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.