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blame Tara

It’s all Tara’s fault.

I’ve been a little knitting restless lately, because I’m knitting for hire but occassionally I get stretches of time where I’m waiting for an instruction so I need something else to work on while I wait. I’m not going to randomly cast on for a sock or something and have ANOTHER unfinished object lying around. I have a few projects I’d like to start, but Maaike and I agreed we’d do mini “KAL”s for them, and so I need to wait for her to be ready, plus since I have Veronik’s knitting as a priority, I really need something I can pick up or put down without any guilt that someone is waiting for me to catch up.

Then Tara goes and mentions the Pinwheel Blanket she’s been working on. Which reminded me how long I’ve wanted to knit one. And how I have a perfect excuse. Plus how it is mindless and pretty-much patternless, which means I can pick it up and put it down whenever I want without making notes in a chart, or taking a note of my row count.

So I blame Tara for the fact that I am about to go stash diving for suitable yarn while I await an instruction clarification. I had no intent of casting on anything new, I swear.

It’s Tara’s fault.


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SP12 QOTW

Time for the next Question of the Week:
We are all creatures of habit and when it comes to sitting down to knit, it’s no different…
What is(are) your favorite place(s) to knit?
My favorite place to knit is in front of the TV. Ideally I’ll have a stack of VHS tapes of the shows I’d recorded in the last little while, which would give me a few hours of only the shows I want to see. I knit without looking, so I get restless if I have nothing to distract my eyes. Also, this will sound strange because knitting requires varying degrees of concentration depending on the project, but I need the TV (or at least my iPod) to keep my brain occupied while I knit.

What supplies (besides yarn & needles) make the setting perfect for knitting?
Um…light? I have knit in the dark, but it didn’t turn out pretty. Seriously, I think the only thing I’d need besides my yarn, needles and pattern, would be my notions caddy. I have a small 2-level makeup bag that holds everything I need in a compact, easily portable little bundle. Everything is in there, from scissors and sewing needles to spare buttons, pens, pencils, a highlighter, measuring tape, needle gauge, stitch markers, a scale, reinforcing thread, elastic thread, waste yarn, stitch holders and more I’m sure I’m forgetting.

Beyond that I just need a comfortable seat, although I have knit while walking many times. I’d love to be able to knit while lying down, but it isn’t worth the strain on my arms.


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i found it!

Just wanted to let you know that it was driving me crazy, so I Googled my fingers off and found the creepy diner!

It’s the Farmer’s Diner, in Quechee, Vermont.

Of course, now I feel bad. I really want to explain that it was “probably” only creepy because it was half deserted and in the pitch-black, early night. And had no cell signal. And locked me out.

I also wanted to mention that both Maaike and I were impressed with the menu; it was full of highlighted items, each one was something that was locally produced or grown. We both had the South of the (Canadian) Border Nachos – hoo boy was the chicken spicy! – but had we more time, or had we been hungrier, there were many area foods that we wanted to try. If you’re ever in Quechee, Vermont, I’d recommend to try it out.

But go in the daytime.


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webs part deux

I can’t show you my actual knitting, but it hit me the other day that I never finished my WEBS story, and never showed you the new additions to the stash. It’s a little late to recap the story, since I don’t remember much…but I’ll try.

After the Harlot event Maaike and I went back to WEBS to do our shopping. I was so tempted to go utterly crazy- I wanted yarn for so many different projects! But I resisted. With one exception, I made myself promise to only buy sweater-quantities, and only for myself. Before leaving I’d printed out the yardage requirements for a few items in my Ravelry queue, and I was able to get stuff that would actual work, instead of having cool yarn and trying to find a good project for it.
It’s about time I show you, no?
First up is some Jaeger Aqua Cotton. It’s 100% mercerized cotton in a rich, chocolate-brown color. I bought it to make a silky-look lacy tank top.
This Araucania Nature Wool Chunky is 100% wool. I bought it to make a heavy jacket-esque sweater. The color shift is so subtle but there really is a lot of depth to the color.

This Ironstone New Wool called out to me. I had finished my shopping and was leaving the warehouse when I spotted it- and it made me stop. For 4 years I have had a sketch of a sweater in my head, and this was the exact yarn I’d “made up” for it. I’ve never seen it before, and I couldn’t resist it.
I cheated a little with the Valley Yarns Monterey. I needed something for a scarf project I want to design, and not only was the yardage crazy, I couldn’t pass up the colors.
It’s a 50% cotton/50% wool with 322 y/skein. !!! If you can’t tell how huge that is, here is a normal-sized deck of cards with them, for scale.
This Iceland yarn by Madil is either black or a deep smokey gray. It’s 100% machine washable wool, and I think I’d bought it to knit a Rogue. Either Rogue, or another sweater.
Finally, we have some Valley Yarns Shelburne. It’s a 45% wool/30% acrylic/25% alpaca bulky yarn. I love the deep coral-red shade, and also plan to use this for a sweater for myself.
With our shopping complete (and wallets lighter!) we decided to start our drive back right away. It was already almost 6pm (I think, this was a few months ago now) and it was a good 5 hour drive if we didn’t get lost. I drove and drove and drove, and it was pretty uneventful, until we got hungry and decided to stop for supper.
American highways aren’t like Canadian ones. Yes, you have better roads, but we have better rest stops. Maybe it was just our route, but I never saw a single big, lit up rest stop complexe like we have all over here, with at least 2 restaurants, a convenience store and gas station. The few places we did see were few and far between, so when we saw a small sign saying the next one would be the last for a while, we decided to stop.
It was already late, and quite dark out. The exit had us go backwards in a circle for about 3 miles before opening onto what looked like it was probably a large flea market site during the day. At night it was deserted and pitch black, with the exception of a diner at one end of the lot. The part of the diner where patrons sit was shaped, from the outside, like a “traditional” diner, almost like a rounded, silver capsule. It was butted up against a log cabin, so you walk into the cabin’s front door and the bar and kitchen of the diner were part of the log cabin, that also had a more formal restaurant within. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the town we were in, but if I saw it I’d know in a second.
In any case, we sat down and were given menus, and I joked to Maaike that the way the “locals” (I assumed they were locals) turned to look at us when we sat down, I felt like we were in a horror movie. One of those Stephen King things where it turns out everyone in the diner is dead and it’s their ghosts, or something. We had a good laugh, although it really was creepy, especially since it was so black outside and you could barely see out the windows.
I tried sending a text message to my parents and Yannick to let them know we were stopping, and wouldn’t you know it, but there was no cell signal in the diner! I left Maaike at the table and went outside. I had to get about 4 car lengths from the diner before I picked up a signal, so there I was in the dark, in an empty field, holding my phone up to the stars and watching over my shoulder to make sure I could still see Maaike in the window- now I REALLY felt like I was in a horror movie!
Finally my cell told me the text message couldn’t go through because there was no digital signal around. I gave up and made my way quickly to the door to get back into the light…
…and the door was locked. The front door to the diner, with Maaike inside, was locked. From where the door was, you can’t see the diner area, just the lobby. I was banging and banging, and peering through the small window, seeing NOBODY. I swear I banged on the door for a good 5 minutes, which is a LONG time when you are scared out of your wits in a dark, deserted empty field and separated from the only person you know. In my head the movie camera panned out, so I could see both me, banging on the door futely, and Maaike, being attacked by the zombie ghosts inside.
Finally the busboy came to the door, and in the strangest thing I’d been asked all year, looked at me and asked “were you inside already?” I think I just nodded and ran inside and back to Maaike. (Who was fine and not eaten by zombies).

We ended up having an okay meal, followed by an uneventful drive home. But boy will I never forget that diner!


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ugh

I promise that this blog won’t be all-pregancy, all-the-time. But I’m feeling icky so I need to share. I thought “morning sickness” was supposed to be a first trimester thing?!? Ok, so I had some nausea in the first trimester. I thought it was novel, because with Jakob I had a pretty symptom-free pregnancy. So I was like, ok, this is what people feel. I’m queasy, and feel like I’m living on a boat, but it’s livable. I didn’t need meds, so I was ok. It only started at 6 weeks, and was pretty much gone by 10 or 11 weeks.

But now? Holy cow! The DAY I hit 14 weeks (second trimester) I started throwing up. That’s crazy! Friday night- lost supper. Saturday night- lost supper. And ever since yesterday, I have thrown up everything I’ve put in my mouth. Every meal, every snack, even a cup of coffee or 5 spoonfuls of soup. The craziest part is that I’m not nauseous at all! I don’t feel sick, or queasy. Sure, I feel shakey afterwards, and weak, because I’m empty. But I feel like nothing is triggering it, other than the fact that I’m eating. I’m actually getting kinda scared to keep eating, because I don’t want to keep throwing up. (Don’t worry, I know I need to eat for the baby, and I will. It’s just becoming an all-consuming thing now, this whole “am I going to throw up” thing).

Ugh.

In other news, I’m still working on the knitting for Veronik, so I can’t show you my current project, but I have some stuff I will be able to share, so when I’m home and have access to my camera, I’ll try to post some photos.


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SP12 QOTW and first package

Here is this week’s Secret Pal 12 Question of the Week:

Since thinking about holidays/vacations is SO much fun, let’s continue with the theme…

Question #6-What is your favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation?
Hey Group!
If you’d like to share a story…Tell us about a time that you packed too much knitting or were stranded without knitting for Question of the Week #6.

Well. I think some of you might already know the answer to the second half of that question (I’m looking at YOU, Maaike), but I’ll answer both anyways.

My favorite type of project to take along on holiday/vacation is socks. I put the yarn and needles into a tiny zippered heavy plastic bag, like a makeup bag or the bag baby shoes come in. I transcribe the pattern into my Palm so it is accessible, and am able to tuck both into any purse necessary. I like to have a more complicated pattern (maybe charts I need to look at, or something I need to pay attention to) for quiet times like relaxing on the beach, and a mindless stockinette or rib for times when I’ll have to keep picking it up an putting it back down.

Now then, as for the overpacking or underpacking of yarn. I’ve never underpacked yarn. But I have overpacked. (Once! Only once!).

I severely misjudged the amount of knitting time I would have on the cruise my family took this past holiday season. What can I say, it was my first trip without my breastfeeding 7.5-month-old, and I thought I’d be knitting to try and ignore how much I’d be missing him, AND because of the novelty of having both hands free AT THE SAME TIME for hours on end.


This is the knitting that actually got done on the 13 day trip. I cast-on and finished Fibonacci Sock #2 (Ravelry project link), I completed 90% of my first Sidewinder Sock, and while waiting in the airport to come home, I cast on for Mona’s November Mystery Socks (Barcelona Socks Ravelry link). Why didn’t I finish the first Sidewinder before coming home? Who knows. Why didn’t I knit in the rest of the airport time and on the plane (4 hours!) coming home? No idea. I might have slept.

As if that much yarn with so little knitting wasn’t bad enough, here is more of the yarn I’d brought. Yes, apparently I thought I’d knit 15 socks in 13 days, while 11 of those days were spent on a cruise visiting Cartagena, Ochos Rios, Panama, Limon and somewhere else I forget right now. Plus I took about 9 1-hour computer courses. And we went to the shows every night. Etc… I *did* try to start one of the pairs during a long bus ride at one of the stops, but my gauge was completely off with the needles I had with me, so that got put aside.

But I’m not crazy! These are the 2 balls of yarn I took OUT of my suitcase before closing it- because they would have made it way too much yarn.

Stop laughing.

As a distraction, here is my first Secret Pal 12 package!

Thanks Secret Pal! As you can see, starting from the bottom left, there is some tissues (always handy, especially with a baby), a magnetized notebad (I always have one on my fridge) and a mini notebook with pen, a postcard with sheep on it, a sheep chocolate (which I shared with Yannick) and some LOVELY dyed-in-the-wool mediumweight sock yarn.
These colors are beautiful! Thank you so much Secret Pal!


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and then there were 2…so we’ll be 4

I know I said I’d post today with photos of my first Secret Pal package. But that will have to wait until tomorrow, because I have something more important to talk about today. (Sorry Secret Pal!)

I’ve been working on a big project, something more special than any design or publication, and I feel that it is now time that I can share it with all of you.

Jakob feels like he hasn’t had enough face-time on the blog lately, so he wanted to be the one to tell you:

Can you read that? It says “future big brother“. Yup, that’s right. In January Jakob is going to become a big brother.

Today is the beginning of my 14th week, which means I’m officially in my second trimester.


Everything looks good so far with this baby, and we are very excited to have another addition to our house. Jakob is already practicing being a good big brother- when we tell him to “kiss the baby” he lifts up my shirt and kisses my (growing!) belly. It’s really cute! (Although…it probably won’t be so cute when he kisses my belly after the baby is born!)

My due date is January 16th, and yes, some cold-weather baby knits have commenced!


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another quickie

Woo hoo… a quickie!

Ok, here’s the deal. I have photos of knitting to show you, I have news for you, and I have a package from my Secret Pal to show off. (Thanks Secret Pal! Photos coming soon!) But I’ve been having very hectic days with Jakob, who is still sick, and we’re still keeping him home from work, and he’s not napping very well during this transition from sickie to well, so my blogging time has been practically nil during the day. Add to that the fact that I’ve had some kind of plans every night this week, and that explains my continued absence.

Those plans continue tonight, and I’m late, so I’m going to run. But check this space tomorrow for a post, I promise!


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Simple Mug Cozies

Update: see end of post for information about a downloadable pattern pdf

Finally! As promised!

The cozies were first shown on the blog here and here.

I designed this pattern last week as part of my cousin’s fiancé’s bridal shower gift basket.  I wanted a mug cozy that was removable, machine washable and dryable, and didn’t need ties, snaps or hooks.  This is what I came up with. 

The cozies have some stretch to them, but were designed to fit standard mugs.  If you want to make this cozy for a taller mug, you will need to keep knitting the plain section until you have enough clearance for the top of the mug handle.  Likewise, if you want to make it for a wider mug, you will need to add extra stitches.

Unfortunately, I forgot to write down my gauge and the gifts have already been given to the bride (who lives 2 hours away) so I can’t measure them.  However, I don’t feel that this will be a big issue with this pattern.  The nature of the cozy will forgive a slightly too tight or too loose fit.

Directions

CO 30 sts with 5mm needle and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist

K 1 round

P 1 round

K 1 round

P 1 round

Next round: BO 2 sts, k to end of row – 28 sts

You will now be working flat, turning the work at the end of each row.

Row 1: sl 1 st purlwise, p to end of row

Row 2: sl 1 st purlwise, k to end of row

Repeat the last 2 rows until 14 rows have been knit flat.  At the end of the 14th row do not turn.

CO 3 sts then k across the rest of the sts, rejoining the work into the round – 31 sts

P 1 round

K 1 round

P 1 round

BO all sts knitwise

Cut yarn and weave in ends

Update!

This pattern is on Ravelry here.

This pattern is provided for free above, but if you’d prefer an easy-to-print PDF version, I have made it available here for a very small fee. The PDF includes the full instructions, abbreviation definitions, an easy-to-read layout and full color images.

*Updated January 2020


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sorry about that!

I don’t know how many of you noticed, but the blog seemed to have disappeared for a few days. (This would only have been apparent for those of you who come here by typing in http://www.jeloca.com/. The direct blogspot link wasn’t affected).

Long story short is that I decided to repurchase some web space and host my own files, instead of relying on free online storage solutions that are often more of a headache. In the last few weeks I’ve tested my own free pattern links and found that they were down about a quarter of the time. I don’t know if any of you had tried them and found a broken link, but if you did, I’m really sorry. The link is still the old one, but over the next few days I will be updating it it.

So what was the problem? I pay to have you forwarded here against your knowledge. Sounds sneaky, huh? All that means is that when you type in http://www.jeloca.com/ (short and sweet), my internet people zip you over to http://www.jeloca.blogspot.com/ (longer and easier to mess up). You don’t realize it because the address bar stays the same. (Bloglines people aren’t affected because the rss feed goes directly to the blogspot address). In any case, in a genius move on my part, I forgot that once my web space went “live” and was linked to my jeloca.com domain name, the new webspace would force itself over the forwarding. Which means that if you came to http://www.jeloca.com/ in the last few days you would have seen a message from my internet provider saying that the website wasn’t up yet.

A lot of blather to say that I’d goofed, but I’ve now fixed it, and I’m quite happy with the results. It’s clean, open and easy to read. Like the new look?

In the upcoming days, in addition to the Habs Cloth patterns moving to my own space with (reliable) links, I will also be adding more free patterns. The Vegas Scarf (Knitting Game) pattern will be updated with a new look, and I’ll also be adding the Mug Cozy pattern I promised you.

In the meantime, I have been knitting for Veronik but can’t show it here.

I’ve also been taking care of a toddler with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. It sounds worse than it is- anything with “disease” in the name can’t help but sound horrible. It really isn’t much more than a lingering, misery-inducing fever and achiness with barely-noticable blisters on the hands, feet and in the mouth. The doctor who diagnosed Jakob was calling it the “July Disease” because it is going around like crazy.

The worst parts are that Jakob doesn’t want to eat ANYTHING because it hurts in his mouth, and his sleep is really disrupted because he keeps waking up. I’m also trying to limit what he touches because this bug is really contagious. It’s not really harmful to adults (so I hear) but it travels fast to other little kids. Aparently he was contagious for a week before the symptoms even came out (yay) and even once he’s better (about 7-10 days) the virus can live on countertops and toys and clothing/sheets for up to 2 weeks, and in his stools for up to 3 months. Which means a lot of disinfecting and hand washing. Fun times all around.