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

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

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

Working While the Sun Shines

Hey there Knit Sibs!

Today is absolutely beautiful out, and I have two things I would rather be doing than sitting inside at work in a windowless room...

1.  Wandering around town capturing the gorgeous day with my Nikon.

2.  KNITTING!

Alas, I can't do either right now...so if I can't actually DO either of those things, I can blog about them, right?

Right now I'm absolutely obsessed with knitting my first cardigan for myself.  I've been working on little things for so long, my needles are positively BEGGING to stretch their cables on something big.  Hence my Central Park Hoodie.  So far, 1.5 sleeves done and I'm loving the pattern.  My only regret is that I didn't start this one while the bandwagon was in town.

As for finished projects, here's a little ditty that I created with my newly developed crochet skills.  It was part of a Facebook meme to make something for the first 5 people to respond to the meme.  The first to respond was a coworker who makes cakes for people on the side when she isn't at her full time job here with me at work.  I figured, since she makes cakes for so many people that she needed one too...albeit a little one.  I absolutely LUUUURRRVED working on this project.  See below for the deets on the project.

 

Pattern:  heavily adapted from Brett Bara's Crocheted Confection (Ravelry link)

Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby

Needles:  3.75mm/F size crochet hook

Accessories: Various ribbons and tiny flowers found in my crafting bin.  Honestly, you could customize this one so easily with whatever your hear desired.

For the filler on the large bottom tier, I used a styrofoam cylinder bought from Michael's in their flower arranging department, for the top tier, I cut a cardboard toilet paper roll down to size.

Not sure what I'll be making for the other four people who responded to the meme, but luckily I have until the end of 2009 to get them done.  And you can bet I will post the end results up for you to see.

All good things,

Morrighana

Bemember me?

*tap tap**FEEBACK SQUEAL* *tap tap*  Ahem...is this thing on? *clears throat*

Erm...Hello there!  Yeah, I'm still alive.  I am sorry for the lack of blog fodder around here for the past few...oh gods...months?  Really?  Yeah, so I'm a dork.

Well, there has been much happening in my neck of the woods this year.  New job has kept me hopping regularly and is a new challenge every day.

As far as personal stuff, Kev and I are very excited to be looking for our first house together.  Nothing big is happening there yet, but I will keep you posted on that front.

Just a short post today as I'm sure some of you have seen my regular updates on Ravelry.  No worries there!  There have been many projects started, some finished and some just about finished.

I blame the crochet...yes, amigurumi kicked my crafty arse and sidetracked me from the knitting.  Rest assured, the knitting prevails and I just cast on last night for my very own Central Park Hoodie!! SO excited.  Let us not question my sanity in starting a heavy wool Fall/Winter cardigan at the end of April, nay!  Nor let us acknowledge my blatant inability to jump on a bandwagon while it's still rolling, rather run after it when it has already pulled away several years ago.  Nay I say, NAY!  Let us instead revel in the beauty of that pattern and joy that is knitting.  *snicker*  Yeah...I'm a serious dork.

More updates to come, my friends.  I seriously miss my blogging and I miss hearing from you guys in the comments.  I've not disappeared yet, don't worry. :D

Tomorrow, I'll catch you up to speed on some recent projects to get things rolling around here again.  I noticed today that there have still been visits to my little area of the intertubes (this blog) quite frequently, so thank you to everyone who has been regularly checking in here.

All good things,

Morrighana

Tuesdays Are For Knitting

Hey Guys!

First, let me apologize for an excessive absence from the knit-blogging world.  Truth is, I really miss blogging and I think about it a lot.  There are so many things I want to share with you guys and I'm sure you can relate when I say that I'll come across something and often think, "this would make a great blog post" or, "I gotta show this to the blog"...
Alas, lately my new (now new-ish) job has me cah-razy busy every day which, as much as I enjoy it, doesn't leave me with much energy to sit down and blog to you guys.  I hope you can forgive this.

At any rate, I borrowed from the Yarn Harlot in the post title today and I realize that for her usually, Tuesdays are for spinning, but for me...it's knitting.  Just Tuesdays, you say?  Nah, not just Tuesdays.  Rather, for the past few months Tuesdays have been special knitting days for me.

About the time I was laid off from my previous job (back in November) I had lots of free time when I wasn't job hunting.  I got back in touch with and began chatting more with a couple of friends I'd known for a number of years here in town.  Both of these ladies were people that I knew of more than I could say that I knew well.  That is, they were ladies that I wanted to get to know better, but as previously mentioned, I'm pretty shy and at times I can be hard pressed to buck up and just go over and start chatting.  (If you listen hard, you can probably hear them laughing at me right now because now they can't get me to shut up when we see each other now).
Through various discussion over the years, I knew that they knit or crocheted as well, but well, shyness always prevented me from ever engaging much further than that.  You would think I'd be over this at my age...
Isn't it funny then, that life just kinda happens.
During my time off, the three of us found each other on Ravelry, then through each other's blogs, and we just fell into step with one another.  We started casually meeting, always on Tuesdays it seemed, to sit and drink coffee or tea, to talk and partake of the fibre arts in whatever form we felt was appropriate.  I started to get to know them better.  It felt right.  I didn't feel shy anymore.  A lot just kind of naturally fell into place with these two smart, funny, talented women.  And dudes, I got so much more done on my projects than I did on my own.
So now, Tuesdays are for knitting.  We've been meeting religiously every week (with a couple of exceptions that either involved someone sick or a necessary obligation that prevented us from meeting).  We even have a South Western Ontario yarn crawl in the works once the weather is better. 
It feels good to laugh with other women.  Something I've felt deprived of for a long time, actually it's something I think I've deprived myself of...I'm a little funny like that. :) 
I've tried a few times in the past to get involved with the local knitters guild, I've gone to events  with fellow knit bloggers in other cities which I have enjoyed a lot, but I've never had my own local group to knit with.  Not one that I didn't feel nervous about what people thought of me, or of my knitting...like I said, I'm funny like that.
This isn't just a thing to have, it's not a material thing for me.  For me it's about being with good friends, each with a common interest in something like knitting.  It's naturally flowing conversation where I feel free to be myself and feel in the loop, so to speak.  See that photo in the top right of this post?  It was taken during one of our Tuesday meets by one of the above mentioned ladies for one of her Ravelry projects.  I like that photo a lot.  I like it because when I look at it, I think about how much I look forward to our Tuesday knit n' gab sessions.
I'm learning to overcome my shyness, I'm learning the art of conversation, and I don't think I've ever heard the word VAGINA more than I do in our conversations. Ha ha! (Come now, two of the three of us have kids, we're all women, we have knitting and we have coffee.  You would expect it to come up at SOME point in the conversation with an equation like that :P )
At any rate, I just wanted to say thanks to those two fantastic women who know who they are, and who I appreciate more than they know for being who they are.
Now,  I just have to find a way to get all my knit blogging friends to join us, and life would be perfect. *wink*

Some FO's to come later this week, and even some *gasp* dare I say it?  Crocheting! *titter titter*

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

Today's Goals:

Todays goals:

1.  Bake more sugar cookies.  - Apparently, while they are an excellent and delicious way to handle the stress of a job hunt, they are not conducive to getting through the door at the interview of my dreams...both literally and figuratively.

2.  Cast off first in pair of "Father-in-Law's-socks-that-never-end". - Yes, even after yesterdays rant on sugar high, I managed to knit 4 inches more on the foot of the sock.  With only 1 inch to go before decreasing for the toe, I figure I can be done this sock and started on the second by today.  Hey, if I'm going to lose my mind over a pair of socks, it might as well be these ones.

3.  Practice talking to walls. -  Not as crazy as it sounds...okay maybe it is.  I'vegot another interview tomorrow and it's for a position I'm really excited about.  In preparation, I've been watching a lot of How to/How not to answer interview questions on YouTube today.  It's actually proving to be quite a good resource!  The videos I found here have been helping me think of the answers I can use to better market myself to a potential employer.  Once I finish watching a video, I answer it out loud to my kitchen wall while sitting at the kitchen table.  It sounds crazy, but it's a lot easier to think up an answer to an interview question, than it is to actually vocalize it.

4.  Avoid biting nails.  -  I've noticed since I left my previous job, that I actually have nails again.  SQUEE!  Unfortunately, the stress of worrying over an interview is not conducive to keeping my nails.

5.  Understand that sugar cookies are not a valid replacement for biting nails.

And for those who have asked and those that are wondering, my interview the other day went well.  They asked for references, which I take as a good sign that I didn't completely terrify, annoy or anger them, and I felt much more confident about it than some of the previous interviews that I've done.
Wish me luck tomorrow on the next one!

All good things,
Morrighana