Update!

Wow!! I can't believe it's been over a year since I updated my blog!!! Shame on me!  I won't let that happen again!!!

The past year, we settled into our new house, I changed jobs after 12 years at the last one, added a new vintage car to my collection, a new kitty to the family and knit a bit.

We didn't travel much despite really wanting to! We went to Toronto for a week and hung out and shopped. A second trip to Toronto was thwarted by really bad weather. After alot of soul searching, I sold my cabin at the lake. While we loved it out there we just found the past few years it was more work and less relaxation. The property was almost 2 acres on the lake and that's alot of grass to cut and bush to tame. We were working every weekend there just to keep the status quo. Plus, we werent doing anything else or going anywhere else because we just felt so obligated to go to the cabin. I finally decided I would much rather use the money from the sale to do the trips we really want to do --- this year we are going to spend a week in London, UK then a couple more in Scotland. I'm ecstatically excited!!!  We also have plans over the next few years to visit all the fab places we have always wanted to go -- Paris, Venice, Vienna, Tibet, China and road trip all over Canada and the USA.

I didn't knit last year as much as I usually do, and again this year, so far, not so much either. It's still my favourite hobby though!

Anyhow, I promise to post more regularly again! .... with lots of knitting and travel and kitty and doggie pics!

xox ♥

2011 Knitting roundup!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

I've been so busy over the holidays and can't believe it's been so long since I updated here!

I want 2012 to be a year that I blog here at least once a week.

Every year at the end, I gather up all the pics of things I knit that year.

I did ALOT this year!

I made 25 Monsters, 23 other Stuffies, (some of the baby monsters I didn't count), a pair of lacey socks, a set of felted bunny slippers, an alpaca scarf, 3 baby sweaters (one not shown because I have to sew buttons on it yet), 3 felted Xmas tree ornaments, 2 felted bowls, 3 Gnomey knitting needle holders, a doggy bandana, 3 mini Zombies, 3 mini Santas, 2 mini Snowmen and participated in a community effort to make a baby blanket for a member of our group by making 4 squares for the blanket. Those are only the things I remember and took pics of! I think there's about a half-dozen others too.

On top of that I knit about 120 hexipuffs too -- some for my future blanket and about 2 dozen for swaps and gifts to other's blankets.

LOOK at them all!

I like to do this every year because it makes me feel a bit accomplished. I know I spent alot of time knitting but when you give away alot of it then at the end of the year you dont have alot to show for it, except photos ....... and smiles!

I don't really have any goals related to knitting for 2012. I'm currently doing some test knitting for other designers and pattern editing. I like that. I also want to knit a bazillion more hexipuffs, of course! I like the swaps too so I'm sure I'll participate in a few of those on Ravelry. I've often thought of getting back into designing a little after years of taking a break from it. I did design and sell some beautiful pieces years ago but never published patterns and maybe I should. It's something to think about anyhow!

TOKmas holiday card swap

I joined the holiday card swap in the Tiny Owl Knits group on Ravelry. I've gotten a couple really cute cards...

This one came first, from "Rainbowscuba". She needle felted a little owl piece for the front of the card:

This one came from "SilveryMoonbeam". I love the animals on it.. and it sparkles! Plus she drew such a pretty owl on the envelope....

This adorable card came from "Thumbelina139", though I dont think it was part of the swap.

Thank you to you lovely ladies! I wish you a wonderful holiday season!

I am so behind on gift getting and making and putting up our tree, decorating and sending out cards this year, with the move. I sent out my cards for the swap weeks ago but my regular, personal cards are sitting in the den waiting for stamps yet!

Iris, a monster

Oh look!

Another monster!

I'm on a roll, right now. I've been going through my big bin of UFO's (unfinished objects) and working on a few that caught my eye.

One of them was this little cutie. She's made of the yarn from a kid's cardigan kit I bought a few years ago that just didn't turn out as I'd hoped. So, I re-wound the yarn and used it for Iris, the Gourmet Monster (pattern by Rebecca Danger, Dangercrafts).

Settling In

I love my new house!

I love the huge windows that face the sunshine all day long. I love the soft shag carpet. I love the sauna. I love the new neighbourhood and the huge garden. I love the deer that walk around my property every day, despite the fact that they will eat my flowers in the summertime. I even love the dated wood-paneled rec room with it's fireplace.

I just love it here and am settling in comfortably. I still have a ton of boxes to unpack yet but I'll get to them ... eventually. The important things like wool, knitting needles, teapot, kitchen things and computers are unpacked.

Can't find our xmas decorations yet though! Will have to take care of that this week. Good thing my mom and auntie brought us a huge house-warming poinsetta plant.

Been getting alot of knitting and finishing done on some projects that have been sitting around awhile. My box for the TOKmas swap was mailed off to my spoilee on Monday. I finished up her Gnome Homes (for double-pointed knitting needles - or pencils!) and her Hopsalot bunny slippers.  Tracking the package shows that delivery was attempted and she should have a notification card to pick it up at the parcel depot. I'm excited and nervous! I hope she loves everything I sent her!

Also finished up a gang of Travelling Gnomes that I sent off as a gift to a fellow knittie. I forgot to take a pic so this is hers!

And... I finally finished this guy! Gort the monster (pattern from the Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger). I started him at the cottage this summer but only just had the time to finish him up the past couple days.

I have a ton of Xmas knitting yet to do and cards to mail out and gifts to buy and wrap! With moving, it's all been left to the last minute... but that's ok! I work really well under pressure! ♥

Update! Kitteh

Wow! It's almost been two weeks since I updated! That's what I get for moving, eh!

We've been absolutely crazy-busy with packing and moving and starting to get the new house set up the past few weeks. It's really been nuts. We are just now finishing up the 'moving' part and now, onto the unpacking part. It's my least favourite part. I'd rather pack than unpack -- I find it really stressful trying to figure out where to put everything in a new place and get back into a regular routine.

So, I have no knitting to update on!

... though, I've finished putting together my TOK-mas swap package and it will go out in the mail tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll post pics of the goodies I made for it before it's received yet. I'm fairly positive my partner doesn't read my blog so I just may. The projects I did up, in my humble opinion, are awesome! So, maybe I'll share this week. 

I've also been putting the finishing touches on a package for another knitter who had a new baby. I'm sooooo slow though! Baby was born in August and life got the better of me and I am just now finishing up putting buttons on sweaters. I decided to add a couple little elves for her other kids too and may put in a diorama ornament too, if I can finish one by Tuesday night. I want to mail it Wednesday. 

So, for lack of knitting pics, I'll give you my kitteh.

Sleeping .... and behaving, for once.

Isn't he a goofball?

♥

Holiday Tree ornaments

I finished up a few of the felted diorama holiday tree ornaments. They go off in the mail tomorrow to the recipients. I hope they love 'em as much as I do. I know I'll definately make more of these and in fact, wish I had time this year to do so to give as gifts.

They really are much cuter in person! I had to photograph them at night, which I dislike, but they needed to be packed and I couldnt' wait for the sun to accomodate me!

I used the Snowman Diorama ornament & Tree Diorama ornament patterns by Katie Startzman.  (Ravelry link: here)

 I modified the red one to hold a mini Santa with the tree. Also made a few more mini Santas for a gift pack. They look a little fuzzy... need to pick some of those long hairs off them!

Pattern is the Teeny Tiny Mochi Mochi Santas pattern by Mochimochiland. Ya'll know I LOVE minis and these guys are perfect for the upcoming season!