My Daily Distractions

Lila's Cardigan

2011-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

A rare modeled version of I believe to be the first sweater I have TOTALLY loved!

Lila's Cardigan
Patons Angora Bamboo - 10.5 skeins

Need to find a shawl clip - I grabbed an old piece of my grandma's costume jewellery I got found recently to show off my project. Would normally wear it with grey or black underneath (not teal), but thought about taking a modelled shot while I still had hair/makeup done from work. With a home office these days, the dressed to be in public look is a little more rare :)

To Blog or Not to Blog

2011-02-20T23:05:00.000-08:00

So, my last post about Resurfacing was clearly a GIANT lie!

With a very bustling new business, the knitting world had been pretty neglected.

This weekend, I was left to my own devices for most of the last 2 days and have spent the evening hours knitting up a storm. I have a very soft, perfect fitting Lila's Cardigan drying on the back of the couch.

Will grab a nice closure for that sweater tomorrow and think I might have the very first new knitted object that I cannot WAIT to wear!

So photos to come!

Having some issues with keeping up with the blog. With Ravelry being such a great option to share and see what other people are doing, I am starting to re-consider going back to the blog.... thoughts from others?

Resurfacing

2011-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Working for yourself is often a great gift and a great load on your shoulders. These last weeks, I have been experiencing the latter. Evening with the little guy go quick and then it is back to work the next day. On the weeks he is with his Dad, I have been trying to cram every bit of time in on projects that at the end of the day (8 or 9 PM) - the most interesting activity is sleeping.

So - suffice to say - there has been very little knitting activity.

Well, except for this....

What is it you ask? Well, I had some unspent Christmas GC's for Chapters and treated myself to....

A KOBO! I could not justify spending $40 on their lame excuses for cases, so I found a ball of yarn and went to work. Knit it in Moss Stitch so it would be nice and thick. The BF laughed at my crafty-ness and said that it looked like a robot.....

I have already loaded a few of the knitting patterns I am using and like that I don't have 12-15 loose pages in my knitting bag - half way through The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman, and really love the E Ink display. Also the fact that it comes pre-loaded with 100 classic books (most of which I have NEVER read).

I did a bit of research on Kindle vs. KOBO, and just liked the simplicity of this interface and that there is not a GIANT keyboard at the bottom that I will not use. It's no iPad, but I current own 2 Macs, 2 PC's and an iPhone - so another computer was not in the cards :)

OK - enough slacking..... back to work!

New Project - Lila's Cardigan

2011-01-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

I was very happy to get some fantastic yarn for a Christmas Gift that I wanted to use. I HATE itchy yarn and when I was gifted 11 skeins of Patons Angora Bamboo, I wanted to find a project to knit ASAP. 11 skein of this wool seems like a lot, but at a low yardage I only had 880 yds to work with.

Off I went to the trust Ravelry site and searched for patterns under 900 yds. I came upon this great pattern...

Lila's Cardigan

Love the detail on the arm

Being a girl who loves layered looks, this is perfect. The make-up of the pattern is top down with some really cute finishings to make this an easy but very modern looking fit.

Love the halo on the yarn - looks cozy already!

My Project Bag

2011-01-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

For someone who generally had many WIPs on the go, my current project bag is VERY light. I have only 2 projects on the go, and I am trying to keep it that way - so...

"Dear Ravelry:

Please stop posting fantastic patterns on your website. I am like a crow with a shiny object, I get distracted and look away. Next thing I know - there is another WIP in my knitting basket and NO finished projects...

Sincerly, Lisa (one who cannot control her startsis)"

Hoodie for Carson
My Own Pattern
Patons Classic Wool - US 8 Needles

The Hoodie for Carson is going really quick. It is so strange that there are so few hoodie patterns online - even really simple ones. I plan to post the pattern when it is done - actually am looking for some test knitters - so if there is anyone out there wanting to knit a unisex top town hoodie the sizing will be 6 months, 12 months, 2, 4, 6, 8.

Blanket for Chloe
Chasing Rainbows Pattern
Berroco Baby Bamboo - US 5 Needles

No - this is not a GIANT HAT! It is a super cute baby blanket pattern on Ravelry - wanted something modern and different - the end result will be a bog round circular blanket. If you haven't knit with the Baby Bamboo - it is SUPER soft ad Machine Washable for my (overworked / two-child / bad with washing instructions) little sister :)

Off to the couch and some Food Network PVR!

Technology Extravaganza

2011-01-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

Getting sick of my LAME iPhone photos?

I sure was, so I took a trip into Staples yesterday and got a FANTASTIC deal on a easy point and shoot digital camera.

I got a Canon Powershot A490 - the best part was that it was marked down to $129, and then at the till it was marked down to $79. DEAL! It is a nice super portable camera to use for quick photos at home and at work. I have no real interest in getting to in-depth with photography - so this definitely fits for me.

The other new techy pick I have been playing with is the Flip HD Video Camera.

I picked it up over the holidays for $99 on Chapters.ca with some Christmas Money. I was disappointed that I did not have any great video of the "crazy boy" opening his gifts and I have found that the digital camera/video option is a little lame, so after reading some great reviews I picked up the Flip. It takes and hour of video in HD with great image stabilization, easy download to a Mac and a really nice little emailing app so that you can share the video with family. Since all of my family is across the country, they miss the fun little things a 2 year old likes to do (perform) for everyone - so I figured this would be great.

Add to that I picked up the latest iLife for my Mac which has a great video editing program that anyone can use to string together lots of little videos into one DVD.

Ok - enough nerd-talk..... back to work!

Cedum Completed

2011-01-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Sedum from Jane Richmond

Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Chunky

US 10 Needles

Cedum is now complete and super cozy. The moss stitch made for a great bulky jacket texture that I am sure I will get a ton of use of. No modeled photos as my camera has gone MIA and taking a self porttrait with an iPhone is not too simple barring the standard "I am in the bathroom standing at the mirror" shot.

Here are the modifications I did:

Increased an additional 20 stitches to make it a little larger
No Decreases for the waist
Did the collar then the button bands
No Buttonholes - I did 6 stitch single crochets for each button, which works well for the fit

Love this pattern - worked great, nice and quick with 15 sts per inch!

Ten Stitch Wave

2011-01-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

So part of working on a computer all day is managing distractions. Something I am not great at after 10 days of stress free holidays.

While talking a break from my email - I came upon this fantastic scarf...

Ten Stitch Wave Pattern

If you are a member of Ravelry, you can get it for free here....

In bright colours, it totally reminds me of something that a Who from Whoville would wear, or Willy Wonka or someone with a crazy personality. But then done in simple colours could be very modern and chic looking.

Seriously, how fantastic are the designers on Ravelry - I always find some sort of inspiration there...

Sedum

2010-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sedum

My Sedum jacket is working out great. I have been knitting up a storm over my little holiday and am happy with how this is working out.

I did a few modifications

Made it bigger by 10 stitches
Did the collar first and then the button bands
Knit the sleeves flat (for some reason when I go from knitting in the round to flat, there is a noticeable difference in the stitch definition)

So far so good. Hoping to have this done on the weekend - just have to find my steamer - haven't seen it since the move....

My Elf on a Shelf Brilliance.... or so I thought!

2010-12-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Almost one full week of no work has been FANTASTIC. The fact that I still have another 4 days... even better. Well there has been lots of knitting and relaxing and movie watching. Not much else.

I had the best idea this Christmas, and I have since found out that my brilliant idea was already thought up.... sad.

The Nutcracker - a.k.a. Santa's Spy

My little guy picked out this nutcracker when we were getting decorations before the holidays. I of course agreed to bring him home and he decided that he should sit on the mantle so that he could watch everything. That gave me an idea. Thinking I was brilliant, I told him that the nutcracker watches kids for Santa and would make sure that he was being good over the holidays. Of course this worked like a charm on everything from eating dinner, to cleaning up toys.

Thinking I was the smartest Mommy on the planet, I told one of my friends with an equally unruly toddler. She quickly said "oh ya - like Elf on the Shelf?" I quickly was brought up to speed.

FO - Bubby

2010-12-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Bubby Pattern from Ravelry
Us 5 Needles - Patons Classic Wool

Wanted to whip up a little extra something for Carson's Christmas Stocking and found Bubby! It was a super quick and cute way to use up some yarn. I actually stuffed "Bubs" here with some other yarn scraps instead of stuffing. Worked great!

My little guy is 2 and is all about his "stuffies" - mostly all 6 - 8" plush toys that he can easily carry around. Hope he like this little guy - I am sure he will :)

FO's - The Caelum Sweater and Hat fit for a Boyfriend

2010-12-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

Caelum Sweater & Boyfriend Hat

My reluctant model shows off his new hat and the sweater for his cousin...

Wanted to try on the sweater since the two boys are the same size, and I plan to make one for Carson in blue. The hat was to be for the Boyfriend, but clearly was made too small and is a perfect fit for Carson :)

New Project - Chasing Rainbows

2010-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Chasing Rainbows
Yarn: Sirdar Baby Bamboo

I cast on another project last night and it is already got me hooked... I have been looking for a great and fun baby blanket pattern for my sister. She is due in April and is having a little girl, so I wanted to get started right away as I know that projects like this tend to get started and left.

I am using Sirdar Baby Bamboo - which I love - since it is super soft and machine washable - which is paramount for a new Mom.

I have one more colour to be added to it, a red-pink colour - so I think this is going to turn out really pretty and bright!

New England Knits

2010-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

New England Knits

It is not very often these days that I will shell out $30+ for a knitting book - I was really bad for that in the past - A.K.A. - would buy a book for just one pattern. I am getting ~~cheaper~~ more spend conscious and tend to buy a lot of patterns that I can download.

But I came upon this book on Ravelry and was totally blown away by how many patterns were in this book that I would knit. Here are my favourites!

Advertising on Ravelry

2010-12-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Wondering if anyone out there has done any advertising on Ravelry?

Thinking of putting a small notebook ad out for one of my patterns and seeing what comes of it - there were 2 that sell well - which do you think I should post...

Option #1 - Abbey Cabled Hoodie - DK Knit for 6 mos - 2 years

Back of hood detail

#2 - Essential Baby Cardigan
Pattern includes 3 weights of yarn (Aran, DK, Fingering)
and 6 sizes (6 months - 3 years)

What do you all think???

But why would I read the pattern???

2010-12-07T15:11:00.001-08:00

Please tell me this happens to others?

I was knitting away on Sedum last night and was all happy with myself when I got to the armholes. I went back and counted how many stitches I had - what? How could I be way over on stitches in one area and way under in another?

Back to the pattern to investigate. Turns out one little sentence "Increase at the beginning and end of each row as well as before and after each stitch marker" - well I missed the increase at either side for like 40 rows.....

Suffice to say, I ended my night ripping 6 inches of sweater out.... boooo!

I am back at it tonight with hope of better results.

Lesson learned again.... read the DAMN pattern :)

Big Update - some FO's, WIPS and Christmas Decorating

2010-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

It has been a little slow in updates on the blog lately, but I have been busy! Here are some completed projects and new ones I have gotten started on!

Completed Caelum for Lucas

This is a Christmas Gift for my sisters little boy - just in time to get in the mail for Christmas without having to pay more for postage than I did for the yarn.

Used the Caelum Pattern from Ravelry and plan to make another one for my little guy with the same yarn soon!

I have also finished my resurrected Mondo Cable Cardi and made it into a short sleeved vest that will fit Carson's Grandma perfectly - just working on some seaming and button closure for the top! Pictures to come!

New WIP's - Boyfriend Hat and Cedum

I cast on 2 other projects as well:

#1 - the Boyfriend Hat - from the Hat Fit for a Boyfriend Pattern - here is my project link! So far have been knitting on it last night and will tonight while the Boyfriend is working in the evening. Good thing it is a hat and not a sweater or I am sure he would catch me :)

#2 - Cedum - wanted something quick and comfy. We just had a week of crummy weather not that long ago which made me want to cast on something warm. The pattern used Seed Stitch which in bulky yarn makes for a very "skwoooshy" (in loss of a better word) fabric that will be nice and cozy! The pattern is knitting up quick at 12 sts per inch and I already love it!

A little Christmas Decorating

Picked up a new "fake" tree at the Depot this weekend - the new condo is of course real tree un-friendly - so I found a cute fake one to do the trick. Gingerbread house preparation with the boys starts tomorrow night - I am preparing for a mess and a candy-high 2 year old!

My decorating assistant!

Here is my decorating assistant that thinks that the plant behind him looks much better with lights!

New Stash

2010-11-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Before Dyepot

After dyepot

I recently got some fantastic yarn from a stash on Ravelry - when I got it, I loved the colour, but didn't think it would work well on me. I was set on a specific project for it, so figured I would take a shot at re-dying it.

I skeined up the yarn (it took forever as I had a 2 year old assistant) and soaked it in warm water with some white vinegar. Then I fired up the slowcooker on low and added some Wiltons Icing Dye. I put the wet yarn into the water and let it sit in the dyebath until the water was clear - about 30 minutes.

Love the end result!

New Project - Caelum

2010-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

Caelum
Yarn: Aracania Nature Wool
Needles: US 8 / 5 mm

Well I have been a busy little bee over the last few days and got the majority of the body done on this Caelum Sweater. It was originally going to be for my little guy, but think I might sneak it into my nephew's Christmas Gift. He is 6 weeks younger than my son and totally adorable.

I have also cast on a baby blanket for my sister - she is due in the Spring and I am notoriously slow lately and have been frogging projects left and right - so figured that I better get a start on that :)

My Knitting is Bossing Me Around

2010-11-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well - me and my Mondo Cable Cardi are taking a break from each other. After ripping out the sleeves twice and the neckline three times, I tried it on and went - YUCK.

I have fallen out of love with this sweater and need to put it away for awhile. I find it interesting that I knit cardigans all the time, even though I never wear them. I have gifted 4 of my sweaters (all cardigans) to family or friends, yet I keep the sweaters - maybe I should catch the hint...

So in effort to not lose my mind and throw my project out the window, I am casting on a new project to keep my hands busy.

Caelum

I have not knit anything for my little guy in ages - so I figured - he was due. Will start tonight and see how it goes :)

Mondo Cardi - Modifications

2010-11-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Mondo Cardi Sleeve Modification
Fancy iPhone app camera fanciness!

So, I am a Continental Knitter - translation - I hold my yearn in my left hand when I knit. This is a very fast way to knit, but there are some drawbacks as well. When knitting a pattern that is both knit in the round and knit back and forth, there are sometimes obvious differences in the look of the stitches. In a small gauge it is not obvious - but at 18 sts per inch, I am noticing it.

So when I got to the sleeves of the Mondi Cable Cardi, I decided to make a modification.

I took the finishing instructions for the neckline and applied them to the sleeves as well to make a little cap sleeve.

So far so good. Of course I still have the collar - then I will be done right? Not so fast - I tried it on and figured out that I had not increased in the body, so it is too small at the bottom. Once I finish the neckline, I will be taking my perfectly finished sweater and ripping back half the body - booooooooo!

Back to the couch and my sweater - all day Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network - perfect :)

New Project - Sockettes & Ferry Knitting

2010-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

One Skein Sockettes

Sharing custody of a child is tough. Add to the mix that Dad just moved to Vancouver - you end up with lots of ferry miles.... Today was my turn to bring the little guy across, and I made the most of my solo trip back to the island by starting a quick pair of Sockettes. I used the super simple recipe I wrote up and posted on Ravelry ages ago - One Skein Sockettes.

I have a new place with hardwood everywhere and I figured these might be a nice alternative to slippers. The colourway doesn't show up well in the photo, but is a beautiful skein of Lorna Laces....

Off to work on my bigger - non-portable sweater projects and bond with the tv...

Booooo

2010-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

The crazy boy, all dressed and ready to haunt at his first Halloween Party. His daycare (it is called Small Fries...which I love) is having a little party today. As you will see - he was PUMPED!

Ninja Dragon?

"Mom, I am sewiously I scary dwagon!"

Pattern Love

2010-10-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just when you think that your Ravelry Queue is big enough, SweaterBabe sends out a newsletter!

The Sophisticated Boho Eternity Scarf is a great quick-ish knit for the cool weather that is approaching. Worsted Weight yarn and a clever clear snaps closure at each end allow you to wear it as a scarf or mobius wrap/scarf. Soooooo clever!

As a mobius

As a scarf

Some progress

2010-10-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Mondo Cable Cardi - 45%

So we are moved in to our new place, and I managed to knit a couple more inches on Mondo Cabled Cardi. This is always the part of the pattern that takes forever for me, but it is moving along.

As for the Fiddlehead Mittens, they are tooooooo tight - getting frogged and starting again on some bigger needles :)

Pictures of the new place to come soon!

New Project - Fiddlehead Mittens

2010-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well the cool weather is on it's way, so amidst the piles of boxes in the living room and a moving truck coming on Saturday, I still found myself casting on a new project.

Fiddlehead Mittens

I love his pattern - but was having an issue wrapping my head around paying $50 for the kit. So yesterday I headed to the LYS and found a great substitute.

Sirdar Baby Bamboo

Sirdar Baby Bamboo is a great substitution since I HATE scratchy wool on my hands. I have knit and inch so far and love it. The gauge is a little tight, but I am planning on gifting these to my sister and then making another pair for myself. She has tiny little hands so they should be perfect. For $35.00 I was able to get enough yarn to do 2 matching pairs. Good shopping!!!

My Life Right Now

2010-10-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Boxes, Bins and Bags

Packing, dusting, cleaning, re-dusting....

That is my world right now. We are getting ready for our move on the weekend to a beautiful new place with vaulted ceilings, a walk-in closet, and the beach 4 blocks away.

Now only if my house could clean itself, we would be all set!

Pattern Love

2010-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know how we ever found so many great patterns before Ravelry. This morning I was looking over some patterns that Ravelry friends had queued and found this beautiful sweater.

Collins by BabyCocktails

Fantastic finishing idea :)

How cool is the closure on this sweater. I think that my Ravelry Queue is going to get a shake up this week - keep finding fantastic new patterns!

The Benefits of Being the Boss

2010-10-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

So I own and operate a marketing company, which I LOVE! One of the fringe benefits is that I have a designer on staff - so I asked her to create a little something for my knitting patterns and blog. Here is what she came up with.

Thought it would add a nice, more professional look to the patterns that I have for sale on Ravelry!

TGIF - off to watch Diego with the little guy and catch up on some knitting.

Back on the Rock

2010-10-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well after a delayed ferry trip to Vancouver on Tuesday night and a long, slow ferry ride to Powell River yesterday, I am officially over the ferries :(

Busy work day today with a presentation at the Comox Valley Womens' Business Network tonight. Already looking forward to the weekend and a little downtime!

On a happy note, I got a great deal on Ravelry for some Knitpicks Andean Silk, so I will be busy online searching for the perfect thing to knit with it. No more knitting on Mondo Cabled Cardi - not enough time in the day!

Nice long weekend...

2010-10-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Mondo Cable Cardi - 25%

Thanksgiving was a nice and lazy holiday.

Got a bunch of knitting completed on the Mondo Cable Cardi and that is about it. Was lucky to be invited to dinner at a friends place, so no turkey prep for me this holiday! Will have to make sure that I return the favor around Christmas :)

Heading to pick up my little guy after 8 days away - can't wait to see him. Knitting will get sidelined over the next week while I make up for lost play-time with my 2 year old.

My Queue

2010-10-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love the most about Ravelry is the Queue. I am forever revising the Queue each time I am online. It is always funny to see patterns that I added 3 months ago, and wonder - "Why did I queue this - it is a fingering weight cardigan - there is no way I have the patience to knit that!"

That being said - here is the current Top 3 in my Ravelry Queue:

The Effortless Cardigan

Fitted Cabled Shawl Collared Sweater

Bayshore Cardigan

The Weekend

2010-10-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Another busy work week has come and gone. Looking forward to the celebration of Turkey Day.

My family is all in Ontario, so being a bit of a refugee we have been invited to a friend's place for a menu of deep fried turkey and a legendary (I have been told) stuffing that contains oatmeal and a few other interesting ingredients. My son will be with his Dad this weekend, so I am without a charge - translation - this is a wine holiday. I am responsible for bringing a salad - considering the spread we have been invited to I insisted that the addition of apple cider and rum would amp up my contribution. So there is my Sunday.

The rest of the weekend is already planned as well - cuddle into the couch and watch movies/food network and knit. That's all folks.

Hope to have a big chunky WIP to show you all this weekend :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Project - Mondo Cable Cardi

2010-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

So after messing around with my pile of patterns to knit - I got frustrated when I found a bunch of little errors - since I wrote them 2 years ago, by cold ridden brain could not figure out where the error was.

So - I did what any good knitter would do - give up and start something else :)

The start of Mondo Cable Cardi

I have always been a big fan of Bonnie Marie Burns and Chicknits. Her blog was actually the first blog I started reading years ago before the knitting blog-o-sphere exploded into what it is today. Her patterns are always super clear and easy to follow - she clearly has a great ability to write a pattern that is simple enough for new knitters, but that has interesting finishing options for more advanced knitters - I also like that many of her patterns have different lengths for sleeves, the choice to make it a vest vs. cardigan, etc...

Here is the details on my new project:

Pattern: Mondo Cable Cardi from Chicknits

Yarn: Berroco Vintage in Teal

Needles: US 8

Started: October 6, 2010

Cast Ons and Designs

2010-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have be lucky to sell quite a few patterns since the launch of Ravelry. The most popular was a pattern that I designed or ages 3 months to 3 years - The Essential Baby Cardigan. I wrote it in a simple top down cardigan pattern that you could knit in 3 different weights of yarn - worsted, DK and fingering or sock.

The Essential Baby Cardigan

So getting back into the blog makes me think about all of the designs that I have written up. I have 2 kids patterns and 2 adult patterns written up to be test knit. Now which one to cast on.....

My Halloween Boy - Sneak Peak

2010-10-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Carson - Feared Dragon/Preschooler

Ahh, toddlers - wait he isn't called a toddler any more - ahh, preschoolers. Carson is 2 1/2 and loves his Halloween costume. I was clever and purchased it while I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago at Old Navy - this super warm and fuzzy costume was $22.50 - which if you shop here in Canada, you will know is crazy cheap.

I hung it in the back of his closet, but couldn't help myself and let him try it on. Rawr!

Back to the Blog

2010-10-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well, back to the Blog...

I blogger for a couple of years under this URL and really enjoyed it. Then I had a baby and blogging (as well as any other spare time activity) went by the wayside. I used to blog about all sort of things from cooking to knitting, and enjoy the recording of things to look back at.

Now that my plate is slightly less full, I am going to take another crack at it. Cross your fingers people. This is a bit of a long shot.

I have knit since I was a little girl and have having been away from it - I really miss it. So over the last couple of months I started back slow knitting a couple of easy pieces - like Christmas Gift Scarves, etc. Now I feel like I am ready to get back into the swing of things.

I have a couple of projects currently on the go.

Cloud Chaser

#1 - This is a great pattern from Amy Swenson called Cloud Chaser - she is a great designer that I have followed for ages. Her patterns are always very clear to understand, but also fit really well on normal shaped women. Thanks Amy!

#2 - The other is an older pattern from Knitty called Rockstar. I bought this yarn 3 years ago to make up a scarf, but never started. This is destined to be a gift for my younger sister Megan for Christmas this year. Just started last night - so I will upload a picture when it looks like a bit more.

Well, first post out of the way - let's see if we can keep it up :)