this is Quinn Alexander's blanket. i used Sirdar Tropicana cotton effect 4ply. the fish, boats and waves designs shown are my own design.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

this is Quinn Alexander Wuetherick Bradshaw.

December 11 2006.
our baby is here. my husband maurice welcomed his first grandchild into the world today. his eldest son mike and his partner andrea gave birth to a boy at 1pm. they haven't settled on a name yet but they like Quinn Alexander [and so do i. :-))] the baby arrived earlier than expected and i'm still working on his blanket. i have to have it finished soon as we're visiting them in vancouver on thursday. pics to follow soon.

it's ages since i blogged but the Fall brought Stitchery Guild meetings and socials; singing with the Senior Songsters; playing bridge on the computer with friends and dog sitting. i also managed to knit this outfit for our neighbour's daughter meghan who turned one in October. i bought the Sirdar pattern and yarn at Uptown Yarns in Courtenay in September. once the gift was finished i picked up the skirt and finished that too. i previously mentioned that i thought i wouldn't have enough yarn and i'd thought about how i'd cope. it turned out that i was skinny enough, thanks to my ongoing weightloss program, to omit a panel. it meant that 6 rows of garter stitch lay next to 6 rows of garter stitch but it looks alright. as my Nanna always said - no one will stop a galloping horse to see it!! i used Patons Classic wool merino in black, which seemed thicker than the burgundy merino, to knit the waistband. i also added a border around the lower edge using the same black. i did this as the edge was curling. the skirt in the photo didn't look like it was curling and i wondered about blocking but i'm allergic to my ironing board. :-))
do other knitters find that different colors in the same yarn can feel thicker? i am now working on a baby blanket for the grandson due in December. i am using Sirdar Tropicana cotton effect 4ply in cream and blue and when working the fairisle the blue seems thicker than the cream. does anyone have the answer? my first 3 patterns were of waves, boats and fish and i was going to repeat them until the blanket was long enough. however, i made so many errors while knitting the fish that i decided i'd never finish the blanket in time so i designed some more fairisle patterns and after 5 different ones i knit the waves, boats and fish again. i had trouble again with the fish and ripped back but then discovered that i'd placed the boats incorrectly. i wasn't about to rip back the boats so i paid very careful attention to the first fish and completed the patterning without further ripping. as i worked i thought about the Yarn Harlot who tells in her books how she writes to designers whose patterns foil her. as i'm the designer i only have myself to blame. :-))
the dog we are babysitting goes home next Tuesday and then i'll take some pics of UFO's and the skirt.

this is the final sweater. i made this one for my uncle allen's 80th birthday. he already has a teddy which i made for him when he turned 75. all he has to do is switch sweaters. my husband suggested that he give his 75 sweater to his wife, shirley, as she is that age now!
i am presently making a skirt using sirdar merino which has been in my stash since before 1980. i thought i had about 22 balls of this yarn as i'd originally intended it for a sweater for my welsh husband. i cast on excitedly and have been working on it every day since. then i thought i should find all the yarn and horrors! i could only find 8 balls. now, i'm losing weight but i don't think i'm going to be that petite for a long while. after i'd knit 4 balls i measured the waist against me and hoped and prayed. just in case though, i have been thinking how i could make it fit. it's a gored skirt knit sideways and i'm pondering whether to work the remaining gores in black - which will contrast the burgundy. then i was thinking i could add a burgundy flower if there was enough of that colour left - and put black beads on it!! and to think i used to religiously knit the designers pattern. freedom at last! it's a great feeling.

oops! i found this photo after i'd published the previous blog. you can see the duck better on this one.

this is the bunny i made for my aunt irene. i used the same pattern as the teddy [see previous blog] but i tried a different kind of yarn. i used a brushed instead of a furry. the only snag is that the brushed texture doesn't hide the yarn that you tie around the limbs to accentuate them. the sweater will hide them though. i used beads for the eyes and nose and liked the effect. my aunt likes birds/ducks and geese. she likes to feed them. i'm always on the lookout for duck related knickknacks to buy for her. the back of the sweater shows her age and the front has a duck that i copied from the one that appears on my computer to tell me i have mail. he was lots of fun to sketch and embroider.

this project was knit for my Uncle Ray in Wales. the teddy is from a pattern i purchased in Oswego, NY State many years ago. the pattern's designer is Idle Hours, FL. and the instructions are for a cat, teddy and bunny. i started to make these toys as gifts for family birthdays. the toys are made with any furry yarn. i designed the sweaters using yarn from my stash and swiss darned, [aka duplicate stitch,] the recipients age onto the sweater. the first ones were knit when members of my family in wales turned 75 and 80. when my Uncle Ray turned 80 last year, we had recently moved to vancouver island and were busy with renovations and my knitting patterns were tucked away in a box. this year i am more organised and was able to make Ray a belated gift. his sweater reads 8T1 as his age this year is 81. pics of more sweaters and a bunny will be featured on my next blog.

it's been a long time since i last blogged but i have done lots of knitting whilst travelling around lovely vancouver island. these dog coats were one of my projects. my sister asked if i would make them for her friends' chihuahuas. she gave me a sample coat which was way too big for the little dogs and i used it as a guide. the yarn is wool from my stash. some of it is Peer Gynt DK. the coats were taken home to Wales by my cousin Jill who was here on a visit and my sister has notified me that the coats fit well. in the future i'd like to make larger coats for our friends' dogs.

wip
visitors can be a blessing in disguise as i'm digging out old wip's to knit in the car. i took the baby blanket [see previous blog for pic] yesterday when we drove to qualicum for a fish and chip supper at fish tales restaurant. it was our first visit and we were very impressed. i digress. i attempted to add another square to the baby blanket but kept forgetting to purl the last stitch of the row. then i placed the sl 1, k2tog, psso in the wrong spot so arrived at qualicum with ripping out to do!! on the drive home i managed to almost complete a square and i finished it off at home later. yahoo! the reason i'm having sooo much trouble remembering to purl at the end of each row and slip one knitwise at the beginning is because i'm working this kind of edging differently on another wip a la sally melville. she teaches to wrap the first stitch and knit the last stitch on every row when working garter stitch while vivien hoxbro teaches the former. finally, i decided to use sally's method as that one is embodied in my brain! i know, you're wondering if i even have a brain, right? well, i'll admit to half of one at least! today's a different day and i'm the one doing the driving. wip's will have to wait.

visitor season.
it's visitor season again and most of my knitting is being done in the car as we travel around this lovely island and show it off. the holli yeoh sweater has travelled recently as i'm working on a sleeve. i'm also ripping out a cape that i'm not happy with and searching for a more suitable pattern for the yarn. translated, that means i'm rereading my knitting magazines and books! i saw a jean moss design in a uk magazine yesterday which may work. it's a vest - gilet in the uk - it's basically a back and two fronts. the fronts are unshaped so they fold over at the top creating a collar. you attach one front over the other with a big brooch/pin which is all the rage at the moment. you could even make a big flower which is also a popular thing to be wearing right now. the second cotton top of this season is almost knitted. i went too far on the second sleeve and ripped back last night. whenever i do this - which is often! - i think of sally melville's words -"well, you wanted more knitting to do, didn't you?" i'm also organising my patterns into 3- ring binders to make them more accessible. i also need to take pics of my current projects. what i really need is more hours in the day! how to achieve this will be my goal today as i sit and knit.

national knit-in day, august 12 2006.
my friend, chris and i headed off to the 10.40am ferry on saturday august 12th. we carried a folding chair and knapsacks loaded with wool and needles, water, food and small change. we were knitting as the ferry left departure bay. we arrived late at horseshoe bay and missed our 12.25pm bus connection, however we caught the 1.15pm to downtown vancouver. a quick transfer brought us into stanley park about 2.30pm. chris's daughter michelle, a new but avid knitter, was there to meet us having driven from seattle with her husband simon and dog, ruby. we joined the west coast knitters guild members at the picnic area. this event was hosted by laura who instantly made us feel welcome. we also chatted to several members and enjoyed some 'show and tell' moments. as an associate member of the guild it was good to connect faces with names. i was especially pleased to meet the outgoing president, paulette lane and the incoming president, holli yeoh. i shared with holli the news that i was knitting her 'lucy' pattern. i have pics on a previous log and holli has a website. go to www.beeskneesknits.ca
we reluctantly packed our knitting around 5pm and headed for a bite to eat. michelle and simon drove us to the ferry at horseshoe bay. when we went to buy our tickets we learnt that the ferry was delayed due to an earlier medical emergency. there was nothing we could do except sit and knit! oh and eat a sherbert ice. we caught the 9pm ferry, arriving at departure bay around 10.45pm. my husband maurice was there to meet us - two tired but contented knitters. thank you west coast knitters for your wonderful hospitality. see you next year.

WIP
this is the first part of the einstein coat from sally melville's knitting experience. the yarn is hayfield's saxon which i purchased in wales before 1980. i remember the date because that was when i emigrated to canada. all of my yarn came with me, including some WIP's and this yarn was one of them. the pattern was for a jacket and vest and the back and 2 fronts of the jackets were completed, cables and all!! my yarn has sat in boxes in many different houses for many years and finally was displayed in full view in my present home. see my first blog item for the picture. once i was able to see the yarn everyday i began to form ideas for their use. this yarn works perfectly for the coat. my initial gauge turned out to be too tight and i was knitting up too many balls. it did keep me occupied on the drive from nanaimo to gull lake though. i wasn't driving! at gull lake i borrowed needles from bea - i have to buy a set of those denise needles for travelling - ripped the knitting out and cast on again. this time the gauge seemed better although the yarn still knit up quickly. luckily, rivercityyarns had a sale during the time i spent in edmonton and barb helped me find the navy contrast. the yarn is lana grossa Easy superwash merino which compliments the wool/nylon of Saxon. today the weather has cooled and we had a little rain which made me think of Fall and my coat. however, i'm going to finish my cotton top first. my gauge turned out a little big on that one too so i'm turning it into a side to side pattern and designing it myself. we're sure to have some more hot days before summer ends.

WIP
this is the holli yeoh design. i bought the yarn and pattern at rivercityyarns in edmonton ab. in june. the back and fronts are finished and the shoulders seamed by 3 needle castoff. the first sleeve is on the needles but has been usurped by other projects. the variegated yarn and the purple yarn is sisu and the blue yarn is fortissima socka.
maurice's expected grandchild is a boy so these colors will work well for him.

WIP.
this is the moebius scarf knitted in louisa hardings sari ribbon. i erred when i called it silk ribbon. i bought the yarn at rivercity yarns in edmonton and have learned that they'll be featured in the fall issue of vogue magazine as an inspirational yarn store. well, it's certainly true in my case as i was inspired to buy lots of patterns and yarns!
i mentioned that it took me some time to learn the cast on and i'll have to relearn it for the next moebius project, i'm sure! it was challenging but i felt good once i'd got it. the scarf is finished all but the fringing.
with all the baby news lately, i have flitted from one baby project to another. i have also worked on some summer cotton tops for me.
the one pictured is from sally melville's 'color' book. i used 5 balls of stash cotton. i pulled long strands from each color and knotted them together. i have heard this method called a magic ball. i am designing the second one. i am making it up as i knit using an old summer top as a guide. i am having a 'ripping' time!!

the last few weeks i've been busy with visitors and pickling. i did manage to knit also and the pics have been downloaded but i'm having trouble downloading the WIP pics and my assistant - husband maurice - is golfing!
some good news. i'm to be a great nanna next spring so a baby shawl is a must. this baby boom is exciting for me as i love to knit baby and children outfits. my friends, chris and mike, have a new granddaughter, maurice's son mike and his partner andrea are expecting maurice's first grandchild in december and then the spring will bring my great grandchild and a second child to my cousins lee and gaby in wales. i'm itching to get started.' mad about ewe' has a sale starting today so i'll have to visit and buy some soft baby yarn. meanwhile, i'll work on my WIP and will have pics soon.

i haven't been able to locate the digital camera so no pics yet. i'm making good progress on holli yeoh's baby jacket and i like the way the colors are combining. for a fine yarn [sock yarn] it's knitting up quickly. i have been working on it whilst watching movies on the turner classic movies channel which i discovered accidently on my return from vacation. well maybe not that accidentally as i've recently finished reading jane fonda's new bio and she talks a lot about ted. i transgress though. the einstein coat is on hold. i wonder if it took einstein this long to discover things? greater things are taking precedence like the mobius cast on. i have been itching to try it but the movies as background was definately not an option. i have had to shut off the tv. w e l l ! i finally got enough stitches cast on to work a few rounds. i even attempted the icord edging BUT i should have proceeded with caution i.e. followed the page instructions numerically and not jumped ahead. on page 60! it says to even out the stitches i.e. untwist them so's you can make a hat or bag. oops! my husband asked if my efforts would straighten out and i said oh yes but after more rounds i decided that they wouldn't. cat says to go ahead and create your own designs - make something from your mess and i did wonder about a hat with a twisted section but it turned out to be too small for my head so i ripped it. today i decided to try the cast on with the scarf yarn - louisa hardings silk ribbon. it's gorgeously yummy. you have to count the scoops as you go. this combined with the actual scooping did me in. now i gave up on learning to tat and the instructor, dione asked if i always gave up so easily!! so i decided to show her that i didn't. well not with knitting anyway. finally i had 140 scoops [i hope] and have completed almost 4 rounds. i had to stop to make supper - hunger pangs! as soon as i find that camera there'll be pics.

I'm back from a months vacation in Alberta. I met up with fellow knitters at Hulberts cafe in Edmonton on a sunny Saturday morning. I did lots of yarn shopping in Rimbey and in Edmonton at Rivercityyarns. I managed to buy the ball of Noro that i needed to finish my jacket and completed the sleeve. Watch out for a photo of the jacket coming soon -i have to darn in ends! I also bought Cat Bordhi's book, A Treasury of Magical Knitting and 2 skeins of Louisa Hardings Sari Ribbon to make a moebius scarf. Scarf samples were on display in the store and they were hard to say no too! I have perused the book but haven't tried the moebius cast on yet. My Rimbey purchases were Astra colours in blues/purples and greens to make a blanket for a boy. I also bought some sale yarn to knit scarves and on sale dishcloth cotton to make cloths and bath mitts to give to my daughters and friends as gifts. This mindless knitting works for me as I travel in the car; visit around the campfire or the kitchen table. At Rivercityyarns I was taken with a Holli Yeoh baby sweater on display so I bought the pattern and some yarn which will work for girl or boy. The first expected baby has arrived and she's a girl called Izabella. I was able to meet her and her new parents just before we left for home. She'll be visiting the Island in September so I'll have the Holli Yeoh sweater knitted for her by then.

WIP.
oops!
this pic has come out sideways. it's a project on hold until i arrive in Edmonton and purchase another ball of Noro Kureyon. the pattern is from Knitters Fall 2003 #K72. the pattern design intrigued me as it's knitted in sections that build one on each other. i like to knit these designs when i'm sitting quietly in my room and keep garter stitch ones for other times like travelling. i LOVE the colors especially the green. i seem to be having a green year as a cardigan i knitted for spring is green and i've bought green for a future summer project. this yarn was a Christmas present from my daughter Susannah. she bought me Sally Melville's The Knitting Experience Color and 2 balls of this yarn. when i found this pattern i ordered 6 more balls but ran out on the second sleeve. i will need to block this garment before wearing.

WIP.
another baby project. the yarn is Lewiscraft [now sadly out of business] Emotion DK. this pattern is from Sally Melville's' The Knitting Experience, Book One'. i have enjoyed making and wearing many projects from this book. the baby coat is interesting as the bottom is knit first and then the top and sleeves are knit onto the bottom leaving the only seaming across the top. a great way to work if you dislike seaming! i made the mistake of not using the crotchet cast on and now i'll have to pick up and cast off stitches along the one front to make the fronts match!! i have since started a second project which asks for the crotchet cast on and this time i obeyed! a pic of this project will appear in a future blog.

WIP.
this is the beginning of a baby blanket. the yarn is Patons Astra, variagated and plain colours. the variagated was in my stash, the plain i bought. we know of two babies expected this year. one is the first grandchild for our friends chris and mike and is due any day. the other is a first grandchild for maurice due in december. i am knitting squares from Vivian Hoxbro's 'Domino Knitting'. i am thinking of adding rows of squares from 5 to1 both ways to make a square shape. if this size is suitable i'll add a border. if it needs to be bigger i'll knit a second square.

i knitted this tea cosy for my daughter julia to give to her friend caroline. julia saw the pattern in the canadian house and home magazine. great to know that knitting patterns aren't only to be found in knitting magazines!! she chose red for the yarn as we welshies associate this color with our dragon and rugby. i carried the 2 balls of sandnes smart superwash tweed yarn to my home in barry, south wales and knit the cosy there as caroline's grandmother hails from our town too. i bought a wales emblem and sewed it onto the cosy. the gift card will read - handknit in barry, wales.

today the sweater for brad was finished. the yarn was bought many years ago. it was a 'his and hers' kit ordered from a womens magazine. the 'his' is long gone and the present 'his', husband maurice cannot tolerate itchy yarn. thank heaven for his son brad who has no problem! the yarn was made in iceland and is called samband lopi.

welcome to my blog. i work with fibers, mostly yarn and embroidery threads. this is my knitting/sunroom where my yarn stash is housed. i work in this room most days surrounded by my crafts. a Colinette yarn afgan is draped over the chair. i have several works in progress and will have pics very soon.