the largest design yet/ the Heartilly sweater chronicle

Twas the night before Christmas and FINALLY all of my knitting was done! So I decided to try my hand at knitting my own cosplay, for a more ambitious project. So over the last month I've been working on my own design of Rinoa's blue duster and arm warmers from Final Fantasy 8. I finished the arm bands about mid-January, and have been taking the back portion of the sweater with me everywhere I go.  Unfortunately I've had a bad month, running back and forth to the hospital (I was in an accident and bruised my neck, the rest of the visits have been for my husband) but the upside of that is that there has been a great deal of waiting room time in which to knit with. As of now the length is from my knee to my waist (not sure the lenth in inches or cm, but I'll have to measure later.) and within a few more inches and I can start reducing the stitches for a more form-fitting shape. This is my first clothing design so I hope it turns out right.
Stay tuned for more updates on my progress on this project!
Cheers!
Berlynn

Cabin fever

I'm starting to go a little crazy sitting still. This happens a lot where I start to get fed up with this town and everything in it and badly desire to load up the caravan and hit the road. It could be my gypsy nature compelling me to the road, or it could be that the politics of this town are starting to weigh heavily on me that are driving my desire to get away, but sadly I am stuck until it gets warmer.
I was supposed to be going to the little town of Combermere and seeing about some handspun yarn from the Madonna house, but plans have fallen through and here we are stuck here still. At least it gives me time to get some of my larger projects done (or at least started) such as the cabled poncho I've had sitting in Queue for the last 8 months and I'm still working on that monthly patch afghan (yay! 3 down 9 to go!) and I've been working on the schematics to a sweater and wristwarmer combo for my cosplay to Anime north in May. Thank the goddess I got my Yule knitting done with time to spare. I hope everyone will be very happy with what I've made them.
So I suppose since travel will not be happening for the next 4 months *sigh* I guess I'll bury myself in my work and try desperately to ignore the local yarn shop politics.
Cheers and blessed Yule!
Berlynn The knitting gypsy

Distracted... again

Have you ever started a project only to start another one 3 days later without picking up the first one again? Not only have I done that the last 2 weeks but 2 of the projects I have on the go aren't even Yule gifts! Okay, one is a draft stopper I've been planning for months and since the snow is supposed to be flying soon (though hopefully not because I hate having wet pant-legs)... you get the idea.  The other thing I'm working on is an afghan. mostly because when I was freezing my rear off on the shores of the Burnt River I kept thinking how nice it would be if I had a cozy cabled afghan about now. It probably didn't help that I was reading a magazine featuring some really nice cabled afghans in it, but none-the-less I was determined to knit an afghan! (stupid me I'll be done it in July)
Anyways, knitting ADD aside, I have got about half of my Yuletide knitting done, save for a few dozen dishcloths I have to make.
No time for roaming right now, not with end of terms coming up, yule knits and visions of sugar cookies dancing through my head. I think it might make me feel less overwhelmed and distracted if I prioritized a little better. Maybe make a list or something?
Anyways cheers for now from the hectic and (sadly) stationary
Berlynn the Knitting Gypsy

Relaxing in Cottage Country

Thank god for reading week sabbaticals. It gives us students a chance to get our stress levels back to neutral, finish that book we've been trying to finish reading since summer and catch up on 8 weeks of laundry at our parents house. For me I've taken the opportunity to get a jump on the many articles of Christmas knitting I have thoughtfully agreed to fulfill. So here I am at my mom's new digs along the Burnt River (quite the spectacular view but freezing as hell) working feverishly on hats until I run out of yarn or my fingers go numb. Whatever happens first.
So, on further exploration of the towns in the region in search of a LYS, you could well imagine my horror that there are NO yarn shops between Peterborough and Haliburton. Yes, that is a complete 50 km radius of no fibre related craft stores... unless you count the moderate selection available at Lindsay's Zellers store, but even that is pretty out of the way.
Now maybe I've just lived with all of the conveniences of the city too long, or maybe I'm just wrong in my theory, but in such peaceful surroundings such as this shouldn't there be at least 1 small town with a little yarn store?
I love it up here, (well I should, I'm from here originally) and the fact that there is no LYS anymore drives me nuts. Perhaps if I ever move back to this area I'll start one of my own! Ha ha! a brilliant idea and use of my business know-how! However I think I may need a more permanent set of wheels before I move to a place where I know I would suffer from yarn withdrawl.
Anyways a very relaxed cheers from me as next week its back to the rat races!
Berlynn The Knitting Gypsy

Uh... huh...

Well its been an interesting month. I haven't really been around much to blog and have otherwise not really felt like it. My knitting group that I had quit decided to further humiliate me by uninviting me to their knit nights I had already quit. Pretty stupid really, but oh well. That being said I've been spending alot of time alone planning out some more new plushie patterns and so there will be more coming soon!

Cheers,
Berlynn

Invasion of the nerdy knits!!!!

So my husband and I made another trek to Toronto, this time to take part in our first sci-fi convention. That's right, after nearly a year of working on costumes (sporadically. If I had  worked on it continually it may have only taken maybe a month?) We finally made it to Fan Expo! We cosplayed as Yamcha and Bulma from Dragonball, and took my little hand knit Puar with us, and to my surprise everybody that laid eyes on her gushed about how cute she was! *blushes* Even the voice actors thought it was cute! hee hee.
Anyways we went along the artists row, which I figured meant comic book or sketch only. but there were a fleet of fibre artists there too! There were people selling hand sewn plushies, crocheted amigurumis and even people selling knit kits to make their own scarves and plushies! I wanted one of these kits for a knitted Kraken, but knew I really didn't need more on my already overflowing plate. I'd ended up leaving the epic tabi socks at home, (as it was really hard to knit in gloves) but made up for it by completing my first sock! woo hoo! I have no idea why I was so freaked about the formula for creating socks, but I know for sure I'll be making more!
Also I've been working at my own version of Edward Elric's (See Full Metal alchemist) long red duster for the upcoming winter months and some of my Christmas presents... at least the ones I know what to make for them.
Plus I have to start switching to quicker projects soon because my last semester of school will be starting soon and I know how pissy the lecturers get when you knit in their presentations.
But I digress; its late, I have a cold and I'm unsure when I'll be able to blog again. Anyways here is a pic of my lovely Puar in her completed glory.
Until next time my friends,
Berlynn, the Knitting Gypsy

oh T.O!

Yes I've returned home again from another journey; this time trading in the caravan for train tickets and visiting the bustling metropolis of Toronto. It was during the CNE (on a side note I got to see a pair of Marilyn Monroe's shoes, and am happy to discover she was long in the foot too. *grins*) and we departed from home extremely early. It was a long ride though, so luckily I'd brought along enough yarn to start on what will be known as the epic socks (because they are the first ones I've ever made). I shopped like mad, as is to be expected at the CNE, picking up some nice exotic clothing and gems. I got such a nasty sunburn though that we went back to the hotel fairly early... okay so it was after supper, but that's still pretty early in my books! Anyway, the hotel was lovely, but albeit a bit small. Not at all like the Holiday Inn here, which the rooms would probably be equal to two of these rooms, but it was lovely none-the-less.What surprised me was while we were at the pool there was someone else there knitting at poolside; it just made me smile to see someone else knitting in a public area.
after a well earned rest we set off to Kensington market (and got rained on) in search of the famed Lettuce Knit, only to discover that they had moved down the road and they no longer carried either of the items I was looking forward to purchasing there. It was a lovely and very spacious store, and despite there being a lack of brittany needles and alchemy yarn I still loved the store and walked away with some lovely Berrocco yarn. (to which my  darling better half responded with "you spent $12 on that?" which is why he should never enter the realm of yarn shops as it would thoroughly blow his mind.)
I really wanted to hit Romni wools and its awesome clearance room I've heard so much about (half off noro and knitlites oh my! I would never leave!!!), but I was so exausted from shlepping my 40lb backpack around town that I just wanted to go home. (that and I would have most likely have ended on hubby's shit-list if I went anywhere NEAR another yarn shop.) So oh well, I suppose Romni and the Knit Cafe shall have to wait for another time, but I hope that I can still score some of that noro!
Cheers,
Berlynn, the knitting gypsy