Croquette knits

I'm in love with a thrummed mitten...

2009-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about thrummed mittens for a while. The concept intrigued me, and about a year ago, I bought a Fleece Artist mitten kit from Mouliné. Well, I finally garnered my courage and decided to get to it. It is SO MUCH FUN! I just laugh when I look at my finished mitten : It's like having sheep on my hands. So pretty, and so warm.

I'm 4 skeins down for my yarn bank, and I have 4 balls in progress in different projects. I'm saving up for a yarn crawl, either in Montreal or when we will be on vacation in Ottawa next month. I'm getting a swift and ball winder for my birthday, which I am really excited about.

I picked the first one of my surprise projects (well, I got my boyfriend to pick it). It's 4 skeins of Louisa Harding Kimono Angora that I got in a swap : I planned a cowl and a beret with it. The colors are a lot worse knitted than in the ball, so I'm not sure how much I'll wear this. It is insanely soft, but it sheds like crazy and the yarn breaks at the slightest pressure. Not a fan!

2009

2009-01-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Many blessings and a lot of love to you in 2009!

For 2009, I'm doing a knitalong with the Stash Knit down group in Ravelry : it is a small project club. I've put yarn in bags, along with the name of a pattern that I think will fit the yarn. I have about 20 bags, and when I feel the need to cast on, I'll just grab a bag and surprise myself! That should be fun, and should keep me playing with the stash, not buying new things.

I'm making progress on the sleeves of Forestry. I'm getting more and more concerned that I'll run out of yarn for the button band. We'll see. I figure I can do it in a different color if it's really bad. I plan to sew the Gathered pullover tomorrow morning, which is something I've been putting off for months now. Lord I hate sewing.

I've also gotten started on my SKA project : a pair of Thuja socks for my BF, he who has huge feet. I'm making good progress on the cuff, but I'm dreading the insanely long feet!

2008...

2008-12-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

2008 has been a good year for my knitting. I feel like I'e learned a heck of a lot, and that I know have a lot of confidence in my skillls. The highlights of my knitted lifestyle so far have been my Phildar lacy cardigan, which is gorgeous and cool, and all the socks I have made, especially through Summer of socks. It has been a blast! I"m also deeply in love with my cowl made out of Miski. I love cowls more than scarves I think : less bulk, same warmth. I foresee quite a few more going on my needles.

I'm trying to think of a few goals I am aiming for in 2009. I like goals because they let me think and organize : I really don't mind not getting them done! I did about half of last year's goals, which is fine by me. I've had less time to knit, a lot more work, and that's okay too. I've managed to get a decent stash, and to get rid of the skeins that were no longer for me.

For 2009, I want to...

Knit mittens! I have a kit for thrummed mittens, and I have plenty of yarn for colowork mittens. Can't wait to get to it in 2009. I've knit two pairs of fingerless mitts, and I have no use for them. The weather here is just too cold for bare fingers.

Knit more accessories. I love smaller projects.

Don't force myself to knit sweaters. It sometimes feel like I should, because it is the mark of a more-than-beginner knitter, but really I barely wear the ones I made. I think one or two big projects this year should be enough.

Buy smaller amounts of yarn, no sweater quantities : linked to goal number 3!

Do Summer of socks again! SO MUCH FUN!

And finally, I want to do a yarn bank : for every skein I buy, a skein has to be knit or leave my stash. I don't feel like expanding my stash much past 40000 yards (I'm at 37000 now), and I want to have fun with the yarn I have NOW, not always lust about other things. I also need to introduce a little more bulky, a little less fingering!

Last goal : do a sweater for my mom for her 60th birthday... in April!

I hope all of you had a lovely holiday time. During my time off, I want to sow my Gathered pull, finish a sock and get through all of the sleeves of Forestry. Should be doable, especially with football watching sunday!

Happy knitting!

La lune d'automne

2008-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Fall at last! I love this season : shorter days, cool nights, football, hockey, vegetables... It is a lovely little stop before the crazyness of winter. I am hoping for less snow than last year, because that was just ridiculous. I'm also hoping for less renovation work, more time to organise my business. I need to make some serious changes soon, and must decide if I need an associate, which is difficult for me. I love being sole captain!

Yarn wise, I've been on a buying frenzy of semi-solid sock yarns. Most of what I had was variegated, not a good choice for more involved patterns. I fell n love with Dream in Color yarns : made a Yarn Harlot one-row scarf in Classy and I just lurve it. It's the one in the photo, I just adore it.

I've gotten almost all my stash on Ravelry. I think I need to shop differently. First, I think I have enough sock yarn for a while. I need to lay off Knit picks because, for the most part, I tend to be dissapointed once I get the yarn. I don't really need any sweater amounts of yarn, but I need more single skeins... I tend to buy in bulk and almost nothing for smaller projects.

So, what's on the needles? For the first time in forever, I have more than 2 WIPs at the same time... 5 to be exact. There's the Gathered pullover : I was waiting for cooler weather to do the seaming, and now the set-in sleeves are giving me trouble. I'll try again after blocking, but I'm also thinking of taking a finishing class cause I really suck at anything other than mattress stitch. I have a Noro hat that should be done soon, a plain Regia sock for calmer moments, and a second Pomatomus to go for SKA on Ravelry. Knitting the first one gave me intense pain in the elbow and wrist, so it's gonna be at least two weeks until I start that one again. I try to vary my needle sizes more, after a full summer of socks on teeny needles.

The big project underway is Forestry, the latest Veronik Avery design for VK Fall 2008 (btw, wow! great projects in this. It's bizarro world, I love this VK more than the fall IK). I'm using some Galway heather I had in stash, it's lovely yarn in a tomato red that should suit me really well. I might run into trouble because I have a little less than the required amount of yarn, but since I have short arms, I should be OK I hope. We'll see. The back is done and I'll start the sleeves next.

So, lots of knitting. After the last online buying frenzy, I swore to myself I wasn't going to buy anything new until I had gone through 10 balls from my stash... I have 1 full and 4 partial balls knit, so it should be good for pre-christmas shopping.

See you soon!

Summer time!

2008-08-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, long time no see, good ol' blog! I think I'm not that much of a blogger : Ravelry is enough for me to figure out where I'm going with my knitting. I've been having a ton of fun with Summer of Socks, looking at all the cool stuff people are posting. I had a goal of 5 socks : 3 fingering weight, and the 2 DK habs socks for my man and his father. I ended up doing 4 fingering weight and 1 DK, with the other one planned for this week. I made really great progress, so I'm quite happy with the results. However, I'm getting tired of all those socks.

Soooo, I cast on for a lace ribbon scarf, this lovely pattern by my favorite designer, Veronik Avery. How that woman does it, I have no clue. Pretty much everything she designs makes my heart pitter patter. She has this insane cardigan in the new Vogue Knitting for fall which is so me. The lust is strong with this one!

I'm not participating in Ravelympics : I debated doing it, but decided not to. I'm looking at people's FO anyway, just to get ideas (not that I need any more patterns in my queue : I would not be able to knit everything I want even if I had 8 arms.)

I just received a HUGE package from Knit Picks : I went a little crazy with the shopping therapy! I'm yearning for colorwork mittens, so I bought close to thirty! skeins of Palette. I'm thinking that, after the summer of socks, I'll be doing my very own Fall of accessories! I need scarves, hats, mittens, cowls.... All that good stuff! Can't wait to see what happens.

Here are the fingering weight socks I did.... Pretty sure you can recognize the patterns!

Stash Review

2008-03-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

The stash is growing and growing,and I need to think a little bit about matching yarn and projects. I have a lot of acrylics, some random balls of wool, and a few sweater amounts, mostly pinks and purples... I seem to be drawn to those lately.

YARNS

6 skeins of Berocco Foliage : I might redo a Cozy V neck with it.
10 skeins of Mitchell Alpaca-silk : A Flutter-Sleeve from the last IK?
7 Cascade 220 superwash in green : A hoodie, for sure.
2.5 cascade 220 brownish : Retro redux shrug
6 skeins of Cotton-ease Berry : A tee
8 skeins of merino style : no clue!
Patons Grace : Accidently on purpose drop-stitch tee from SnB
17 skeins of Shamrock : Emerald, if gauge works the way I think
6 red Ella Rae :a sienna cardigan
5 purple Ella Rae : no clue. Was for a Everest vest, but looked awful

That's pretty much it. I'm knitting a leafy shrug from Phildar with some cascade 220, it's a fun knit. Finished the back today, 4 pieces to do. I think this will be a winner.

The unending socks

2008-01-13T17:12:00.000-08:00

I've hit a black hole in my quest to knit myself a pair of Jaywalkers. I understand why the pattern is so popular, it makes an interesting use of self-striping yarn, but the fabric ends up so stiff and non-stretchy, I don't think I'll be knitting another. The second sock is taking forever. I also need to shorten the first sock, it ended up a little long. I had hoped to be through with it this weekend, but that ain't happening.

I will swatch for the Everest vest and for Emerald. I'm generally a one or two project girl, a big one and a small one. I'm using Shamrock from Knitpicks for Emerald : I wasn't sure about it in the ball, but it sure looks great knitted up. It is a little rough and doesn't look like it will have much drape, which should work for such a heavy cardigan. For Everest, I'll be using Plymouth Galway in a purle-y colourway. I've been wanting a vest for a while. I'll make it tight but not too form-fitting.

I visited the new yarn shop in Montreal, Ariane Knits. I like that they have yarns that are different from those sold at Effiloché, my other favorite yarn shop in Montreal. I got some Opal sock yarn, for a pair of Broadripple socks. I saw a pair on Ravelry in this exact colorway and fell in love. I also got 5 skeins of cascade 220 in bright purple, I have no clue what I'll do with it.

Good weekend

2008-01-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Good football equals lots of knitting. I think that might just be one of my favorite things ever : sit in my comfy chair and knit while watching big guys go crazy over a ball. I like the orderliness of football : 1st and 10, 2nd and 6... Passes, rushes, touchdowns, everything. Mr V and I made plans to travel to the States next year to see a combo of 1 football game and one hockey : we're thinking Buffalo of Pittsburgh. Anyway, for the superbowl, my heart would like Packers/Colts, my brain says Patriots/Packers. I think Romo will have another disappointing showing this postseason. We'll see.

I finished the Moderne Log Cabin Baby Blanket and plan to gift it to charity. I hated knitting it, both the yarn and the concept of Log Cabin. Yet, I hope it will be helpful to somebody else. A woman on Ravelry was asking for blankets for babies in Nunavut, so I plan on shipping it there, along with a few baby hats and some yarn I don't use. I've figured out that I like wool better than acrylics for most things. I'm thinking of curbing down the acrylic stash to only the stuff I'll use, and sell the rest at the bazar in May. I did a lot of impulse buying at WalMart, unfortunately!

I've figured out most of my knitting goals for 2008

Toe-up socks... One pair plain, and one pair of Marigold. I'll try this once the unending jaywalkers are finished.

Colorwork, or stranded knitting : I've already done a little of it, but the results were crappy. Maybe a vest pattern?

Make a good set of winter accessories for ME. Hat, scarf and mittens, in beautiful WOOL.

I know I want a few sweaters that I'll wear. Possibly do a garment in crochet, if I find a pattern that suits. I want vests for work.

Do a French Pattern from Phildar. It should be interesting!

Do some knitting for charity. I've already started on this by finishing the log cabin (never again!) and doing a few hats.

Quite a plan. Let's hope for happy knitting times. Photos to come saturday of the finished Log cabin and Wicked (with pocket reseamed!)

Happy new 2008!

2008-01-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

December was a crazy happy knitting time. I finished all my gifts, and did some things for myself.

I knit the Wicked sweater for myself. Pictures are upcoming, as I have to redo the sewing of the pocket, which is crooked. It is a great pattern, very easy to do and quite pretty. It is a little big, but not too much. I love the yarn, Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks, in a pretty Pumpkin. It is a great yarn with a nice wooly feeling without being crazy itchy, like the Pastazza I used for the V-Neck.

I've done half of a pair of Jaywalkers : lovely look with the zigzags of the stripes, but the resulting fabric is stiff and not that confortable. I'm pushing through the second one, so I'll see how they are after washing. he yarn is great : Regia Canadian Colors. Nice combination of colors, prettier knitted up than in the ball.

I'm starting again the Moderne Log cabin Baby blanket, in Bernat Satin. I want to finish it and send it to charity.

Soon, I'll do a list of my resolutions, knitting and personnal for 2008. I'll post it soon.

Knitting plateau

2007-11-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

I'm hitting a knitting plateau! I'm really tired of doing my gift knitting. I had big plans to knit for everyone on my list but yeah, that's not gonna happen. I limited gifts to my side of the family : I have socks for my mom, dad,and grandpa. 5 of the 6 socks are done, and I'm motoring along the feet of the last one. I still have to do a hot bottle cover for my grandma, finish a stocking for a relative and a hat for my brother. I tried knitting a Marsan watchcap in Swish superwash. Didn't work. I got so frakking tired of twisting stitches I could have screamed, and I ended up with a hat that was too short. Frogged it gleefully, knit some socks for dad with the yarn and bought some Patons merino for a new hat, maybe a cabled one.

I'm starting to cometo terms with the fact that I now have a stash... I used to find big stashes stupid, but now that I have multiple boxes full of yarn, I can't mock anymore. I'm considering getting rid of some of it at the next garage sale, mostly acrylics I don't think I'll use. I also bought tons of baby yarns, when I taught I was about to be an aunt. As life happens, there was no baby, but still tons of yarn.

I'm dreaming of knitting only for myself. Just a fewe weeks to go!

Wild knitter

2007-11-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

I spotted a knitter on the train yesterday. Weird how happy that can make you, isn't it? She was making a sock in a really cool self-patterning yarn, and wore a really cool bolero. I was too shy to strike a conversation. Maybe next time!

I'm still working on the Marsan hat. Knitting in the back of stitches is taking forever!

Today is cooking day! I'm doing chicken pot pies, chicken stock, and a veal stew. Fall calls for a warm oven!

Normal is the watchword

2007-11-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

I am settling back into normal life without extensive stress and 12 hour work days. It is a relief, and I'm enjoying my 4 days workweek. yet, I find it difficult to get everything back on track. I realize that I blamed that stress for a lot of stuff... It didn't matter if I didn't exercise and ate crap, because I was stressed and needed rest. Didn't matter if I spent hours on the couch, didn't matter if i did no cleaning, no cooking... Now, I've got no excuses, but heck do I find it difficult to let go of the slob in me. Lazyness becomes me.

Knitting wise, it's Christmas gifts knitting, but it's boring me. I scaled back on the number of gifts, the rest will be done when and if I can. I've done a few dishcloth for gifts, but I'm thinking of keeping them! As for myself, I'm thinking of knitting one or two vests for myself. I have a bunch of Galway Heather yarn, and some Cascade Heathers that would make great ones. Baby blankets are needed for friends. I have a ton of baby yarn in my stash. I'm starting to accumulate a pretty big stash, more than I need. We're doing a bazar in May, and I think I'm going to sell part of my acrylic stash. I went wild shopping for deals and bought stuff I can't see myself ever knitting, now that I want to make mostly clothes.

Croquette is happy to have me home again!

What to knit?

2007-10-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

I saw my grandma yesterday, and she was wearing her minimalist cardigan. She has replaced the buttons with bigger ones, so it will hold better. It fits her well for the most part. The sleeves are too large, and the neck is too wide... I was so scared the neck would choke her, so I think I overcompensated a bit.

I want to start a new sweater, but I don't know which one. I have plenty of yarn, more patterns in my queue than I can do in a year, but still I am unsure... I think I need to swatch my yarn and see what develops.

I need to organize my thoughts about christmas knitting. I'm ordering yarn from Knitpicks

Mystery socks for V and his father (2 pairs)

Pairs of worsted wool socks for Father, brother and grandpa

Cotton dishclothes for my mom and MIL

I will also do a tuque for my brother for his birthday.

Croquette time!

Stress be gone

2007-10-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

The big nameless work project is mostly done (thanks heavens!) and I'm feeling the stress go down slowly. I can't wait to go back to working regular hours and having real days off. it will help me get back on track with life in general.

I'm knitting a pair of socks, probably for my mom, in confetti 100. It's a great sock yarn, my favorite of the 4 I've tried (Regia, Sockenwolle and Knitpicks Memories). It's superwash, it holds its shape real well, and it is a good medium between too soft and too itchy... Plus, it's really cheap! I will certainly buy more of it! I have still a few sock yarns to go through : Austermann Step, Confetti 100 cotton, some more Memories, Phildar Hobby, Trekking XXl, Fleece artist and phildar preface. I'm not planning on buying any sockyarn soon! the men in my family have asked for worsted weight socks, so I'm going to do a few of those for the holidays.

I'm also doing a huge christmas stocking for my cousin's daugther. It is in a really nasty yarn, Phentex Chunky... If I ever get into a fight with a yarn snob, I just have to throw this at her and she will fall dead on the spot! It's just so plastic like. I don't mind it so much, it knits relatively well and since it is bulky, I'm making good speed. After that, I'm not sure what to start. Xmas gifts or maybe a cardigan for me? As long as I Have some time to knit peacefully and am not stressed out, everything's fine.

A croquette shot for the end... she's soo adorable!

Minimalist photos

2007-10-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

There it is : the Minimalist Cardigan I made for my grandma. I modified the fronts to add cables, buttons and a round neck opening. It ended up a little big, but still quite cute.

Pattern Notes

Pattern : Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 2007

Yarn : 5 skeins of Cotton-Ease in color Violet

Needles : Knitpicks Options size 4 mm.

Not blogging much

2007-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to finish the Minimalist for my grandma. it has to be done by saturday for her 80th. I'm sick of it : this is the last time I knit on a deadline! I hope it will fit her.

I'm eager to start something new : Everest vest, or maybe a phildar pattern I've been eyeing for a while. Who knows? I also need to start with the Christmas knitting soon.

I love this season : the cold, the trees, everything. I still wish I could go back to school again. 5 years after graduating university, I've started missing it. Don't miss the all-night studying and tests, but I miss the camaraderie, the fun of a group of people all inching towards the same goal.

The big project related to work is almost done. That has been eating me alive for the last few months : I just can't wait for it to be over. It's a good financial move for me, but I could do without the stress.

New Knitty!

2007-09-13T18:55:00.001-07:00

The Fall Knitty is up! Happy Happy Joy Joy! I deeply love this issue : lots of great patterns. The Henry scarf looks great, I think even the boyfriend (ie Mr Picky) might like it. Cherie Amour looks great, maybe with less bulky yarn. tussie mussie looks great, maybe not for me. I covet Neiman like crazy. Just awesome. I'm itching to start this as soon as possible.

In other news, I can't wait for the new TV season to start. I'm eager to see a few of the new shows : mainly Bionic Woman, because my love for Katee Sackhoff knows no bounds. Also Moonlight, which I expect to suck but hey, Jason Dohring is in it : as Veronica Mars goes, so goes my nation. I'm also happy to welcome back Friday Night Lights into my life : greatest show on TV as far as I'm concerned (with Battlestar Galactica, of course)... Then there's Bones, CSI, Heroes... So much good stuff! With the NFL coming back, I think my lazy-boy and I are gonna be fused together. Plus, great knitting opportunities.

I'm still knitting away on the back of my minimalist cardigan. I should start the armhole decreases tomorrow. I dearly hope I will finish this on schedule.

Minimalist update

2007-09-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

I need this to be finished for the 18th! I'm using cotton-ease for the first time. I frakkin love it. It's the best cotton I've ever worked with. I'm 20 cm (8 inches) into the back. Knitting seed stitch is so slow. I want to have 10 inches by monday... I might make changes to the front to had buttons, I'm still not sure.

Updating the knit

2007-09-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back! We were in vacation in Vancouver, absolutely loved it! Pictures to come. I'm now on Ravelry, id Croquette.

Knitting wise : I've finished my Drop Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits and it is NOT a success! It is way too big for me (I could hide a pregnancy belly in there!) and the yarn is just not a good fit for the pattern. I don't love this on me that much so it is just going to be FROGGED! I'm currently knitting a pair of simple socks for my mom and a minimalist cardigan for my grandma's 80th birthday.

Pictures to come!

Interweave Fall Preview : First impressions

2007-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

I checked the new IK Fall preview here : http://www.interweaveknits.com/preview/2007_fall.asp . I actually like quite a few of the sweaters. The last few issues didn't grab me all that much, but I still like reading them. Here are my thoughts on the projects. Really no insult ment to the designers of any pattern I didn't like. I love that there are designs out there for everybody. I am quite unoriginal when it comes to fashion!

Hedgerow Coat : Beautiful, probably crazy difficult to knit. I'm not sure it would flatter my shape.
Placed Cable Aran : Beautiful, I might knit this
Dickinson Pullover : Not for me
Tangled Yoke : Damn near perfect! I WILL knit this for sure
Tyrolean Socks : Quite cute
Concentric Vest : cannot see enough of it to know
Snowball Hat : I love it, maybe with a smaller pompom
Tilted Duster : I don't know! I'll have to see it on other people before I make up my mind.
Minimalist Cardigan : Lovely! Maybe I'll knit this for my Grandma's 80th birthday
Counterpane Pullover : AMAZING! I will knit this
Nomad hat and scarf : Practical, but not for me
Cinnabar Pullover : another winner. Classic and unusual
Elfin hat and scarf : Not for me
Leavened Raglan : Quite cute, but maybe not flattering for me
Belle Cardigan : Yarn this bulky doesn't flatter me
Luna Dress : Cute, but not for me
Red Dress : Idem
Cobblestone Pullover : Maybe. The boyfriend is really particular about clothes. I am still looking for the perfect sweater to knit for him.
Snowflake Socks : Lovely, love the blue
Sweetheart Vest : I like this, maybe a little shorter and different colors
Composed Mitts : SO not for me!
Mirepoix : I don't like this on the model, maybe on someone else.

I cannot wait to get my hands on this. I'll read it on vacation, in 2 weeks. We are heading to British Columbia, my first time there

Cozy V-Neck Pullover

2007-07-29T17:57:00.001-07:00

It is FINISHED! My first sweater. I'm mostly glad with it, but I might go back and do some things over so I'll like it more.

Pattern : Cozy V-Neck Pullover from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel

Yarn : Cascade Pastazza colorway 007

Needles : Size 5.5 and 4.5 KnitPicks Options

Modifications : Removed deep ribbing from sleeves, knit the sleeves on DPNs

Comments : Up until I finished it I was not sure how much I would wear this. Thankfully, now that I've worn it once, I'm sure I'll wear this a lot. The yarn is beautiful, but it sheds and it is itchy (note that I'm sensitive to wool). The yarn is heavy and warm, I like that. Since the yarn is on the bulky side, the ribbing really stands out and adds some bulk. It might be great for some people but not so much for me. I don't have a well-defined waist and tend to hold fat on my belly : the ribbing accentuates that. I'm thinking of frogging back and make a less deep ribbing there and remove some length too. I didn't do the deep ribbing on the forearms because it gave me gigantic forearms.

Anyway, I'm happy mostly with my first sweater. There were a few mistakes in the pattern (sleeves part), but nothing gigantic. I enjoyed this experience a lot and will knit other patterns from Fitted Knits. I've started the Drop Stitch Lace tank that I really did not like in the book but grew to like from other people"s FOs. Then, maybe the Puff Sleeves Cardigan (already bought the yarn but cannot get gauge at all!) or the Textured tunic.

Fat Bottomed Bag

2007-07-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yarn : Red Heart

Pattern : Fat Bottom Bag from SnB Happy Hooker

Hook : 5mm

I love looking at this bag, yet I've never really used it. It was an easy pattern to do, took only a few days. It was done in January.

Introducing Croquette and me!

2007-07-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Valerie, and croquette is my cat. I know if she only had opposable thumps, she'd be knitting all the time. As things are now, she helps me by eating my yarn, unraveling skeins I've just rolled into balls and sleeping on my pattern books. I adore that little pest!

As for me, I've been knitting and crocheting for about 5 or 6 years but only got real serious about it in the last year. At first I was mostly doing baby blankets for friends, now I'm starting to enjoy making clothes. As for the rest of my life, I'm self-employed in the natural healthcare field, I love reading and love watching TV (Battlestar Galactica rocks my world). I plan to use this mostly as a knitting blog. Let the fun begin!