coming to an end...

so my final is over. it was just as i expected (which also means disastrous in certain sections) and it is finally done. now i have to think about the holidays. i'm becoming less and less interested in christmas. it can be really really beautiful, but it can also be extremely frustrating. i'm hoping to go out for dinner with some friends and be low stress.

i am also almost done with the mermaid i had to restart, which is awesome. i have such a long list of projects i want to do in the new years, it's sick. i have another mermaid to do, and another hanne kit for my mum i'm obliged to do. i also have a sweater for ben i need to design based off of one of his favorite anime series. i'm looking forward to it, it should be relatively painless aside from the zipper installation. i have some ufos to clear up, namely the navy blue bolero from vintage knits, a pale green baby blanket and a cropped sweater. then come the lust filled projects...


oh yes, have you seen this little dream? okay, not so little, it's a 6' x 6' square lace treasure. it's from "a gathering of lace," this particular pattern created by eugen buegler. ugh, okay, it might be a little overwhelming for my attention span, but every row is probably full of dextrous delight. well, maybe every other row...

knitterly goodness

it's been hectic lately. i have a final coming up, we have an active social life, i'm working out, and winter is upon us. i have also been slightly fickle again (i don't mean to be fickle, but on the little things i waiver). the fleece artists fingering weight i bought no longer appeals. i know many of the montreal knitters i have met love the stuff, but it just didn't appeal to me... i offered my two skeins up to some local knitters, i just have to e-mail them about the details.

this past sunday i went to a montreal knits meeting, which is always a good chance to learn, share techniques and grope some yarn. i got to preview the winter 2005 interweave knits (which chapters didn't have the day before) and loved it. first of all it was full of local designers patterns. second, it's so neat and tidy (that's a major plus for a design freak like me). third, i might actually knit more than one item out of it, and that's unusual.

the new interweave in conjunction with the new knitty surmounts to 'knitterly goodness.' from a design perspective, it means there are more knitwear designers giving us what we actually want, and innovating. it's a good time to be a knitter. it makes me feel better about my yarn habit.

some projects i have my eye on:

interweave|winter 2005

winter is upon us and my hat collection hasn't grown an ounce.

mona's socks, perfect for the rowan botany i got on sale.

intruiging: mukluks for indoors and out.

i could wear my velvet blazer with veronik's bandeau.

just a happy girl in red.

knitty.com|winter 2005
these socks have me swimming with desire.

perfect baby gifts.

i've been wanting to knit chains for ages!

i have a stack of vintage and not so vintage fabric here waiting to be sewn up into a variety of bags, a few of which are screaming dpn cases. i wish i could sew more than simple bags. i need some guidance in this department. i'm planning some simple aprons, etc. but i really want to do some full skirts and house dresses. i'm not a retro queen of any sort, but as of late, i think they could be really charming. especially since i'm bundled up in sweats in my apartment trying to keep our heating bills down. gone are the days of knitting barefoot and sleeveless... i can't wait for may to come!

and the sale wool i recently bought?? plans have developed. the rowan botany will become sweet house socks. the rowan yorkshire tweed 4 ply will become a lightly beaded beret/tam (and yes, i plan on wearing it, ye of little faith) and matching gloves.

that slight sense of frustration

this week has gone fast, and not without hitting a few potholes. moday i tried to get myself organized for my upcoming french final (as well as do my essay last minute for class the next day, which also failed). i decided i wanted my french textbook (which is also a workbook mixed in) photocopied and bound like other students in my class. i know, i know, that has copyright infringement written all over it. but, honestly, in this case i couldn't care less. i bought the book, i can't return it, and i think it's great, but not great enough to buy two of so i can write all over one. when it comes to studying, when i pay 80 bucks for a textbook, i want the workbook to be seperate and at LEAST easy to write in. it's like A4 sized, 400 pages, paper cover with maybe a size 10 font throughout and lots of blue text. thing is, with this format, you have to clamp down one side of the book and hold the other size down with your elbow if you even want to fill in the blanks or highlight soemthing neatly. meh. not for 80 bucks. i've been re-writing my homework on separate sheets so i don't mess up this book, and so i can do the exercices again with a graded key for final exam revision. but no deal. no one will photocopy this sucker because of copyright laws, and i have even traveled to verdun (i live east of the village) to get it copied from a reliable source. well that source seems to be on indefinite holiday vacation, and has a website that is null.

so i've been frustrated. it's not just that though (usually i get over these things pretty quick). i was sick yesterday: chills, shaking, uncontrollable body temperature, this weird suffocation feeling and a stomach ache in the morning. right now, i feel pretty darn good, but yesterday i was in a major state of suck. i didn't get anything done, which is not fun, because i've been in rolling along very productively this week. oh well...

i did make it down to mouline (lys) to buy some 3.5 mm dpns. i came out with another pair of dpns too, some sale yarn and a nice stitch library book. pictures will come when ben recharges the unweildy beast of a digital camera we use. i like mouline, i really like svetlana (the owner) but it's a little hard for me to get comfortable in there, and i like to get comfortable... i'm one of those girls who could spend an entire day in a knitting store carefully planning my purchase and developing new ideas from stock. i don't go in and come out the same. so that was a pleasant highlight of the week. that, and eating soup and awesome grilled cheese with ben last night. he came home and took such good care of me (mind you, the worst was long gone, but still ^^)

i have this dream of opening a yarn store here. it's more than a dream, and i am really behind it 100%. montreal knitters desperately need more options. it seems, however, that there will probably be a new one here before i'm ready to play. great for montreal knitters, sad for me... i honestly feel a yarn store can be a great community builder, a knitting community space, an important resource for contact. you don't need so many as to get confused or conflicted, but you do need options. i'm not so sure montreal would be receptive to two new lys within the next 5 years. mouline is rather new itself (two years old, i believe).

and on with some frustration!


i love these pictures. i found them on someone else's blog and can't find my way back. i've been searching all morning for their owner, but alas...

if anyone can help please let me know.