing that paticular project. oh well.

I am feeling a bit of Startitis coming on... two shawls are calling to me. That may be bad! LOL oh well, gotta knit for myself a bit this year! I plan on using the rest of tonight and a bit of tomorrow to get ahead on the CPH I think, and maybe cast on a new shawl! :D

I am a bit tired so I will leave you with that update. Hope you are all well and more productive than I!!

Getting things done!

No really!!

Honest.
I steeked the Hunters vest and I have knit on one arm band, and the second is on it's way.... Yes I cut my knitting up the centre too, and if I had remembered to bring my camera to Splynk's house, I would have pictures, but we did the steeking together and that made it better!

Thanks Splynk! More chips and alcohol next time.

I am almost done the red and brown blanket for a baby cousin.

The CPH is moving along well, I am back to working on the right fromt, after frogging back to the ribbing... I forgot to change needle sizes! The back and the left front are done already.
Plus I am totally shipping stuff off to a couple of people and I will update with pics later, before they leave!

This is just a quick update! hope you are well!

Long Weekend update!

Hello!

Happy Victoria Day Long weekend gang! I plan on being productive, since our camping trip fell through. Since my last post was so heavy on the rambling... this one won't be.

So some updated things for you...

A new detail on the Stitch It charity blanket that I have had for WAY TOO LONG

My Neice Arabellas' blanket

made in Linonbrand Homespun... totally washable and care-free, my sister picked it out.

Riely Foremans' blanket

All cotton, all the time.

The Blanket for Sebastian that I have just begun.

Bernat Satin, again mommy colour preference. I think this one is going to look so fantastic, just wait!

Completed Endpaper mitts for my gal-pal.

Knitpicks Pallet wool, totally economical for this type of gift, the brown was leftover from another gift and I only used half the ball of blue!

oh and a pet pic.....or two,

Sam

Simon.

Have a great long weekend if you have one, and if not, enjoy anyway!

Good gracious

My life is busy.

Sorry about that..... I know that you all understand. You too are busy.

I have a few posts in the future that I have notes on, so I will go off that and get some mindless thoughts and some great ideas up. You decide. Happy PS4 Yellow! East!!

I have knitting to update you on, but no pics at the moment..... so I will get to that later.

I was thinking that I would muse about the Creative Commons Licencing that you and I encounter in our journey through the internet and multipe things published on-line.

I have been listening not only to the posdcast previously listed somewhere on this blog.... but also to pod-books. audiobooks that are written and read by their authors. One that I really enjoyed was Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty. Some in an effort to get into the publishing world (and some have been sucessful you can now order Playing for keeps for your Kindle on amazon), others releasing books that have had their copyright expire.

In the case of the copyright expiration, it's pretty obvious why the books can be offered for free online. No one holds the rights to these books anymore hence sites like Podiobooks and Librivox. places where you can download classics like Alice in Wonderland or Frankenstein.

Because I appreciate hearing classic books when my hands are busy knitting or driving... whatever, I really appreciate how this sharing of ideas is working. In reading over the site I linked above on Creative Commons... it gives some great ideas. We are a race with so much shared culture in this electronic age, many people know as much about other cultures as they do about their own.... Japan, Africa, India are all being explored and explained for those who would not be able to go there and observe a culture. Also on that train of thought people can accept and adopt other cultural viewpoints on religion, art, and any number of other ideas. Now this is just a rough sketch of my thoughts splayed out over the screen, as many of you know...... so hope you have time to check it out and think about how great sharing can be.

It doesn't always mean that the artist has their idea taken away, it can mean that they choose to share it. In the knitting community and many artistic areas the sharing of ideas is fluid, and really not even thought about.... having a great brainstorming session with peers, classmates, or the buddies you have coffee/a beer with can be refreshing and even enlightening.
I love that about being part of a community, that has a great idea and shows the world.
Thanks to all the great designers of free knitting patterns, who help to inspire the rest of us and all they want is to see the FO!

Let me know what you think about my rambling.... have a great Friday!

MY Goodness, hello!

Simon, the climbing cat.

Thanks everyone for stopping by and commenting. I am sorry that I have been a bit lax in my posting..

I am up to 21 balls of yarn used and um..... 16 projects complete I think... not bad for the year.

I have no pics of my project spectrum project yet... because I have very little to show... this month I hope to change that!

I have an update on my Central Park Hoodie knitting... I have the back done and I am almost complete the left front.... so I have begun the ribbing on the right front. This seems to be a quick knit. If I plan this right I can be on to the sleeves by next week.

Another Baby Surprise Jacket done, for my new neice! Hello Arabella! I already knit one for her, but it is sooooo huge, I will give it to my sister and she can pull it out this fall when it MAY fit her!
So I whipped up this one out of Bernat Jaquard in SpearamintCandy... super cute no?

This one was knit on 3.25mm needles, so I could make a more reasonable size... compare to the last one knit on 4mm.!!!

So I am working on the CPH and one a few other things for babies, a blanket for Arabella too... that I have no pic of but I hope that I can get one up with her in it soon...

There are more babies in the family... two new cousins born in the last week! they are in New York, so I will have to round up a gift bundle up for both boys. Pics of those goodies as I complete them, if the BSJ thing is any indication, all the ones I have knit up to now, are huge in baby standards. I will send one out, but I will also knit up a smaller one! LOL

Have a good Easter Weekend everyone, knit well