baby blue is for blondes

I suddenly find myself in the enviable position of having a lot of blog content....do I meter it out in drips and drabs...do I cram it all here and make you want to skim rather than even read...gah, I know you come here for the pictures anyway (evidenced if nothing else by the couple of people who told me they liked that last cowl I knit)--not my pics, not my cowl, tho I am knitting it!

God knows I spend a lot of time skimming blogs myself rather than actually reading them. Does anyone else using a reader find that it makes them really REALLY lazy when it comes to catching up on blogs? The impatient girlie that lives inside of me is always like "come on, you get the gist of what's being said here, let's move onnnnnnnnnnnn (stomps feet), you have 30 more updates to read today".

So here you go:



The Star Crossed Slouchy beret, as modelled by my gorgeous friend Rebecca. I secretly hate her and her natural blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and perfect skin that never needs a lick of make-up. Fortunately for me she's as sweet as pie, so therefore impossible to really hate.



pattern: as mentionned above, is a free ravelry download for those of you on there
yarn: less that 1 skein of Emerald Blue Malabrigo
needles: US size 10

A SUPER fast, super slouchy knit. I cast on less stitches for my pea-sized head, but I dunno, it wasn't really working for me...I think it's all those varigated blues:



Rebecca's head is even more pea-sized than my own, so it's slouchier still on her--but it just suits her so much better and I'm happy to gift it to her. I have another blonde GF in my life *and* another skein of this so I will likely bust out another the same for her as well. The yarn is gorgeous, and as knits go it was jiffy-quick.


***matching shirt totally not planned!***

I've cast on for a number of new projects lately, but I'll save those for another post--some "secret" knitting in there too. Someone a while back was asking me about some Barbie knits too (apologies for my lack of memory!) and in the throes of all my recent unpacking I was afforded the chance to take some fresh pictures of these for you:


(the background is our new house which is very slowwwly starting to come together...)



N.B: my mother knit all of these outfits for some of the vintage dolls in my collection. I know I've said this before but I promise I'm not some crazy Barbie collecting lady (not that there's anything wrong with that...) but these are all Barbies from either mine or my sisters' collections growing up.

I'm a pretty serious feminist, but I still have a major affection for Barbie (I know some folks might find that strange), but my love for kitsch pretty much outweighs my love for most things in life. Especially the older dolls, before her face went all weird in the nineties (heh). I'm well aware that a couple of the American girl barbies I have when NIB are worth something ridiculous like 2 grand each, but these are dolls that I played with, not mint, and definitely not for sale. There, that is my one disclaimer here. Also I'm hard up for doll shoes so I am also aware that those red shoes are not a pair and definitely do not match. Make that my second disclaimer. Barbie can be lazy when it comes to fashion too, but I prefer to think that what she's really doing is taking it to the maxxxxx.





All three pictured above are from this book. The next two are from old patterns from my mom's own collection (they are all hand-written so I couldn't tell you where she originally got them...)





So there you have it--baby blue hats for blondes segued nicer than one would think into a post about Barbies...

low on content...

Last night I FINALLY picked up the needles again and cast on for --you guessed it: another cowl. Though in my defence, it's one I haven't knit before...

Though still from the purl bee


(image courtesy of knotty bits)

It's their lace rib cashmere cowl. I've been anxious to finally get some more "at work" knitting on the go, and cowls always seem to be an easy choice for me. Sorry, no pictures of my own to show today...my life is still pretty dishevelled, and given that I consider myself organized to an almost anal degree, this is a point that is about to send me off the deep end.

The fact that I was even able to cast on for something new last night is due ONLY to the sad reality that I've thrown my neck out (this is a recurring YOGA injury --yes, I said yoga injury...) and couldn't really leave the sofa. Having just been to my RMT a few days ago, the fact that I've thrown it out is all the more annoying (But then I am a lazy "icer", in much the same way that I find flossing a chore) so i guess it's no wonder. Believe me, as I sat there last night surveying the living room and all the shelves that need to be put up/boxes still to be unpacked/painting to get done --can I just say, thank-science there was knitting to distract me from the guilt welling within.

It also gave me pause to consider what else I'd like to cast on for in the next while. I"ve been pretty monogmaously knitting the Wallis sweater, and only Wallis, which is unusual for me. Usually I like to have three or four projects on the go. And now that fall has hit, I think a new beret is definitely in order.

I was tempted to do another Gretel beret, but truthfully don't get that much wear out of the last one I knit. But maybe that's just down to my previous colour choice. So, I haven't ruled it out, but am wondering if perhaps the "Star Crossed Slouchy beret" (free pdf download or those of you on ravelry...) would be a good substitute.


(photo from ravelry user tiffanythomas)

It's actually quite similar to Gretel, what with the cables and all. I think I'd be tempted to go a bit less slouchy on it though (pea-sized head alert...). And in addition to gearing up for two new baby arrivals in the family, as well as the BFF's daughter's birthday on the horizon, some secret gift knitting is soon to be in the works.

It seems like after languishing for so long with no real knitting purpose, I suddenly feel like a bunch of "must-dos" are being thrown my way. As always, it never rains but it pours.

I just discovered the new "following" gadget that blogger is doing (I am probably the last one up on this as always...) pretty neat, and I promise I'll get to y'all soon...

So, anyone have the new Twinkle book yet? good? bad? I just ordered mine from amazon yesterday, sight unseen. I've been trying not to buy any knitting books for myself lately, so I'm hopng it's worthwhile.

Still alive!

Let me start this post with a confession: I have not knit ONE SINGLE, SOLITARY STITCH in THIRTEEN days.

Since my knitting obession really took hold a couple years ago I don't think I have *ever* gone more than 24 hours without at least attempting to knit something...no matter how half-assed the attempt.

Most of you who read here know that I recently bought my first house and have been in the throes of a major move--hence my absence. To say that the move itself was heinous would pretty much be the understatement of the decade (moving sucks for everyone except the rich and famous), and I now find myself mired in oodles of unpacked boxes, tchochkes and miscellaneous crap. Lately I am more "covered in paint" than "tangled up in yarn". In the evenings I find myself too exhausted to knit, not to mention irritated that the living room isn't even effectively set up for me to knit (no good lighting installed yet etc...)

My other embarrassed-to-admit distraction of late:

A Nintendo DS I bought the BF for his 30th birthday. Yes, it's true...I am too game-boyed out to knit of late (secretly I bought it for myself) but after 8 years together I am starting to run out of ideas for him. Even more embarrassing...this is what I've mostly been playing. Possibly even rated one of the top ten worst games? Uh, so bad it's addictively good, says I.

So half-assed are all of my endeavours the last couple of weeks (and only just recently getting the internet/cable/phone hooked up that's really saying something!), that this is the cake I made him:



Yes, just what every manly-man wants...a giant pink cupcake that I was too impatient to even let cool before icing it.

My attention of late was also further diverted by a surprise proposal!



I find the very idea of being engaged a little bit foreign to me. I'm not much of a girlie-girl, and never really fancied myself the marrying kind. Plus after 8 years together... well you know, I have nothing against marriage, it's just weddings that I hate. I figured we would likely (and quietly, subtly) tie the knot at some point, but never in any of that equation did I forsee a proposal on bended knee, a ring, and an "engagement". Is it weird that I feel weirded out? Needless to say, it will probably be the world's looooongest engagement.

But I promise it's a GOOD weird, and naturally I am over the moon! And my man has good taste, doesn't he? The ring is from Matsu, Canadian designer Jennifer Shigetomi. The diamond is set in yellow gold, and the band is white gold.

He did good --I love modern jewellery. It is currently out being re-sized --likely "re-made" actually due to what is apparently my FREAKISHLY small hands. The staff at Magpie were all a twitter as it turns out that my ring finger is a size 3 and a half. Seems it's just a bone with some skin draped over it --who knew? Someone at work joked that getting punched by me would be tantamount to "getting delicately pawed at by a fluffy kitten". Me and my child-sized hands are over. it.

Anyway, that is all I will say on that, probably a bit of snore, because I KNOW you come here for the knitting!

So that said, with a new house comes the quirks of getting used to it's new contents. A washer and dryer to call my very own! No more waiting on felting projects until I can bring laundry to my mom's house. I can wash my own hand-knit socks in my own appliances, I can---er wait a minute--

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WTF?!!!

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It seems my new washing machine decided to EAT my Fleece Artist socks! I've washed these in other washing machines and it's never been any issue. Do I now own the world's most angry and agressive washer/dryer?

People: This is the ONLY pair of socks I have EVER knit. This is seriously, one more reason to hate knitting socks. This may be the final nail in the coffin for me on that score. (though never say never I guess...). My one consolation in the demise of this amazing yarn is that I still have some of it to enjoy in the form of the purl beret,



otherwise I may have had to cloud up and rain all over that stinking machine.

Apart from that I was making really good progress on the Wallis sweater prior to the move, and am hoping that maybe by this weekend I will finally be able to pick it and a couple of smaller items up again, and potentially get this blog back up to speed once more, not to mention reading everyone else's blogs that I am SO far behind on at this point. It is amazing how incomplete my life feels when I don't have the opportunity to catch up with all of you, and how integral the knitting community is to my life these days.

let's never part again!