I just wanted to say..

..thanks! I know that Thanksgiving has lapsed for both Canada and the US, but I wanted to say thanks to everyone who is reading this. More and more of you have been coming around my little corner of the internet in the last few months and I'm both amazed and totally grateful. So thanks!

Now, I must resume my emergency paper-writing position. (Term paper due tomorrow. It's only half-done. I'm freaking out) But at least I have some awesome coffee and Hannah Georgas is playing in the background. If this isn't a formula for getting things done, I don't know what is!



Happy Wednesday!

Happy Small Business Saturday!

While I failed at actually participating, I can imagine I'm shopping while writing, right? I have my eye on a lovely top from Vanilla and Lace, and I'm bribing myself that if I can get 20 pages of writing done by the end of the weekend I'll be allowed to buy it.

I feel like it's a mad goal, but I set it anyways.

I have no knitting content, yet again, but here's a photo of a frozen Edmonton taken from the top of my home at school, a.k.a the giant building shadow on the left. The sad part of that photo is that it was taken at 3pm when the sun was setting. Though, it's a small price to pay for such a beautiful view of the frozen river.


Now, off to write more and drink lots more coffee. I hope you all have woolier weekends than I!

Happy Saturday!

To procrastinate..

Just popping in to show off the fruits of this weekend's (less than enthusiastic) reading marathon. It's another cowl!



It's the Gap-Tastic cowl again. It's mindless and I can work seed-stitch while reading, and Malabrigo worsted doubled up goes so fast. Plus, Frank Ochre is such an amazing colour, I can't get over it.

I also had the pleasure of going to Make-It, a.k.a the most epic and awesome craft sale, with some lovely ladies on Saturday. I spent more than I should have, and came out with some great stuff that will likely show up here soon!

I'll leave you with a lovely cover of a beautiful song, Skinny Love. Birdy's album is full of delightful covers fit for falling temperatures and clicking needles. What are your favourite songs for this time of year?


Happy Sunday

Madelinetosh Roundup

My efforts to formulate complete thoughts about Wovember have fallen to the wayside over here.. so for now, I've got 2 FO's to show off. (They are made of wool, I promise!)

The first and oldest is the hat I made for James last month for his trip to Europe. (Rav Link) I pretty well made up the pattern as I went, but it was 120 stitches in 2x2 ribbing for about 8.5 inches, then I took the decreases from Jared Flood's Turn a Square hat and modified it a bit so it would accommodate the ribbing pattern. I'm quite pleased with it, and James seems to be too as it's been on his head almost constantly since the weather turned. In a perfect world,  I might have made it about 1.5 inches shorter. The yarn was Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Fig and I used almost a full ball.



The second is the Rikke hat from Happy Knits. (My Rav Link) I was a bit hesitant about making a hat with garter stitch in the round, but it was totally worth it. It's absolutely lovely. It stayed on my head all day without slipping around and saved my ears from the chilly breeze of the library. I was also hesitant about the colour I chose, Calligraphy, as it was a bit more pink than I expected. No matter, it's a great neutral that will pair great with most of my wardrobe.


I'm quite charmed with the Madelinetosh yarns I've had the pleasure of working with so far. Fig and Calligraphy were both such subtle and interesting colours, and I've got some more vibrant colourways sitting in my yarn shelf.



They're both Tosh Merino Light, on the left is Robin's Egg and on the right is Mansfield's Garden Party. I haven't intentionally bought as wild a colour as Mansfield, and I hope I can come up with something neat to do with it. Any ideas? I'm thinking of a shawl or cowl, but I'm unsure.



Yet again, my day will be full of research and writing. I stayed home today, and I had to force myself out of my cozy cupcake pyjama pants and into real clothes to motivate myself to work. It's a good start, right?

Happy Wednesday!

Winter is here

Well, Edmonton managed to dodge winter for a surprisingly long time. I can't remember the last time we had a snowless Remembrance day. In any event, I woke up to this:



Birch doesn't really know what to do about it either. He seems to be amused with the smells, but has been grumpy and cold all morning.



My knitting seems to have been quite well timed, as I just finished myself some winter wear. In the span of a movie (plus a little extra) I cast on and finished a Parisian Twist Ear Warmer. I decided to try and grow out my hair, and that always poses a challenge in winter. The compromise between warmth and having hat hair all day is something I'm far too vain to contend with. The pattern was easy and well written, and the product is the perfect combination of squishy, warm and practical. Plus, I got to use a cute button I've had in my stash forever.



The rest of my day is going to be filled with research, nutella hot chocolate, soup, knitting and a bit of Harry Potter to keep me sane. What are your favourite things to do to chase the chill?

Happy Saturday!

Happy Wovember!

I came across something magical this morning: Wovember. I think this is a great project, and I can't help but admit that I've fallen victim to the dissociation between fibers and where they come from. I mean, it's one thing to know that wool comes from a sheep, or that angora comes from bunnies, but it's another to consider the whole process. (Nevermind that I'm bracing myself for the flurry of poorly executed moustashes emerging around campus this month) So, I'll be helping celebrate Wovember this month!


But now, I'm off to do my duty to herd immunity and go get my flu shot. I'm a bit nervous, as I'm super squirmy about needles. I gave myself a pre-shot treat at my favourite coffee shop while feverishly working on my research.


Happy Wovember!