Teal and Rainbow Brite

I still cannot post about an FO although there is a progress bar on the right side of my blog that says 100%! It's coming...

Last night, I went to Effiloché to knit. Usually, I go knit at Effiloché when I need some yarn. Now, at the moment, I have a few projects aligned and I have all the necessary material. I'm probably the only proud knitter without a stash ;-) But I know I love sock yarn and tiny needles, so I can definitely see myself knitting many many pairs of socks in the future!

So here is my new acquisition:

What will it become? Probably socks. It is Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn. Blue is my favorite color so when I saw this skein in teal, I knew it had to be mine!

I have to confess that I sort of wonder if it's normal to be filled with joy just by looking at it? ;-)

Now, I may not have any FO to show, but Kara sure do (see previous post)! I can't believe how fast Kara knit this beautiful hat! Isn't it the perfect hat for this time of the year? That reminds me that I better get back to knitting my own hat for our knitting group exchange that's coming soon...

Have a great weekend everyone!

The winner is...

... from Knitting Lemonade! Congratulations!

When you get a chance, let me know your Ravelry ID and the name and author of the pattern you would like to be gifted ;-)

In the meantime, I'll go knit the hat for our knitting group exchange in mid-February (coming fast!).

Look at the picture above. Something is blocking...

Happy sunny Saturday!

Sizeable blocking mats

Last night, I finished knitting my secret gift. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll weave in ends and block it.

It's probably the largest knit I've ever had to block. For some reason, I only realized it this morning ;-) How will I proceed?

I went to KnitPicks and thought they had some pretty cool blocking mats, but still, one kit is nine 12" squares and my current project is already bigger than that. It would also be best that I block it really soon (I can't afford waiting one more week).

Look what I found in the toys department at WalMart? Thirty-six 12" squares that can be arranged in may different configurations. This is probably more than I will ever need! Sixteen squares will be enough for my current project. And it will be great for scarfs, shawls, afghans, everything!

I'm sure that no one at the store suspected that these were bought to act as blocking mats!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

My blog is 2 years old... and a contest!

Yes, already! It's great because with my secret projects, it's a good occasion to post and ask a question that is of particular interest to me!

First, the contest. I'm so original that I'm having the exact same contest as last year! I have to say that I've been looking forward to it for a few weeks now! The prize will be a pattern given to you through the Ravelry gifting feature. If you win, I will "gift" you the pattern that you will select (up to $7) on Ravelry. Hence, it's a contest for Raverly members (if you're not, you should join now; it's free!) and the pattern has to be available through the Ravelry gifting feature.

To participate, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post. The question this year is (a little strange at this time of the year!): do you knit as much in the summer as in the winter? Personally, I almost don't knit in the summer. I'd like to change that, so maybe reading your comments will give me ideas to change that!

You have to comment before midnight (EST) Friday night, January 21, 2011 to enter in the contest. There will be one random winner! I’ll announce the winner before Sunday, January 23, 2011.

Second, I'd like to show you the beautiful cardigan that the winner of my first blog anniversary contest knitted: Debbie Bliss - Drop collar cabled jacket. It was completed just a few days ago. The color is beautiful and it looks so warm and comfortable. I wonder what will come out of this year's contest!

Finally, I want to tell you all that it is always a pleasure when you visit whether you leave comments or not! We are a great community and it is awesome to be in touch!

Happy New Year!

It's been a long while since I last posted. November 28... Unbelievable how time goes by fast!

Happy New Year 2011 to all! It's been great to read all the year end and year beginning posts! May 2011 be a wonderful year for us all!

I haven't much to show today except some new yarn I bought to knit the beautiful Douglas Mittens. I've been wanting to knit some Norvegian type mittens for a while and the son of my neighbor asked for knitted mittens. After a long search of a mitten pattern that's interesting to knit and that is for a men, I came across this brand new pattern from emilyelizabeth! To be faithful to myself, I choose the same colors as her, except for the inside. Hers are red, mine will be blue.

This yarn does not need any introductions I believe. I love the shades of the Heathers colorwarys:

I ordered it from Angelika's Yarn Store since it seems that these colors are not "Canadian"!!! I found her through Ravelry and the service is fast and prices are good. I will order again from this website when I need any yarn that I can't find here.

This yarn for the mitten lining is so soft. It is Baby Silk Lace from Estelle.

I did not know this brand. I bought it at Espace Tricot. This is a new store in Montreal. I had heard very good things about it: the service and the inventory. I have to say it's all true. The store looks fresh, cozy and very welcoming. I had the best service although there were many people in the store yesterday. I think they will be very successful (I think they actually already are)! I also had a nice walk on Avenue Monkland which is located in a part of the city I don't go very often. It must be nice in the summer!

On the knitting side, I've almost finished my "gift" but I'm waiting for the additional skein of yarn I had to order to finish it :-( If I had read more on Ravelry, I would've found that it also happened to others...

Then, Tricot Rive-Nord group is also doing a "hat exchange" for mid-February and I've bought the yarn yesterday and did my swatch this morning. I'm all good to go now. It's about time because the yarn and the needles are really tiny ;-)

Since the "gift" and the "hat exchange" are for fellow knitters, I have to keep them a secret for now here...

Happy Sunday everyone!

Thermal surgery

I waited two weeks before undoing one sleeve of my Thermal to adjust it. The more I thought about it and the more I tried it on, the more I knew it was the right thing to do. I even looked forward to it!

So, this morning, I took the measurements from a few sweaters I have and removed and frogged one sleeve. Even frogging Thermal takes a lot of time...

So, the upper part of the sleeve was 6 inches and bulked under the arm. My usual comfortable sweater would measure about 4.75 inches, so I frogged to remove 12 stitches per round.

I was a bit surprised that it's only a difference of 12 stitches. I hope my calculations are good. However, trust me, this time I will try it on at least one million times. I will also sew it to the body before I redo the second sleeves...

Yes, that would be about 12 inches of waffle stitches undone...

In parallel to this and my Bella's mittens, I've also started knitting a gift. I will not elaborate because the recipient may read these lines. All I can say is that it's garter stitch and it's very addictive. Who would've thought!

Have a great Sunday!

Thermal is "almost" finished

Hello everyone! Last weekend, I spent at least 10 hours on my Thermal and it's almost finished. What a relief! It remains to be blocked and the buttons you see are only temporary as they are not exactly identical.

It does not really show on the picture, but if I want to be happy and wear that sweater often, I'll have to re-work the sleeves. I'm having a hard time taking a photo of myself that show that they are too big since it tends to bulk under my arm and does not really show unless I hold it. However, I'm used to wearing more adjusted sleeves and I think it looks better so I think I will undo them until were I think I should no longer increase and it should be just fine. I still don't want them to be tight (because I think that the body is so comfortable), but I'm sure I can remove 20-25 stitches per round above my elbow and it will be better.

I'll leave it as is for a few more days (while I finish my Bella's mittens!) and un-sew the sleeves if I still feel like it then!

This is why I wrote that Thermal is "almost" finished...

Hope you all have a good Sunday!