Long Live October

In a slight departure from the norm, I've decided to take time to discuss my non-crafting life.
I need to say thank you to all those who've responded so kindly to my Alatus pattern. It feels good to have my 15 minutes of knitting superstar fame.

In another announcement, I'm currently gathering, furiously researching, industriously copying, recipes and ideas for a smashing-good Thanksgiving dinner. I'll all grown up now, with my apartment digs and all. It's time to step into the wide-world of meat preparation.
(and yes, fair readers: I do realize that it is in fact not yet October. I just lurves that month the most. Even better than September. Which really kicks ass).


a bit of pride and joy: my Morning Glories, they don't be dead!

In yet another announcement, I'll be off in a week to see our country's fair capital. I hope to return refreshed and ready to brine that damn turkey and cook that pumpkinny pie.
(a slightly unrelated tid-bit: did you know that us "ethnic" people don't like pumpkin pie? So I was told, by some woman who I used to work with. When offering desserts at a Christmas staff luncheon, she informed me of this afore-unknown gem. Well, I'm so glad racism is alive and thriving under the guise of multiculturalism here today.)

Alatus

Alatus: Winged

I must admit that Latin is not a strong point, but when I was thinking of what creative name I could come up with for this knit, I took the easy way out and simply described the item in another language. (sneaky creativity)


From the front, and unassuming (if extremely low-cut) sweater.


And from the back, my experiment with cable-mapping.


And un-modeled.


And, depicting the truer-to-life chocolate brown loveliness that is Louisa Harding's yarn.

Specs:

Pattern: Alatus (self designed exploration of cable mapping)
Yarn: Grace by Louisa Harding (6 skeins)
Things I'd change: As usual, there are several. First, I'd add some more space to the front-sides around the neckline. I'd also curve the neckline a bit more too. It came out more square than I had envisioned. I'd be more careful about shaping the sleeve cap (since I had to pull them both out several times to achieve a normal-appearing shape). The sleeve-holes would be about an inch longer too. It's not tight there, but there certainly could be more room. I'd also be more meticulous in my counting for the pattern. Unfortunately, up near the arm shaping, I ran out of room and had to sacrifice a feather or two.

What I love about it: mostly the yarn. It's like butter. Oh so wonderful, and the most perfect shade of chocolate brown I've ever seen in a yarn. Highly recommended.
Three-quarter sleeve rock the boat. You save yarn, it still keeps you warm, and yet you don't have to worry about the cuffs getting worn or crappy. It also saves time on the much-dreaded sleeve knitting.

This knit depends on another (as yet unfinished) knit for a large part of it's prettiness. I'll photo them together when/if I can get it completed before October 1. (mais oui, self-imposed deadlines once again).

I've been playing with the idea of posting the cable chart, but I think it's only discernible by me.

Come on cold weather! I can't wait to wear this puppy!

Edited to Add:
***Link to Pattern on Craftster***



Alatus

CHARTS

My Favourite Things for my 25th

Indeed, I'm aging. In honour of this, I've baked cinnamon buns for myself (and my co-workers, and possibly family). If you were previously unenlightened, I'll let you know: I am the world's best cinnamon bun maker. I can say few things with such assurance. This, and I kick ass at parallel parking.

Here, you see the dough pre-baking.


And, in it's yummy post-oven state.


I've also completed a knit. I'll post about that quite soon.

In progress are several new additions:

Eunny's Tangled Yoke Cardi, in Jamieson's DK, colour Port Wine.

Not the very best of photos. The colour is much nicer than this picture.

Vogue's Fair Isle U-Neck, the deuce (in Knitpicks Merino Style, this go-around).


Lace Style's Wimple, in Artyarns Regal Silk (the leftovers from the Modesitt Silk Corset).


Knitting and sugar. That's the pinnacle.

Wings

Another canary owner's manual illustration: the broken wing.



My boys are still moulting, and I'm still knitting. After a short yarn-obsession lapse, I'm back baby. Oh yeah.



It's almost done. Still a secret. Love the yarn, my new favourite. (at least, my favourite non Handmaiden yarn).

I've been on a quilting kick as well. Harvest time, harvest quilt(s).
Warm colours

Cool colours


As well as my pretty wall hanging:


Just being a quick update - I must be off to craft!

What's on Your Fridge?

I do promise I'm crafting, though some of it is un-postable (swap items, must remain secret).
Instead I bring you my fridge.

And, a rather humourous picture from a canary-pet-owner guide.
This is a familiar scene at the sanctuary. Butters and Ives are lovers/friends. They have a very complicated relationship.

My Apartment...

Is full of yarn to be given away
(Manos, fun fur, mohair, silk noil, red wool)

and quite a pretty one too

single skeins to become as-yet-unknown projects
(any good ideas for single-skeins of Noro/Patons SWS projects? Let me know!)


Spices for food
(I tried growing my own Oregano, I really did. But I found, quite to my vexation, that some nasty wee bugs were making the underside of the leaves their home. I don't want to get my protein that way.)

Tea for water
(my favourite tea!)

Books for reading

DVDs for watching

And library items for returning


Other than going rather camera happy, I've been expanding my crafting knowledge and begun playing with Fimo. Not that I've never done so before, but the re-discovery is quite pleasing.

I made the owl, of course. Not la Tour.

I've added flower-drying and arranging to the mix as well. Below is the once quite luscious bridesmaids' bouquet I held on August 8:


Another for the re-discovery department, embroidery floss bracelets.

I had forgotten how fun they are to make. Quite mindless, easy work. Too bad I'd never wear them anymore! But the colours are beautiful. If you can think of another use for said crafting skill, other than bracelets, by all means let me know.

And, I leave you with this lovely little glass bee, who has changed job descriptions from martini-olive sticker to plant-pot decorator.

iPod can now keep warm...

Here you see my pretty little iPod cozy. I bought myself an iPod shuffle a few months back, and found the tangling of the earphones to be both distressing and dangerous for the safety of said item. Voila, the cozy.

It's just a crocheted impulse I did one night. I used some yarn (the brown) left over from a swap from Portugal, and the white wee bird on the front is some leftover Elsebeth ClassicAl from some fingerless mitts I made a couple years back. The bird is from a pattern - the little bird pin from Happy Hooker.

Duster: Tilted to Perfection

Specs:

Pattern: Tilted Duster, Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Yarn: seven balls of Lang Yarn - Soft Shetland
Buttons: four very perfect ones snagged from Mac Fab in Toronto



Things I did wrong this time:
Insistent as I am, I used this yarn despite it's being a wee bit on the wrong side of gauge. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be too many drawbacks (so far the only one I've come across is this garment's tendency to snag itself. Which is rather heartbreaking, but may be due to it's long, flowy nature, rather than my stubborn yarn choice).
I should also have been a bit more careful in the button placement, because this pattern wants to pull apart in the front, instead of lying nicely as it does in the pattern photos. I played with the idea of stitching it into place, but decided to wait on that one. I used exactly all the balls of yarn I bought, with about 12 inches of yarn left over.

Things I feared, but all came to naught:
I was unsure whether this pattern would make me look preggers. As this pic demonstrates, the Duster does no such thing.

Toronto

CN in the clouds as I make my way to Lettuce Knit.

A much-anticipated day off on Tuesday found me wandering the streets of my fair province's capital, searching for relaxation in both water and retail therapy.
The waters, I should explain, are found in this fantastically bliss-inducing spa:


My Spa. Yes, I claim ownership.

Where I spent three very good hours sauna-izing, green-tea bath soaking, and generally dreaming about the upcoming projects currently being formulated in my noggin.

Then off to Lettuce Knit, where I was highly tempted by some beautiful Blue Sky Alpaca, but courageously turned it down. I never knew I had the strength.



I also strolled down Queen West, and took in a good many button shops. Ultimately, it was Mac Fab that won me over. I didn't realize buttons were so fascinating. I have buttons for several purposes now:


Buttons for Duster.


Buttons for aesthetic reasons.


Buttons because, well, they're purple tweed.

At the end of a happy day spent, I curled up in my cozy apt. and finished the Tilted Duster (FO post to come soon.)
I hope to have a delicious hunk of knitting to show off quite directly. Urge me on - send the good knitting vibes this way.

Headline News: Derisive Comment Leads to the Canary Lady whipping off FOs

Spurred on by negativity, I, the perpetual caster-onner (oh, OED people, if you need to round out the over 500,000 words in our wonderful language, please see me),
I, the impetuous improviser of perfectly good patterns, (please see previous post, or any of my disaster-knits, for clarification),
I, the chronic dreamer and project-abandoner,
have completed a project in under a week.

Sounds like not-so-much to you, but a triumph for me.
Due to my recent "stash-with-a-purpose"-itis, I've been scanning my mags, flipping through books and racking me brain to come up with suitable projects for all those odd-balls o'yarn I purchased before I had the good sense to buy yarn for a project.

The cute wee Shorty you see pictured below is the first in what I anticipate to be a long line of FOs from the SWAP (stash with a purpose) fever.



Specs:

Pattern: my own take on Grumperina's Picovoli
Yarn: one, very golden, and very lovely hank of HandMaiden's Silk Maiden
Ribbon: two pieces of some creamy-coloured silk ribbon I purchased from the ever-supportive eBay



This project came about because I wanted to make something wearable (something decidedly not a hat). This yarn called out to be worn against the skin. It's possibly my favourite yarn ever. The colour is perfect, as well.

The only problem is that I'm not used to wearing these type o' Shorties (I just made that up. If there's a real term for this type of garment, let me know). I'm undecided as to whether it makes me look cool, or like some sort of misplaced 13th century golden maiden.



Once again, photographing oneself in a mirror creates only half-good representations. I know you all forgive me.

C'est Comme Ci, Comme Ca: Bergere de France

The unfortunate and rather disappointing Bergere de France - Take II:

Specs:

Pattern: Bergere de France - Take II
Yarn: almost precisely six skeins of Knit Picks Elegance in Ash
Things I'd change:
This pattern was modded from the get-go. The original pattern is much baggier, and knit with a worsted weight. On the KAL on craftster, someone suggested just going down a yarn weight or two, which is what I did. The part I'd alter is the number of rows in the yoke (about an inch or so more would be useful) and go up a needle size. Above is the post-blocking outcome, and below you see the pre:

Aside from the bottom which is unfortunately curling up (yet another thing I'd change: the ribbing to a 1x1 instead of the rib called for in the pattern), I think I prefer the pre-blocking stage to the post. It's not as stretched and diaphanous.
The cables turned out nicely, and the yarn is lovely to work with.
A big boo-boo I committed was with the set-up for the yoke on the front of the sweater. I left several of the edge stitches too loose, and so when the time came for finishing, I thought I could just tighten them up and all would be right. Oh no, not so, as you can see rather shamefully here:

My sadness continues as I see there are no decent photos of this here unfortunate knit to show.

Mods:

I knit the body in the round til an inch or two before the instructions changed for each. This helped maintain my sanity, because I truly do not like at all or in any way having to CO for the front and then CO for the back, knitting the very same way for inches and inches.

And I leave you with a cable close-up: