Meet Stinky and Punky

This is Stinky


And this guy is Punky.



We actually use these names most of the time. The names are meant only with endearment and love (I'm sure I'll get emails harassing me ....), and are fitting I assure you!!

They don't ask to get put on here, so I don't like to use their given names. So, from now on, I'll just say Stinky or Punky. You'll get the picture.

**

In other news, I finished my Swallowtail shawl. I will definitely be using this pattern again.


Whipped this bad girl up with some Zephyr Wool-Silk. I only used about 1/2 a ball

Also started on my Cozy for our KAL. The official launch date is tomorrow so go over to Ravelry, sign up and join us.


Well, Stinky and Punky are beckoning...must run....

Pithy Knitting

Look what I whipped up this weekend! It's the Baby Sweater on Two Needles!

I've been eyeing this pattern ever since I saw Cdnknitchick's handiwork. She knit up two of these beauties for a set of twins that we know. We bonded immediately over EZ and Knitty patterns. It was an unexpected delight to encounter a knitter who totally speaks my language.

I have been further inspired to knit EZ patterns by Brooklyn Tweed. I'm not sure if it's the yarn he uses or the pictures on his blog, but everytime he posts about a EZ pattern, I want to make one, too. So I did.

The instructions are brief but any knitter with a little experience will be able to interpret EZ's pithy instructions. I did 5 buttonholes 6 ridges apart starting on the second ridge. I knit the entire body on 4 mm circs and then worked the sleeves in the round at the end. This sweater is knit in Sheep Shop Sheep 3 yarn which is a soft and lofty blend of wool and silk. It was great to knit with and I used less than one ball for this baby gift. Now all it needs are the right buttons. (Anyone know where I can find some nice buttons online or in the greater Edmonton area?)

I'm not sure who will wear this little number. I have a couple of friends who are expecting babies in March. Maybe one of them will be a girl who needs a lacy sweater to keep her warm this Spring.

Snow day

A snow day is something as a kid you wish for; you dream of those beautiful words. It's a good excuse to stay at home and not do much more than watch crappy daytime television. Your parents still have to go to work, but you get left at home. Snow day. Heaven to a 12-year old.

I wish today was a snow day. I wish my employer would say "Hey, what a crap-tacular day out there. Don't risk your life, just stay at home." It is currently -30C (although with the wind chill it's sitting somewhere around -43C). That is freaking cold. There is no reason to go outside. I have piles of work to do, but really, it could wait one more day.

I could stay at home, cover up with my blankie, pull out my knitting and drink tea.

Unfortunately, as an adult, there is no snow day. And work still waits for me. And kids need to be chauffered. And supper needs to be made. And walks need to be shovelled. All those "responsibilities".

But I assure you, after supper is finished, baths are given and kids are tucked in, there will be snow day activities going on at my house. I plan on sitting on my couch, watching some sketchy programming and knitting. The benefits of an adult snow day are that wine can be involved....

Gone Knittin'

The Dude and I are off for a little weekend getaway, sans child. This will be our first real alone time since she was born.



I'm looking forward to sleeping in a little, going out for breakfast (it's my favorite meal to eat out because you can have two drinks, coffee and OJ, at the same time. It's so decadent.) maybe even checking out a yarn store.



Sigh.



We're leaving the Princess in very capable hands. Thanks Mom and Dad and Jill. We really appreciate it!



Now, I have to pack some knitting! It's a four hour drive and I plan to get something done.

My Blankie

This is my blankie.


My Grandma crocheted it for me long ago. I love this blanket. It was the first thing I packed when I was leaving home. It is big and warm and fuzzy and soft (just like my Grandma). My Grandma knit everyone of her daughters (3 of them), daughter-in-laws (7 of them) and grand-daughters (17 of them) a blanket. I am grand-daughter #16, so I had to wait a while to get mine. I was jealous when my sister got hers, but I knew mine would come in due time, and it did just as my Grandma promised.


My Grandma passed away yesterday.


I cherish this blanket more today then ever before. I know every time I wrap myself in it, it's just like my Grandma is there with me.

Scenes on a Boat

Scene One: A Cruise Dock at Sunset. Weary, yet Contented Travelers are milling around, two by two.

Mrs. Noah: Well, Sweetie, I'm glad I finally let you talk me into this cruise. I know I wasn't overly excited about this trip but I have to admit I enjoyed myself.

Noah: Uh huh.

Mrs. Noah: And that lovely couple from Arizona was very kind to give you some Imodium after that day in port, don't you think?

Noah: Yes, Dear.

Mrs. Noah: I can't remember when I've felt so relaxed. It must be all that quality time...

Noah: Of course, Dear.

Mrs. Noah:...with my knitting.

Scene Two: A Small Airport. One pink plane sits on the tarmack. Passengers on the plane appear agitated. Noah looks bored. Mrs. Noah is upset.

Mrs. Noah: I'm sure that knitting needles are allowed on airplanes.

Pilot: I could understand if they were small enough to fit in your purse...

...but these gigantic novelty needles are a bit much. Security!

End Scene. Mrs. Noah is carried off in handcuffs. Noah looks bored. Exuent with a flourish.

'nupp said

There is yet any knitting question that I have not found some help for in Ravelry. This week, my concerns were surrounding the 'nupp' of the Swallowtail shawl. The nupp includes knitting into a stitch 5 times, then doing a p5tog on the return row. I was having trouble with the p5tog. So much so that I was considering frogging - not a great solution to anything.

Instead of this drastic step I elected to try and find some help in Ravelry. I searched 'nupp' and came up with a number of different options. Some suggestions included using a crochet hook to draw the purl loop through, or doing slip 2 p3 psso. Also, some people used beads instead of the nupps (I think I'm going to try this on my next one). I also got some ideas on how to knit the first stitch of the five much looser therefore making the p5tog easier. This is what I"m currently doing and it's working very well. No more thoughts on frogging.


So all this time spent thinking about my knitting techniques has left me a little goofy...


actually, I was always pretty goofy - wonder where the boys get it from....

Conspiracy Theory

While T. has been trying to avoid knitting socks, I have embraced it with open arms and joyful DPNs.

My obsession seems to stem in part from my stash. For some reason, I seem to have accumulated a large quantity of sock yarn. Is it because sock yarn can be found in such luscious colors and sumptuous fibres? Perhaps the fact that a little yarn seems to last a long time has something to do with it? Or maybe I just don't have a backbone.

I have finished this sock for someone's upcoming birthday. (Not you, T. LCBrown vetoed this color for you so if you really like these socks, you know who to blame.)

Here is some yarn I picked for 30% off on Boxing Day. I just love online shopping, don't you? No nasty lineups. No beligerent shoppers. Just me, my coffee and some yarn.

T. is also contributing to my sock yarn stash. She picked this up for me on her recent trip. Isn't she a doll?

My SIL got me this great hand dyeing kit for my birthday.

And there are so many great patterns and books to tempt me.

I think it's a conspiracy. You all want me to knit you socks, don't you?

It took about 72 hours.

I spent the weekend visiting my grandmothers in Regina. I left the kids and hubbie at home and trotted off to the 306 to spend some quality time with some special ladies (including my aunt). I brought my Monkey socks to work on as well as my Swallowtail shawl. My Monkeys were designated as the in-flight knitting project - they require little concentration and I have bamboo DPNs that pose no serious threat to the flight crew. The Swallowtail on the other hand is on Addi Lace Needles that could be used as weapons. Given the monetary investment in my Addi's, I elected to pack them in my luggage instead, rather than having them confiscated.

In between a multitude of visits and lunches and dinners and driving, I finished the Monkeys Sunday morning. This was a little bit of a problem because I no longer had a good in-flight project. But wait, I also packed some Lorna's Laces to start some Thelonius socks. I pulled out the yarn, I pulled out the bamboo DPNs and I pulled out the pattern (I'm a planner, if nothing else).

Except....I hadn't actually looked at the Thelonius pattern before packing it. It was in a nice folder and I'd just left it that way. I pulled out the instructions and Chart #1. Oh. This is going to be a problem. The chart is MASSIVE. Yes, massive in full caps. For copyright reasons I won't post a picture of it here, but trust me. It was 64 squares across by about a ba-jillion squares up. It required stitch counters, sticky notes and a graduate degree in math. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm up for the challenge. Just not up for it while 35 000 feet in the air, with bad lighting and the chance of turbulence screwing up my counts.

So I flew home knit-less. I read my book, I closed my eyes, I did nothing. It was good. I got home and the insanity of being away for a few days set it. I put the Thelonius thoughts away, and focused on home maintenance. J. asked me a couple times, "You don't have any socks on the needles???". I kept saying nope, not now, don't plan on casting anything on, blah blah blah.

Till this am. I couldn't do it anymore. I needed some socks on the needles. I can go through all the reasons why this is, but other knitters understand - portability, ease of transport, mindless (not including any Cat Bordhi patterns). So I cast some on this morning. I went 72 hours with no socks and that was all I could muster. I cast on some Go With the Flow Socks from Favorite Socks. Easy, pretty, no graduate math degree required.


And all is right in T's world again.

Party...like it's your birthday....drink Bacardi....like it's your birthday

It was her birthday yesterday and I missed it (because I was computer-less) ... so in a half-assed attempt to make it up to her I've penned a beautiful poem (well, beautiful is debatable).

An Ode to J.

J - is for Joline (d-uh).

O - is for old, NO way!

L - is for lightening fast knitting needles - watch out - they're on FIRE!

I - is for inspirational (did you see her Christmas sock tally; I dream of that)

N - is for naughty. That's all I'm saying about that.

E - is for EXTREME KNITTING. Her goal is 24 socks in 2008 - any guesses on what her actual total will be.... I call 48 pairs.

Happy Birthday Girlfriend!!

And the Peasants Rejoiced...

..for lo, it is my birthday. I present to you....

...Birthday Socks!

Now, let us eat cake!

Dude.

It's my Dude's birthday so I thought I'd do a brief tribute.

You how when you meet someone and you know they're special? And then the longer you know them the more special they become? Well, that's my Dude.

I won't embarass him by telling you how hard he works to provide for his family or how much he adores our daughter. He would blush if I let on that he makes me laugh every day. It would not be appropriate to tell you that he makes me feel beautiful and safe and loved.

Let me just say Happy Birthday, Dude. And many, many happy returns of the day.

(I would tell you that I love you but that would be going way overboard, don't you think?)

Femme Fatale

I hear that the original use of the name Rowena was for a femme fatale character - so that's what I'll call myself while wearing my Rowena cardigan.


Seriously - even though this sweater is almost a year in the making, it was worth it. Look at it. Look at that edging. My goodness it's pretty.


I have left it loose and swingy as opposed to putting buttons on the front (this is primarily due to the fact that I ran out of yarn....not because of my exceptional style or anything).



I'm still struggling with ribbon options. Below is choice #2. I'm not completely happy with either and think that for now I may go ribbonless.


In the meantime I will bask in the joy of a finished object. A finished object for me. I will take it with me this weekend as I go to visit both of my grandmothers in Saskatchewan. I hope to get some knitting love from my Grandma that used to knit. It's only recently that I've realized that she was quite a knitter in the past - and I hope to hear more about it this weekend.

Announcements for 2008

Big changes over here at Baad Medicine, Big Changes.

First off, notice our cleaned up sidebar. Christmas sock tally down, and new sock tally up. Our goal is to knit 24 pairs in 2008. We're not that crazy as those 52 pair plunge people....we can't make that kind of commitment. We're only about half that crazy, hence the 24 pairs. Let us know if you're up for the challenge!!

Next up, our new KAL. We took all your responses to our poll into consideration and came to the conclusion of something completely different (if you know us, you really won't be surprised by this...). We'll be knitting the Cozy pattern from Knitty. We got yarn, we got pattern, we're ready to go. We'll set up a KAL in Ravelry this time as opposed to a separate blog. So if you're not in Ravelry yet, quick, get on the list so you can join us. We'll give you a few days to sign up before we start.

That's about all...our next big undertaking is to revamp our header. Our dear friend Andi has agreed to help but we need to do a photoshoot before then.

We're looking forward to good knitting in 2008....

The Path Less Taken

I've been knitting socks. I know. It's so unexpected.






The thing is that I usually have a larger project on the go, like a sweater or some lacy fluff, and a sock on the side. Socks are like my knitting affairs. I'm really a very monogomous person, but sometimes you need something you can work on in the car, at lunch with a friend, at Stitch and Bitch. Lately, though, I have only been knitting socks.





This departure may have stemmed from certain deadlines (like Christmas and birthdays. Happy Birthday, D.) and a lack of interest in other projects. There are many things I'd like to knit and my Ravelry queue is rather lengthy. I just can't really settle on anything else at the moment and I have a ton (and I mean a metric ton. They're bigger, you know.) of sock yarn in my stash. This combined with an infatuation and I seem to be knitting socks as primetime projects. And I think I like it.





I had a fleeting thought today that it might be fun to knit all eight of Cat's new pathways. There's nothing like trying something new to kick start your creativity. I've already finished some Jeweled Steps, which are Sidestream architecture...





and I'm working on sock #2 of the Tantalizing Socks in Sky architecture.









I'm enjoying the challenge of knitting socks, something I feel quite comfortable with, in a new way. The mental exercise is unfamiliar but welcome. And if I keep this up, my stash will shrink and I will be able to buy more yarn, guilt free.



Change is good.

T's Top 5 Favorite Knitting Books

A while back I received a notice from Knitpicks entitled "The Endless Inspiration of Knitting Books" and I thought that was rather timely. It's the New Year and it has endless possibilities. New books could inspire amazing knitterly things.

Now, I don't actually own all of these books, but I have put some on my Birthday list (32 days and counting....) and hope to add them to my library soon.

1. The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd. This is a fabulous book with options for gloves, mitts, hats, socks, sweaters, vests etc, in a multitude of gauges and sizes. Excellent reference book when knitting any of those items. One of the best used books in my library.

2. Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. To be honest, I've knit only a couple things from this book. What I really love about it is the layout, artistry and photography. It's a truly beautiful book just to look at. And some cute cute ideas. The must knit, much talked about Chevron Scarf is from here. And this adorable little sweater, suitable for boys and girls (and I'm always struggling to find good sweaters for little boys). The felted pot holders - a great stocking stuffer.

3, 4 and 5. The Harmony Guides by Erika Knight. Cables & Arans, Knit & Purl, Lace & Eyelets. Beautiful. I've been wanting to add some stitch dictionaries to by shelf for a while, and these are going to fit just perfectly. They are updated from the 30-year old originals with beautiful pictures to go along with each stitch. Lovely. Perfectly lovely.

If asked what books I would take to a deserted island, it would be these 5. They would give me endless possibilities.

What are your favorite books?

Potential Energy

I am alone in my house. This does not happen very often and I plan on taking advantage of it. My Dude and the Princess have left for the day, one for work and the other for her grandparent's house. My sister is off to school and I am alone. Ahhh.

I love my life. I really do have it pretty good but today is special. Today has so much potential. I could go back to bed. I can go for a run. I could shop and linger in a coffee shop with a latte and a good book. I could have a nap. I could cuddle up on my couch with a cup of cider, a blanket and some knitting.

Whatever I end up doing, the day will likely fly by and never reach the high hopes I have for it. That's the thing with potential. Few things can live up to it.

New years are like that, too. We have big plans, aspirations, and even though we may never reach them, isn't it something that we try? Good intentions are at the very least a start.

Here is some yarn with potential.

All good socks have to start somewhere. What pattern will I follow? Or will I? And who will wear these socks?

And now I'm off. Mommy's got the day off and who knows what could happen!