Tag Archives: SpillyJane Knits

Beer drinking socks

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Is a smoking jacket really meant for smoking? I have no idea, but these socks are made for drinking.

Socks with Pints On

Socks with Pints On

These were originally intended as a Christmas gift for Chris, and as you can likely guess, that didn’t work out so well. I posted here about my knitting fail when I finished the first of this pair. I was not about to rip back, so I decided to make the second sock and call them mine, since the first sock (barely) fit me. The second of the pair is a little looser than the first, as seems to be the way with my colourwork projects. Putting on that first sock kind of freaks me out as I wrench the poor tight thing over my heel.

Socks with Pints On

Socks with Pints On

Anyway, I do intend to make Chris a pair of his own. I made this pair with Stroll by Knitpicks, and I had bumped up the needle size intending them to be big enough for him, but no luck. I instead have ordered Stroll Sport, which is a thicker yarn, and I’ll have to go even bigger with the needles, as well as make some pattern mods. I also plan to just put the pints on the cuff, to allow the sock to be stretchier across the foot/heel, and hopefully, hopefully (note my prayer here to the knitting gods), they’ll fit him. If I ever get around to them. I think I’m good with the colourwork for a while. Maybe it’s time for something a little less risky?

Just in time for spring: mittens!

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Garden Nerd mittens

Garden Nerd mittens

These babies are looooong overdue. I think I started them around this time last year. The hibernated for a while. And then when I picked up the torch this spring to finally get them done, I finished the left mitt, which fit perfectly, and then realized the right mitt was way, way too small. I tried blocking them to see if they’d stretch but no luck. So after much debate I decided to start the right mitt over, and cut off the cuff of the original so that at least I could skip doing that part over again, as I knew trying to unravel the mitt from the top, after all its ends were woven in, would only end badly — in say, a trip to the psych ward.

Garden Nerd mittens

Garden Nerd mittens

It’s quite hard to get the right tension when doing colour work, but I think I’ve been doing enough lately, what with the socks, that I’m finally getting the hang of maintaining very light tension, which seems to be the key to success. Unfortunately I’ve been experiencing some carpal tunnel lately, especially this past weekend, so the knitting is on hold for a while. Unfortunately I don’t think my sewing is really doing me any favours in this regard, either. So much for my great idea that sewing would take the pressure off any repetitive strain from my knitting. I’m trying to stay off the keyboard as much as possible too, although that’s pretty hard when you work an office job.

Anyhoo, there are some small mistakes in these mitts, and I really wish they had a thumb gusset. If I were to make them again ever, I’d figure out a mod to include one. I just don’t like how restrictive they feel in the thumb area. But they are so cute, I have to overlook it. These are designed by SpillyJane Knits, based in Windsor, Ontario. She has the most amazing colourwork designs, although if I’ve learned anything, I need to size up her patterns a bit as they seem to be on the small side. The greens and brown are Malabrigo sock yarn in Lettuce and Turner, and Cordovan, and the pink and orange are Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply.

It looks like spring is really on the way, with a high of 8 degrees C expected tomorrow, so I likely won’t need them for long but they’re just the thing to get me in the spirit of gardening season.

Rested and rejuvenated

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Sunset at the cottage

Luna & Chris enjoying the remnants of a day at the cottage

So I’ve been MIA from the blogosphere yet again but for good reason. Firstly, I’ve been migrating to a new laptop which hast taken some time to get my Aperture library moved (and to learn Aperture 3, which has been completely overhauled from version 2), getting other software installed and bookmarks and address books ported over.

Also, well, I escaped from the city for most of the last 10 days. First I spent a fabulous weekend riding in the York Regional Forest (Newmarket area) with the good folks from the Ontario Trail Riders Association and Chesley Saddle Club. We had perfect weather, albeit a bit dry and dusty. Thanks to my buddy Leanne for once again loaning me a nag (King, her palomino and often my borrowed hayburner, is my hero — I can only dream of owning such a fabulous mount myself some day).

Then Chris and I packed up Luna, picked up a canoe we bought from Alice and Chris, and booted it up to Coboconk (Coby) to spend the week up there. It was a big week for Luna — she learned how to swim (being a Lab she pretty much took to the water like a fish), had her first boat ride, AND her first canoe ride. Chris and I had life jackets on tight expecting we might have to bail, but she did so great — a total pro. Didn’t even hesitate to jump in from the dock. She needs to learn to keep still and not wander around but the tipping didn’t seem to concern her at all. Unfortunately I think she’s already too big to go on any big backcountry tours (unless it was for a weekend in Killarny), as she doesn’t leave much room for luggage. But if she doesn’t get too much bigger she could still go along on toots around the lake at the cottage.

Sunset at the cottage

Seriously. Can you get any better than this?

Sunset at the cottage

Or this?

I had packed up my quilting project expecting this would be the perfect opportunity for finishing it off, but I ran into a snag when I got to the part that involved the actual quilting. My thread was breaking after quilting only about a half a yard at a time, and the nearest fabric/quilt store was more than an hour away. I did a little research and it appears that a.) I need to use a different needle specifically for quilting and b.) use thread specified for quilting. Who knew? Not me.

Anyway so there it is. Also, I need to finesse my free-motion technique. That is so much harder than it looks. Today I ran out and got some new thread and needles, and I hope to try this out again soon.

Finished Baby Quilt Top

My finished quilt top

My other keep-me-busy project while lounging with a beer was SpillyJane Knit’s Carrot & Beet Mittens, or as I like to call them, my Garden Nerd mittens. Not exactly seasonal in the sense that they’re mitts, but seasonal in that they feature carrots and beets!

Carrot & Beet Mittens

Sort of seasonal, sort of not

Speaking of gardening, since we came back to the city yesterday so we could attend the C’est What Spring Beer Festival, I spent today catching up on my planting. My raised beds got their tomatoes, peppers, chiles, a few more beets and some beans and peas today.

I was terribly negligent in transplanting my seedlings this spring — essentially they just stayed in their little paper pots until today. I even dispensed with hardening off. Hopefully the guys I planted out today handle the adjustment to full sun okay. I’ve just been too busy this year I think.

Of course I had way more seedlings than I have space for so I’ll be finding new homes for those. Those guys have been repotted into bigger digs to help them keep up with the season. I’m sure I won’t have any problem finding takers.

Finally I killed my back and knees weeding the back section of our backyard today. It was such a mess of overgrown violets and other weeds that had grown so big you couldn’t see the perennials I put back there last year. The only thing that didn’t survive the winter was the lupins. I’m planning to divide some hostas and bleeding hearts from another section of my garden to help fill things out back there. I’m determined to make that section look good, if it kills me. Hopefully I can get some mulch back there to help me keep up with things.

Anyway, some video of Luna swimming to come when I get it edited.