Happy new year !!

Yes once again I discover my blog after a while, needless to say it's been a lot in my life since last May !

My baby is already 17 months, I moved to our dream house in July and we are renovating our house since then ! And big news s that I am pregnant again ! Due July 19th, we are excited to be parents again !!!

So I'll spend next few day to blog about latest project and as asked by some I'll post some picture of our wedding day back in April...

Happy new year 2012 to all of you knitter and fellow crafter, may this year filled of beautiful crafts :)

Thinking about Japan...

It's horrible to think about the disaster that just happened in Japan, my thoughts are with them and I hope that they will recover soon and rebuild everything.

This video from Black Eyed Peas was videotaped one week before the tsunami...

Happy Birthday to me !

Yeah today it's my birthday and I wish to myself a lot of yarn and knitting time and also a healthy baby for all the year of my 27...I already had my birthday gift from her on January 2nd she said "Maman" for the very first time !!! I love her so much.

She already enjoy wearing handknit cardigan !! How lucky I am !

Happy New Year 2011 !!!

Hello 2011, good bye 2010,

I had a fantastic 2010 and I hope to have a year as good this year. I wish you all health and properity and good luck in your knitting ventures. I hope you didn't think I was out of blogging with my lack of posting for the past weeks. I have to say that taking care of a little one, going back to university and keeping myself knitting and having somekind of a life is really hard ! So blogging went at the bottom of my todo list unfortunatly...

Thanks for the comments during this period and all your littles messages kept me in the mood for knitting so I will post in the first days of this new year all my FO of 2010 and also my UFO and WIP. I have so muchof those three that I have enough content to keep posting for all January.

For now a little picture of my best FO of 2010 : Florence

She is almost 5 months old now. She's growing very fast and she talks a lot ! I hope to hear the first "Mommy" very soon!

Good bye Canada

at least for 3 weeks ! We are leaving today for 3 weeks in France. It's the first time that N. is back to his country since he leave in January 2009. The funny thing is that he came here single and he comes back less than 2 years later with a "wife and kid" (I know we are not married already but with a kid it's almost the same).

Paris here we come !!!

Already 46 days for my little princess

Hello !!! Already 46 days since I gave birth to my lovely princess... the time goes so fast since she's in my life ! ...and it's wonderful. She kept me busy and away from my knitting but I do enjoy taking care of her so much that I don't mind. She's a very calm baby and as you can see she's now smiling for about 10 days !!! This is the mommy's and daddy' paycheck for rough moment don't you think ?

I just begun knitting again yesterday so I will be posting more again ...

Update on Friday

Yes already a week without posting, but I was just so busy and not much to post about on knitting avenue...

So last week end I end up going to the lake with my extended family on my dad side, that was fun and I wasn't the only preggo belly out there since my sister in law is also preggo, she is due for October so showing too. We had a blast enjoying swimming in the lake, taking boat ride and laughing a lot too ! My boyfriend played with the kids since he still one himself and went in all the mothers heart because the kids were tired at the end of the day ! I can tell he will be the best dad ever !!! :)

This whole week has been about three things mostly : cooking (I filled the freezer with so many food that I have no more place in it!), cleaning and doing paperwork for the immigration of my love, since he will change his job soon and we need to change his work permit. I can't wait to have answer about his permanent residency. Life will become easier when he will be permanent resident I hope and the only little step to do in a few year will be Canadian citizenship...

On the knitting side, I am doing great progress on my last post project that I will have a FO very soon, just a lot more of stockinette to do and hours of seaming too ! Also going fast on my birthday sweater for my boyfriend. I need to finish soon enough because baby is coming soon too and I won't have that many time to knit after birth.

at least I took lovely pictures too...

New header

...as you can see I just receive my photos from my photo session and create my first custom header. Let me know how you like it...

First day of summer 2010 !!!!

Today it's the first day of summer and I am thankful for many things :

- Perfect weather
- Being 34 week and 4 days pregnant
- Having great plans for tonight with my love (cooking together a wonderful strawberry cake- picture to come later on this week)
- Seeing my fine herbs growing and gosh it's smell so good
- Being on maternity leave (Yippee!)
- and so many more...

Have a wonderful day everyone !

WWKIP day in Quebec city

Last Saturday we had our WWKIP day on the Plaines d'Abraham here in Quebec city and it was so much fun !!! Last year I missed it because I was busy moving but I made my family came with me even if I was the only one knitting and we add a little picnic to enjoy the beautiful weather we had.

Here my belly  at 33 weeks and 2 days

I wish everybody enjoyed it as much as we did and you all showed the world our talents in knitting and how proud we are !!! :)

Progress on secret knitting

Still working on my secret project, I need to work on it more and more because it have the same "due date" as my growing belly : July 29th. So far I am at 15'' on 16'' before working on sleeves and I love it ! I was smiling today because Nico kept asking if I was doing him a sweater soon and that he would like to have a dark gray one !! LOL I think I took the best color for him and I know him well.

And so far I used 4 balls on the 12 I bought originally. I think I will have plenty and maybe a little leftover too. I will kept you posted when I am home alone and since I still work it's not that often, almost 34 weeks pregnant I will be more than happy on maternity leave, soon, very very soon...

Stash management

Do you ever bought yarn without knowing what project you are going to make with ? It happens to me everytime I buy yarn in a LYS unless it's sock yarn, not too difficult to choose a project after buying. When going throught my yarn I do discover yarn that I have no idea what to make with and it's a little problem when you try to reduce the amount of yarn waiting to be knitted.

 

So in my reduce that stash year, I have more time to think about yarn management and also with my little one on the way I also needed to move my stash from his previous emplacement (now converted from a office/craft room to a girlie baby's room). After 5 months this is how it goes...

New additions :

- 14 skeins of Cascade 220 that I bought myself (3080 yards)

- 2 big balls of Bernat baby sport from my BF (2228 yards)

- a big bag of unknow fiber from my BF (approx 1200 yards)

- 7 balls of Bergère de France Merino from my mother-in-law (798 yards)

- 2 balls of Bernat Cottontots from mother-in-law too (300 yards)

- 2 skeins of wool from Laine douceurs from my BF (860 yards)

- 1 skein of Kiss and Curl (Fleece Artist) from my BF too (547 yards)

total of 9013 yards

and that's all... I made not so bad if I look at what I pay or not, but the 3 last skeins are totally on my head because even if he insist and pay, I did choose the yarn myself and enter in the LYS by myself too !!!

I did use :

- 476 yards for the Trellis toddler sweater

- 626 yards for my February Lady sweater

- 1144 yards for my Tilted for the Olympics

- 93 yards for the Hodge Boy

- 70 yard for the Hodge girl (I made them smaller)

- 303 yards for the Easter's BSJ

- 176 yards for my Rose Red

- 231 yards for my Bird in hand

- 287 yards for the Pea Pod baby set

- 460 yards for my dad's sock

- 363 yards for the Baby girl jacket

- 88 yards for the Aviatrix hat

- 66 yards for the Flakey socks

not counting the WIP I have on needle I used up : 4384 yards so far in 2010

 

 

So if I want to be cold sheep by the end of the year I need to knit at least 4630 yards of FO by the end of 2010 to be reducing my stash...at least with my 3 current project I will used more than 2000 yards so as usual, just keep knitting.

 

Happy knitting dear readers

Happy Happy Joy Joy

For once, I like this Monday morning even if I had a hard time to get up and was too happy to get a coffee to help me open up my eyes. But, with my daughter playing and dancing in my belly I cannot resist to have the most beautiful smile every morning... even on Monday !

Now 31 weeks and 4 days pregnant, my belly is full of life and of love, thanks to life!

FO : Daddy's sock of doom...

Finally just cast off these never ending socks for my dad... remind me to choose my project accordingly to my level and also to my taste. I made two important mistake before even casting on for this project : choose a project that I dislike and too easy for me AND choose a project I don't find cute anyway. I knit to make beautiful projects and see my knitting like an art, this piece will be the weird one in my museum, or maybe the piece of conversation... lol.

Spec

Pattern : Basic sock formula

Needle : 2.5 mm

Yarn : Regia sock yarn

Cast on : somewhere on August 2008

Cast off : 2010 May 5th

Mods none, enjoyment factor below zero and satisfaction to finally get myself to finish it : priceless. It's the thing I am proudest about this pair of sock, I did finish them after all...

Best part of my day to finally be zen about this :

I made a little fire with the leftovers of the yarn and the pattern !!!

Now I can truly enjoy my vacations...

Knit and crochet blog week

I just found out on Maryse blog, a knitter from Montreal, this cool event

The Knit and Crochet Blog week since it's held from April 26th to May 2nd I will do a little more today to get back on track about it :)

Day 1

How and when did you begin knitting/crocheting?

Umm... I already talked about it a bit here a few years ago but I will do it again. I first learn to cast on, knit and purl after seeing knitting in a craft book that my mother has in her library. It was a old and dusty book from the '70. I kept asking for days then she finally install me with string and sticks to knit. I was about 5 years old if I remember well. I knitted 2 or 3 "squares" of knit and purl all messed up. It was colorful and probably artsy in my mother's terms.

No one had ever knitted in front of me before that moment. I have truly no idea why I wanted SO much to learn. My mom knit a little and know the basics but that's all. She was oblige to learn it at school as a teen.

That was almost that before the few years...

Then in 2006 I had a lot of time on my hands and I wanted to do something creative and went shopping for yarn (acrylic..!!) and knitted...

THAT

That was not so cool and I never wear it as well as the assorted scarf that took me weeks to do. The yarn is itchy and I hate it !!!

Day 2

Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to.

Umm hard one because I have decided that I tried every single thing to be fearless by the end of 2010. I am currently working on my color work skills and ordered yarn to do a project with my first steek !!! So we'll see by the end of the year but I have great confidence in me that I can accomplish anything.

Day 3

One great knitter

Gosh ! Only one... I love Ravelry for that reason because I discover many and many great knitters everyday. I love to watch FO and look at my friends work too. So every knitter can be a great knitter and just knitting something harder and achieve it makes you a great knitter too !

Day 4

A New Skill

A new skill that I would like to know. I would say crochet in general... as knitting I did crochet a bit when I was young. My grandma was a crocheter and knit simple crochet some other stuff more complicated. I would like to sit and actually take time to be comfortable with a hook. I already bought the Babette blanket pattern and just need to crochet now !

TGIF !!!

Today I was just happy to be alive and see the wonderful sun outside when I woke up in the morning with my love... I thought about doing a short list of 10 reasons to be happy today !

1- I'm in love and I am love in return too
2- 26 weeks and 1 day pregnant, my belly is full of love too :)
3- no work for me today !!!
4- beautiful weather outside

5- tomorow my parents are a making over in the baby's room (picture after that for sure !!!)
6- one more week and I do have a week off at the cottage to relax before third trimester
7- making progress on the baby blanket
8- doing great on my return on colorwork (post tomorow about it)
9- planning a trip to France to visit Nicolas's family and present baby girl in October

10- TGIF what else to say...

Happy today everyone!

From a time to another

Recently just after we found out that it's a little princess in my belly, my mom went totally crazy (lol I love you mom!!!) and went shopping for a whole lot of baby clothing and she washed everything and then delivered it to me...

In the bag there was a cute pink sweater... hand made for me by a friend of my mom back in 1983 before my birth !!!

Now I imagine my own daughter wearing it next Fall in my arms at the cottage, and I have tears in my eyes... my own mom  kept it for those 26 past years. She moved 3 times, she did not know if I ever had a daughter myself neither but she care to keep it.

Thanks mommy, I'll try to be as good as you were, you are and will be as a mom. I love you

Thursday night knitting

Oh yes it's finally week end for me !!! I had a big week and a very great week end before but I am so glad that it's over and well behind me now... I recently booked my vacation for Riviera Maya and we are leaving in only 3 weeks from now.... I am so excited and I did not even start to think about knitting for the vacation... Really have to take note about that I can't go to a vacation resort for 2 weeks without yarn and needles ;)

Here is a little picture of me playing on the "Muse" statue in Carre D'Youville in Vieux Quebec...


On the knitting side I put the sock on the side for another project that I just bought at the new LYS next door to my place : Thrum mitten kit by Fleece Artist. I really enjoy the project and I knit the first mitten straight in one day and I had almost no time to knit on the second one this week and I am almost done now. That how quick those mittens are !

Here is how the kit look like when I first brought it home. I paid 29$ for the kit, including yarn, roving and the pattern. It's ok since I will use pattern again for sure.

Then I did not stop to take any picture until earlier today. You can see the first mitten all done in the back, the roving left to put in thrums in the second mitten and my wip on the second mitten.

You can see the needle holding live stitches for the thumb placement later but I kept on knitting before coming here to talk about it. I already told you but it's really addictive when you are knitting thrums !! :)

Winter be ready, 'coz I am now !

Sock on the go

What was I doing in the past 2 week on the knitting side ? Since we had temperature over 40 Celsius for many and many days I thought about knitting wool socks was just the perfect thing to do. After all, when it's so hot outside I can only think about frilly night and a good pair of knitted socks while watching a movie with a hot chocolate...

So I wound my Kangaroo dyer yarn in the color Mango Reprise that I bought last summer(right one skein on the picture), I found my 2.5mm dpn and I searched my queue on Ravelry to find a pattern to please my mind, my hands and later on...my feet. And looking to my work so far, I must say happy feet!

I choose the pattern Shur'tugal by Alice Yu to begin my first pair of sock since a very long time, actually if you remember my last one were my Bellatrix socks in mid-January. Just before I change all my life ... so I was kind of worried to knit socks again but everything is alright fortunately for me !

I cast on for those little one on August 13Th and I don't knit a lot these days so my progress aren't the one I am used to. But on August 15Th I went to my nephew birthday to Boisbriand and came back in the same day so a lot of road knitting was done on that day. My BF was more than happy to drive my car on the way back anyway !!

Those socks are kind of slow knitting and I love seeing the hand painted colors swirl around the sock, some may call it bad pooling but I love it and since they are for me anyway it doesn't matter !!! So far I am almost done with the feet and I will toes soon now on my first one... the last picture was taken a few days ago.

The best story about me knitting this pair of sock happens yesterday after work. I was at my head office for the afternoon and I went out of my meeting at 4:30 just on time to hit the traffic and with all the workers coming out of office plus the work on the roads of Quebec, it took me one hour to make a simple 12-15 minutes trip back at home... So at some point I was completely stopped for 2 or 3 traffic lights and I don't my car these day (yes again BF is driving my car but that's another story) and the one I am renting is automatic so I pulled my knitting and I had time to knit 5 rows of my sock before being able to move again !!! The man in the car probably thought that I am a bit crazy but at least I didn't spent 15 minutes of life in a negative feeling about traffic but I enjoyed a good moment of car knitting... ;)

I must now begin Christmas knitting also so I will finish sock #1 and then I will knit a Christmas gift and then I will be allowed to finish my pair of sock. I think I will have a lot of Christmas knitting this year.... the best moment to start is probably as soon as possible.

Great Saturday....

Simple story of my super awesome Saturday, on August 8Th....

First of all I went to vieux port de Quebec ta take a walk on the morning and we visited "Plein Art" an exposition of handmade stuff from people around Quebec and I got a lot of compliment on my Shalom sweater.... ;)

So we spent a great morning walking around and going to the market buying some local stuff and also tasting fresh jam and blueberry chocolate !!! Look on the next picture the pretty little hat I found at Plein Art, I love it so much !

Then on the early evening we head to l'Ange-Gardien to join the group of aventurers to go on the fireworks at the Montmorency waterfalls using kayks ....We even had dinner on water !!! So cool I can tell to eat watching the sun falling down into the water....


I took a few pictures of the spot where we stopped to eat, enjoy the view....

and then the bouquet final, the Grands feux loto-quebec from the water.... I had a fantastic day !