No need to look beyond my own backyard

Well those of us in the north know that winter is nipping at our heals. The leaves are turning and the flowers in the garden have past their prime. I felt the need to slip out the backdoor and snap shots of the last gasps of summery breath. In the coming gray months, I can retreat into these images for inspiration. The garden's last hurrah will undoubtedly inspire colour combinations that will surface in my knitting projects as chilling winds whip down my street and try to numb my spirit.

A week of mitts and cosmetics

My students, I'm a high school art teacher, have been busy finishing their first knitted assignment, a pair of mittens. They were given a very basis 2-needle mitten pattern, taught the necessary skills, and asked to create a unique pair of mittens using at least two colours. These are a few of their projects.

Jim, my partner, and I also did our first video shoot for defineyourself an on-line program which addresses the aging concerns of 40+ individuals. In exchange for participating, we have been granted some free services if we wish to enhance our appearances and look more youthful. How far would you go if given access to botox, restylane, lazer treatments, etc?

Hat's All Folks!!

I recall a Bugs Bunny cartoon from my youth in which a hat-laden truck spills its cargo, dumping a plethora of hats into the wind. As Elmer Fudd chases the waskily wabbit, hats land on their noggins and they assume the roles dictated by the headgear. Wearing a bridal veil and top hot, the two eventually marry and head off into the sunset. I wish the hats I create could be as magical. While my hats are not task specific, I would be thrilled if the wearers could adopt the spirit of joy imbued in the textures and colours of these playful brain cosies. 

Apparently I am still adjusting to my new sleep schedule, I am back in the classroom and could barely keep my eyes open all week. This means that I didn't get much knitting or pattern writing accomplished. On Friday I finally knit a small Turn-A-Square hat. I used Noro Kureyon, an aran weight yarn, instead of the recommended worsted, so I cast on 80 st using a 3.5mm needle and switched to a 4.5mm needle when I finished the ribbing. I just need to attach a pompom to it, and it's a done deal. I made a second hat on Saturday for my friend Joan.

On Friday our new cabinets arrived, a mere 8 weeks overdue. While Jim and I are annoyed at the quality of service, we love these cabinets made from repurposed materials: doors, tin ceiling tiles, church pews, etc. The look is very rustic and they look good in our bedroom. The units are made by a small Toronto company called Forever Interiors.

It' s been a good week. I'm back to teaching and I think I'm gonna enjoy my classes; I'm teaching grade 12 art and grade 10 media arts.  Forty-five grade 12s are already knitting and will start their mitten projects this week.  Jim and I had a great day at the Georgetown Farmer's Market. I sold three of my original shawls (two are heading to Arizona  and one is off to Minnesota as a Xmas gifts) and Jim had exceptional jewellery sales too. Jim and I have also been approached about participating in the fourth season of an on-line video magazine called Define Yourself. It focuses on the responses to aging by those who are forty plus. If we are selected, we will the first men to take part in this venture. A videographer was taping us as we went about our business on Saturday. It was both interesting and unnerving 'cause while Jim is extremely gregarious, I definitely on the shy side. It also offers us an interesting question to consider: Will we take them up on an offer to undergo a variety of "enhancing" treatments which may include botox and restylane injections? Hmmmmm.

I also managed to complete the re-worked Sea to Sea Shawl. It looks much better than the original version; it's lacier due to a few thousand added yarnovers. I need to complete the written pattern and post it this week.

The next design is sloshing around in my noggin; I want to create a shawl inspired by one of my favourite old movies, Arsenic and Old Lace. I already have the perfect lace weight from NoTwoSnowflakes. Its a silk with a sweet silver sheen.

Selling the High Seas

I've decided to re-knit the From Sea to Sea Shawl. This is an opportunity to tweak the pattern in preparation for releasing  it for sale on Ravelry. I'm using another alpaca yarn, Classic Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca Lace.  It's nice and squishy with a light halo that does not interfere with the fields of texture and yarnovers. I've also gone against my usual instincts and am knitting with beige yarn.  I don't do beige.  This will force me to focus on the look of the piece and not rely on colour as a way to add the wow factor. 

Commissions: Grin and Beret It

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I designed and knit a sweater and beret at the request of a friend. The project is currently on its way to Switzerland as a gift for baby Chloe. While I worked on it, I thought a lot about commissions and whether or not they are worth my time.. No surprise that they are not. I think this will be my last one; Including the cost of materials, I made a 50 cents an hour. I must say I did love working with the DROPS Alpaca. It's not overly pricey and it's super soft, perfect for baby clothes. This yarn also comes in a wide range of colours. I may use it in the future to create some playful mittens for the upcoming winter.

  

Jim's Revenge: Beading Me to a Pulp

As a feverishly purchased my numerous skeins of yarn, Jim smiled and never delivered a complaint. He had a goal in mind; upon our return he hooked up with Ron at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Canada). Ron is a retired chemical engineer who electroplates leaves, maple keys, acorns, starfish, sand dollars, and other natural elements with copper, stirling silver and gold. The results are quite beautiful and , obviously, no two pieces are alike. These pieces have lit a fire under Jim, he designed several new pieces, earring pairs and necklaces, with the new trinkets. There are lovely and they got much attention at our booth at the Georgetown Farmer's Market. I'll have to post pics tomorrow as Jim has plans for me to photograph much of the new work so he can update his Earth Candy website.

Got around to posting my first original design

I've been thinking about posting an original design on Ravelry. I began this project back in May while heading to NYC by bus with a group of students. I did my math and created my first charts will we headed for the US border. I brought along the beautiful silk yarn that had recently arrived from Notwosnowflakes. I knit half the project and was not happy with my progress. I frogged the project and went back to reconfigure my charts when I returned home.  I purchased Intwined software on-line and eventually used it to create the final product, the Manhattan Shawl.pdf. The shawl consists of 4 rings: the innermost nods to the Brooklyn Bridges twin gothic arches, next is the ring inspired by the Victorian houses of Harlem, third is the Central Park tree ring, and finally is the Empire State design.

Manhattan Shawl

Detail of Manhattan Shawl

New designs are in the works. As soon as I finish a project for my friend Jan, I will begin to refine the From Sea to Sea Shawl, a piece inspired by symbols of Canada.

Jim did the driving while I rode shotgun and took pictures

I'm a yarn whore. While traveling the past few weeks, I managed to pick up a few goodies. Below are the assorted yarns I picked up while we traveled through the north eastern US, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A few were in my mailbox when I returned to Toronto. I am officially cut off, but they are mighty pretty. I found cotton, wool, silk, mohair, alpaca and a range of blends. I love'em all and have enough to inspire me for quite some time.

I enjoyed picking up yarns that serve as souvenirs and remind me of the places we visited and the wonderful people we met. These goodies will bring me much more joy than a tacky tee-shirt

From Montpelier, Vermont

At home on my return - Juicy green silk

Fleece Artist from Nova Scotia

From Notwosnowflakes - they have awesome stuff on Etsy

Tess Yarns, Portland, Maine

Tess Yarns, Portland, Maine

Tess Yarns, Portland, Maine

Tess Yarns, Portland, Maine

Tess Yarns, Portland, Maine

Alpaca from Gaspereau Valley Wools

Alpaca from Gaspereau Valley Wools

Alpaca from Gaspereau Valley Wools

Kid/silk from Gaspereau Valley, NS

Fleece Artist from Gaspereau Valley Wools

Mohair from Gaspereau Valley Wools

From Lundon Wul, NB

Handmaiden from London Wul, NB

Alpaca from Maine

Silk From Salem, Mass

Cotton from Gloucester, Mass'

From Gloucester, Mass

The only skein of Acrylic, but it is shiny, from NB

Sock yarn from Maine

Lovely black alpaca from Maine