I'm in Love!

Oh my. I'm kicking myself right now. I bought a Ultimate Sweater Machine (knitting machine) from a friend of mine who was moving in April. And I've left it in the box until today, mostly because I didn't have anyplace to set it up (it's a little less that 4 ft. long). So I finally went out today, and bought a length of shelving, and a couple of C clamps, and attached it to my old kitchen table which is dwelling in the basement storeroom. Then set it up.



Wow. I followed the directions and watched the VCR tape, and started knitting. It's nothing short of miraculous. I did a practice piece, which went well, except for some curling, but I know that can be fixed with blocking and with a border. Then I started a baby blanket with some Bernet Baby Boucle I had just sitting around. In less time that it will take me to set up this blog entry (about 1/2 hour) I had this much done:



That's from tabletop to floor...each block of colour is 30 rows tall. In a half hour. And it looks great!

I really think that if I had enough colours and yarn (I need to pick up some "boy" colours like blue and green and a few more balls of white) and if I didn't have to got to work tonight, I think I could finish this in 3 - 4 hours. Even with the crochet edging.

I am so psyched. This is going to be a great fall. Crafting is going to be fun again!

Been a little while!

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've had a little crafting lull, with going on vacation and the children's end-of-the-school-year activities taking up a lot of my time. I have perfected the tunisian panta, however, and will post instructions soon.

On the other hand, I have just received from a good friend of mine in the midwest, the *new* long Knifty Knitter set, and I'm trying to figure them out. After being used to the round ones with the big solid pegs for such a long time, it's hard to adjust to the new length and to the rather petite pegs. It really does lead to a completely different style of knitting looming, and it's a challenge. I'm so glad I got these looms before they come out in Canada, at least then maybe I'll have a plan on how to teach with them.

As a Michaels instructor, I've noticed a huge lull in my class attendance! I haven't had a class since May. I think that the summer is just not a time for yarn crafting. So I'm resting up for the fall, when I know I'll be busy!

Here are the new Knifty Knitters, for anyone who hasn't seen them yet:



Good crafting to everyone!

Team Canada Jersy

Hey, while I don't usually post pictures of myself (I'm not terribly photogenic), I got my Team Canada Knitting Olympics Jersey last Tuesday, and have been cheerily wearing it ever since!! Here I am:



Okay, look at the shirt, and not me. Remember that.

One of the girls on the Team Loom Knitting made a couple of Pantas. I asked her what they were, and she said they were a sort of Norwegian Headband, which is evidently making the rounds of the knitting world. I did some research, and it's cool. I thought I'd try it in Tunisian Crochet (since I can't needle knit)...I experimented and came up with this:



It looks nice, but too large format since I made it with an L-hook. I'm working on one now using a I-hook and that cool Possum Fur/Merino Wool that I got a few months back, and trying to make it look more like a knitted one. I should have that up in a couple of days.

Betcha you'll all be on tenterhooks just waiting for that one!

Sweater all Done!

Well, I finally finished my sweater today. Like the Canadian Woman's Curling Team, I'm brought a bit low with a cough and cold caught from my son, but I persevered and it is done, finished one day ahead!



I crocheted on bell sleeves, and then did a single crochet all along the edges to give it a more finished look. Then I made the frog closures by creating an i-cord on the blue KK, and crocheting the buttons.

Here's a detail of the frog closures:



Finally, here's a pic of my princess wearing her sweater! It would look better with a dress maybe. It turned out to be more of a blazer-type sweater than a cardigan, but boy, she looks cute with it on!

Nearly Done!

Well, I've got all the pieces of the sweater done, and sewn together. It actually looks better than I thought it would, although it hangs a little funny. I haven't yet had my daughter try it on, since she's asleep right now. As soon as she gets up, I'll take a pic of her wearing it.

Now, it's not ready. I haven't woven in all the ends. And the sleeves are too short, on purpose, so that I could do a crochet trim on it. I'll probably put a little trim on the bottom edge and the collar.

Here's it for your enjoyment: Oh, and since I'm going to get this done before the end of the olympics, I'm going to make a blanket square or two for "Blankets for Canada".

First Post

Hi Everyone! I've decided to separate my blog into two...keep the Livejournal for family-type posts, and put my craft stuff on this one. I'll be cross-posting when I post on either site.

To start with, I want to post this baby blanket I made recently for my best friend Cindi's new baby boy!! It's done in Tunisian Crochet Entralac:



I love this stitch. I'm thinking that a blanket for my sister's wedding gift is going to be next, after the Loom Knitting Olympics are over!

Here's a detail of the blanket, so you can get a better idea of how it looks:



Ah, now that's I've photographed and posted, I can finally mail it out!