Garden Greenery

Another green photo for you! I really enjoy the inspiration that I get from the Project Spectrum. I have waxed poetic about it in the past, so go read one of those posts if you would like... or just check out the main link.  Next month is another colour..... brown I think. I will have to double check. Ahhhh, blue! Fantastic. But green for this week and next....  embrace the colour!

Green In June

Green is the colour of this month for Project Spectrum, so I am adding a few green shots this week. Hopefully July will be much more green. Sunny weather...... I am waiting! (So are my plants!)

WWKIP

Yesterday I was out at a local park for World Wide Knit in Public Day..... it was also the Community day for our city and honestly next year I think I will ask for a table. ;) It would be the perfect place to talk about the guild I belong to the Fraser Valley Knitting Guild stop by and check it out.

That being said, it was raining all morning, and I didn`t think I would find anyone out there. I was wrong, we didn`t need our back up spot at the coffee shop. The rain stopped just as I got there and we sat in the grey weather wondering if we will actually get Summer next week. LOL

One of my guild mates was even game enough to do a little modeling for me! Thanks Anna! This is the blocked Multnoma for my Grandmother and this next shot is of the Dover Castle shawl that I knit from some Knit Picks hand-dyed sock yarn.

We had a good time and I am glad that I went out. I hope that your WWKIP adventures were also dry.

One final shot for you of what I was knitting in the park. Inspired by this years` Project Spectrum I am knitting in the Green of June! Outside for a little photo shoot with my Chocolate mint plant. I do not pretend to be a master photographer, but hey, it`s visually interesting.

Happy knitting! and thanks to all the new folks who visited and left a comment, I appreciate it!

It's coming back......Project Spectrum 4

Hey there... I am so enthused about the new incarnation of Project Spectrum, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Grab the link in the title to get to Lolly's blog, she is the mind behind the great inspiration.

This year is the Cardinal Directions here is a quote from Lolly's post on the Ravelry board.

This year, we will base the exploration around FOUR colors - one for each direction - and participants can combine and mix these colors with any other color. Each direction is also traditionally linked to a natural material, and you can choose to work with these materials for your projects, i.e. glass beads, wooden buttons, metal pins, etc. For deeper interpretation, you can also choose to incorporate the related seasons and elements in your creative projects.

NORTH (March/April)

Color: Green

Material: Stones/Gems/Rocks

Season: Winter

Element: Earth

EAST (May/June)

Color: Yellow

Material: Wood

Season: Spring

Element: Air

SOUTH (July/August)

Color: Red

Material: Metal

Season: Summer

Element: Fire

WEST (September/October)

Color: Blue

Material: Glass

Season: Autumn

Element: Water

PS: Cardinal Directions starts on March 1st, 2009!

So I think that this will be great!!

I am already percolating ideas and plans, as I know many folks on the Ravelry Project Spectrum board are as well. If you aren't on ravelry, or a knitter... it doesn't matter. Join in!

Draw pictures, make paintings, do ATC's!!

The great thing about this idea is that is exactly what it is..... an IDEA.

INSPIRATIONAL

I promise that I will let you know how I am going ahead with my inspirations. I hope we can all share! Have a great week.... more photos, and another update later.

Hello weekend!

So here we are... some update shots on some of my current projects.

Here is the Rusted Root in a blue Bamboo., I haven't gotten to the end of the first ball yet and this lovely is almost 6" long! I love that, I may have to do some more work with this bamboo... it's silky, drapey, soft, smooth and lovely, and it comes in a great red! See... told you I liked it. I just hope that it holds up okay as a top, I hear around the bloglines that if something is too drapey then it can be not cool for garment shaping over time.

Also here are the socks that I have made for my Mom... in a new wool Knit Picks Palett, I thought I would like to try it out so I have it for a small project. Not bad, a bit splitty. The heel is done and I want to finish the cuff this weekend.

Last but not least on the project front, my slipper collection... I am using a pair as I type. Knit from Briggs & Little Regal and felted up nicely. I used the Fiber Trends clog pattern and loved it! The blue ones are also for my Mom. She knows about the slippers, but not the socks a nice suprise.
As you can see I am totally NOT in the proper colour ranget his month for Project Spectrum, but hey I do have an Icarus shaw in white happening... I just want to get a few other things finished so I can have less WIP's. So much to knit, so little time lately. I feel like I have to keep putting stuff on hold because all the knitting time that I get needs to be easy so I don't mess something up. For example, my Embers & Ashes blanket fro my pal James must wait until I get a new pair of addi turbos..... as my pair broke. Dismal, but true. I am using the 12mm size in 120cm, which means that it is a flexible tube of plastic.... and it pulled right out of the metal needle tip as I was shifing stitches to finish a row. Bummer. I will have them into my LYS this week to be replaced, but I have to root through the boxes of unpacked crafty stuff to find the envelope. oh well... the afghan isn't ruined and being stalled is where it's been for the last month at least, so it's used to it.

I am getting some fantastic free yarn tomorrow from a ravelry pal, on her way home to Nanimo. I am super excited... I want to make a CPH out of some of it... I may donate a bit to the Knit in Public day. but I think I am making a tea cozy for sure right away. I do have some other yarny news, but it must remain covert for a little while... you never know who may be reading.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to show off some more progress next week. Have a relaxing Sunday!

Rambling

Happy spring everyone!

I was thinking about my journey through the knit-blog community that we share. It is fantastic.Ever expanding and intresting.... there are so may areas to explore... It has given me a list of people that I (try) to visit each week. I gain new perspectives and ways of looking at things that never occured to me. Some of us knit at the speed of light, and some of us complete our projects at a more conservative pace.

Inspiration is one of the great things that we all share with each other, and have in common. Look more Slippers!

I wanted to share with you what has been keeping me company while I am at work and away from a computer, that I feel is just as inspiring as visiting on-line. When I was trying not to use my wrist they helped a lot. Yes my friends I am talking about podcasts.

I was slow to get into this medium, and I am not planning on publishing one myself, but I am enthusiastic about sharing them. Podio-books are also a great way to fill some time with an original story that I can't get anywhere else, or an old favorite that has been recorded for my listening pleasure! LOL

Here are a few that I feel are compelling, intresting and inspiring. I encourage you to check them out. You don't need an mp3 player, just the equipment thta you are using right now. These three sites allow acess so you can listen on your computer. Try one out.... and see what is out there. Great fun and a intresting side street in our knitting community.

Currently I am listening to Brenda Dayne in Cast On, her "Muse series" has been intresting and very thought provoking for me! Each has it's own appeal, and I have tried some that had horrifying sound quality, or I found the reader annoying, so they weren't for me. Others have sent me around the internet to online treasures that I have never found, or heard of but forgotten about. What I find paticularly enjoyable right now is catching up on the older episodes. They give me insight into knit-happenings online that I missed, (like the knitting olympics) or it reminds me of something that I have participated in (like project spectrum).

So I have been thinking about World wide Knit in Public day, and Knitting fearlessly. What have you been musing on? I am also really enjoying Sticks & String as well as Stitch It!.

Anyway, I plan to have a better update of knitting items in the next week, this past weekend was a long-weekend, and we got away to do some camping, the only thing that was safe to knit was socks!! LOL Let me know what you think..... and blog it maybe.

Are you going to be knitting in public on June 14? Where?

Look Look!!

Finished Things!!!

Carina's socks. A bamboo-wool blend handdyed by my LYS owner.

The Watermelon socks. On Your Toes with Aloe Vera!

Feet on Fire socks. %100 bamboo socks. As I said I love the colour, but only have one skein.

All were knit on 2.75mm needles in the magic loop style, and toe-up based on the sock pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. Each was using a different stitch pattern. YAY!! I know that I have never had a post where all my FO's were socks! Neat, a new first.

Wendy, and Hunnybunny, I hope you like them! I can't wait to see you latest socks. I am not exactly sure what turned sock knitting from anintresting idea, to something that I have to have active all the time. I guess it's that "almost instant" gratification. I hope you enjoy checking them out. I have been enjoying wearing all the socks..... except the blue ones, they were for somone else! I hope she is wearing them! (Hunnybunny, maybe the heel that you are knitting isn't the right one for you, there are soooooo many patterns out there!)

I did also finish the You Can't See Me Hat. That however has to be blocked for sure!! so no pics of that! I started a new pair of socks, and given hope by my friend on Illuminating Soul, I will try to knit two socks at a time. Also I am going to continue with the Icarus Shawl. Thanks for being paitent...... I hope you are all having productive weeks! (yikes what a thing to say on Monday!) Talk to you soon!

okay.... so I was wrong.

I have no photos.....

Well, that isn't true, I have just not got them here. On this blog. For the moment.

I have other FO's too... and I hope to get the hat for my other half done, and the firey bamboo socks too! That will make me happy.

I have had a second-thoughts about frogging the Icarus shawl that I started. I think I will keep it and enjoy it! It has been an enjoyable knit so far! LOL not that I 'm far into it, but I can see it moving along well!
I still have to keep pluggin along on my friend James' afghan... but I really just need to sit down and get to it. I have to say that my socks have been easier to carry around with me. So when I finish a pair, I seem to cast on another....... and I probably will when I finish this pair too.

Project Spectrum has switched to another element this month. We have moved to EARTH. Now I have too look aroung for some browns and greens.... all I can think of are sock yarns!! LOL

So I will work on getting some pictures posted, so that you can actually see what I have been working through. I did do swatches in several of the fantastic yarns that I plan to make some new projects from. That bamboo is fantastic.

I think I got lost on my way to the blog.....

No seriously, how else could it have been this long since I posted! Yikes!!

LOL

I do have some FO's to report... but no pictures yet.

Did I mention that my mother's enterlac shawl is done, I will snag pics tomorrow when I give it to her. YAY!!

The pair of bamboo socks in the verigated yarn for my pal Carina were completed and given. We drove up to 150 Mile on the Easter long weekend for some relaxation (I got a pedicure!)
So I got to give my socks in person. I did try to finish the green hat for the man, but forgot the directions to it, so I could finish the body pattern by checking the previous rounds, but I have only knit this one other time..... so I was unsure about the decreasing. That should be done this week too.

Of course I cast on a new pair the next day with some fantastic "On Your Toes" with aloe vera. This is a colourway that totally looks like a watermelon, I promise pics soon, I am almost done, I think I will be turning the heel tonight. It fits with the PS3 colours, but my next socks will be so fiery, I am hoping to have them on the needles and done for this theme. Then on to the lovely Alpalca goodness..............I think, or maybe the rainbow, I am unsure.

LOL gotta love these choices.

My next steps with alot of yarns are swatching and the washing of said swatches...... I wasn to know that I can count on the gauge. I have heard of sagging with bamboo....... it worries me.

I think that is all that I can report on at the moment. My next post will be in a couple days anyway so I can show off a bit! Have a great end of the week!

Project Spectrum Begins!

Yes indeed kids!

FIRE!!!

That is what will inspire us for the next two months! The flame ignights our creativity

So I do have at least one red project on the go..... you all have seen the star scarf. It is double knitting yes..... love it!

I do have all the colours of the rainbow in my stash at the moment, so finding red, orange, yellow, gold or pink is not a problem. As a matter of fact the Icarus shawl is pink! Wow, two projects that I want to get done that fit into the Project Spectrum colours!

I do also have some more pumpkins to create for a friend! Man I hope I can get everything done in time! LOL That was really not what I was planning on having as my statement for fire! I was thinking of taking on a flame pattern shawl, or starting a pair of socks in the pumpkin gloss I have or the garnet from Knitpicks. Oh prehaps actually getting to use the bamboo that I picked up at Fiberfest two years ago.....

it may still happen the colours are perfect! LOL Well, I guess this colour compliment in my current stuff will really help me get some of these outstanding UFO's done (which was what I have been trying to do as my resolution!) LOL ah, PTB thanks for the aid! LOL

Honestly with the wide parameters for this baby, I don't know how I could ever run out of fire!

From shirts, to fibers that I have to knit with....... I have tons to do! Or tons I could do! LOL

Happy planning, and don't forget to check out the group on Ravelry! everyone seems to have such great ideas! See you there!

YAY.... FO post!

So today is a FO post! I have tonnes..... well, maybe not tonnes but a bit!

It makes me happy!

James' skull scarf is complete and with it's new owner. YAY!

My Fresh socks are done tooooooo............I am wearing them now :) They are comfy! I hope I have enough yarn to knit a second pair! I reaaaaaly like them. They were my own dye job, on Knitpicks wool.... so I guess I really like the Knitpicks wool!
Also, a baby hat for a friend of my sisters. Super cute!
I have an update on my Burnt socks too. This is sock one.

With a close up of the details.

I am trying to get all the WIP's that I can find done and gone. I think that this week the Icarus shawl will be back on my plate. I want to not have to wonder what I will fine in the next box or basket.... etc. LOL Stash reduction one project at a time. Here is a prome example of something that I am working on clearing! Yes, the Star Scarf parade on Up Late Designs! LOL

Once all the current UFO's are out of the way then I can get to completing some of the other things on my queue! That will be real stash progress, I was hoping to start a few new projects to go with the Project Spectrum theme for this year. Luckily the Icarus shawl actually fits a colour planned for Feburary. (I have a new button for PS, check it out!) Have a great weekend!

As promised

I said that my next post would be a bit less photo centered.
Here you go! I hope that this make the page easier to load........ because before Monday I am going to have two sweater updates to add kids!
You may have noticed that I have the Sweater a month KAL on my list of blogs that I visit....
I am trying! I have started February's and am eagerly anticipating Marches fiber to arrive!

Yes I ordered more yarn....................... I am a bad stash reducer! I know that this will be well worth it! I have some great projects to make and I need to test out potential types of yarn. So I will also show off that box when it arrives.......
I KNOW!!!!
but we all get to fall off the wagon once................. I want to keep up with my resolutions I swear, but I have no green yarn, and March means green in the craft-a-long.
I have two thoughts on my yarn splurge.

1. I have a gapinng hole in the colour spectrum of my yarn, and I am obviously needing project spectrum, and the craft a long to keep me from being totally clothed in blue!!!! LOL

2. I agree with knitty knitter................. my brain has issues stopping the massive ideas rolling around my head, for example on the weekend we were staying at a friends house and I couldn't sleep........ I was planning touques to knit for the entire household! (four people....my other half, myself and our fabulous hosts.) So I can't try to make these things while I am stuck with no pallet!

If that isn't enough justification, I can't knit my sweater in the car...... or with anything distracting happening like chatting with friends...... or I mess up on the cable chart, so I need easier, more portable work......................
dam, I don't really even need an enabler, I can enable myself thank you! LOL
we shall see................... I think that this may be the free pass I allow myself, as I did pick up several projects worth of yarn. Now I have no free pass, thank god I lasted at least this long! LOL

oooo goodies!

So I was fortunate enough to get mail today!!!! I have pics..... let me show you what I got!

oooooo so much fun!! As a warning, there are four pictures in this post and I know that I have a few more on the blog, so be aware, I don't want to have anyone upset over download time......

I seriously love swapping!!! I have reasons.... LOOK......

This is Benson, my very own pincushion!!!! LOL is he not the funniest thing that anyone could get in the mail! LOL I think that he is great! I have been waiting for him for a while! I guess, judging by the customs tape................ that he spent some time with the Canadian officials, because seriously, what customs officer would know what this guy was!!! LOL the colourful dots on him are his pins!!! LOL I wonder what he looks like going through an X-ray machine! no wonder he has a hole in his bum and some of his pin decorations appear to be broken! (incidentally he is filled with cotton batting and plastic pellets.......) oh man LMAO!!

So that was my first joy!! ( in all honesty, I don't think my family understood the joy on my face when they beheld Benson in all his glory.........)

Moving on......

*giggle*

This fantastic array of goodies is from another swapping partner.....

I got a PURSE! with SKULLS on it!!!! how fun is that! the lining which I seem to have forgotten to take a picture of, is a red snakeskin! It matches the skulls bandannas.... YAY!

In addition to that I got a spindle and some roving that was kool-aid dyed so I can try out spinning!!!! She is awesome!!! I have already thanked all these great swap partners in the proper galleries on craftster. I swear.

But wait.................there is more! yes I have received from my fat quarters swap! LOL aren't these nice!!! I have to think of something to make, I can't let them be stash, they are way to fun, and I know that I will never have this fabric again, so why not have some fun with it!?!?! Pillows maybe? I have no clue! LOL Too bad I don't quilt. You may have noticed that I have 7, not 6 that was what I was supposed to have, but she wasn't sure that I would like the golden fabric, so she gave it to me and made sure that I had 6 other anyway! Good thing this happened to me too, I have an extra for each of my partners.....
This final image is not a swap..... I knit it this weekend.... you can see it on my noggin in the top picture, I used a squash here, and it doesn't do the stitch justice........but it was all I had, the family is in bed so I can't model it on my noggin right now, and I really wanted to post.... so maybe later. I was trying to make sure that I had something done for Project Spectrum..... So I went with white as the colour, to challenge myself, I don't usually use white! This is Patons Classic Merino knit in the round into the Maple Seed Stitch hat I found on craftster.... I am now going to make several more as they only seem to take a few hours...... I love that!

I think that I may try to have a less picture oriented post next time. I realise that for some it takes a while to load this up, and that can be a pain and frustrating..... sorry about that. I will keep it light for a little while...... talk at you later!