You might  recognize one of those  gold penguins as the one I knit  a month back…..  since then,  I also knit a black and white penguin, but he is not in the  zoo commercial.   These little guys are  fun, and  addictive.

Here is the  updated penguin pattern:  Muddles 

See it all  here.
I am happy to see some of the peices I knit last spring included in the display.

Creative Kids Museum - by Calgary ArtBomber

I have my favourite yarns, and then I have my not my favourite anymore yarns.  Quite often, my mind changes.  Am I fickle? maybe.

I love YARN DAY

copied from the website:

Whether you knit, crochet, craft or just adore fiber, October 14th is the day to affirm your passion for yarn.

Show it off, tag with it, carry it, gather with friends. Declare your LOVE! Get involved.

• Create an I Love Day Yarn badge
• Teach someone to knit or crochet
• Do something for charity
• Wear a knitted or crocheted item
• Give a gift of yarn
• Take your yarn to work day
• Host a yarn-a-bration party
• Knit, crochet and craft in public

This is very fitting, as I have just agreed to help out a High School Knitting Club.   It starts next Wednesday.  I am looking forward to spreading some Yarn Love.  Especially appealing is teaching a life long skill and hobby to a group of teens.  Knitting is something you can do for yourself, or even better, for some one else.

Once we get everyone knitting,  casting on and binding off,  I expect to see some real creativity.  I look forward to a fresh take on some scarves and hats,  as it will soon be cold enough  to NEED them.  A mug cozy is also on the to do list.  The school received donated yarn, so some charity knitting as well seems to be order.

I would like to hear from others who have taught knitting to teens,  what worked, what didn’t.

The sweater I have mentioned before, (its a secret) but the book is new to me, and my blog. Its one of the books I picked up at the last Book Crossing and coffee get together. The story is about what would happen if The Queen started, and got addicted to reading. Its cute, and a very fast read. (if only the sweater was a fast knit!)

While I was taking the picture… inside this time as it is pitch black outside now… Pixie meandered into the scene, moved the ball of yarn and sat down and posed. I kid you not. The cat wanted her picture taken.See for yourself.

I am not sure if she was more interested in the ball of yarn, or being at the center of attention…   either way, its funny.        Now, I am going to go back to reading,  and maybe knit another row or two on the sweater.   Don’t forget to check out Ginny’s  Yarn Along blog post, and follow the links to some of the other bloggers posts as well.

I just joined the  Work In Progress Wednesday group as well.  Please check them out here!

Happy Thanksgiving! (and you thought I maybe there would be a knit Turkey!)

Penguin pattern

(and that is as far as the confession goes)

I will tell you that what I bought is soft, squeezy, and very pretty. (duh)

These are some soft and squeezy things I have made in the last little while (except for Charlie and Sophie, of course)

I am joining in the Creative Friday blog hop. It looks like a lot of fun, with lots of beautifully creative blogs to investigate. Have a look!

Each Friday, I will make a special post just to share something creative I have made. (it should help use up the new yarn!)

I can’t tell you too much about what I am knitting. It is a surprise for someone. I can tell you it is going to be soft, warm, and oh so very cozy. I can also tell you that cat hair sticks to it like crazy.

Last week, I picked up a pile of knitting books from the local library. I can devour patterns so much faster than I can actually knit them, but the pictures are pretty, and very motivational.

They taunt me. … keep knitting, don’t stop, don’t you want to make something pretty and colourful like these mittens? … oh, knitting dark green stockinette stitch again… still…. with 8 skeins more to go? … don’t you wan to knit something small and colourful like these mittens? … keep knitting… don’t stop….

I am going to finish this sweater before I cast on another project. I swear. I solemnly swear. MUST KEEP KNITTING.

Knitting: Green Sweater Reading 'Mostly Mittens'

This is my second post in the Ginny’s Yarn Along on the small things blog. Its fun to see who else is participating, what they are reading and knitting. I see Ginny is reading one of my all time favourite stories, ‘Howards End’

And, of course, how could I leave this one out?

So here goes. My first knitting & reading post.

I have been reading the Sword of Truth series for a few years now. Chainfire is the 9th book of 12, and I have just opened the cover today (inspired to do so by this Yarn Along). I love reading about Richard and Kahlan’s adventures. The books are long, but I read them very quickly, putting most other things in life on hold! I don’t know if I can ration my time between reading this book and knitting. It might be all or nothing… but we will see.

The socks are almost finished. I am using Patons Kroy Sox FX, Cascade Colours, and Weasley Homestead sock pattern by Erica Lueder I originally planned to make these for someone as a Christmas gift, but they are turning out a bit small… funny.. they seem to be ‘just my size’… sooooo, I guess they are just my socks now.

If anyone else wants to join in the Yarn Along, join me, it looks like it will be fun, and a nice way to connect with other knitting/reading bloggers.

I also should tell you about BookCrossing.com if you are not already aware.

This is a description of BookCrossing copied from their website:

What is BookCrossing?

It’s the World’s Library. It’s a smart social networking site. It’s a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 966,366 BookCrossers and 8,236,297 books travelling throughout 132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time.

What’s our mission?

Very simply, we aim to connect people through books.

How do we do it?

Label. Share. Follow. Breath new life into books instead of letting your old favorites collect dust – pass them along to another reader. Our online archival and tracking system allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books as lives are changed through “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on our site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So don’t be ‘shelf’ish with your books – read and release!

When and how did it start?

Although there were websites tracking things such as dollar bills and pictures, business partner Ron Hornbaker noted that nothing existed for tracking books. After all, books were more than just tangible objects, rather they possessed elements of emotional attachment and strong opinion; books were not only items collected and revered, but were intrinsically shared. This was the nidus that began our journey. With the help of Ron’s wife, Kaori, and cofounders Bruce & Heather Pedersen, the site was launched on April 21, 2001. The site remains a fun way to track and share books while connecting people at deeper levels using books as the architecture and glue to facilitate the Great Conversation.

Do check into BookCrossing yourselves. I’ve met some nice people (at a monthly coffee and book exchange) already!