Another Completed Item!

I'm on a roll - sort of! I was able to finish the Spring Cap a little while ago. I didn't add a pompom or anything though, but you don't have to. I think it turned out pretty cute! I made the small size using size 4mm circulars, and then DPNs to finish it off. Well, I think they were 4mm...I couldn't find my thingy (don't you love the technical term?) to measure it with.

At any rate, this is going in the pile to donate and will go on the mitten tree at church for Christmas. I think it will fit a teenager possibly. I'd like to try this pattern with a worsted weight yarn (I don't think that's what this yarn is) or something a little bigger, to see how it turns out...

I highly recommend this pattern - it's so easy and quick to make.

In other news, the storm I mentioned in the previous post didn't hit us, thankfully. We had a little wind (nothing too strong in my area) and rain. I guess it was supposed to hit NB around two in the morning, but it ended up changing directions and hit NS.

I got back the 4 page assignment for my literacy class today. We had to write our literacy memoirs - experiences with reading, writing, speaking - and hand it in about three weeks ago. I was unsure if mine was done the way it should have been, even though I tried my best to follow the rubric he gave us. Well, I must have done it right, because I got 40/40 on it! He was checking everything from the way it flowed, to spelling and grammar, and if we used personal experiences as examples...a whole lot of things. So, I'm very satisfied with that mark!

Well, I'd better get going now. I have a class in about an hour and I need to eat lunch before I go. Happy knitting!

It Is Finished...And Something Else Started

Well, I got the scarf finished. I haven't blocked it yet - not really sure if I will or not. It's on the shortish side as I only used two balls of the yarn, but I thought that if I do block it that might stretch it out a little. It's still a good size now though.

I really enjoyed this pattern (links to Ravelry), and will make it again for sure.

In other knitting news, I've started a hat using the same yarn I did for the scarf. I had debated on making a feather & fan type hat to match the scarf, but decided against it.

I decided on the Spring Cap by Woolly Wormhead (don't you just love that name?!) and I must say I am really enjoying the pattern. It's easy and it's knitting up quickly. I am making the smallest size and I don't know if it will fit an adult or a teenager. My yarn is different than what is in the pattern and I have no idea if it's the same size of yarn or not. Since my yarn is from Korea (or Japan) there is no indication of the size of yarn that I can see. So, to me it doesn't really matter because I'm not making the hat for me. It will join the mitten tree at church to be donated to charity. I'm going to put a note with it I think, as this hat isn't thick enough (especially with the "lace" work in it) for winter...in my opinion. It's more for spring (as the name would probably indicate) or fall. Regardless, I'm sure someone will enjoy having a nice hat to wear on a chilly day.

I'm just about ready to start the crown shaping, so I don't anticipate it taking a lot longer to finish knitting wise. What will interrupt the knitting will be school work. I've got my first presentation (it's a group one) on Tuesday and of course trying to keep on top of the other work so I'm not doing things up a day or two before things are due. I'm trying to use my knitting as a reward - work awhile then do some knitting to relax. The only problem is that I am enjoying this pattern (as I did with the scarf) and want to work at it until it's done!

In other news, hurricane Kyle is heading our way. I think on the weather network they said it's downgraded to a tropical storm, but I'm not totally sure on that. Regardless, they showed it heading straight for our city but it could hit west of us as well. They say that we are expected to get something like 50-100 mm of rain by Monday (tomorrow) morning, and winds will be in excess of 63km/hour. Sorry for those who don't know the metric system - I'm not sure what they convert to...though I think with kilometers and miles you double the kilometer (roughly), though I'm not really sure. It's supposed to hit just before dawn tomorrow.

We don't often get hurricanes but we have gotten tail winds from them and tropical storms. I know Halifax got hit by hurricane Juan about three years ago, and they say that this storm will hit three years to the day that hurrican hit.

It's getting dark out (has been for a little while) so I expect the storm is on its way. It's not raining yet but that will come too. Hopefully things won't be too bad! I'd better head off now and get some more school work done. Happy knitting!

Half Way Point

I've reached the half way mark on the scarf. Roughly. I think. I'll have to wait and decide if it's long enough when I'm finished the second ball of yarn. Though these aren't generally colours I care for (at least the browns), I think the scarf is looking pretty darn good! I like the way the colours are blending together.

I was a little stupid though, and just grabbed one of the balls (I have a total of 3) before starting the scarf, and it started with the orangish-red. The other two balls I have start with the browns. Now that I've started the second ball, you can easily notice where it starts because the first one also ended with the orangish-red colour. There is no blending between the two balls, and it's not following the colour pattern. I'm not overly concerned about this, however, as all the colours will still be present - just in a different order now. Also, the part with the drastic colour change (where ball two joins) will be at the back of the neck anyway so that shouldn't be too noticeable (if it will at all).

I'm not sure if I'll block the scarf or not. So far it's looking pretty good so far. I'm afraid if I do block it, it will be wider than what it is currently - though maybe I could stretch the length and not the width...anyway, I'll wait until I'm done to decide if I'll block or not.

As I said, I have a 3rd ball in waiting. If I don't use it for the scarf, I might see if I can get a hat knit from it - even if it's only a child's hat. It doesn't necessarily have to go with the scarf - mostly because I don't know if there is a hat pattern with a feather and fan design or not. So, I'll just make any ol' hat. As I said, it doesn't have to go with the scarf. I'm thinking about donating these items to the mitten tree at church at Christmas, so the hat might end up getting put with the scarf anyway, but like I said, it doesn't matter to me if it does or not.

I should be finished the scarf this weekend. I have only been knitting on it here and there (usually no more than a half hour at a time - maybe the odd hour) because I've been busy with school work. Since this is a quick and easy knit (pattern is easily memorized), it shouldn't be too long before I'm finished with it. I'll definitely post a picture when it's completed.

Well, better be off and get some more reading for class done. Tomorrow I have three classes, and then none on Friday - which reminds me, I need to check my email to see if they've got me placed at a school yet to do the observation part of my teacher's training...

Happy knitting!

A New Knit

Edited to add: Want to check out great books you might be interested in reading? Check out the book reviews I have at my writing blog: Ink Scrawls. Click here to read all about lots of fabulous books! Oh, and please leave some comments there too :o).

Now, on to the knitting content...

I did a lot of homework yesterday - mostly reading, trying to keep on top of things so I don't get too bogged down later on. So, as a little reward to myself, I picked up my knitting needles and some yarn. I felt like working on something for the mitten tree at church (which will be up towards the end of November) and wanted something that was somewhat mindless and quick - you know, instant gratification and whatnot.

What I chose was this (see above). It's the Two Weeknights With Warrick Worsted Wave Scarf by Karin Bole. The link will take you to the pattern at Ravelry.

The yarn I'm using is some that I got when I was in Korea. It's called Finance and reminds me of Noro Kuryeon. The colourway is number 176 and is 45g/115m. It recommends to use 4.0mm - 4.5mm needles, so I'm using 4.0mm on my scarf. I made a little change in the pattern in that I cast on 38 stitches instead of the 26 called for, since I thought it would look a little too narrow with the 26.

The pattern is super duper easy and is going quite quickly. I'm sure if I used 4.5mm or even 5.0mm needles it would fly by even quicker. What you see is what I got done in probably a total of two hours...maybe a tad bit more time, but not too much.

The other day I also purchased a couple of knitting magazines. One in particular (the Vogue Knitting one)I was wanting to get because of this post at Brooklyn Tweed. These mittens look so cool! Apparently they aren't a quick knit - and one can tell from just looking at the picture they aren't - but I wanted to give them a try at some point - hopefully sometime in the not too distant future!

But, for now I'd better get back to working on some homework so I can reward myself later on with a little knitting on the scarf again. Happy knitting!

Stash Enhancers

The other day when I posted about the toddler socks, I forgot to mention my latest stash enhancers. Can't believe I did that! So, here is a little post just for that!

First up, I have my August purchase from the Robyn's Nest sock club. The yarn is a reddish colour (I honestly had trouble deciding if it was a dark pink or red. Some of the yarn looks closer to pink, while some looks red...regardless of how you'd classify the colour, I think it's pretty). It's from Tanis Fiber Arts, is hand dyed and feels nice and soft and squishy. The pattern is called Mathematical Equation, and was designed by Robyn herself! Looks like a great pattern Robyn, good job on designing it! There are also 2 stitch markers included as well (in red to match the yarn).

The next item to show is 2 balls of Reynolds Fusion, colour #22. It's a blend of mohair, acrylic, and wool. I think this will more than likely become a scarf. Also, there were two patterns, one for socks and the other for the Pea Pod baby set. There was a cute little cow (which I forgot to include in the picture...silly me) and some lollipop suckers which I love and were long gone before I got the picture taken. This was my prize from Robyn's contest she had a little while back - guess the number of meat balls on the plate. Thanks so much for the wonderful prize Robyn!

I haven't been doing much knitting lately. I have a feeling my knitting may suffer (again) this year. Though school has just started and we haven't done a whole lot yet, things will start to get busy soon. I have the first assignment due tomorrow and then nothing until Monday, but then soon after that, things will start happening. There is also going to be group work, so other than one class, we haven't been put into our groups yet. With the group work will come meetings and what not to get our presentations and lesson plans done up, so that will eat up time as well.

I have no classes on Fridays, but that will be the day I'll do the observation part of my training. I will be starting that soon - it could take a week, or a month or somewhere in between to get placed so that could start as early as next week. Once I finish that, I'll have to start the teaching part of the training. I will more than likely be doing that Fridays next semester as well because I don't have classes then either.

But, I know I'll need to take some down time here and there so I don't crack. I am hoping that knitting will be a part of that and that it won't be just sitting or lying in front of the tv all the time. I find knitting relaxing, so hopefully I will do that to relax.

Anyway, must head off and get some lunch now. My next class starts in about an hour so I need to eat and change (did I mention I have four hours between my two classes on Wednesdays? I just come home for that time...but I'm sure there will be times I have to get together with a group or something at some point) so I won't be late. Thankfully, I don't live to far away from the school so I don't have to deal with a lot of traffic!

Happy Knitting!

Hello Again!

Hello again! I am back. Thank you for your condolences on the death of my father. It's still hard to believe he is gone. I have been pretty good, but have had some moments lately where I feel quite saddened by his death. I'm sure it will be some time before things will seem "normal" again - or at least we'll have o create a new "normal" now.

I have done a little bit of knitting, though in all honesty, not too much. While my dad was in the hospital, I got a pair of baby socks knit and a pair of toddler socks as well. There was a problem with the baby socks, however. I think I either knit one tighter than the other, or I accidentally skipped a few rows in the foot of the sock, because one of them is slightly bigger than the other. When I put them together, it's noticeable so I will either have to make 2 more socks to match, or just use the others as Christmas tree ornaments or something. Because I was too ashamed of this gross error (or not so gross), I didn't bother to take a picture of those ones.

For these toddler socks, I used my 2.7mm bamboo needles I bought in when I was in South Korea with Knit Picks yarn (oh my gosh, I'm having a senior's moment or something - can't recall the name of the yarn!) and the colourway, I believe is called "Crayon". I've had this yarn in my stash for a couple of years now and decided to use it once I got back home to Canada. The pattern is the Baby to Toddler Sized Socks by Miriam L. Felton (I love this pattern!). The pattern is linked to the one on Ravelry.

In the last couple of weeks, I've worked on another pair of toddler socks in the same yarn as the first pair, since I had enough left over from the skein of the first pair. I finally finished the second of those socks last night. These may look like the first pair (making it seem like I'm counting the same pair twice), but rest assured, they are different.

The first pair I made, I gifted to my cousin for her little fellow. She loved them (as did her mom and her grandmother, my aunt). My aunt was telling me last night that my cousin's son was sitting on the floor trying to put them on (he's not quite 2 yet) and wasn't getting angry, but just couldn't figure out how on earth to put these things on! Hopefully they'll fit him. My cousin said they would, though. The second pair I am planning on putting on the "mitten" tree at church this Christmas. Which reminds me, I need to get cracking and make some more socks and mittens, etc. since I don't really have anything (other than a pair of baby socks and a pair of toddler socks) as I haven't been knitting for that while in Korea.

Well, university started up this week and it looks like I'm going to have a pretty full plate this time around. I'm taking six courses each semester, and I'll be starting my observation in a classroom next month (I think). I have no courses on Friday's so I think that is when I'll choose to do my observation and teacher training. I'm also hoping (providing I have the finances) to take part in their program where I will be able to do part of my teacher training here, and part of it in Australia! I need to find out more about it, however - particularly how much it's going to cost. Also with school, we have a lot of group work, presentations, lesson plans, etc. to do and that will take up a lot of my time. I hope I'll have some down time so I can knit and read and whatnot!

Well, I'd better go and start on some homework. For my literacy class we have to write a 4-5 page essay/report on our own literacy memoirs. The prof said it is due next class, but the syllabus says it's due Sept. 15. I have this class on Monday, and I want to get it done for then just in case. If I get to class and find out we don't need it done that day, then I can go over it and revise it (if need be) for the actual due date. If I don't need to, then that is one assignment I will have done and won't have to worry about.

I'll leave you with a picture I took of one of my mom's dahlias (I really love this particular flower). She's got some gorgeous flowers growing in her garden. Her and dad have been into growing dahlias for the last several years and I think they are so beautiful.

Grieving

I will not be posting for a little while (maybe only a week or two) due to my father's death. His death as expected, but not quite this soon. In the end he passed quickly with family by his side.

I will be back sometime in the next few weeks.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I'm coming home early! I was able to leave and book a ticket to come home tomorrow, Sunday the 10th. I'll arrive the same day in my hometown, but I'll have been travelling nearly 24 hours. Gotta love time zones!

My dad is doing a little better. They've got his kidney situation straightened out for now and he's been keeping his food down...though he's just on liquids right now. Some times, before, he couldn't even keep those down. The nurse told my brother that part of the reason Dad might not have been keeping food down was because of so much fluid build-up.

Anyway, must go finish getting ready. I am heading out to Seoul today for some last minute shopping. I'm staying there over night because it's much closer to the airport, and since my flight leaves in the morning I wouldn't be able to get transportation from my town to the airport early enough.

The next time I write, I'll be back in Canada! See/Talk to you then!!

Quick Post

Just a quick post. Things aren't going so well for me lately. I've been under a lot of stress the last 22 hours or so.

Earlier this year my dad was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He's undergone radiation and chemo for it, and we thought things were getting better. I've written a little update over on my other blog, Confirm The Work Of Our Hands. Please click the link and read (it takes you right to the post). I'd appreciate any and all prayers.

Not Much Happening - Really...

The weather here in Yesan has become a little hotter with each passing day - and quite humid as well. Pretty soon it will get unbearable hot - at least for a pale western girl like myself. Thankfully my apartment has air conditioning, otherwise I might melt.

This week we've had some hot, humid days, but we've also had several rainy days. Last Saturday I ventured out to Seoul with a friend. My express purpose was to buy some souvenirs for family members for when I return back to Canada in a little over a month. Unfortunately, the day was rather rainy. When we got to Insadong (keep in mind that while I've been hear nearly a year now, I still don't know how to spell the names of places correctly in English...it's so confusing, especially when you see various spellings for them) which is a popular tourist place in Seoul. Usually they have vendors outside with their wares on tables in front of their stores. You can look and buy stuff from the tables, or go inside to buy things as well. Not on Saturday, however. Saturday it was POURING rain. There weren't too many people in the area, so that was good that I didn't have to fight crowds. I got some lovely things which I should take some pictures of...I haven't right now, though (and some of the things were gift wrapped so I have to wait if I want to take pics of those things).

Also it poured rain on Sunday, though earlier in the day it wasn't as bad. I went with a couple of friends out for smoothies. We got soaked. Literally. And we had umbrellas. However, the reason we got so wet was that it was also very windy. The wind picked up after we got part way down the street though. We're not sure but we think maybe it could have been the tail end of a hurricane or typhoon passing in the area (they don't typically get hit by these things, just tail ends). As we were going into the building - ok, I managed to get into the building but my friends were a little behind me and were still outside - there was this loud banging sound and we weren't quite sure what it was. I thought maybe lightning had struck the building or something (not that we had seen any), but it turns out that a tree had either been rooted up or a big branch had broken away from the tree and crashed into the building.

It's also been raining the last couple of days, but not as bad. Yesterday evening there was a reprieve and I got to go out for awhile to pick up something to eat for supper. It's still looking rainy today, though I don't know if it's raining now or not. The two pictures above are taken out of the only window in my apartment. Not much of a view. The second picture is a little blurry on the left due to the screen and the angle of the camera.

So, a couple of weeks ago I got what will be my last yarny purchase while I'm here in Korea. I ordered it from the Loopy Ewe, naturally. All my future purchases (though there won't be many in the next year since I'm going back to school and won't be working, neither will I have a student loan - I'm footing the bill this time so money will be scarce) will be sent to me in Canada.

Anyway, I got two patterns: Maple Leaves Scarf and Circle of Friendship Socks, both by HeartStrings. I have had my eye on the Circle of Friendship Socks for a long time and finally decided to get them. I think I might make them as a gift for someone - and of course for myself.

The yarn I got is Chameleon ColourWorks Bambino in the black cherry colourway (same colourway as the baby socks in the previous post, only this yarn isn't the Evolution) and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Georgetown colourway (another colourway I've had my eye on forever).

I haven't done much in the way of knitting lately. I just haven't felt like it. I hope the mojo comes back soon though. I've been doing some writing on the novel I've been working on, so that could be where all my creativity has been going. I have worked more on the sock I've been working on. It seems to have turned into one of those socks you work on now and then. I'm not too far from the toe decreaces though. You'd think being that close to the end I would just plug away at it and then start the second one. I'd like to get the pair done before I leave Korea though.

Well, this has turned into one of those long posts that really talks about nothing, so I'd better end here. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and getting lots more knitting done than I am!

Quickest FO

Tonight I finished my quickest FO ever...I think. I started a pair of baby socks on Friday and finished it up earlier this evening. Gotta love these quick knit projects!

To the right you will see a picture of the finished product. They are acutally a little darker than the picture because it was dark outside when I took the photo and didn't have natural light. In other words, I had to use the flash.

OK, here are the stats:

Pattern: Baby to Toddler Sized Socks by Miriam L. Felton (pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn: Chamelion Colorworks Evolution

Colourway: Black Cherry

Needles: Crystal Palace 2.0 mm (US 0) bamboo DPNs

Time taken to knit: 2 days

This pattern is so quick and easy to knit, and I'll definitely be using it again! I also loved working with this yarn. It's so very soft! I'll be using this yarn again in the future as well.

I took a break from the other socks I was working on to knit these baby socks. I do have more of it done though, and am about to start the heel flap on it. I am still on the first sock though, so not a whole lot of progress on that one yet.

Not much else to say. School is finished the 18th of July, then we have a week off before we do a week of Summer Camp. Still don't know if I'll be working the first week or so of school when it starts up in August or not. I guess I'll find out the closer it gets to the time.

Heading off now. Happy knitting, all!

P.S. Ten weeks from today I'll be flying home! Woot!!

It's All About The Socks

Finally, I finished the Wollmeise Socks I'd been working on. I really enjoyed the pattern and the results. I would definitely make this pattern again! It's a very simple pattern, and very easy to memorize. Please ignore the laundry basket in the picture with the sweater hanging over the side. This was the first time I'd used the timer on my camera and had no idea it was in the shot. But, I suppose it was bound to be since I'm in the little laundry area of my apartment. It's not very wide, and not very big. But, since I wanted some natural light for my picture, this was the only place to go since this is where the only windows in the apartment are. To the right of the picture is the set of doors going into my apartment.

About ten days ago, the first graders (and their teachers) at the middle school I teach at had a field trip to one of the theme parks in Seoul. It's the same one we went to last semester with the second graders at the school. At this time, however, the second graders were on a three day field trip down towards the southern part of the country. As well, the third graders were at another theme park. Anyway, the park we went to is called Seoulland. It's ok, but nothing to brag about in my opinion.

On the bus ride to and from Seoulland, I started (and worked on) another sock. I didn't take the Wollmeise socks because I didn't want to mess up the pattern - and trust me, with thirty odd number of boys on the bus, that would be highly possible. Anyway, here's the new sock I've begun:

It's just a simple, plain knitted sock because I wanted some mindless knitting to do on the bus. The yarn I'm using is Lorna's Laces in the Flamingo Stripe colourway. So far I'm enjoying this yarn, and find it nice and soft to work with. I wasn't sure what to expect with the stripes, and must admit that I thought they'd be wider. I'm totally fine with it being single row stripes though.

I haven't been doing much knitting for awhile because my left shoulder/neck has been bothering me. It had felt like I got a kink in it that wouldn't go away. I think it was the muscle though, and it was bothering me for about nine days when I decided that maybe I should try the accupuncture again. Some of the other teachers were mentioning that it might help. Now, I had accupuncture on my lower back when I first got here and didn't have any problems with it (aside from discovering through it somehow that I was allergic to the "heat" patches I'd been using...you know, the kind with adhesive on the back that you put on like a bandaid and it has stuff in it that "heats" up the location where you place it), so I thought I'd give it another go. I went twice and it did seem to help - the entire procedure though, not just the accupuncture.

First I had the accupuncture done, and they stuck about 15 pins/needles (not sure what you call them) in my back/shoulder area, as well as 4 in my right hand in various places, and one in my right foot. Then they attached some kind of electrical impulse thing to some of them and put the heat lamp (or ultraviolet lamp) on the area. After about 20 minutes they took them out and then I had a very hot pad type thing wrapped on the area. That helped to soothe and relax the muscles. After that they hooked up little suction things for about 5 minutes. There were tubes and they would suck the air out of them with this little contraption. I' don't remember the name of the procedure, but apparently is sucks the "bad blood" out....umm, ok. After they took them off, I was left with about 4 or 5 hickey-like marks on my shoulder blade and up towards my shoulder. My favourite part came last. They attached little suction cup things to the area and turned it on - it was a massage! I don't know what is in it - it if is some sort of little prongs, or water, or what...but it was soooooooooooo relaxing!

Anyway, my shoulder/neck area is feeling a lot better, though since I did some knitting and computer work today, I'm starting to feel the area tighten up. I'll have to apply some heat or something to it to loosen up the muscles again. It's not bad, but if I'm not careful, it might end up that way. I don't want to take any chances.

So, I'm off now to do some writing and work on lesson plans for this week. There are only about 5 weeks of school left now, and the last two are after exams. I really don't know why, but they make the kids go to school for 2 weeks AFTER they finish writing their final exams. Makes no sense to me. Oh well.

Happy Knitting!!

Not Much...

...going on here in South Korea at the moment. I've been slowly working on the second of the Wollmeise socks and have just finished the gusset and about to start the foot. Other than that, I've not done any knitting.

Since Saturday, I've managed to come down with a cold - par for the course for me. I also managed to lose my voice and woke up yesterday morning with none at all. I got to school and went to tell one of my coteachers (who I'd been teaching with that morning) and she went and got permission for me to go back home to rest. I also stayed home today to rest my voice (and myself). I have a bit more of my voice back, but it's cutting in and out.

I keep looking at my recent yarn purchases. I want so much to pull out all the new yarn and start new socks...but I'm limited with my needles here so I can't really do that...unless I make just one sock from each skein from different patterns and then go back later and do the second sock...but I don't want to do that. I also want to start in on the shawl pattern I ordered from the Loopy Ewe in one of my last orders...but I'm holding off because I don't have the right size needles the pattern calls for...I think my knitting has suffered because I don't have my trusty rocking chair to sit in and knit. That is where I do all my knitting when I'm at home in Canada - my rocking chair. I've really missed that since I've been here. I really don't know how I've managed this long without one. I'm soooo looking forward to being able to sit and rock when I get back!

Well, I have just a little over three months til I head back home to Canada. I think some of my yarn will pad my suitcase nicely so that if I have any breakables it should help to cushion them, lol. I will be going home with a lot more yarn than I arrived with...but isn't that the life of a knitter/yarnaholic? My friend Sarah and I are planning a little excursion to Japan (our friend Lorie might go with us too) some time before we leave for Canada, maybe in July or August. I'm really hoping to find a yarn shop when there and get some yarn to pad my suitcase with as well.

So, like I said, there isn't much going on here at the moment. The boys at school are driving me insane and I swear under all this dye, my hair must be totally grey from the stress they give me. I'm convinced they take a class in how to annoy and not respect your foreign English teacher...they are little hellions (well, not all of them, but the majority of them) quite often. But, I will not worry about that; I will focus on the fact that school is nearly done and then I'll have a week or so of summer camps to teach and then some time off and then head home!

Not much else to say, other than I'm looking forward to starting my B.Ed. courses in the fall when I get back home. It will be a lot of work though, but I'm sure I'm being prepared for that with this current job in Korea.

Happy Knitting!

One Plus One...

...does not always equal two!

This past Thursday I finished the first of my Wollmeise socks, and I must say I am quite pleased with it. Even though it is loose on the sock blocker and looked like it might be rather loose on my foot/leg, it seemed to fit fine...though maybe when I wear them it will be different. But, I'm not worried; I just might have to pull them up a little more often. I have enjoyed working on this sock, and really can't wait til I finish the second one - but that requires to at least start the second one. No, lest you think I am suffering (or about to suffer) from the dreaded SSS - or second sock syndrome - no, that is not the case. I will be casting on for the other sock tomorrow, hopefully.

I had also started (about the same time as I started the Wollmeise socks) a pair of Ainsley Socks (my pattern). They are baby socks. Well, I finished the first one this afternoon and part of it looks great. I discovered a mistake in the pattern which seemed to work fine the first time around, but this time there was one extra stitch in the pattern for the top of the foot. Half of the foot pattern looks fine, the rest doesn't quite match up. So, for the second sock I will not put that one stitch in and see how it looks. I don't think it's too bad though...at any rate, I'll have to go back to my pattern on here after I finish the second one (just to make sure I hadn't made a mistake on this particular sock) and correct the pattern.

One thing I noticed, is that with the size of the sock and the pattern, the colours tended to "pool" (for lack of a better word...though it's not really pooling). Part of the colours (mostly the blue and pink) are on the back of the leg, while the other ones (the greenish/yellowish and blue) tended to be on the front. Doesn't look overly bad though, but it would have been nicer to have had more of a mix throughout.

Anyway, I've been working on my writing some today after finishing the first of the Ainsely socks. I had started working on a novel before I left Canada but haven't done much since arriving in Korea. It's not that I haven't had the time because, believe me, I have. I've just been lazy with it. Well, that and being tired a lot doesn't help either. So, today I decided to pull it out and work on it some more. I found 3 sheets of handwritten pages I had done last semester and typed them onto my new lap top. The rest of my novel is on the old lap top and I need to charge it up and copy it onto my USB key (or whatever those things are called).

Going to head off for now. Hope you all have a great weekend, and happy knitting!

Yarny Goodness

Yup...today is one of those yarny goodness days. I got yarn in the mail - mind you, it's all yarn I ordered from the Loopy Ewe, but that's besides the point.

The two orders I mentioned in my last post came in the mail last week. I get my orders sent to the school I work at because it's much easier to do that. I'm not home during the day when the mailman comes and since the packages are bigger than the little mailboxes we have, I'd have to make an extra trip to the post office. While normally I wouldn't mind going to the post office, the thing about over here in Korea is that the post office (among other places such as the bank) are closed by 4:30...though from what I understand the post office might close by 5:30, but that only leaves me half an hour to get home and get to the post office before it closes, and...well, to make a long story short, the overall best solution is to simply have the packages sent to the school address.

So, the picture to the right shows my loot. This is a combination of both orders. In the back you can see the lovely Loopy Ewe tote I received for becoming a Loopy Groupie. I also got a keychain, some yummy peppermint candies (one in each order), yarn and patterns. The patterns I got are as follows: Pretty As A Peacock by Some Knitting Required (a beautiful shawl), Snapdragon Toe-up Socks by Wendy D. Johnson, Chestnut Hill Socks by Lisa Parker (Wildhorse Farm Designs), Grid Lock Socks by Lisa Parker (Wildhorse Farm Designs), and Lacy Pillars Socks A Loopy Groupie Sock Pattern designed by Debbie O'Neill (which I guess I got for becoming a Loopy Groupie - sorry can't find a link for it).

The yarn is as follows: Chameleon Color Works Evolution in black cherry (somehow I messed up my order and only ordered 1 skein instead of 2 so I will make something small with it - or some baby/toddler socks - 2nd from right), Baby Boo by Numma Numma in the apricots with mixed fruit colourway (3rd from left), Superwash Me - Sock by J. Knits in the colourway ac#124 (2nd from left), my second skein of Alpaca with a Twist Fino in the same colourway and lot number as the skein in the previous post (this is the second one I needed so I could make the Pretty As A Peacock shawl) (1st on the left), Fannie's Fingering Weight in the Rhapsody colourway (1st on the right), and finally I love whomever it was who cancelled her order the day they were packing mine up. I had ordered Chameleon color Works Bambino in the Purple Rain colourway (3rd from right). I was originally told (via email) that they were sold out but put the colourway on my wishlist. I was fine with that. Then a day or so later I received another email saying that someone had cancelled her order and so they adjusted mine to include the Purple Rain! Woot!

Forgive the horrible picture above, but that's me holding the Purple Rain. It looks like I have no makeup on and I'm as pale as a ghost...however, I do have makeup on, though it's probably worn off since this picture was taken after I got home from work. As far as paleness goes - well, that's just natural, lol. Again, sorry for the horrible pic!

So, in other news, I'm still working on the Wollmeise socks. They are knitting up fast when I can find the time to work on them. I'm also doing them on size 2.7 (odd size but they are needles I got in Seoul and they didn't have the standard sizes on them...I think it's the closest to a 2.75 size though). The sock is turning out a little loose I think, but that's ok. I really like this pattern and it's knitting up nicely. I really like the way it looks in this colourway too. Currently, I'm on the foot of the first sock, nearly half way to the toe. I'll also include a closeup of how the pattern is looking.

I gotta hand it to Monica, she's got some pretty awesome patterns created! I don't know how she does it, but way to go, Monica!

New Sock

I have begun my latest sock. Ok, actually I have begun two of them. One I forgot to take a picture of, but with my left over Fleece Artist yarn from the pair in my previous post, I thought I might have enough for a pair of baby socks, so I am working on my Ainsley Sock pattern with that.


For me, however, I have started in on Monica's Wollmeise Sock pattern. I am using the Trekking yarn I got not long ago from the Loopy Ewe, as I thought that might look good with this pattern. So far, I must say, I do like the yarn and the pattern. The pattern is real simple and easy to knit.


So far, I have the cuff and about 4 repeats of the pattern. In the picture I don't have quite that much done though. The cuff was knit yesterday on the train to Seoul, and the first two repeats were done on the way back from Seoul today. It didn't take the entire trip to do the two repeats, but I was a little tired so I put the knitting away and dozed off some.


Seoul was great this weekend. My friend Tamara and I went with our other friend Sarah because she was going to the James Blunt concert at the Olympic Park stadium. Sarah didn't want to navigate the subways alone, and since Tamara knows them fairly well, we went along. Tamara and I were going to head back to Yesan after Sarah went to the concert, but when Sarah was getting her ticket, we checked and there were still seats left. So, impulsively, Tamara and I bought tickets too. The funny thing is, Sarah had ordered hers a week or two ago online and got in one section and ours was, naturally, in another section. Well, turns out the put Sarah in our section as well (for some reason they said it's the same section, but it isn't...oh well). The funny part, is that Tamara's and my seats were about 3 rows in front of Sarah. Poor Sarah is a huge James Blunt fan and we got closer than her. Tamara likes his music too, and I've actually only heard one song (Beautiful). They convinced me to go saying his music is great. I took their word for it and went.


Well, I really enjoyed the concert. I really enjoy his music. I bought both his CDs after the concert. I. Am. A. Fan. And, oohhh those eyes! And, oohhh that accent! I'm really glad I was impulsive and bought a ticket. We ended up not coming back to Yesan until this afternoon, but that wasn't a problem. We got a half decently priced and clean hotel in Seoul and took the 12:40 train back. Unfortunately we lost out on the tickets we had purchased yesterday for our return last night, but oh well.


Anyway, better head off. Still have to do up a lesson plan for tomorrow. Happy knitting!

Latest FO and More Yarn

I finally completed my latest socks this past Sunday, but didn't get
around to taking the picture until today. These are made with Fleece Artist yarn, though I don't know the colourway. I bought the yarn from London-Wul last year, sometime before I left for Korea (quite possibly in the late spring or early summer). Anyway, there was no colour name on the label, and I don't know if there was a number associated with it or not. Sorry about the picture. I had to use the flash so the colours look a little washed out.

I really enjoyed using the Fleece Artist and look forward to knitting with it again. I have another ball in my stash, here in Korea, and can't wait to use it. I have it assigned to one of Monica's patterns I got from the Loopy Ewe late last year. I just need to dig through my stuff and see if I brought my smaller cable needle with me and if not will have to try to find one here. Then I can start that pattern.

I want so much to be a Loopy Groupie so I had to put another order in as I'm almost there...I think I have just one more to go and I achieve that status. Why do I want to be a Loopy Groupie? All the cool kids are doing it and I so desire to be a cool kid!

Anyway, the yarn I got in this order from the Loopy Ewe consists of 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces in the Apple Hill (#108) and a skein (or is it a hank? I never know the difference between the two) of Fino by Alpaca with a Twist (70% baby alpaca/30% silk) in the Coral Gables (#5011) colourway. I have decided I want to make a shawl and that is what I decided to use with it. This isn't a colour I'm usually drawn to, but I think it will look nice in a shawl. The colour in the picture is a little lighter, due to the flash. I've since put in an order (again at the Loopy Ewe) for a couple patterns and had to order another skein/hank of this same yarn (hoping Sheri still has one with the same dye lot) because the shawl pattern I ordered in this next order requires 1000 yards, and this one skein/hank is only 875. I also ordered a couple of sock patterns because a girl (or guy) can never have too many sock patterns!

Here's another pic of the yarn using some natural light. I took the pic on my washing machine with my new (as of last Wednesday) African violet. The colours still lok a little light, though they are much closer to the actual colours. In the Lorna's Laces, what looks to be a dark pink is actually closer to a reddish colour. I have no idea if this yarn will produce a striped pattern or not, so I'm anxious to see how it knits up.


Tomorrow at school there is an English competition for the students. I was told today after work, while waiting for my drive, that I am to be a judge at the competition. That's right...told. Not asked. I really don't mind doing it, but the polite thing would be to ask me if I would be willing to help out, not tell me I have to. I mean, what if I had an appointment or had plans made and couldn't do it...then they'd be stuck. I assume the Korean English teachers will be doing judging too - I don't think I'm the only one, but who knows. When my co-teacher mentioned this to me (she was telling me someone else was going to drive me home because, "I'm very busy preparing for the English competition tomorrow afternoon. You're one of the referees."), I told her that this was the first I'd heard of this. She chuckled and said she should have told me earlier but she had forgot. Hey, not I'm just as guilty as the next person for forgetting things so I can't get mad about that. However, to tell me that I am a "referee" without my prior knowledge of this is just a little too...hmm, what's the word...assumptive(if that is even a word)? At least they didn't tell me last minute like has happened in different situations before (like 15 minutes before a class starts, which previously I had none scheduled, telling me I have a class that was switched with another teacher the week previously and that it was rescheduled to that day...and then leaving me totally unprepared to teach because I had no idea that was when it was rescheduled for...). And, I really don't mind doing it...just don't care for the way they went about recruiting me...


So, other than work, there hasn't been too much going on. I'm bored and am looking forward to going back home at the beginning of September. It's not that I dislike it here in Korea, it's just things I miss (aside from family and friends) like conveniences, name brands I'm used to, food I like and can eat, clothes that will actually fit me and not be made for a really tiny person with no curves whatsoever...things like that. I know when I go back there will be people I miss and even some parts of the country and culture, but in all honesty, I'm really looking forward to getting back to what I know.


And on the plus side of coming home....cheaper shipping rates, quicker receiving of packages, and being able to shop at my LYS (and the new one that just opened up before I left and didn't get a chance to shop at)!


Must go for now. Happy knitting to all!

Edited to add: The sock blockers in the first picture with the socks are also a purchase from the Loopy Ewe in the order with the Lorna's Laces and Alpaca with a Twist...forgot to mention that before.

One Out of One McDreamies Approve...

Ok, so just within the last couple of months, I have become addicted to Grey's Anatomy. I just finished watching season 2. You see, the cable I have here in Korea is weird. It's not like the cable the others have. My cable comes through the internet and everything (movies and tv shows) seem to be downloaded from DVDs or something. I'm not totally sure how it works, but I can't find any "normal" cable channels like CNN or BBC. Yes, the majority of the tv shows would be Korean, but there are some English ones on. So, as I said, I just finished watching season 2 of Grey's. I think it takes awhile for them to get the shows on because they are putting Korean subtitles at the bottom. I'm now waiting for them to get season 3 of Grey's, season 3 of Stargate SG-1, and season 3 of House.

So, back to the title of the post. McDreamy (hubba hubba) has approved my latest sock - the Fleece Artist one I've been working on. I finished the first sock today and started into the cuff of the second. He's seen the sock, and he definitely approves. Want to see the proof? Ok, look at that pitcture...see that smile? He definitely approves of the sock!



Ok, so Robyn asked about the Claudia socks as to whether or not I ran out of yarn or had to make them smaller. I forgot to mention this crucial info in my last post, and since I bought the yarn from her shop, I should mention it so she'll know and pass on the info to her customers.



I did make the socks about an inch or two shorter than I normally make them (about 7 inches from the bottom of the heel to the top of the cuff normally). I didn't want to run out of yarn, especially since I typically do my socks from the cuff down, so I thought I'd play it safe and make them a little shorter. I had some yarn left over for each sock...about enought I could have made it another inch longer possibly - maybe half an inch, but definitely no more than an inch. I've worn the socks twice already since making them and I love them. They fit pretty good and the yarn feels great on my feet. I will definitely use Claudia Hand Painted yarns again in the future.



I forgot to show you in my last post some yarn I bought at the yarn shop here in Yesan, South Korea. It's called Fiance and I think it's by Nak Yang. It's top dyed wool (75%) & kid mohair (25%), and is 45g/115m. I got four balls of it but I'm not sure what I'll make. I was thinking something like a scarf, mittens or a hat. It reminds me of Noro Kureyon (or however you spell it, lol). Anyone have any ideas and/or patterns I could try with this yarn? Please let me know in the comments. Also, if anyone has tried this yarn let me know what you thought of it as well.

Well, have to go and work on some lesson plans. We have to have stuff to email one of the teachers in charge of the Saturday classes that begin on the 19th, as they are making up a workbook for the kids to use. I'm focusing on the writing aspect this time (there are four of us, and one is taking reading, one writing, one speaking, and one listening), so I need to get some work done as the deadline to email the teacher is Monday. Plus, I have my regular lesson for the week to do up, plus three other lessons for my extra classes. Thankfully I've got a bit of that all done, and still have tomorrow to work on it too. But, I should go and do some more.

Happy Knitting!

More Yarn

Well, I had to put in another order for sock yarn with The Loopy Ewe. I felt the need to get more and build up my stash here in Korea. So, since I also needed to get some size 2.0mm (US 0) DPNs, I thought I'd get yarn while I was at it. None of this yarn, well with the exception of one of them, I have used before. The one I have used is Trekking. Well, I should say that I started on a pair of socks with some Trekking before I left for Korea and didn't get them finished. The Trekking is in the upper right, and it is colour 159. I think it might look good with a small cable pattern, but I could be wrong.

The yarn to the left is Araucania ranco Multi, in the Peacock colourway (colour number 304). Not sure what kind of pattern I will use with this though. The third skein/hank of yarn in the middle is Lime & Violet Sasquatch Sock in the Buster Keaton colourway.

The needles are Crystal Palace bamboo, size 2.0mm (US 0). There were also some Hershey's kisses included in my order...mmmm, chocolate!

Like I said, I haven't used these yarns (except Trekking) before, and I haven't heard anyone's thoughts or experiences with them. I do hope they are good yarns to work with. I'm looking forward to knitting them up.

Here is my progress on the latest sock I'm working on. It's just a plain knitted sock in Fleece Artist. I like the colours in it, and it's knitting up nicely. I'm up to the heel at the moment (first sock). I had knit the heel, but realized the pattern I was following to do the heel had less stitches and it didn't turn out right; needless to say I ripped it out and am just waiting to do the heel and move on to the gusset. The colours are a little darker than the picture shows, and the blues are a little more dominant than the pinks and whites.

I have been sick, yet again, here in Korea. It seems ever since I got here I've had a cold every single month except January. The current cold has been dragging on for 2 weeks now and twice it felt like it was starting to go away only to come back a little worse. Well, last night it started to get a little worse again, and by this morning (into my second class) I was feeling a lot worse. I was stuffed up, my nose was running, I was sneezing, coughing, had a headache, and ended up with a fever and chills. My co-teacher had said that if I wanted, she'd take me to the doctor. Well, with the schedule I had today (and hers) that turned out to be impossible. I had 6 classes to teach, plus a meeting after school. About 20 minutes before lunch was over, my co-teacher comes over to me and says that we have a class to teach after lunch. Normally I don't have a class that period, but this was rescheduled from last week. Well, I wish I had some notice because I didn't have anything prepared for it. I already taught this class earlier in the week so I couldn't do this weeks lesson again with them.

Well, to make a long story short, after we got to the class and I had asked the kids how they were doing, she walked over to me and said if I wanted, she'd do the class by herself and I could go back to my desk because I didn't look very well. Duh! I'm barely functioning and you all know I'm really sick today...but I couldn't have gone home even if i wanted to. For some strange reason, the Koreans don't seem to like to miss work and are always there. They expect everyone else to be there too. But in all honesty, they should have told me to go home. If I had asked, no doubt they wouldn't have allowed it because they need someone to teach my classes. I don't think the coteachers would have wanted to unless they had to...like if I had lost my voice (like what happened last November or December). Oh well. I came home with a fever and went right to bed and slept until nearly 10pm tonight. I'm still feeling a little crappy, and my sinuses are really hurting...my head is starting to ache again, particularly when I cough. Thankfully though, I don't feel like I have the fever anymore.

I do hope I get over this soon. I'm really sick and tired of getting sick every month. It makes me want to go home now. I'm never sick this often back home in Canada. I'm convinced it's the different germs and viruses that I'm not used to.

Anyway, I'll stop ranting like a raving lunatic now. Happy knitting!

A New Pair of Socks

Yep, I have a new pair of socks. I finished them yesterday while watching a couple of movies. I had hoped they would have been done last weekend, but sadly they weren't. Oh well, the important thing is that they are finished now. The picture to the left is a little dark...obviously...since it was taken in front of the window. I got this cool thing at one of the stores here (the kind of store that sells things for the home like dishes, cleaning things, towels, etc.) and you hook it over a rod and it has little "arms" that hang off it (about 6 or 8) with plastic clothes pins on the end. You use it to hang your fine delicates up to dry. I thought it might come in hand to hang the socks up for a picture. I think I'll take it home with me when I go back to Canada in the fall and use it to hang my knitted socks up to dry in the winter. The lighter picture below is with natural light coming in the window with the socks laying on top of my washer. What I hate about doing laundry here is that there are no dryers (very few people have them and I think they are only small anyway). I have a pair of jeans I bought new before I came here and they are big on me now (I've lost about 10 lbs since coming to Korea) and I would love a dryer to dry them in so they'd shrink a little bit. Oh welll, I digress.

Ok, so back to the knitting and yarn. These are the plain knit socks I made with the Claudia Hand Painted. I liked using this yarn and found it to be soft. There was no splitting or knots in the yarn, and I always enjoy that. The only thing I found was one skein (the right sock in the picture of the socks on the washer) was a little darker than the other. It's not a big deal and won't stop me from wearing them. But, I would definitely use this kind of yarn again!

I've started another pair of socks with some Fleece Artist (don't know what colourway it is) that I brought with me from Canada. I got this last spring or summer I think...maybe the winter. I have only got the cuff and about 3 or 4 rows of knitting done so far, so not really picture worthy yet. I think these are going to be mindless knitting socks again - just a plain knitted sock. My problem (well one of many, lol) is that I don't have a printer here. There is one the five of us foreign teachers use in the building (we have to share it...and the one who currently has had it for a few months is never around), but it's just such a hassel and I don't know if it will work with my computer since it's from Canada, and the printer is from Korea...I'm not technologically inclined so I have no idea...it might though. Anyway, in order for me to get some sock patterns I'd have to print them out, and the only printer I use mostly is at school...don't think they'd enjoy me printing out the patterns there. Oh welll, I might try it sometime. But for now, with this new sock, it'll just be a mindless knit.

Here's one of my pictures from Egypt. This is Abu Simbel and was built by Ramses II...I think. I totally forget, lol. This temple was closer to Lake Nasser, but in the '60s (I think), it was moved back so that it wasn't so close to the edge of the lake. In the process, the statue 2nd front the left lost it's head - it fell off. That's me in front of the temple, but don't look too close...I'll probably scare you.

Anyway, we had to get up at 3:00 AM to go to this place. It was about a three to three and a half hour drive from where we were in Aswan. One of the reasons they do the tours so early is because it gets rather hot during the afternoon; that and tons of tourists visit it so the earlier in the day you go, the better. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures inside.

For those of you not on Facebook to see my current profile picture, here it is. This is me all bundled up (knee high tights, a pair of my hand knit wool socks, leggins, jeans, 2 tshirts, a sweater, my winter coat, a scarf around my neck (inside my coat), ear muffs, a pashmina/scarf around my head, and a winter scarf around my neck and head...oh, and gloves...and up on the mountain I was wrapped up in a blanket as well) to climb Mount Sinai at 2:30 AM. I went half way up on camel, then the last half you have to actually climb yourself. It is all steps. Uneven, different sized, stone steps. Hard. Unless you are in tip top physical shape (unlike myself), this is a difficult climb. I had to stop 4 or 5 times to catch my breath, but I made it to the top. It was FREEZING up there!

This is turning into a longer post than I had thought, but I will leave you with one last picture from atop Mount Sinai.

Swing Of Things

I guess I am getting back into the swing of things here in Korea. This past week, since I've been back from Egypt, I haven't been doing a whole lot, but I am gradually getting there.



You see, I've been suffering from jet lag quite a bit. It didn't bother me while I was in Egypt (I'm told that usually you are affected by it more so with your return flight), but this past week I have been hard hit. From what the others are saying, they too have been having a hard time dealing with it as well. I just can't sleep at my normal time - even if I feel tired. I usually end up falling asleep anywhere from 3:00 am til 7:00 am. Then, I might get only a few hours of sleep and then be wide awake and have to take a nap some time in the afternoon, and that usually turns into sleeping for a couple of hours at least.

Last night I went to bed around midnight. I felt tired. I managed to get to sleep before 12:30 but I woke up around 1:15 and was wide awake. So, I got up (after tossing and turning awhile) and had a snack of strawberries and crackers because I was feeling hungry. While I ate that, I watched an episode of Stargate SG-1 (man, that Richard Dean Anderson is HOT!) and went back to bed. I think I fell asleep around 3:30 and woke up at 10:30 when my alarm went off.



The thing is, I start back to work tomorrow. I'm worried that I won't be able to sleep tonight and then suffer at work tomorrow. I guess I'll have to make sure I have lots of coffee with me to help keep me awake...



On the knitting front, since I've been back I've been working on the sock I started before I left for my trip. I had to rip out part of the gusset because I wasn't thinking when I did it (I had this done before leaving) and started doing the toe decrease by mistake. I only noticed after I had knit about 10-15 rows. I didn't want to take out the needles and rip back because I figured I wouldn't get the stitches lined up properly and I'd probably end up dropping some stitches as well. So, I sat and tinked back the required number of rows and started knitting it correctly this time. I'm into the foot part already. Karen informed me that the yarn I'm using (Claudia Hand Painted) doesn't have a lot of yardage as other skeins do, so I shouldn't make the sock as long as I would normally do so. I made the leg 1-2 inches shorter than normal, so I hope I'll end up with enough yarn to finish. I think I have about 2 1/2 - 3 inches left before starting the toe decreases...I think.

I am slowly making my way back to reading the blogs I usually frequent. I've got a new laptop, so I will have to go on the one the school lent me, for use while I'm here, and copy down the list of links to the ones I had listed under my "favourites" section so I can add them on here (or rather add them to the list of links on my sidebar). It's great seeing what everyone is working on and the progress they are making. Lots of cute items and gorgeous yarns being used! So, if I haven't been to your blog yet, I'm slowly making my way there and trying to get caught up on the posts I've missed.

As for me, I still have tons of pictures to post up on Face Book and I still haven't added any posts/pictures to my other blog yet. Hopefully soon. I'll let you know when that happens so you can go see them if you want.

Well, off I go to surf the net some more (maybe catch up at Ravelry) and find something to watch and knit to. Happy knitting to you all!