I’m a selfish knitter

I was sharing a knitting book with a co-worker (I’m so lucky to have a co-worker that knits!) and we began chatting about knitting gifts. It got me thinking about whether or not I enjoy knitting for others.

I have knitted Christmas gifts in the past. And the response to the knitted gifts was pretty positive. But I found knitting gifts a bit stressful. I worried about the colour and the weight of the knit. It’s not like they could return it to the store if the item isn’t quite right.

When I knit for myself I get excited to see the end result. I experiment a bit with technique. I don’t worry about mistakes. In fact I sometimes think of the mistakes as a reminder of what I was doing at the time. The sweater I was working on one New Year that my old room mate and I were stuck in due to a blizzard and drank red wine and knit our way through New Year’s eve resulted in a few rows of rather funky stitches. I’m quite fond of the sweater not just because it was my first completed sweater, but because I think of that evening and giggle a bit. And anything that makes me giggle is great!

I feel a bit self conscious when I’m asked who I’m knitting for and the answer is “moi!”. But I think I’ll eventually come to terms with being a selfish knitter. And knitting for myself is the perfect way to pamper myself. The process of knitting is a gift in and of itself; the finished object is just the icing in the cake. Although, I have to admit, knitting for little ones is a great deal of fun too. And infants aren’t exactly picky about their knitted gifts either 🙂

From the Stacks Reading Challenge

I have a pile of books that were purchased with the best of intentions. However, I tend to have a short attention span and sometimes get distracted by other things. As a result my “to be read” pile can be a bit overwhelming. And then I found what could be a fabulous solution…the From the Stacks Reading Challenge! I have until January 30 to finish the following books that have been patiently waiting for me to read them.  Click the button for all the challenge details.

I’ll be reading the following for this challenge:

1. The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint
2. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
3. Navigating a New World by Lloyd Axworthy
4. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
5. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I started The Onion Girl awhile ago, but haven’t touched it in so long that I thought I should include it in the challenge.

Daisy update

Daisy

Originally uploaded by my spare time
Daisy has been sitting in a state of close completion for a while now. I really don’t like seaming very much. Sometimes I’m so excited about a project that I whip through the finishing without a thought. Other times I just procrastinate until it becomes painful. Although I’m very excited about sending this to Skylar, I’m just not motivated to finish the seaming. Silly because it’s almost done!

I kitchener stitched for the first time! The kitchener stitch was used on the hood. I think I like the end result. I may use this on the toes of the next pair of socks that I knit.

I’m really hoping to get this sweater done and in the mail by the end of this weekend. But, looking at the photo, it looks a bit big for a little one who’s just a couple of months. Hmmmm.

Bright and Cheerful Chevron Scarf

chevron scarf

Originally uploaded by my spare time

I bought this yarn on a work trip to Victoria a couple of years ago. It sat there patiently waiting. I’d take it out and fondle it every now and again. The tag eventually got lost, so I’m not sure what it is. Perhaps a Fleece Artist yarn?

I finally decided to take the plunge and commit to a pattern for it. The Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts was the perfect pattern for this yarn. I really wish I could remember what the yarn was because it was fabulous to knit with.

This was one of my speedier knits. It took about two weeks of bus and noon hour knitting. It does have a tendency to curl a bit. I just blocked it with a steam iron, so the curl might be tamed by a good wet blocking.

classic mittens

classic mittens

Originally uploaded by my spare time

I actually finished a project in about a week. I really needed the mittens, as it’s getting a wee bit nippy outside. In spite of the project being driven by necessity, I really enjoyed knitting them. Mittens are a nice portable project, which allowed for a lot of bus knitting. The classic mittens pattern was a pleasure to knit. I used Cascade 220 yarn in a nice tweedy purple and size 6 dpn. My photo is a bit overexposed, so the actual colour is much deeper.

The yarn was the result of a bit of an adventure. Blair and I went on a road trip to Ottawa this past summer to visit his sister. On the way back through the States we got lost due to a detour. Well, we stopped to look at our map and when I looked out the window we were right out side a yarn store! Yay! Stashing opportunity! The owner was quite pleasant. Uncommon Threads in Marguette, MI. The store was packed with lovely yarn, but I restrained myself to purchasing just two skeins of Cascade 220. The rest will be used for a matching hat or cowl. Not sure which yet.

Too hot to handle

I was feeling a bit under the weather today, so I decided that I needed soup for supper. I made Moroccan Mixed Bean Soup with Pasta from Bonnie Stern’s Hearth Smart cook book. Unfortunately I’m a bit careless in measuring ingredients and accidentally doubled the amount of cayenne pepper called for in the recipe. I think it would be a lovely soup with just a bit of a bite to it, if the instructions were followed. Doubling the amount of cayenne pepper made the soup pretty much too hot to handle.

Note: A dollop of plain yogurt eased the heat to a reasonable level.

Busy weekend

My partner’s sister and nephews are in town for the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping for a weekend filled with fun with the boys. The oldest is about three and a half and the youngest is just six months. I can’t believe how much the kids have changed since we saw them over the summer.

I’m hoping to post about a couple of finished projects over the weekend. I’m just waiting for some good light to take some photos. I’ve finished a pair of socks that have been sitting in my project basket since last winter. And a pair of mittens for myself. I’m still procrastinating on finishing up Daisy. She’s pretty much done, I just have to graft the hood and sew a few seams. I haven’t tried grafting yet, so I’m a bit intimidated by the task. I’m hoping to tackle that this evening.

Today I’m just about to head out the door for a tour of Half Pints Brewing Co.

Soup for supper

Blair made udon soup for supper one night this past week. It was so yummy looking that I just had to take a picture. I’m not sure what is in the stock. I think it’s a mixture of chicken and fish stock. The green leafy looking things are some type of seaweed. Wakame perhaps? Udon soup is a nice way to use up leftover meat that’s lingering in the fridge. This time we used some leftover sirloin steak. My favorite way to have udon soup would be with prawns and some fish cake.

Daisy

I’m currently knitting Daisy from knitty.com. This sweater is an absolute pleasure to knit! I’m loving every minute I work on it. I was debating whether or not to add the hood option. I think I will, just to drag out the loveliness of the project just a little bit longer. The recipient is the newborn daughter of a close friend.

Pattern: Daisy from knitty.com

Yarn: Elann Sonata

Needles: size 4.5 mm

Started about a week ago. Almost done!

Womb

I actually finished a project this week! A small project, but a finished one none the less! I completed womb from http://www.knitty.com for a friend to give to her midwife.