Too Hot.

This heat has brought out all my summer skirts and dresses. Which I love love love wearing. I think in the summer I'll sew a lot more instead of knit, it's much cooler. Our sewing machines are in the basement, where it's nice and cool. I live in an old house where the only kind of air conditioning we could get is window units, and those don't do much for the overall house temperature. The house is too old to easily put in anything else. Plus our yard is small and we have nowhere to put that unit thing that goes outside. We survive with fans. The heat has completely killed my knitting spirit though, it's far too hot for wool. I think I may knit a cotton shawl for the knitting world cup, which starts in 10 days, and runs for a month. I must participate!

My Butt hurts ... a lot.

I just went on the most brutal bike ride of my life. We biked for 12km along the waterfront, all the way to past Jane subway station. That was sort of bad, but bearably. Then my dad decided that it would be faster and easier to bike along the Humber River trail. It wasn't. There are some really brutal hills there that he runs up when he does hill training for triathalons. Holy crap does my butt hurt. We ended up biking for about 27 km total. Holy macaroni struedel Batman, I hope I don't have to do that again for a very long time. I think I'll watch TV tonight, and knit something for me instead of all the stuff I should do for other people. I deserve it!

oh crap.

So I finally went to Romni's today and bought the blue yarn I needed for the I-pod case my brother's friend asked me to make. In the store I thought that it looked a bit purple, but I couldn't see anything bluer, and the label said Nordic Blue. I bought it and chalked it up the the lighting. I went to my friend Claire's house and knit through four episodes of The OC on DVD. I got home and pulled it out to show my brother for approval. I said I know it's a bit purple-y, but ... he said that he thought it was pretty purple, but shrugged it off. So I went up to my room and pulled out the yarn that I had bought a few weeks ago, just to compare. Well you know that ball of yarn that didn't have a ball band? That decidedly purple ball of yarn? Well turns out that it's the same colour. Suddenly purple is the new blue. So tomorrow I'm going to go back and try to find something that is actually blue. I'm really not in a purple mood right now because I found the other balls I had bought and I am really not digging the Purple Splendor either. I'll keep the Nordic Blue that I already started, it's not a bad colour, but I don't need two balls. These i-pod cases take very little yarn, and I can't imagine knitting enough to neccitate two balls of almost blue yarn. Bah. I was so looking forward to being done with this. Oh well. I'll just have to deal.

Pomatomus and movies

Well I didn't knit much this weekend since Trevor was over. I did finish the cuff of the second Jaywalker while waiting for him at the train station, but then realised that I was knitting it on 2.5 mm instead of 2.25, so I'll have to start again. I didn't feel like ripping it out right then, so I just kept knitting on it. I needed something to do!

I bid on some e-bay yarn on thursday and won. 10 balls of gorgeous blue and red verigated fingering weight wool. I don't know exactly what I'll do with 10 balls of sockweight, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. I think I'll knit some socks for my grandma, since they're being sent to her house in the States, and maybe some for my mom, who has been admiring my Jaywalker. And maybe some Pomatomus for me.

Everyone is knitting Pomatomus right now. I think it's like the next Jaywalker craze. A new sock craze. Socks are perfect for knitting crazes because it doesn't take that long to knit them, so you can actually finish it within the craze time. A sweater craze would just take too long. Plus socks look good on everyone, sweaters : not so much.

This weekend was so dreary that we did nothing but watch movies. The Terminal, Lost in Translation, Forrest Gump and You've Got Mail. I cried for Forrest Gump, I had never seen it before. Actually of the four movies, I had only seen The Terminal before, Trevor had only seen Forrest Gump and You've Got Mail. We got to take three movies off our must see movie list. (Yes there is a physical list, we made it in October with plans to watch all 130 movie that year. That objective was quickly changed to before we graduate. I think we've watched about 30 so far.)

Marks and Egg

I found out my marks today! Woop-dee-woop! Natalie le wins. I have a 6.50 GPA. Keep in mind that York grades out of 9 for some completely rediculous reason. I don't really understand why, but they do. I only did a little shitty in Anatomy, but I wasn't expecting brilliance. I think I finished the final exam in about 25 minutes. Hey, it was multiple choice. It is nice to finally know how every turned out though, and that I did pretty well.

Now I just have to figure out my schedule for next year. I ploted out all the classes I want to take a few weeks ago, and I only had classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I really want to have more spaced out classes this year, so as to avoid the day of hell that I had last year. Maybe I'll do that now. It's not like I have to work tomorrow or anything!

I knit my friend Andrew an i-pod case. It looks the same as my brothers, except that there is an egg in the middle instead of the skullie. I did an egg because that is Andrew's nick name. He is very white (blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin) but loves everything Asian (he's leaving on Saturday to go to China on an exchange class for a month). So he's white on the outside and yellow on the inside, Andrew Egg! There were a bunch of Andrew's this year anyways, so we needed a way to keep them all apart. Egg just stuck.

I cast on for the second Jaywalker, but I really need to get another ball of Nature Spun in Blue to make an i-pod case for a friend of my brothers. This time though, I'm getting moulah! I win ... again.

The Questionaire

Dear Secret Pal,

This is my first time participating in a big swap like this, but I had a lot of fun with the pirate booty swap, so I'm excited. Here are my answers to the quiz! I'm glad I heard from you!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not much of a yarn snob in terms of content, it mostly just has to be soft. If it's squeekey or scratchy or looks like that shreded plastic stuff you get in easter baskets then I probably won't like it.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a needle case that my grandmother made for all my straights and longer dpns. I store all my shorter dpns, circulars, crochet hooks and notions in a make-up case which I carry with me every where. I don't know why I feel it's neccessary to carry needles around that have nothing to do with my current project, but I do. You never know when you're going to buy some yarn and need to cast on right away!

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learned the baisics when I was about 7 from my mom, knit for a while and then lost interest. In grade 10 (which was 4 years ago) I decided to knit myself a pair of leg warmers, so went with my mom to the LYS and taught myself how to knit in the round and have taught myself since then. I would say I'm an Intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do have an Amazon wish list. I'll send you the email I use for it if you ask for it.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I'm not very picky about scents. Strawberry and Vanilla are good bets though. Nothing to oppressive.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Do I ever! I like a lot of stuff, I'm not very picky. I like any of those sour gummy things, in any flavor. I love going to candy stores and making a huge bag of candies with 3 or 4 from like 25 different bins. That way you never know what you're going to find!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I like drawing and sewing. I would like to learn to spin, but haven't gotten around to it. I'm also going to start scrapbooking my travels this summer, and make a big book of what I've done. I'm going to try and do much more art this summer than before.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love music and my taste isn't too specific. My favorite bands are currently The Postal Service, The Stars, Metric, Missy Higgins, Death Cab for Cutie and Garbage. I also listen to some pretty obscure British bands, like Trademark and The Schla La La's. I have a random soft spot for Ashlee Simpson, Jesse McCartney, Aqua and Prozzac. One of my favorite CD's is the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. I'm currently listening to Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. Make me a CD of everything, you never know. Yes my computer and my CD player play MP3s, though that doesn't really matter anyways.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blues and purples, most of my yarn and clothes are blue. I try to branch out, but I'm just drawn to those colours. The only colours I'm really picky about are orange and really bright greens. But everything else is welcome.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am currently living with my parents and younger brother. During the school year (September to April) I live in a dorm at York University.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats and mittens. I have knit a poncho, but I don't wear it very often and I don't think that I would wear a second. Plus I'm a little undecided on their attractiveness.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I have yet to discover it.

13. What are you knitting right now?
The monkey bag from Stitch 'n Bitch, and i-pod cozy, a sock, a scarf... other things I've forgotten about.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I do.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like circular needles for their versatility, but I don't mind what material they're made over. I think that bamboo works best for socks though.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I own neither.

17. How did you learn to knit?
My mother taught me the basics and then I taught myself the rest from books and online.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
I think it's 8 months old. I have only just started having more than one project on the go at once recently.

19. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween.

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Only what I find interesting.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any subscriptions, but I have been buying Vouge Knitting off the shelves recently. I would really like A Gathering of Lace to make a shawl for my grandmother, any of the yarnharlot books and the Bazzar Bizzare books.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would love to learn to spin, and do the kitchener stitch properly.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am a new sock knitter. My foot it 9" long and are a bit wide. I generally wear a 7 and a half or 8 shoe. More consistantly and 8 though.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
My birthday is June 18 and I will be legal! (hahahahaha! Natalie wins!) This is by Canadian terms though.


I hope that this was usefull, if you have any more questions fell free to ask. I look forward to hearing from you.

Natalie

I have returned!

I am back from Moncton, which is a lovely town, where I met some very cool people and witnessed them plan some amazing ... plans. I was however, looking after a not so happy baby. Who decided he didn't like being in an alien hotel room with someone he didn't know very well after having not slept very much. Which ment that he cried ... for two days. Which made me cry ... but only for a few minutes while on the phone to my mom while I freaked out about my baby calming inadequecies. bah. The whole thing about the freak-outs is that he is entitled to them and while they were insanely stressfull, I could understand them. It's impossible to explain to a baby that Mommy will be back soon and that everything will be okay. We survived.

It was a fun trip though, baby freak-outs aside. Moncton is pretty cool, and will be even more cool once these people are done with it. The whole trip was to start planning how to revitalise the downtown. It will be possums. It made me think that maybe being an urban planner wouldn't be such a bad office job. The woman I went with works her butt off all the time, but she's making a difference and changing things. I may go again in June, but we will have to see.

In knitting news, I have knit about an inch past the heel on my Jaywalker. I'm liking it a lot, though I can see what everyone says about them not being very stretchy. I had my progress impeeded at one point yesterday when one of my 2.25mm bamboo dpn's snapped clean in half. I considered tapeing it back together, but I didn't have any tape, and that's a bit ghetto. So I used my 2.25 mm circular needle. Until I remembered that metal knitting needles and the plane I had to take later that day would not mix. The Jaywalker pattern says to knit it using all five needles, so to use four I had to put half the stitches onto one needle. I didn't want to split up the stitches any more for fear of completely messing up the pattern in my head. Luckily I was at the heel portion, so it didn't really matter. I knit the whole heel on the plane, and a bit extra. I ripped the extra bit out when I got home though, since it had issues. I also transfered all the heel stitches to the circular. I really like knitting like this. I may have to get a second 2.25mm circular and do socks on two circulars. It goes so much faster on metal than with bamboo.

I'm going to get some Lorna's Laces on Tuesday or Wednesday. And I think I may try and get to the Lettuce Knit S'nB this week, if it's happening. I need to get myself out of the house more. Maybe I'll see some of you there!

A picture post for you all and the debut of Legs

So in order of finishing we have:
The skullie I-pod case I knit for my brother while in California. Knit with Nature Spun sport weight in charchol and creme. It has a linning of blue cotton, I think it's Dale of Norway, but I've lost the band. I made it up mostly, but I took the basic idea from the We Call Them Pirates hat and mitten pattern by Hello Yarn. It rocks hardcore.

These were my plane knitting. They are super basic-nothing-really-added-or-fancy footie socks. I did a three needle bind off on the toes because I forgot how to do Kitchener and the last time i did it it was really fugly anyways, so this way is better for right now. They are being modelled by Legs. They are exact replicas of my own legs, only made of cling-wrap and clear packing tape. They will be my sock models forever more! Which means I have overcome the awkwardness that is photographing your own feet. Natalie wins!
This is my love for LewisCraft. Yes, I know they are going out of buisness, but right now that is part of the awesome. I got all that you see there for 13.02. More specifically 37 skeins of embroidery floss and 3 crochet hooks. I most certainly win... again!
This is my yarn haul for today. Three balls of Nature Spun sport weight in Purple Spendor, Navy Nite and... ambiguous as I seem to have grabbed a ball that is minus a ball band. Oh well. They will be used for more i-pod socks. The ball in front is Lana Grossa sock yarn, destined to be more socks. I'm thinking Jaywalkers or Pomotomopus (however you spell that). I'm going to save them to knit while flying to Moncton on Wednesday.

I also got A Gathering Of Lace, a collection of lace patterns. I think I'm going to try and knit a shawl for my grandmother from it. Her birthday is in late September, so I think I should be okay for time.

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend, and a better Monday. We are having some spectacular weather, so go take that knitting outside!

The Clothing Show finds

I went to the Clothing Show at the Automotive Building today. It was hella crowded. I kind of zoned out about an hour into being their, I may have been dehydrated. The only thing I could find to re-enrgize with was a chocolate and nut covered ice cream, not very helpful. I did find a very pretty blue print vintage sundress. I bought it without trying it on, but it fits really well. I thought that if it didn't fit I could at least use the fabric for something. I'm a little dissapointed that I won't be able to use it, but it is very cute, and I will probably get a lot of wear out of it on really hot days this summer.


In other news, I was wondering if anyone knew of any yarn shops in Moncton Newbrunswick. I will be going there next week and would really like to go to one. I know about the London-Wul Farm, but it's just outside the city. I don't know how to drive (and won't have access to a car anyways) and will be looking after a baby, so I would really like something more central. Maybe I'm just being a little naive, but I have a belief that every city or town must have at least one yarn shop. The knitters have to get yarn somewhere. So if you know of any yarns, or if you know for certain that London-Wul is my only option, or a way to get to London-Wul that won't drain my bank account, let me know!

Ramble-ey

Today I saw something that put a smile on my face. I was on the Go Train on my way home from visiting Trevor in Burlington. At one point the train must pass quite close to a grade school. There was a woman standing outside with about 20 kids in probably grade 2 or 3. They were all waving very energetically at the train. So I waved back. Almost instantly the woman started jumping up and down, I think she was laughing, and pointing in my direction to the kids. I couldn't help but smile. I guess I was the only person who waved to them.


I've caught start-itis. I can't seem to decide on what to knit. I finished the socks I knit in California, and put them on my mannequin legs to take pictures. I would have taken them, but my brother lost the connector cord for his digital, so no pictures for you. I also knit him a cozy for his i-pod, which is much better than his old one. It's black and white fair isle, with the skullie from the We Call Them Pirates hat and mittens I tried knitting a few months ago. I've also knit two other i-pod cozies, started a third and another pair of socks out of the same yarn. I think that I'll have to give the yarn a rest, I think I need something new.

I picked up the monkey bag from Stitch 'n Bitch again too. I've finished the front and back, and am half way done the gusset. I think on the weekend I'll look for some fabric for the lining, if I can squeeze it in.

If anyone is looking for a movie to watch I highly recommend Stay. It's got Ryan Gossling, Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. Oh man, it's one of those movies that grabs your brain, mixes it up and gives it back to you for you to figure out. It was all I could think about for about an hour afterwards. The cinematography is also amazing. It was an all over solid film. Go watch it now!