Precious

Just had to share . . . 

Precious Babe

My sister was kind enough to pose her precious babe.  Meet my wee niece in her new sweater and hat.

Fast Asleep

Just perfect!

I haven't met her yet.  I hope I'll get to meet her soon before she gets too big.  Hard to live so far away from family . . . 

And Now for Some Knitting (and Crochet) . . .

Looking back on my posts for the last couple weeks, I realized there hasn't been much knitting content--in fact, no mention of crafts!  For shame!  'Cuz there has been knitting--much knitting!  

Meet Shroomy

First, meet my lovely new assistant, Shroomy.  She's a bit of a noob, so her sister Toadette is showing her "the ropes", so to speak.  I know Shroomy is missing her spots and her braids, but the wee one is finished as far as I'm concerned (maybe over the holidays, Santa could drop off a few spots and braids--maybe).

Two Sisters

And a new friend patiently awaits his tentacles.  I've got two done and am working on a third.  Since I'm working in the round, it's been a bit of a pain trying to remember how to avoid that dreaded colour jog . . . 

An octopus with his tentacles

The process works the same for either method: work one round with the new colour.  With the one on the left (below), I slipped the first stitch and then worked the round as usual.  With the right one, I picked up the stitch below and worked that with the first stitch.  Which one looks better?

Which looks better?

I prefer the one on the right 'cuz it doesn't leave any loose stitches (not visible from photo).  I just have to be careful how I pick up the stitch below so that it doesn't get twisted.  In the end it won't matter too much 'cuz the "seam" will be facing inward.

I also finished one big project (psst, its the Garter Surprise), but I think I'll wait before posting FO photos here (although you are more than welcome to check it out at my Ravelry project page [Rav link]).

Ball Band Dishcloth

I even managed to cast-on and finish another project: the ball band dishcloth(free pattern link at Ravelry).  That pattern has been sitting in my queue since forever!  I've been meaning to try it out and finally succumbed (mainly 'cuz while searching through the stash, I came across lots of leftover Bernat Handicrafter Cotton).

Lovely Dishcloth

The pattern is easy enough to follow.  I used the finished dishcloth this morning and it didn't stretch out too much when wet.  Of course I used the wrong size needles, so to compensate I cast on six less stitches than called for in the pattern.  Me thinks I'll make more . . . ;)

Remembering . . .

Thinking of our veterans on this day . . . 

Poppies on Crosses

Lots of mixed feelings.  More younger people show respect for the sacrifices of our Canadian soldiers, past and present.  Yet daily I read in the paper about our federal government short-changing veterans . . . . It's a somber mood.

Poppies

Magazines . . .

So I treated myself  to some knitting magazines.  One I subscribe to: the Knitter's Magazine was a gift subscription (I'm still debating whether or not to renew).  The other two, Knit Simple and Knitscene, were bought at the news stand.

Knitting Mags

There's nothing like a little inspiration on a cool fall day . . . 

Belated Halloween Round-up . . .

Yeah, I was a little remiss in sharing the lovely creepiness of the Halloween holiday--mia culpa, mia culpa.  It might be 'cuz my boys have decided they're too old to go out trick-or-treating (mainly 'cuz one of them has a serious nut allergy and most goodies come with nut warnings on the labels).

Bats and Ghosts

Just the same, we celebrated the season in true form with a scary movie and lots and lots of atmosphere.

Mood Lighting

Wonder how we'll top it off come Christmas? ;)

A Little Diversion--Geek Style

Yeah, I've been busy . . . 

School work has been manageable, but there's a bit of reading.  There's also a research paper and everyone loves those (not!).  It wouldn't be too bad if I didn't have a full-time job and a family.  And when am I supposed to knit? :S

Don't worry.  I'm slipping in some fun too.  We indulged and hit Hal-Con last weekend--our first ever!  So much to see and do, especially if you're a comic book fan, love video games or appreciate all things creative.  It was awesome!  

We didn't do the costume thing this year--as it was our first time.  But rest assured we will dressed up next year.  Check out some of the other creative attendees:

Darth Maul

Superheroes and Villans:
Spidey, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy

Steampunk

I expected lots of vendors, but I was surprised with all the neat stuff to buy (coming from a small town, it was neat to find many original items and collectibles).  And I was fairly impressed with the sheer number of workshops and info sessions available with well-known comic artists, novelists, actors and speakers (my fave was the one about how to survive the zombie apocalypse).  There was also some live entertainment, from medieval combat to a cute tongue-and-cheek performance by Halifax Circus.  And of course, a costume contest! 

Harley Quinn performs aerial acrobats

Medieval Knights in battle

We've already marked off the dates for next year's convention (checkout the official Hal-Con website).  Get your geek on!  Oh yeah! ;)