Halifax Knitting Mamas!! - Page 5

[Alison]

Originally Posted by rbeaufoy

I SERIOUSLY miss US book prices

*cue evil laughter*

even US book prices don't compare to library/bookstore staff discounts!

[rbeaufoy]

You are evil.

Oh wait, I understand... you're offering to share that discount with your favorite knitting friends!!! How sweet :LOL

[Alison]

I have, on very rare occasions, been known to share my discount. Mostly I use it to buy presents for people!

Alison

[trivett]

As yes..the staff discount. My husband orders stuff all the time. We're going to miss that when he leaves . Hopefully he will get a job that still offers those great discounts!

[rbeaufoy]

I am a Yarn Ho

Spent way too much at Tangled Skeins today.

You know, I was thinking...it would be to her advantage (and ours) to offer our group some sort of discount, or promotional deals. I wonder how to subtley make that point?!

Anyway, I am now the proud owner of two new hanks of merino wool....one for some pants for Mika, and the other for a hat for Gabe (who is threatening to knit it himself....we'll see!).

R

[Alison]

We should ask her about a frequent shopper programme. I have referred so many people to her and some of them mentioned my name (thank you Lesley!), so maybe she'll feel kindly towards me when I do actually spend some of my own money!

Which merino did you get? Celestial, or the Tangled Skeins merino, or something else?

Alison

[rbeaufoy]

She knows you are our "missing link" so to speak....she mentioned you and said "a bunch of other women have been here in the past couple of weeks"...I told her about our knitting group. So....maybe you should carry the torch across the bridge and put a bug in her ear (okay, I count at least 3 cliches in that paragraph!)


One skein of Celestial Merino (Gabe wants that one for his hat), and another in navy blue for Mr. Mika's pants....Shelridge Farms in Ontario, it's called Soft Touch W4. And I am supremely happy to say that they are both machine washable....wahooooo!

Now, if my left hand would stop hurting, I could start knitting.....

[Alison]

Robyn, you need to see a doc about your hand. Does it get worse at night when you're trying to sleep? That's pretty common with tendonitis or carpal tunnel, it's one of the ways you know that's what you've done.

Alison

[lesley&grace]

Robyn, about your hand...my mom had really bad carpal tunnel and ended up having surgery on her right hand to try and correct it (it was so bad that occasionally her hands would just let go of whatever she was holding...20+ years of office work) and recently she started going to a chiropractor for issues with her neck and back...turns out her "carpal tunnel" was actually a neck issue, something about the tendons in her neck affecting her wrists. My Aunt, an avid knitter, had very simliar issues and corrected them with exercise. Since mom started seeing her chiropractor she hasn't had any issues with her hands, except weakness from the surgery!!

I guess my point is, how's your neck?

[rbeaufoy]

I've been seeing a chiropractor for at least 10 years....so it's not my neck. Actually, I know it's not carpal tunnel either....it's something wierd with one of the bones and tendons between my pinky and ring finger. Sometimes it hurts for days and days, then not for months and months (whether I knit or not) Advil helps. I'm just waiting for it to mellow out again.....can you tell I HATE doctors?

[lesley&grace]

Well, at least you know what's wrong with it...but it still sucks that it hurts.

OK, a knitting question: those of you who were at Alison's tues saw the yarn I made Cam's scarf out of. I'd like to make him mittens to match. How do I do this, does anyone have a pattern I could use and should I pick up more yarn so I have enough and possibly enough for a hat too?

[trivett]

Phew...

Well, after being the casting on queen, I realized that my slip knot was not right so back to SnB I go to have another look. Got that sorted out. Then did the casting on again and attempted Continental knitting. Took me awhile but I managed to do one really nice row. Then I went to start on the second and f***ed it up! : So...took it all apart and am going to start again. I'm getting better and SnB is definitely my friend. And Robyn...I realized it is only $10 on Barnes and Noble..not $13!! Even better!

[rbeaufoy]

Originally Posted by lesley&grace

I'd like to make him mittens to match.

Hey....I used to give my students a great mitten pattern I found online. You knit them flat, and then sew up the side seam afterwards. Easier than knitting in the round on double-pointed needles. UNLESS.......you are ready to tackle knitting in the round on double-pointed needles????? In which case, I have a cute pattern for that too that might work with that orange wool

I'll have to track down the one on-line, shouldn't be too hard with a google search. Let me know what you think!

[Alison]

Vanessa, I'm going to recommend that you stop taking it apart and just keep going. Eventually you'll see nicer and nicer knitting, and you'll be able to compare the beginning to the end and see how much better you've become. Plus you won't have the frustration of having to start over again and again!

Alison

[inchwormz]

I finished my dishcloth!!! And it actually looks like a dishcloth! I'm so pleased with myself! Rayne didn't give me much of a chance to work on it yesterday, but all together it really only took about 3 (4?) hours! I know that's probably a very long time to you super fast knitters, but considering I've been working on a blanket now for almost a year, it feels good to actually have completed something! I think I will make a few more. Then I will feel really productive and ready to tackle a new project!

[lesley&grace]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Feels really good doesn't it? I just washed my dishes with a cloth I made myself, I kept stopping to admire my work!

[inchwormz]

Originally Posted by lesley&grace

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Feels really good doesn't it? I just washed my dishes with a cloth I made myself, I kept stopping to admire my work!

Washing dishes is actually my *least* favorite chore so anything to make it more fun! I've started a second one already! Rayne has been very fussy lately and is only happy in mamas arms so I'm not getting to far with I think I will have it done by Sunday which means I'd have completed two projects this week! Yay!

[rbeaufoy]

Hey, hey HEYYYYYY!!!!

Go here : http://knitting.about.com/library/blbabyindex.htm/

LOADS of free patterns....and alot of them are pretty cool! I've tried out quite a few of them over the years, so if you have questions, let me know

[trivett]

Originally Posted by Alison

Vanessa, I'm going to recommend that you stop taking it apart and just keep going. Eventually you'll see nicer and nicer knitting, and you'll be able to compare the beginning to the end and see how much better you've become. Plus you won't have the frustration of having to start over again and again!

Alison

I agree with you here but the problem seems to be that when I go to knit from the other side after finishing one row something funky happens and as I keep on knitting the second row I get a large loop of wool hanging out and the knitting almost looks like it is twisting. Hard to explain but it makes it very hard to knit. I also notice that the last stich on the row (first stitch of the new row) looks to be not very well stiched and the loop is quite large and it never knits right. Don't know if this makes any sense but the next time we meet I can show someone and maybe can see what the problem is. I'm going to try again and keep going and save my results for playgroup on Monday if someone can have a quick look .

[Alison]

Stitches at the ends are never completely happy stitches. Think about it--a happy stitch is all in a row holding hands with a friend on either side. The stitch on the end is holding hands with one friend in a row, but then has to reach up or down to the friend in the row above or below! Feel sorry for those poor first and last stitches and treat them gently! You get better at them too. Look at them really carefully before you knit them and make sure you're knitting them through the right way.

Alison

And no, I can't take credit for the happy stitch analogy, that's one of Lucy's (www.tradewindknits.com). She was a piece of yarn in a former life!