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Keeping record

Sunday, July 19, 2015

The school year is out. The begin of summer vacation was greeted with relief and joy. No more homework, no more stress, no more negotiating playtime. I am sure you can relate.

On the last day of school, Aidan came home with a backpack bursting with art-projects. Which I love, it’s always great to see what he’s been up to. And of course he has an emotional attachment to most of his drawings.  We have binders full, from daycare to preschool, Kindergarten, and now Grade one, I’ve been keeping it all. It was a matter of time before I had to make a decision as to….. where to put it all?

Aidan is showing a bit of an interest in photography. He always asks for my camera to play around and take his own shots. He’s also claimed my old Ipod as his own, and is practicing writing emails to us, which to be honest is great practice for his spelling, and makes for some adorable correspondence. Along with writing he’s been taking photos. That gave me an idea.

I decided to sit with him, go through our massive collection of drawings, select his favorites and photograph them. Pinterest has an abundance of ideas on how to de-clutter and store you kids artwork. Initially I was going to create a collage, similar to this, but then..... I thought of something else. 

I created Aidan his own Instagram account. A private one of course, that I manage, but where he can upload his photos. Not just his artwork, but other pictures he takes. He always sees me using my account, and asks questions, so I thought he’d have fun with his own.

And as a bonus, later on, I will be able to use a service like Printstagram Or Blurb To turn his photos into magnets, a calendar or a book even.

He’s very excited about the idea, and we’re looking forward to immortalizing our summer adventures. Lazy afternoons spent in the backyard, biking around the neighborhood, exploring new corners, probably some selfies. It will be cute to see them all from his point of view.




Svalbard Progress

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Svalbard…isn’t it a great name? I don’t know why, but the name is what caught my attention to begin with. Not the ideal way to choose a knitting pattern I agree, but in this case the look did not disappoint either. Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago. I believe that loosely translated it says pointy mountains. What a perfect name for a knitting pattern, don’t you agree?  Scandinavia, mountains, snow-covered peaks….all of these images make me want to pick up the needles and knit away.

I initially planned on having the cardigan finished for my return to work, but as so often happens, things came up, and I started late. I had found the perfect shade of yarn, a warm, sunny, mustardy color, a yarn that I think will perfectly compliment this pattern. 

Then I started reading the instructions. Right away, I noticed that this was going to require some serious concentration, as you are keeping track of several types of increases at the same time and different types of patterns for the front, back and sleeves. The cardigan is knit in what is called a Cartridge rib, which is simply a succession of K3, P1 stitches, strategically aligned to create this wonderful texture, so I thought, really? How hard can this be?

Famous last words. I started, and almost immediately stopped when it came to setting up the sleeve stitches. The diagram included with the pattern, did nothing to lift the mystery for me. I read through project notes, and noticed I was not the only one confused, so I emailed Brooklyn Tweed Support for guidance. In less then an hour I had an answer with detailed row-by-row, stitch-by –stitch instructions. If that is not support, I don’t know what is!

I was determined however to understand the instructions, and not just blindly follow them, so in the end I made up a diagram to help me along.

I will post it here for any knitters that may come across the same issue to use. After all, knitters help each other, don’t we?

Once you get it, the yoke starts growing quite quickly. And then you can knit along until your next challenge pops up...the sleeves. I had to ask for help for a second time, and it was swift and concise, and it even came with photos. I am still working on a diagram for that, and will be posting it soon.

I cannot wait to show you the finished project, it's my new favorite.