Ladybugs & Yarn

Yarn: Regia Tweed 6ply
Pattern: 60 sts + stockinette heel with garter border + flat toe + stitch pattern
Needles 3.0 mm KP circs

I was going to wait until after my Dad’s birthday to post photos, but then I remembered that my Dad doesn’t read my blog unless I specifically ask him to go see a photo I’ve posted or something. So! Socks. Thick house socks, specifically, because the flooring in the family house is rather chilly in the morning and evenings, especially with winter approaching. Plus, wool socks don’t get damp from the patio dew as quickly as regular store-bought socks when the dog needs to be taken out at six a.m. I’ve been meaning to knit my Dad socks for ages, and have started/frogged a couple of pairs, but it took until now to find a yarn + pattern combination I thought he’d like.

The Railway stitch pattern was borrowed from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks, and I’ll be using it again. It’s easy, memorisable, and interesting enough to keep the sock-knitting motoring along. I taught myself to knit by touch alone with these socks, too, which is different from just knitting without looking. I wondered why I’d never been able to manage to just knit along for more than a few plain stitches without looking down for a moment, until it hit me that I needed to be far more tactile and really use my fingers to feel the stitches as I was knitting them.

If Dad likes these, I’m all set to make him another pair, only with thinner yarn (and knit a lot longer in the leg, obviously) so they can be worn like normal socks.

Pi seemed to like them, anyhow. He tried to make off with them, and although he didn’t succeed, I caught a photo of the attempt:

Foolish kitten.

There’s a place along Highfield Street that sells the biggest brownies in the universe. I put it next to my hand for size comparison purposes:

It’s also delicious… soft and chocolatey and even still a little oven-warm. Mmm. I cut it into four normal-sized brownies and have put three away for later/tomorrow.

I went for a walk today in a part of the city with which I’m not familiar; it’s full of beautiful old houses and huge oak trees and centre-square parks. There are a couple of tiny restaurants, and a couple of martial arts schools, but other than that it’s almost exclusively residential. The trees are all red and gold now, so it’s the perfect time of year to go walking through pretty neighbourhoods. I should have brought my camera.

While I was walking along and wishing I had my camera, I stumbled across Cricket Cove, a beautiful little yarn shop. I don’t know how I didn’t know it existed before. I fell in love immediately, and it pleases me greatly that I’ve found a local source for brands like Rowan, Opal, Brown Sheep, Araucania–ones that I’ve only been able to get through the internet thus far. There was one ball of sock yarn that had to come home with me:

It’s such a bright, happy green. I’m thinking that I might knit a pair of Tidal Wave socks with it, which may be only about my third time using the recommended yarn for a pattern.

I’ve been wondering for the past couple of weeks why the Elmwood TH never called me back about the part-time job application I sent in (I was going to check on it–all sorts of things can happen), but I’ve decided it must have been fate. I noticed a “Part-Time Help Wanted” sign in the window of a fabulous little place today, so I’m going to print off my resume, cross my fingers, and call on Monday.

Randomly, making soap always makes me feel a bit like an alchemist.

I have generally well-behaved cats when it comes to yarn. They might occasionally paw at the dangling tail from a cast-on, but don’t attack my projects nor pounce the balls of wool. So I was unprepared to get out of bed this morning and see this:

That atrocious tangle was formerly two balls of KSH. Augh. It’s no use disciplining Pi (I am under no illusions as to which cat is responsible), because the damage is done and he wouldn’t understand, but augh. I’ve laid the mess in a drawer until I can face the thought of sorting it out. *flails*

Onto better things. I have a book of vintage doily patterns, and I went looking for it today to see if one of the patterns in it was, as I suspected, the doily that the popular Hemlock Ring Blanket pattern had been based on. (It was!) But while skimming through it, I noticed that there were a lot of large doilies in there that would probably make gorgeous lap blankets if worked in heavy aran yarn rather than fine crochet cotton.

I also, randomly, think that My So-Called Scarf has a lovely stitch pattern. Anything that’s almost-mindless-but-interesting and makes handpainted yarns looks gorgeous gets my vote.

I cannot find my 6mm needle tips, and of course that’s a) the only size missing from my Options binder; b) the size I need right now. I don’t like you very much right now, Mr. Murphy. I tried casting on with a 6mm Susan Bates circ, and for the life of me I can’t figure out how I ever knit with them before. I’ve been spoiled, I guess. Still, in this apartment, there are a limited amount of places those tips could be hiding. They’ll turn up soon.

It’s raining outside. Pouring, actually. I like autumn rain–I like how it makes the leaves stick to the sidewalk and/or gather in the currents and float down the river. I like how it makes the trees look after dark when there are only streetlamps for light. Rain at this time of year, like snow in winter, makes me want to curl up on the sofa with tea, knitting, and a warm cat, and I think as soon as I’m done here that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

One more thing. I went to a blood donor clinic at the local air force base this afternoon–where I used to live, there was one once a year, but the size of this new little city of mine means that the clinic comes once every two months. I strongly encourage anyone who can get to a donor clinic in their own area to do so, as it doesn’t harm your system to donate (actually, it’s beneficial in some ways) and, of course, it saves lives.

Right! Tea. Knitting. Cats.

Pattern: Felted Tote from Fleece Artist
Yarn: Fleece Artist BFL Aran in Seashore
Needles: 32″ 6mm circ

I cannot manage to photograph this tote in a way that a) makes it look as cute as it is, or b) makes the lovely, subtle colours show up. Natural light would help, but it’s evening and I’m too impatient to wait until morning. So! I actually cast on and knit the base before I moved, but I got sidetracked and forgot about it until a few days ago. Then once I’d almost finished, I had to rummage around in the yarn containers to figure out where I’d put the handles.

I haven’t figured out what I want for a lining yet–I’m thinking that since the tote has a square bottom, it’d be cute to keep that shape all the way up and have a drawstring top like those cute Lantern Moon baskets.

At the moment, though, I’ll put all thoughts of linings aside and focus on the medical science test I have tomorrow.

Pattern: What pattern?
Yarn: Fleece Artist merino in Jubilation
Needles: 2.5mm circs

Stevie wanted to help with the photo.

I knit these exclusively on the bus to and from college, save for the toe decreases on the second sock (had to take a few minutes at home to finish that up so I could get them on my feet!) I more or less used my standard sock pattern–64 stitch cast-on, 13 rows of ribbing, eye of partridge heel flap, and flat toe. I probably should have only decreased down to 10 sts on each side instead of 8, but they fit fine nonetheless. Mmm, squishy squishy FA merino.

So! On the needles now: the sekrit socks, Juliet, and a somewhat-neglected Icarus shawl. I’m doing rather well at controlling the startitis.

The leaves are turning. It always seems to happen so suddenly; you go to sleep on a warm indian-summer night and wake up to a crisp autumn morning. I love this time of year, when the leaves are red-gold, when the air has a refreshing chill in the early hours and a lovely warmth mid-afternoon.

I noticed the trees on my way to Lakeburn this afternoon. The transit buses don’t venture that far outside the city limits, but my mother’s car is here while she’s in Alberta visting her sister. I’ve only had it out twice, once being today’s drive and the other a trip to the zoo on Magnetic Hill (more on that, later).

Lakeburn, of course, is home to London-Wul. I could have just phoned them with my questions about spinning classes, but I chose to visit, instead. The studio has such a wonderful atmosphere; it feels less like a store and more like a cozy workshop. Which, I suppose, it is, since the owner does have her own lines of handspun and handpainted yarns. I took a look through Folk Style, More Sensational Knitted Socks, and a bunch of other books while I was there, and of course had to take the opportunity to squish yarns, eye up the Addi Turbo lace needles, and pet the pearly pink plastic sock DPNs. Even in the presence of all that gorgeousness, I did behave myself–almost. I found a lone skein of hand-dyed fingering-weight pure wool in a bright cherry red, and 500 yards for $8 was too good of a bargain to pass up. It’ll make a fabulous Estonian Garden scarf.

Speaking of red, I took out several yards of red corduroy from the fabric bins this evening. It’s waiting beside the sewing machine now, along with a fall jacket pattern. I think I’ll cut it out tomorrow while the cats are napping–much easier that way. They’re positively angelic where knitting is concerned, but pattern pieces pose too great a temptation for them to resist.

I spent a fantastic afternoon at the zoo on Friday. Look at this beautiful creature:

I loved all of the big cats (and the raccoons and the alpacas and the marmosets and the wolves and the otters and…), but this jaguar and her mate had me captivated. Such powerful animals, yet they roll and stretch and paw at each other like kittens in the sun.

More photos!

Oversized teddy bear.

Young stag.

A capybara, the world’s largest rodent. This one must’ve weighed about 80lbs.

Bison.

Tomar the gorgeous tiger.

Baby llama!

Aww.

Adorable raccoon.

Very curious, too. As soon as he noticed us, he decided to sit and watch us the way we watched him.

Bald eagle! Very impressive birds.

Sleepy otter. <3

Another sleepy otter, obviously protective of his toys.

Pygmy goats, looking for handouts.

Norwegian pony. A cute one, too.

Scarlet macaw, king of tropical birds.

This cockatoo was a total show-off.

Some kind of small South American tree snake.

Alpacas!

A cougar, more interested in his nap than in the humans watching him.

Itsy-bitsy marmosets. These little guys could fit in the palm of my hand.

Something tells me it would be a bad idea to turn your back on this deer.

I have loads more photos, but it’ll take some time to sort through them. Also, I think next time I go to the zoo I’ll go in the morning, as in mid-afternoon most of the animals have taken refuge from the heat.

As promised, I took some photos along Main Street. I’ll put them in another post, though, later this afternoon.

That ecstatic bliss brought on by fabulous life changes has settled down a bit now, of course, fading into a low-level buzz of contentment that hovers at the corners of my mind and occasionally makes me smile at completely random times. The courses are going so well at the moment; my average is a solid A+; we’re constantly being warned that the course is going to get much more difficult, and quickly, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. As long as I keep up the good study habits I have at the moment and don’t allow myself to procrastinate or fall behind, I’ll do well. I’m almost sure of it.

Tomorrow afternoon I’m going to the Magnetic Hill Zoo and plan to take a load of photos. I’m thinking about wandering around town after supper, too, with camera in hand, provided the weather behaves itself. It’s been gorgeous the past three days, though, so I have hope.

… I did promise knitting in the subject line, didn’t I? Yes.

I’ve been steadily knitting away on one of my own designs–a set of two pairs of pretty plum-coloured socks, one mother-sized and one daughter-sized. The pattern’s not for release here, but it’s being sent to somewhere more commercial and with a larger fanbase than this itsy blog of mine. =D I’m very excited about it. If I could knit the pairs on the bus they’d be done, but charts and buses don’t mix. I’ve been doing them, instead, in the moments I can manage at home.

As far as bus knitting goes, I’m 3/4s done a pair of socks knit with the Fleece Artist merino that the LYS’s knitting night girls gave me as a gift when I left for college. Lookie at the awesome rainbow colours:

My other commuter project is a Juliet cardigan knit in this gorgeousness. I’ve made a few simple alterations to have the pattern work with the gauge I’m knitting to, and now it’s fine for bus knitting until I get to the lace.

It’s September. Do we all know what that means? … Holiday knits! Oh, come on, I can’t be the only one to have all of my gifts planned and yarn-stashed already. Granted, it’s a small list, but I had to figure out what yarns I’d need while I still had a steady income, so the plans are all done up. All of the giftees have access to this blog, so I’ll keep the babble to a minimum–all I’ll say is that I have two pairs of socks, two hats, and a wide scarf to knit.

It’s autumn-evening chilly outside (beautiful!) so I think I’ll take a walk to the mailbox–I keep forgetting it exists and haven’t checked it in a week. Good thing it’s locked, yes?

Blueberry pancakes, anyone?

It’s been a couple of weeks now; not long, but I’m settling in quite comfortably. The courses are starting off on the right note, I love my apartment, the cats are happy, and I seem to have landed myself in a quiet part of this lovely city. I’m just a short bus ride from downtown, so I get the best of both worlds.

Based on what I’ve seen and discovered so far, there seems to be much more here that appeals to me and my interests. I’m a bit of an arts-and-culture geek at times and I’m thrilled that there’s a strong presence of both, here. I like being able to walk down Main Street and hear jazz coming from an open-air restaurant near City Hall, then turn the corner and hear maracas when I pass by the entrance of MexiCali Rosa’s. I’m thrilled that Symphony NB has six concerts at the Capitol Theatre (pic is quite large; it’s a gorgeous venue that was built as a vaudeville/opera house in the 1920s) here between October and June, and that the student price to attend is less than that of a cinema ticket. I’m amused (and pleased) that there are angora bunnies and assorted sheep wandering around that beautiful yarn shop just outside of city limits.

I like that when I step onto the curb in front of a crosswalk, the cars stop in both directions, and I like that the girl sitting beside me in class asked me about the knitting I’ve been doing during lunch breaks. I like that although the city’s seven or eight times larger than anywhere I’ve lived before, I no longer have to show my monthly pass or student ID when I board the bus because the driver remembers his regulars. And, of course, I like that there seem to be enough good things that I can ignore the few things (and people) that remind me too much of that town I’ve left behind.

Teal-coloured surgical scrubs and a lab coat just might be a better (and more comfortable!) look for me than a Tim Horton’s uniform. Actually, screw the “might be”. The word is “are”.

I’m rambling. But I’m happy. Can you tell?

I’m sprawled on the living room floor with the laptop at the moment, watching Gargoyles on DVD, waiting for my hardboiled eggs to cool. Egg salad sandwiches for lunch tomorrow, mmm.

There’s going to be lots of photospam over the next couple of weeks, as I have a whole new city to play with. There’s also going to be a shiny new look for this whole domain. Stay tuned.

Before I get to the FO… thank you, you lovely people, for the comments to my last post. The warm fuzzies were much appreciated. I do always feel a little bit guilty about not responding to things either personally or in a timely manner, but under the circumstances I feel I will be forgiven. <3 I have fifty thousand things to sort out in the next week and a half, and I should be in full-on panic mode, but I'm... not. Perhaps that, in itself, is a good sign.

So! Socks.

Pattern: Pattern? What pattern?
Yarn: Opal Rainforest 6ply in Flamingo
Needles: 3.0mm circs

And here’s the product of those long queues/wait times. Plain ol’ stockinette socks in cute self-patterning yarn, finished with enough yarn left over to knit another pair. They were worked over 56 sts with a 1×1 rib cuff, an Eye of Partridge heel flap, and a flat toe. I have them on my feet already, of course.

I may not be the Wicked Witch of the West, but I’m positively melting. I’d welcome a bucket of water over my head at the moment. The ceiling fan doesn’t seem to be cutting it this evening, and all the portable fans in the house are spoken for. My fingers are impersonating blowfish at the moment, so there’s been little crafting today save for two rows on a cat blanket.

I cast on for the blankie two nights ago, after watching Stevie cuddle up to a big ball of baby yarn. He, being a cat, of course likes yarn, but he seemed so enamoured with this particular ball that I decided I had to knit him something out of it. Cats don’t tend to like clothing and Stevie likes being covered when he sleeps, so a blankie it was. Knit from corner to corner in garter stitch, to make it a little squishier than stockinette.

It’s not even half done, and he’s claimed it already.

Note the paw on my Tinkerbell-pajama-clad knee. He’s not a demanding boy, but he finds ways to get himself noticed, some less subtle than others.

Oh, and obviously the blog is no longer pink. I had the urge to remodel, but I took the lazy way out by just making a new header and slapping on some new colours.