Picking Strawberries

Whoever thought getting four of the 4 litre baskets was a good idea? Oh. Yeah. That would be me. The weather was fantastic and so we filled them, with small, very red and ripe fruit.


Egg had a lot of fun but of course more Strawberries ended up in her mouth than in her basket...


The Quebec Strawberries of this year were ready late and even the reddest ones are still a bit tart. I don't think we mind.

September!!

I know. The blog suffered once again. But a lot has happened chez Knit Stricken, and I had to prioritize.

August was very eventful. A new daycare opened at the corner of our street, and at the same time there was talk of me working part time in a yarn store (Espace Tricot) - so off I went and asked if there was a part time spot available, and it was. Egg is going to daycare three days a week now, and what can I say, I'm still not used to it. Today was especially bad, since she anticipated what was coming and was crying all the way there. Apparently she was not alone in being miserable, half of the kids there were crying, too. (I blame this effing heat. Usually they are all quite content.) I definitely have to get over the 'feeling guilty' part, I am well aware that it is futile. We're always told that she had a great time when either of us picks her up and she usually is happily playing when we arrive. And, while I am working, I don't get the time to think about it too much, so that helps!

I am also going to teach a lot of knitting classes - most of which I haven't taught before and that means a lot of preparation. I'm not saying I can't pull it off, but it is a bit scary. Then again, it's knitting, there's hardly anything else I'd rather talk about. So on to new adventures!

Last but not least, I have a design in the upcoming Twistcollective. Yes, I know it is early to talk about a new issue, but I am so excited about it! I mean, sitting here in this heat it is hard to imagine we will be wearing sweaters again soon.

Nooo, I'm not ready for my close up DAYCARE!!

Sleep or no sleep - Haiti doesn't care

In light of what has happened in Haiti I really shouldn't whine about disturbed night sleep and about a toddler not wanting to nap and being whiny all day long - but that's what's happening in my life, so it's important to me.

It was also important to me to make a donation for the relief effort in Haiti. Though it feels like darn little one can do to help out. Still, it's better than doing nothing. Right? Right!

Happy 2010!

Egg and I wish you all a Happy New Year, may it be a good one for all of us!




(That's Egg last night having indulged in Orange Crush. She enjoyed it.)

St. Nikolaus

December 6th is "Nikolaus" day in Germany. You put your boots out and if you were a good kid during the year, Nikolaus will leave some goodies in them. (Yes, I know it sounds a lot like Santa Claus, this is confusing. But Germans don't have Santa for Christmas, we have the "Christkind" who leaves the presents.)

So Egg got a little gift, too. She loves it. She's been pushing around Erna for the whole afternoon.

Ever once in a while she leans over or squats and talks to her doll, only to get up and going again. It's too cute.

A very happy 1st!!

Egg turns one today. Seriously. Where does the time go? We've had a wonderful year, she's a delight and the best kid ever as her Daddy likes to point out.

Happy Birthday, my lovely, beautiful daughter!!

Good Bye, Johnny Castle

Patrick Swayze passed away.

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

And that's all I have to say to this.

Toe Woe

It looks like I'm on house arrest. Today I stepped on one of Egg's toys and one of my toes on my right foot got tangled in it, gave way and broke.

OUCH.

It stuck out in an awkward angle and hurt - after the initial adrenaline shock wore off. Once Rolf was home from his soccer game we went to an emergency clinic, where we spent the afternoon (I didn't bring any knitting, big idiot that I am!) waiting for x-rays and a doctor who said about my toe that "it is broken and crooked. I can yank on it to make it more straight but otherwise there's not much I can do." I let him yank.

OUCH! No, seriously, OUCH!!

Now the broken toe and the one next to it are taped together and I took some pain killers and won't be able to go out much for the next, say two or three weeks for sure.

OUCH.

Calling Oma?

Egg never ceases to amaze me. She's not keen on 'talking' on the phone, she'll listen politely for about 5 seconds and then she wants to play with the phone and push buttons. I did not think she grasps the concept, yet.

Imagine my surprise when I found her on her own phone, babbling away and having fun? That was last week.


Every day there's something new she can do, sometimes we have a whole day of discoveries: Friday she stood for about 10 seconds on her own, she climbed stairs (I never showed her how!) and she phoned people all afternoon.

The night from Monday to Tuesday was rough. She woke up at 10 p.m. and just wouldn't go back to sleep, just sit in her bed and talk to herself, play and undress (yes, another thing she can do now!). I could tell she was tired, but she was up and about until 1.30 a.m. Then she fell asleep and stayed that way. I had no idea why until last night when I by chance spotted something white on her gum - she's sprouted a molar!! I never would have known, since except for not wanting to sleep she showed no sign of distress or pain. Haven't I the bestest kid ever??

We're off now to Mommy and Baby knitting - maybe I'll get to knit a couple of stitches, maybe not.

Mommy look what Daddy taught me!

Yesterday, Thursday June 11th:

This is how I found Egg after leaving the room to wash my hands. I'm not entirely sure if she's crying because she doesn't want to be in her crib or because she's freaked out that she actually stood up all on her own and now clings to the railing for dear life. And yes, her Daddy taught her, he told me so.

Today, Friday June 12th:

Of course her Daddy lowered the mattress right away, and today she's not freaked out anymore. This seems to become a daily occurrence in our house now.

Nadine: See what she's wearing?

Prezzies!

To everyone who left birthday wishes: Thanks much, they are appreciated!

I have gotten a couple of packages in the mail, one wasn't a birthday gift per se but very welcome in my 'birthday season' (as Nadine likes to call it) nonetheless.

First up a book I was drooling over at amazon and it was lingering in my shopping cart for a long while, but now Stephanie (that Stephanie!) sent me her book personally, which I am so thankful for because the patterns are just b e a u t i f u l! I want to knit almost all of them!

She even signed the book and included some sock yarn from Tausendschön - colourway "Pfingstrose". Now I just have to find the perfect pattern for it.

There were also not one


but two cardis for Egg, and socks! Samples from one of her other books - she's a very prolific designer!

Danke schön, liebe Steffi!!

Nadine sent me birthday gifts:

Yarn!

Ink! Colourway 'Avocado'. She and I have a thing about inks with 'edible names'. Apparently those are the only colours we really like.

Sweets - Torrone and Bonbons.

Cute little labels to put in my knitting - or elsewhere if I feel like it.


A notebook for my ideas. (If I ever have them again.)


And felted beads. I'm sure I'll find something to do with them.

Thank you so much, my dear!

And, last but not least, here's a gratuitous shot of Egg and I at ariadne today. We went there after her 6 month check up (she got a shot and didn't cry!) and we learned that she weighs 8.140 grams and measures 64 cm (which I don't believe, when we measure her at home we get at least 69 cm!!).

Teeth and cereal

Egg has two teeth now. So far they don't interfere with nursing much - though a couple of times I got to feel them already. For anyone who's interested: it's the lower incisors that have grown in.


Dear Egg has been very good during her teething hour, she was only a bit cranky and kept me up a couple of nights till 1.30 a.m. or so. She has also started to eat rice cereal. There was no learning curve at all, she opened her mouth at sight of the spoon and swallowed without a problem. Now she's very excited whenever the little bowl comes in sight - oh, more food! Yay!

Also, I have no idea how she does it, but she keeps moving around on the floor. I put her down to play and while I'm on the phone she does this:

Egg the destroyer.

Or this:

(No, I don't know what that white stuff in my picture is. I think we need a new camera.)

Oh boy, can't wait till she's crawling....

So...

...if you can feel it but not see it - it's still a tooth, isn't it?

Meet Egg!!

Our days are a bit scrambled since her arrival, but it'll be sunny side up soon enough!! (She chooses to sleep during the day and be awake during the night...) She's of course beautiful and the best baby ever!!!

Here she is - freshly hatched:



She was born on September 30th at 9.35 p.m., 11 hours after getting induced. I reacted very well to the Cervidil, had contractions early (after an hour they started, which is very rare) and it took 1.5 hours of pushing to get her out.

She's 50 cm (20") tall, and weighed 3,635 grams (almost exactly 8 pounds) at birth.

TNNA from afar

Frack, it's hot here in Montreal! I'm melting...my feet and hands are swollen, my fingers resemble sausages and feel uncomfortably stiff. Yikes.

TNNA is going on in Columbus and that's when the Fall 2008 lines are presented. I wish I could join the crowd, there's always so many interesting things to discover. New yarns, new books, designers, authors, just anything and anyone you might want to see.

Since I cannot be at TNNA myself, I'm going to show you two of my designs for Fall 08 here:


This one is knit in one of Reynolds' new yarns, called "Cricket" - it's a 48% wool/52% viscose mix in a DK weight. I enjoyed knitting with it very much! There's waist and bust shaping going on, the sleeve is set in and the little tie just finishes it off nicely, don't you think?



This sweater is of course knit in Reynolds "Whiskey" - I just love "Whiskey"! We have two new colors this fall - an emerald green and a cream white. The lower part of the A-line sweater is a knit and purl pattern, and around the bust I used a two color garter slip stitch pattern.

And now for something completely different

When Ted asked me last November if I was up for a "Fiber to Scarf" exchange, I wasn't sure. When he told me there would be 6 months time to finish the project, I thought "what the heck, I can do that!". Mind you, I only had learned to spin two months earlier, and since I don't have a wheel I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

As a side note: I suck at organized knitting events. As much as I have been tempted to join "Socktober" and "Project Spectrum" (and did) I never managed to produce anything worthwhile in the set parameters. I figure I have my own rhythm and just don't want to be told what to do when.

Ted was very considerate in how to choose the fiber he would sent to the participants, and even worried it would cause problems for the not so experienced spinner. (If he knew me better, he'd be aware that there's nothing but a challenge like that to keep me on my toes!) Here's what he said in his email: "The fiber I was going to assign you is a Border Leicester / Mohair blend. I've had it out and played with it to see how it drafts (no problems) and the colours (hand-dyed) are really nice. But, Border Leicester is a "strong" wool, which means you won't be able to spin this into a fine yarn. It would make a great 2ply worsted or heavier yarn. You might get it down to a DK, but I'm doubtful."

When I got the fiber at the beginning of January, I unpacked it and just played around with it, trying to draft. Alright, I thought, this IS different from what I have worked with so far, the drafting wasn't as easy and, as Ted said, spinning finely could be a problem.

At the end of January Ted inquired about 'how the spinning was going'. Uhm, in my case not at all. I had so much work (knitting samples) that spinning was just out of the question.

In March he asked again, and again, no spinning from me. (At this point I was worried that he might think I was a bad choice for his little project.)

Early April I received the message that MY scarf was done, and please to contact my spinner/knitter for my address. I felt I better get crackin' on the spinning, eh?

I received a package with 8 oz. of 50/50 Border Leicester/Mohair blend, colorway "Priscilla Alden" from Black Bunny Fibers. There were two halves, both of them with lots of blues and pinks and fuchsia, but one had a bit of a warmer tone to it, with some peachy orange and lighter turquoise. I decided to spin each half separately and ply them together, so the whole batch would be a mix of the warmer and cooler shades.


I can't remember the actual timeline, but once I got used to the mohair in the fiber, spinning wasn't a problem. And, I am not sure, I think it was a heavy DK or light worsted weight (since I got better in the progress, the later spun single might have been a bit thinner...) after I was done plying.


Apparently I suck at documenting my work, since these are the only two pictures I took of the spinning in progress. By the end of May I was done with knitting (having ripped out half a scarf and restarted since I wasn't happy with the results...) and contacted Ted to find out who my recipient was.

In the end I settled on Jo Sharp's design "Misty Garden" from Scarf Style which contains your basic Feather and Fan pattern and brought out the variegation in the yarn as I had anticipated.


Today I got a message that the scarf arrived safe and sound at Barb's, and - as she had told me before when seeing the picture - that she loved the result. Barb is an accomplished knitter and designer herself, so a compliment from her makes my day.

I received my own scarf in May, I like it a lot. It's very soft and cuddly and I am sure that Duffy's (whom I don't know personally, but she serenaded the Yarn Harlot at a reading of hers, so I would bet she's got a great sense of humor!) work will keep me warm come next winter! She did a great job spinning and knitting up the green merino I got also from Black Bunny Fibers. Apparently Carol's work is well known and loved amongst spinners.


BTW, I didn't experience any of the angst not to do well enough as others have - it didn't even occur to me. What does that tell you about me?

Twisted?

So, have you heard about that new online knitting magazine, to arrive in exactly 59 days?

Check out the Twist Collective! There's a new sneak peek picture every day until its launch on August 1st, if that's not enough, join the group on Ravelry, too!

I for my part can't wait till it's out!

Heiligabend

What's there to say? Still keeping with German tradition we'll unwrap our presents tonight. There's a package from my Mom and one from my sister.

Our present to each other (and a bit to the environment) was a new car - a Honda Civic Hybrid. We already unwrapped (used) it and we both are enchanted. Having to dig it out of a heap of snow last week was less so. It still is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I am woefully behind everything. After a baking marathon on Saturday - we baked four different kinds of cookies - I still have to finish (decorate) half. Christmas knitting? What's that? Honestly, there's nothing like that going on here.

Everyone, happy holidays!

"Set..."

One more day to the "November Mystery Sock Tour"!

Get some sock yarn out (420m/100g), solid or semi-solid for best results.
You'll need a set of size 0 (2mm) and size 1.5 (2.5mm) dpns.


Happy Halloween!

Nice weather, eh?

So much for an interesting title. It's true, however, since it is warm, sunny and just a bit windy outside. The sky is very blue on this lovely fall day here in Montreal.

I still haven't told you all about Fibre Fest North. Here's the rest of what I brought home with me:


In the upper left corner you'll find two balls of Jojoland Harmony lace weight. I have been drooling for two years over this yarn and finally got some. In the upper right corner you see something that drew me in colourwise, I had never seen it before and when I touched it I wouldn't let it go again. Morehouse Merino lace weight. (Notice a theme here? Lots of lacy things to come...)
Then there are two skeins of Oceanwind Knits Merino sock yarn. My brandnew friend Lori is just a wizard with colours, I like everything she does. Since I couldn't decide between the green and yellow, I bought one of each.



I told you. They drew me in, these spinners. When visiting the Lindenhof Wool Mill and learning how they make yarn, I had the opportunity to buy roving. Nice roving. The one in the back is a 100% wool in green, in the front there's an alpaca/silk mix in blue-green.



In the meantime I am still using some other wool roving of which I got to bring some home, too. That would be the one on the left. In the other bag there's some brown wool, and the white is some mix of wool and cotton. If I remember correctly. My other brand new friend Lorraine (who is a kick-ass spinner and spinning teacher and has together with her team, the Toronto Spiders, broken the Canadian record in the International Back to Back Wool Challenge, going from unwashed fleece to finished sweater in six hours and 18 seconds!!) told me to write it down and make a note of the ingredients. I think I have that sliver of paper somewhere. I just couldn't find it today. So much for my organizational skills.



And, last but not least, here is my new spindle made by Tracy Eichheim. After Ted (who I like to call "friend" now, too) called my Louet spindle a "boat anker" I kinda got the idea why my efforts alone at home didn't work out that well. Apart from the fact that it's so much easier when you have loads of super-spinners at hand to show you how it works. And that's why I should mention sweet Emma, too. She showed me how to catch the spindle between my knees and...oh, get your minds out of the gutter! She showed me to use the stored rotational energy to spin some more and not have the spindle twist backwards.


Oh, yeah. This is what happens when you try to get a picture of another brandnew friend, Katherine. She tries to avoid being on camera by all means as Rolf found out.


Which, in return, made it all the more interesting to try and catch her unawares. In the end she even let me take a picture of her and me together and allowed me to post it here on my blog. Now, that's what I call courage under fire! And no, I won't post the other picture. Our still delicate new friendship needs to be nourished and cultivated yet. (The whistling gnome agrees.)