Tanis

A few weeks ago I contacted Tanis and ordered yarn. Lucky for me, and doubly lucky for you, she brought the yarn with her to the Frolic. We have lots of goodies.

The Fairview Scarf
We have patterns and the beautiful yarn

Size: finished scarf measures 14” x 62” after wet blocking.

Yarn: 1 skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label Cash Silk Single 115g = 420 yds.

Needles: 4mm straight or circular. Or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 20 sts and 30 rows in lace pattern after wet blocking.

Red Label Cashmere Silk Single

The softness of cashmere and the sheen of silk blend with perfection in this single ply yarn.

• 75% merino,15% cashmere, 10% silk
• 115g (4 oz) = 385m (420yds)
• gauge: 7 sts per inch
• needle: 2.75mm needles (U.S. size 2)
• hand wash, lay flat to dry.

We have

-stormy

-olive

-charcoal

-dove

-shadow

-plum

-chestnut

-velvet

-mallard

-brick

We also received more Purple Label Sock.

Today was a long day. I was out of the house at 10 and didn't get back until 8. There was banking to do. Tax returns had to go to the post office. I spent some time in the store trying to unpack boxes. Anyone who comes tomorrow will think I am lying because it is a disaster. Jane is coming in for a bit tomorrow so hopefully we can get it somewhat straightened. Then I went to help Beth for a few hours. I kind of owed her for the help she gave me on the weekend. Dinner with my parents and then furniture shopping. We bought their bedroom furniture, coffee tables for the living room and dining room table and chairs. All from Urban Barn. I am very jealous. Now it's rest time. If I keep working in front of the computer I will never get to sleep tonight. My knitting and Top Chef is calling me.

New Project

I went to the store this afternoon to pick up some yarn. I knew what I wanted and had to dig through boxes to find it.

I started Hannah Fettig's Breezy Cardigan in tosh merino light. The colour I chose is Lolita. It is a bit brighter than the picture but I waited too late to take the picture and we didn't have enough sun in the back yard.

I started this cardigan before in lace weight and found the yarn too thin. The merino light is working up much better.

There would have been more knitting today but I had dogs in my lap for much of the afternoon. Beth was golfing and Roko decided that I was his pillow. Then Melo decided he needed in on the action. Beth is home now and it is time for TV. The Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice with hockey and baseball in the mix. My goal is for the cardigan to be done for TNNA in June. I better get knitting!!

Knitter's Frolic

I just walked in the door. The Frolic was great. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth. If I didn't talk to you I am sorry. It was crazy busy. Crazy busy. Jane, Lynn and I didn't talk to each other until after 1. There wasn't time.

There are many people to thank
-dad and Beth for helping yesterday with set up and then coming this afternoon to tear down the booth. They unloaded the truck already and that saves me hours of time on Monday.
-Lynn who helped with set up and then worked all day today
-Jane for working in the booth all day today
-Cathy for looking after the store for the past two days
-Wannietta who stayed up until 4 this morning to finish a sample for the booth
-the amazing ladies of the Downtown Knit Collective for putting on an amazing show.

Here are pictures from Friday afternoon

Lynn came running over on Friday afternoon and told me to get my camera. My dad-sitting on the floor putting tosh dk and merino dk on the stand.

His finished work. The tosh looked great

I got a few pictures this morning but the lights hadn't been turned on in the hall yet so things are a bit dark.

Trendsetter sent me a box of samples that arrived just as we were pulling out of the driveway yesterday. They took the vest kit and made a stole in the Lipstick colour way. It looked great sitting above my vest.

 The vest in purples and greens.

Wildflower from Coastal Knits. Wannietta was picking up the front band when I saw her yesterday afternoon. She finished both bands and sewed in the sleeves last night. The cardigan is knit in tosh pashmina. Very soft. The bottom bands are beautiful. I didn't get the pocket detail but will get another picture this week.

Beth just brought home a pizza. Now it's time for Nascar and hockey. My fingers are itching to knit but I know that I will be asleep within an hour. Tomorrow I might start a new project.

Finished (almost)

I almost finished the Trendsetter vest this afternoon. Most of the ends are sewn in.

I looked at the vest and picked the ends that were showing below the hem. Those are the ones that got sewn in. The rest will be done next week. Maybe. :)

I need a shawl pin but they have already been packed. I will pick one out Saturday morning.

Last night I did some running around to find mannequin clothes. It wasn't a good outing. Luckily I found the most important thing-a peach t-shirt for a plus sized mannequin. The rest of my list is still waiting to be crossed off. The ladies are wearing the clothes that I already have.

The big blue van is in the parking lot and we will start packing in the morning. My dad is usually away when we have shows. I think he does it on purpose. :) He just came by the store to see how much we have to pack. He let out a breath and said 'that is a lot'. I told him that this is the normal amount. He said again 'that is a lot'.

I'm not sure if there will posts tomorrow or Saturday. If not I will talk to you on Sunday.

Totally Done

I just finished Tiny Tea Leaves. All ends are sewn in. Buttons are sewn on. Done!

You can see all the project details on Ravelry.

My mom called a few minutes ago offering to come and sew buttons on the cardigans I showed yesterday. I'm too busy to think about them today but she might regret it next week when I drop them and the buttons off at her house.

I sat down this afternoon and worked on my vest. I kept finding new things to pack for the Frolic and I had to stop because I'm afraid everything I have won't fit into the booth.

The first side gusset is finished and I have about 10 rows to go on the second one. Then one round of crochet across the bottom to make a nice finished edge. Oh yeah, then there are ends to sew in. I'm thinking I might put a sign on it at the Frolic stating "Please don't look inside. I didn't have time to sew in the ends."

Way too cute

Mr. Canada Post brought in a box from Ann this morning. She knit me two baby sweaters in Classic Elite Liberty. They are way too cute.

Both cardigans are size 18 months and took 3 balls. There are lots of holes in both of them-the buttons will have to wait until next week.

Getting pictures was tricky. The weather in Ancaster went from sun to rain to snow today. It was spitting while I was outside but I couldn't chance waiting for fear that there would be a downpour.

The store looks like a bomb went off in it. There are boxes and garbage bags everywhere with yarn and kits. I can't wait until Friday morning when we can start loading the van.

Mr. Melo is still looking very sad but his appetite is good. If you say COOKIE he comes running very fast. That's how I know he is okay. When he is really upset he won't eat anything-not even a treat. He says thank you for all the comments you sent along. They cheered him up.

Just as I was closing the store Beth stopped by with a box she picked up at the post office for me. Tosh prairie has arrived. Just in time for the Frolic.

Prairie is a 100% superwash merino wool, single-ply, lace weight yarn. With a generous 840 yards per skein, one skein is more than enough yardage to complete a full sized lace project. Each incredibly soft skein is hand-dyed in small dye lots and machine washable.

We received

• cove
• opaline
• tart
• wicked - I need something in this!!
• grenadine
• worn denim

No pictures of the yarn but I will try to get some tomorrow. Now it's time to knit-the vest isn't going to finish itself.

Melo had a bad day

Last week while petting Melo I noticed a lump in his ear flap. It's been a long day and I'm not really sure what the correct term is. It was noticeably bigger yesterday so Beth took him to the vets today. He had a hematoma. We have no idea how he got it but the vet suggested that they cut the flap and drain the blood. Now he has a bandage around his head with a cut out for his good ear.

He isn't a happy dog.

I checked out yesterday and knit all day. The front band on the vest is done and I have picked up for both side gussets. I'm worried that I am going to run short of the ribbon so I'm working both at the same time. This way I can add in another yarn should I run out. All was going well until I transposed numbers. I was supposed to cast off stitches until I had 54 left. For some reason I thought 45. After two rows I realized my mistake and had to do some ripping back. No, it didn't make me happy.

The front bands on Gnarled Oak were blocked as well. Now they sit nice and flat.

Much of today was spent on accounting. Taxes (personal and HST) are due on Monday and I don't want to have to think about it Sunday afternoon after the Frolic. They are done!! Yay me. :) Now I can get the vest done.

Last week I talked about the artificial grass in the back yard.  Julia asked a question on that post and I thought I would answer here in case others were wondering what I was talking about. There is a company called AGL in Stoney Creek who does artificial grass for sports stadiums (Ivor Wynn) and outdoor pools (Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas). They also do yards. Beth heard about this and called to check it out. They came, ripped out our yard, put down stones and then the artificial grass. Water drains great. We shovel the dog's business. It looks great 365 days a year. Nice and green. There are no dirty dog prints in our house. The initial outlay was large but has been totally worth it.

I am sick of looking at my computers. There are two out on the counter and I was working with both today. It's time for hockey and then Top Chef Canada.

Blocking

When I got home from work last night I took out Tiny Tea Leaves to block. I found some of those magic yellow clothes in one of our kitchen drawers. You see them on infomercials all the time. I'm not writing the name because it will probably bring even more spam comments here. I decided to put the sweater on it when I took it out of its Soak bath. This is the imprint it left. I had to take a picture because it was cool. The whole imprint of the cardigan. I'm not sure that I'm going to suggest that you run out and buy them but they did soak up a lot of water from the cardigan.

I finished the last square on the Trendsetter vest this afternoon.

Now the front bands and the side gussets. I purchased Season 2 of Top Chef last night so that I can sit in front of the TV tonight and get the vest done.

Knitter's Frolic

The front room of the store is very crowded right now. Boxes are piling up for the Frolic. All the kits are made and patterns have been priced. The last few things that need to be packed can't be done until Wednesday or Thursday.

We hope to see you next Saturday in Toronto. All the details about the Frolic

My tips if you are coming to the Frolic

-If you don't like crowds then plan to arrive after noon. It starts to thin out a bit and it is easier for you to get into the booths.  This could mean that you might miss out on some of the hand dyed yarns. 
-Bring your own lunch. Why waste time standing in line when you could be shopping?
-Parking can be an issue so car pool if possible
-If you see something you like write down the booth number.  It is amazing how many people are running around at the end of the day looking for xyz and they can't remember where they saw it.

Tips from the Frolic committee

. Exact change for the entrance fee is appreciated.
. Bring cash and your credit card. There is no ATM on site. Note that a number of vendors will only accept cash.
. Please come prepared to carry purchased items in your own bags. Vendors must charge 5¢ per plastic bag (City of Toronto bylaw).
. Wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking, looking at booths, going away, and going back again - maybe several times.
. There will be a café serving coffee and light snacks on site, sponsored by the Knit Café. Take a break and enjoy yourself.

For those who want to plan ahead

-The Frolic committee has a listing of all vendors and their booth numbers.
-The overall floor plan of the Japanese Cultural Centre

Earlier in the week I showed the great throw that Lynda knit for us. Mountain Colors sent an email today and there are new colours for the Warm and Wooly Throw Trio. I will be making a phone call on Monday to order more kits.

I'm listening to Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown. They are currently talking about ticket prices in baseball. The Blue Jays top ticket price in 1977 for their first season was $7.50. Can you believe that? $7.50 for the best seat in the house. I don't think $7.50 will get you a beer at a ball game now.

It's time to pull the needles out. The next square on the Trendsetter is almost done and will be finished before going home tonight.

Three to go

I just finished the third square on the front of my vest. Three squares to go.

There was a lot of time in front of the TV last night. Survivor. I feel sorry for Troyzan. He had it figured out weeks ago that the girls were going to band together and vote off the men. The other men didn't believe him and it's happening. There are only two men left. I'm not sure about Idol. You never know how the public is going to vote. Colton is usually one of my favourites but he has had much better weeks. We also watched the new episode of Deadliest Catch and lots of hockey.

Mr. UPS brought in a box from Berroco with four new colours of Berroco Sox. Definitely colours men or women can wear.

John has been one of my sales reps since the day I opened. His appointments are half work and half social. He was here today showing me new yarn for fall. It was nice but that isn't what has me excited. There is a display coming next week with key chains, magnets and luggage tags. I love the luggage tags. They will be going on all my suitcases.

Did I mention that I love the luggage tags??

I really need to work on my taxes but I am formulating excuses in my head so that I can knit tonight. I will be tired when I get home and it is better to be working with numbers in the morning when I am more awake. I think that works. I'm going to knit tonight!!

Not enough sleep

Beth just called to make sure that I was awake. There wasn't a lot of sleep last night. I was up until I finished the front bands on Tiny Tea Leaves. Yes, front bands. I had to pull out the band that was already done-there were too many stitches and it was wavy. The pattern says two stitches for every three rows. I ended up one stitch every two rows in the yoke and then two stitches for every three rows in the body. This worked much better.

Just after 5 this morning Melo came into my room. I told him to go get his mother if he wanted out. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later Beth was waking me up because the batteries were dying in the smoke detector upstairs and it was beeping. Roko was freaking out. FREAKING OUT!! I had to take the dogs outside so that Beth could change the battery. Back in bed around 6 and then the alarm went off at 7. We were having our back yard groomed this morning. The dogs have trampled the artificial grass and it needed to have a bit of life put back into it. I can't wait to get home to see how it looks.

Beth just emailed me a picture. It looks great and very clean. Beth picked up a pail full of socks and toys last night. The dogs will have it littered again by the weekend.

Austin Hoodie kits in the
new colours of Solemate

I could be tired because I unpacked lots of boxes today. The final box from Lorna's Laces arrived. The new colours of Solemate are great. Four of six boxes from madelinetosh came as well. Mr. Canada Post wasn't happy with me this morning-he had a lot of boxes to carry in. There is one more that I didn't even get to from Crystal Palace that has Mini Mochi, Chunky Mochi and Sausalito.

It is a super busy TV night - Survivor, American Idol, new Revenge (finally), baseball and hockey. If I thought I was tired today it is going to be worse tomorrow.

Lynda has been busy

Mr. Canada Post brought in a parcel from Lynda this morning. She has been busy getting samples knit for the Frolic.

The throw is a kit from Mountain Colors-Warm and Wooly Throw Trio. There are three versions. Easy Knit, Lace (pictured) and Crocheted.

The kits includes four different yarns that are hand dyed in Montana.
-Mohair
-Moguls
-Mountain Goat
-Merino Ribbon

Thendara from Stephen West. The pattern is in his new book Westknits Book Three (we have copies in the store) or you can buy it on Ravelry.

From Stephen's Ravelry page

I don’t think anyone can have too many shawls so I returned to one of my favorite construction methods to whip up this graphic top-down design. Two colors are worked with increases to form a triangle and then two additional locations of increases are added, which transform the shape into a unique piece of architectural knitting. The extra fabric formed by the increases causes the shawl to drape beautifully whether it is resting across the shoulders or tossed around the neck.

Our sample is knit in tosh pashmina combining cove (a light blue/green) and curiosity (a mauve).

It is very, very soft. I can't wait to wear it. :)

Tiny Tea Leaves is almost done. I finished the second sleeve last night and have six rows knit on one of the front bands. My goal is to get the knitting finished tonight. Now I need to get to work on my Trendsetter Vest if it is going to be done by next Saturday.

Beth was sitting on the couch behind me knitting reading (where did knitting come from?) while I was finishing my post. Roko loves to read so he joined Beth on the couch. Normally he won't have his picture taken but today he sat like an angel for me.

Then he decided to pose. Hockey (two games) and baseball has started. It's knitting time!

Today's letter is T

This morning I was out the door early to see Trish. A trip to the hair salon is always a great way to start the day. I would go every day if I could. Tiny Tea Leaves came with me and I got a few more rows done on the sleeve.

I also did some running around for mom and dad to look at appliances. The kitchen will look empty without them. 

Friday night Beth and I went with our parents to Applegate and James Furniture in Caledonia. They picked out their couches as well as a chair for mom. At the back of the store there is a selection of bar and counter stools that you can customize. We picked them out a great counter stool that is so comfortable. So comfortable that I ordered three for our house as well. I don't know how it happened but we picked out a fabric (which is so perfect for our house) and the colour of the legs and then it was written down. Unfortunately it takes 6-8 weeks for them to come in. I want them now!! The stools in our house have had a lot of wear. Beth and I sit on them every day and they are starting to look a bit beat up.

The letter T 

It is tax day. I need to get my personal tax return done as well as my HST remittance. The next few weeks are going to be busy with the Frolic so it needs to be done today. I don't think Mr. Tax Man will take the Frolic as an excuse for me being late. :)

Kate is in the house

Kate Atherley (aka wisehilda) is here today teaching.

This morning was the Baby Surprise Jacket. The ladies worked on a miniature size so that they could get most of the way through the jacket.

Kate's lunch. Not really. Beth came and brought lunch for Kate and I. These are the treats that Beth bought for Kate last night. We need to keep her energy up for a long day of teaching.

I took some pictures as the ladies were working.

Working with Noro always makes the project more interesting.

The store is closed and Kate is finishing her sock class. I was on the right track with my thinking. There were a few things that I hadn't thought through like the gusset shaping. That gets a bit tricky.

A pair of Kate's socks. The stitches on the needle are yellow and orange. One sock is the yellow stitches and one sock is the orange stitches.

One of the students socks. The colour contrast is great for showing the two socks.

There was a lot of thinking in the class and not too much talking. Quite the opposite of my knitting classes. :) I didn't want to interrupt by taking too many pictures.

We are happy that Kate will be coming back in May and she will definitely be doing a finishing class-maybe two. We are going to talk next week and firm up the classes.

It's much later in the evening. Beth and I went out for a bit and when we got home I realized that I forgot to post. No knitting today. Hopefully lots tomorrow.