bliss

pattern: retro ribbed socks by Evelyn Clark
book: Favorite Socks, 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave
yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock, Raven clan, Korppi

I started these socks a while back and finally finished them. These are too big for me so they will go on my stack of give-away socks. That stack is quickly growing as you can see from the picture above. I am a bit bored of dark colors right now - it's summer and I think I am in the mood to knit fun, brightly colored socks a la yarnstorm.

I have a wonderful week coming up. I am on holidays for the whole week. The Calgary Stampede starts on Friday, July 4 and I want to avoid the downtown like the plague. There honestly is nothing worse than the Calgary Stampede. It is a time when otherwise absolutely normal people dress like cowboys, drink excessively and do things they would normally never think of doing. However, this event is sacrocant in this city so those of us who abstain from watching little cows get roped by the neck and dragged by a horse typically try to either leave town or stay away from the hundreds of Stampede events that one is forced to go to as part of 'networking'. I plan to stay home, work on my garden, do some knitting, go climbing and just relax. Pure bliss.

Okay, so, the lesson in life is - NEVER KNIT ANYTHING IN A HURRY! And when something feels off during the knitting process, there is a distinct possibility that this item will :

a) be frogged
b) never be worn
c) be put away half finished in a place where my brain will forget about it!

Remember my little bit of yellow knitting from a couple of posts ago - well, it was Ms. Marigold. The way this vest is knit is very strange and it leaves a lot of ends that require weaving in, which just did not work well with my silk/baby alpaca blend yarn. Then I tried the piece on and I looked like I was wearing a sausage casing - it was really small even though my gauge was right on! And, the fact that I broke out in big red splotches wherever the yarn touched my bare skin probably did nothing to endear me to the piece. Anyways I am taking option c).

The fact is that I came back from Montreal and my garden was decimated by hail during my absence, so I had that to deal with that - cutting plants back, getting new plants for my pots. Then I had my final exam to study for, and my brain really was not on knitting. I think I got all excited about this yarn and it was yellow, perfect project spectrum material, and I wanted to make SOMETHING out of it. I quickly picked a pattern and really did not think about whether I like it or not...and...I never wear vests - so, what was I thinking?

Anyways, a new week is starting, new projects can be seriously considered and life goes on. The good news is that I finished my finance course and I got an A and now I have a glorious three weeks before I start a new course. Life is good. I did a lot of work in the garden, so above are some images of progress.

when the cat's away.....the cat will shop

I am away on a business trip right now attending a conference for my industry group. The conference is taking place in Mt. Tremblant, a beautiful little resort about one and a half hours outside of Montreal in the Province of Quebec. I also spent two days in Montreal for some business meetings, and let me tell you, I am glad it was only two days. I don't think my wallet could have taken any more stress!! Montreal is on par with other major centers such as New York, Paris, and London when it comes to its abundance of wonderful, high-end stores and interesting boutiques. I am surprised I am not bankrupt yet.

Mt. Tremblant is wonderful and the weather has been stunning. I sat on a patio chair for hours knitting away on a simple sock and enjoying the sunshine. After all the incessant rain in Calgary, it is just such a treat to be in a place where the sun is shining and it is hot. I had to leave my yellow knitting behind because of issues with taking metal needles on the plane. They will allow bamboo needles on flights here, but even then I always take my least favorite, cheapest needles just in case I get a security person who obviously hates knitters.

The pictures above are taken here at the resort and truly represent the colors that surround me.

Even though this is supposed to be work, I have been able to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation before the start of the conference.

ode to yellow

Sometimes a color inspires a knit project. This month's project spectrum colors include yellow. Last week as I was writing my post, I started thinking about the colors and remembered I had a wonderful yellow yarn somewhere in my stash. Now...I have not really been in a knitting mood, but it was pouring rain this past weekend and I was tired of knitting socks, so I went upstairs and dug out the yellow yarn. It's Elegance by Knit Picks - a combination of baby alpaca and silk - the colorway is Daisy. Gorgeous little piles of softness, squishy and wonderful! I decided to dig up a pattern and knit away.

I won't share with you what I am making yet...it is almost finished! But, I want to see first how it all melds...then I will share. Right now I am enjoying simply knitting something simple and watching it come together. I paired this beautiful yarn with an equally stunning gift from my garden. The sun came out just long enough to capture this globe flower in full bloom.

air

In my flurry of school assignments and work deadlines, I nearly missed the fact that June is the start of a new element for project spectrum - air. Air is symbolized by a spectrum of grays, yellows, and whites. This should be a fun element to work with because I tend to shoot a lot of images in those colors.

Additionally, I must sheepishly admit that a new project spectrum element conveniently gets me off the hook for a knitting post. Spring and summer are so fleeting here in Alberta; it seems almost a blasphemy to mother nature to be sitting indoors knitting when the garden is calling me - or - the Babe is calling me to go climbing some scary rock face with him. My knitting is taking a serious backseat to all of these other equally loved activities.

I promise there will be some knitting projects completed - you know, socks and such - at some point over the next couple of months. Also, there is always a great yarn purchase to share; however, the call of the great outdoors is a potent distraction to all things knitted right now. Above is my Ode to White and Grey, courtesy of my backyard.