This is very long

I am making a stashbusting scarf.

Yes.

It's only got a couple of whole balls of yarn in it, plus, and I forgot this when I started out, an equal amount of tidbits of other colours.

I made it very narrow, as you can see. It's getting so long I don't know what to do.

It contains a million bits of DK wool leftovers, plus the whole balls of putty-coloured Debbie Bliss DK merino as the background.

Except I used some yellow for background in the yellow section... I didn't even use all the yellow available; I'm going to have leftover leftovers!

It's so long... and I still have the blues and purples to go!

And the really terrible thing is, I want to get this out of the way before I do anything else.

Quick round-up

Guess what I got for Christmas?! The new Mason Dixon knitting book!

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I didn't rush out and get it sooner, but sometimes that happens.

It is as lovely as I had thought -- must read from cover to cover, must make those dishrags!

And guess what Elaine got? A top-secret knitting project, finished on time and everything!

(I hadn't sewn in the end of the neck edging, just in case she couldn't fit her big noggin through it, but all was well.)

The front intarsia is from this pattern, but as you see, I altered the sweater quite a bit!

The back marks her as a member of the crew of the Lizzie M, the terror of the seas.

We had a great time, we ate too much, it was snowy, it got warmer, we're off to see some cousins, see you later!

Copycat

I saw something similar on Katie's blog. I assume what she means is, "Back later." And that's what I mean, too. See y'all in a week or so!

(This, of course, is the old CBC test pattern.)

How's the weather today?

The government provides us with up-to-the-minute radar imagery of the weather. You can go here and find your area and see what sort of precipitation to expect in the next little while. As you can see above, Toronto is under a great green cloud of ooblek. The picture is not very big, but you can see the scale up the side: Light blue = light precipitation; red and purple = the Apocalypse. The dark green means we are getting more than a centimeter of snow an hour; yellow, which is coming soon, 1.5 cm/hr.


Elaine had to go to school today, which means Stephen took her when the storm was just starting and I have to trudge out in this after a few hours to bring her home.

Meanwhile, I think there is sufficient tea and hot chocolate and I am snug and warm, wrapped in my big brown shawl, just looking out the window!

What's in store for 2009?

When I finish the few things now on the needles (denim sweater, just needs a bit of a front and a back; top secret thing for Christmas which will be done soon; the lite lopi vest that needs some ribbed edges; the blanket whose border I knit on Wednesdays, except not this week, not much last week...) these are the things that will tempt me! (Some of these links will be to Ravelry. If you're not already a member, join now! That helpful hint is my holiday gift to you!)

1. I have a ball of green cotton left from Arthur's sweater; I have a ball of golden silk which I bought years ago coz it was pretty; I have salmon cotton, black cotton, blue silk; white and mauve cotton/merino. There's a funky wrap or baby blanket there.
2. Ten skeins of Rowan Magpie. I like the February Lady Sweater, but don't want the same sweater that over 3000 people have already knitted! Maybe it will turn into Norah Gaughan's Frost Jacket.
   
3. A year ago when I went to New York, Helen from New Zealand gave me this skein of laceweight yarn. The colours are wonderful, and it will become a shawl for me. Soon!
4. I've been meaning to make Elaine a hat from the same yarn I made her scarf out of -- the scarf she doesn't wear...
   
5. I'm knitting things for the Children's Aid Society this year, and one of the things they like is a "Feely Blanket," made of different textures, different yarns, bobbles, chenille, fuzz. I'd like to put together a number of squares for such a thing! I'll start with what I have, and might be asking for help down the road!
6. And of course, more socks of all sizes. Argh. I'm not even going to show you any sock yarn, since I would have to unpack the cooler!
   

There are a few other things calling to me, but this should be enough to keep me going for a while, doncha think?

I won't make vows of chastity or anything, but all these use stash yarn, and barely make a dent in the supply. I'm betting 2009 will see another wave of Knit From Your Stash resolutions, and I really don't see myself buying tons of yarn for some time. But I'll be fine, truly I will!

For some reason, I've been making dishcloths

We're in the pre-Christmas confusion here at the Casa della Cam. The denim sweater is on hold while I work on a TSKP, as Rosie would call it (top secret knitting project). But I can't show you the TSKP, as it is indeed top secret! I only knit it while everyone is at work or school, but somehow I don't have the ooomph necessary to work on the denim sweater in the evenings. I did pump up my denim enthusiasm recently by looking at Indigo Knits -- what a fine book! Must make a Whitby (Ravelry link) in my spare time.

The charity vest just needs ribbing around the neck and arms. I could really get that done if I set to it, couldn't I? Paying attention for an evening or two... I could do that.


But instead, I've dug out the dishcloth cotton, and am cranking out washcloths at an alarming rate. And some of them are pretty alarming themselves!


Does this say, "Made of various odds and ends" to you? How I thought I could get a whole dishcloth out of those purple/yellow bits, I dunno! This one, I think I'll be keeping!

And for your Misplaced Commas of the Week, I give you:

Spiro,s Tailor,s Alteration
Ladie,s & Men,s & Repairs of all kinds

What a difference a day makes

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Tuesday it snowed, then thawed, then the slush froze overnight. Wednesday the frozen slush, on the sunny side of the street, got melted just enough that there was a fine layer of water on top of the ice below. Treacherous!

I'm not fond of winter in Toronto, but I really don't like this hovering about 0 Celsius. Snow, or rain, or freeze, but not all at once!

It's that time of year again

These guys are such fun! It seems they are performing here in Toronto tomorrow! Coo-el! (I will not be attending, but will be taking Arthur to the dentist, which is enough excitement for one day, lemme tell you.)

Oh, it's Wednesday again

I was just thinking I had a moment to work on the denim sweater, but then realised it's Wednesday and my day for the blanket border.

So, to postpone having to knit hundreds of stitches a row on 4 mm needles, I'll show you a few things.

The two fronts. This ain't going to be finished for the weekend!

Maybe you can see the house better in this one.

This little gem was snagged at Value Village a few days ago. Doesn't it call to mind that sultry holiday we had in the old farmhouse near Nice, circa 1923? Ah, the wine, the sandy beach, the peaches... No? You think it's just a $.99 bread-and-butter plate? Pah.

Ahem. Now, my Wednesday WIP:


One side done! The opposite side's stitches have been picked up and perhaps a row knitted. You'll be seeing this for a few Wednesdays!

I have started a secret knitting project, but it's so dreadfully secret that I can't show you even the first rows. I hope to be able to show it after Christmas; we'll just have to make sure it gets finished by then!

Okay, okay, I'll go knit a row or two!

The end is nigh

We are approaching the end of November, and neither my NoBlo-whatever nor my NaKni-whatever was a roaring success. I did post quite a bit in November, but sometimes things just happen that distract one from blogging, you know? Next year, hahaha.

And the sweater? Still much the same. You see, I had my bus knitting, and was just merrily going round and round with yet more leftover Lite Lopi (first I made the big sweater, then I made a scarf and a hat and some bits I was going to felt...) to make a child's vest for charity.



But eventually one has to think and make armholes and neck openings, which I like to do at home where I can count and hem and haw. So I got distracted from my denim cardigan... But have no fear, it's still in the middle of my living room floor, so I'll have to get back to it sometime soon!

I have used all the little bits of Lopi, but I still have 2 balls of the white, some of which will be used in the top bits of this vest, and half a ball of pink. One more project after this, and I will have no more!


Oh, and my little Christmas cactus is blooming for the first time in years!

Click here for 52 seconds of fun

One front completed

You know, if I plug away, I might just get this done cardigan in November! Wouldn't that be nice!

You can have the picture with flash...


or without...


We have a bunch of patterns here, and a two-tone sort-of stripe situation. I hope the lumps in the centre line don't look too strange on an actual body. The whole thing will get washed in hot water and shrunk a bit, so all gauge issues will be sorted out in that process, won't they!? This way of designing is called, "winging it."

Because of my desire to avoid seaming, I am keeping the stitches live at the shoulder and will knit the back down from the two shoulders, so the body will be all in one piece. At least, that is the current plan. It just occurred to me that I could graft the shoulders or do a 3-needle bind off. This will have to wait till I'm closer to making the back!

The second front will be a bit more unified (since I'm drowning in the darkest blue with mere tidbits of the others). I'll have a cable up the inside edge, and this house from yet another pattern as the main attraction. This is from VK Fall 1994. I've always kind of liked it, but perhaps not for a whole giant-sized sweater. When I get to the top of this chart, then I guess it will be decision time again, but for now I can just knit and not have to think too much!

Ooh, so exciting...

Ack, I just looked at the date, November 25th! The 25th, folks... just one more month till ..., you know!

Oh, no, like, don't read any more

GenderAnalyzer says: We have strong indicators that http://knittingonthecam.blogspot.com is written by a woman (97%). Well, at least they got that right.

I got to both of these via Slaw, which a law librarian friend sent me to.

Slaw's reading level is "genius," something I must aim for, I suppose. And I suppose it is things like "I suppose" that bring me down to Junior High. Even in high school I was told my writing was "chatty." Jeez, it's just not fair. {pouts and stamps foot}

Saturday dessert

Michaela at the Stash Basket often shows us a picture of something scrummy that she made for Saturday pudding. Some of hers are works of art, like a cheesecake with raspberries and Maltesers on!

I have admired a picture of a pear upside-down spice cake in a magazine for some time, and yesterday finally made one, so I will show you my dessert, too.


My pear slices didn't make themselves into a nice spoke-like arrangement, but I think it looks quite okay anyways. I didn't actually get to eat any, since my kids got bored at the party we took it to, and I had to bring them home. Oh well, fewer calories that way.

The denim continues

I find work on this sweater goes rather slowly, but have figured out I do a few funny things.

1. I take a long time to decide, "Should I keep on with this pattern or put a new one in?
2. When I finally do decide what to do, I stop to admire my work rather often.
   
3. I wonder about gauge, and stretch things sideways a lot.
4. Then I look through every pattern book I have to find new ideas.
5. I stop and count my remaining yarn and wonder if I will have enough.
6. I wonder what I will do on the back and other front piece.
7. I hold this up to various sweaters I own to see how I am doing.
8. I debate the neckline shape.
9. I take the odd picture in bad light conditions.

With flash,


and without.

And of course, I wonder if I will get it done in the next 9 days, since it is supposed to be a NaKniSweMo project!

One day a week for UFOs

I've joined a group on Ravelry called One Day a Week for UFOs. You pick a day on which to work on UFOs, so you don't feel like you're abandoning your "real" projects, yet you get something done on those old things in bags in the closet.

This thing has been in a bag for a long long time!

I started these squares in England in 2005!

All sewn together in February of this year.

And today I picked up stitches along one side and will knit a bit of garter stitch, before tackling another side... and another.... and another! (Don't ask how much time it took for me to find a 4mm circular needle!)

I toyed with various other edging ideas.

My recent adventures with crochet, though marvellously quick and efficient, made me realise that my crochet is not good enough for this job. I thought of a knitted-on edge, which I've done before and like, but the idea of flipping this thing every 12 or 15 stitches, all around 4 corners and all, just didn't appeal either. I could knit the border and then sew it on, but that seems like making one job into two, and that wasn't going to work!

So, despite the fact that some squares have their cast-on edges out, some have their cast-off edges out and some their sides, I picked up an approximately correct number of stitches on each square and will make a garter stitch edge with a bunch of the colours in the blanket.

How many Wednesdays will it take??

They just keep coming

I don't even know if I told you I'd started this, but now I'm finished.

A quick hat, called 3AM, and since I knit it mostly on buses and streetcars, it's called 3AM on the TTC.

The yarn is some nice but a bit tough stuff given to me long ago by someone who was destashing in a major way. It's not super soft, but it'll keep someone's head warm.

And you have to have this goofy picture, because it's all I could get when I told her to put the hat on! I can't believe it was picture day at school yesterday and this little rascal smiled sweetly for the photographer! (She told me he told her to say "stinky cheese" so she said "Stilton." Right.)

And what am I going to knit on the bus now?

Another FO

Amazing but true: I've finished the Kool-Aid dyed moth-eaten boucle blanket.

I attribute this success to the art of crochet. Did you know that one can border a whole wee blanket in two rounds of crochet in a morning? Zip zip zip.

Of course, my crochet is not excellent, and I would be more careful with knitting a border to avoid those ripply bits, but the crochet fabric seems completely forgiving and if I tell it to lie flat, it does.

Onward and upward!

I have been knitting

Once again, I have proof that if you knit it, it will get finished; if you wish it were done, if you imagine yourself knitting it, if you talk a lot about knitting it, it won't.


The second grey mitt is finito. I seem to have started these at the end of May 2007! I finished one January of this year! And then I more or less did nothing.

I wish that a year ago I had written down just what I did with the first one, because I know that one is longer than the other, but both are fine. And the weather is nippy in the mornings, making a pair of light mitts essential.


And now I can cross that line off my list! The grey mitts are done!

Not much of a decision

My daily routine has been kinda lax lately, but this week things began to get busy, and my time at home is rather more constrained. I thought I would not continue with Nablopomo, but my first idea was to write a post about that. So, maybe tomorrow you won't get a post, but today you get a post saying I'm not keen on daily posting.


And since it is Remembrance Day, I can only send to you the London Daily Photo today. Follow the links to learn a lot about a wonderful memorial commemorating the Battle of Britain.