no Hallowe'en post here

I do not have a Hallowe'en related post for today. I have never been very enthusiastic about this festival of pumpkins and dressing up.
That being said, I spoke with my sister this morning and told her I would blog the progress of the knitted kerchief I am making for her. I am using Blue Sky's hand dyed chunky in granny smith.


I finished one for myself in pearl pink.
The pattern is from Melanie Falick's book, handknit Holidays

I really like the centre seam...once it is blocked, the centre of the kerchief has a pseudo lacey/funky touch to it.

Btw, my niece is dressed up as a dinosaur today...Happy Hallowe'en!

non-knitter tales

My spouse is a non-knitter. He simply does not comprehend the meaning and importance of a knitter's yarn stash.

I am in the midst of packing my life’s belongings in one suitcase. The airline restricts me to one checked in baggage and one carry on.

I am in a state of panic because my suitcase is bursting at the seams and it is over the weight limit...this does not include my current yarn stash and knitting accessories.

The spouse says, “Honey, only pack what you need, your wool is not a priority. We can have it shipped over later or maybe your parents can bring it over when they come to visit.”

I say, ‘uhh, nooo, I don’t think so. I really, really need all my knitting stuff. I’ll take some other non-essential stuff out. Leave it to me.”

My darling spouse does not understand my stash includes merino, alpaca, cotton, silk and even some unknown fibres. What about my Addis, bamboo circulars, dpns, and straights? Most of the weight lies in the metal knitting needles (I can’t seem to part with the metal staights just in case I will need them).

Yesterday afternoon, I re-packed my stash into Ziploc bags, and prioritized the yarns I would be bringing over. I set aside a few baggies for family members to take over when they visit.

In order to fit my precious possessions, I am taking out 2 suits, 2 blazers, 2 dresses and 2 pairs of dress shoes. I just hope that I won’t have to go business casual for a while. but then again, I can always find my way to Grafton Street (Toronto equivilant is Yonge/Bloor shopping district). I never said that I only shop for yarn....

what is off my stix

Today is cold, rainy and windy. I packed all my winter woolies and they are on a ship, sailing to Ireland. I need something wooly and warm. After scouring my library of patterns and the internet, I decided to knit a hat for myself using one of my handspun skeins. I used my drop spindle to make a two ply chunky yarn using Black Lamb's handdyed roving.

from novice to expert

A comment made by Cheryl during our first meeting in Dublin, planted a seed in my mind. She said, “ you must stop calling yourself a beginner knitter”. At the time, I made a mental note to myself to update my blog profile.

I was at William’s Coffee Pub this afternoon, having a coffee and catching up on my blogging. I was re-evaluating my knitting skills and then an “ah hah” thought came into my mind....Patricia Benner.

As a Registered Nurse, I apply Patricia Benner’s conceptual framework in my clinical practice . Patricia Benner is a nurse theorist and author of From Novice to Expert : Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. I have often cited Benner in many of my scholarly assignments and applied her concepts to my clinical practice.

Wow....Knitting is all about the journey from novice to expert: excellence and power in knitting. Thank you Benner, I plan to use your concepts and apply them to my knitting experience.

Reference: Benner, Patricia. 1984. From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

blog update part II

The trip to Dublin had a purpose and a plan. The spouse kept us on a tight schedule. Very little time for knitting, however, we took some time to stroll the paths of St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin.



I love this park in the middle of Dublin city.

blog update part I

Our trip to London, Dublin and Ottawa was an eventful one. Constantly on the go...very little time for knitting.

I am disappointed that I did not make it to This is Knit at the Blackrock Market.

The knitting highlight of this trip was meeting my new friend, Cheryl. Thank you, Cheryl... you are a wealth of encouragment and information. Cheers to a new friendship.

I had the opportunity of experiencing my first SnB in Ireland. Last Thursday, I took a break and went over to the Santry SnB. I joined Cheryl and met three lovely ladies, Barbara, Eileen and Mary...knit away ladies. Thank you for the warm welcome.

Stay tuned...

I have not dropped off the face of this earth. I will be back to blogging soon!

What is on my stix? updated 16.10.06

Here is a silky wrap cardigan...I am using Misti's cotton/silk blend. It is knitting up or should I say down quite nicely. It is a "top down" pattern. I love this technique since I get to try it on and see how I am progressing.




I will not give up. I re-started the Clapotis once again.

90p and we complain about the price of gas?

I took a walk in the town of Horley and this was the price of petrol here in the UK .





Remember this is in pounds/litre, converted to Canadian currency...this is almost a twoonie!

a frog pond on Air Canada?

I can not comprehend how the frog pond manages to appear over the Atlantic Ocean. I was mindlessly knitting away on my clapotis when I decided to do a stitch count...Arghhh....the numbers were off and my pattern of stocking stich rows were definitely out of alignmemnt! When and how did this happen?

Since I had a few more hours before we reached Heathrow Airport, I decided to "rip it".

I am jet lagged and too tired to think about clapotis right now....I will start fresh when I get to Dublin.

Auto out of office reply:

I am leaving on a jet plane (and I have my knitting with me) bound for London and Dublin...

what is on my stix?

The Clapotis has been on my list to things to knit since January 2006. After ten months of reading and analysing the pattern, I finally got my act together. I joined a Clapotis KAL.




With my colour coded spread sheet in hand...I am on my way. I look forward to dropping those stitches!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday October 9th is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. It is a great weekend to spend time with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving Day!

knitting round and round...

I started my first felting project awhile back...I am at the point of knitting the body of the French Market Bag by Knitty. Plain old stocking stitch, knitting round and round and round.

I was hoping to get this done before I reached Ireland. Greg and I are planning a trip to Dublin next week. Maybe I will get an opportunity to meet a few Irish knitting bloggers.

I knit on Fridays...

On weekends, I like to sit down with a cup of tea and read the newspaper. This past Saturday, I found the Globe and Mail had been delivered to my doorstep. I usually peruse through the sections and scan the headlines and cover stories. This headline caught my eye....


Has Belinda Stronach, the Liberal MP, met any knitters from the 21st century? She definitely has not been to a SnB night or a Knit Night at the local pub.
Read the article here



I knit on Fridays and I definitely have an active social life!