WWKIP Day

It is almost upon us, World Wide Knit in Public Day! We've been looking forward to gathering with all knitters across the globe to knit in public for yarn and sharp pointy sticks surely do provide comradery, solidarity and a fun way to pass the time. We truly do have more fun than a room full kittens!

This is just a short post for I must return to my charity projects to give away tomorrow. Our little group of yarn enthusiasts has decided to donate our FOs to local charities in honour of our giving spirits and to spread the love of knitterly pursuits.

Today I have completed a baby set:

A few weeks ago we gave Kudos to Pam, for finishing her very first project and for mastering the art of DPNs. This little strawberry hat is just too cute for words.

Pam is indeed a very lucky gal for Kevin, her friend, has been joining us. We suspect that he has taken up the needles to impress her. Wow...that is way cool :)

Gale worked on, and has since completed, her cotton tank top that combined crochet and knitting. It actually fit and she is, as she should be, proud of her accomplishment. She has come a long way from dishcloths.

Last on the show and tell pile is a nice shot of our door prize for WWKIP in the park on Saturday June 14, 2008. Glenda, of the Wool Emporium, was kind enough to finish this donated shawl and then turn around and donated it to us as our door prize (to be drawn at 4pm - you have to be there to win it). I'm sure everyone will covet the softness of the cotton, the beauty of the colour and wish it to be theirs! But only one can win...

And a close up:

Yes we still have our regular meet up going on Sunday June 15 at 2pm at MacKenzie Coles Coffee...

See you there? Now back to the needles :)

Birthday wishes, travels and fun...

It has been a while since I've had the chance to post. Lots has happened since Melissa's guest blog (which was fabulous...music and all). Lets get right to the meat of it.

Yes, I turned 40 this past week. My husband whisked me off to Edmonton where I had the pleasure of perusing River City Yarns. Cynthia, co-owner of the fabulous little shop in the heart of Edmonton, was kind enough to tour me around her wares, allow me to pet the softest cashmere and silk and even wind my purchases. I had to commemorate the event in pictures...

Here we see the entrance to the wonderful world of wool...

Next, after a few hours of perusing and petting, Cynthia is winding my hanks of Trekking Handart and Alpaca sock weight...

This is the ultimate corner of downtown Edmonton for any yarn enthusiast.

Today was back to business with the gals at knitting group. A bit of a surprise was brought to me. I must send much thanks, love and gratitude to the caring nature of the many new freinds I have become to depend upon each and every Sunday. Jan, Gale, Melissa, Mary, Jordan, Leanne, Alison (who was absent today, but will be back soon we hope), Pam and Kristen. I was surprised by a DQ icecream cake (an inspiration of Gale's caring heart), with a knitting sheep on its face, a new stitch dictionary (many thanks to a dear friend Jan) as well as a hank of "ornamental" yarn that, as I was told, just SCREAMED Bonnie on the shelf and begged to be gifted (so Melissa noted...:) ).


New sock knitters are being born each and ever time we meet. Here are samples of Leanne's expert stitching. She is becoming quite a sock maker...

Although these were being worked upon a few weeks, they still deserve mention. Kristin is back to the stuffed animal jag and is stitching up little kritters like crazy.

Jan was kind enough to bring in her electric contraption that she's adapted to splitting cotton. She demonstrated how regular weight handicrafter cotton becomes sock wieght in no time flat. This is pure genius!

We all know that the joy of knitting must be spread (for who can resist the urge to share the disease?) Certainly not Pam, who brought along her gentlemanly friend and began to teach him the tricks and arts of knit and purl. I do hope we see Kevin back again...

Melissa has been hard at it once again. She constructed the child's version of the Mother's Day Sock Pattern with Regia Bamboo sock yarn It is beautiful and Acadia will even wear them as the yarn is softer than the pot scrubber type Patons Kroy.

Just a note of business to finish off for this week:

Our next Knit and Knatter is Saskatoon Knitting Circle on the Move, where we endeavour to spread our love of all things yarn to the more remote areas of Saskatchewan. First up is Outlook, SK at CJs Java Joint (located just behind the BMO). Please let us know, via the yahoo group email listing, if you are interested in coming or need a ride with one of the others. Gale would like to meet any one that is going in her car at the Confederation mall at about noon. You can email her at rai dot cara at gmail dot com to make further arrangements.

Jan is stopping my house at around 1 pm and we shall meet the rest of the gang in outlook around 2pm. I have room for one more body. If you are interested please email me (zink dot bonnie at gmail dot com)

Don't forget to join us next Sunday as well...same time; same place as always.

Time off for Good Behaviour…

Happy Easter to all! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind indeed. We had company in between taking turns incubating and entertaining a few nasty flu bugs. Family and friends have been popping by to view the new oven (gotta love KitchenAid!). And the weather has finally warmed and snow has melted so the draw to venture out into the sunshine has certainly been strong. However, this does not mean that knitterly pursuits have been put on hold. Even though, Jeanette and I missed the last Saskatoon Knitting Circle's gathering, we certainly have been keeping busy.

When the flu bug hits and takes hold we barely have energy to accomplish life's obligations. But I always find the energy to pick up the needles and cast on. As always, I've a few projects on the go. My favourite and proudest endeavour is below: A spring time beauty entitled Titania, designed by Elizabeth Klett. I chose to knit with Lion Brand's Cotton Ease in the colour Lake. So this:

Turned into this:

Which, I'm desperately hoping, will turn into something resembling this:

Elizabeth is an up and coming knitwear designer who takes her cue from the words of Shakespeare himself. This lacy cotton top is named for the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her boudoir is described in these lines: "I know a bank where the wild thyme blows / Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows / Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine / With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine." Elizabeth definitely captured some of this magic and poetry in the design, which incorporates a simple scalloped lace pattern and a more challenging twisted vine pattern. The elbow-length sleeves are slightly flared, and the front piece incorporates a V-neck, making this top both pretty and easy to wear.

The front is now complete and the back is on the needles as we speak! I am very excited to complete this garment and aim to do just that by the time the Bard's birthday roles around (April 23).

Now onto other news: The Easter celebratory weekend is on the horizon. As many of you know, our little group of knitters has met EVERY Sunday since we all began to come together. This week, however, we will not be meeting due to the Easter Holiday. Mackenzie Coles is closing its doors and other venues just do not appeal to us. Therefore, it was decided that we would take a break from stitching in public. We will meet again on March 30, 2008 (same time and place). Here's hoping everyone enjoys their holiday.

I, for one, still plan to stitch. We will be spending 5 hours in the car on the way to visit my sister in Brooks, Alberta. Rest assured I will have the needles at the ready and hopefully complete the back of Titania by the time I reach my sister's door. The biggest question is: Have I packed enough knitting to keep me occupied. Let us see: 5 hours there (check, Titania ought to do it); two days of Easter and Family celebrations (well, Titania may be complete by this time…I ought to look around for another project…socks maybe); 5 hours back home (that decides it, I also need to pack extra yarn, the full set of Harmonies and some project books…for who can tell when inspiration strikes???) I just hope my knitting bag is big enough to hold it all

Now for the oven: It is a True Convection oven made by KitchenAid (check out link for full specs and particulars). I have been baking up a storm. I spent two full days baking (I only knit a few rows) when it first arrived. The oven is shiny, has beautiful sing song "I'm done" chimes, has a user friendly convection conversion setting, an auto light that illuminates the gleaming inside when the door is open, is equipped with an auto shut off option and self cleaning. Okay, am I wrong here, or does this appliance come with more benefits than a husband? Oh yes, I almost forgot, it has blinky lights and a touch pad…much fun will be had. I love my new oven.

Well folks that is it for now. Until next we meet, happy stitching.

Next Knit and Knatter

Sunday March 30, 2008

2 pm

MacKenzie Cole's Coffee

Saskatoon, SK

For more information you can email me at zink.bonnie@gmail.com

New encounters...

Meeting up with Knitterly friends was a most exciting event today. Much stitching was had, new friends were made, finished projects were shown off, and we even had to disband early due to another group of coffee lovers invading our stitching corner.

To those of you who were unable to join us today, and you know who you are, you were missed. However, we brought in a new round of stitchers. This is an official welcome to Trisha, Leanne and Jennifer...a few new gals with as much a love of all things yarn as we have. Yes, I'm glad to announce that our little group is growing fast and we filled out the back room of MacKenzie Coles quite nicely. As I mentioned we needed to break up a bit early today due to another group of coffee lovers having booked the room. We have, however, cured this issue in the future as the room is now reserved for us every Sunday between 2pm and 5pm. I'm so excited that we actually NEED to book space for our growing little circle.b

Jennifer, a computer lover as well as an eclectic knitter, was working on a knitterly version of a dissected frog. Yes, you read right (no need to re-read)...a dissected frog. She is a self pronounced knitteress of all things strange and wild. (I'm quite excited to eavesdrop on the conversation between Jennifer, Gale and Alison - when she returns to us. It should be a fairly interesting bit as Jennifer was keen on viewing Alison's Shrunken Head purse...)


And here is a preview, just for you Jennifer, of Alison's Shrunken Head purse:


PS: Alison, bring it along with you when next we meet...

Leanne kept her hands busy creating a pair of beautiful yellow baby booties. They were adorned with a ruffle cuff and are sure to please the recipient.

Trisha, enjoyed passing her love of crochet onto Summer (Jan's Granddaughter). Summer's relationship with knitting is currently on a time out. However, she seemed to enjoying the hooking until it bored her - we shall keep trying to infect her with our disease.

And, a big welcome to Nadia. Nadia was working on a pair of felted mittens. She wore her knitted socks and has plans to expand her repetoire of knitterly experience into a pair of slippers.

We had a great time getting to know the new gals in our group and truly hope they shall return.

Jan remained dedicated to finishing the shawl that was begun months ago. Last week it grew and this week Jan stitched speedily on finishing the last cuff. Here is hoping that next week she will model it for us.



We welcomed back our sunshine, both inside and out. Welcome back Pam. She brought some beautiful show and tell and spread her infectious giggle throughout the group. Pam has been busy crocheting up hats and scarves for her loved ones. Those pictured below are to adorn her lovely little niece:



Jeanette attained a record today. She actually stayed and stitched for about 2 hours! She made great progress on a baby blanket that is to be gifted to a very good family friend recently had twins. The Hoodie Baby Blanket is stitched from Lion Brand's Cotton Ease (50% cotton and 50% acrylic), which makes it wonderfully machine washable and absorbent at the same time.

Gale has made great progress for she busied herself seaming her Hoodie / Bunny Hug made of Homespun. We are looking forward to her modeling the completed item next week.

We even had a brief visit with Melissa and Acadia, sans stitching. You see, Melissa has suffered a knitting related accident that is keeping her from knitting. It would appear that knitting can be dangerous, my friends, as Melissa's sprained thumb is proof of. Her vigorous technique has left her knitting-less. We all offer her our heart felt empathy. Melissa commiserated with me over the mis-adventure of the book, the car and the credit card :) She so totally gets it ! You can look into all Melissa's adventures over here.

Now for me, what have I been up to? Baking for one in the new KitchenAid Convection oven!! Yes, it arrived and is well loved and used. While out and arranging for its delivery last week, I found myself mere blocks from McNally Robinson. The car, being possessed by some knitterly entity, forced me into the parking lot of the book store. What was I to do? Just sit there and wait for it to get the notion to become mobile once again? Well, that didn't seem right. Into the book store I go.

Where do I find myself, but in the knitterly book section. What do I find there? Why, a new knitterly book to add to my collection of course!!!! I left the store with Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Sock Book. An interesting compilation of history, technique and design that is a wonderful addition to my library (all the other books have welcomed her with open arms and no complaints can be heard from the library shelves). I was excited to see a contest connected to this publication: The Ultimate Sock Contest. Since the deadline is March 15, I have my doubts if I'll have the time to put in an entry :( However, I cannot wait to see what sort of creations the knitterly sock maids of the world come up with.

PS: I take no responsibility for being forced into the situation that lead to the buying of this book. For, as you all know, the Knitting Goddess works in mysterious ways and who are we to question her ultimate wisdom and direction? That could prove dangerous, as we all know.

On the project front: The Confused Cardigan is still in the works but the Jaywalkers are nearing completion. I am on the final few rows of the toe and hope to be wearing them next week!


Until next week, my friends...Happy Stitching :)

A few weeks of Stitching...

It has been a few weeks since I've found the time to post. Much stitching has gone on and a few new people have joined our close knit group. First, let us start with some introductions and welcomes.

From the world of communications have come some new friends. Two ladies devoted to creating fabulous communication strategies around snow and ice whoose love of knitterly pursuits brought them to our table. They were able to find us through the Lion Brand Yarn website. Our little group is listed under "find a knitting group" section. It is always wonderful to bring new stitchers into the fold!

We must give a warm returning welcome to Pam J. She brought her hooks and her yarn and joined us once again, bringing her infectious giggle and special brand of sunshine. Pam has committed to join us on a more regular basis in the future.

Kristin joined her in the creation of crocheted warm woolies. While Pam stitched an oversized crocheted granny square blanket, Kristin was busy creating pillow covers to accent her home.

Mary has had a busy week. She is our resident yarn dye expert. Creating her own colourways and stitching them into beautiful woolies, Mary brought along her latest Baby Surprise Jacket (EZ).

As an added bonus, Mary had caught the beading bug that has infected a number of us over the past few weeks. She coffeed and beaded with a friend over the past week and brought the results to share with the rest of us. Each member was able to leave the meeting with a pair of beautifully crafted stitch markers. The creativity and talents of our group never ceases to amaze me!

As always, socks were on the needles of many stithers. Melissa had finished a Jaywalker sock. Here is a sample of a few of the accomplishments of our sock knitters (along with a lonely heart dishcloth in hot pink). Remember that this coming Sunday February 24, 2008 will be a fun filled afternoon of sock knitting as our group of fearless knitters will attempt a new technique to most of us: the toe up version of socks. You can find some patterns listed on our yahoo group, Saskatoon Knitting Circle, or seek out your own as many exist on the World Wide Web.

As many of you know, people are not the only ones who enjoy knitting. Oliver, our family cat, has discovered the joys and comforts of my knitting corner. My knitting and numerous supplies reside in the corner of living room beside my couch. It is secluded and filled with yarn, needles, UFO's and other knitterly notions. Oliver has taken to relaxing upon the UFO's that live in this corner. He watches the yarn creep towards my needles while I knit and wishes he could "catch" it with his paws. Oh the anticipation and frustration he must feel knowing that he wants to grap onto that string but also knowing that it is muchly NOT appreciated by the owner of that same string...me! He does a great job at keeping me company while I knit!

All in all, in has been a busy few weeks. I've been able to keep on stitching and so has everyone else. Although TAKE is alive and well in many of our world's, we all continue to come together to form stitches and nurture the growing friendships over a warm cup of coffee or tea at MacKenzie Coles. We hope to see you there for the Toe Up Sock Learning Afternoon and continue on with your own fearless knitterly pursuits.

This week was a very busy week in my universe. But the one bright spot was meeting up with new friends. We held a mini S'n'B at the regular place and time. Since Melissa was kind enough to host an "Escape the Super Bowl Mania" potluck S'n'B at her home, those of us who couldn't quite make it out decided to meet up for a shortened more compressed Knit and Knatter. I'm hoping that Melissa will also be kind enough to update the world on the Potluck S'n'B through her own Live Journal blog. Keep checking for updates.

Gale, Jan, Jeannie, Mary and I had a great time updating each other on the states of our projects and the goings ons in our worlds since last we met. With deadlines looming some our knitting time has been drastically reduced. However, we were able to progress quite nicely on other projects.

The Pirate Booty Bag remains to be a work in progress. Socks are flying off the needles and baby items are being produced at lightening speed, with hopes of finishing on time for the impending arrival of the bundles of joy. Mary is near completion on the Baby Surprise Jacket and My Presto Chango sweater is just about complete. Jan is hard at work on some beautiful "Snowflake" socks and the shrug keeps making an appearance.


So what have we been up to for the past week. The Harmonies have been hard at work! The lustre has not worn, the novelty remains fresh and the joy they provide cannot be described within the confines of our language. The beauty and quality speaks for itself. My first Harmony sock is entitled JayWalker (which I found on Ravelry). The zig zag patter is created by a series of increases and decreases across the patterning rows. Other than that, this sock is formed by using your favourite sock recipe. Sometimes I marvel at how the simplest things can be so interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Due to the lure of the socks, my other inaugural Harmony project, Double Play Raglan Cardigan from the Top Down Sweater Book, by Doreen Marquart, has not received much attention. However, rest assured, it won't reside in the WIP basket for long and will soon be growing by the stitch as the JayWalker sock and Presto Chango projects are completed. For now it is perfectly happy to be resting upon the Harmonies.


Speaking of the Harmonies and their beauty...I've discovered a new addiction this week. Let me first say that the beauty of the Harmonies do not deserve to be dulled. My collection of stitch markers consists of little plastic rings that rest upon the needles. Although they are practical and serve their station in life well, they do not seem right on the Harmonies. For beauty deserves beauty, right? What does a self respecting crafter do?

Why we search for something better, we journey to the land of inspiration and then we set to work. After hours of reviewing knitting catalouges and the internet and seeing the numerous options out there, I finally found some beaded stitch markers that would certainly compliment the beauty of the Harmonies. However, they were quite pricey (a set of 6 cost anywhere from $20.00 to $40.00!) Well, my pockets are not that deep.

So, I searched some more and found a number of tutorials on how to create this knitterly notions on my own. I found an excellent site, created by a GUY knitter , Michael Cook, (I knew they were out there!) who takes us through the process step by step in a practical manner. This is what I came up with! the pink hearts and shoes are my own hommage to Breast Cancer Research and the hearts are in honour of upcoming St. Valentine's Day. I'm sure the coming weeks will see more postings and pictures showing off my daughter's creativity and my ingenuity in learning a new trick of the trade.

A small trip to Dollarama, Walmart and a quick perusal of Michael's offerings set my daughter and I up with the tools and supplies to make hundreds of little beauties, and it cost much less than $40.00!

While searching for the Stitch Marker tutorials, I found a gem of an adornment that provides both beauty and practicality. I came across a Row Counter Beaded Bracelet and just had to give it a go too. These knitterly notions work like an Abacus (by pushing beads back and forth to keep track of competed rows, stitches or repeats). While beading up my new treasures, it occurred to me that the Bracelet and Markers could match a set of hand beaded earrings too! The possibilities are endless. A set could be made to match the yarn of the project. They could be created and given to knitterly friends as gifts. Their construction would certainly provide hours of entertainment and a creative outlet for the children of the house. Yes, beading has now been added to my repertoire of addictions. Trust me, if I can accomplish this, so can you. And I do hope all of you give the beading a go and create your own treasures...doesn't your knitting deserve to feel pretty too?

So that's the update for this week. We hope to see everyone next week at:

MacKenzie Cole's Coffee
Corner of Gray Avenue and Central Avenue (Sutherland)
Saskatoon, SK
Sunday February 10, 2008
2 pm

New friends, new stitchers, warm coffee...what more could you ask for from a Sunday afternoon?

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks in my world. The one staple in my world has been our weekly S'n'B. The members of the Saskatoon Knitting Circle have been busy stitching up a storm and it is my pleasure to show them off here. We've discovered new friends, ogled new knitterly notions and even encouraged future yarn addicted enablers. As always, we have had a wonderful time Knitting and Nattering away the afternoons.

First up is the introduction and welcoming of our two newest gal pals. Acadia, Melissa's daughter, joined us on Sunday January 20, 2008 for an afternoon of discovery. She took to the needles like a pro. Gale encouraged and mentored her through a few rows and in no time at all, Acadia was masterfully completing rows on her rows. Melissa reported that her love of the craft remains strong. Acadia is becoming quite a dedicated little stitcher - so much so that she awoke at 5am one morning, turned on Treehouse TV and quietly knitted away. Apparently, the completed project (of which we are not sure of its name yet) will be gifted to Gale.

Next is Summer. On this cold and blustery day the addition of Summer to our little gathering was a joy. She is an 11 year aspiring stitcher (walking in her Grandmother Jan's stitching footsteps) who brightened our afternoon and learned a knitterly trick or two to apply to the construction of her very first scarf. We all have faith that Summer will become an expert knitter who will soon be stitching up her own socks and avoid the urge to appropriate her Grandmas hand crafted tootsie warmers.

Progress has been made. After weeks of lamenting over the dullness of knitting with gray, Melissa finally finished her Mother's socks. The colourway is quite pleasing to those of us who didn't have to knit with it day in and day out. Congrats, Melissa, on finishing the project. A round of applause to you.

Next on the needles is the Pirate Booty Bag. Gale is making progress and almost ready to begin the skulls. It is coming along nicely and has been dubbed her S'n'B meeting bag. It has received some attention and contention. Gale is desperately trying to decide whether or not to frog it and begin anew. She's unsure as to its finished size (whether it will be big enough) and whether the stitch markers are in the right place. Good luck, Gale, here's hoping the booty bag avoids the frog pond.

Our good friend, Kristen, has been a busy crocheter. She's been stitching up nine patches and granny squares into blankets. They are turning out to be highly coveted items in her world. She'd quite like to keep the purple one, but her Mom is giving strong hints that it needs to go live with her upon completion. Good luck, Kristen. I have the same issue in my knitterly world with sweaters. I make them and my Mom and Sister tend to steal them - NO they don't borrow, they are not gifted, they just mysteriously disappear out of my closet. A number of my afghans are surprisingly adorning the beds and couches in my sister's home too. Hmmmm.....is this an epidemic?

New friends are always nice to have at the meetings and today we formed a new friendship with a fellow knitter. A big welcome to Mary. An environmental researcher who has taken a liking to stitching, Mary joined us for the first time today. She was trying to decipher EZs Baby Surprise Jacket. So any of you out there who have tried it or completed it or even wish to try it, come and join us and let us discover together!

So what's on my needles these days? Did we mention needles? Oh I think we did. Now to the really exciting news. As most of you know my husband gifted me a set of the highly coveted Harmony needles by KnitPicks. Let me just take a moment to pet the needles....mmmm....smoothly goodness - I'm okay now. They are truly beautiful, a joy to work with, wonderful to look at, satisfying to pet and love and drool over! I am a lucky gal. Let us all take a moment and pay homage to the Knitting Goddess for allowing them to come and live with me :)
The cables are supple and forgiving. They have little to no memory, which make them a joy to work with. The wood of the tips and the sock needles (yes I have both...commence drooling again) are smooth and forgiving with just enough "grab" to keep the stitches from slipping off the end of the needles. I simply don't know how I did it before Harmony, for now that Harmony has come to my world, I shan't (if at all possible) knit with anything again. I shall pledge to love the Harmony, protect the Harmony, enjoy the Harmony and encourage and enable all others to partake in Harmony.
So now that my episode is complete, let me tell you what the Harmonies are hard at work on. First, I have cast on the Double Play Raglan Cardigan from the book entitled Top Down Sweaters: Knit to Fit from Top to Bottom by Doreen L. Marquart. This is my first experiment with this construction type and I must admit I am enjoying it.



Of course, the Harmony sock needles are getting a work out too. I've cast on the Jaywalker sock (found on ravelry.com - if you are not signed up for a membership yet I highly recommend you get in the queue and if you are a member I can be found as theknittinggodde - feel free to add me as your friend).
Last but not least is my Bobble Sock. I came up with this little cutey by flipping through my favourite stitch dictionary and combining it with my favourite sock recipe. Very quick to stitch up, very easy and nice and cozy on these blustery days.

Happy 2008 Stitching...

Welcoming in the New Year is always an exciting time. Everything starts anew. Friendships continue to blossom. Stitching continues to provide insight, bonding and wonderful woolies to share. My biggest question this year is "What do Koala Bears, Knitters and Nature all have in common?" Let me try to answer this question as I update you on our knitting circle's talented members.

First, our last meeting of 2007 on December 20, 2007 was a big success. Gale, Jan, Kristen and I met in the regular place to compare, show off and learn new insights about each other and our work. Kristen, new to the world of stitching, is becoming quite an accomplished young artist eager to spread her craft and inspire smiles. Currently, she's hard at work on creating her nephew his very own crocheted kitty. For show and tell, Kristen brought along her almost completed projects: a couple of cute little characters done in the Japanese tradition of amigurumi. Although they need a nose and some eyes, these little characters will surely add personality to any corner they may call home in the future. Kristen has also announced her trek into other stitching wonders. She received her first sewing machine as a Christmas gift and is eager to try her hand at creating wonderful fabric items. Here's hoping that next year, she's accomplished enough to have a truly hand made gift giving experience.


Onto Gale. Even though Gale has joined the ranks of the work-a-day set, she still saves time to stitch and come out with us each and every Sunday. A number of projects have been given (like a cute little dinosaur, which her nephew absolutely LOVES!) and a few more started. Gale is currently hard at work on a Pirate Booty Bag (email me for the free pattern if you are interested in giving it a go) and learning the process of double knitting, Faire Isle (Intarsia) as well felting. This will certainly be something to be proud of once completed. On another note, Gale has also picked up a new fibre and is busy creating socks (of course ;) ) from it - keep reading to discover what the new fibre is... The colourway (a varigated green scheme) is gorgeous and I can't wait to post a picture of the finished project when they are done!

Jan, our experienced knitter, has been hard at work and reported that the plethora of socks, hats and other warm woolies were all received with many smiles and love and awe of her work. She's still at work on the sweater for herself, but has taken to creating some cableing wonders. Headbands are the perfect medium to show off her talents and a cabling wonder. Although, we couldn't quite name the fibre here (her pet Pug decided the Information Band of this particular yarn tasted very good), we all agreed the colour is beautiful. This creation will surely keep its owners ears toasty and add a bit of functional fashion to their world.

And now onto me. What have I been up to? Well I have a few things to report. First, I'm awaiting the arrival of my Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeable Needles not so patiently. I ordered them on Dec. 20, 2007 and hope for them to arrive some time this month. They are a beautiful compressed wood that add a touch of beauty to the act of knitting. By all accounts they are some of the best needles on the market to date. Thanks to my husband, for giving me these beauties as my Christmas gift. Now all I have to do is await their arrival and hope the postal service hurries them along.

In anticipation of the blessed day (when the needles arrive) I kept one of my resolutions. I promised myself to try a new technique and a new fibre to start off the new year with. This may also answer the question we began this blog with. So, what does a Koala Bear, A Knitter and Nature have in common??? Why, it is Bamboo of course!

As part of my Christmas present from DH, I also received Interweave's Favourite Socks book. A beautiful compilation of their numerous and popular sock patterns from 1997 to present. My first project was Meida's Socks. This pattern is easy to memorize and accomplish. I picked up Ornaghifilati 100% Bamboo yarn form the Wool Emporium here in Saskatoon to create these beauties with. So far I have one sock done and its pair cast on (which I'll be bringing to the SnB this coming Sunday January 6, 2008). The Bamboo is a joy to work with. It is soft, has a beautiful lustre, comes in a number of gorgeous colours. I don't know if I can return to the plain old fibres that socks are normally created with, but I will.

For the second part of my resolution, this pattern taught me to cable in a new way (new to me that is). It appears that cable needles were not very common in the Eastonian area at one time so the women became adept at cabling without them. Alternating slipped stitches on every right-side row produces a reinforced hell flap with a honeycomb (or partridge eye), rather than the usual reinforced rib that continues into the turning of the heel. The Eastonian cables are easily accomplished, once the initial shock of having live stiches hanging midair wears off. I love the technique and recommend it to anyone interested in trying out a new technique.



Now what of my UFO's. There are a couple on the go at the moment. I have begun, as a promised belated birthday gift to my brother-in-law, a pet friendly and manly afghan to add a bit of spark to his living room. Constructed in a simple double crochet ripple pattern, this piece is working up quickly. I discovered 1000 gram balls of Red Heart at the local WalMart, which makes this project not so portable. It has become my TV watching project as it currently lives beside my couch. These balls are HUGE and wonderful when creating larger pieces. I love the way the multi, the brown and the green work together as the fabric grows with every stitch.

The other WIP currently receiving my attention is my Faire Isle Sweater. This project was cast on well before Christmas and has been worked at intermittently since then. Faire Isle is one of my favourite techniques. However, once my loved ones see how it works up they tend to vie over its ownership. Currently my Mother and Sister are both discussing who's back it will be warming. However, it is being made for me. Wish me luck in keeping it!


Other WIPs lie patiently in wait in the queue. I'm sure once my new needles arrive they will have renewed interest and get some attention. I still have socks on the go, a few mittens, a sleeveless turtleneck and a number of other inspirations rolling about in my head.

Here's hoping that your celebrations went well, your holidays were safe and warm and we see you at the next SnB on

January 06, 2008
McKenzie Cole's Coffee
Corner of Gray Ave and Central Ave
Saskatoon, SK
at 2pm!!!!

Happy Stitching to all!