About a favourite author

Last year, I saw an ad on Unshelved for the book Lament by Maggie Stiefvater. The ad was simple, but I was intrigued, and I put a hold on it at the library, even though there was a short wait.

The book arrived, but my husband picked it up and stuck it on the shelf, and I didn't notice it until its due date. Then I had to put ANOTHER hold on it, and wait another several weeks. When it finally arrived again, I read it in one day. I was entranced by the beautiful prose. Stiefvater's world of faerie was to Disney's Tinkerbell like a really excellent piquante salsa is to marshmallows. I knew it was her first book, and was bummed that there weren't more books by her to read.

And then I didn't think much of Ms. Stiefvater again until I read this review. I already was a fan of the author, and the new book, Shiver, needed to be read and needed to be read NOW. Unfortunately, the number of holds at the library meant that I didn't think I'd get to read that book in 2009, so I bought the book on my husband's Kindle. Totally worth it!

Then I discovered that there are going to be sequels to both her books. I read (and loved)Ballad in the fall when it was released, and have been impatiently awaiting Shiver's sequel, Lament, this coming summer.

Now we get to the point of this post. Maggie Stiefvater is giving away some copies of Lament. To enter, I get to copy/paste/share the following info with you. Here's where I stop talking, and let her take over:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Suddenly Skewed

Last week, Knitty published the new pattern, Skew. Now I had already made knitting plans for the weekend, which involved my Teenage Drama Queen Gothsocks and a different pattern. But I dropped everything for Skew. That seductive heel just pulled me in!

I cast on at 7pm, to coincide with the start of the Olympics. This meant casting on at the theatre, while waiting for Swan Lake to begin. Swan Lake (which was stunningly fabulous) happened to have two intermissions, which allowed a wee bit of progress

I knit through the weekend, and finished Monday evening. Oh how I love these socks! The bias of the knit fabric makes them fit very snugly. They might be my best-fitting socks ever.

Pattern: Skew
Yarn: Ohmygoth in Teenage Drama Queen (Jan 2010 club yarn)
Needle: knit picks circular size 2 and size 1
Dates: Feb 12-15, 2010
Modifications: None. Freaking awesome pattern.

Gothsocks Club--Spoilers within

Hark readers! If you happen to be one of the Canadians who has not yet received the February 2010 Gothsocks club shipment, do not scroll down! Exit this window immediately!

So! My yarn indulgence this year is the Gothsocks Club. I'm not a real fan of yarn clubs, but I've loved everything I've seen previously out of the Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs Gothsocks club. So this year, I became a member.

January 2010 was an Ohmygoth (cashmere-wool-nylon) in the lovingly named colourway Teenaged Drama Queen.

Isn't it beautiful?

Next up, February 2010

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(is that enough space to avoid any spoiler activity?)

SQUEEEEEEEEE!

Ruby Gifts

I didn't intend it that way, but both projects from the Ruby Red Smooshy are gifts.

These gloves are from my own design, and intended for the friend who organises and hosts our Zen Knitting Circle. She coordinates handmade gifts to needy children and hospice patients, and inspires us all to use our knitting as a tool to bring more good things into the world.

Originally, the palm was going to be in stockinette, but ribbing turned out to be right for this pattern. I do love the different dye lots.

Swatching for Jeanie

While knitting on the clapotis, I seriously began to dream of Jeanie. The dropped stitches remind me of Jeanie's elegant dropped stitches, and while I loved the clapotis, I missed Jeanie's reversibility.

One of the biggest troubles I recall with Jeanie was the caston, and then going back to knit on the lower edging. My provisional caston made it so my lower edge didn't quite align. I've begun to ponder better ways to do this, and so tonight I swatched, but not in the target yarn.

The following swatch was created by using Judy's Magic Caston, and then knitting stockinette stitch from both ends. The caston was done smack in the middle of this rectangle.


Then I dropped a stitch, to see if the Magic Caston hinders dropping a stitch. Look! It doesn't hinder! The column of stitches dropped through the magic caston just fine.


I may just have to start Jeanie with a Magic Caston, and do the lower edging before getting very far, so I can verify that it'll all work before I've knit an entire Jeanie.

Out into the world today

Is it a fingerless glove for a giant?



Is it a tea cozy?


No! It's a tree sweater!



Knit from the very first yarn I koolaid dyed, pattern improvised as I went along, although inspired by other tree sweaters.



Stay warm, little winter tree!

Fingerless gloves in progress

Wow. The first glove took me all week. I cast on for the second last night at a high school basketball game, and I'm already half-way through. I knitted for victory just as hard as I could knit, but it wasn't enough. These are made from the leftovers from the Ruby Clapotis, and as you can see, the dye lots vary significantly, which is why I knitted the clap with alternating strands. I like the colour differences, and I hope the gift recipient is cool with it too.

Little splashes of colour in the urban landscape

It so happened that I ran out of yarn, and the baby hat was too small. So I took it outside, where it fit perfectly.


I grabbed a small ball of chunky handspun for a second little colourful addition.



And a little bit of gothsocks jumped onto my needles, quickly knitting up into a hat cute enough for a dolly...


..but made for a fence post.


Will they still be there tomorrow?

People keep having babies

...not that I'm complaining. This time it's a colleague at work that's about to pop.

 

Yarn: Cocoa Beach Sock Yarn
Needle: Size 2
Pattern: Charlie's Wiggle Sock from New Pathways.
Size: 3-6 months
Notes: Made exactly as described. No modifications necessary.

 

When I was done, I cast on for a cute little hat to accompany it. I ran out of yarn. No cute hat for baby!

 

Sock Wars: The Official Story

It started on January 15th, with the pattern release at 6pm local time. I had my Cocoa Beach Sock Yarn in the colourway "Shuffle off the Mortal Coil", and I started knitting immediately.



Okay, I didn't actually knit myself into the ground. I went to pick up some curry that evening, and the next morning I went with the family for a nice crisp morning winter walk. But on the other hand, I wouldn't let the family stop for tea without my knitting, and made everyone return to the car for knitting before getting tea.




On Sunday afternoon, I had finished the heels and gussets, and was knitting my way towards the toes. Thus began "the long dark teatime of the sock". After zipping through the socks, I couldn't make it through the foot. I was bored, uninterested, and through with Sock Wars. I finally stuck in my Star Wars Special Features DVD, and after that, Arsenic and Old Lace. Before the end of the movie, my socks were done. With Monday being a US holiday, I took my time boxing them up, and got them in the mail on Tuesday, first thing in the morning. They have to travel to Australia, and my target isn't out until they arrive.



As part of Sock Wars, not only do I have a target, but I also have an assassin gunning for me. I went on the assumption that I would be safe until Thursday, assuming that no one could get socks complete in time to get them in the mail before then. But when I got home on Tuesday, I found an anonymous box in the mail, with the ominous message "BANG!" I announced to my family that I was officially out of Sock Wars.



But then I opened up the "death socks" only to be mystified by the two ends as I unpacked... "these aren't socks". It slowly dawned on me. I'd been punked! Ember sent me a lively and gorgeous cowl, to keep me warm and also to stop my heart. Thanks Ember!



My reprieve was short-lived. On Thursday, yet another box arrived in the mail. This time, there really were "death socks" inside. Killed by raspberry-lemonade socks! I'm out of Sock Wars, but I'm still awaiting confirmation of my weapons' arrival in Australia.

An unoriginal "Unoriginal Hat"

Bulky hats are such a quick knit! I took a little knitting time to knit up some of the new hat yarn that I picked up at yarn4socks' Boxing Day sale.

 

Yarn: Araucania Azapa in colourway 819. I can't find a word to describe this colour.
Needles: size 11 16" circular. I tried with a size 13, but the fabric was a little too airy.
Pattern: Unoriginal Hat
Notes: One hat took 44 grams of yarn. I made 2 identical hats from one skein, with a little leftover.

 

This yarn, a blend of silk, alpaca, and merino, is very very soft! It's also very 'sticky', and I thought it might felt into itself in the skein. Oh, and I freeskeined the entire project.

Business Chevrons

 

January has been a knitensive month. There's been a lot to do, and I've so far almost kept up with it all.

 

Pattern: Chevron Scarf
Needles: Size 6
Yarn: Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs' Goth Socks in Business Time, one complete skein
Finished Dimensions: 5"x78"
Pattern notes: I knit it just as directed, with the first and last black stripe being all garter stitch. I knit until the entire skein was gone.

 

Off into the world: a finished object

 

Knit from Jan 4-13th
Needles: Size 6
Yarn: Ruby Red Dream in Color Smooshy
Pattern: Clapotis

 

I used 190 grams of yarn, about 1.7 skeins, for a finished dimensions of 14" x 85"

 

I blocked it over the weekend, and on Tuesday it went out in the mail. Delivery confirmation says it arrived in its destination community on Thursday, so I assume it's been received.

 

Dream in Color remains one of my favorite yarns. What a joy to knit, what a joy to wear.