Knitting Hangouts

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything and I am sorry about that but I have been very busy preparing for a social media presentation that I was giving at Arbonne Head Office this past Monday.

It was an amazing time and the people who came out were phenomenal.  I was so happy to be there sharing my knowledge and passion of social media to these people who are new to it and excited about how to use this tool to grow their businesses.

Now that that is over (and it was a huge success) I am trying to get caught up on all my knitting for Christmas.  Oh boy am I overwhelmed.  I cannot post the list of items I am making until after Christmas because the people who will be receiving them as gifts would read it and that would spoil the surprise.

However, I will take pictures of everything and I promise to post them immediately after Christmas.

In order to get all these items completed on time (it is going to be tight) I am going to participate in different Christmas knitting days.  The first one is Friday this week.

Are you on Google+?  I am and I am really excited to go to my first hangout.  On Friday, November, Yarn Mountain is hosting a hangout where we will be getting together online to share gift giving ideas.  I am really looking forward to this.  I am a huge social media buff and it is my business but I have not participated in a hangout for fun and this will be great.

If you are on Google+ look up Yarn Mountain they are fantastic and let's see if we can connect.

Have a fabulous day and for all my American readers and friends, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and if you are shopping on Black Friday, please take care and get home in one piece.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Happy I Love Yarn Day

What a great day.  Today is "I Love Yarn Day" as declared by the Craft Yarn Council of America.  I love these people.  Never met any of them but they have to be great people, right.  They love crafting and yarn.  Sounds good to me.

What are you doing to celebrate I Love Yarn Day?

I am planning on finishing my Rococo Shawlee (pictures posted in earlier blog post) so that I can wear it to the Woodstock Fleece Festival which is happening tomorrow.  Wow, this is going to be a great weekend for me.  Today is I Love Yarn Day, tomorrow I go to a fleece festival with a great pal and I know that I am going to buy so much yarn that I will spend Sunday playing with it and deciding what I am going to create with it.  :-)

I am so excited.

Please share you plans for this fabulous by posting in the comments section below.  I can't wait to hear how you are celebrating.

Have fun everyone.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Happy Thanksgiving Day Canada

Wow this has been an amazing weekend.  I love Thanksgiving.  Lots of time with the family and a mini vacation in Niagara.  The weather was typical Autumn weather - cool with some rain, mostly at night thankfully.  More reason to be thankful.  :-)




Back to the usual routine tomorrow.  I won't say back to the grind because it is not a grind.  I love the work I do and I love my knitting projects.

I am meeting up with a friend for coffee and I have a gift that I am knitting for her as a thank you for taking care of my dog while I was away this weekend.  I will finish it up tonight and be ready for coffee tomorrow.  These will be mug rugs made in Autumn colours.  I hope she likes them.  I will post another picture when they are complete.  I am also going to be making a set for a friend who is celebrating a birthday this month and she loves this season so they will be right at home in her decor.

When I picked up Roxy I discovered that she and my friends had become a mutual admiration society. She was very excited to see me return but she was also sad to leave her new friends.

I was not a bit jealous but in fact exceedingly grateful for my friend being so loved by my dog because that means that it was not stressful to her and it was a pleasant weekend for my friend as well.

Again more reasons to be thankful.  I am incredibly blessed and am grateful for my family and my friends as well as all my pets.  Yes Roxy has house mates.

This is my second Thanksgiving since I lost my mother but I am grateful for all the wonderful memories I have of her and all the fantastic and funny stories I have of her that I can share.  Including that she is responsible for me being the addicted knitter that I am today.

I hope all of you have had a fantastic Thanksgiving Day weekend and have had the opportunity to enjoy your family and friends as I have.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Nine More Sleeps

So are you going?

I am referring to the Woodstock Fleece Festival of course.  I cannot wait.  I have not been to this event but I hear wonderful things about it.

My sister lives in Woodstock and she will be at the festival along with the Oxwood Hooking Artisans.  They do amazing work.

I have taken a look at the vendors and man I am so excited.  There are so many that appeal to me the first of which is Cabin Fever.  I love their "No Sew, Minimal Finishing" philosophy.  I love the knitting but when it is off my sticks I want to be done and move onto my next project. Sometimes that is not to be and we need to sew but if I can find a project that avoids that then I am one happy knitter.

So many booths so little time.  The event is only one day.  Whatever will I do.  Should I take classes or devote my time and money to shopping.  Hmmmm.  What to do, what to do?!

Are you going?  Are there other events that you attend?  I would love to hear about them so please post your comments below.   Maybe there are more festivals in my future.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Frogging and Starting Over

Yesterday I posted pictures of the Rococo Shawlee that I am working on.  Last evening I received an errata notification from Annie's Attic regarding an important correction in the pattern.

As I was knitting the shawl I noticed that it seemed very fragile but I attributed it to the light airy feel of the yarn that was being worked up on larger than required needles.  Well apparently my feeling was correct because the correction was that it should be made while holding two strands together.

Now I was faced with the age old knitter's dilemma.  I was one third of the way through the project what should I do?  Yes I had completed a large portion of the project.  It was an awful lot of time to through away but really it was sort of fragile and I had been thinking that it really was not quite as warm as I thought it might be when looking at the original pattern picture.

After thinking about it for a while and talking to my husband who is wise enough to know that he should just nod and suggest that really I should trust my instincts and then just listen.  :-)

So as I was talking it through with him I realized that I still needed to sew the shoulder seams together and the fragile nature of the project and the weight (slight as it may be) would be too much for the stitching and would end up pulling and hanging incorrectly and would not look as nice as it should and I would end up disliking it and never wear it.

So naturally I frogged it (pulled it apart) and restarted.  Here is where I am with it at the moment and I must admit that I love it a lot more than I originally did and I know that once it is done it is going to become a staple of my wardrobe.

Of course my original plan was to finish this in time for our Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday but with all I have going on in the evenings this week, I do not believe it will be completed in time.  Oh well, at least I will love it when it is done.

Tell me your knitting or crocheting horror stories.  Post your tales in the comments section below.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

I Am Caught In A Monsoon

I really wanted to publish this post yesterday but I was so caught up in the business side of my life that time got away from me so here we go today.

Here we are at the beginning of October (one week before the Canadian Thanksgiving) and I am caught in a monsoon.  Not really.  But the yarn that I am working with at the moment is called Monsoon by James C. Brett, and it is spectacularly glorious.  Soft and cozy and a treat to work with.  If you click on the link and then select S6 you will get a great view of the colour that I am working with.  The colours are typically fall colours which I love.

I am using this yarn on my latest project which is called Rococo Shawlee and is available for PDF download from Annie's Attic.  It is an absolute gorgeous piece and I am having a fun time knitting it.  The pattern is quite simple to memorize so this makes for quick work and a go anywhere project.

My favourite projects are the go anywhere type because I do take my knitting everywhere that I go.  In fact if you have read any of my previous posts you know that I take my knitting on all my road trips and get lots done while my husband is driving.




My goal is to have this complete by October 5 and if all goes according to plan then I will have a post ready for you.  In the meantime I have to start gathering all the information on the yarn needed for my next several projects as I am going to the Woodstock Fleece Festival on October 13th.  Can't wait.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

My Heart Swells

Thanks to a lot of hard work by my friend Linzi, a lot of Mom-preneurs came together last night in an effort to raise enough money to purchase an iPad for a little girl undergoing special treatment.

It was a great night of good will and such love and camaraderie that it made my heart swell to near bursting just to be fortunate enough to have been part of it.

Not only did we help a little girl but we grew our own circle of friends and colleagues and I was privileged to meet some very extraordinary women who provide a very diverse group of services.

Everyone provided something for the silent auction and it was fun to see what was there.

What was really cool was that it was all women.  We banded together and helped one of our very little sisters.  I am sure that this will be something she remembers the rest of her life and I am sure that one day she  will look for situations where she can return the favour by helping someone else in need.

Thanks to everyone who contributed last night and an very big thank you to Linzi for bringing us all together to share a night to think of someone else.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Fund Raiser Tonight

Hi everyone.  I have been very busy knitting away more than usual these past few weeks.  I am preparing for a fundraiser for a local girl who has been going through a very difficult time.  I have posted her story below and I hope that you take the time to read it.

A very dear friend of mine is opening her home to a number of Mom-preneurs and we are all working together to help raise money to make this little angel's dream come true.  

Now the knitting is done - well it is never done but I have enough things prepared that hopefully I can get some sales which will all go towards the purchase of the iPad.

It does not take a lot of effort to do a lot of good.  Knitting which I enjoy is so easy for me to do that it feels good to be able to use it to help others.

Keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Here is Kathryn's journey:

Kathryn is 9 and was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage IV in June 2008 at 5 years of age. She underwent 10 months of intensive treatment including 12 surgeries, 8 rounds of high dose chemotherapy, two bone marrow transplants and 12 rounds of radiation. She was in remission for 17 months. Unfortunately in September 2010, the cancer returned in two lesions on her spine. We were told at that time that she would never be in remission again and they were giving her quality of life. Despite their comments, after 24 rounds (5 days per week every 3 weeks) her scans showed there was no evidence of disease in February 2012. She underwent 10 rounds of radiation to her spine to help ensure that the cancer cells were gone. In August after another set of scans showing no evidence of disease, her oncologist told us that she had applied to the National Institute of Health in Washington DC to ask for compassionate use of a new therapy (which is now part of the original treatment routine in newly diagnosed kids) on Kathryn. This treatment is called Immunotherapy. It is complicated so I won't try to explain it except to say that it is extremely painful and requires her to be on morphine during the whole time she receives the medicine The purpose of giving her the Immunotherapy is to kill any lingering cells which many have escaped the chemo and radiation and to keep her in remission forever. This treatment is very hard on her and the pain is almost insurmountable at times. She is a Grade 4 student at George Kennedy and plans to attend school full time while not at the hospital getting treatment. It is our goal to make as many of her wishes come true as possible. The iPad is another wish that you are making come true and for that we are truly grateful to everyone. Thanks again for doing such a special think for our brave girl.

Inspiration - You Just Never Know

Wow, it's true.  You just never know where you are going to find your inspiration.  I was at my favourite Starbuck's this morning when I met this very sweet lady (hi Judy) who was wearing the most incredible shawl.  It was just so elegant and cozy and soft.  Such a great combination.

Anyway, being as shy as I am, I walked right up to her and asked if I could feel it.  Naturally she dumped her latte over my head.  Only joking.  She was kind enough to humour me and allowed me to manhandle her shawl and then she even helped me measure it so that I could plan my pattern in order to create my own version of this shawl.

Now I must figure out if I am going to use a tweed, which is spectacular for the fall, and also if I want to use the twining technique.  So many decisions.  What fun!

Anyway during all this feeling and measuring we traded details and I am very excited to have met Judy from Arbonne and can't wait to get designing now.

Have a great day everyone and remember clicky sticks are happy sticks, so keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

We Have A Winner!!

We do, but unfortunately I cannot tell you who it is until I have contacted this person and advised them.  Then and only then I can share with the world.

In the meantime, I thought I would show you a picture of the shawl/scarf that I completed today.  It turned out better than I hoped so I am especially pleased with it.  It is a really rich burgundy colour and I really love the frill on the bottom.  With a nice shawl pin it will be elegant enough to wear out in the evening and tied loosely it will be fun for the day.

This shawl/scarf is really cozy and warm but light enough for a fall day.

Please let me know what you think of it.  Also post pics of what you are working on.  I would love to see.

In the meantime, please go to https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyAngelKnits and like the page and put your name in the status bar so I can add you in for the next free give-away I am planning.

Keep your sticks clicking!

Betty-Anne

It's Free and it is Almost Time

Hello everyone.

I am always grateful to the people who read and comment on my blog and to those who visit me on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyAngelKnits .

To show my appreciation I would like to give away a hand knit item to one lucky winner.  To enter you can go to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyAngelKnits and click LIKE so that you can then enter your name for the draw.

Time is running out to get in on the first draw which will occur as soon as I have 50 names.  As of this writing I have 44 so please do not miss out.  The first 50 people will be in the first draw but do not despair because I will be holding more draws over time.

While you are visiting my site please feel free to leave a message and tell me what you love about knitting or hand knit articles.  Post a picture of you or someone you know and/or love knitting and tell me about it.  I would love to learn about you too.

Thanks for stopping by and keep your sticks clicking.

Betty-Anne

Busy Month

August has been a crazy busy month for my family.  We have been sanding and prepping our hardwood floors to be varnished.  We went from a deep cherry to a blond wood finish.  Lots of colour to sand out of the floor.  In parts it went quite deep so it took G a long time.  I helped but he really got into it.

As a result my knitting time has gone way down.  That does not mean that I have been completely knit free this month.  My focus has just changed.  I am now working on chair booties so that when we are finished the floors our furniture will not scratch up our floors.

You would be surprised at how many chair legs you have in your home.  I certainly was.  We have the six dining room chairs, two sofas, the piano bench and the four kitchen chairs.  Each are multiplied by four legs and that is not enough.  You need to multiply that number by two because when the first set is being washed you need a second set to put on the chairs.  WOW!!

As if that is not enough, I am also knitting little area rugs to go under things like the dining room table and the side coffee tables so that they do not scratch the floor when they get moved around.  As well I am  knitting a larger area rug for the living room.

Believe it or not it really is an awful lot of fun.

New Classes

Happy August 1st everyone.  Summer is half over (boo!!) but still lots of fun to be had (YAY!!!).

New private and group knitting classes begin today.  If you are looking to learn something new or want to improve yours skills then we can craft (pun intended) a class to suit you.  Do you want something easy and fun to do on a road trip or are you getting ready for fall knitting?  I would love to hear what you are up to and help you improve your skills.

Want to learn the art of cabling, or how about learning to read a pattern?  Maybe you want to learn a new cast on or finishing technique.  I am ready to help.

Clicking needles are happy needles so contact me today at bettyannew@gmail.com and we can get you hooked up.

Keep on knitting.

Betty-Anne

Just One of Those Days

Last night I cast on to make a halter top for myself.  Something I don't often do - knit for myself.  I checked my gauge, my needle size and the weight of the yarn.  All was in order and to the specifications of the pattern  so away I went.

I was starting on the back of the halter and I cast on the 123 stitches required and knit the first row.  Oh gee, this was starting to look a little large for me.   I thought, well, let's give it a go and see what happens.  I continued onto the second row of the lace hem and it was not getting any smaller.  Uh-oh!!  Finally after three rows I stopped and thought I don't know who I am trying to kid but this is not going to fit me.

I held it up to me and was able to wrap it all the way around my body.  Clearly this was not working.  If I had decided to knit it in the round then I would have been just fine but that is not what the pattern called for.

Needless to say I was most disappointed as this has not happened to me before and I was actually doing something for myself.  I was hoping to wear it on a date with my husband.

Oh well, I guess I will have to revisit the pattern and modify it to suit me.

Maybe I will just go back and do those tube socks for babies I was looking at.

Keep your needles clicking.

Betty-Anne

My Dream Project

Well here it is.  I must say that to date, this is my absolute favourite piece that I have knit.  I made it for an absolutely lovely woman who is going to wear it for a photo shoot for her new CD which will be released in the fall of 2012.  I am so thrilled to have been able to help her out.  I would love to tell you who it is but I have to wait to ask her first.  :-)

The photo on the left is the stole being blocked and the one on the right is the finished product.

This stole is made with Mango Moon Di Lusso and the colour is called Midnight.  It is finished off with Mango Moon Silk Ribbon in Chiron.  And I worked with an AddiTurbo 9mm circular needle which was 100 cm long.

I quite enjoy working with circular needles and I find the AddiTurbo needles to be absolutely yummy.  They are smooth as silk.  No pun intended (since I was working with silk.)  As for the length, well I often work in the magic loop so I like to have the long needles anyway and use them for all my projects.   

This yarn and silk ribbon was such a dream to work with.  It was simply scrumptious and worked up a treat on the AddiTurbo.

No I am not promoting either of these products (and yes I did pay for it - no free lunches for me) but I did enjoy them so much that I had to tell you about them in case you are looking for tools to fall in love with.

I would love to hear what tools you enjoy and what your favourite projects are.

Find me on Ravelry at TwoStickChick!

Here's hoping your keep your sticks clicking!

Betty-Anne

Too hot to knit?

At 6:00 this morning it is 31 degrees Celsius (88 F for my American friends).  The temperature is going to be getting hotter as the day goes on.  Is it too hot for you to knit? 

I say no.  There are so many wonderful lightweight projects that you can work on that are portable and not sweat inducing.  :-)  My current obsession is baby slippers and socks for all ages.  They are so much fun to do and I am finding that everyone loves hand made socks.

I would love to hear what you are working on.  Are you knitting or crocheting?  Please post a photo as well.  

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Betty-Anne

You have GOT to be kidding me!!!,

Okay, I know that today is not Friday the 13th (that is usually a good luck day for me, by the way) but really how can it be that I do not have the needles I need.  I was just sitting down to work on a pair of slippers (magic loop method) when I discovered that despite having what appears to be hundreds of sets of needles, I DO NOT have the size I need.

Okay well technically I do have the size I need (3.5mm) but as I mentioned, I work in the magic loop method so I need a circular needle that is 100 cm long and THAT, I do not have.  Devastation.  No really, I was completely devastated.

Now, it isn't all bad, you see, because now when my BFF, Linzi, and I go out for coffee today, I have an excuse to go shopping.  I hope that I can find the needle I need.

Wish me luck.

Betty-Anne

Summer Classes and Christmas Giving

People love to receive hand knitted gifts for Christmas so now is the perfect time to learn to knit in order to prepare for fall and winter knitting.

Those gifts do not have to be ties, socks or sweaters.  You can many modern items of clothing and even toys.  I have knit dresses, baseballs, purses, as well as socks, slippers and sweaters.  I have also made a toy octopus that is a favourite of the child who received it.

Classes have begun so check out the list of classes on this website and then get in touch with me at bettyannew@gmail.com in order to arrange a time.

Talk to you soon.

Betty-Anne

So Pumped!

I am so excited.  I have been so busy knitting like crazy for friends.  I have been making more baby slippers, and big sister slippers and mama slippers.  Yes they match.  How cute an idea is that?!  I cannot take the credit for it.  My friend asked me to make matching slippers for another friend who has just given birth to her second daughter.  I am going to be posting pics later today or tomorrow.  So fun.

I am also working on a stole.  I was so jazzed by the yarn and the pattern which is very elegant that when I special ordered the yarn I forgot to order the ribbon for the fringe.  I have since corrected that but am now impatiently awaiting it's arrival.  At least it was the ribbon I forgot because I can't put it on until after I have finished the knitting so it is not holding me up any.  Oh well we live and learn.  It will be that much more exciting when it does arrive.  I have received the tracking number from the company I ordered it from and now am watching as it makes it's way from post office to post office in the United States.  :-)

I would love to hear what you are working on and how it is coming along.  Post pictures as well if you wish.

Talk to you soon.

Betty-Anne

It's All About The Babies

Well I hope you all had an amazing Canada Day.  I certainly did.  BBQ, family and knitting - what more could a gal want.

My project book is starting to fill up dramatically fast.  I am working on a stole for a new friend who needs something to wear for her photo shoot for her new CD which is coming out in the fall and I am also working on baby slippers for another friend who is becoming a grandmother (at a young age) this August.

Baby Boot Slippers

Two colour Baby Boot Slippers

She has asked me to make three pair of slippers for her new granddaughter to be and I am having a blast and so far I have knit four pair.  It really is such good fun knitting these wee things.

Baby Moccasins

Baby Mary Jane

I am so happy that three of my husbands nieces have been having babies because I will also make some for them.  Maybe I will even get to knit a christening gown.  I can hope!  :-)




Betty-Anne

Knitting While Driving

Okay so I didn't actually knit while I drove but when my husband and I recently drove to the U.S. we took turns driving and while I was navigating I was also knitting.  Fortunately, "G" did not need help finding where we were going because I may have told him to cable 4 front if he had asked for any directions.

Here is one of the two projects that I worked on during our road trip.  It is a drop stitch scarf made with some absolutely yummy yarn.  It is called Celestial Merino and the colour is Aquarius.  "G" bought it for me when he was away on business and didn't realize that the colour matched my birth sign.  I guess it was fate that made him purchase it.

I have included a picture of the scarf and the yarn wrapper so if you love it you know what you are looking for.

I have not yet blocked the scarf so the drop stitches are not showing up properly in the photo but I hope you get the idea.  Once I have blocked it I will put up another picture.

The yarn is so soft to work with and the pattern was so simple that it just flew along.  I also find that my favourite needles to work with are AddiTurbo which I buy from my local yarn shop.  They cost a little more but I find that they really help in the quality of my work because they do not pull on the yarn.

I look forward to hearing what you think and want to hear what is on your sticks.

Betty-Anne

 

It's About Time

Okay so here I am.  I have been thinking about doing this (blogging) for a long time and today I realized that thinking about it and planning it in my head was not getting it done so I decided to just jump in and do it.

I thought about so many ways to do my blog but I realized that the only way for me to do it was to be myself and that way I can be sure that I can get it done.  If I try to sound like someone or something I am not then fuggedaboutit.  I will be me and hope that you enjoy who I am because I am looking forward to getting to know you as well.

Betty-Anne