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Greyhound Shawl

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That was some storm last night. The rain would not stop. We know that our sump pump works. It went off many times during the evening. I guess they won't be doing our front yard this week :) What a mess.
Today was the first day that the fireplace has been on. There was a touch of a chill in the house but I didn't want to put the heat on.

I'm by myself this week. Beth and the dogs are at mom and dad's with their dog because my parents are on their annual Alaskan cruise. My mom got an email in the fall that there was another quilt cruise and my dad had has his credit card out so fast your head would spin.

We're tracking the ship online. Very cool.  Tomorrow is Juneau. I'm not sure what mom is doing but dad is helicoptering up to a glacier and going dog sledding. Beth and I did this and it is so cool!

My shawl is progressing.
A day of rain is always good for knitting. Now it's time to hit publish. Big Brother is about to start. I can't decide yet who I like. It is going to be an interesting season.

Spud & Chloe Baby

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We have new patterns from Spud & Chloe for the little ones in your life.

The Honeybear Hoodie knit in Outer and Sweetie Socks knit in Stripey Fine.

The Bundle Me Blanket in Outer. The pattern also includes the instructions for the Sweetie Socks in Stripey Fine.

The Roundabout Romper in Fine and Sweetie Socks in Stripey Fine.

Rowan Magazine #58 is just a month away. Fingers crossed the ocean currents are in our favour and the ship carrying the fall Rowan gets to the US quicker than expected.



My parents are in Juneau today (speaking of ocean currents). Unfortunately it is pouring rain and foggy. My dad's dog sledding adventure was cancelled and he isn't happy. I think they are going to wait for the rain to slow down and then walk around town.

Now I need to work on the website. I could be without the Internet in the store for the next few days. My Internet provider and I have had a bit of a falling out and I will be shopping for a new provider tomorrow.

BOOM!!!

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There is a new shawl pattern from Classic Elite called Wavelength - you can purchase it on Ravelry...

This crescent shawl has a center wedge of lace flanked by garter stitch wings and is finished with a lower lace border.
I have shown the version knit in Bella Lino. You can also make a slightly smaller version in fingering weight yarn.

I just got a really fuzzy phone call from my parents. They are in Glacier Bay today. Beth and I loved that day on the ship. We were up early to see us enter the bay. I mean early - about 5am which isn't that early because the sun comes up at 4am. I think we took hundreds of pictures that day. Seeing the glaciers calve was amazing.

Look what Canada Post brought me. A little treat from SweetGeorgia yarns.
Of course the first skein is rolled into a ball and the pattern is printed. I'm going to start Magmatic Boom tonight.
15 rows are complete. I love the yarn. The pattern is very well written. I'm not sure why but right now I find it easier to read the written words than follow a chart. Most of my life I swore by charts but I think that wearing glasses has changed me. Now it's time to get back to it. A holiday tomorrow means that I can sleep in.

The Boom is getting bigger

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I hope everyone had a great Canada Day yesterday. Beth and I golfed but there wasn't good planning on my part. It hit me yesterday morning that I needed to find my golf clothes. There were a few boxes to go through to find them and then they needed to be washed. Golf was good - it could have been better. Our team came last but we had fun. When I got home I was a bit sore. HA! I could barely walk. It was the first round since the long weekend in May.


It was 7:30 this morning when a dump truck dropped dirt on our neighbours front yard. It looks like they are going to start grading and then sodding the yards. Unfortunately ours isn't in the plan quite yet - they are still working on the house on the other side of us and the builder is probably waiting until it is done. There was no sense staying in bed so I got on my way to work.
What do you do when you are at work by 8:30? My plants needed some water so now they are nicely refreshed. Some of the hostas are about to bloom.

New yarn arrived this morning. I love these bears - they are way too cute. I had to order in the fur yarn to make them.

Lynn brought in her knitting this morning for some show and tell. She is knitting Windward (one of my favourite patterns - you can purchase it on Ravelry) with 2 skeins of Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Silk Single.

Magmatic Boom is growing. The pattern is very well written. If you can knit, purl, increase, decrease and yarn over then you can make this.

My body is still a bit sore (which means I can't unpack or clean) so I'm going to move to my chair and knit for the evening.

Drive By Exchange

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Beth has been busy knitting while dog sitting. There are new colours of Classic Elite Liberty Wool so she made another Inspira Cowl. She knows the pattern off the top of her head so no concentration needed.

Pattern: Inspira Cowl (free on Ravelry)
Version: Steampunk
Needles: 5mm
Stitches: 120 with no decreasing
Yarn: Classic Elite Liberty Wool
2 balls 78107 Lavender Mist
1 ball 78113 Pink Shadow

After work we did a drive by exchange. I stopped out front of my parents and honked. She ran out with her cowl and I threw her 3 more balls to start another one.

Here's a little sneak peek into Rowan Magazine #58
Frosty by Sarah Hatton knit in Felted Tweed
Worked seamlessly, this cabled jacket begins with its yoke collar knitted sideways then stitches are picked up to continue the yoke and shaping to the sleeves. The body has a slight a-line to add a bit of swing to the bottom hem below the hipline. 
Nippy by Amy Herzog
This oversized turtleneck pullover features set-in sleeves which drop at the shoulders, slight waist-shaping, and ribbing in the cuffs, hem, and neck. Knitted in Rowan Cocoon using 6mm and 7mm needles, the cabled sweater works up quickly to become a classic wardrobe piece.
My knitting might be a bit further along if I wasn't addicted to AlphaBetty.
I keep telling myself that it is good for my brain. Coming up with six and seven letter words isn't easy. What am I talking about? Sometimes it's hard to make a four or five letter word.

Stand by Me

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The Perspective Cowl is almost finished.

The pattern has been fun to do. Not difficult and the yarn feels great on your hands. There was an error in the original pattern (a few rows were missing) but I have contacted the designer and she has updated the pattern. It's all good now. We have a few kits in the store and there are more coming. I was going to wait until September when Mountain Colors will have a new sock yarn available but I'm going to move the ship date up for the kits. It's a great summer project.

Stand by Me - a new pattern from Classic Elite that you can purchase on Ravelry.
Mesh stitch panels are joined as you go in this open-front cardigan with a unique construction.
Knit in Bella Lino 
Bella Lino is a lightweight yarn that creates an airy fabric with long, harmonious stripes. The palette of summery shades each have a linen-hued base.

A bit more from Rowan Magazine #58. I'm very excited about this magazine. There is something for everyone. The magazine should be in the store the first week of August.

Unst by Lisa Richardson knit in Rowan Fine Tweed and Rowan Tweed
Scilly by Gemma Atkinson in Kidsilk Haze and Felted Tweed
Guernsey by Kaffe Fassett in Colourspun
Glacier by Martin Storey in Brushed Fleece
Brisk by Sarah Hatton in Fazed Tweed
Wintery by Marie Wallin in Brushed Fleece

Now that my work for the day is finished, I can get back to my knitting. Or I might nap. I don't have my bedroom curtains yet because I can't decide what I want. There is paper on the lower windows but the sun starts shining in the top window at 5:30am. Then there is the construction noise starting at 7am. I'm a bit tired. And who doesn't love an afternoon nap?

A new yarn company - Yarn and Soul

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We believe everyone has a story to share. 
Ours is simple.
Founded on the desire to preserve knitting as a craft and an art, at Yarn and Soul we are focused on making natural fiber, artisanal yarns available to every knitter. As the building blocks for your creations, our collection of yarns is curated from diverse sources for their high quality, good value and versatility.
We ordered yarn from a new yarn company that should be arriving in a week or so.

The price is $30 a skein.



I've seen swatches of the yarn in single strand on small needles, single strand on bigger needles (think shawl), and then double strand on larger needles to get double knitting and even worsted weight thickness. The colours are awesome. We have two skeins of each coming and can easily get more if you are thinking a soft alpaca sweater.

Thinking about packing

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My Magmatic Boom is growing. I think it might go to Myrtle Beach with me but that could change when I pack tomorrow night or Wednesday morning.

Yell by Gemma Atkinson from Rowan Magazine #58
Colourspun and Felted Tweed
Alderney from Martin Storey knit in Alpaca Colour.

Every time I post pictures from the new magazine, I get more excited about seeing it.

Mom and dad flew home from Seattle yesterday afternoon. I was a bit early getting to the airport so I went for a drive. Small problem - I needed a washroom. Thankfully a Coffee Time came into view. As I was getting out of the car something big and loud went over me. I was at the end of the runway. I love planes and watching them. I sent a text to Beth that they were over my head and she didn't really believe me. After I sent her a picture she believed me. The planes were really close.
This Air Canada plane went overhead and it was actually mom and dad arriving home. Just after it went by Beth sent a text that they had landed. Very cool.

It was a crazy busy day getting ready to go which means it is bed time. The sun comes up early.

Finished Shawls

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We have a new Color Play Mohair Wrap in the store. Lots of purple :)
We used Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe
A-365
B-361
C-365
D-363

A or C was supposed to be 357 but I didn't pay attention when I packed the box to Ann. It looks great like this but you can add a bit more colour variation by changing one ball.

Diana brought in this great looking shawl today

Pattern: Magmatic Boom (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: madelinetosh unicorn tails
-2 antler
-2 silver fox
-2 rainwater
-2 dust bowl
-2 dirty panther

The stripe order of my sample is
antler
silver fox
rainwater
silver fox
rainwater
dust bowl
antler
dust bowl
dirty panther
dirty panther


The shawl is awesome and now Diana is trying it in something very different. If our thinking works, the next one will be even more fabulous.

I need to start thinking about what has to be packed. Thankfully it isn't a lot. There is a closet in Myrtle full of clothes and toiletries. Really it's just knitting and anything work related.

Hello Myrtle Beach

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We were at the airport early because you never know how the drive across the border is going to be. I got some knitting in while waiting in the lounge.
Our ride for today. I told you that I have a slight airplane obsession. I would fly every day if I could afford it.

Beth and I had aisle seats and ended up with no one else in our row. Perfect. Knitting and Elementary on my iPad. It was awesome. And I made it to the next colour on my Magmatic Boom. Pictures tomorrow.

The plants on the front of our house are liking the hot Myrtle Beach weather.
It's bed time. Today started early and even though we are on vacation there are chores to do tomorrow.

Checkers

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This morning was breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Our friend Lynda and her daughter Jessie joined us for the first few days of our trip. Of course you have to play a game of checkers after eating.

I spend some time in the sun room knitting. It was weird to do nothing in the middle of the day. There were thoughts of writing a newsletter but then I decided that it could wait for another day.

It's fun being on the next colour of the shawl. I hope to finish that colour tonight but we will see.

The plan for tomorrow is a trip to Charleston. Beth and I haven't been since we were little and we always talk about going. The problem is that we aren't usually here long enough but this trip we are. If we go there will be good pictures tomorrow evening.

A long time ago

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We didn't end up going to Charleston today. It is really hot here and we were afraid that we would drive 2 hours and then someone might not feel good (that someone being me - this heat brings on migraines) and it's a long drive home with someone who is sick. We got up and headed to Broadway at the Beach.


There was also a stop at the golf store.
The purple box is mine. Golf balls. No they aren't purple - that would be awesome. They are white but the numbers on them are purple. Beth got golf shoes which happen to be purple. The other balls and head cover are Beth's. Yes, we had fun shopping.
There is a new wax museum in Myrtle Beach. We didn't go but they did a lot of work on the building so I'm assuming that they must have lots inside to see.
It was really hot walking around so we came home for a bit of air conditioning before heading out again. There is a Love Boat marathon on. Perfect for knitting :) Not a lot of thinking required to figure out the plot. It's hard to believe that this episode is from 1979. That is a long time ago.

We're home from dinner (River City Cafe in Murrell's Inlet)...

...and watched the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games. 

I made it to the third colour of my shawl. This is a green blue mixture. The lighting here isn't great so I'll get better pictures tomorrow.
It's bed time. We were up very late last night and out of bed early this morning. My eyes are really tired and I'm afraid that there could be a knitting error.

Extremely Hot

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Yesterday was so hot that we didn't want to go outside. Beth was in charge of finding us something to do. We ended up at MagiQuest.
MagiQuest is an interactive live-action, role playing game where players embark on quests and adventures in an enchanted fantasy world using real magic wands to solve the mysteries of the game.
We had a lot of laughs (and a few frustrating moments when we couldn't find the darn star that we needed) and would recommend this if you have kids. Especially young teens. 

We drove to Murrells Inlet for dinner at Bovines. We ended up with a booth by the window overlooking the water.
Bovine's is a refreshing dining destination for locals and out-of-towners alike. With delicious wood-fired specialties in a relaxed, warm atmosphere, Bovine's Restaurant offers an exceptional dining experience right off the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk. This waterfront restaurant has an extensive menu featuring a range of items to please everyone, from the dedicated carnivores to the choosey eaters. Showcase menu items include wood-fired grilled steaks, succulent Murrells Inlet seafood and specialty pizzas straight from the brick oven.


Enjoy your favorite eats and drinks on our open patio while taking in the views and charm of the inlet. If you're out on the water, dock your boat at our dock and join us for lunch or dinner. Saltymen in a real hurry, call ahead for takeout. We offer dockside delivery for the days when you just don't want to get out of the boat.
We made it home just before the storm. The lightening was all around us but we didn't end up with much rain. It did help cool the temperature down. Today is much more manageable.
Beth left at 7am to go golfing. Lynda and Jessie are at the beach and I'm knitting and do a bit of work.
Magmatic Boom is growing. I will get this colour finished by tonight and then onto colour 4.

I won!!

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We were up early and hit the course. As a 'warm up' for me because I haven't golfed yet, Beth suggested we play The Wizard. It's a great course. Not too long. Not too many long carries into the greens. And the greens were in fantastic condition.
Unfortunately for Beth I had the round of my life. I kicked her butt. She's already booked golf for tomorrow to get me back.



It was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. If you came in dressed like a cow then you got a free meal. The costumes were awesome!
 Of course Beth needed to put on a cow hat.

Magmatic Boom is growing and I'm part way through the fourth colour. My mom was worried that I would finish and have nothing to do but there is more yarn in my suitcase.

It's going to be an early evening. We have a 40 minute drive to the course in the morning. And I hate to be late so we're leaving extra early. I have a very strong feeling that tomorrow Beth is going to be the winner. It will be hard to duplicate today's performance.

She creamed me!

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It wasn't even close. Back to our normal scores.
Beth took today's round very seriously. Here she is on the putting green before we started.
We played Tidewater which is almost to the North Carolina border. It is one of my favourite courses and the views are beautiful.



The houses on the course are beautiful. Every hole you pick out a different one that you would want.




The turtles were waiting on the 10th tee for us. When we pulled up to the tee box they came running. As fast as a turtle can move but these guys moved pretty fast. Beth fed them pretzels and they were very happy.
I'm glad that we played this morning. We just got in from grocery shopping and dinner. At 9:30 it is 87 out and it feels like 97. So hot and sticky.

Tonight is going to be early to bed. The British Open comes on TV at 4 tomorrow morning. There will be lots of knitting accomplished.

I'm Home

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The sun rise this morning was beautiful. We were up early (4am) to watch the golf and get the house ready to leave. Sheets and towels were washed and the house was in tip top shape when we left. I even managed to knit a few rows.

We're home now.
The clouds on the way home were awesome. After a few pictures it was time to get down to business. I'm almost half way through the last colour on Magmatic Boom
There are two episodes of The Amazing Race Canada to be watched so who knows how far I can get tonight.

I stopped by the store on the way home from the airport to see Lynn and she was unpacking a box from Lorna's Laces.
 April Showers
 Grasshopper
 Lava Flow
 Sandstorm
Thunder Cloud

We have these five colours in Shepherd Sock, Solemate and Cloudgate.

Now it's time to rest. I have that 'I need a vacation to relax after my vacation' feeling. And I'm working tomorrow. Thankfully it's a short day to get back into the groove of things.

Magmatic Boom is finished

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Here is Magmatic Boom (pattern purchased on Ravelry). Cast off and ready to be blocked. The pattern is easy to follow. The stitches are easy to do.
I used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. Knitty.com has a great tutorial for this bind off.

Today's public service announcement. You will need almost double the amount of yarn to do this cast off. Don't try to cut it short. You won't be happy if you are casting off a shawl with 400 stitches on the needles.

The yarn is a Party of Five kit from SweetGeorgia Yarns. The kits will be here at the end of August. My colourway is English Bay.
We also have Rusted and Snapdragon coming along with a few more that I can't find pictures of right now.

There will also be a few colourways coming with glitter.

I think I will block tomorrow morning while watching the golf. It starts on TV at 7am so it will be an early (OK, earlyish) evening.

Knitters' Fair

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I'm back to working on the Greyhound Shawl (pattern purchased on Ravelry) in Mrs. Crosby Hat Box.

We were up early this morning to watch the golf. It was very exciting and I didn't get as much knitting accomplished as I had hoped. The final round starts at 6 tomorrow morning - we'll be up early.

I'm writing while watching Big Brother. Then we have Beach Flip taped. Any show with renovating excites me.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters’ Fair is one of the largest all-knitting events in Canada. For many years, the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters' Guild has offered a one-day fair organized "by knitters for knitters."
This Fair, held at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex in Kitchener, now presents approximately 50 vendors offering the latest and greatest of knitting products. Imagine two large rooms dedicated to craft of knitting, where you can see and feel the latest yarn, ogle the vibrant colours, visit with your friends, listen to a great speakers, and pamper yourself with a hand massage. We offer an incredible display of yarns and fibre in every colour, knitting books, patterns, tools, and accessories.
Some new things that we are working on for this year include scheduled demos by vendors, and a Micro Market for smaller local designers and knitting-related businesses. We have also increased our focus to include more fibre! So anyone who loves to spin their own fibre before knitting it will now have more options at the Fair.
We also offer:
  • Low admission price
  • Fashion Show - 11 am
  • Speaker - 1 pm
  • Door Prizes
  • Lunch Options
  • Demos
  • Knitters' Spa

Fair Details:

  • Date: Saturday, September 12, 2015
  • Admission: $7 per person, children under 12 free.
  • Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location:

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex
400 East Ave
Kitchener, Ontario
Get your calendar marked. This is a day that you don't want to miss. We're going to have new yarns and new samples at the show. 

Lemon Difficult

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Our friend Kate Atherley has a new pattern.

Admit it. You’ve got one in your stash. That skein of one-of-a-kind limited-edition crazy-variegated sock yarn that you just couldn’t resist? The one with all the colours and the fast changes and the overall craziness? The one from the charming little indie dyer at the fiber festival? The one in the sale bin at the yarn shop with the hilarious name? The one you created by accident in a misguided home dyeing experiment? 
Yeah, that one. This pattern is for that one.
The pattern for Lemon Difficult is available for purchase on Ravelry… 

This pattern creates a slightly asymmetrical triangle shawl that’s smooshy and warm and easy to wear. Depending on how crazy that crazy skein of yarn is, you can create a true statement piece…. Or something that shows off a more tasteful but still busy colourway in a clever and subtle way. 
Don’t be intimidated by the brioche: oddly, it’s easier to work in two colours than one, as it’s easier to see what you’re doing. These instructions are detailed enough that even if you’ve never tried it before, you will be able to manage it. It does require a little attention, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not difficult. This isn’t necessarily TV knitting, but it definitely would go well with a good audiobook or podcast.
Stephen West's last mystery KAL had a section of brioche. I enjoyed the stitch and you will get into a rhythm. As Kate says, it does require a bit of attention but it isn't as hard as it looks - or the instructions look. It takes a lot of words to explain but don't let that turn you off.

The alarm went off at 6am and I started watching the golf. All class confirmations for Knitting Camp have been emailed. I started writing a newsletter but I couldn't write and watch so I just knit and watched. It was excited and finally ended after 3pm.

We close on our townhouse on Wednesday so we needed to get the last few things out. There are some things for garbage. Some knitting books. I swept and cleaned toilets and dusted. Then Beth dropped a glass jar so it took a while to clean that up. It's a bit sad and then we heard the neighbour kids yelling and screaming. We made the right decision.

Eccentric

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Mr. Canada Post brought in a huge box from Prism Yarns this morning and I'm repacking some to send to Lynda. This new shawl is called the Eccentric Chevron Wrap. It is knit in 6 skeins of Merino Mia-100% super wash merino wool. The yarn is hand dyed by Laura Bryant and the colours are awesome. This colourway is called Neutrals.
There are many colour combinations available. I tried to get pictures but ran out of time. This is Jewels.


Light Autumn (the colour on the pattern)

We also have
-pastels
-sage/desert
-winter
-dark autumn

You can't go wrong with any of Laura's combinations. She has the most amazing eye for colour.

While I was away we received a new DK weight yarn called Drifter.

69% acrylic
25% cotton
6% wool

300m on a 100gram ball

machine washable
cool tumble dry




There is also a baby version. The colours are awesome!!
Now it's time to go grocery shopping. I don't know why Beth isn't offering so that I can stay home and knit :)
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