Shopping spree!

Remember that 'yarn hiatus' I was talking about? Oh, I was *so* doomed!

I went a little bit crazy yesterday. Yarn crazy. Let me explain.

On Friday morning, I had an appointment at the dentist that I was 99% sure would result in an expensive and painful root canal. I was *so* sure, in fact, that I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day so I could recover. My dentist, Dr. Awesome (no joke - he really is the best dentist ever) examined me and ordered X-rays and guess what? The tooth in question was perfectly healthy! No root canal!

I felt like I'd won the lottery and suddenly, my bank account felt very full.

So after my noon class on Saturday, I stopped in at PP, my non-local yarn shop. I bought three skeins of Cascade Superwash 220 to knit up some full size mitts, my 'homework' after the Mitten Bootcamp. I chose purple and a light blue so I can wear them with either one of my favourite toques. I also bought a skein of yellow yarn to knit another pair of bed socks.

Then I went a bit nuts in the notions section. I bought stitch holders for DPNs (to keep them from poking through my project bags), stitch holders and a lavender lotion bar. Then I bought a bunch of DPNs.

Let me explain: I've been accumulating various sizes of DPNs to the extent that I nearly have a complete set between 2.5mm and 5mm. I completed the set! As of today, between my Hiya Hiya Interchangeables set, my DPN set and the larger needles in my Denise set, I will never need to buy knitting needles again.

At least, I hope not!

Then I went home and did something awesome. I got out my sewing machine and sewed up a roll-up case for my 'new' DPN set. It was an awesome melding of my two hobbies and wholly satisfying to use my sewing machine for a practical purpose.


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Mitten Bootcamp

The long-anticipated Mitten bootcamp was this evening. I've been looking forward to this all month!

I thought I might be late, but instead, I was the first to arrive, even before Kate, instructor. The shop (this class was at LK) was *so* cold. By the time the class started, I fingers were icy. The space heater was on and I had some hot tea, but it was still chilly enough that I was shaking after two hours of knitting. There were four of us in the class - a mother/daughter pair and...wait for it...Serena, the Big Raffle Winner! LOL!

The class itself was fun. I love knitting classes - it's like 'Knit Night' with a specific goal, plus I learn so much better hands-on with someone showing me the ropes. I just sat there and followed directions and glanced at the pattern when I needed help and a couple hours later, I had a tiny maroon mitt!

I learned some interesting new things.

- You shouldn't wind a skein of yarn until you're ready to knit it up (the yarn can stretch).
- When doing a backwards loop increase, I need to cinch it up *much* tighter which explains the 'holes' in my work that I've noticed when I use this technique. I was just doing it wrong. Kate checked and I'm doing it correctly, I'm just not knitting it tightly enough. And I can always replace the backwards loop with a M1R.
- Kate doesn't recommend Manos and Malabrigo yarns because they're fragile yarns and pill easily.
- Double-stranding worsted weight yarn creates a more insulating mitten.

And finally, mittens are not all that hard to knit! I had all the skills in place already. I'm ready to knit full mittens!

Of course, with mittens, I run into the same problem I had had with the toques - namely, there are only so many mittens one person can wear. But it's a good skill to have.

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My Gangsta Name is Serena

The LK holiday 'Knit Night' (I like that name so much better than 'Stitch 'n Bitch') was last night. I showed up close to 7 and the party was already in full swing.

I brought hummus and crackers to share, but OMG, the desserts. Pretty much everyone had bought desserts. I wisely ate supper beforehand because I know that unless I'm going to a vegan-gluten-free-crunchy-hippy-party, it's a good bet that I won't be able to eat the food on offer. I ended up munching on my own hummus with rice crackers and casting a longing eye towards the desserts.

I'm shy at regular parties. Turns, out, I'm shy at knitting parties too! Except, at a knitting party, I'm allowed to *knit*, a far better option than standing around with a cocktail glass full of cranberry juice cocktail.

I sat tucked away in a corner near the table. The woman who was sitting there introduced herself and I enjoyed watching her sew on a project (Yes, sew! Not everyone was knitting!) She was sewing a Christmas stocking for her mother with a design constructed of felt and sequins and beads. The kit was only $15! She put in hours of work into constructing it, though.

There was a raffle. I usually don't go for raffles because I have terrible luck, but it was for charity - a local food bank - and the prizes (Yarn! Books! Patterns!) were alluring, so I bought six tickets. A woman sitting to my left, named Serena, bought 18 tickets.

I figured she'd probably win something and she did she ever! It was hilarious! The raffle started and Serena was winning prize after prize after prize. A few people who didn't want their prizes put them back into the draw and Serena won them! When someone put their newly won copy of 'Stitch and Bitch' back in, it was reraffled and the winner was...*drumroll*...Serena! I was having trouble hiding my mirth. It was just SO funny.

Of course, I didn't win a thing. And this is why I don't buy lottery tickets. ;-)

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Knitting in a Handbasket

After reading the legwarmer pattern more carefully, I realised that I need *two* different sets of DPNs for that project. The cuff is knit with with the smaller DPNs, the body of the legwarmer with the larger. Apparently, this is a 'thing' - mittens are knit the same way.

After lunch, I caught a streetcar down to LK to pick up the DPNs I needed. The store was pretty busy. I settled onto a sofa with the owner's three little dogs and I knit there for over an hour. It was fun to watch the bustle of the store as I knit.

I chatted with the shop owner for awhile. She seemed curious about how I had appeared seemingly of nowhere, already familiar with her shop (she bought the shop last summer) and the knitting scene - she clearly assumed that I had 'been away'. I gave her an abbreviated description of my years of intense yoga practice that left time for nothing else, the shoulder injury and my renewed efforts to 'get back into my hobbies'.

I explained my yoga practice is intense. She wasn't surprised, said that I struck her as a 'Type A' personality. And *this* surprised me because she really doesn't know me that well. Do I come across that way to a casual observer? Am I a 'Type A' knitter? Is there such a thing?

Around closing, I paid for my DPNs and headed home. I *didn't* buy yarn! I'm finally taking my 'yarn hiatus' seriously! Especially sock yarn - I have enough to last me for several months at least.

I'm acquiring a nice little collection of these stainless steel DPNs. For now, I'm keeping them in my interchangeable circular case. Looking through them, I realised that I now own all the DPNs necessary for the 'Mittens Bootcamp' class I'm taking this Thursday

On Monday night, I walked over to Mirvish Village and stopped in at EK to buy one of those row-counter-thingies. I already have one, but I could use a second. I bought the green counter that you string on a cord to put around your neck. It's great, actually - much better than my red one. The green counter even has a lock.

I also stopped in at the home decor outlet and picked up two baskets lined with embroidered cotton. They're meant to be wastebaskets, but they work fine as storage receptacles for crafting supplies, which is what I bought them for. One basket holds my current knitting projects (my actual stash is in a plastic storage bin) and the other holds my sewing supplies. Everything is much better organised now!


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Juicy Orange Socks

I'm still learning exactly what my abilities are around watching a DVD and knitting at the same time. I had to frog the toe decreases on Orange Sock #2 because I borked it. Once I was back to a good re-starting point, I turned off the DVD for every decrease round so I could give it my full attention. Then I turned it back on for the even rounds.

This strategy worked - I finished the sock! I was happy to finish it up so I could wear the pair. These are bedsocks, to be worn with my funky pink-and-orange pyjama bottoms. They look great! Having now knit both toe-up and top-down and I can definitively say that I prefer the top-down technique. The fit is SO much better. For some reason, the toe-up sock was too large for me, even knit in the same size (Women's M, according to the pattern).


That said, I think I would like to learn the Kitchener Stitch or a similar grafting technique for the toes of my socks. Because I have wider feet, a pointy toe isn't comfortable for me and I think my socks will wear better with a blunter toe. I bookmarked a few good tutorials for this and I'll try it with my current sock project, the Festive Red Socks.

I started two new projects yesterday. I'm knitting up another 'Cabled Tea Cozy' because the one I made last week doesn't fit the cups at the cafe I frequent (the cozy was too big). I saved a paper cup from the cafe and I'll fit this cozy to the cup.

I also started the black leg warmers I bought yarn for last week. I've started the cuff ribbing and I have a few more inches to go on that. I'll need to pick up another set of DPNs because this project uses smaller DPNs for the body of the legwarmer.

I considered switching to a 'Magic Loop' technique for this project, given that I have an interchangeable needle set now. This morning, I sat down and taught myself Magic Loop using online videos and tutorials. Although I like the concept in theory, in practice, I find it awkward and fiddly. Also, I knit fairly tightly and I found it hard to move the stitches around on those needles. Maybe I'm doing it wrong - it might make sense to take a class on this so I can learn the method properly. So, for now, I'm sticking with my DPNs.

I'm absolutely *loving* the Berroco Vintage yarn that I'm using for the legwarmers. It has a nice feel and holds together well. To be perfectly honest, I also love the price point. I can knit up a pair of legwarmers for $18. Often, I find that it's more expensive to knit a garmet than buy it. In this case, it's the opposite - I paid $30 for my Roots legwarmers and they're inferior quality compared to what I'm knitting with right now.

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Tea Cup Cozy

Yesterday morning, I decided to do some knitting before heading to teach my first class of the day. I tackled the 'Cabled Coffee Cozy' from Kate Atherley's book, Beyond Knit and Purl. After one false start (I was knitting too tight around the cables), success! Within an hour, I had a very respectable little column of cables and I was SO excited! I couldn't believe it was this easy!

I worked on that project all day (it's actually a do-able streetcar project as long as you wait for a quiet moment to work the cables) and I finished it up in the evening while watching a movie.

This project is knit flat and seamed together. I'd never seamed before, but I followed the directions in the book (thank goodness there were photos!) and it turned out great! Best of all, it was SO much fun! I'm sure a faster knitter could whip this out in an hour and it's a great use for scrap wool.

I'm thoroughly addicted to knitting cables now and I want to give it a go on a larger project.

Here it is, modelled on my favourite ceramic green tea tumbler. The cozy is designed to work on those paper carry-out cups.


You can find the pattern in Kate Atherley's book Beyond Knit and Purl. I knit this in DK weight 'mystery yarn' in my stash that I bought at Romni Wools years ago.

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Knit Ditties

For all the years I've been knitting, I've kept my work in 'ditty bags'. These are actually old 'Outdoor Products' bags that I bought at an army surplus store in 1992. I used them to organise clothes in my bag as I backpacked around Europe. Since then, they've been repurposed to many uses.

I like them for knitting - the nylon fabric actually works well because it's slick enough that the yarn just rolls around inside. All of the project bags sold at yarn stores in Toronto are made out of this same ripstop nylon.

Mine are a bit worse for the wear after so many years. I examined the construction and realised that I could easily sew some up myself, so I did! I went to King Textiles to pick up the nylon fabric. I bought a half-yard of five different colours, plus some more thread and little pins to hold them together, plus cord and the clasps, which look like little pig noses. In terms of costs, the supplies for the first batch came out to $30. From that amount, I was able to sew up 9 small bags, 5 large ones!

The first bag I tried to sew up was yellow. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I dove in with enthusiasm and a great deal of patience. A half-hour later, I was holding a beautiful little bag in my hand! It was really that easy!

There was a learning curve around sewing through multiple layers, but this is one tough little sewing machine. I'm finally becoming more skilled at feeding my fabric through and sewing on a straight line. This is actually a fabulous sewing project to start out with because if things get a bit crooked, it doesn't really show up much in the finished product.

The bags turned out far more awesome than I would have ever predicted! They look very nice - very professionally done! The only change I'm going to make in my production moving forward is to reinforce of the seam where the cord comes out.

The commercial bags have an additional strap that snaps onto things - or your wrist. I decided not to bother with this because the cord on the bag can actually be tied onto things and it wraps around the wrist. I used my red bag on the train last night during my commute and it's great!

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