This pattern does not work!! If anyone wants to take a look and tell me what they think...maybe it's just that the photo blurry, but it really wasn't working out the way I imagined it (the shell increases at the beginning) so I think I'm going to try and invent a knit version.

In other news, this is the cutest thing I have ever seen (besides Lindsey Buckingham pretending to be an elephant and chasing Stevie Nicks accross the stage....). It is cute enough to bare children. There's a free pattern for it at
Berroco.

I joined a crochetalong over at Craftster to make Molly Weasley's sleaves from Chamber of Secrets. It's my first CAL and I think everyone's results are going to be amazing 'cause they can't help but be different. I think some people are making a sweater but I think Ill just make the sleaves and then crochet them together to form a shrug. They sort of remind me of the Peter Maxx hat I made ages ago w/ the *ahem* inverted bobbles.

Would it be sacreligous to use knitting in the shrug too? I think that's the most exciting thing going on in crochet right now; combining the two -crochet for stability and structure, knitting for shaping and drape. There are some neat attempts at it in the latest issue of Easy Crochet (gak! I know!). Let's all hope Debbie Stoller doesn't cotton on. (Oh yes I did. lol)

Soundtrack: Mix for DualDiskDebacle, Wilco,BuckinghamNicks,Ryan Adams. 

I'm sending a portion of my Preemie Items to Survivors fo Hurricane Katrina. There are lots of great ways to donate. Christine at Big Pink Cookie has lots of information about sending items to Houston and has said that booties are the best things to send. Let's get bootilicious! Also, the Red Cross and the Craft Revolution have teamed up and created a donations only store where your crafted goods can be sold with a guarentee that all sales go directly to relief efforts. Click Here
As much as I would love to get on a soapbox here and talk about America's budgeting landing them with a deficit of humanity, I'd much rather get knitting.

In per. knitting news, I'm starting work on this:
using Luxury Mohair in 'Valiencia' or something.

I want to make this too:

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been a knitting/crocheting machine.

Soundtrack: Dumas, "J'erre", New Earth Mud, "Sugaree" 

Things with me are crazy. I'm at my Mum's for a few days which means I've got access to
Picassa (which I love) and a faster computer so I thought I'd have a chance to get a ton of
blogging done. Not so much. The usb ports refuse to detect any devices including card readers meaning the two brand new ones we bought as we thought the devices were the issue. Then the usb problem slowed down the whole system so I couldn't even get online let alone blog w/ lots of pictures.
Anyway im v.frustrated and sorry that I havn't been able to blog etc. Knitting wise I'm working
fevorously on several original patterns with deadlines looming and also getting some charity
knitting done as the preemie charity I donate to is based here in Kingston. I'd love to send
them really funky hats and things but the hospital wont accept anything too wild and sexy :(
I've taken loverly photos of all of this...grrr I wish I could upload them!!In the mean time
check out this action shot of my Granny crocheting!

I tricked her...we're in the back of the
car heading off to Jeddore for a supper with my Mum and Aunt where we met the oldest lobster
ever (well maybe not). His name is Crusty; he was 15lbs and 75yrs old!! Some American ordered him for supper but then chickened out. A few days later he was on the cover of the paper...
so many people had protested that they put him back in the ocean. If I had known he'd be a
celebrity I would have made him wear a hat! Damn it turns out I don't have a photo of him
...someone get me a card reader. He was a mofo pomoboho lobster.

Isn't Granny crazy in this picture lol? Anyway, Granny and I did manage an *ahem* 'freeform' crocheted brooch on the way there.
Granny tought me to knit and to crochet when I was about 7(?) or maybe I should say that
I started paying attention when I was 7. I'd loove to make her something for xmas. Any ideas??
Novelty items are a must. Granny's a riot. She's just as funny when she makes sence as when she doesnt and she has really juicy stories and dated a lot of gentlemen...Dicky Duckum and Gary Balls.
I kid you not!!!! I should knit her some gary balls!lol. Unfortunatly my latest
foray into felting was a bit of a debacle...not only did it get v.v.hairy (I had to shave it)
but I attached the strap (not saying what the FO is) with a twist in it. Before I felted.
Reeeaaally securely. Crap. I will post the photostory when I can. It's all going wrong,
but I'll just keep knitting. That is my new motto.

Soundtrack: "Coeur de Parisienne" Rufus Wainwright, "The Silky Veils of Ardor" Joni Mitchell 

School starts again soon...taking more classes at NSCAD....but I am in Ontario. The drive back with Mum and the cat was smooth enough (except we still can't find the Le Chateau Outlet...any help?) unfortunatly Ginny the pussycat had to stay in her cage (she broke out of the cat carrier) the whole time. Why? Because this is her favorite spot in the car:

So soon I'll head back on the train. It's a beautiful trip and a perfect way to see the Canadian wilderness. Case in point: New Brunswick last winter:

lol I always watch for that sign but I have yet to see any proof of a restaurant. So on to one of the summer's wooly adventures. In like a week I met the Fleece Artist (at her home/studio in Laurencetown NS) and went to Gaspereau Valley Fibres. I don't have any pictures of Fleece Artist (we didn't excpect to stumble into her studio coming back from the beach) but here's a friend my aunt and I made at Gaspereau:

Here's the fabulous inside of the shop And what I bought: The huge ball of slubby is Fleece Artist and already well on it's way to becoming a jacket for submission. All v.hush hush don't you know.

ps The insane video I mentioned has gone to air. You can watch it live here.but the streaming really sucks. If you make out a dwarf kicking it royaly in an orange skirt c'est moi. I work it out (really working out frustration over goddamn IK Flower Casket Shawl I took w/ me that day.)

I will go now, the little man I see when I close my eyes is telling me I have to get back to my 1,000+ UFOs and OTNs....

Soundtrack:"The One That got Away" Natasha Bedingfield, "Damned Ladies", Rufus Wainwright

I have been having so many fibrous adventures I really need to get them up here. First off, my weaving class has been amazing and though (b/c it's summer) I haven't been able to take full advantage of the classes and studio time, I'm really pleased with what I've turned out and v.excited about what I've learned. The piece whose portrait I took while still on the loom is now off, and ready for it's close up:

The ends are combinations of mohair, alpaca, eyelash, ribbon, slub, thread, ladder, acrylic, phentex and other good coupled with slightly dirty things. (lol "Shhh...I'm into phentex baby.") ::Anyway::The middle is a sampler. I don't know the names of the patterns and if I wasn't such a colossal idiot I would have dutifully written down each pedal combination as I went.

A thing of beauty to be sure, but now where do I put it? I think I'll hang it on my massive wall of photos currently resplendent with enrelac and tunisian crochet. It's time to rotate the permanent collection.

Possibly the most exciting class for me was spinning day. We had a special guest in. Damn you Elenore and your lace weight spinning. (Thank you too!) "Slub" doesn't even begin to describe my efforts-know what I mean?lol. My best advice so far? Plug in your headphones and listen to something sexy like The Donnas or The Stones to help keep your treadling steady and let the wheel know you're not taking any crap off it. (Even though my spinning fantasies are dainty and genteel, I swore quite a bit on my first go. I also started spinning my own hair quite by accident. Go on. Picture it. I know you are. Thought I'd be Sleeping Beauty but discovered my inner Rumplestiltskin. There you have it.)

So I bought a wheel (which is broke and I have to take it to this Emerg. Dr. at the IWK Hospital who calls himself 'The Spin Doctor' LOL) and along with my Mum and Aunt cleaned the fleece from Ontario in Aunt Vic's backyard. It all went v.well with the slight exception of the chocolate brown dreadlocked sheepies whose fleece I will leave off with. (Yes it's their fleee-ce. I swear it. All real Mr. Hankies were rinced away.)

Soundtrack: "Pink Moon", Nick Drake "So She's Leaving", The Trews

My First Show!


So, with 6 other ladies, I showed at the first (of many I hope) Unique Fashion Bonanza at the Khyber, here at in Halifax. I hope that we will have a site up soon, so you can all see the other talented people involved! If any of you fellow knitters can find an oppourtunity to do a show like this you MUST take advantage. I learnt so much about pricing and got invaluable feedback. On the 'value' side of things I made $150!! Honestly, I would have been happy with just the experience, but more honestly...$150!!! It was mainly due to my Flower Cloches at $25. Here's a lovely lady (who is a model in an upcoming knitting book?!?! not mine and I don't remember the name...)trying one on.
3 more went to other girls in the show which I could kick myself for not getting shots of. Weird, b/c they're not what I thought would sell. I had made up lots of smaller things -pins, cozies etc. thinking people might have just stopped in and not be able to afford some of the other items but would feel like they were supporting the show by buying one of my $1 flower pins. Obviously I can't complain but I was v.surprised. We're having another show in November, and I think I'll do more hats, but also do some luxury scarves. People will pay for 'multi fibred' objects and they'd make great presents for xmas....should probably start that soon.

So the only downside to all this is that any personal knitting had to be put on the back burner (despite resorting to an S/19mm hook to finish the hats sooner). I have two submission pieces to finish up. Any advice on submitting to printed magazines? VKI, IK, even Family Circle?

Soundtrack: "Down at the Khyber", Joel Plaskett

I have been a v.bad blogger. I've been getting settled, holidaying a bit and keeping up with weaving class. Most of my knitting/crochet efforts have been geared towards the following, my first group show.


Yay! Success! Feedback! $$$! Will post photos and details later.

In other news, Christine emailed me with a v.clever, v.ambitious idea which ties in with something else secret I've been thinking about doing lately. We need a new venue for our patterns. After such a gret experience w/ the show, I'm feeling v.industrious. Will keep you all posted!

Soundtrack: "Stumble", Natasha Bedingfield

Okay, just a quick note; back in halifax and so excited about tomorrow....you know what I mean....



I'm having mine and my Mum's special delivered here to MY HOUSE! Harry on my doorstep. yum, yes please. nb: it is not dirty when the underager is fictional.
Do you know who the half-blood prince is? I have so many theories about what the book will be and where the story's going. I will not bore you with these as some of you in the UK may already have the book, nor will I disturb you with my Dan Radcliffe tending a flock of alpaca fantasies. 'fice to say I will be reading, not knitting for a few days, which is really too bad cause.....

BIG NEWS: My mum is awesome (not the news): she has rescued about 10 bags of sheep fleece from a farm near Napanee; a colleague of hers had to sell his farm and at 30 cents a pound, decided not to bother selling-or cleaning-the sheepy wool they had just shorn. Now it is all mine ::bwa ha ha ha:: and with my NSCAD access through the weaving class I should be able to spin it. Yee haw!

Now, what do these two topics have in common? Maybe my aunt's cat Fraser and his best friend Lambchop can explain. Here they are posing for a portrait.



...and Here they are displaying the common thread...WARNING: May be unsuitable for some knitters Back to MY issues; Harry Potter and free fleece. Excitement and Passion. It is a thing to behold. Follow your bliss whether it be hairy or Harry.

ps In support of Melissa after the CRAZY post war over at Knitty, this has been 'The Fleece Issue' and she can hate it if she so chooses. *wink*

Soundtrack:Harry Potter Soundtrack

(click to blow up)

You are looking at the making of one **crazy** video...too crazy to get into any details, besides these: 12hours, barn, smoke machine, blackflies, and 50 takes of doing 'the robot'. Matt Mays, you owe me. I will take my payment in Noro. lol.

In other news, I went a-weaving the next morning (photo below), flew to Toronto, flew to Kingston, next morning drove to Ottawa and back and now I'm packing to drive back to Nova Scotia with Mum and the Cat. My project for the 3 day drive (we take our time) is IK's Flower Basket Shawl in Silk Garden. Has anybody else noticed lately that I'm out my tree? I will photograph my progress. I will also tell y'all when to watch for my video debut (but only if I look good in it)

The 'Sampler' part of my weaving project...the begining and end have wacky fibers running through it...mohair, eyelash, ribbon, alpaca, embroidery floss...purples,reds and greys. Should have taken a photo before it all got covered up, but will take many photos when it's off the loom.

Soundtrack: "On The Hood", Matt Mays & El Torpedo, "She's so Cold", Stones 

Recent FO. Please excuse naughty Judy's nipples.

Hope everyone had a great Canada Day (me, I stayed in bed) and that american knitters are having a good 4th.

news news news. I am done the main part of my possible submission top (which I know means nothing b/c I havn't been blogging about it, but please be happy for me anyway). It is stinking hot here in Halifax and it's about to get worse; I'm flying back to ontario on thursday. I HATE all this heat! I went out to pick up magazines yesterday. I was out 15min. max, and now I have heat stroke. I'm worried 'cause I'm supossed to go to the beach tomorrow to be an extra in a Matt Mays video. (too funny on it's own-I'm not even sure how I got on the list) I think I will die in the sun. Would it be too pretentious to take a 'brolly? I left my parasol in Kingston. I will be the extra in a burqa.

Which takes me not so smoothly back to the magazines....have you guys discovered 'Selvedge' yet????



I mean have you got over the whopping $25 price tag and looked inside???? OMG! Seriously, it's worth it. Let me put it this way; the first ad was from Liberty's and the 2nd Rowan. Even the ads are beautiful and inspirational!!! We seem to be an issue behind here, so do try and find the spring issue if you can.
Is it wrong that this photo gave me an orgasm? So much yarn....must get to one of the NYC or London Knitting events someday. *sigh*

Soundtrack: "Stephanie", Buckingham Nicks

"What I got", Sublime

ps. did everyone think the Barrie Live8 was as weird as I did?