Scarf Knitting Ninja

I am not very good with words. If someone does something super nice for me, I am never sure how to verbally respond. I say "thank you". My mom raised me well. It does not seem like enough. To make me feel a little more comfortable in these situations, I do what I do best. I knit. Nothing too extreme. I like small projects, like hats, scarves and mitts. They do not require a lot of effort. The completed gift always looks good. The part I like best is to leave it somewhere I know they will find it, with nothing to indicate who it is from. That would be the ninja part. Eventually, they realize it is from me. I guess there are not too many knitters in their social circle. I get a huge kick out the entire thing. I love knitting for someone who has never received a knitted good. I don't think people who are not knitters fully understand the amount of work that goes into a project. I know they like it, but if they are not knitters or some sort of crafts person, it is really hard to appreciate the amount of effort involved.

I babble too much. Here is my next scarf:



This is the yarn I am using. It rocks. It was a little difficult at first to work with, but once I developed a rhythm, it was awesome!



It has these "thin" and "fat pieces". It almost reminds me of dreads. It is super soft.



This is the view of the "wrong side".



I love how it gathers so thick in some spots and then in others you can see the stitches.



This is the "right side" view.

Wrong side vs right side. It is the only way I can differentiate. I will make myself one and probably have the wrong side showing out.
Here are my co-designers:


This is why I have so many projects on the go. Rebel likes to lay on things I am working on. I let him lie there and find another project. When he finds a new spot to lie on, I go back to the project he was on and continue working. Underneath him at the moment, is my blanket. He must really like it. I haven't been able to get to it for three days. He's big cat. I let him lay where wants. I tried to move once. I threw out my back. And yes, I did bend with my knees. He is just a solid little guy.



I'm not sure what Napoleon is after. He goes through these days where he likes to talk and try and capture what he only sees. At least this time it is at a more agreeable time of day. Usually his little conversations start at 200 or 300 am. They also continue until for a few hours.
Since I have switched to the later hours at work, I am missing my afternoon shows. I have found my programs on the net, so that is where I am off to now. I'm going to do some catch up. Take care everyone. Have a great Saturday!

Everyone Needs Fuzzy Mitts :)

I would love to show all of you my new mittens. I call them "Muppet mittens". They knit up super quick on size 6 double pointed needles. One mitten was completed during the episode of Beauty and the Geek. The yarn I use, make them so much fun to create.


It is called "Needful Yarns, Santa Ana". I love this company.



They have so many fun yarns. I love to experiment, so it is right up my alley. This is the next ball on deck for my creative binge:



This is called Piccadilly. It has this awesome shimmer running throughout. At the time of purchase, I wasn't entirely sure what on earth I would create. As a result, I only bought two. I'm seeing more mittens in my future which is perfectly cool with me. After all, I do live in Canada. You wouldn't realize that today. The weather today was unseasonably warm. I left for work in a winter coat and a very thick sweater. I also had on kick ass boots. (That is just bonus info for you other shoe addicts out there). They are a dark brown leather boot with a big gold buckle near the top. When I have them all polished nicely, I will gladly share. I came home minus a coat and the window open while I drove.

I have also been doing a fair bit of sketching, when permitted by Rebel.



He is like the guardian of all my hobby supplies. He keeps a very watchful eye on my yarn and sketchbook. Once I remove the cat from the picture, this is what can be seen:


Wow, that turned out a lot lighter than I imagined.This is part of draft one.


I will try to remember to save them in the upright position next time. Again, this is from my first draft. I just want to try and get the positioning right on my subject matter.



What I am trying to create is a drawing of a chess piece, more specifically a Knight. I have a friend who said that was his favourite piece. I am trying my best to plan it out in a most unique way. Anyone can draw a boring old chess piece. I want one that screams different and interesting. Here is what I have so far. I am looking forward to adding some colour. Perhaps some blue and orange? Who knows. This time tomorrow, I will probably change my mind once again.
I have been keeping fairly quiet as of late. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I am a little worn out and am in need of me time. Tonight is dedicated to laundry. I am running out of things to wear. I'm starting to reach for the items with which I share a love-hate relationship. So tonight, I will stay in and be all domestic. I will do laundry and watch television and work on more mittens. I love these nights. All nice and quiet. Good senseless stuff on TV. It is all good! Take care everyone.

Bad Blogger!!

I am very sorry for being so neglectful. It is very wrong of me. I do however, have some pics to show you:


I call this one a crochet creation. I am not honestly sure where I am going with this. It may be a top or a never-ending strip of god only knows what.


This is a toque for the daughter of a lady I work with. By the way, this is my head. Her daughter requested something plain and black. Ah yes, teenage years. I went through those. Errr......at times go through those :)


This is also a side view of my cool new specs! The Hat is just a basic seed or moss stitch. It knit up super quick on size 6 double pointed needles. I created it during Pan's Labyrinth. Kick ass movie!!



This is the beginnings of a blanket. I'm sort of just "going with it". It's something new I'm trying, this "going with it". I never just do anything. I always have sort of plan no matter how far fetched. It is still a plan. Anyway, it is a make up of cables and seed stitch because those are my favourite stitches to accomplish. I love that look. I hope this works well. When it is eventually finished, I will definitely show you my efforts.



Napoleon was on hand (or lap) to add in his two cents.



Rebel is a little more into the hands off approach. He will supervise from afar. He likes to be in the same room with you, but really avoids being touched by people not me. I'm cool with that. I respect his wishes.
I think that about covers it. I am going to spend quality time with Paper Mario. I love that game. It is one I can figure out on my own without rushing to the cheat sheets. You all have a great night and I hope to hear from you soon.

New Little Project

This is what I'm working with:
Some very small beads. Seed beads I think, but don't quote me.

The part I find most difficult is actually threading the beads. It seems to take forever.

DMC thread.

Some drink skewers with a cork from a wine bottle.


I don't have a pattern. I just have an image in my head of what I would like it to look like when I am finished. I am trying to make a choker type necklace. I want it to be shiny and different.

The stitches are incredibly small, as you can imagine. I dread the thought of dropping a stitch.


I had to tape my fingertips. The "needles" are terribly sharp and went right through my skin. It didn't tickle. Not a pretty picture I know.
There is also another little glitch in my plan:

My creative assistant loves the taste of the cork and the beads apparently are tasty. I really hope he didn't eat too many. I also hope they go all the way through.

This is a back view. I think I will line it in some sort of soft fabric, perhaps a velvet or silk.
I've tried to leave a little border at the start to attach some sort of closure when I'm finished knitting. I'm thinking hook and eye clasps.
When I finally do finish, I will be sure to take a few pics.
I hope you all enjoy our Sunday. I'm off to watch some movies and fold laundry. Take care.

Little bit upset :(

I have this addiction. Okay, another addiction. I love to play online games. Especially the ones on pogo. The current problem is: I can't seem to load the games. I can get to the point where you are in the community room. I can chat in the lobby. I can select a table. Then, that's all. The other window opens and then says loading game applet or whatever. It is such a disappointment. I have no idea if it is just me or perhaps the site. If anyone out there in cyber-land knows.....please help me. I would really appreciate any information at all.
On a slightly happier note. I found out my net connection was not right. There were some techie words here, but I can't for the life of me remember what the nice man said who helped me restore order on this device. He was very patient. Awesome guy!
The new am dispatcher they hired at work.....I have some doubts. He can't seem to get to work on time. I'm doing way too much. I have some control issues. My goal is to have him sufficiently trained in about a week. He doesn't seem to want to take part. He appears very overwhelmed. This is understandable. I just wish he would be more hands on. Okay.....I know that didn't sound right, but you get the idea. I have a sinking suspicion that I will be on the am shift a little longer than expected. At least I get home earlier.
My cold is very slowly going away. I still feel like my head weighs a ton, but it is a little better without the ongoing pain. Go neo-citron!!! I love this stuff. It helps that heavy head feeling go away.
I'm trying to begin a new knit project. I'm thinking one of the following:
something with beads; in the jewelry department perhaps.
a funky blanket; I want something a little different. Nothing too odd, just different.
perhaps a sweater for me; I knit for others it seems and fail to spend quality time on me.
maybe hubby's sweater; He has put in a request for a Mr Dressup type garment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Dressup
I'm not sure why he digs it, but who am I to question the man's taste.
Not sure what else to tell you all, so.....more cat pics.



When you are this cute, you can get away with almost anything. Key word: almost. I think they are pretending to sleep. You should have seen the chaos I came home to.



My creative assistant. I know he looks a little temperamental, but he really is a pleasure to work with.
I hope you all have great night. Take care of yourselves.

I'm A Little Icky

I am a bit under the weather. I have managed to catch a cold that has been circulating around work. I also shared this horrible state with hubby. Sorry hubby :(
On another sad note, tomorrow will be a lady I work with last day. She joined our office from a temp agency. I am sorry to see her leave. I have really enjoyed her working with me. She has a similar quirky sense of humour. As a going away gift, I knit her some long fingerless gloves. She was saying the other day how she would like some. I can totally understand why. You can hang meat in our office environment. No, I do not work in a butcher shop. Anyway, here are the gloves I made (or at least one). Do you know how tricky it is to snap a pic of your own arm? I took the pic from a lot of different angles. These were the ones I found not to be too odd:



This is my slayer pose.



I know. It's such a weird angle.




The yarn was super soft. Unfortunately, I don't know what kind it is. I inherited from my mom-in-law. I know it is some form of acrylic, but that is all I can you.
I also went last night to get my eyes checked. I knew my prescription was long overdue. I had no idea how much. They way she explained it to me was: I was at 2.25, now I am at 4.50. WOW!
I am blind, but only until next Wednesday. Then I get my cool new specs! When I finally acquire them, I will show you some specs.
My cold has got me down. I'm off to find more drugs. Take care all.