Time to knit again

Okay, so this last month I have not been a prolific knitter. I still have my second sock to finish – I’m about half way done that. I think that’s my project for this weekend. It continues to be a summerless summer for the most part and this long weekend is shaping up to be more of the same. Rain and clouds.  Perfect for knitting. Not so great for camping.

I also started a scarf when I made an impromptu visit to Victoria’s Beehive Wool Shop. It was such a gorgeous, huge store and I just couldn’t walk out of there emptyhanded, so I picked up a lovely Italian yarn whose name escapes me right now (since I’m not at home, I can’t check the ballband). Anyway, it was very squishy and soft and the perfect colour of burgundy and I have no idea who it’s for, but I just had to cast it on so I could play with it.

Of course, you know I’m just dying to start something with that gorgeous handspun.  It’s just over 500 yards and I (not being an expert on these things) am guessing about a worsted weight? So, now I have to figure out what that is suitable for. If anyone has any ideas, let me have ‘em. I want it to be something really nice that I can wear, hopefully. 

Three days of no work. Bring it on! Maybe I will have a pair of socks by the end of it. The way this summer is going, I might need them.

OMG! Thank you Lorena!!!

I finally got a notice from the post office that my package was there. I was so excited to find out who my secret pal is! I have to tell you that I shouldn’t have been surprised by how wonderfully fantastic this gift was, because she has been so great throughout this, my first secret pal experience. Nonetheless, I was shocked. I opened the box to find this:

That’s 5!!! skeins of her very own handspun yarn! I’m totally blown away.

Not only that, there was also:

More sock yarn! And, a cute little stitch marker came with it. Plus, more chocolate! Oh, and I almost forgot:

I have been completely spoiled and I just don’t know how to thank you enough, Lorena! I’m going to head over to her blog, www.snarkland.com (how great is that?) and check out the snark! You should too!!!!

More treats!

I have had a crazy busy couple of weeks and I’ve been having lots of fun. Last weekend I went to circus school! It was just like being a kid again, jumping on the trampoline and swinging on the trapeze! If you ever get the chance, swing on a trapeze! You won’t regret it.

On to knitterly things. I got another package from my secret pal! She is so great. I had mentioned earlier that my friend having a baby is allergic to wool and I would have to find something else to use for any baby knits I make. Lo and behold, my sp came to my aid. Check it out:

That’s 3 gorgeous colours of Knitpicks Shine (sorry the picture’s a little blurry). Also this:

Knitpicks cotlin and Mission Falls cotton! That Mission Falls looks really neat. I can almost picture it as a nice little jacket or something . The colours are all beautiful, not the pale pastels you usually see for baby things. I like more vibrant colours on kids, even infants.

This is what I saw when I opened the box:

Mini chocolate bars! It doesn’t get much better than that!

I am such a Dork!

Thanks to my secret pal who informed me that the altoids in the package she sent me were not, in fact, altoids. Here I thought it was cool getting something that seems ordinary to Americans but isn’t sold in Canada, when actually, it was something much better and more useful for the whole knitting thing:

That is some stitch markers, a very cool darning set, some little scissors and a gorgeous little pendant-like thing which I’m guessing is a stitch marker but being such a new knitter, I don’t know all of the gadgets yet, so I’m not 100% sure. I’m hoping she’ll tell me the best way to use it. I’m a little confused about stitch markers, actually. I mean, I use them to separate repeats and different charts, but I think some of them (the ones that aren’t closed circles) can be used to mark rows as well. Not really sure how they’re used that way.

In other news, I went to see David Suzuki, Candice Pert and Dr. Norm Shealy speak last night. It was a presentation called “Healing the Planet, Healing Ourselves” and it was all about how the environment and us are really the same thing and how everything is integrated. It was really good. David Suzuki is a real inspiration.

Now I’m off to Victoria again tonight and going to Vancouver tomorrow. I feel like I’m busier than I’ve ever been. Does everyone feel that way these days?

Back on the Horse

Finally, I have a memory card for my camera! So, I can finally show you what my pal sent!

See that? It’s the book Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch and the fantastic jitterbug yarn! Also, some very nice soap and moisturizer that I can finally use now that I’ve got it photographed. Also, there is a chocolate bar that supports endangered species and some Altoids, which I don’t think are sold here in Canada. I’ve never seen them before. She made me some discs with a whole bunch of knitting podcasts. I can’t wait to listen to them!

This has been a crazy couple of weeks and I’ve gotten super busy lately, but mostly with fun things so I can’t complain. I have been spending some time working on some socks with my new yarn. One is finished and I’ve started on the second one. Check out my finished sock (the slipped stitch rib pattern from the above-mentioned book):

I only have one question. Is it normal when knitting socks to have your neck muscles tighten up? I am finding that my neck is killing me after knitting on them for a couple of days. I wonder if there is something wrong with my technique or if it’s just a matter of not being used to using those muscles that way? Or maybe I’m all tense because I’m using those double-pointed needles and I’m not comfortable with them yet (trying too hard to knit tightly so I don’t get laddering). Oh well, I am determined to finish a pair so I figure another week or so and I should have my first pair of socks. They’re really warm and comfortable!

Lost and found

Okay, I have to admit defeat. I cannot find that memory card for my camera anywhere. I’m going to have to go get a new one. That also means that I’ve lost the pictures I took of my package from my secret pal, so I’ll have to take new ones with my crappy old camera. I also had pictures of my Knitpicks options cable that fell apart. That was the last one I had that was any good. When I bought the set, some of the cables were faulty and now the last of them has broken. I could try crazy glue I guess, but I don’t have any. So, I’m just going to order new ones. However, in the meantime I’ve had to abandon my central park hoodie. I am not having good knitting mojo.

So… I’ve cast on for a pair of socks with my new Jitterbug yarn from my sp. I’m loving the colours in it. It’s just perfect for socks and they’ll look so good with a pair of jeans. I’m glad to have a project to work on (let’s just pretend those wips do not exist). I’ve gotten away from my knitting the last couple of weeks and it feels really good to be doing it again.

In other news, it is finally starting to get sunnier here and we’re getting spring-like temperatures some days. What a difference it makes! Not that I’ve been able to really enjoy it, having a truly nasty cold for the last week, but I’m on the mend and getting ready to think about summer fun.

I listened to the cd my secret pal made for me. It has 100 songs on it! That’s about 5 hours of music. It was a great mix. I laughed when it started and the first song was by Joni Mitchell, who’s one of my favourite artists (I play and sing some of her songs when someone hands me a guitar.) So, thank you sp for taking the time to make that for me. I’ll have to check out some of the artists on there. There were quite a few I’ve never heard before. I love being introduced to new music.

Tail between my legs…I’ve been a bad blogger

First, I have to apologize for disappearing. It’s a been a crazy couple of weeks and I haven’t been home very much. I have to say a great big thank you to my super awesome secret pal, who is so thoughtful. She sent me a fantastic package with lots of great stuff, including some gorgeous jitterbug sock yarn in the colour “bright charcoal”. And, she sent me the book “sensational knitted socks” which is going to be so useful to me. I need to read some parts of it before I can decide what pattern I’ll use for my new socks!

I need to put some pictures up so you can see everything, but I can’t find the memory card for my camera. I took some pictures and I brought the card to work hoping I would be able to put them on my computer there and do a post, but that was a bust and now I don’t know where it is. I know I’ll find it, but I haven’t yet. So, there’s one reason I haven’t been posting. What’s a knitting blog with no pictures?

The other great thing my pal sent me was a birthday present! She knew I didn’t have a ball winder so she got me one for my birthday! Is that not the nicest thing ever? I love it!! I’m going to have so much fun with it. I love the way yarn looks when it’s all wound up in those little cakes.

I feel like this is a really lame post and I need to go look some more for that card so I can do justice to it all. I’m sick this week and I finally took a day off work (I never do that). I spent my birthday and this past weekend doing salsa dancing in various places in Vancouver and Victoria. A friend of mine wanted to learn and man, when she wants to do something, she does it all the way! So, I’ve spent hardly any time at home and I think I wore myself down. It was worth it though. We had lots of fun (and I saw Ben Kingsley in Vancouver!) It’s a great place to see stars, but of course, being a good Canadian, I don’t pester them

So, hopefully I can get a better post up in the next couple of days. If I have to, I’ll go buy another card and take new pics!