Raindrops keep falling on my fiddlehead...

Woolala what fun I had with this one. I happened to have found some large beads that look just like rain drops...And we finally got some much needed rain. Was bound to happen.

As usual I am so exited to show that I take pictures in the dark at 6 am...
This baby was made with Noro silk garden socks, and the fiddleheads with a new to me yarn called Kauni from Denmark that I discovered at Three bags full in Vancouver. Another great wool shop for me to haunt while out of town.

Don't they look like little raindrops all over my fiddleheads...

Knitting XXXXXXL

I have had so much fun in the last 2 days, knitting furiously a pair of "Alpine boot slippers" from Fiber trends.

A nice change of pace on 9mm needles, double yarn, in my case Patons Classic Wool and odds and ends of reds homespun in my stash. Talk about a stash buster!!! Yes I still have a humongous stash but it took a serious amount of fibers.

They are fun, fast, and fabulous...

BEFORE

Of course I put them in the washing machine right off the needles, could hardly wait, so did dh, it was like Christmas waiting to open your present.

Amazingly enough 1 felted faster than the other??? that was a first for me, the second one had to go through another 10 minutes, very interesting considering I made them at the same time, so I was sure the counts were the same. Learning never stops.

AFTER

Ta da!!! Voila les super boots, drying, drying, drying, inside, it is raining outside and I have to wait....

I added 10 rows in the lengh as I wanted them very high, worked great but for the next time I will increase the width as well to accommodate the calves. They fit great for indoors but I want a pair to wear outside.

Probably 3 or 4 days will be enough drying as I want them well blocked, and then I am wearing them regardless of weather.

Doubleknitting, adventures with fish.

I have been busy with a new technique to me: doubleknitting.

I love the challenge of knitting in positive/negative all the time and have been playing with it.

The result, 2 doubleknit hats.

Hat #1: KOI

and the other side

I made the lilly pads separately on pins so they can be placed anywhere on either side.

Hat #2: 1 fish, 2 fish, r.....

and the other side

Doubleknitting can be a lot of work, concentration is key, but the results are very rewarding.

Look what I got in the mail!!!!

I am soooo exited, I got a parcel in the mail today...

It all started with a simple inquiry in Ravelry, my much used and abused I-cord machine packed it in.

Quick second of silence for the dearly departed...

However I knew where to get a new one from the states, but I wanted one from Canada, I had my personal reasons.

Posted in forums on Ravelry, got great feedback and responses, (Don't you just love Ravelry) even offers of trade which I really appreciated, but the one that got to me the fastest was Robyn, of Robyn's nest. What a great person to have met, and after a few emails look at what the snail mail brought to my lap!!!

Yessss

You have guessed it

A beautiful, wonderful, helpful, brilliant tool to replace the now retired purple one!!!
This really turns my crank!!!

Look at what the storm blew in...

We had a crazy storm last Friday, and I was trying to stay calm. Since the 2006 storm every time the wind picks up my body starts to shake. I have gone from heavy drugs to knitting. I discovered that in those cases the best anti anxiety I know is small concentrated fiddling work and ear plugs... If I don't hear it am okay!!!

I had just finished the main part of a hat, was glancing sideways at my button stash, so here is:

"A Case of Too many Buttons"

The patience and concentration of sewing soo many buttons did the trick, I stayed calm through howling winds...

and got another crazy hat to boot.

Besides being in love with the colors and the noise the hat makes when I shake my head I love the reactions of people when I ware it. Goes from bursting out laughing to "all that sewing, are you insane!!!"

What a wonderful way to lighten up our lives...

Night time knitting

I just finished this and could not wait for day time!!!

Lately I get up around 4 am, get a lot of knitting done, that's way better than to toss and turn.

"Red Cabbage and Dandelions Hat"

A while back, a dear friend gave me 2 pompom makers for my birthday, does she know me or what? I can see a lot of those creeping up in my work in the future...

Anyway, this was made from a shawl I started 3 days ago, wasn't too sure about the overall feeling of it, casted it off as a scarf, still not too sure, then plonked it on my hat stand and took it from there.
Gathered the scarf in a "Cabbage shape, picked up stitches around the crown, knitted a hat top down.

The "dandelions" and "fiddle heads" tied the whole thing together, the scarf fringe fell naturally in place.

I wonder if my fascination for volume on top of my head, my hair is so thin now, has anything to do with the increasing largeness of my hats...

Dandelions are Hats

I have been sick this winter and spent a lot of time healing and knitting. Part of the "cure" was to eat a lot of bitters to help filter my system. So I started to eat the lawn... I grazed...Dandelions, I love them, they are so fresh and crisp and meaty and healthy for me. It rubbed off in knitting ways too, so I designed a

Dandelion Hat

Now because I had grazed soooo much in February and March, and you have to eat them before they flower, when I decided to take the picture, all I could find in bloom was this lonely one by the shed...Lucky you, you could have been in my tummy!!!

Anyway, it was fun to make the pompoms/dandelions in a fluo yellow/green silk/mohair, and I can see myself wearing that one for awhile...