Guess what time of the year it is!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Yup- pumpkin carving with the wee one-here she is digging out the pumpkin guts. Pictures of finished product later.

AND-
The warehouse sale at the Ottawa Wool-Tyme!
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Annie went up to her cousins' in Ottawa for a Halloween party on Saturday, so I went shopping. And I got a wee haul. The scarf is Gedifra Soffice- I got enough for three scarves' worth ( the autumn colours, as well as pinks and bright blues) for my Christmas drawer (I usually have a few things in there for the times I am short a present). All of $15 per scarf. And the green sock yarn is On Line Supersocke 100 (Holiday Color) for $9.99 (wish I had bought more). The brown sock yarn in the front is actually Hacho (Mirasol project) that I got here at the local Wool Tyme for a scarf/wrap. The purple in the back is Apple Pie sock weight from Apple Laine (50% merino, 20% silk, 20% mohair, and 10% nylon) The company is coming out with a new mix that has less silk in it- and they are selling off all kinds of the old stock at a discount. I think they will become lacy socks.

And I didn't go to the Bead place just behind the Wool Tyme, since I spent so much time at Wool Tyme!!!!! I wish I had bought the 10 skeins of loopy mohair in that bright red for a wrap, though.

My mother in law wants our Christmas lists pronto. I want a new knitting book- any suggestions for really wonderful new ones anyone has seen?

Oh- Happy Halloween, if I don't get to blog again before Wednesday!

Want a costume in a hurry?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acProject?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&extcat=partykitsdecorations&extsubcat=holiday&extproject=halloweenmasks&jumpid=ex_r602_link/kimipgcon/4Q07HalloweenActivityCenter/Yahoo/Masks
Hallowe'en is coming- found some interesting masks to copy and cut out- I plan on wearing my witch hat and borrowing a white coat- so I can go as (hold on to your seats) a WITCH DOCTOR (get it????)
Okay, pretty sad, I know.

Another FO

I finished another little hat- well, not so little- it was for a toddler--again for a co-worker's little one. In this case, the co-worker's grandmother wanted to knit something for her great grandbaby, but was unable to, due to advanced arthritis in her hands. So, when I was asked if I could "fill in" for the grandma-she chose the pattern and I went to town. I used Mission Falls cotton-with a bit of Araucania cotton to finish up the top green part. Easy knit- and very cute to boot! The pattern can be found in the Better Homes and Gardens "Knit It!" magazine from Spring, 2007 (LOVE those Knit It mags). I did use a couple of rows of thin elastic inside the crown to keep the hat from getting too stretched out. I used a needle that was a couple of sizes smaller around the "headband" as well.That would be Annie and a dolly a friend made for her doing the modelling-in front of my most favourite painting- a Heather Haynes floor cloth (that I hung on the wall). Cute hat, eh?? I love that "blossom end" And the little one it is going to is very girlie, with great big eyes-can't wait to see the pictures!

INCROYABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(that is "unbelieveable" to those anglophones in the audience). My pattern for the Little Doggie Hat for wee babes (scroll down) ended up on the "Knitting Pattern Central" site. And the sitemeter registered more than 1000 hits on my blog this week!!!!!! Yeah-over ONE THOUSAND hits! Holy cow.

And one more thing- Monday, October 22nd, is a day set aside for people to be aware that children in the world are being neglected and abused. And that this is a terrible, terrible wrong. And that we need to right this terrible wrong. The Children's Aid Society is asking that you wear something purple-a ribbon, even, on Monday, telling the world that children are to be loved and protected.

It's a simple thing, but it means so much to a child.

Wear purple on Monday, October 22nd.

Christmas music

Ya know, there is something about Christmas music that makes me happy-not the fall down and roll over laughing kind of happy (there has to at least be sex involved for that one) but the smiley-life-is-good kind of happy. I listen to it all year round (by myself- puh-lease- I don't impose my odd interests on others). I especially like the classics (you know-Bing and co.) and the "new" versions (Santa Baby). And I like to knit when I am hearing this stuff-I find if I am knitting for others, it makes me knit a bit faster.

So there you have it. My quirk.

Any other quirks out there? care to dish?

In other news- I saw this pattern (La Lana wools) I love it- but I can't afford the pattern ($25) or the yarns ($200++) But I have a bag and a half of Colinette Prism-10 in Kingfisher (a blend of blues, purples) and 6 in an almost solid indigo. I thought I might try my hand at it. But then I saw this pattern- in the new Vogue Knitting-oops I can't show you now, as I can't seem to find a pi]c on line- but it is designed by Norah Gaughan- and it is made in her lovely tiled pattern- hexagons and triangles-and I really don't know which one to pick. The Gaughan one has to be resized (the jacket is done in one size only- a finished 44")(too small). But the other- I will have to recreate completely. I also have 3 skeins of Colinette Cadenza (a dk weight wool) to do some kind of trim- either a lacy edging, or maybe a row of the fine here and there.

Any opinions?

Pen pals

Hello! I am knitting along furiously, trying really hard NOT to start just one more thing (I really really want to, which makes it tough)-anyway- I have a question- a request, as it were- here goes-
I have a class of 25 students in a split Grade 6/7 class (mostly grade 7's) I would very much like to match them with another class, in another part of the country, or in another country entirely, so that they have penpals. I am in south-eastern Ontario, by the way. Anybody know somebody who knows somebody who might be interested? Leave me a message at debDOTseanATsympaticoDOTca (just take out the words, and do the right thing with them, okay?)
These are a really nice group of kidlets, by the way-

The pattern

Since I had a message and a couple of emails- here is the pattern-
With dk weight and size 3.5 short circular (or dps- your choice) cast on 90 stitches. Knit 2, purl 2 all the way around for 4 rows. Then knit for the rest-until piece measures 4 1/2 to 5 inches. Change to brown yarn, knit 4 rows. Kitchener the top closed (or, cast off and then sew the top closed). Poke the two top corners in towards the middle-sew them together, on the inside. (in other words, you are going to invert the corners, so they stick in toward the centre instead of out. You have to sew the two corners together inside the hat) With the 3.5 needle, pick up 4 stitches along the little fold at the top of the hat. Knit (garter st) for 10 rows, then increase one st on each side (6 sts), knit another 6 rows, increase one st on each end (8 sts) Knit 4 more rows, then decrease 1 st on each side (6 st) knit 4 rows. Decrease 1 st on each end (4 sts) knit 1 more row. Cast off all sts. Repeat on the other side of the head. Then embroider on the details of the face with a double strand of brown-chain stitch for the lines, French Knot for the eyes, and satin stitch for the nose.
Voila! Un chapeau!

I finished a little baby hat today-it is meant to go with the doggie slippers I made for a coworker (Annie's teacher from last year). I used the same yarn-Lana Gatto VIP- a mix of wool and cashmere- LOVE that yarn. Very soft. I have one of Annie's Webkinz as a model- it is pretty roomy on him. But if anyone wants a generic pattern -let me know. I will write it out.

Yup, They Did.

And here they are...............................

My crazy family. And the neighbours. On October 8th, 2007, Thanksgiving Day.

We have an unheated pool, by the way.

Mary (Jim's wife), Bear and I stayed where it was warm.

Otherwise, I had two turkey dinners, with all the trimmings, and I didn't have to cook either one. What a great weekend!

The HAT

Nope- won't be losing this kid in the snow. I down-sized it a bit- by using smaller knitting needles (denser knit=warmer hat, and one less likely to get wet through). She likes it pulled down right over her ears. Good thing.

But it sure is a cool hat to knit. If you plan on making it, make sure you look at the diagram to see how to sew it. As well, I did blanket stitch around 5 sides of each hexagon, then whip stitched them together.

I am headed up to my in laws for turkey tomorrow, and then to my mother's for turkey on Monday (I am the kind of girl who could eat a turkey dinner everyday of the week). So this means I need a mindless knit for the drive (since I am at the leaf part of the Kauni, and there is no way on earth I could do that one without looking down). So- I snagged a copy of the new Knitters, and I came up with this-I love the lines of this sweater. It is called "Jade"-but I have 20 skeins of Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals (yeah, 70% mohair, 30% wool) in HP65 Peacock, and it has been sitting in my stash for a couple-three years, not knowing what it wanted to be (and with 20 skeins of the stuff, one has to be sure to use it all up, not use some up in one project, and a little over there.....) This is sumptuous stuff. And a perfect mindless knit in the car. (Um- I should explain here- my husband is driving, I am knitting)

I also got a look at a Deborah Newton design-I love the lines of this one- maybe in a tweed? Any suggestions for a yarn?

Have a marvellous Canadian Thanksgiving!

PS- Sean figures he and the neighbours will be taking a Thanksgiving dip in the (unheated) pool. Hmmmm. Pictures to come, if they dip.

The gods are laughing their guts out

Here I was, happy as a clam, proud of my rainbow sweater-the Kauni one- and I had started the leaf pattern-and then I found it- I had made all the leaves facing the same way!!!! Could I live with it? No, I could not- so out it all came-right back to the ribbing. Do you know what it is like to rip back 2 and a bit inches of hard earned fairisle in skinny yarn- knit in the round for a large person's body??????? The gods are laughing at my fate.

So- I decided I needed a break- and Annie needed a hat for the eventual winter. I pulled out some gorgeous pale blue Rowan Polar- to make this-from last winter's Knitty- isn't it sweet???I had some variegated blue for the edgings. But nooooooooo. This child went rooting around in my bag of chunky/bulky weights-pulled out some bright orange (all wool, and very bright) that I got somewhere, and some lime green bulky Lopi- and so, I am making a hat that can be seen in the next county. I swear there is a bit of gypsy in that child's soul.

I might make a blue one anyway, since it is an easy, and self satisfying knit.

Ta!