Celtic Cast On

Cowls have taken over the blogosphere!!!! If you haven’t already knit one I KNOW your tempted to. What could be better than a simple knit, quick project, most definately portable that could be done in a matter of hours. After seeing many many many cowls out there I finally decided to give one a go and see what all the fuss was about…… Casually Cowl was born.

                                                                          Casually Cowl

               Start Date: June 6th 2008

               Finish Date: June 6th 2008

               Yarn: Handspun gifted by my MIL

               Pattern: my own

               Needles: 5mm circs

Knit in a matter of hours, I couldn’t put this down. Round and round we go and after a few shows that were  PVR’d I have a nice new Cowl.

   This is quite a thick handspun so will be very nice in the winter and cold fall nights. I’ve even tucked it on the bike with me incase we are driving home late one evening and i’m freezing my buns off. I now see why you can’t knit just one, I’m already contemplating my second.

                                       I also received the cutest gift in the mail this week from Kristina.

    Is that not the cutest little felted purse? I love the little felted ball as the zipper pull. I’m assuming she made this herself, its even lined with bright fabric too, I *heart* it! As if that wasn’t enough inside was something even cuter.

                                                      The card reads “I just had to get you these”

              Although I haven’t seen Mr. Owl since winter i’m sure he’s still hanging out on the Ridge somewhere. These little guys will remind me of him everytime I use them, which will be very often! They are too cute NOT to use. THANK YOU soooo much Kristina, you nailed the me factor once again

                                                         Lots more FO’s coming at ya!!

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Lawerence

Yarn: Elspeth Lavold Silky Wool

Needles: U.S. 8 circs

Start Date: March 22nd 2008

Finish Date: May 11th 2008

I made this shawl for my mum, for her birthday on the 17th of May. I knew I wanted to make her a shawl, my very first lace project and shawl project and had had the exact pattern and yarn in my stash for a while waiting patiently to be knit. Laura gifted me with the pattern when I went to visit her in Kansas last year and the yarn I bought online months ago with mum in mind as she loves brown. I only really worked on this shawl for 4 days out of the almost two months it took to complete. My biggest mistake was putting it down after the second day and starting another knit. NEVER AGAIN will I do that…. with lace I mean, i’m not getting too carried away. It just wasn’t the same the next time I picked it up, I couldn’t seem to get a flow again like I had originally. Alot of tinking occured, some mistakes, tinking, frustration and finally I decided I’d done pretty dang good on my first lace project and cut it short. I wanted to make it twice the size but ended up only added 2 extra repeats, to save my sanity.

Now that the shawl is done two knits have been occupying my time. The first is Clapotis from Knitty.  I’m sure i’m the only knitter left that hasn’t knit this and never really had the desire to until a few weeks ago. I wanted a simple wrap type garment to mostly just cover my arms up when i’m sitting for periods of time during the summer, I get cold fairly easily and Clapotis seemed like the perfect antidote. I’m using Fearless Fibers Mermaid that I won in one of Kelli’s contest’s oh a year or so ago. This picture doesn’t represent the true colours very well, its much brighter in daylight, more pictures to come.

The second knit was actually the culprit that drew me away from mum’s shawl in the first place. Its Anne Elliot Spencer by CanarySanctuary, a popular queued item by many folks of ravelry but not many knit up. I have one more front panel to knit and it will be complete. Can’t wait to wear it!

                                                      Cobblestone by Jared Flood

Start Date: Feb 26th 2008

Finish Date: March 15th 2008

Yarn: Queensland Kathmandu Aran in Chocolate

Needles: US 7

So I’m a little slack on getting my finished pics up. Heck never mind up I just took them yesterday Cobblestone was a joy to knit. Its the first sweater i’ve done in the round, first yoke, knitting on sleeves first construction of this kind. I loved it. If all sweater patterns should we written this way I’d have a few more finished sweaters let me tell ya. The only thing I’m not crazy about it the seam up the back of the yoke but I can live with it.

I must say I was a little scared when I realized *well into the yoke* that I was knitting the smallest size when I should have been knitting the second size up. I briefly thought of frogging and starting again but they I thought “Well I’ve knit an entire sweater already I may as well finish it off and someone else can wear it if its too small.” I’d had Moose try it on while I was knitting and it was rather snug. After casting off I immediately soaked it and blocked. The soaking was what it needed, talk about stretchy yarn!! It blocked beautifully and it just the right size for Moose.

And the knitting goes on. There are some big happening’s going on at the ridge right now but that will have to save for another post. I have Finished Knits and yummy yarn to show you!!

The weather is slowly warming and some layers are being shed but these little ears get sore very quickly with the cool winds. It not cold enough for a hat most evenings when we take the dogs out but I do need something to keep these little ears of mine safe and warm.

Calorimetry from Knitty teamed up with some Rowanspun DK the lovely Claudia gifted me was a perfect match. I love the tweedy goodness of olive green with mustard flecks… yummm! I of course had 2 skeins gifted to me so I just had to make some matching fingerless mitts. I used the pattern from the February issue of Simply Knitting. I ended up making three of the dang things, the first was too big so it was frog and reknit with alot less stitches to fit snuggly on my tiny wrists.

I finished the Calorimetry off with a lovely little chocolate button. I heart these buttons so much! Spring here I come!!!

What?? Your not waiting for the yummy yarn I promised were ya??? ok ok Lately I have had some what of a lucky streak, all within the same week.

I won a contest over at Yarnivorous aka Lynne’s blog. She sent me a fantastic package from the opposite side of NA in California.  Socks that Rock *squeals* and A Piece of Vermont both yarns I have neither touched nor tried, a cute set of stitch markers and a wonderful postcard of her homeland Oz. Thank you sooo much Lynne I can’t wait to try out these yummy yarns!

The luck continued when Kelli informed me I’d won a runner up prize for a contest at her blog. I recieved a $10.00 gift certificate to use at Zero Markers. Hummm the decisions! I kept coming back to the same set and knew it was the one. I was however plesantly surprised when they arrived. Not only did I get two extra markers than expected but the ones I ordered were GREEN!!!!!!! Call me stupid but I thought they were brown in the picture. You would have thought the description of “YELLOW TURQUOISE” would have given it away but nooooooo. I’m chalking it up to being over excited about winning a contest Anyway when they arrived I opened then and exclaimed “THEY’RE GREEN!!!!!!!!!! ohhhhh I love them!!!” Yup made my day they did! Thanks Kel for spoiling me so!

                       I do have a finished Cobblestone to share with you but that and more exciting things coming soon!

Things have been a little BLAH around here as of late but through it all I have been knitting. Keeps a body sane right?? First up I have the cutest pair of baby bell bottoms you ever did see!!

                                                                            CUTE HUH!!

I wasn’t sure how the striping was going to turn out or that I would be able to match the legs but I think they are as good as I could get them to be.

       Baby Bell Bottoms

 Start Date: March 30th 2008

 Finish Date: April 13th 2008

 Yarn: Regia Canadian Colour 4733

 Needle: US 6 circs

If I were to knit these again I would definately knit the legs in the round, sooo much easier than seaming each leg. I did a little picot edge at the bottom of the legs and left out the drawstring. I put an elastic waist band in instead to keep them up. No need to ask who they are for because if you don’t know by now…… well you either must be new to the blog or just haven’t been paying attention. These are for a future Mooselet They have been tucked away with the others until the time comes.

We have been busy clearing land and getting ready to soon be putting up fencing. Burning bush has been the the task for the past few sundays and i’m glad to say it is almost finished. Here are just a few shots I took during out burning adventures. Click on any to make them bigger. I love the picture of me and Molly. We keeping snapping pictures of with her eyes closed. Makes me giggle everytime

                                                                           Fungi

Now that our snow is FINALLY gone,and I say FINALLY with my fingers crossed, we are discovering lots of things throughout the property we have missed out on and or overlooked. During the past month Moose has been cutting down deadfall’s and brush to make way for pasture land. I seem to be exploring that part alot more, looking for any new little thing that hasn’t caught my eye.  Alot of the dead trees seem to be the nicest to look at, during this time of year. While all the other trees are leaf less and brown the dead trees seem to come to life. Green moss hanging from the branches, bark peeled back to reveal a lovely golden inside and delicate little white and brown fungi growing off the truck.

I can’t help but stare at the intricate detailing on each little shape. Wondering how they formed to what they are now.

Flickr has many other different types of fungi seen here here and here. Is it just me or does anyone else find the colours and composition of these little things fascinating???

I seem to be knitting everything in three’s as of late. By the third i’m definately ready for another project so its just as well i’m not knitting in four’s.

These are the cutest little tissue socks I whipped up over my lunch break. Simple and small enough to mindlessly knit and finish within the day. I used left overs of sock yarn that I had laying around.

From left to right are knit picks spring prairie, *top* spunky eclectic neopolitan, and sugar bunny boulevard Kelly. ahhhhhh such cutess will fit perfectly inside my knitting bag. Now which one do you want mum???

Mister Owl happens to be hanging around none other than MY house. I let Bos and Molly out to pee friday morning, Bos ran out and starting jumping up in the air at something. Mister Owl was hanging out on our telephone line until Boston scared him off. Hopefully he will return again.

Boston loves his Nanny and Granda. He gets sooo excited when they come, dad tends to wind him up too so that only aids in the excitement.

 ~ heheheheh only at nanny and granda’s can you sneak on the couch. When are we going back there again? ~ Boston