The Knitting Maevan

Hey all! I've moved!

You can now find me here!

Happy Mabon to everyone :) And by that, I mean happy autumn.

I love this time of year. Everything seems slightly more vibrant and alive, as thought to give one final push before winter. That, and I am definately not a heat person. I prefer my cool autumn air and the feeling of impending snow. Ottawa doesn't get hot like most other places. When summer hits here, our humidex makes everything feel 1000x hotter. Ther eis no such thing as dry heat in Ottawa. It's just gross here. Blarg.

I've been very much stressing about school and my future. Teacher's College applications are due in about 2 months. Where did the time go? You can find more specific information about that on my LJ, here.

I don't have much knitting news. I've been so busy with school, I haven't even seamed Beckie yet. Sigh. Oh well, I hope to have it done by the end of this weekend so that I can wear it to class on Monday. :)

In bigger news, I am moving this blog. What? Where did that come from? Well, it all started because I can't seem to set up an RSS feed. Secondly, I want this blog to be able to stand on its own two feet. I don't want it affiliated with my personal site as much. Plus, I think it looks far more presentable to have an easy to remember URL. So, by the 1st of October, you will be able to find me at theknittingmaevan.blogspot.com. I hope the transition goes seamlessly. Let me know what you guys think of my plans :) Also, feel free to now add me to your RSS feed list, as it has all been set up for the new location. Finally, I am also looking for someone to either help me, or to independantly redesign the look of this place. I really like this layout, but it doesn't really suit autumn. Sadly, I am far too busy to do this myself.

Anyway :) Take care everyone! I'm going away for the weekend to celebrate Lis' birthday at Anne's cottage :)

Yay feeling better :) Lis, her brother Alex, and I went out downtown today. I picked up a ton of stuff for my secret pal. I'm very excited this round. She seems to have a lot in common with me. In fact, she seems like a very cool lady that I'd love to get to know. I hope she creates a blog-like creature though, as, of right now, she doesn't seem to have anything up to date. Tis hard to spoil when you can't really get inside the pal's headspace ;)

On that note, I was reflecting today on my previous experiences with Secret Pal. I hope this one goes better. In the past, those who recieved from me rarely posted about it, or didn't really seem to show any interest in their gifts. It's a shame, especially in a knitting community, to have your hand-crafted or hand-picked gifts shrugged at. Oh well *sigh* What can you do? I just hope that my gifts aren't lame, ya know? I really want to make people happy with these things. It's just hard to tell. All I know is that I've loved everything I've ever recieved, and I try to let my pals know.

So, I finally have the yarn to finish Beckie. That's the plan for tonight. Maybe I'll have a real live FO for you tomorrow! Woo! Excitment!

Here we go again!


1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I'm not big on really scratchy yarns. I love softness, but that said, my favourites range from Bernat Satin to Alpaca! Really, I just love classy and colourful, whether it be 100% acrylic or cashmere.(Note: Most of my stash is Red Heart ^_^ I love it all the same)
2. Do you spin? Crochet? Nope. I'd love to learn one day, but for now, I'm focused on knitting 100%
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Smokey things aren't that fun, but I can deal. My skin is a little sensitive due to eczema, but very little irritats it. So far, all fibers and perfumes are fine!
4. How long have you been knitting? I started in May 2004
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I sure do! Here.
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Amber. I love amber everything. Also, spices. I'm a sucker for pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves. I also love natural products, like what's available at BPAL.
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Oh baby, do I ever :)
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I sew, I want to get into gardening, I paint and draw. I love crafty things :)
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I'm a huge Tori Amos fan. Otherwise, I love Alternative music. I'm diversifying my tastes, so anything new and interesting is good. Lately, I've been enjoying tunes from my friends from blues to metal. I'm really big into alterna-folk-country stuff right now, like Sarah Harmer, Katheleen Edwards and Neko Case. I really want to get into some real music. Suggestions are always welcome. On that note, my favourite bands/artists are Moist, David Usher, Rachael Yamagata, A Perfect Circle, Ani DiFranco, etc..
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I love jewel tones, rich colours, autumn and earth colours. You name it really :) I'm not a huge fan of yellow, mainly because it makes me look ill. Feel free to throw me something completely new though. I'm always up for change.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am the middle child in a family of 5 kids. My parents live in the east end of the city. We're all very close. I live with my best friend, three cats and a snake. I've also been with my boyfriend for 4 1/2 years now.
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I want to travel. I want to be happy, I want to have a family. I think I want to teach, but I'm not sure. I'm also playing around with the idea of being a cafe/store/gallery owner librarian, an antique's dealer, or maybe a pirate.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? So far, anything soft and interesting. Rich colours, soft textures, natural fibers.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Novelty yarns. I am so very sick of the fun fur pollution that seems to be going on.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Lace and Cabling. I aspire to Rogue one day ;) I'm also working on a lot of lace cardigans and maybe one day a shawl.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I'm not sure. I haven't played around with much yet. Sweaters are taking me forever, but they are the most rewarding in the end. Shrugs are alot of fun. I find lacey scarves interesting.
17. What are you knitting right now? A shrug, two cardigans, two scarves.
18. What do you think about ponchos? I'm actually starting to dig them :) I plan on trying Phoebe from Interweave.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Straights though I'm starting to get the hang of circs
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Bamboo
21. Are you a sock knitter? I'd like to be :) I find the lacey sock patterns out there to be very cute!
22. How did you learn to knit? My mom taught me so that I could survive my summer lectures :) I then improved trying to teach my best friend via Stitch 'N Bitch
23. How old is your oldest UFO? My first project from the above lectures - the fugly legwarmers. 1 1/2 year old.
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? I am an anime lover, so this is a hard question. Other than anime, Invader Zim, or anything silly and cute. Hello Kitty stuff (though less Hello Kitty and more the accompanying friends, namely the panda guy). Super deformed anime creatures are always great. Animal? Cats and snakes :) Also a big fan of horses and wolves.
25. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween and Beltane
26. Is there anything that you collect? Old books! Neat things, journals, photos, BPAL, Tori stuff, movies, neat art supplies, interesting artwork.
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None! But, I want Interweave, Vogue and Rebecca.
28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Absolutely! Simple Knits with a Twist, Vintage Style, Wrap Style, and Vogue Quick Reference to name a few.
29. Books that you already own: Last Minute Knitted Gifts, SnB, SnBN, Knit Wit.

For other info about me:
100 Things
My About Me page

To start things off, I haven't made much knitting progress. I do have one FO to share though :)


The Cheshire Cat Hat


Pattern: Kittyville Hat. Also found in Stitch 'N Bitch
Yarn: Bernat Satin, in Maitai and Sultana I think. I lost the yarn bands. Half a ball each.
Needles: 7US Circs
Start Date: September 4th, 2005
Finish Date: September 11th, 2005
I really enjoyed this pattern. It was a lot of fun, really straight forward and a really quick knit. I made mine 8 sts bigger than the pattern, as I tend to knit super tight (every hat I've ever made has been too small. I wasn't going to take that chance again). Sadly, the hat fits me and my ginormous Irish noggin' perfectly. Which means it'll probably be a bit big on my sister who has a much more normal sized Ukrainian head. Oh well :P The bernat satin is lovely. Absolutely lovely. Super soft,fluffs up a bit with washing. Really comfortable for an acrylic. I really recommend it. Plus, the sheen! The sheen! So pretty :) It is a bit splitty, but it was worth it.

The hat itself is a surprise late birthday gift for my sister, Tracy (It's supposed to snow soon in Calgary). She has a HUGE love of the Cheshire cat, so I did what I could. I mean, the girl has shirts, purses, you name it. She's even trying to figure out a tattoo. Sadly, when it was displayed at my last family get together (we meet and hang out every Sunday) my father loved it so much that he sent a picture he took to everyone in the family. Including my sister. Oh well. No point crying over spilt milk. The picture he sent was of my brother, Mike, wearing the hat.

Mike is doing ok right now. He's at home. His mum (My dad's ex-wife) is watching over him, and my Mum is making regular visits. Oh how great it is to live in a family of nurses ;) We're now waiting around to see what the results are as to whether or not he'll need more treatment or if the cancer has spread at all. We're crossing our fingers that he's all done. In the meantime, here's Mike with The Hat and his beaver finger puppet (a gift from my older sister to mike so that he wouldn't be so bored at the hospital. Of course it just led to lewdness, but what can you do? ^_^)



In other news, I promise to post more often. I've been trying to stay on top of things at school, with friends, with the boyfriend, with work, with family and with myself. It's tough. I do promise to try though. Sadly, i'm getting my wisdom teeth out tonight so it will be another little while until I post anything coherant.

Anyway, thanks for all the support everyone. It's really appreciated. The support of friends and family is what gets people through times like these.

Lots of news, though very little of it is knitting related.

Firstly, I want to let any of my readers from the south know that you are in my prayers and thoughts. I can hardly believe the terrible state of the zone of destruction of hurricain Katrina. Awful. I've already donated what I can afford to the cause. You should too.

Secondly, I have some terrible news of my own. As some of you may know, my family has been touched by cancer several times over the generations. These past few years have been especially hard, as my mother had a recurrence of her breast cancer, and only a few months later, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now, without warning, we have learned that my brother Mike has colon cancer. He's currently in the hospital. I'm numb by everything going on around me. First the destruction of Katrina and now this. My brother and I are very close, so its really hard to see him like this. Right now we know very litle about his state, other than he had 12 inches of his intestine removed. Also, the cancer has been there a while, so there's a chance it may have spread. Thursday evening he went to the hospital with stomach pains. They admitted him, thinking it was appendicitis. Upon inspection, they discovered the cancer and operated right away.

My family, Xmas a few years back. Most recent complete picture of immediate family (including nieces, nephews and in-laws)
My family is coming together to get through this time, as we always do. We're very strong together. It's hard on my sister, Tracy, as she just moved away to Calgary. Mike has a 7 year old daughter, Keara. She doesn't know what's going on, as Mike and his ex-wife want to wait until they know something more definate before letting her know.

Dad, Tracy and Mike on my birthday this year.

In happier news, and far more pointless, I cut my hair. Chopped off several inches. I'm still kind of shell-shocked by everything, so I don't have much of an opinion on it yet. What do you think?

Can you tell I haven't been getting much sleep?

Finally, in knitting news, I have been making much progress. I finished the front of the Beckie cardi

I also finished one sleeve. Notice the Super Lucky Cats and a bottle of BPAL used to hold down the very curled edges

Sadly, I ran out of yarn. I have ONE FREAKIN' SLEEVE left, and the tie if I decide to knit it, rather than use a pretty ribbon. So, I have to go out an buy yet another ball of this damned stuff. Honestly, that's going to be an expensive sleeve! I'm kind of bitter about it all. Anyway, this is how it looks so far:

Weee!

Times of stress and sorrow mean alot of craftiness for Heather. I've made good headway into one of my Christmas gifts and I'm thinking about starting the other half of the cabled shrug. Must keep fingers and mind occupied.

Anyway, that's all for now.

Bad Heather! I should be working on all the other WIPs I have going right now (currently: 2 Christmas gifts, two lace scarves, two lace wraps, one cabled shrug). Instead, I fell in love with an adorable pattern. May I introduce you to Tube Toporini!

Pattern from here. Inspired by Knit and Tonic.

I think I'll start tomorrow O_o

It's coming to that time of year again. Aside from school, beautiful leaves, sweaters and the coming chill, fall has another important meaning for me. I'm once again participating in the Run for the Cure. This will be my third year in the run, and I hope to raise even more donations than ever before. This is really cause is important to me, as my own mother was diagnosed with breast cancer twice in recent years. I would participate in the Terry Fox run, but sadly, I'm going to be out of it post-removal of my wisdom teeth.

If you feel like supporting me in the run, here's my donation page. If you can't right now, but would like to later, that's fine too. The run isn't for a little while yet (October 2nd). Anything and everything helps.

If you don't have a credit card, but would like to donate, email me/comment and let me know. I can always meet you, or have you send the donation my way via snail mail.

Thanks guys :)

x-posted everywhere

Ah, my vacation is over. It was nice, though I think I kept myself a little too busy. I don't feel any more rested than when I was working all the time. Silly Heather. Oh well. I did get to go see Tori Amos in concert. It was amazing! Read about it here. I also got some reading done. I had picked up a few books from the library to relax with. I read all but one, and really got into one in particular. The first being Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. It's a small collection of two short stories. I wasn't so big on the second one, but the first was lovely. I really got into it, and really enjoyed the style. I may pick up more of Yoshimoto's stuff. The other book was Neil Gaiman's American Gods. So good! I love urban fantasy, so this was right up my alley. I was very impressed :)

I don't have much on the knitting front to report. Still working away on Beckie. Started some Christmas gifts (Tell me I'm not the only one!). Also, I got my final gift from my sweetie secret pal.

Awesome, no? Left to right: A beret making kit (so cool! I was talking about wanting one), Bernat Sox yarn, some candy, some labels, some pretty blue angora/acrylic mix that is sooooo soft, some red mohair, and some lovely noro!! She also revealed herself as Meghan of blog.butterflynet.com. Such a cool lady :) I look forward to reading her blog from now on!

Anyway, I gotta start getting ready for work. Closing tonight :P Boo!

What a long couple of weeks. I have a bit to share since my last real post. Let's break it down, shall we?

School:
I am done my two summer classes. I still don't have my marks for them yet, which is driving me crazy. (I'm one of those girls who appreciate instant results. I hate hate hate waiting for grades). I do know I got Bs on both my Can Lit essays. This is a good thing, as my professor is known for marking Hums student harder than everyone else (for example, two of my friends, both brilliant ladies with better averages than I got Cs on their papers).

I'm feeling pretty confident that the classes went ok. I could really use the GPA boost.

Meanwhile, I start again on the 8th of September. I'm pretty excited to go back. My schedule is fantastic (if you're curious, here it is).

Meanwhile I'm getting very nervous about my teacher's college application. Boo. I just hope I get in somewhere.

Can anyone recommend some neat Volunteering opportunities? I'd really like to volunteer somewhere this fall, but I'm not really sure what I should do.

Family and Friends
My little sister moved away today. It was really really really hard to see her go. She and I are very close. Luckily, I was able to see alot of her this week. Still... it doesn't seem right. I feel like I should be able to see her whenever we want. Calgary seems so freakin' far away! Much crying was had by all. ;_;

I managed to convince a few new people to come along to the meetup. Andie, a fantabulous friend of mine that I met at school came out to the last one, and seemed to enjoy it. Sarah Beth, one of my best friends has promised to make it next month. Strangely, so has my Mum. O_o Should be interesting to combine all of my worlds together into one small cafe!

On a complete side note, enjoy a picture of my parents' dog, Riley, in an argyle sweater Lis bought for him.

He's so cute when he isn't barking or jumping at you.

Knitting
Yes, yes, back to the knitting. I'm still working away on Beckie when I get a free moment. Here's my progress so far on the right front.


Meanwhile, I've also started a Christmas gift. I wont say what it is, just that I'm scared stiff to get going. Casting on is proving to be quite the task. Double stranded, knitted cast on... 375 stitches.


You may notice the lovely center pull balls in that photo. I certainly do. Why? Because they are the beautiful product of the new addition to household:

How have we lived without you for so long?!

Lastly, I was very very excited to recieve a box full of Interweave Knits back issues. Oh. Baby. I'm drooling at them as we speak. I am in love.

The blue tabs are markers for patterns Lis and I are interested in. Don't worry, I plan on adding them to my Must Knit list soon, so that you all can see what may come :)

So, basically, things have been a little crazy around here. I'm taking the week off to calm the hell down. I may go to the campsite (my parents have a lux. trailer cabin thing at a campsite not far out of town) if I have the time. I definately plan on knitting and trying to relax. We'll see how that goes. So far, since my last exam, I've been out every single night except for one. Oh baby.

Highlites
-Drinking with my sister at Goth Industrial Night at Zaphod's on her 19th birthday
-Seeing my friend Chris perform at the National Art's Center (A comedy of errors)
-Chatting and drinking a ginormous bottle of wine with the girls
-Going out to dinner with Mum and Tracy
-Movie night with Pat and Lis
-Seeing my sister off to the airport at 5am after 1 1/2 hrs of sleep.
-Ordering and recieving the greatest shirt in the world.


Oh! I need opinions. I'm thinking about cutting my hair. Do you think I could pull off a short cut? I'm thinking something like Julia Stile's short cut (here and here). At very least, I need a change. Bangs. Or something.