Tag Archives: scarf

Dec14

Blogmas Day 14

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What a beautiful morning! It snowed a bit overnight but as you can see we had a lot of blue sky by 9am.

Day 14’s yarn Advent was black yarn and another turtle bead (I confess I opened the bag before work today, rather than waiting for the evening).

Work went well again today. Lots of customers but also I finished cleaning up the section I started on yesterday and I managed to get about two-thirds of the fabric pile relabelled for the clearance shelves. I was feeling like I needed an energy boost this afternoon. Could have done with some caffeine and something sweet to keep me going!

The O’Go scarf is now as long as my wingspan and I am just finishing the grey section. One colour to go.

And the crochet beanie is to this point. I haven’t decided what’s happening next.

I really need to give in to my tiredness and go to bed. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Dec10

Blogmas Day 10

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Our last full day at the cabin was pretty uneventful. A short outing, time in the hot tub, a couple of board games, some knitting and crochet and a movie.

See that little squirrel? He/she has been our constant companion. We’ve been  putting seed in the birdfeeder every day and I think the squirrel thinks it’s his/hers. It runs around at high speed, up and down the trees, along the railings, and brings leaves and berries into the feeder.

The highest ledge that screens the hot tub is one of its favourite perches. And in that photo it’s enjoying some of our walnuts.

I made a little progress on the scarf. As you can see I’m using an appropriate project bag for the time of year.

And of course I opened bag #10 of my Advent calendar.  We’ll be home tomorrow and I’ll get to see the over-the-top light display that the boys strung up in our absence. (I was sent a short video!)

Dec3

Blogmas Day 3

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Hi all. I have an FO to show you. It’s a basket crocheted out of super bulky jute yarn from work. This stuff is probably great for macrame but it’s a battle to crochet. It’s so rough and thick and my wrists and hands didn’t enjoy making this basket at all. I loosely followed the pattern on the ball band but I could see it wasn’t going to stay flat if I didn’t add extra stitches on the base. I also ignored the instructions to do front loop hdc on the sides or it would have curled in on itself very oddly.

I’ve had some lovely knitting and tea time with friends this afternoon. It felt good to be back to the easy relaxing knitting on the scarf after that jute.

I made gluten-free muffins and gallons of Yorkshire tea.

I have now used up three-fifths of the O’Go Donut. Two colours to go.

I took advantage of the daylight to open up Advent bag #3 which yielded a mushroom coloured yarn and another green bead.

Today’s recommended podcast is The Cozy Cottage Crochet. Hannah in Florida talks about crochet, her designs, and her cute baby daughter, Nova.

Two shifts to work before Mr Fixit and I are off on our retreat. Can’t wait!

Nov30

Blogmas, here I come

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Hi everyone! I have decided I’m going to participate in BLOGMAS this year. “What the heck is Blogmas?” I hear you cry! Well, it’s quite simple – it’s when bloggers such as I write a post every day (or every other day, depending on time commitment) during December. Some say it ends on the 25th, others do the whole month.

My plan is to post every day from the 1st to the 25th. I will be opening my home-made Advent calendar each day and I’m sure I’ll have lots of other things to talk about.

I’ll be watching some of my fave podcasters doing Vlogmas (the video version of Blogmas). If you are a blogger/vlogger please comment below with your website address so I can come and visit.

After all, blogging and vlogging is all about sharing and building community.

Photos above include two handmade Christmas cards, a batik patchwork drawstring bag (I finally cut into one of my turtle batiks from my holiday in Maui about 4 years ago), a pillowcase-sized sack (one of three) for putting under the tree later this month, and my knitting WIP.

See you tomorrow!

Nov18

Snow!

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The morning after out big storm, we woke up to a light dusting of snow. And today, a couple of days later, I was at work and there was light snow falling most of the day, enough that I had to brush it off my windows before driving home tonight.

The temperature is hovering around freezing but it’s supposed to reach 4°C tomorrow so I doubt the snow will be around for long. Thanks to Mr Fixit my winter tires have been on my car for a few weeks already.

The alien worm is shrinking. I reached the end of the lavender section tonight. So far, I have 16″ knitted.

I am finding this O’go yarn very pleasant to work with. It’s soft, not splitty, and I’m pleased to say that the transition from one colour to the next is done with dye, not a knot.

This is perfect Netflix knitting. Every row is the same!

Nov15

Go with the flow

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I drove into town today to do some shopping. On the list to buy from two different stores was mostly food. However I thought I’d pop into Michael’s to look at the beads and the yarn.

I found some cool beads that I can’t show you yet because I’ve already had ds3 distribute them among my yarn Advent bags for me to open later.

I also bought two of the Caron O’Go Big Donuts. Five hundred yards of yarn on each and no calories!

I have already started knitting the pattern shown on the packaging: the O’Go with the Flow scarf. It’s knitted in mistake rib and is super easy and was the perfect thing to do while having tea with a friend this evening.

The pattern is free on the Yarnspirations website. I can’t help thinking that the put-up looks like some sort of alien worm out of Doctor Who!

BC has been hit by storms this week that have dumped a huge amount of rain, causing flooding, mudslides and collapsed highways. We are basically cut off from the coast and already seeing gaps in the supplies at the grocery store. No bananas! I commented to the cashier that it was an emergency when I couldn’t get bananas.

We had a short exceptionally heavy thunderstorm mid-afternoon. It was crazy driving through it, with the rain, wind, leaves, thunder and lightning, but thankfully it didn’t last long. It did however take out power to many homes and businesses in the area, though our neighbourhood was spared.

The wind was rattling everything around the house earlier this evening but all seems quiet now. I hope all is well where you are.

Jul30

FO: The Big Kahuna

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The latest stashbuster is finished. It took me all of five days and it’s about 100″ long!

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It’s a combination of Loops & Threads Facets in various colourways and some Stylecraft Harlequin, all of which have been in the stash for too long and I just wanted them out.

I used an 8mm hook and a basic C2C, making it 11 blocks wide. There were lots of ends to weave in, but I tackled some half way through and the rest this morning. It’s lovely and squishy and warm, but it will pill like a bear, and I will only be handwashing it very occasionally.

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I am loving the coolness in the mornings and it’s the best feeling to be outside on my deck, with a quilt or blanket around me, drinking my tea or coffee or eating my breakfast and just enjoying the view and the breeze. Getting up early DOES have its advantages.

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I am going to take a couple of days off the crocheting, I think, because what with the manic crochet the last week to get this project done by the end of the month, plus that spin class (eek!) plus all the pricing gun action last Friday, my wrist hasn’t been too happy.

I am super happy with my stashbusting for the month though. My FOs are the daisy blanket, the Jayma shawl, the walking hat, the Mimic shawl and this Big Kahuna scarf. Plus I cleared a few extra bits and pieces out of the stash and into a bag for the thrift store. Total out for this month is 2990 grams and zero new acquisitions.

So the year to date, as far as bashing the stash is concerned, is 6770 grams used or destashed, 2100 grams in (no purchases since January, woo hoo!) with a net reduction in stash of 4670 grams. I’m delighted with my progress. The stash is now at the point where I have a good selection of basic acrylics that I enjoy using (very little novelty stuff) and a small collection of plant fibre yarns for which I currently have no specific plans. (If you want to be nosy and check out my stash on Ravelry, it’s here.)

In other news, I took my car to the body shop for an estimate yesterday. The total cost for a small dent and large scratch? $1900! I will have to pay $500 of that, but wow, considering it looks like a small amount of damage that is a big bill!

OK, I need to get dressed and get to the gym. I went yesterday and am a little sore from that workout but I will do something different today to work some different muscles. And tonight Tai Chi Man and I have yoga, so that’ll be good. I had to miss Saturday’s Yin Yoga because I was working, which is a shame because it feels like the perfect body reset for the week. Talk to you later 🙂

Mar22

FO: Key Largo scarf

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FO: Key Largo scarf

So much fun colour in this week’s projects!

The Key Largo scarf is finished! It turned out about 70″ x 12″ and here it is in all its blocked rainbowy glory.

I used up almost all of one cake of Lion Brand Mandala so there were only two ends to weave in.  The start date was March 9th and the finish date was the 19th, so it didn’t take long. It helps that I worked on it monogamously (surprisingly for me). The pattern was easily memorisable,  and portable, which meant I could work on it anywhere.

What else have I done? Oh yes, the float experience went well. I mentioned last time that I was a little concerned about the green hair dye leaching out into the Epsom salts tank at the float place, but it was ok. And I had a very relaxing hour inside the pod, in the dark, with the music playing. So I would probably do that again.

Yesterday there was a mini challenge in the Party! International Crochet Month group on Ravelry. One of the mods suggested that we might like to make an item of clothing for our Inner Beasts using freeform crochet, and that the first person to post a photo of their beast wearing his/her new garment would win a tutorial on freeform crochet from Prudence Mapstone. Well, Prudence is the guru of freeform and I do like a challenge, so I quickly crocheted up a vest for Brian. I was sure someone would pip me at the post as it was ten hours since the challenge had been set, but I managed to be the first and therefore the winner! Yay! It was a perfect little project for an evening where I was feeling tired from work and not even feeling like picking up a hook.

I even found time for sewing this week and used some fleece remnants to make these cute armwarmers. They are so cosy and comfortable that I almost wish it was still winter…almost! I used a tutorial and downloadable pattern that I printed out. The only modification I made was to trim about an inch off the thumb, as I didn’t hem the ends so the thumbs turned out too long.

The photo on the website shows a curved seam between the hand the thumb, but I sewed it with a V-shaped seam, pivoting the needle at the base of the V. A little snip into the seam allowance meant it turned right side out just fine and I think my version looks great! This is the sort of pattern you could make lots of, as it is quick and fun.

We’ve had a very Spring-like week with temps into the double digits. In fact, on Tuesday, I went out on the back deck which faces south and took a thermometer with me and in the sun, on the deck chair next to me, it hit 36 degrees Celsius! Officially it was probably half that. So that’s two days when I have enjoyed the deck, with my new swimsuit on, getting some rays and making some vitamin D. IMG_8059

This was my spot this afternoon, where I planned the week’s meals. Shame about the shady bits, but it was certainly plenty warm enough to sit out for an hour.

Wednesday I took my car in to the Toyota dealership. There was a passenger side airbag recall, and the car was due for a maintenance check and oil change. Turns out (doesn’t it always) that there was more to do, like a new battery and removing a screw from one of the tires, so in the end they had the car for more than five hours. During that time, I walked the mall a couple of times, visited a few other shops, stopped briefly for some lunch, and later some crochet at a local park, but for at least four of those five hours I was walking. Phew! Didn’t need to go to the gym THAT day.

I’m expecting a busy weekend – work both days with extra sale deals to bring in the customers, so I will really appreciate the massage that I have booked for Monday. Enjoy your weekend!

Mar14

WIP: Key Largo Scarf

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How’s your week going? Mine has been quite full, and I haven’t been able to get to the gym or a yoga class, which is a little annoying (though my lazy side is okay with it). Today the temperature crept up above freezing to about 7 Celsius, which felt almost warm! We are supposed to have double digits soon – gosh, what a treat!!

There’s been a busy weekend of work, a ‘catching up with stuff at home’ day (while feeling overtired from a combination of the clocks going forward, an early morning, a late night, and a lack of caffeine), more work shifts, grocery shopping, cleaning, bread baking…

This is what my kitchen looked like Monday evening before I crashed out at 9.30.

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This is the product of three large bowls of bread dough, each batch containing 12 cups of flour. Three loaves, 16 hot dog buns, 16 hamburger buns, all rising while the oven heated up. I used to make bread all the time but these days I tend to buy the Silver Hills organic sprouted wheat bread from Costco (it’s about half the price there) and stock the freezer. It makes it easy to grab another sliced loaf when you need it, and it thaws quickly or you can toast it. However I needed the buns for a couple of specific meals this week, and we were on our last loaf of Silver Hills.

As promised, I frogged the progress on the Key Largo Lace Wrap and started again with a cake of Lion Brand Mandala in the colourway Gnome. It’s a lovely bright rainbow of a cake – I have no idea who this will be for when it’s done, but I am enjoying the colour progression.

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It started a little slowly as I reacquainted myself with the pattern…

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And it grew…

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And grew some more…

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With DK yarn, a 5mm hook, a scarf width rather than a wrap, and only 10 pattern repeats across the row, it’s growing quickly. Very satisfying! I took this photo at a coffee shop today where my friend and I will be meeting most Thursdays, since she started a knitting group there. I have the four-row pattern memorised now so I don’t even have to get the pattern out of the bag any more.

My plan was to have a gym and sewing day tomorrow, Friday, but I made a start on my intended projects tonight.

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It’s not very sexy but it is functional – a non-slip mat that goes underneath a sewing machine foot pedal. I have to confess, the one I made for myself is not working too well on the carpet, so I’m thinking it would be better on a hard floor. I used a Crafty Gemini tutorial. On this first attempt, I applied the bias binding as I would normally, by opening it out and sewing it on then flipping it to the other side and sewing again. A far-from-perfect result, which is irritating as my intention is to take this one to work to go on the DIY table for fabric shoppers to see. The second one, I attached the binding like Vanessa does in the video, but it was even messier so I am keeping the second one for myself.

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I also made this shopping bag from some decor fabric from work. It was on clearance at $5 a metre, and is a heavy cotton fabric. I wrote down the steps to make it as I went, as I’m thinking this will also make a good display item at the store, but I wasn’t too happy with the stitching. I used a strong thread that’s slightly thicker than the all-purpose stuff, and even though I adjusted the thread AND bobbin tension the bobbin thread was loosey-goosey! Still, it’s usable, and pretty, and I will make another with regular thread in the hope that it will be more presentable, should people look closely at my stitching.

Yes, embracing the imperfections of life here today, that’s me! My other plans include some napkins for a friend, and another apron.

Good night from my windy part of the world (the windchimes are going nuts again). Enjoy your Friday and your weekend.

Oct28

Wonderful weekend

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Wonderful weekend

Weekends off are so much more precious when you have to work some Saturdays and/or Sundays. This weekend, I have been off both days. Yesterday we enjoyed some of the simple pleasures of a typical weekend, like going to the library, picking up groceries, going to the gym, and making and eating simple vegetable soup for dinner while gazing out at the lovely carpet of fallen leaves in our backyard.

Today Tai Chi Man and I went to the gym again, followed by a long leisurely cup of tea at our favourite tea shop, which has such a warm, welcoming vibe. Some more downtime at home this afternoon, during which I have put the finishing touches on the latest crochet hat project, and then we’ll be taking the family out to dinner.

So, to the crochet projects. The scarf and hat each use a skein of Loops & Threads Barcelona, colour Sky. The scarf is just your basic C2C stitch pattern, which I find very soothing and addictive. The hat is from a pattern by Make & Do Crew. It is called a 1.5 hour beanie, though I know it took me longer than that to make it! The pompom is huge and floppy, and I made sure to tie it on in such a way that it can be removed for washing or if the owner just doesn’t like it. I put a large button inside the top of the beanie for stability.

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This yarn has been in my stash for over a year. I know that because I made a C2C scarf and coordinating hat with a different colourway last September. And I still have two skeins of a pink colourway yet to use. I think I may have to make another C2C scarf with that, and a different style of hat, just for fun.

I did knit a little on the sock at the tea shop today, but at 9 stitches to the inch and infrequent activity the first one won’t be done any time soon.

I have also made progress on the Fair Isle hat and will show you that next time. Maybe finished!

Hope you are having a great weekend. TTYL