Author: cherylcan

A breadth of experience, but I typically identify as a wife, mother, friend, researcher, lecturer, writer and book reviewer.
knitting

Cast on my Gingerbread for the Sweater KAL

cherylcan

2017GingerbreadSweaterThis weekend I finally cast on the Gingerbread Sweater by Libby Jonson. I love it. The shaping for the top and armholes is so well done. I got the back finished to where you have to join to the front for knitting in the round. I will be casting on the front as soon as I can.

My yarn choices are just perfect. I am so in love with this. The Madelinetosh Tosh DK Coal Seam is knitting up beautifully. My only change from the original pattern is that I am going to fade into Bayview Fiber Arts Swing Bridge DK in Barn Boards for the bottom of the sweater.

I had hoped to enter the Hawthorne Cottage Craft Gingerbread KAL but considering it ends this Wednesday I am probably out of luck for that one. I am still on track to enter in the Knitting in Stitches “I like your sweater” KAL. Cast on a sweater and enter it in both the Knitting in Stitches and the CAWcreations “I like your sweater” KALs!

CAWcreationsPodcast, knitting, PEI, Things I have looked into

2017 May 16 CAWcreations Episode 4: A comedy of errors

cherylcan

0:57 Working on new designs for Fleece & Harmony,

2:09 WIPs

  1. Ironheart by Tin Can Knits from Heart on My Sleeve Collection done in Knit Picks Gloss DK using Addi Turbo interchangeable needles size 3.75mm. Kept in my Annie Purl bag. It is very well made. If I had to say anything the handle is slightly short but that is being extremely picky. If you want to buy her bags, then go watch Two Tangled Skeins podcast, they have a coupon code for Annie Purl – 15% off until the end of 2017.
  2. 3:18 Victoria’s afghan for graduation Quick-Knit Throw by Lion Brand Yarn. She chose Premier Yarns Sweet Roll in Frosty Swirl, Ice Pop, Raspberry Swirl, and Grape Swirl.
  3. 6:29 Fleece & Harmony colours for their Lot 57 yarn used in the Day at the Beach Blanket Shawl, in press. I keep it in my elephant bag from Knitters’ Nook.
  4. 8:09 Knitted Knocker using 2.0 mm Brittany needles. I love these needles as they have a smooth finish and do not splinter. My Addi bamboo interchangeablesSome technical issues at the end so you just get audio and a few pictures. My camera kept turning off after it recorded only a minute. The first time I continued for 15 minutes before I notices. I am persistent and finished despite these issues. Enjoy the pictures from our night at a cottage in Howe Bay, PEI. It is close to the Inn at Bay Fortune where Chef Michael Smith lives and works.

    9:00 Book “Friday Night Knitting Club” by Kate Jacobs. I loved Georgia because I have so much in common with her, but I love Cat for the growth she shows throughout the book. Let’s be real. I like all the characters. They remind me of our crew of knitters that go to Beanz on Sundays.

    9:58 “I like your sweater” KAL
    I am planing to finish at least one sweater before a trip I’m taking in the fall, and I’m going to need all the help/encouragement/motivation I can get. This will be a nice long KAL (Knit ALong) so you can take your time with it, or you can pump out as many sweaters as your hands will allow! Either way, we’ll be warm when we wrap things up in October.

    To enter:

    • knit or crochet an adult sweater (all finishing work must also be complete) sometime between April 20 2017 and midnight on October 20 2017
    • WIPs (works started before April 20, 2017) are allowed,
    • Must be a member of the CAWcreations Ravelry group to be eligible for prizes.
    • Multiple entries welcome, but remember use a separate post for each entry.
    • Entries posted in this thread will be assigned a number and random number generator will be used to choose the winnerPrizes will be announced at a later date.

10:11 what’s been going on with me. Trip to Halifax, NS to see Once at Neptune Theatre and to visit with friends. Mother’s Day fun.

Happy Knitting!

 

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Books, CAWcreations Pattern, CAWcreationsPodcast, knitting

2017 April 23 CAWcreations Episode 3

cherylcan

It is snowing on PEI this morning April 23, 2017, so I recorded CAWcreations Episode 3. This week along with knitting, I talk about:

  • My First KAL (Knit Along) including my “I like your sweater” fan girl moment,
  • Fleece & Harmony yarn,
  • PEI Burger Love,
  • Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
  • Jonah Days / Projects, and
  • PEI Burger Love.

2017_CAWcreationsPic

I had to start and end the video with clips of Molly, my dog, and I out in the snow on Sunday morning. It did warm up later so the snow did not last.

2:25 FOs (Finished Objects)

  • Perfect socks
    • Ian’s socks to go with his overalls using My Colour Wheelhouse in their walking after midnight colour. It is a merino/silk blend so soft and the colours are perfect. I used 2.0 mm (US 0) needles to knit the socks with 44 sts in a K2 P2 rib and a heel flap heel. After completion, I used 3D fabric paint to put his name on the sole so that he would not slide around on his floors.
  • My Jonah Project:
    • Unfortunately, Ian’s overalls do not fit. The pants are perfect but the top not so much. I am going to have to get back the project and convert them to pants. I think that will work well.
    • In honour of  my reread of Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery, I am calling this my “Jonah Project”. A “Jonah day” is a reference to the prophet Jonah from the Old Testament of the Bible and is used by Anne to describe a day where everything has gone wrong. Jonah, in incurring the wrath of God for not carrying out his mission, was thrown overboard at sea and swallowed by a whale.

4:22 WIPS (Works in Progress):

7:55 Projects to Cast on:

14:17 Sweater KAL: I Like Your Sweater

  • To qualify you must :
    • Knit an adult sized sweater (must have sleeves and be made in an adult size other than that I am very fluid in my definition of a sweater)
    • Finish it between April 20th, and October 20th, 2017
    • Must be a member of the CAWcreations Ravelry group to be eligible for prizes (Prizes will be announced at a later date).
  • Discussed my “I like your sweater.” fan girl moment with the Yarn Harlot.

16:04 CAWcreations Pattern: Gavin’s Blanket Progress

16:15 Books: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

18:22 PEI Burger Love: PEI Brewing Company Red Eye Burger

Have a wonderful couple of weeks, and remember as Anne says:

"Every morn is a fresh beginning,
Every morn is the world made new,"

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CAW creations Episode 2: PEI Burger Love

cherylcan

It is April 8, 2017 and this is CAWcreations Episode 2. This week along with knitting, I talk about concerts, Quantum Night by Robert Sawyer, and PEI Burger love.

2017_CAWcreationsPic

I am CAWcreations by Cherylcan on Revelry, and Cherylcan on Instagram and Ravelry.

FOs (Finished Objects starts at 2:26 of the video)

  • Mismatched pair of Grand Central Socks by Knitting Expat Designs
  • Pair of cotton ankle socks (may knit third as I have extra yarn)
  • Tim’s socks (forgot to mention them in the podcast)

WIPs (Works in Progress starts at 6:10 of video)

  • Seb’s Socks in
    • mycolourwheelhouse yarn Fiery Orange yarn.
    • Using 3.25mm (US3) needle (Knitter’s Pride I think).
    • In my Maple Moose bag with black hearts on a white background
  • Ian’s overalls so modified that I will not attach a pattern.
    • Used mycolourwheelhouse Walking After Midnight colour.
  • Find Your Fade Shawl
  • Ironheart sweater
    • by tincanknits in the Heart on My Sleeve pattern book.
    • Using 3.5mm (US4) Addi Turbo needle.

CAWcreations Pattern – Gavin’s Blanket (starts at 17:50 of video)

  • Made with Knit Picks Dishie yarn. It is a great durable cotton.
  • Posted the pattern but need to update to add gauge and number of balls of yarn.
  • It has been on my needles for almost 10 years!

Belfast Mini Mills (starts at 19:50 of video)

  • Superwash wool and projects I made with it
  • Merino thrum mitts
  • New mini mill bought from Belfast Mini Mills
    • Fleece & Harmony

Book I read (starts at 22:18 of video)

Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer – I really liked it. You should read it.

Blather

  • PEI Burger Love
    • The Glasgow Burger at The Mill in New Glasgow
    • The Lynchburg-er at The Factory Cookhouse
    • Mooona Lisa at Mavor’s
  • Join my Ravelry Group and introduce yourself for a chance to win!
Books, CAWcreations Pattern, CBC, knitting, PEI

CAWcreations Podcast Episode 1

cherylcan

Welcome to CAWcreations Podcast Episode 1!

2017_CAWcreationsPic

Cherylcan on Instagram and Ravelry, and

CAWcreations for published patterns.

FO (Finished Object starts at 1:15 of video)

WIPs (Works In Progress starts at 2:18 of video)

Atlantic Canadian Yarn Company – Turtlepurl (starts at 10:44 of video)

  • Amazing colours of self-striping yarns. Colours are hand painted.
  • Comes in two skeins for those of you who do two at a time socks. It makes a perfectly matched pair.
  • The wool comes in a hank of 4 ply 75% superwash merino 25% nylon sock yarn. It knits up quite soft but is durable for everyday wear.
  • I love this yarn and have multiple colours in my stash at all times.

CAWcreations Pattern – Gavin’s Blanket (starts at 14:44 of video)

  • Baby blanket is linked above. The full size I need to correct a bit.
  • Made with Knit Picks Dishie yarn. It is a great durable cotton.

Books I have read (starts at 17:36 of video)

  • 2084 by Boualem Sansal
    • Opens with the main character in a sanatorium up in the mountains. Even in this secluded spot the reader becomes aware of how grim the world is.
    • I do not want to give too much of the plot away, but with all the hype from the French edition of the book, I expected much more. I was disappointed and found that 2084 did not add as much to the genre of distopian novels as I expected it would. I really wanted to love this book.
  • Next podcast I will be looking at Quantum Night by Robert Sawyer. One of my favourite authors. I am really excited about this book.

Blather (starts at 19:20 of video)

Teaching

Knit East – Day Two

cherylcan

I slept in on Sunday until 8 am. It was so nice. We slowly woke up and when we got downstairs the others had coffee made. Such a treat! We barely got to say good morning and they were off. I did not have to anywhere until my class at 1:30 so had some breakfast, and settled in with a tea and my reversible cable project. What a beautiful way to start the day.

Sunday brunch special made specially for me

We cleaned up the cottage and checked out before heading up to the Algonquin for Brunch. We met Moria and our “lucky baby” and went to the dining room. The soup and sandwich both had things I could not eat, so the chef made me a special salad and a gluten free smoked pork sandwich. I am not always one for pictures of my food but I did for this. It was so good.

Then I went to “Knitting for Speed and Efficiency” by Stephanie Pearl-MacPhee. I could listen to Stephanie for days. She’d make anything fun which was good because changing 37 years of bad habits was going to be hard and she only had one afternoon. I know she said we had to be kind to ourselves, but it is so slow learning to be fast.

The slides were great. Following the history of knitting was very interesting and made me really think about how I sat and held my needles. I absolutely loved her “Aura of Confidence” pictures. “If they are knitting with only one needle. They can’t knit.” Uh Duh! It was a fun way to review how we held our needles and bodies while we knit. It was a great pairing with the Yoga I did the day before.

After showing us the world’s fastest knitters, three of whom where lever knitters, we tried doing it ourselves with one long needle tucked under our arm. Here is a video of the Yarn Harlot demonstrating Irish Cottage Knitting. I am still doing it daily though but am nowhere near my top speed let alone how fast Stephanie is here. It may be coming but man is it frustrating. It made me feel for my own students. Probably a good thing for us professors to do something completely different so we have more empathy for our poor students.

Teaching, Things I have looked into

Day One at Knit East 2015

cherylcan

I just returned from an amazing weekend in St. Andrew’s NB for Knit East. Everyone said that it was an amazing weekend so I had high hopes. It exceeded my expectations.

We arrived on Friday night and went to the Algonquin Resort right away. I relaxed as soon as I stepped into the lobby. I have always loved this resort but ever since we got storm-stayed there last winter it has become my favorite place to stay. The staff are like family and I feel at home when I am there. I love sitting by the fire in the evening knitting with a glass of cider.

First we went to the The Seaside Beach ResortIMG_0208 right on the water. We were in the Spruce cabin. I loved the view from our deck. check out the marketplace. Wow. The choice was overwhelming. I did not know where to start. Eventually, I picked up some project bags and a few items from my must have list prepared for the trip. Then we registered for the conference. They handed out little goodie bags with our tickets for Yoga and the Fashion show. We ate a late supper at The Lobster Bay Pub. It was yummy. I had the ribs and was so stuffed when I finished.

Day 1

My first class was Yoga for knitters at 7:30 am on Saturday. I got up early and walked up the hill from the waterfront. It was a small class but very informative. There were a number of stretches shown especially for knitters, so we all started the day very relaxed and ready to  knit.

I was so excited to move to Reversible Cables with Fiona Alice. I have been watching her designs for awhile and really wanted to meet her. Of course I cruised in to class just as it was starting. There was only one seat left in the room. We learned a provisional cast on with croch12045427_10156078039070411_6402647231677830366_oet hooks. It works so well! She was so patient with us. I love Fiona’s teaching style. She is very relaxed but manages to work the room really well. I loved hearing her stories about working in London while we worked on the project. Fiona even took the time to show the beginners in the class how to read the pattern. Her patience and knowledge both where very satisfying. I finished the class with a small section of my headband completed choosing to just watch the grafting process so I could finish the entire project later. I love the effect of the reversible cables!

After lunch my class was with Fiona Ellis, this was my Fiona day. She was teaching trims and edges. I rushed to class and sat down to finish my homework. Yes I am as bad as the students I have compIMG_0212lained about once or twice. Fiona handed out a sheet of edges we were going to look at and then we got to choose what to work on. What a great concept. The class is all at different places so we get to choose which one is best for us. As we were working, Fiona showed us her sweaters and swatches of various techniques for merging your collar with the patterns used in the sweater creating the little extras that really make a project amazing. I got so many pictures of ideas. My favorite was the continuation of the pattern by just using half of it in the collar. It was so simple but really added to the finished project. Wow.

By this point, I am fried but I did go back over to the market. Then Michelle and I walked back for supper at our cottage. I needed some quiet time before the fashion show. It is amazing how tiring sitting in a class all day becomes.

The fashion show was great. So fun and so many prizes. We sat in the front row and passed the baby around. For the rest of the weekend he became known as the “lucky baby” because of the four of us holding him periodically three won prizes. Guess who did not. That is right me. The person who never wins anything. I loved seeing all the completed projects, but my favorite part was that the models were used to us knitters needing to feel the fabrics and would walk right up to you so you could. It was the perfect end to the first day of knitting.