Hedgehog Knits

Adventures in knitting from the eastern edge of Canada.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Off across the pond.

Well, that didn't take long. I'm off on my first business trip to the UK tomorrow, on rather short notice. Ordinarily, I'd be very excited, but I just have so much to do right now! Hopefully I'll get a bit of free time in the evenings to catch up on the non-work commitments that I've been neglecting a bit lately.

I'd love to hear if anyone has suggestions for a good yarn shop in Manchester though. (Sarah?) Surely I can make time for a little souvenier yarn!

Before I get off to start packing, here's a quick update on what I've been working on lately:


My Mystery Stole, at the end of Clue 4. I've decided to be an old stick in the mud and to make a more traditional symmetrical stole - the original pattern is a bit more, um, artistic than something that I'm likely to wear. I'm opting for the alternate instructions which means I have to knit another whole piece like this, and then join them via a knitted panel in the centre. I've already started on the other half. I'm really enjoying knitting it. The beads are a bit irritating to work with, but I think the effect is worth it. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is going to be a long-term project, to be worked on when I have time to fully concentrate on it. I'm not going to hurry it.

And, as always, there is a pair of socks on the needles. This is the first one completed.


The yarn is Tofutsies, which I picked up at Yarn Forward in Ottawa just before I left. I like the way the striping works out on these, but I'm still not sure if I'll keep them for myself. I'm not a huge fan of cotton in my socks, but this blend is a little different from what you usually find.

These will be traveling with me next week, and I will probably bring along my gorgeous skein of Collinette Jitterbug as a back-up in case I finish this pair. I haven't managed to dig out the Jitterbug to photograph it yet, but the colours just take my breath away. So pretty.

One advantage of being so busy and frazzled lately is that I haven't been feeling the need to start any new projects. I steal a few moments to work on my WIPs when I can, but I don't have the free time to browse patterns and daydream about yarn purchases like I used to. My new Interweave Knits came in the mail this week though, and I have flagged the Tangled Yoke Cardigan and the
Mirepoix Bodice for future knitting, probably substituting Knit Picks yarn for the latter. I am impressed with this issue, much more so than the last couple.

I'm not likely to be updating from the road next week, but I'll try to take some good photos of my travels to share when I return. 'Til next time!

Labels: ,

Saturday, August 11, 2007

New FO photos

A short post today to share some FO photos of my new lace top. As you can tell from my hairdo, it was a fairly blustery day!


Original design, in Zitron Polo, using 4 balls. Free pattern will be posted here eventually.

I haven't caught up on my blog reading yet. I've been popping in here and there, but haven't been commenting much. I have a stack of emails that need answering, volunteer work that I need to get around to, I'm two weeks behind on my Mystery Stole (just finishing Clue#4), and I don't even want to talk about my thesis progress - to which I will be dedicating the remainder of the weekend.

The posts may continue to be a bit sparse for the next few weeks - please bear with me while I try juggle everything. It's not so much that I have no free time anymore, but rather that my brain is being tugged in so many directions right now that I can't bring myself to sit down and try to write something at the end of the day. I'm lucky if I have the energy to concentrate on knitting a bit before going to bed most evenings! We just got the wireless internet sorted out and set up though, so there's hope that I may be online a little more.

Labels:

Sunday, August 05, 2007

A new era begins

Well. It's been an exciting couple of weeks. I don't think I'm going to re-hash all of the details here. Suffice to say that the move went well, the new job seems interesting even if I'm still settling in there, and life is pretty rosy right now. The flight, for once, was relatively uneventful, and even though little Molly the hedgehog had to travel beneath us in the belly of the plane (silly airline restrictions!), she seems to have fared well too. We lived through the tail end of a tropical storm that wreaked havoc on eastern Newfoundland last week, causing major flooding in some communities. Luckily, other than a little water in the basement and a bit of a treacherous drive to work, we weren't too adversely affected. Living in Newfoundland, you kind of get used to whatever Mother Nature can throw at you.

Here's a shot of half of our belongings sprawled across the parking lot of our apartment building in Ottawa. This is the first time I've hired professional movers, and it was a really nice experience. It was very pleasant to sit back with a cup of coffee and watch them load everything.



The first thing that we had to do in St. John's was to buy a car. Unfortunately, this city does not have a good transit system, and we really couldn't manage without one. It was as first-time experience for us, as we had been happily living car-free in Ontario for many years.

Here's the cute new Suzuki Swift, posing in front of Conception Bay, just steps away from Nick's parents' driveway. That's Kelly's Island in the background - not named after me though!

In amongst all of the craziness, there has still been some knitting happening, especially in airports and planes. I have started some new socks, and finished that little top that I was designing:


It obviously still needs a good washing and blocking, so I'll get a real FO action shot of it when that's done. I plan to write up a free pattern for this eventually, although I can't promise that it will be very soon. My life seems to have gotten very busy now all of a sudden. It could really be a while before things are back to "normal" for me and the blog.

But for now, it's off to my parents' for Sunday lunch.

Labels: ,