Life LackaDaisiCal

I don't know why this blog hasn't been listed in my blog list....because Veronique and I have actually met...yes, Veronique recognized me from my blog....we were both at an Alice Starmore presentation at the I Knit London knit event a few years ago.....that was the first time I went....anyway, I digress.... Veronique has a gorgeous blog....she knits, she crochets, she embroiders, she well is the master of all things fibre..... Isn't this a gorgeous header!  Click on it to go directly to her blog. She has a handy one click translation to English...for all of us that don't speak French! In particular, this post caught my eye..... Keep Calm and Go To London! Thanks Veronique!  I may need this list in a couple of weeks!

Although I love the Dynamic Views on Blogger, they make it hard for anyone reading to get around the blog easily - it hid all of my labels and my archives and my favourite blogs.....it didn't let you translate the page.....so although I loved the look and the ability to switch to your favourite view, I've decided to go back to this Simple Template. I've also made my blog physically wider - because most of us have bigger screens - yes? no? Let me know if this is annoying LOL! Now you get to see what I've been saving to Pinterest....and what my blog list bloggers have been doing. You can also see what is happening on Facebook....and I think I'll link here to my Flickr photos too. All of this and Knitting Too!

Just in case you haven't.....this is a unique format.....sign up, patterns released weekly....but the week before the pattern(s) is/are released....the yarn requirements are published so that you can be all ready to go..... And look!  You get a tantalising tease of the 12 projects that will be offered! A collaboration by Stephen West (West Knits) and Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed) the patterns are written for BT Loft (fingering weight) or BT Shelter (worsted weight)....so you can root around in your stash to see if you have any appropriate yarn with sufficient yardage on hand....OR, get our the card and order the original yarns from Brooklyn Tweed. If you are lucky enough to live near one of the BT Flagship stores, well, I am envious of you so I'll just leave it at that! KVOSIN This is the hat that sold it for me - a tiny touch of fair isle, unique construction, stylishly slouchy. Here's the back view....oh my! Thank you to Stephen West for the photos! Although I'd lo...

The weather has been frightful! So cold....the birds have really appreciated the heated bird bath for water.... And you'd think I'd of hooked up some more of these centres... but I got a bit distracted by a bag of Rowan Felted Tweed Aran in Mahogany! (Courtesy of my FLYS, The Needle Emporium ) You can see that the scarf is going to look great with the Mahogany. Details to follow! Shhhhh.....Lackie is sleeping!

The joining begins.....creating more ends to be sewn in. I don't mind the ends...... It's Really COLD here, so I'm staying in and knitting!

Well here they are......42 colourful centres....4 ends each....that's 168 ends! Took over 3 hours last night to do this.....I was watching the second season of "Damages" on Netflix! Then I played with the order.....tweaked until I was satisfied. But I have to say, this is NOT going to be finished this weekend. The last two rounds of crochet are fiddly.....and you are crocheting them to join the adjoining squares as you go.....I think I've got it. I've crocheted 3 of these together and it's looking AWESOME!  

Well.....it's not a tunnel...but it sure is one heck of a lot of crochet centres.... which all have at least 4 ends to tidy.... then they have to be organized in a "random" pattern.... and you crochet them together to make the Frances Scarf...... Yes, I can see the light!  The end is near! I am so excited - my first official crochet project! I'm being optimistic that this will be done by the end of the weekend....wish me luck! Have a great weekend too!

Now that Rowan 53 is officially released....let me tell you what my favourites are.... HIP Panama, Siena 4 ply & Kidsilk Haze designed by Lisa Richardson With my love for lots of colour - well, this one is my favourite for sure! It looks spectacular paired with the bright red/orange skirt...a shade which you will notice is NOT used in the design.  Hmmm....interesting. I love the way Rowan styles their magazines! (Note to self:  What about your orange silk slim legged pants?) MARILYN Summerspun & Purelife Revive design by Galina Carroll Shown knit up in Pumice Revive, with Piccadilly and Greenwich Summerspun. This has a retro vibe that I love...and checking my stash, I have some Revive waiting patiently in it's storage box to be united with some Summerspun! I love the neckline on this! (Note to self:  Get some big bangles in the Summerspun shades!) TUTTI FRUTTI Summerspun design by Marie Wallin I KNOW!!!! This is so unlike me!  But with my new crochet skills, ...

I'm either really not busy, or really busy.... Last week I was notified that a new version of Cochenille Stitch Painter was ready to go....I received a file and notification that my payment had been processed.....I was hoping to get around to that on Friday - it didn't happen, nor did it happen this weekend. Also, my Squam on-line photography class started last week....circumstances prevented me from getting on with that right away, and again, I had hoped to catch up this weekend....that didn't happen either. My biggest time commitment this past weekend?  Doing an inventory of my Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift stash.....at this moment, this very moment, I can verify that I have full bags - 69 of them - that's 690 balls.  I also have a lot of part bags......a whole lot of this stuff.....and it's all detailed on my Spindrift Destash page....if you are looking for some Shetland fingering weight - I'm your gal! When not doing inventory.....and packing up two req...

Yesterday, with the help of a knitting friend, I did some more tweaking on the shades I'm going to use for the Frances crochet scarf.... Gilt is to be replaced by Cinammon....and I've decided to add Seafarer. The idea is to make it more subtle and subdued, for an adult taste - sure! LOL! I'm going to do all of the centres first...lay them out and then start joining them together with the third shade.....I am going to finish all the ends too at this point so that when I finish the last join, it will be done - I AM THINKING AHEAD WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION! On the home front, Daisy had a wee bit of surgery on Thursday - to remove a lump that had appeared on her nose.  Daisy, being the Diva that she is, insisted that it would be worth the temporary humiliation of having a shaved nose and wearing an Elizabethan collar - to return her face to it's natural beauty! A friend recommended this cotton collar - much better (and lighter) than the plastic ones they give you at the vets ...

This month I'm doing a photography workshop.....I've got a digital SLR that I use on auto mode...it's time to get with the program and learn to use this camera to it's potential! This is a Squam Art Workshop on-line course and I'm so looking forward to it!  It started on Monday, but the great thing about an on-line course is that I'm just starting today, and I'll be caught up by Friday! Don't you just love this photo?!? I'm hoping that this course will help me to take better, more "intuitive" meaningful photographs while on vacations, and just everyday wonderful photos of my gorgeous dogs and my wonderful hubby! This is going to be so much fun! January is going to be such a busy month!

It might have been me that bought the Learn to Crochet book....after all, I was a teen in the 60's and young and stylish in the 70's......and crochet was the in thing! I spent a few minutes on Pinterest.....don't you just LOVE Pinterest! and found these photos of vintage crochet.  Gosh takes me back to wearing hot pants to work in the 70's with a crochet type top (that I'd bought) and platform shoes.  OMG!!!! No, I don't have any photos to share! LOL!! Boy we sure loved bright colours back then....and I'm betting that most of the yarns used here were acrylics.  I love that photo of Bonnie and Dempsey - anyone remember them? Today's Crochet can still be wild and wonderful, but it can be subtle and sophisticated. The Frances scarf, originally designed for children, is done in 6 wonderful shades of Rowan Felted Tweed.....I had thought that I was going to change the shades up a bit, but with some swatching, have returned to the originals. This is just the st...

Early Saturday morning....I received a newsletter from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas ....about turning their light and delicate classic "Shoulder Cozy" pattern into something just gorgeous, more wintery, knitting it with Rowan Cocoon and Rowan Kidsilk Haze. Well, it was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!  I emailed Julie at The Needle Emporium ....told her what I wanted, said I'd be there later that day...and with a slight detour from my current Crochet infatuation..... This is pre-blocking, but you so totally get how luscious this is don't you? With blocking, it will stretch out and up to shorten it. I followed the pattern exactly - well, sort of exactly - I knit this from the neck down because I wanted to make sure that it was long enough - without being too long! So I added an inch to the bottom section - making mine 19" long - and I did a sewn bind off to keep the bottom nice and loose. I think this will be even more luscious when it is washed and slightly blocked. Back to my...

In today's world, the world of the internet, blogs, and You Tube....there are still great "paper" references for learning how to do things...for Crochet....there is this.... I bought this a few years ago, when I thought I'd like to learn to crochet....it didn't happen then, but I read this book during the Holidays this year. One thing that totally messes with my mind - why are there US and "rest of the world" crochet terminology - why can't we get together on something as simple as this?!? I grabbed this from the About.com Crochet page...thanks! Now if English speaking world can't agree on something as simple as Crochet terminology, well, what can I say LOL!!! So the diagram I showed in my last post is for an American double crochet, or a half treble or treble in UK terminology (depending on how you draw your yarn up through the loops).  How confusing is that?!?!? In addition to my two reference books, I watched the Rowan Yarns crochet tutorials...

I wonder why I have always been intrigued by crochet?  I don't recall my Mother ever crocheting....but... When my Mom passed, I kept what was left of her knitting "stuff"....not much, some old tattered patterns that I eventually tossed, some old needles that I still have tucked away here somewhere... and this!  The Twilley's Book of Instant Crochet! I can imagine my Mom sitting down with a cup of coffee (this is tea) and a plastic crochet hook, and maybe some Phentex yarn?!?!? Because the only crochet I can imagine my Mom doing was those Phentex slippers - remember? It was bought at Sears, in the Centre Mall in Hamilton! I can remember going up the escalator (I loved that bit) and doing a u turn at the top to then go straight ahead, almost to the credit office - nope, turn left right here and yes, we were in the fabric and yarn department!  I loved going there with my Mom.  I think at the time this was her only source for yarn (and perhaps Mary Maxim mail order....)....

I have been totally fascinated with this yarn....I had to make something using this yarn....I wanted something quick, easy and warm! So I cast on New Year's Eve, and cast off New Years day..... The Chunky Alpaca Cowl! using 3 balls of Rowan Chunky Alpaca.... cast on and knit in the round... and it's ever so nice and warm! I bought the yarn at my favourite shop, The Needle Emporium in Ancaster , and knit this up in just a couple of knitting sessions. I am so totally smitten with it, that I wrote up a pattern and it's available for free via Ravelry. download now

I fell off the Resolution Wagon quickly last year...I'm determined to do better in 2013! One of my resolutions is to finally learn how to crochet following a pattern....I have always understood the mechanics of the crochet stitch....but reading a crochet pattern was Greek to me...... By Jove, I think I'm getting the hang of this! Design:  France, Rowan Winter Kids using Rowan Felted Tweed - I can't tell you how much I LOVE THIS YARN! Happy knitting, and crocheting too! Posted with Blogsy