Crafting Morrighana

WIP Frenzy!

Okay, so the cards are on their way out to everywhere from New York  to the UK.  Thanks to all who offered to be my test subjects for this little venture.

In the meantime, I know the blog has been a little quiet but it's mainly due to the last couple weeks being on the late shift here at work which doesn't always afford me the time to post up my knitting goodies.  As for the survey's that I'll be emailing out, let me know when you receive the cards and I will email out the survey at that time.  I'm still putting it together but they should be ready by the time you receive your cards in the mail.

As for knitting content, well, I'm still working on the fronts of my CPH, but it's going slower than previously imagined.  This is mainly due to the frenzy of new projects that have crossed my path and sucked me in.

One such WIP is the Girasole blanket published by Jared Flood of b r o o k l y n t w e e d fame, which I could NOT resist starting up.  This project is definitely a long term project, but it's giving me a chance to use the Philosophers Wool 2-ply that was gifted to me by my wonderful mother last January.  I will say that my hands do itch a bit with this yarn, but it's a really nice yarn to knit up.  I still haven't been able to accept that I could gift this to someone when I'm done, although that's the plan.

For me, knitting a project this large (and oh will it be large...monster, comes to mind when I think of the actual full size of this once it's done) is very much about the feeling of accomplishment when I finally manage to complete it.  Much like my Peacock Feathers Shawl the process is thrilling and exciting as you see the pattern take form, pausing many times as I knit to spread it out and just look at it.  It really is a beautiful pattern.

Pictures to come, I promise.  In the meantime, please let me know as soon as you receive the cards so I can get those surveys out.  More than anything, I sincerely hope you enjoy them and feel inclined to gift them out to those you love.

All good things,

Morrighana

The Hills are Alive

Life is so lush right now!  Everything is growing so quickly and becoming more and more lush every day.  We have TONS of birds at the feeder, the air near our place is perfumed so gently with some absolutely gorgeous trees currently in blossom and the world is so green.   

Rather than doing my usual Friday Flickr Five (FFF) I thought I would just send you over to my flickr page for you to peruse my latest excursion.  Last Sunday Kev's family and I ventured out to a greenhouse near their cottage and I decided to use the excuse to play with the Nikon some more.  Check out some of the beautiful flora and fauna I've come across recently by clicking here.

Have a great weekend!

All good things,

Morrighana

Owlishly Good!

I don't think I've blogged about this little FO yet, but I just have to share.  I absolutely luuurrrrved crocheting this little doll.

I'll admit that my whole drive to learn to crochet stemmed from my love of all things amigurumi.  When I saw the designs created by Owlishly (aka Mia Johnson) I couldn't put off my need to learn any longer.

And the result?  A sweet little doll in a cat costume (black of course, because Pooka wouldn't have it any other way, you see. )

 

Pattern:  Celia in a Cat costume amigurumi pattern by Owlishly

Yarn:  Patons Grace in pink, Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR in the Shadow colourway (leftover yarn from Kev's father's socks)

Needles:  3.5mm crochet hook

Additional Accessories:  doll eyes (glued on), two tones of brown embroidery thread for the hair, polyfil and leftover yarn scraps for stuffing, and a small bit of crafting wire for the tail.

Notes:  The original pattern called for worsted weight yarn, but I'm really jazzed about the small amigurumi dolls so I decided to use fingering weight yarn and a smaller crochet hook.

The pattern is really well written and easy to follow, as are all of her patterns.  I'm such a huge fan of Mia's and I'll admit to buying several of her patterns before I knew that I could crochet at all.  I'm so happy with the result though, that I don't have any concerns about making her other dolls.

I customized a little further by inserting some crafting wire into the tail to make it posable.  I won't be giving this one to any small children (this one is just for me! Muah ha ha!) so I created a length of i-cord and inserted the wire into it before fastening it off.

Mia recommends using doll eyes that can be added while you are crocheting, but again, since I wasn't worried about this doll falling into tiny hands that might choke on small pieces, I just found some eyes that I could glue on and would render the same look of her dolls.

I think she looks so cozy in her little cat costume!  And what could be more fun than making this cute little cat girl?  Well, for me, it's the post completion photo shoot of course! :D

All good things,

Morrighana

 

 

TKP @ Easter

Two short videos for you today!  I cannot believe I haven't shared this with you yet.  My little neice at Easter/Ostara this year.  I have watched these videos so many times, I've lost count.  She is such an adorable little girl.  Special appearances made by her little sister Gracie (also adorable) and yours truly.

Easter '09 - Egg Colouring from Meredith Sexton on Vimeo.

And then...our intrepid TKP goes in search of the elusive Easter bunny, and finds some eggs along the way!

 

Easter '09 - The Search for the Easter Bunny from Meredith Sexton on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

All good things,

Morrighana

CPH Update

As promised, here's a little photo update of my Central Park Hoodie.  It is so enjoyable to work with Lamb's Pride Worsted again.  I love how soft it is and the stitch definition. Click all photos to embiggen!

I had to rip out the top of one of the sleeves because I missed a decrease somewhere, but thanks to my handy dandy check off chart (I can't knit without making them!) I was able to figure out exactly where the error was.  If you don't use them when you knit, I highly recommend starting.  Otherwise I would have found myself ripping out the whole sleeve and starting over.

I also have a bit of a boo-boo on the other sleeve.  I noticed after I finished it that the set of cables right on the shoulder were done in the wrong direction.  Upon consulting with my Tuesday night knitters, we all agreed that even though it wasn't that visible, I would notice it every time I put it on.  So I will be ripping out the shoulder and reknitting it.  Luckily it isn't too far down the sleeve.

And of course, things are going swimmingly with the back portion.  I'm thinking I will knit the two fronts at the same time on a circular needle, but if it becomes too much (since I haven't done that before, it might just.  We confuse rather easily sometimes over here at casa del Morrighana) I'll just knit one at a time.

More to come!
All good things,
Morrighana

Friday Flickr Five

It is Friday, right?  Oh please say it is!!  What a week!

Knit night on Tuesday, looking at several houses on Wednesday, work was...well let's just not talk about work.  The house hunting is going well, although we haven't seen anything that really grabs us yet.  It's interesting to look at these houses and get a glimpse into other peoples lives.  At times I feel like I'm invading their private space and it feels awkward to be walking through someone else's house.  At other times, I feel like I've found a house belonging to a family that I could really identify with.

Oh there are so many things to consider and while I find it a somewhat overwhelming process, Kev seems to have a really good handle on all the things that need to be considered.  We are both very excited, a little scared and feeling very hopeful about the future.

At any rate, I managed to get some time to work on my Central Park Hoodie which is coming along beautifully.  I still am not sure that the colour is a good colour for me, but I'm enjoying the process of knitting it regardless and it's giving me a chance to work from the stash instead of buying new yarn.  It's a happy knit for sure!

Unfortunately, I don't have any recent photos for you of my CPH but I'll try to get some taken this weekend.  I have both sleeves done and about a 1/3 of the back.  Oh how I wish I'd jumped on this bandwagon months ago.  I don't know why I waited.  Ha ha!

I do have some photos taken on various excursions with Kev and my Nikon that I thought I would share with you in loo of CPH photos.  I hope you enjoy them!

 

I have been trying to catch a photo of these magnolias for three years now.  They bloom all over our city every spring and are my favourite trees.  This year I managed to photograph some. :D

 

My handsome little man.  Taken this past winter in a rare moment of stillness for Pooka.

 

Some eggs dyed by my sister and my neice Tulia this past Easter/Ostara.  Aren't they gorgeous?

 

An old school in Cambridge Ontario.  This building just BEGS to be photographed.

 

And how could I leave out my new little neice, and Tulia's little sister, Gracie.  I took this photo last weekend at our Mother's day gathering.  Such a sweetie!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that the sun is shining where you are! Some CPH updates coming next week as well as a glimpse into my latest Castitis obsession.

All good things,

Morrighana

Alpaca Euphoria

Ahhhh, Sarah Slean.  I am completely taken by her music.  As I write this, her tracks are seducing me through iTunes again and I'm finding it difficult to focus on anything but the music. 
Kev and I spent one of our recent date night Fridays at her performance here in town (see one of my photos of the show on the left here, click to see large version).  I love the raw emotion, the passion of her lyrics and  her musical arrangements.  She is so multi-talented both on and off the stage, and I gotta tell you, the woman is genius.  Not that I am the final word on all things musical, but I don't say that about the music I hear very often.  If you haven't given her a listen yet, go and do it as soon as you can.  If all goes well, and I trust it will, you'll listen to one song only to be led down the path of all her "passioneers" and be there for a good long time...so just let me confess to you my latest sin and then I'll let you be off for some audio bliss.

I was about to tell you about one of my recent FO's, an alpaca FO I might add, when the track switched to her Euphoria tune.  How fitting that a song so rich with the imagery of a one night stand should come on about now.  This project really did have that kind of feel to it.

I've wanted to knit with alpaca yarn for a long time.  It's quite honestly the only yarn I've ever had eyes for and I adore it.  I've cuddled it, flirted with buying skein after skein, even took some home from an LYS in a fury of desire...but I've never dared to knit with it.  I've been too afraid of losing it to the wrong project.
Well ladies and gents, it was only a matter of time before it's come-hither glances from my stash were enough to cause my needles to quiver and my hands to do more than just caress the skeins before putting them back in the drawer.
I did it...oh god I didn't even give myself time to think.  And it was quick, and easy, and anything but a cheap thrill.  I kind of lost my head a little during the whole process...and dare I say I took photos, too?  I couldn't help myself.

Pattern: Family Mittens by Be Still and Knit
Yarn:  Superfine Alpaca (1 skein Pink, 1 skein Grey)
Needles:  5mm DPNs
Notes:  Not only was this my first time knitting with Alpaca, but I was a mitten virgin, too. (full mittens with a thumb, that is...Fetching doesn't fall into this category of mittens in my opinion).  I don't know why I haven't knit a pair yet.  I mean, if you can knit socks...you can knit mittens.

It all just kind of...happened.  You know?  I couldn't help myself...and it pained me that it was over so soon.  Me being me, well I just couldn't stay away.  I had a taste and I had to have more... can you blame me?? 
... so I kinda sorta did it again... and knit a hat to match.  Alas, it's all now in the past.  Rest assured though, there is more alpaca to be knit and believe you me, it's gonna get knit...
I just can't stop myself.  It was *le sigh*  absolute... Euphoria...

All good things,
Morrighana

Busy Week!

Hey everyone!

This week I'm doing some serious last minute scrambling to complete some holiday knitting.  As a result, I'm not entirely sure how much blogging I'll be able to do but I will try to post when I get a chance.

So to keep you busy, because I know you have nothing else going on this week (ha ha!  yeah, I'm only kidding about that...) here's a fun sheep themed game to help you regain your sanity from the hustle and bustle that becomes so routine this time of year. (click on the image below to be transported!)

The object of the game is to keep your poor little sheep away from the sheep-hungry dogs.  Collect different stars to help your woolly friend stay alive longer!

Oh yeah, and as an early Christmas present (or a late Yule present...happy Solstice by the way!) check out my other blog started up a few days ago.  Click on my drawing below, and read on!

 Be patient on this one and be sure to subscribe to the feed.  I'm not sure how often my artwork will get updated at this point, so subscribing to the feed is likely the best way to stay updated.
Enjoy!

All good things,
Morrighana

Buried Treasure

I don't spin.  I would like to learn, but we just don't have that kind of space in our little house (that and when it comes to my attention span, I'm a bit of a ferret in a gravitron at times..thank you Sluggy Freelance...).  Also, I think the concept of me creating more yarn to add to the stash might make Kev a little ill.  He already jokes with our friends that the yarn in our basement helps cut the heating costs of our house and that he recommends others become knitters if only for the insulation potential. (I assure you it's not large enough to be that effective, but I have to consider Kev's perspective when planning out my spare time activities...)

So while I did find a $160 barely used spinning wheel online the other day, I resisted.  As much as I would love to learn spinning, I am also  considering the cost of knitting and spinning together.  It seems a little much, especially when I enjoy giving knitted gifts so much (yes, the sock is done...I'll be casting on for the second today!  WOOT!)

Then today, while I was tidying up the laundry room I rediscovered something I think I blogged about quite a while back and now I need your help. (clicky clicky for bigger fibery goodness)

See this?  Yes...I can see your eyes flickering back and forth between the picture and the phrase "blogged about quite a while back"...if you don't remember this, it was a package of stuff that my mother had purchased years and years ago when she wanted to learn how to spin.  For whatever reason, she decided that spinning was not for her and tucked these items away in our family storage room.  Many moons later, after I had grown up and moved out, she and I were cleaning out the last of my personal possessions from their basement and she came across these items.  Knowing how enthusiastic I was about knitting, she offered them to me, I accepted, and then for whatever reason, they ended up in my storage area...not sure why, really.

You're questioning the gap in time, aren't you?  You are wondering how I could be sitting on this and not do anything with it.  I know, and I officially offer my apologies to the spinning world.  I'm just kind of stumped about what to do with it to be honest.  I have...questions.  Perhaps you have answers?

1.  First off, are these fleece thingies (term please?) useable?  Can I wash these and spin them and they will still be good?  They have aged some since my mother first purchased them...we're likely talking about 10 to 15 years of age, not a mere couple of months. 

2. Do moths like fiber when it's in this state?  I don't see anything when I look through it but what are some signs of moths that I can look out for?

3.  What ARE these?  Is there a site you can recommend that would help me identify what sort of fiber these are or can you tell me?  It looks like about four different types if you check out the photo...maybe three?  Who's the fiber identification expert?

4.  Okay, now let's play Name Those Tools...I know which one is the drop spindle, but are those paddle things used for carding?  Are they just called "spikey paddle thingies" or "carders" or...?

I don't know where to start, here.  Normally I consider myself a relatively resourceful person, (after all, most of what I learned about knitting I taught myself) but I'm really not sure where the best place to start is. 
I've also heard that drop spindles are really quite difficult to maneuver so if you know of any video tutorials (we learn visually and kinetically around here) they would be very much appreciated.

Interview Update:
For those interested, the interview went well yesterday.  Actually it was my best interview yet, which gives me confidence for the next one, should I get called. 
I have terrible, terrible post interview anxiety, though.  I get this with every interview I do.  Regardless of how well I do, regardless of how confident I feel when I answer the questions (and I felt quite confident yesterday), I always spend the rest of the day questioning absolutely everything I said and did in an interview.  Of course, it doesn't help that I won't find out if I got the position until next Friday.  That's a long time for me to force myself not to think about the interview itself...Oi...
The nice thing is that if I do get the position, I wouldn't have to start until January which means that I could have quite possibly the most entertaining, relaxing and (knit)productive Yule/Christmas holiday I've ever had.  Oh wouldn't that be nice...  I'm going to go dream about that a bit before I get back to the job hunt.

All good things,
Morrighana

Fessing Up

To (actually) do today:

1.  ACTUALLY bake sugar cookies to replace the ones eaten.  Didn't get to this yesterday and I'm really considering doing this tomorrow.  Knowing me and the baking process, I don't think today's interview will go over very well with flour in every crevasse of my face...I don't know how I do it, it's certainly not intentional.

2.  ACTUALLY finish the first sock of Father-in-law's-socks-that-never-end.  See, this is what happens with me and knitting this close to a deadline.  These socks are starting to live up to their name.  Although I did go out with a couple knitterly friends last night for a stitch topped off with coffee and gelato (scrum!).   You would think that I would have gotten more done on the socks...or maybe you know how a stitch really goes and know that more talking gets done than knitting. ;P

3.  DE-STRESS.  After spending much time telling the kitchen wall about myself yesterday, about where I plan to be in 5 years, why I'm the best candidate for the job, my biggest achievement in my last position, my strengths, my weaknesses...Oi...I need a time OUT!!  Aside from the fact that the kitchen wall might offer me a job soon just to shut me up, I understand why businesses are switching more and more to using the behavioural style interview questions since it really does give a better picture of you as an applicant, but man, they can be tricky answers to formulate.

4.  Show off what distracted me yesterday from knitting the sock.  This is terrible.  One of my sketchbooks was sitting on the table and I just happened to pick it up to look through some of my really old sketches. 
It's fun doing that.  It's like looking back at your first pair of knitted socks from a comfortable, more experienced point of view and nodding at yourself and saying "Ahh...that was back when I was learning to use DPN's and was knitting so tightly that I never did get those socks off the needles... I miss those needles..." or looking back at a year book at your grade 9 class photo and saying "See,  I'm glad I eventually figured out that hair like that is illegal in most fashion circles. *snicker* (I was a total dork in grade 9)

So here is what I ended up doing with the last couple hours of my day.  I came across a tiny sketch of a cat in the corner of one of the pages of my sketchbook and it turned into this.  It's not a masterpiece, but I think it turned out kind of cute...which version do you like better? (Click on them to embiggen!)

 

Wish me luck on today's interview!!  I'll let you know how it went in tomorrow's post.
All good things,
Morrighana