The Group of Seven still lives!!!!

Look!!!! UFOs (the ones with aliens, not the ones with yarn and sometimes needles attached which you might find stuffed into the back of the closet if you're like me) have descended upon Toronto!!! The Group of Seven just came in on those, I swear to you (the large one must be the Mother Ship).



Er... I'm jesting, really. This is my (extremely lame, even worse than usual!) attempt to photograph the buttons I bought yesterday for JJ's cardigan in progress. I won't show you the photo taken without the flash because it looks like mouse dung (and, having lived in 15 apartments in Toronto since I moved here 16 years ago, I have a really good sense of what that looks like!).

Now for some (slightly) better photos: my Mason-Dixon Knitting Miniature Series. (a.k.a. the Group of Seven. I really hope I don't get visited by seven irate male paint stained ghosts during my sleep...).


It was originally supposed to be the Group of Nine but my ADHD kicked in even sooner than usual.

All of the below were knitted using Svale Stork fingering cotton (lovely stuff, highly recommended!) and 2.5 mm doublepointed bamboo needles (no casualties - yippee!). They were then mounted on little 4"x4" canvases. JJ will be earning his dinner tomorrow evening by putting them up during the day while I'm at work.

And here they are in clockwise order from the top right corner (how organized am I?!?)

1. Baby Nina Shawl
This is the my original modification of it - my mother's Christmas present last year.

2. Baby Baby Moderne

Here is my full-size version of this blankie (knitted with Bernat Handicrafter yarn sometime in mid-late 2006):

I'm not big on the colours (aside from the red) but they were what were plentiful (at Zellers) and cheap. This was my first blanket and I didn't know if I'd go the whole distance, so didn't want to shell out big cash.

3. Baby Curve of Pursuit

This is an absolutely wonderful pattern by Pat Ashforth of Woolly Thoughts. I truly believe that everyone should try knitting one of her afghan patterns at least once. There are dozens to choose from!

This is my Baby Curve right smack dab in the centre of my large Curve.
4. Ballband Warshcloth

I have never knitted a real warshcloth. Until I knit this one, I had been firm that I never, ever would (never say never!) However, as you may recall I've done two high-falutin' artistic versions: A Woman's Work no. 1 and A Woman's Work... #2.

5. Baby Baby Kimono

Again, I've never knit the full-sized version. I'm not around babies all that much - well, never. Probably a very lucky thing for them.

6. Circle of Fun

Here is the mini-version of this lovely rug.
I haven't made it full size - although one day I think I will (I would use Brown Sheep Burly spun or Bulky rather than anything else doubled). However, I did adapt the centre pattern for my Pinwheel Blankie.
This poor blankie was cut down (or bleached) in the prime of its life by some chickenhead who lives in this building and believes it's a good idea to put an entire bottle of Javex in during the wash cycle. I got that washing machine immediately after (and there were quite a few more casulaties, trust me). A pox on his/her head!!!

And, finally (in my inimitable "couldn't take a good photo to save my life" fashion - this time I'm blaming the fact that it is dark these days both when I leave work and when I come home):

7. A baby log cabin square

The true colours are something between this:
...and this:



This was my first stab at this concept:


(It has been gifted to Holly Ogre together with some Smarties and Terry's chocolate orange. Maybe if Holly's feeling nice today she'll post a comment linking you to the photo of the full-size version on her blog...)

... and this was my second stab at it (with Fleece Artist Curlilocks and wool slub from one of their afghan kits. I got sick of the yarnovers.)

So, that's all, folks!!!

Oh, not quite (you didn't think I was going to let you off the hook that easily, did you?) I know you'll be shocked, but I did end up going back to the LYS today and acquiring the lemon yellow Super 10...

... and some in a lovely fuschia/purply colour besides. It was on deep discount, so I actually saved money!!! (yes, keep talking, Evil Kristina...).

And, in parting, I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to learn that today marks the 17th anniversary of the resignation of the Iron Lady (now Baroness Thatcher) as Prime Minister of Britain. I've decided that when I grow up, I want to be a Baroness too..."Baroness Brouhaha" has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

swatchapalooza!

...aka the TTC Log Cabin Update! (which may become the TTC Winter Coat update given that they are raising the Metropass charge by $9.25 and I may well have to sell my winter coat to afford going to work! grr)

Most recent future additions and square in progress respecting the future swatch-centred log cabin style blankie:



This is my favourite swatch (which I made before starting my Rainbow Dress - a panoply of Fleece Artist, Handmaiden and other silks):


... and this is probably misnamed as a swatch... but when stashhunting for the blanket this morning I came across this long-abandoned log cabin (great colours, but terrible-to-work-with vintage acrylic yarn that kept breaking). I'm going to find a way to incorporate it, maybe chopping it into pieces.


Stay tuned... this may well be the mother of all log cabins at the rate it's going!

sic transit mundi...

...aka my new ...aka my new commuting project: a log cabin made out of past swatches and yarn remnants or single skeins left in the stash.






The centre of each log cabin square is (or will be) a swatch... I have 9-10 swatches total to use. This blanket may turn out looking a bit bizarre - but it will be warm. Yarn weights between DK and aran.

And, here is another WIP... the Goddess tank from Sahara Diva:


This has been slow going because I detest the yarn (Lang Opal Maxi). Very slippery and finicky.

log cabin mania!

Here is the freeform log cabin at its new home:



... and, latest WIP - a log cabin style scarf (patterned on 1/2 of the Moderne pattern in the Mason-Dixon Knitting book). I bought these funky glass beads from Mary Maxim and am knitting them in on the borders. You can't tell from the photos, but the beads are coloured in pink, gold, blue and purple. n Yarn is curly locks by Fleece Artist.



... and still to come: SOCK MANIA (having never knitted socks, really, aside from two pairs of slipper socks on large needles. Have bought 3 skeins of Fleece Artist (another current mania): 2 in sea cell/wool and one in merino.

WIPs - end of Feb 2007

Well, here I am at the end of Feb. It has been a good stashbusting month (see below).

I'm now working on the following projects:

(a) Freeform Log Cabin


Another stashbuster intended to help me make use of a Fleece Artist afghan kit plus some other Fleece Artist yarn I got on sale (the afghan kit has been sitting around a bit too long - I made another one previously with a pillow:


Lovely pattern but I HATE yarnovers.

I'm interested to see how the log cabin works out. Am using 10mm needles with 12 mm needles for the bindoffs.

(b) Denim Messenger Bag



This is based on a pattern I found in "Greetings from the Knit Cafe". Knitting all done. Just have to line with more denim and fix the strap (which I'm putting off because I am looking for plastic needlepoint canvas to put in the bottom). This was hard going as the yarn (Blue Jeans Cable) gave off dye and fibres which made me itch. The pattern had called for Rowan's denim but I found this stuff on sale at less than half the price. Sometimes you get what you pay for... but the finished bag looks good, I think.

I also just bought a bunch of yarn (drat payday!) for two more projects: entrelac knee socks (I *must* be a masochist. So far have avoided the yarn craze but couldn't resist this pattern in the latest INterweave Knits) and a pair of boxer shorts (using elasticated yarn).

Curve of Many Colours - done!

Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone despite the wise and well-appreciated feedback from some...!). This is the final version (with border added - two rows of half-double crochet in teal).

Front

Back



Specs

- final size: 60" x 60" across
- yarn used: Paton's Decor (85% acrylic, 15% wool) - 20 x 100g balls with a little bit to spare
- needles: 5" addi turbo and 5 mm crochet hook
- started on: 21 January 2007
- finished on: 16 February 2007
- other projects completed during that time: two fuzzy winter hats, fuzzy winter scarf, felted recycled bulletin board
- other projects started/worked on during that time: Tilting at Windmills wall hanging, felted recycles sweaters, mosaic rocking chair, log cabin purse
- old episodes of Law and Order watched while completing: 115 approx ;-)
- pattern by: Woolly Thoughts (Pat Ashforth) with an extra "square" and log cabin border added

I loved knitting this (although I must confess the "extra" square was starting to get a bit tedious. I would recommend it to anyway. I will be doing this pattern again (probably with only 3 colours next time around)

And... I am so happy to finally use the Paton's yarn up... which was the albatross in my yarn collection. Funnily enough, I located the receipt for the yarn the other day - it was purchased in 1995 (at a cost of $2.99 per skein). I had thrown it aside in disgust after attempting a (lovely but frustating) sweater pattern by Kaffe Fassett. This is the third (and only successful) attempt at a pattern using it.

In the interval, it has languished, unloved and reviled, in the spare spaces/sparerooms/musty storage lockers of at least 8 apartments! (I had around that time developed a real snobbery about synthetics and the corresponding financial ability to spend more money on "luxury" yarns). So - I feel a real sense of accomplishment in finally giving the yarn a beautiful "home".

Now off to whip up a sweater or three... . Actually, next project will be a messenger bag made out of denim cotton (which I located on sale on Friday - wrong gauge for the project - but hey, it's a bag!).

curve of many colours... almost done!

Just trying to figure out the border scheme now. Will likely knit a sweater and then do it ;)

I love love love this pattern! (from woollythoughts.com - Curve of Pursuit)

front:


back:


yarn: Paton's Decor, 2000g approx (acrylic/wool)
needles: 5 mm addi turbo
size: 48"x48"
number of stitches: lost count at 91,745. Kidding. Tried to calculate but am very bad at math.