Meret Business

Well, I've been busy this Reading Week.

This is my 2nd Meret, as modeled by my lovely mum, which was commissioned by a friend of a friend. Besides, I've got a baby kaftan on the go, and finishing to complete on my eyelet cardigan!! And I'm already dreaming up new projects! In fact, I think a visit to my LYS is in order... considering it's my favourite in Toronto, and I'll be back in Montreal on Sunday. Yes, new yarn is definitely in order.

A few minutes to spare...

I am officially in burn-out mode.

Instead of working diligently on my looming papers and research assignments, I am spending my free time browsing Ravelry, reading blogs, and watching TV. I don't even watch TV!!! But there is a simple explanation, and it's called Burn-Out Mode. It's that special of the semester when you've been working non-stop for close to two months, evenings and weekends included, and you just want a stretch to digest the 1000+ facts you've learned and regroup. Instead of waiting for Reading Week, you find yourself taking long stretches of time when you should be working, doing something completely different and useless.

Enter my knitting.

These stylish fingerless gloves are modelled by their new recipient, my wonderful brother, who celebrated his 22nd birthday this weekend. They were a great quick knit, and the pattern was more or less made up, with some inspirations from a bunch of sources.

Next up is another Meret , then another one after that! And neither are for me! Which is a shame, because after all these gifts I think that my head is looking a little bear...

Authentic Baby Vintage...

I bought this adorable vintage sweater at the thrift shop last week. I've got plans. Big plans.

I'm thinking about selling repurposed baby handknits in my little shop. This one, for instance, is going to get vintage mother of pearl buttons, and I'm also going to sew on that vintage applique lace bird. It becomes a hundred times more adorable!

In my own knitting arena, I've just got the arms left on the eyelet cardigan that I've been working on since New Years. Which I'm quite excited to finish, because my mind is already halfway in my next project.


I got my lovely bf to take a photograph of me a couple of nights ago, as you can see. The reason being that I was admiring my new hair cut, and wanted to enjoy it in all its glory. This is mostly because I have gotten in the habit this past year of cutting it myself! And I'm starting to think that I do a pretty good job, all in all... Maybe not all would agree though!

Getting back into the Swing of Things...

Oh my. School has certainly recommenced.

I have been back in Montreal for exactly nine days, and I have already managed to fall behind in my readings. You may ask how this is possible. There is a simple explanation, and it starts with 'k' and rhymes with hitting...

Yes, I've gone a bit crazy.

This is the beret I made for my brother's girlfriend, as a Christmas gift. Apparently her sister has fallen in love with it, and is begging for her own! I'm only too happy to oblige...

I'm also nearly done Jennifer Little's Modified Drops Eyelet Baby Cardigan (rav link), which is turning out adorable. My yarn is a very cute (but alas, discontinued) fingering weight from Mondial. Sorry that I haven't photographed it yet - it seems a bit camera shy!

In the meantime, I better get back to Coleridge...

The Holiday Update (finally...!)

Whew. It's been a whirlwind of get-togethers and visiting this past week. But Christmas is officially behind us (and sadly all the Christmas songs off the radio!), and as routine returns to most households, I'm trying to busy myself with new knitting projects before next semester begins a week today.

However, I finally have a shot of my completed Angle baby sweater by Tora Froseth, which I am just in love with. I predict the creation of more in the near future, because it is just so fabulous! I decided to change the CC2 back panel into seed stitch, A) because it doesn't roll the way stocking stitch does, and B) because seed stitch is officially my favourite! I love the tweed-esque, nubbily aspect of it!

I could go on for a very long time about this sweater, but I have more projects for others posts that I think I will save! In the meantime, I think next up on the list is a scarflet for my mom before I go back to Montreal (probably the moss stitch creation by Emily Jane here), and also a possible ongoing creation, the Wild Stripes Baby Blanket by Kristin Goedert on Knitty.

Until then, the needles are empty, which is partly because I have lost my US size 9 needles! The only ones I need! Urgh... I am convinced they are somewhere in this house, and not in Montreal, but I can't be sure... whoever said gauge was important?! I'll just try size 8!

Bringing Joy (and Shame) to Crocheters Everywhere...

Now I'm sure that crocheting ladies (and men, for that matter) would be heartened to know that a new person has joined their fold.

However, I'm pretty sure that one look at my Granny Square, and they would have my hooks taken away from me for the rest of my natural life. Above is my first somewhat recognizable attempt at crocheting a traditional Granny Square. I can't even begin to think about how many stitches I pulled out just to get this far.

I wasn't expecting crocheting to be a walk in the park, but goodness, I had no idea how much practice it would take. I've got the idea down for the most part now, and it's still coming out lumpy and disfigured, for the most part. Many I can block it like crazy...?

In the world outside of fiber arts, I've been stuck in the house all day today while Toronto experiences its first big winter storm. There's even been thunder. I feel guilty about not going out (still have more Christmas gifts to buy!!), but I think those things can wait a few days. I basically have to shovel every two hours, and that only puts a small dent in things. Ah, there's nothing like winter in Canada...

In Search of Winter Warmth...

Although the news reports are claiming that a warm front is coming to Montreal tomorrow, I remain a sceptic. The lover took this photo of me today when we decided to attempt to pry ourselves from hibernation. Just one exam each to go. And while he studies like the academic he is, I'm trusting my photographic memory to get me through this last one. Who wants to study when there's knitting to get to?!

This scarf is 6' long, and knitted completed in a basketweave cable. I found the pattern in Jackie Pawlowski's Field Guide to Knitting, with eight rows of 4x4 ribs at the ends. It's 36 stitches across, made from Paton's Merino. All this can be found here (rav link)!

With just a few days left in Montreal, I've got to put my knitting down and start getting packed for the holidays! Can't wait to be home!

Terror in Christmastown...

This is corny.

I have a Christmas Village.

It's not the typical thing the under-60 crowd spends their money on, but I got hooked on it a few years ago (something about miniatures and set-ups never left me after childhood), and now I have a mini village. Ha. I say mini because it's not yet reached the urban sprawl some people experience.

This week, however, I came home to find my pretty little village in the midst of a terrorist attack, looking like this:

This was, of course, the doing of my lovely man, who even took it upon himself to drop candle wax as fake blood on some of the unfortunate plastic men.

Really. Men. They amaze me sometimes. But it's all in good fun (and the spirit of Christmas?), and even I had to applaud his creativity. Not to mention his excellent shots. Er, photographs.

Hinterland Whose Who ... Montreal Edition

So not technically part of knitting, this is a photograph I took a few weeks ago. Those familiar with Montreal might guess that I took it on the Mountain, or maybe on a trip to Mont St Hilaire.

On the contrary, I took this while kneeling at my bedroom window, on a street in the absolute downtown core of Montreal! This is a female Downy Woodpecker, the smallest woodpecker in North America (thank you Hinterland Whose Who !). The male has a gorgeous red spot on the top of his head. I've seen him a couple of time, but he doesn't stay long, and photographing him has eluded me so far.


On that note, here is a photo I took of the same window just a couple of months ago. I can't believe that it was so lovely and autumn-like not long ago... I should post something about the snow. It's really gorgeous too, though.

All the branches were covered in snow that melted, then refroze, and have turned into ice-covered trees. It's just the Ice Storm...

I think I'll post more on the Angle sweater tonight. It's more than half done and really starting to take shape!

Angle Sweater (in progress...)

Of course I was supposed to be studying today. And, as per usual, I spent way too much time knitting! Here is a photo of my half-finished Angle Sweater. It's turning out a lot bigger than I first expected. I hope the gauge is going to be alright, but I'm not too hopeful. But we'll see. I think it should still be wearable.


The colouring in this photograph is another thing that hasn't turned out too well. It actually is a lovely grey blue, with a soft celadon green in between the bumps.



The yellow is just waste yarn. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way that I can make the entire sweater reversable, because the inside is equally gorgeous! I'm thinking that something with buttons might do the trick, but we'll have to see. I'll probably spend the Christmas break experimenting!

Two down...

Finished my second exam today!!

Only three more to go...

In the meantime, I have three days to study for the two I have on Friday, Am. Lit. and Departmental Survey of English. Obviously, the study hasn't been going well so far. Er, hasn't happened. Instead, I baked a batch of Martha's favourite chocolate chip cookies!

Now, don't you think these are more beneficial to my overall sanity than studying for an exam?!

Montreal finally got its first snow storm today, in other news. Everything has been transformed to unpassable drifts of white. When will it end? The weatherman said April.

The Angle baby sweater is coming along great. Unfortunately, the pics I took of it are not on the memory card, so I have to figure out how to get them off the actual camera. That sounds like a job for post-exam time. Right now, I completely the back of the arm and the back itself, and in a few repeats I'll be able to detach the arm and get a real impression of how it's going to turn out. It's the biggest excitement all week!

Studying (or not...)

My first exam is tomorrow. What am I do to prepare?

Knitting and blogging, of course!

It isn't as bad as it sounds. My exam, Canadian Poetry, shouldn't be too difficult. And I did study for a couple of hours already today. I'm just so eager to get into this Angle pattern that it's hard to put it down! I have given up on using the yarn I originally purchased at Ariadne (see previous post for photo), and instead I'm using cheap acrylic yarn. Really, I don't care. It's machine washable and forgiving, which is what kids' clothes is all about. None of this silliness about real wool. Real wool is scratchy and handwash only, in many cases. Parents know better than to buy
that for their babies.

I'm sure I'll start using the superwash merinos, but right now I'm content with acrylic. It's so soft!

These are the fabulous Pyrex mixing bowls I picked up at the Sally Ann this morning. I bought them with the justification that I would put them on Etsy, but I'm having second thoughts. Besides, I looked, and there's already a couple of the same ones there. So really, I would just be losing money if I tried to sell them. So I think it would be showing fiscal prudence to keep them. Yes, definitely.

Jake and I watched Gosford Park yesterday. It has only confirmed my original feeling that Kristen Scott Thomas is the best actress I've seen. Maggie Smith was of course fabulous as well. But primarily the genius of Thomas. And Jeremy Northam too! Poor Thomas More. For those of you who watch Tudors, you'll know what I'm taking about.

In store for tonight is.... more studying! Which is code for knitting. Who knew that you could study and knit at the same time?! Part of me feels like my mind is only half on the notes, but it's worth it in the end, non?

We have begun...!

Here it is. My first real skein. For my first real project.

OK, so maybe not my first real project. I've made four scarves and one other baby cardigan. But I actually paid for this pattern (not that I stole the others -- they were just free!), so somehow it seems more official.

It also seems ten times harder than anything I have done before. I don't even understand the instructions. But that's how I felt about the other baby cardigan at first. I figure that it's best to challenge yourself. Otherwise, I'd still be knitting those scarves, over and over again, with their incessant cables.

The yarn is from Ariadne, which I have to say was not as exciting as I thought it would be. Less selection than Mouline, and although it's definitely stylish, I wasn't awed. I don't know, maybe I'm just not as excited about yarn shopping as others. But I really love searching it on Etsy, so that's not quite true.
Maybe I'm just an online yarn shopper instead. I think I'm going to leave it at that.

...

This yarn, along with the Opal 4-ply that I bought, is hopefully going to work out eventually to become Angle (Ravelry link here), by Tora Froseth. The nice thing about paying for a pattern is that Tora is available for troubleshotting. The way I'm going, she's probably be wishing that she charged me twice as much!

Oh well, back to the grindstone. I have a paper due tomorrow on Kate Chopin's stellar novel, The Awakening. I've hardly even started. But it was worth it. I wound my new skein instead!