FO Friday - September 28, 2012

Today, I'm super excited! Why, you ask? Well, this very evening I will be winging my way to Portugal for the first time ever!!! Jealous?

Of course you are.


I actually feel like I've been on vacation all week, despite having to work, because I pretty much haven't been home except to sleep since last Friday. No joke. Between celebratory nights out and a concert this week has been jam packed. So I'm crazy tired, which could work well in my favour, as normally I can't sleep on airplanes, so I'm hoping I can catch a few zzzz's while on the red-eye.

Totally worth it

Today's FO was actually finished back on September 11, but had a big lazy when it came taking pics of it. This tends to be the trend for my projects lately it seems. At least this one was worth the wait. I've whipped up another triangle scarf, this time using a lovely yarn from Yarn Lust. Sadly for me, it seems she's been taking a break from dyeing, as I'd love to get more of her scrumptious yarn for my stash. I only have 2 skeins left from her. Sad face.

Not so sad is how pretty this scarf turned out!

 I just love how the linen stitch breaks up the colour pooling.

And check out that stellar picot edging. Love, love, love it!

The only negative thing I have to say about this scarf is the name of the colourway of the yarn. It's called Twilight. I prefer to think it's so named for the colour of the sky at twilight, rather than for the books/movies about those sparkly vampires. Ahem...VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE.

Anyway, I'm excited to see who this scarf ends up with, as I didn't knit it with me in mind. I just knit it to knit it.

Happy Friday, darlings!

You know what I love?

Music videos from the 1990s. They're so fun!

Have a great long weekend, darlings!

Mr. Social's Plaid Shorts

It seems that summer has pretty well begun here in Toronto. This past weekend was the Victoria Day long weekend, and it was HOT! So, I'm very happy that I was able to finish Mr. Social's plaid shorts just in time for it.

We headed off to the Toronto Island to enjoy the beautiful sunshine with some friends. I was a little worried that these shorts would be too hot for the warm weather, as the fabric is some kind of polyester blend (or maybe 100% poly, I can't recall exactly), but Mr. Social said he was perfectly comfortable.

It's been a while since I've worked with a plaid fabric, so I was worried that the plaid wouldn't match up nicely, but I think I did a pretty good job of it. It even matched up nicely on his bum, which he has no problems showing off...

Because he didn't want any pockets on the back of the shorts, and knowing he never has enough pockets to stash his phone and wallet in, I added two jeans style (frontier) pockets, as well as a welt pocket where a cargo pocket would normally go. I cut the welt on the diagonal to add some interest to the pocket (and because it would have been a HUGE pain in the ass to match the plaid on that!!). I also added a velcro closure to the inside of the welt pocket to make sure things don't fall out when he sits down. I'm pretty impressed with how this pocket turned out, as I've never actually made one of these before.

I have no idea why, but once I saw these shorts on Mr. Social, they made me think of this song and music video

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Plans for April and Weekly Update

I think I may be back in the groove again. I've managed to finish a bunch of stuff and am inspired to work on so much more! Here's a couple of the yarns I spun up recently. All my knitting still needs to be blocked, so no pics yet.

Plans for April:
1) Finish Diamond Gansey socks for Mr. Social (that's right, still not finished)
2) Sew a bunch of bags
3) Make the skully dress
4) Pick another pair of socks to knit for Mr. Social
5) Make shorts for Mr. Social
6) Spin a bunch of things
7) PROJECT ANDI - Go to the gym at least 3 times a week. YOU CAN DO THIS!

That list seems simple enough. Let's see if I can get through it and not get sidetracked by SHINY NEW PROJECTS!

Here's a super fun music video for your amusement

What a week!

Well, I had a jam packed week full of crafting, multiple trips to the post office, fun with friends and seeing my favourite band, The Dropkick Murphys.

The week began with a long weekend, the holiday observed here in Ontario is Family Day, which we lovingly call Turducken Day. This year was the 4th annual Turducken feast, hosted by the lovely Ms. H and Mr. D, and a most excellent time was had by all. My favourite part is always the post-dinner move from the party room to their place where the real party happens. What a night!

Big Wanda and Big Carl came out...Trouble

My trips to the post office resulted in a whole bunch of packages going out, as well as a couple packages coming in to me. Big, squishy packages full of fibre!!!!!

Squish!

As far as actual crafting goes, I got quite a bit done. In fact, I tallied up my projects for the year (I'm participating in 112 projects in 2012) and am already at 39!!! Holy crap! It's got to be all the spinning. Here are the finishes from this week:



On a sad crafting note, I had to frog 2 month's worth of crocheting :(
The crazy hat I've been working on for Mr. Social was WAY too small, despite me doing a gauge swatch and everything. So it is being restarted on a larger hook. Hopefully this time it works out.

Of course, the highlight of my week was going to see the Dropkick Murphys! They have been my fave band for what seems like forever, and no matter how many times I see them live, it never gets old.



We had originally planned to make our pilgrimage down to Boston for St. Pats to see them this year, however decided against it on account of needing to save for our trip in the fall. But, the first show of their St. Pats tour 2012 was in Toronto, so we didn't have to miss out. I got to pick up a shirt, and TORONTO WAS THE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN CITY TO HEAR THEIR BRAND NEW SONG!!! How exciting is that???

There was one song I had hoped they'd play at the show that they did not, so here it is for you all to enjoy, The Dirty Glass by The Dropkick Murphys.

The First Day of Spring....Sorta

We haven't had much of a winter this year. A few days of snow, a few days of "real" cold (I define real cold as under -5°C/23°F), mostly just grey and wet. Normally, I really enjoy winter, I love the snow and the crispness of the air. I feel like I've been robbed of that this year, and for the first time that I can remember, I am looking forward to spring.

What makes me really sad is that this year we will miss out on one of the first signs of spring approaching, crocuses peeking out from the snow.

Well, Hello there!

Since I probably won't get to see that this year, I have spun up a yarn inspired by the first spring crocuses. It's called "The First Day of Spring".



A lovely blend of Merino/Nylon, Falkland, Angelina, and Mohair, this yarn almost makes up for the lack of seasonal progression.

I'll leave you all with another First Day of Spring (by the Gandharvas) for your enjoyment.

Happy Valentines Day!

No, I didn't create that Valentine myself (I wish I could take that credit). See more Harry Potter Valentines by yenniper here and here, and some Lost Valentines here

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Things I should hate but I don't...

So, there's this song that's currently making its rounds on a local radio station. A song which initially, I hated. I hated this song as much as Gargamel hated the Smurfs.

Unless, of course, he's eating them...

The song in question is Midnight City by M83.

It seems this song has grown on me. Don't get me wrong, I don't love this song, or even like it really, but I find myself not changing the station when it comes on anymore.



What do you think of Midnight City?