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good neighbors

They say that fences make good neighbors…but in my case I really lucked out in the neighbor category.  Not only does Maaike live around the corner, but there are lots of awesome people on my street, especially C who helped me out not once, not twice, but three (!!) times today, even though we initially had to cancel our plans because she’s sick.

Her huge amount of (last minute) help meant that my secret project was able to be finished, as in all end woven in, finishing touches applied, and ready to be mailed.  I just need to finalize the written pattern first to make sure there are no measurements/etc to be taken, and it will be done!

The resulting unexpected free time (I’d only scheduled to be finished later in the week)  meant that I could finally finish up the project that has been on my loom since January.

It’s going to be a surprise present for my aunt, but I think it’s ok to talk about here ‘cus I’m pretty sure she doesn’t read/know about my blog.  I wove until it ws 60″ long.  There are only 59″ showing in the photo, but the point of the photo was to show the lack of too much loom waste.  My mom’s scarf was cut off the loom at the proper length, but I’d overestimated how much warp I’d need.  Here you can see that my warp is completely unwound with just the loops remaining on the back beam.  (Technical term?  Not sure).

A quick hemstitch was the only finishing done to the edges.  My aunt had commented on liking the “infinity”-style scarves she’d been seeing everywhere, the ones you can wear long as a scarf or wrapped twice around your neck as a cowl.  My plan had always been to join the two short ends after twisting the scarf once, but I hadn’t really thought through how the join would work.

I debated tying knots to join the two sides and having a short fringe running down, but quickly decided that would look kinda awful.  I consulted with Maaike and had decided to hem the two edges by hand and then join them, but at the last minute called up C and asked if she could sew them together for me with her machine (that was the 3rd help of the day) and she graciously obliged.

I’ll show the resulting seam after I soak and dry it later tonight.  For now I leave you with my easy answer on how to straighten the beginner weaver’s problem of uneven selvedges- single crochet!  Because the scarf had a twist in it, it effectively became a moebius….a word my spell check doesn’t seem to believe exists.  Anyhoo, that let me start at one point, single crochet in every 2nd hole at the edge, and end up exactly right back where I started from.  The sc edge done in the working yarn gave a cute rainbow look around the scarf, and ensured that no matter which end/edge is up, the edges will always look “finished”.

Now I’m going to let it soak in a Eucalan bath for an hour or so, towel out most of the water then pop it in the dryer to really soften & full the fabric.


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cool shades, man

I kept Henri home from swimming this morning…even though he’s on the antibiotics, he’s still got a bit of a cough and more than not wanting to make anyone else sick, I don’t want him to catch anything else.  (Does that make me a bad person?  Maybe…but a good mom).

When Yannick and Jakob got back they picked us up and we went into town for brunch with my family.  My brother just moved in with a friend and some of us weren’t able to make it to his housewarming party, so we all went for brunch at a place near their condo and then got to go take a tour.

I managed to snap these pics of the boys during the car-ride home.  They were getting sleepy and silly, but were cute as always.

Henri, just chillin’.

Jakob, my little ham.


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yum

I like Saturdays.  Our store is open Tues-Sat, but because I don’t want to have to pay a babysitter for the day, I get to stay home with the kids.  We get up, I make breakfast, send Yannick off to work, and then have the whole day open to hang out with my two favorite boys (well, until 1pm, when both their butts have to get into bed).  Saturday is usually the day we do crafts that require more involvement than “markers” and “paper”, or we’ll go on errands, or we’ll all snuggle on the couch in the den, with the lights off “so it’s like a movie” (as per Jakob), and watch Word World, or Jake & the Neverland Pirates, or the Muppet Show.

It’s thanks to the Muppet Show DVDs that we get moments like this:

I got a chance to knit the last bit on my secret project, and then had another good part of Saturdays- take out.  Most nights I make dinner ‘cus Yannick is home too late to eat at “dinner time”.  But sometimes on Saturdays he’s home early enough, and will pick up takeout.

Because I got used to eating smaller portions, there are very few places that I enjoy eating at any more, because not everything is good as leftovers.  But there’s a place that has an appetizer that is the perfect size and the perfect taste for me these days- the tuna tartar from Portovino.  Mmmmmm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpRIYAYJjoc


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cadmium

Without further ado, allow me to present Cadmium:

As you can see I was faithful to the desired sketch.

Cadmium is a dress/layering piece, sleeveless with 4 integrated belts actually woven through the runs created by dropping stitches.  It’s knit from side to side and the only seams are to close the tops of both shoulders.

Here’s a closeup of the belts.  Because they’re woven through the garment, you can leave the dress loose or cinch it up to gather at the waist or hips.

Because it’s knit sideways, it’s easy to modify the length by simply casting on fewer stitches and always remembering that difference vs the stated stitch counts.  So it could easily be made hip or thigh length.

The pattern is part of the premiere issue of Clotheshorse magazine, and I really urge you to check it out.  Besides my design there are a ton of other really gorgeous patterns (a few I’ve already planned to make).  You can find the whole issue here at the Clotheshorse site or find the pattern directly at Ravelry here.

(All photos above copyright to Clotheshorse)


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cadmium preview

I’m so excited that I can finally blog about this!

Last year sometime, while browsing in a designers’ group on Ravelry, I came across a call for submissions for a new online knitting magazine that would be debuting in Spring 2012.  Their goal was to be very fashion-forwards and right on-trend with the latest runway styles.

I submitted an idea I had for a drop-stitch cardigan.  What would make it cool is that it would be knitted sideways, so that the dropped stitches would run horizontally, and then I’d deliberately place some of them to be near the waist so that I could weave a belt through.  I thought it would be really cool, and submitted these sketches:

showing my idea in 2 different colorways, with the intent of showing the clothing underneath peeking through the dropped stitches.  I also sent along a photo of a swatch I’d made testing out my belt theory.

A few weeks of waiting with everything crossed that can be followed, and then I heard the news- my pattern was accepted!  Yay!  All that they asked was if I’d be willing to change the silhouette to be a bit more in line with their ideas for the magazine, so instead of a sleeveless cardigan, could I make it into a wrap dress?  They sent me this sketch as an example:

That was a design change I was willing to live with, and so as soon as the yarn arrived I got to work.

First of all- the yarn is LOVELY to work with!  It’s Araucania Ruca Solid, 100% sugar cane, and my first time working with sugar cane yarn.  It’s got a sheen like silk and an excellent drape.

The pattern and sample was sent out last September and now it’s just been a waiting game for the pattern to go live…which it has!

Pics and link tomorrow- I’m such a tease!  🙂

ps I’m 2 rows short of being officially 2 days ahead of schedule on my secret project.  And Henri’s still coughing but has no more fever.  And my hernia(s) haven’t popped out again.  Woo hoos all around!


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back to the doctor with henri we go

I kept Henri home from school again today…his fever isn’t as high but the poor kid can’t stop coughing his lungs out, and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t more than just a virus.  Turns out it’s now developed into bronchitis and an ear infection.  😦

Because we were home for the day I got quite a bit of knitting done and am still running ahead of where I should be (11 rows ahead of schedule), though I look forwards to getting more done when we’re home tomorrow (since I need to keep him home until he’s on antibiotics at least 24 hours).

Here’s a pic of me that my cousin Amy took last night at guild.  We show off our recent finished objects then Amy takes pics for our guild photo album.

Photo credit to Photography by Amy Grauer


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*yawn*

Had another sleepless night ‘cus of Henri’s coughing.  Spent Valentine’s Day home cuddling with my baby, then went to guild and was the featured speaker, doing a talk on intarsia.  Eeek!  I think it went over well, no one seemed too lost by what I was saying, so hopefully I got some information out there.  During the rest of the meeting I wasn’t able to work on my main project because of having to pay attention, but I did get some mindless knitting done on my January/February sock.  I need about 30 more rows and then I can work the heel.


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cuddle day

Well I’d been hoping for my Monday (my day off) to get a ton of knitting done, but after another sleepless night we had to bring Henri in to the doctor (the fever and cough are apparently just a virus) then rush and bring him with us to get to our joint eye appointment.  We got home in time to get Henri to bed for his nap, and I don’t get it- at bedtime (1pm) he had 102 F fever.  I gave him tempra, and he slept.  He woke up at 4pm and had 104 F fever!  The poor kid spent all evening just lying lethargic in my arms, glassy-eyed and barely able to move.  😦

It was hard to get anything else done, so I only managed to get a few rows in, but am still on track.


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sleepy

We were supposed to have swimming this morning, but Henri was up all night coughing which meant neither Yannick or I got any sleep.  Instead of rushing to the pool we took it easy and then went to the airport to surprise my parents as they arrived back from vacation.

Yannick and my parents took the kids out for lunch and I came in to work to get some stuff done, then got home in time for the kids to wake up from their nap and go to my parents’ place for dinner.  Poor Henri has started having a fever and has been coughing non-stop, so I think I’m going to have to bring him to the doctor tomorrow.

I got a bit of knitting done tonight, redid the bind off I messed up yesterday and then got more done on the 2nd part of the project.

Still nervous about the hernia, but it didn’t pop out again so each day that goes by without it makes it easier to forget how painful and scary it was.

 


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self-portrait and sparkles

Was home with the kids today and luckily they were super-well behaved.  They were pretending to be superheroes today, and I caught this cute pic:

Later in the afternoon my sister came by and needed me to draw for her for a school assignment (she’s become an art teacher).  First I had to draw a self portrait:

I copied my current favorite photo, though looking back on it now I made the hair too poofy on the right, and my cheek isn’t big enough on the left (of the picture).  My left eye really isn’t that wonky in person, but I’d erased it too many times and wore out the paper a bit.

Then I had to draw anything I wanted.

I drew a fairy and colored it in with some glitter nail polish 🙂

Once she left and the kids were in bed I go to work binding off part of my project using a bind off I think I created.  But I messed up and realized once I’d done the whole thing that I had to rip it back.  I have no patience to do that now, so I’m going to bed instead.