Running Tide Cowl

A little while ago, I published the resulting pattern from a collaboration with Sea Turtle Fiber Arts, that being the Running Tide Cowl, worked in Breakwater Bulky, in the colour Deep Sea.

Everyone, this yarn is super-cozy and squishy and warm! I really wanted to make the most of that cozy feeling, and so a cabled cowl came to mind. The best bit is that it's REVERSIBLE. This way, whether you wrap it, let it hang loose, or even make it into a scarf instead, there is no wrong side.

I've made it long enough to wrap around twice, but it can be shortened as desired, or lengthened. At the gauge I used, as written, the cowl uses 3 skeins (with about a third of the third skein left over), but 2 skeins would work up into a good shorter cowl, 3 would make for a decent length scarf, and 4 would get you a nice long scarf, or a triple-looped cowl if that is a thing.

This cowl works up super fast; it took me about 3 days (not knitting constantly either) to get it done, though it took me a little longer to find time in the schedule for grafting, blocking, and getting photos taken. Now that the weather is getting a lot colder, treat yourself to a weekend of knitting so that you can be cozy next week!

Pattern available for purchase on Ravelry for $6.75CAD
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just click away here:

For more of my knitting patterns available for sale, please head to my patterns page.

Order from Chaos

I've been trying to get myself to write a post all through August, but just couldn't bring myself to do so. It's not that I'm not enjoying blogging, but rather that I was just way too overtired to even think about trying to sum up, condense, or explain anything.

In short, I needed a vacation, so I took one. I have quite a few blog post plans that have piled up throughout this time, some of which I will get around to, some of which I won't, but in the meantime, on the kids' first day back at school (they had an extra week of summer this year, and believe me, we have all been ready for a return to routine by the start of that week, particularly the kids, who were ready lightning-quick this morning and pulling me out the door on the way to school), I'm just going to try getting back into the swing of things with a quick post about a current project that I love.

I'm really enjoying spinning this Polwarth (seen below on the dash of my mom's car) that I bought from The Loop at Kensington in Calgary. The top is dyed by Sea Turtle Design, a local dyer. I was going to buy one of the more sedate colourways, thinking that I probably wouldn't wear anything made with this one, but hey, it's not all about the wearing, (and if nothing else the kids like bright colours); in fact, it's rather more about the spinning, and why not give it a whirl? The colourway is called “Chaos Theory,” but is perfectly well-planned.

The creamy white sections are doing a great deal to tone-down the brightness, and they are also helping to reduce any muddying of the colours. Sometimes the colours are blending, but mostly, I've got a barber-pole style effect going on.

The general consensus at my Friday knitting group (not that I'm there every Friday, much as I'd like to be) is that chain-plying will be the way to go with this, and I quite agree. The colours gradually transition (on average, because there still are dashes of mixed areas throughout) from green to blue to purple, to red to, well, I'm not quite there yet, but it looks like it finishes up on orange so far, with a bit of blue and/or purple and/or green in-between. Chain-plying would be the best way to keep this effect intact, so I'm going to try to learn it.

So far, I've enjoyed this set of instructions, largely because of how I really, really dislike trying to learn from videos (works great for so many people, but just not my cup of tea). I had read about the technique before in Abby Franquemont's Respect the Spindle, but it's great to have a quick refresher that suits my learning style just a quick link away.

I might spin up a quick sample to practice on, but we'll see if I'm actually that patient. As it is, I need to free up my plying spindle first, and I'm maybe half-way through that batch of plying.

I can't explain just how lovely this fibre feels, but you can see the fine crimp if you hold it up at eye level while drafting, you can feel an elastic spring to it, and it drafts and spins rather effortlessly. Also, I have trouble putting it down because I just want to see what this next bit looks like. And this next bit. Oh look, there's a new colour coming up next....

In Which I Mostly Post Many Spinning-Related Photos

In all the excitement of having a new pattern out in Knit Now Magazine, I forgot to tell you about my shopping trip to A Curious Spin.

I picked up a new spindle, as I'd been looking to get a bigger one for plying, in the hopes that the silk/merino blend shown here with the second batch of singles nearly finished

would perhaps fit all together on the one spindle when plied. Now that I've finished spinning the singles, I'm giving it a go on the new one:

I also treated myself to some Gotland

and to a Curious Spinner's Woolly Pack, which is such a great idea. You get to pick two to four different breeds of sheep from a good variety, and end up with 56g total. The whole idea is to sample a few things to see what you like, so that if you really enjoy a particular variety, you can plan to buy more for a project in future, and if you're not so keen on something, you haven't invested much time and money into it. This is a very fun way to explore breeds you've only otherwise read about, and saves you the trouble of deciding on trying only one.

As you can see, I picked four: Wensleydale, Romney, Masham, and Polworth.






I've started with the Wensleydale, and am rather liking it so far. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like plied and washed, and must set aside some swatching time so I can figure out if there's a particular project I'd like to use it for in future. I'm getting a bit tired of darning mittens, so I'm tempted to try something in the way of a sturdy longwool for an outer mitten, and maybe something fluffier for an inner mitten.






















Of course, having freed up a spindle, I started something else right away. I pulled out my Vancouver souvenir of silk top, and started with the blue. I've been dying to try this out, but was waiting to improve my skills a bit first. I'm glad I've spent a bit of time with long-wools, as the Leicester was actually great practice for this stuff.

















The saturated colour is almost startling, and the shine makes this stuff just plain magic.

Finishing off with a quick Byatt shawl update, I ran out of the main colour before I could finish the second repeat of the striped chart. I had a wee bit left, but while it was close to being enough for two more rows, it was nowhere near enough for the four more that I would have needed, so I just stopped that chart a bit early.

I have plenty of the gold colour though, so am currently contemplating extra repeats of the lace chart. Perhaps two more for five in total, as it feels that an odd number would balance best, but I'll complete the fourth one first before deciding. So very close to finishing now! I have a lot of math to work on this week, but hopefully I can squeeze in a bit of time to finish this up!



A Shop, a Play, a Giveaway, a Spin, and a Knit

First off, things that are happening in Edmonton this weekend (including Friday):

-A Curious Spin is holding a Pop-Up shop! I'm going, just not sure yet whether Friday or Saturday. Pop-up hours this weekend for Friday and Saturday are 10 am to 8 pm.

-Heather Morrow's The Ugly Princess is being performed on Friday night, 7pm, La Cité Francophone, 8627-91st Street. I'm definitely going to that; one night only, so get your tickets!

Then, things that are happening this weekend online:

-By the Fibreside is still trying to give away a copy of the Knit Picks 2015 Fair Isle Collection in which I have a pattern (long story short; the mechanics of Facebook made this giveaway difficult instead of easy. Listen to the podcast for full explanation.), and the new way to get yourself entered in the draw is to scroll down a wee bit and comment on the post about the 2015 Fair Isle Collection at the By the Fibreside Facebook page right here: linky. The draw is on February 28th! Please also click Like on By the Fibreside, since that was the original plan for entering in the draw.

Now, for things happening at my house just now (other than work that I can't write about yet):

I finally finished the Rainbow Leicester Locks spinning project.

Check out my yarn (it's in the process of drying after it's bath):

In many spots, it's smooth like silk, and then others it's as fuzzy as anything. Not sure if that's just how it goes with Leicester, or whether there's a way to keep it more consistently smooth. I'm sure I could make it more consistently fuzzy if I tried through. Still, it's not feeling as rough as I thought it was before.

Not at all sure what on earth to make with it, but am taking suggestions (your cue here to suggest away in the comments, don't be shy now). Of course, not sure yet how much I have, but it's more than I thought there would be in the end.

Must get going to get stuff done (it's Teacher's convention the next two days, so I have to get anything done that I want done in the next hour), but before I sign off, here's my current progress on the Byatt shawl:

I'm definitely not going to have enough yarn for a third repeat of Chart B, but am really, really, really hoping to get through the second repeat without running out...

August Vacations

Apologies for my prolonged absence from the blog; I've been on vacation.

At the beginning of the month I was off to Vancouver with my Gaelic Football team, and then it was off to Drumheller with my family for a week after that.

The other week since then? Well, I've been recovering from the vacation, and getting this and that and the other thing done, or, really, in all honesty, procrastinating.

So, catching up time then!

My football team had a great weekend, in which we beat Calgary, but lost to Vancouver. We played well, and enjoyed some great football. Our men's team won the championship, and we cheered our heads off for them, and had a generally great time.

I did also do a wee bit of shopping while I was there, having spent a few hours at Granville Island with a couple of friends. I bought some silk for spinning. I am going to practice with a bit of silk/wool blend before I try that though!

It was a pretty quick turnaround to get ourselves out the door the day after my return, but we had packed most things before I left, and my husband had taken care of the last few bits of food prep while I was gone, so it was a matter of sorting a few more groceries, doing laundry, packing clothes, and keeping the excited kids from being too disappointed in how long the process was taking (I think our eldest sat in the car reading for nearly two hours, having decided she was ready whether we were or not).

In Drumheller, my family went camping, visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the Atlas Coal Mine, and also went hiking with my parents, who came out to join us for the day. The museum was of course excellent, and full of dinosaurs. The mine was pretty cool; we took the tunnel tour. This was not in the actual mine, which is currently still blocked up and awaiting excavation, but through the tunnel leading up to the mine entrance, going right through the hillside in the process.

For hiking, we went to Dry Island Buffalo Jump, and stopped at Horseshoe Canyon by way of the Bleriot Ferry on the way back. We had a great time, enjoyed being outdoors, and got lots and lots of exercise in while we were at it.

I did work on a bit of knitting while we were away, mainly on my daughter's shawl that I am making from my handspun. Unforunately, I ran out of yarn. Luckily, in addition to the sock I was working on (and needed a break from), I brought some socks I've been carrying around for half a year that needed darning.










These are the third pair of socks I ever made, and they're soft and lovely, but as a result of the softness, not so hard-wearing. I thought I had kept some yarn scraps, but had a lot of trouble finding them. Months later, when looking for something else completely different, they turned up, and so I could use the original yarn for repairs.





Having fit the sock over a wooden toy orange, I duplicate stitched around the trouble area, and so reinforced both sides of the sock toes. Sure it stands out a bit, but the socks will hold together for a little longer at least!

A few days ago, I went shopping at Pam's Woolly Shoppe, partly so I could solve the problem of the shawl, and partly so I could pick out a second spindle. Run out of yarn? No problem, spin some more! There was more Corriedale in the same colourway, so here I am with fresh singles, no-where near so overspun as the rest of the shawl yarn, but as it's for the border, I'm hoping it won't look too off-kilter with the rest of it.




I'm quite pleased with my spinning progress, and I am definitely continuing to enjoy it! I will be winding this into a ball today, but I should make every effort to resist knitting with it until I get a few other tasks accomplished.

I really need to tidy the house (a lot!) to make up for neglecting it all weekend while helping to coach kids at football camp. It has been a busy month so far!

I'm not Actually Irish, but...

I'm not actually Irish, but I am:

-Heading down to watch the Hurling and Football at 8:00 am at the Irish Club over breakfast today.

-Fond of reading James Joyce and Roddy Doyle.

-Becoming rather accustomed to Hiberno-English, which is something I have enjoyed since first picking up Joyce, but in recent years I now get to hear it in person, and experience it in e-mails.

-The Secretary for the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, The Edmonton Wolfe Tones.

-In possession of an Irish last name so that people occasionally think that I may in fact be Irish, until they actually hear my Canadian accent. Really, it's this combined with the last point that causes the confusion.

-A proud member of the local Ladies' Gaelic Football team. Also really wishing the snow would melt so we can go out and play, instead of falling all weekend so that we can shovel it (not anywhere near like as much fun).

-Actively trying to convince everyone I know that they should play Gaelic football too, and frequently explaining how it's done.

-Thoroughly addicted to playing Gaelic Football.

-Knitting the lovely  Tralee skirt from Carol Feller's Contemporary Irish Knits, which is a book that I really love. This skirt is absolutely gorgeous, and I hope my version will be as wonderful as I'm picturing it in my head. I wanted to finish the skirt for today, but it's really not anywhere near finished just yet. Maybe sometime in April...

 -Wanting to buy Irish yarn to make more of the things from Carol Feller's book. I'm sure I must know someone who would be willing to pick some up for me there! Donegal Tweed is pretty high on my wish-list at the moment.

-Wishing you a happy St. Patrick's Day!

Has it been a year already?

I've been blogging here for a year now, and I must say, I'm quite enjoying it.  I didn't tell anyone for the first while that I was keeping a blog, as I wanted to see if I could keep it up first, and so it was a simple thing to write about all the things I was making for Christmas.  This year, that won't be so simple, as many of the people I am making things for have been known to read the blog now and again.  I shall nonetheless write about what I'm making, but it will have to be subtle bits rather than full details, and the full reveals will have to wait until after Christmas.

(Oh, and by the way, I've been eating those gingerbread cookies from the last post, and can tell you that candied fennel seed goes very well with gingerbread.  Mmmm.  I may have to bake the Christmas edition of these as well this year.)

So, for one of my friend's Christmas presents, I am making Letter Have It by Georgia A. Coleman.  The name gives nothing away, and since the friend in question is not on Ravelry, the link is just for those who are and want to know.  Anyhow, I somehow managed to muddle up the front piece twice.  This is not because the instructions are difficult, but rather because I can't seem to read them correctly.  The first time, I used garter stitch like the other pieces called for, and was nearly done when I realized it was supposed to be in stockinette.  I finished anyway, thinking it would be fine once felted, but then realized that the colourwork would look odd and feathered with the blue purled bits where they were, and that the texture would be slightly different even after felting.  So, I decided it was worth doing over, after all, it hadn't taken so very long anyhow (despite it involving my first attempts at intarsia in knitting). 

The next time, I wound up knitting 12 more rows than needed before starting the chart (though the intarsia did go better this time, so the top part was just fine).  I did think the shape was a bit odd, plus it was a bit strange that I had run out of yarn and had to splice some in (after all, it was the same piece of yarn that had been enough last time).  I figured it out, sighed, put it down and went to sleep for a few hours.  I picked it up around 4:30 in the morning (having just spent a sleepless hour after being up with my youngest who is getting molars in) and started picking it out from the cast-on edge to remove the extra rows (no way was I working that chart a third time).  I put it back down once it started to be annoying, and finished it this morning (after sleeping for a couple more hours).  Now to knit the back, following the incredibly simple instructions after having read them several times to be sure, though I may just let the new yarn I bought yesterday distract me instead... 

I think I finally managed to split the two balls of Noro Kureyon into six (nearly) equal parts Spry (and that's a Knitty link, so anyone can take a look, as it's for me).

Things I'm in the Middle of

Ulysses by James Joyce

Actually, I'm just over half-way through re-reading it, but now we've entered Night-town, which nearly defeated me last time.  It's much better on a second read, where I'm just trying to keep track of what's actually happening instead of attempting some sort of half-baked undergraduate close-reading of a dense immensity (not the best strategy on a first read-through as it turns out).  Since it's for fun this time (no, really), it's actually enjoyable, and I think I might read Ellmann's James Joyce afterward if I can track down a copy since I never did read the famous biography back when I intended to do so.

Winding Angora Yarn

Specifically Fleece Artist's Peter Rabbit, intended for a scarf called Misty Garden by Jo Sharp.  I might have to call the project McGregor's Scarf or something like that.  The yarn is lovely-oh-so-soft, and I think the colourway is 'glacier' which suits it just grand; the one shade of blue in particular rather glows (maybe not in the photo, but in person for sure) even in the dim light.

Laundry Week

While I do do the laundry every week, this week's laundry feels interminable.  This is probably due to catch-up and extra laundry from camping last weekend.  We had a lovely time camping with my family, but I found it rather cold out (high of plus 9 Celsius).  Luckily I had a new wool cardigan to keep me warm(ish).  It was a first time camping for the kids, and they had a grand time.

Birthday Cardigan

I'm knitting a Ballet Top by Debbie Bliss for my youngest, but only sort-of, as I've changed it a fair bit.  I've changed the weight of the yarn from sport to fingering (re-calculating accordingly), changed the stitch pattern to a clover-leaf lace (as in the

Lucky: Clover Lace Wrap

by Melissa Wehrle, re-calculating accordingly again), used a seed-stitch/moss-stitch edging, and I can't quite make up my mind whether to make the body seamless or not.  I started with the sleeves so that I could postpone the decision, and would be perfectly pleased to hear opinions on the subject.

Preparing for Tuque Knitting

My Dad, after seeing my brother's Whistler tuque, thought he'd rather like the same or similar, so I'm knitting up the Lake Louise tuque from the same Dale of Norway booklet (NR 8501).  The only problem is that for whatever reason, the directions for the tuque are there, but no chart (though the directions do state that you should follow this non-existent chart).   So, working from this teeny wee photo, I have charted the hat.  Next, obtain hat size (I keep forgetting to measure his head, but hopefully I'll rectify that soon), and swatch away.  I love stranded colourwork, and am really looking forward to getting into this one.

Training for 5 Kilometer race

Oh yeah, I guess I should go for a run or something...  I need to register yet for that matter.  I do plan on doing this, and have done it before, but it would be great if I was getting out for more than two runs a week to prepare.

Celebrating the Edmonton Wolfe Tones Ladies' Gaelic Football win at the Calgary Tournament

I missed the tournament while camping, as a late scheduling change disrupted my plans to do both, but am hoping to obtain a Time Turner, or perhaps Time-Lord Technology so I can go back in time and be in two places at once.  Ah well, I understand that the team had a great time and played some excellent football with Calgary, who were gracious hosts.

Fall Cleaning

Yes, it's fall, not summer, whatever the calendar might say, and has been for a week or so.  I bring your attention to the high of plus 9 last weekend, and say that's enough to convince me.  Rather than spring cleaning, I do fall cleaning.  I think that that's because by the time I've noticed that spring is sprung, it's already moved on into summer (after all, it snows in spring, so it's hard to tell if it's spring or not).  So, a chill in the air will send me scurrying to wash windows, shake out the dust, find the warm clothes and so shuffle the closets and such.  I do love fall.  I love the colours, the slight chill that allows for nice warm heavy blankets at night, the lure of cozy new clothes in both rich and mellow colours, warm soup, baking, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot (still yet to come), the last gasp of splendour from the garden, and the diminished threat of mosquitos and sunburn.  Might I add less dandelions and more knitting?  For me, fall is the start of the year, a time for changes and new beginnings, whereas spring is more a revealing of things that were hidden and sleeping.

Garden Planning

Hopefully the planning will translate to actual gardening over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, aside from all the weeding to do, I'm planning to renovate two of my beds and apply mulch to both.  I had been wanting new beds, but upon reflection, the best way to improve the yard at present is to deal with these two beds. Sigh.  Here are the beds in all their weediness:

I transplanted away those of the desired plants in the first bed that I could do easily, and have been fighting weeds, but the weeds are winning because: Lack of vigilance, lack of mulch, and the fact that those logs are just sitting on top of the grass and so keep nothing out.  The plan is to put in a better barrier, really get rid of the weeds, add copious mulch, and add the desired plants that are currently hiding (so I can't see them anyway) under the weeping crabapple (I really thought it would get taller a bit faster, but nothing doing).  Next, add much mulch under the crabapple, and in a much larger circle/oval so that we don't have to hold up its branches to mow under.

The fun part will be all the charts and lists that come with planning the transplants.  I love lists and charts.

I'd love to share the nice surprises I found in the weedy bed when I went out to take photos though:

Wanting to Ditch my Projects for New Ones

Did you happen to see these Spiffy T-Shirts at Made By Rae (pattern link)?  They make me want to embark on a T-shirt-sewing frenzy replete with embroidery and appliqué, but I have a large stack of mending and a just as large stack of fun sewing to do first.  Must resist!  Knitwise too: Sweaters!  Mittens!  Hats!  Gorgeous patterns lurk everywhere.  I think it's a fall thing.  Also, a trip to buy ballet slippers and tap-shoes for my eldest (who we just signed up for classes, and is very, very, very excited) almost had me crocheting bun covers (for what?  She's sporting a 'Dora' type haircut) and knitting legwarmers.  Almost.  I did just spend way too much time on Knitpicks.com just now picking out 14 shades of Palette fingering yarn for an imaginary sweater that hasn't been planned yet, but I think I can keep those on my wishlist without adding them to my shopping cart (at least, so far...)  

But for now, after spending most of the day being in the middle of writing this post (with frequent interruptions, of course), I'll get back to all that I'm in the middle of so that I can get to the end of at least some of these projects.

Vancouver Vacation

I'm back from vacation, and am just getting around to the Blog, nearly a week later.  My husband was home with the kids while I took off for a four-day weekend in Vancouver (first weekend away on my own since the kids were born), both for a Gaelic Football tournament and for fun.  I had a great time with some of the best teammates ever, and was thoroughly happy for the entire visit.

It was great walking around Vancouver, and I also loved getting up early to watch the World Cup matches (Yay Holland!) in the hotel lounge.  It's getting so as I need my Vuvuzela fix in the morning.  Not that I precisely enjoy the sound, but I seem to be missing the drone today as there are no matches.  I can't quite believe just how tall the flowers are in Vancouver, and how many are in bloom that won't be for another month or so here.  I really didn't know that cornflowers got that tall.  

We had a grand time both on and off the pitch, with the Edmonton Wolfe Tones women's team playing three games on Saturday and one on Sunday.  As you can see by the photo of my friend Kim and I, we managed to catch Vancouver on one of its relatively rare sunny days, and ended up with some sunburn (Kim more so than me).  I don't have the match scores yet (I find it hard to keep accurate track while on the pitch), but we did beat Calgary, and that's what counts, right?  I managed to score a point against Calgary, and also one of our goals against Vancouver during our mixed game (Seattle, Edmonton and Calgary against the Vancouver Harps), and I'm feeling more at home on the pitch than I ever have, so I think training is really starting to pay off.  Our team played really well together, and I was totally impressed and inspired by all our ladies who made excellent blocks, saves, points, goals, passes, kicks and all.  The men's team did well as well; I also don't have their scores, but they made it to the finals, even if they didn't win the last match.  If you're wondering what on earth Gaelic Football is, rather than explaining it here, I'll just provide my team's website for reference: http://www.edmontongaa.com/

On Sunday, after the tournament ended, we went out to The Boathouse on English Bay for dinner.  We had a great time, drank wine and sangria, enjoyed the view, and ate delicious food, in my case, a grilled veggie sandwich with goat cheese (below).  It was delicious.  Our waiter was pleasant and entertaining, and he did bring the requested four straws for the pitcher of sangria, as seen being enjoyed below by my teammates Madison and Kim.

It was so nice just to walk around the city without worrying about whether I had everything I needed with me, though it did feel odd to have just a purse and not a purse, diaper bag, snacks, etc. with me.

Kim and I stayed for a couple of extra days to walk around, shop, and otherwise enjoy Vancouver.  I stopped in at Three Bags Full to buy some Sweet Georgia Yarns' sock yarn in Ginger, scored 30% off Malabrigo Lace in Olive, and found some lovely purple-heathered Cascade Eco Wool for a Christmas project.

Granville Island is always fun to shop, and we stopped by the market, popped in to Edie Hats to pick up a new hat for my husband, Roger's chocolates for, well, chocolates, and many other stops, including Maiwa supply to marvel at fibrey goodness (must stop in at my next visit), and to stare at the case of Qiviuk (a very expensive yarn habit that would be) in the corner.  I had to take a picture of the octopus terrine, if for no other reason than to watch my husband recoil in horror on seeing the photo.  I just don't get terrine.

Other than that, we enjoyed a visit to Stanley Park, and a safe if somewhat turbulent (due to thunderstorms) flight back home, where I could present my daughters with their gifts (including chocolate that was gobbled up before breakfast).  I also managed to knit up (on the plane and in the mornings) a set of legwarmers for my eldest, and Canada Day this year really was chilly enough to warrant wearing them for a bit.  It was a great vacation, and I think I might just have to do it all again next year.