Thursday, April 30, 2009

Ribbit

In honour of my mother, who is currently attending her monthly Knitting Night, I thought I would blog about all the knitting I did while I was in Toronto. You see, while the past several years have proven that I am incapable of blogging from Toronto there is one thing I do there without fail. Lest any of you gutter-minded types think you know the answer allow me to remind you that I was staying with my parents! Nope, whenever I visit my childhood home my mother and I hit our local yarn shop – Mary’s Yarns – and I pick up my needles and get to knitting.

The impressively large stash I keep in the corner of our guest room might suggest that I do little more than knit all year round, but the truth of the matter is that once I finish a project I tend to put my needles and notions aside and mange, somehow, to forget just how much I love the craft of knitting. (I won’t even mention how I have considered this a useful skill in case I am thrown back in time or find myself transported to a post-apocalyptic world and need to clothe myself.)

But get me to Toronto and the memories come flooding back. Mary’s in Unionville is the haven where my mother and I feed our rampant need for massive amounts of yarn. Lest you think I am gushing for no reason, I even met a fellow Mary Worshiper on my flight to New York! How’s that for random?

The first project I started was a stuffed animal later gifted to my friend Adelpha who was busy stuffed animal sitting for me back in Cairo. After a few days of flipping through my mother’s pattern books I found an adorable frog in Puddle Jumper by Elite Classic Yarns. After studying the pattern for a few minutes, I realized that the design was so basic that even a flat knitting freak like myself could knit this up fairly quickly.

Ribbit, as I dubbed him, knitted up in less than a week. The knitting and sewing up took exactly two balls of Royal Tweed – I literally had to go through the trash to find a one-inch sample of yarn to include in my finished projects book.

The scarf is not included in the original pattern but I decided to include it since Ribbit seemed rather naked. The scarf was knitted “wrong ways” and cast on 100 stitches allowing me to knit only 10 rows. I had so much fun with the scarf that I bought extra balls of these two yarns so I can knit myself a full sized-scarf later.

My latest project/obsession is a log cabin blanket that I am knitting in Cascade 220. This is another one of those projects that seems to grow a little bit every time I pick it up. I thought about doing a classic log cabin since I didn’t like the “Moderne” but eventually decided to find a happy medium simply do my round of five colours until I run out of yarn. My plan is to eventually finish the blanket with a black border but knowing me I’m still ages and ages from that stage. In the mean time, I am greatly enjoying taking a break from the computer to pick up my needle and get my knit on.

11 comments:

Betty said...

Looking good. I´m a complete dufus when it comes to knitting. :)

theUngourmet said...

Such a cute froggy! I am just learning how to knit! I would love to learn crochet as well!

You blanket is looking amazing too!

So nice to have you back!

Karin said...

I've always admired knitting and crocheting skills. I learned it in elementary school, in Germany yet, got a passing mark, but hated every moment of it. Knitting probably relaxes you, while it tenses me up! I wish it were different, but alas! Loved your your little kermit! He/she is cute!

Sturgmom said...

SInce I know next to nothing about knitting, mush of your post was greek to me, but I think your frog is lovely! I wish I had a crafty skill like knitting.

Debbie said...

That blanket looks great. I am envious of your skills.

Connie said...

Excellent froggie! I love Ribbit's scarf - he definitely needs it!

I enjoy crochet, but haven't done much in awhile. I like the feel of yarn - whether it is thin cotton thread to make doilies or something else totally useless and decorative, coarse acrylic (with fun colors) for kid projects, fun textured yarns, or my own hand spun yarn from wool I carded myself... I love the stuff. I don't do enough with it these days. We're leaving this summer, so I am organizing closets and cleaning up. I was going through my stash yesterday... ahhh... like a contented dragon rolling around in her cave of treasures. :)

Kathy B! said...

I will have to live vicariously through you on this as well as so many fronts... I've always thought it would be wonderful to knit or sew, and I have talent for neither!

I'll look forward to your finished blanket -- whenever it makes it's debut ;)

Heather said...

That's the cutest frog ever! Glad your back to blogging!

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

LOVE the froggy! I am determined to learn to knit this year! You have completely inspired me!

Lynn One, Purl Two said...

such kind words! and oh-so-good to see you!
please, please, PLEASE post updates on the blanket.
if you finish that log cabin, that means that i don't have to start one.
i shall simply live vicariously through you.

Anonymous said...

so good to see you...and your projects...completed or WIP! Thanks for all your kind comments..makes us blush.
We will keep an eye on your mom and make sure she behaves herself in your absence....again...so good to see and thanks for coming by.
Enjoy the log cabin....
m