MondayLunchCrew

Cross posted on Team Canada blog. Here's my finished project! My very first pair of socks. It was definitely challenging. I remade the first sock 3 times before I was satisfied with it. Mostly trouble with the heel but I did figure it out. It was great fun to learn new skills and I'm happy to say that I can't wait until I get to a yarn store again and buy more sock yarn. I've washed them and they came out super soft and comfortable. Can't wait to wear them out! You can read my blog for more on the making of the sock. Congratulations to everyone on their wonderful finishes. I'm so impressed just reading about what has been accomplished in the past 16 days!

Labels: Knitting

Horray! It's done! It's done! It's done! I'm so thrilled. The socks are knitted up. I only have to wash, dry and block them! I'm very happy about this new development. I feel so accomplished. So, what do I think about this experience of the KO? I think subwayknitter (Colleen) put it really well. I didn't much like the pressure of having to finish this in such a short time. Given that I haven't had to do it for a while, having a project with a deadline was good as well. Makes me push myself to work harder. I loved being part of this big event around the world for knitters and sharing the experience with so many people. (4000!) I loved learning new skills and I feel as if a whole new world is opened up to me! I am a lot more confident about my knitting as well which is great. I guess really, what more could I ask for.

Labels: Knitting

I sew up the toe and put it on to model. Flour stares in wonder. You know it's coming, the next two photos are fuzzy for obvious reasons. Right after this, she jumps out of the crate (which she only have done twice in weeks.) for my sock. And here's the scratching and biting. ah... what fun. Sock two was a success and it's thrilling. Today's task, rip up sock one and start it again. So far, so good.

Labels: Flour, Westie

I finally got around to putting up a few more Flour photos, not much but haven't had much time to work on them. Of course, I know my priority is the sock. Right now, toe decreases... should finish sock one today and have sock two started. I am so ripping and reknitting sock 1 since somehow last night while chatting with my family, dropping needles, cleaning up after Flour's accidents, I managed to have messed up the decreases. Shocking!

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

So, yesterday, I ripped up the whole sock, and cast on again and started it again. Then when we got to the heel, (haha, I typed hell at first) I went and dug up more sock patterns all over the place in my knitting magazines and found other patterns. I read the other patterns and realized that I was reading my pattern wrong! All you need is something to be put in another way and it makes more sense. I go back to my pattern, read it again and then realized that I was making it harder than it was supposed to be! agh! I proceed on to the heel when G comes home, so that he can watch Flour as I work. He get caught up in a movie and I'm invested in my sock. Just as I am finishing the heel flap, Flour has an accident. So, drop all knitting to clean her up, clean up the pee and decide to jump right back into the knitting. Of course, this means I'm going to make a mistake and I do. I mess up the decreases in the instep shaping but I decided to proceed on. It's not a horrid mistake. I'm going to get to the toe shaping since I need to practise that. Then I'm going to knit the second sock, I'm going to do it right and I'll come back and rip up this one and knit it again. But at least I'll feel as if I'm making progress, not to mention I need to check on sizing. Might as well make sure this size is comfortable before starting the second sock. It's been challenging but fun. I might end up being a sock knitter after the end of all this. It's rather satisfying to knit something that is self finishing and you can use on a daily basis. And after all, there's all that sock yarn for me to try out too! But seriously, I need to get a set of sock blockers before KO os over. After all, it's not only about the perfect knitting of socks but finishing. And it's not finished if it's not washed and blocked. Now, let's see if I can get a photo of this sock up It's a faulty sock, but not one that's too ugly to see the light of day.

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

I ripped up my sock that I was knitting for the KO this morning. After finishing turning the heel and knitting some more, I realized that it was a disaster sock. G came home and I showed it to him and he thought the heel was the toe. When I told him that it was a heel, he laughed with me and called it socks for the elephant man. sigh. As he puts it, that's what I get for trying to do something I've never done before for the KO. But I just don't get it really, I followed the pattern like I follow all patterns. I thought I was doing it right, but apparently something was wrong. So, nothing left to do but to try it again adjusting again for gauge and try to reinterpret the pattern once more. A week has past and I've just about 10 days left. Gee, good luck to me at this point! :P It was so ugly that I couldn't even take a photo of it. Take my word for it, it was ugly. To make up for lack of ugly sock photo, here's one of Flour and me. New Flour pics to be uploaded once I get some progress on this new sock. That's my parents house. See that mop? Dad got it out to be all ready for Flour to have an accident. He was so ready for a puppy visit.

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

G's birthday was yesterday and we celebrated by not cooking! We had delivery. We'll have delivery again tonight to celebrate Valentine's day. Oh, how the times have changed now that there's Flour. But it's all worth it since we love her so. For his birthday request of cufflinks, I went and got him a pair of the "Return to Tiffany's" silver ovals which he wore to work today. Looks quite lovely with all the dark and patterned shirts he got for Xmas from his family. And I'm thrilled that he finally is wearing French Cuffs and I can finally buy cufflinks. (I've always said I wanted a man who wears cufflinks.) Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Labels: Flour, Westie

The title really says it all. I spent the past long weekend (Thursday - Sunday) travelling to and from Nashville, TN. Why was I in Nashville? I was graciously invited by my designer friends (see links on the right) to attend the Nashville Market with them while they showcase their wonderful new designs to the Cross Stitch retailers. I was lucky enough to be able to help out with the set-up and receiving for the show and got a chance to go around and check out the new designers myself. It was a most singular experience for me. I was the ultimate lucky fan to be able to go to all my favourite designers, rave about my love for their work and check out the new designs before it hits the local store. (I also got to meet up with Gitta's crew at the show as well.) I was so lucky to have had everyone be so kind to speak with me when they are not busy and everyone was so generous with their knowledge. I can't wait until all the new designs hit the stores! As for me personally, I found the experience of being with all the creative designers for the weekend inspirational. I'm all ready to do more stitching and I'm itching to explore some designing on my own. Maybe one day, I'll have the chance to join all my favourite designers and my friends in the future. And of course, as promised, I did cast on on Friday on my knitting and am working on the sock. Working very hard on it right now. so far, so good. I'm working on the heel and am really hoping it works out. I just have to trust the pattern and hope it works out. We'll see. And on the food front, I had one of the best southern meals I've ever had at Monell's. I can't wait to go back. I'm even thinking that the next time G has a Nashville business trip, I'll join him and make sure we go and hit all the southern cooking. I swear, I must have been from the south in my past life. I have no explanation for my love of southern cooking given my background. My favourites and those who took time to speak with me, I link following: (You'll all love the new designs!) Bent Creek Heart in Hand With My Needle The Trilogy Dragon Dreams Enchanting Lair K's Creations (I went in to tell them how I loved their products and excellent customer service and Kay hugged me! Got to love that!) Rainbow Gallery Weeks Dye Works R & R Reproductions Lakeside Linens The French Needle Dragon Fire Designs Great Bear Canada Charland Designs Just Nan Brightneedle Hoffman Distributing And one more update, finished my second French course also with a good mark. Another A, no, not as good as last time, but hell, I barely had time to study, so I'm thrilled anyway.

Labels: Cross-Stitch