just another raveller

I'm pretty sure that's what it's called . This is where we walked there on Saturday before the darkness and cold descended again. After a few days of rain and fluctuating temps, we are poised to dip below freezing, which I suppose is par for the course this time of year. You park nearby businesses where people overwinter their pleasure boats. The beginning of the walk passes some boat wrecks and some modest boathouses. It has a similar feel to the now defunct Verdun Boat Club - small huts next to functional docks up on the Saint Lawrence River near Montreal - quasi urban. Then you come to a fabulous boardwalk that sweeps out over a basin in the Gennesee River. Over at the other end, there are a series of these round cement docks like this one. I was told that cement boats used to dock here. If you keep going, you get to the Kodak watr treatment plant and the Rochester Zoo. Here's how the beginning of the boardwalk looks when you cast your glance back at it: I wonder i...

...and it's sunny. After 5 days spent for the most part in a windowless room, I plan to get out and go for a walk today. Knitting be damned. I mailed the Gilet to Auntie Margaret on Wednesday, knitted a hat, decided I didn't like it and undid it. Started another, but my neck was in a crick and I felt like the metal needles had been poking my thumb tips too hard, so I set that aside. Ought to finish up a few things, I thought and hauled out the Wedgette from behind the couch. Knit a few rows on that but I'm feeling of two minds about it. I looked at the finished ones on Ravelry and wasn't thrilled with them. Never mind, they are using other yarns and I can make the sleeves the way I want. We'll see. Laid that aside (By the way, have you seen NG's volume 6? Oy!) Worked on another Aeslight. Nice yarn, relatively mindless knit. Finally, I realized that I'm just tired. It's been a long, stupid winter. Cross my fingers, things are not too bad, but there is m...

Thanks for the compliments in the comments. This has been an exciting knit for me and it's gratifying to find out that it actually fits and looks good on someone. It's for my aunt in the UK so fingers crossed that it will fit her too. Here it is on Lisa... The yarn is Rowan Pure Life British Breeds DK. I used a US 4/3.5 mm needle and knit it all in one piece from the bottom up. Pattern of my own devising. Mary Lou asked whether I enjoyed working with this yarn. To be frank, as I was knitting I had my doubts - the yarn seemed weak, but then so do other yarns that turn out to be quite strong when knit up. There was a certain amount of splitting, and I wondered how a garment made from this yarn would hold up over the long term. In fact, it reminded me of a dress that I once sewed for my grandmother. Grandma was in her dotage and she loved the blue frock that I had sewed just for her. She insisted on wearing it day after day and it saw quite a few washings. I hadn't reinforced...

Certainly not. Details can be found on Ravelry . Modelling shot to come. Front: Close up: Back: Let's all hang on until Spring.

I finished my first Felicity hat. And Helen, I'm definitely going to knit another soon, maybe one to match these mittens: But back to the hat. Here are a couple of modelling shots . The back is really the nicest part: I tacked down the lining and pressed the edge. Next time, I'll try to make a sharper fold and I'll try it with few stitches, maybe 140. This one holds to the head OKAY. In fact, it's pretty good if you're afraid of mussing up your hair, but it could be a little tighter. So, where do the cats go? To the Cat Maze, of course! Most cats are happy enough to stay indoors in winter, snoozing in a warm spot. They might occasionally wander out onto a porch for a few minutes but they soon want to come back in. This is the third annual Cat Maze in my daughter's back yard. It starts out small, but if she keeps it up, the walls get really high. Her two cats actually use it to take walks. It's nice at night too:

I really like visiting Montreal. I end up walking a lot, which I enjoy, and there's a lot to look at. A few days ago, I took a trip to Chez Mouliné Yarns on Notre Dame West. It's a large store. They had a nice selection of yarns including a nice selection of Handmaiden and Malabrigo. There's a very good sale at the moment so I picked up a few skeins of the former and the latter and put them away in my suitcase. In a walking city where the average low temperature in winter ranges from 10 to -15°C (6 - 13°F), you really need a good hat. I've been working on a modified version of the Felicity hat for my daughter. Here's the pdf link to the free pattern . I'm making it out of sock yarn. I started by casting on 150 stitches. My gauge is about 7 stitches per inch on a 2.5 mm needle. I knit a tube 5.5 inches in length. This serves as the hat's lining, or hem to keep your ears warm under the hat itself. Then I did a picot edge to make a nice fold and began knittin...

I'm up in Montreal for a family emergency. I'm staying in a house with moths that are only kinda, sorta under control. Wah! I thought it wise only to bring sock yarn to knit with. I'm finishing the toe on the first pair now - it will go as a thank you gift. It's fun to be back in Montreal though. I lived here for almost 20 years. If only I could get out of the house! Nevermind. Will do so soon! I hope to visit the sale at Chez Mouliné. Best wishes and happy holidays to everyone!