Uli's Creative Corner

Wow, re-entry into the real world seems to be challenging today. After 2 weeks off work, one of which was spent at home and the other on Vancouver Island in Parksville, facing “the music” of getting back to the routine of fixing lunches, getting everyone out the door in time and being a productive member of the office team seems a bit daunting. The heat around here hasn’t helped because sleeping has been a bit of a challenge.

I have no good pictures with me right at the moment but let’s just say that my vacation plans to knit a lot partially came true.

I used some gorgeous handspun to knit 95 (or so) % of a Baby Surprise jacket. I ran out of yarn 6 rows short. Isn’t that a pain? I bought some coordinating wool yarn at Mad About Ewe in Nanaimo on our way back and now I have to sit down to finish those 6 rows. It will be very, very cute though!!! I can see more BSJ’s in my future, especially from handspun. I just have to either be prepared to find a coordinating yarn if I run out of yarn or use some of my slightly larger than 4 oz quantities of fibre.

What else did I knit? Well, on the way there and while in the car a lot, I worked up one sock using a 6-ply Regia yarn. The yarn came in 50 gram balls and really, 6-ply socks are supposed to take about 150 gram balls. Of course, I only bought 2 50 gram balls so I was worried of running out of yarn there, too. I know I could have gone toe up but I didn’t have the right two circs handy to do toe-up on two circs so I decided to go with a ribbed shorter cuff sock and lo and behold, the first sock got done from 1 50 gram ball with just a bit left over. All is good in the 6-ply sock world, especially since I bought this yarn in 3 different colourways. I’m thinking that at least one of the other colourways might be turned into some variety of fingerless mitten. Sock #2 is on the needles but barely started.

I started a cute little neck scarf (the pattern name escapes me and I don’t have the book handy right now) from one of the One Skein books. I’m using some lovely handspun for that pattern, too and I’m just over halfway finished with that.

Just before we went away, I started the Nanner sock pattern by Wendy Johnson and finished sock #1 using some lovely, lovely soft yellow Tofutsies sock yarn. I never cast off sock #1 and so sock #2 hasn’t been started yet.

The last project that I was working on while I was off is the Traveling Woman shawlette. For that, I’m using some lovely Merino/Tencel handspun. I could be done with this project but I decided to enlarge it a little because I’ve got quite a bit of yarn. So right now, I’m aiming for 2 extra repeats of the first lace chart. I just started that 2^nd additional repeat so I’m getting close. I don’t want to push it beyond that because I certainly would hate to run out of handspun just at the edging.

I don’t want to write this post without any pictures (but I don’t have many accessible right here to me at the moment) so here are a couple.

Upon my return home, I spent a bit of time saying HI to my Ladybug and finished n-plying this lovely rainbow SW Merino. I had some issues with the singles breaking but overall, the finished yarn looks just fabulous. What should it become? I’m actually, really thinking socks….. Cheeriness for a cold winter’s day.

I promise I will come back with pictures for these lovely knitting projects as I work on them some more.

And last but not least, here is my very favourite picture of my little guys, taken while we’re on our lovely summer vacation:

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A little lunch time diversion is all I needed today on one of our precious few sunny days. Sunshine really seems to come at a premium these days and it hasn’t really felt like spring yet and we’re already into June. Where I work, I don’t have to walk far to find a park bench with this lovely view. I will look at this beautiful view and downplay the fact that behind me is a rather busy highway. Nonetheless, the sun, rather mild temperatures and the need for some peace away from my desk sent me to this lovely spot today.

I brought my current sock in progress, a lovely, plain old vanilla sock using some handspun, Navajo plied Merino/Silk. I love the colours of this yarn. The original fibre came from AllSpunUp. This is the second sock and I’m carrying it around in my trusty little drawstring bag from Zig Zag Stitches.

I didn’t knit much today. Just a few rows. I finished the instep decreases and now I’m on the home stretch as this is sock #2 already. I can’t wait to finally finish up a sock project again. I have started a few pairs of socks but not finished any.

This week is a crazy busy week. I think I have to make a mental note to myself that June really isn’t the month to load up with various commitments and activities because just the nature of June with recitals and year end activities at school adds enough to an already busy schedule. It’s only June 8^th and I’m feeling exhausted. I need a vacation!!!

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I love my hubby!!! I use my Amazon wish list for many reasons. Foremost, I add books to it for me to remember a book that I’d like to get at some point – it doesn’t mean I’ll get it from Amazon – but it’s a good way to keep track of books I’d like. I know that other family have used the list to scope out gifts for birthdays and Christmas and all those good things. What’s nicest though is that hubby, who is a ferocious reader, orders a lot from Amazon. I don’t think he ever has any problem ordering enough to get up to the $39 free shipping threshold but what’s nicest is when he decides to go to my wish list and pick a few random (usually the newest items) from my wish list and orders them with his order. So yesterday, I came home to two new books:

The first book was Wendy Johnson’s new book “Toe-Up socks for Every Body”. I’ve merely had a chance to flip through it but I see some fabulous patterns in there. Mostly I fall back into my simple vanilla sock knitting slump when I decide on a pair of socks to knit and usually that’s just a result of me wanting socks to be simple, mindless, take-along knitting. My attempt to knit through her previous toe-up sock book as well as Cookie A.s book Sock Innovation really failed miserably. I completed one sock and have a second sock from the first book on the needles and I have a bit of the cuff done from one of the Cookie A. book. My patterned sock knitting success seems to have stalled…….. having said that, I do love a lot of the patterns in this book and I’m torn between picking up the previous pair of socks in progress or casting on something from the new book tonight. I like knitting my toe-up socks on 2 circs although, when it comes to top down socks, I’m all about my DPNs. So, as it is, my only set of sock knitting size of two Addi circs are stuck in that one in progress sock as mentioned above so I really should just bit the bullet and finish those socks first but starting a new pair of socks is so much more tempting. I guess the answer………… buy some more needles, eh? Buying more new needles is always the answer when we have startitis, isn’t it? Well, I will evaluate tonight and see where things take me.

My second surprise from the Amazon order was Rachel Herron’s book “How to Knit a Love Song”.
I’ve been looking forward to getting a hold of a copy of this book for a while now, too so I’m really looking forward to the read. I love to read but I find that with my crazy schedule and my hobbies and attempts to make a real go of my chainmaille jewelry, there isn’t much time to sit back and relax with a book. My relax time is my knitting and spinning and that wins out over reading. So, I find stolen moments to read – five minutes here and 2 minutes there. Reading a book takes me a while and right now, I have this book as well as a Nora Roberts book on my night stand. They’ll last me for a while but I am looking forward to stealing those moments to read both of these books.

Knitting news………. Not a whole lot.

Spinning, yes, the spinning continues. I’ve become awfully obsessed with the LUST over a Schacht Matchless wheel although I would never, ever let go of my Ladybug. I love my bug and wouldn’t trade it for the world but somehow, the sirens are calling me saying “you need a second wheel”. You need a wheel in the home theatre down in the basement!!! Don’t think I’m about to go out and buy myself a new wheel. No money for any of that. LUST is the word. It’s definitely not a priority as I have a perfectly, wonderfully, beautiful and fun spinning wheel.

Recently, I spun up some some baby camel/silk. Gorgeous fluffy and soft stuff. I ended up having baby camel/silk fluff everywhere. I spun this skein for an Etsy friend. She ordered the fibre and had it delivered to me and in exchange for some of her gorgeous photography, I’ve been spinning up a few braids of fibre for her. I have a braid of Wensleydale left to spin. As for the baby camel/silk blend, as I said, it was very soft and fluffy. I found that separating the top down into smaller strips did leave a lot of fluff all over the place. Black pants are not recommended…. It drafted and spun beautifully and very quickly. There was no pre-drafting required. I spun it into a nice lofty 2-ply yarn that’s around a heavy DK/light worsted weight. I think I could have spun it very thin as well but that was not my goal for this particular yarn. The colours are rich and beautiful. The fibre came from FeltStudioUk.

Right now, I’m spinning for the Tappan Zee cardie from the latest Knitty. I’m a little further along than the picture shows. I’ve been using Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale pencil roving in the Ghost Dancer colourway. I split the bump in half and spun 4 oz on one bobbin and 4 oz on the other bobbin. I started plying last night and basically plied until most of one bobbin was full. Tonight, I will ply the rest onto another bobbin and hopefully I will have my first two skeins ready to go soon. I’m enjoying spinning the CMF pencil roving a whole lot. It’s such a mindless spin and as I’ve got lots of other stuff going on, when I sit down, once everyone is in bed, this is the perfect distraction. It provides me no further aggravation and that’s what I need at the moment. I don’t have a recent picture but here is a picture when I first started spinning the singles/

I’ve been working pretty hard on getting my jewelry web site (blog style with added pages such as a photo gallery etc) off the ground. I still have more work to do such as adding more pictures to the gallery and maybe writing an “About Me” page. But, even though I’m not quite done yet, I think I’m ready to say, pop on over to get a feel for the digs. I’m quite pleased with it at the moment, although I am rather fickle at times and may change it all around again. I’m not getting much traffic there at this point so I’m allowed to fiddle around with it and play…. See it here

I’m hoping for warmer weather soon!!! In warmer weather finished skeins dry faster. J See you all soon!!

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III

I’ve been doing some crocheting lately. Peek at my little model. I crocheted this hat for my little girl. She had lots of fun modelling for me.

I’ve never consistently done much crochet along the years but I know how to quite well. Just like knitting, I learned way back when. I’ve done all kinds of things from granny squares to filigree wallhangings/curtains to some items of clothing. Right now, I’m really having fun experimenting with my rather large stash of the simple Handicrafter Dishcloth Cotton and various summer hats. I’m quite enjoying crocheting this spring.

Here is another little cutie baby that I gifted a hat to:

Still experimenting with some more!!!

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Just testing something.

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All the best for 2010!!! 

Lot’s of things planned for 2010.  I hope it’s a good year.  2009 had its challenges but every year will have its challenges.  I always fail at New Year’s resolutions so I’m not even going to look back or ahead.  I must, however, focus on my health and fitness and learning to take some “Mommy time”.  It’s not even a resolution – it’s something that just must happen.  Of course, I’ll continue my work in chainmaille jewelry and continue with my fibery pursuits.

One goal for 2010 for me is to become a better photographer and learn how to use my camera better so I have started a photo blog.  Pop on over for a daily visit to see my attempts at documenting 2010 with a daily photograph.  Remeber, I’m far from a professional photographer.  Rather amateurish, mediocre at the best but I’m trying to learn!!!

There’s also a Project 365 type web site that I discovered the other day (after already having spent quite a bit of time and energy on setting up my photoblog).  It’s here - and I’m over there as mommyknits.  I’ve met some people over there so I’ll probably be posting the pics concurrently.

All the very best!!!

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Brenda over at Close To My Heart posted a lovely blog post recollecting her Christmas memories and encouraged others to do the same.  For the moment, I’m sitting down here by  myself so I have a chance to think back………… way back it seems………. to the days when I was a child at Christmas.

Many of you know that I grew up in Germany and didn’t come to Canada until I was almost finished highschool.  So my memories go back to how we celebrated Christmas back home.  I tried to look up some web sites that explain our German traditions and was going to link them here but I figured, in the end, I might just tell you what we did when I was a young girl.

Here are some of the “big” moments that I love to look back on – some traditions I have continued and others I have left “back home”.

St. Nikolaus: On December 6th, we celebrated St. Nikolaus day and I still remember how the night before I would put one of my boots outside for St. Nikolaus to come and fill my boots with goodies.  The goodies mainly were things like mandarin oranges, nuts, chocolates and other such goodies.  This really something that I haven’t kept up with my family – no more filled boots the morning of December 6th.

Throughout December we always had an advent calendar and daily, we would open the little door that was the door for that day.  Although there are many variations and I see them more and more around here now as well, we always just had the basic paper calendar with the little chocolate in behind.  Today, my kids have an advent calendar.  Usually the paper kind but I also sewed them one that has little pockets with a goodie stuffed in the pocket for each day.

We also celebrated the season of Advent which is all about preparing for the real event that Christmas is all about and that is the birth of Jesus.  We had an advent wreath in our home with 4 candles and as a family, every Sunday night, we would sit together, sing some songs and then eat some cookies.  I remember often playing my recorder or when I got older the piano.  I tried to keep up this tradition but I haven’t been highly successful at it.  This year, we don’t have an advent wreath in our home.  I was so very busy and when we have had an advent wreath, I found it difficult to engage everyone in the family to sit around the lit candle and reflect on it all.  Of course, in church, we still follow the tradition and every week in advent a candle on the advent wreath is lit there.  I guess it’s a fair compromise to at least see the advent wreath at church every Sunday.

What I think I miss the most is the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market).  They are usually outdoor markets and the big thing I remember is going to see all the lights and decorations and enjoy looking at all the booths while enjoying hot chocolate or Glühwein (would probably translate best to mulled wine).

In Germany, the “big night” is Christmas Eve.  Rather than having Santa Claus travel around the world on Christmas Eve night, we had a christ child figre come to bring us the gifts.  That was the Christkindl and as a young girl, I would have to stay in my room for some time and then I would hear a little bell and that would mean I could come to the living room and see what gifts the Christkindl had brought.  I used to be involved in the music/choir at our church from a very young age so most of the time, we sang at the earlier children’s mass but the traditional time to go to mass was midnight mass and as I got older, I always went to midnight mass – a most special and magical night in the year of the church.  There are traditional foods for Christmas Eve and they vary.  I can’t say we had a “standard” meal that we had every year.  It varied.  I never had turkey until we moved to Canada.  Often we would have roasted duck or goose on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day & Boxing Day were focused on family.  Both days were holidays and we would gather with other family like aunts and uncles and cousins.  I don’t know what it’s like today but there was nothing like Boxing Day sales – all the stores would be closed on both days to allow everyone to spend time with families and friends.

Now, living in Canada and married to a Canadian, we kind of blend the traditions so that I can maintain a bit of my “past traditions”.  We go to my Mom and Dad’s house on Christmas Eve and celebrate with them in the “old fashion” then.  Then we continue on and Santa comes to our house over night and brings gifts and fills the stockings.  Right now, we don’t go midnight mass but that’s just because of the kids.  On Christmas morning, my kids get to open one gift (that we pick for them) and then we got to church early (8:30 am) and when we come home, we open the rest of the gifts and have a lovely breakfast as a family.  Then I start cooking the Christmas turkey and all the family starts coming in at different times of the day and everyone stays for dinner.

In Germany we also used to celebrate the 3 Kings/Wise Men coming to find the new born baby.  “Back Home” I was involved in a group and we would go from house to house (homes from our church community who invited us to come) and we would be dressed up as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.  We would sing songs and with chalk would write C+M+B over the home’s front door with a cross and the year.  C+M+B stands for Christus Mansionem Bendicat which stands for Christ bless this home.  That day was January 6th, called “Dreikönigstag” – 3 Kings Day – which marked the end of the Christmas season.  (I don’t think I explained this well but I really had to dig deep to remember).

Today, I delivered my only hand knitted gift and it was this hat, made from some lovely handspun that I spun from Falkland Fibre hand dyed by the lovely Ginny of Fat Cat Knits.

And every year, with my own little family, we make our own traditions and memories.  Today, I went to the yarn store and I like that I bought yarn for a “holiday project”.  I’m in the middle of casting on.  I think going to the LYS for a holiday project might have to become my new holiday tradition.   What do you think – isn’t that a nice idea for a new tradition?

Merry Christmas to All!!!  See you in a few days.

Merry Christmas!!!

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I had a little bag of a red/pink mix of beads and I loved the colour play so much that I just went ahead and created a whole little medley of items.  I think they all look fab.  There’s a shaggy loops bracelet and matching earrings, a fancy beaded bracelet as well as a Euro 4-in-1 bracelet.  I think the set needs a necklace but I don’t have enough beads left.

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