I am having a celebratory giveaway on my other blog!!!
(WHY CELEBRATE?? I finished my program at school and got a wicked lab tech job at a veterinary hospital which is going to be my hiatus from school for at least a year)



I have been playing with watercolours and ink and selling some of my creations on www.coy1.etsy.com and until May 16th you can enter to win "the owl and the pussycat" art print!





Check out my other blog www.knit-fish.blogspot.com to enter to win!

Hey knitters!

I know some of you really like the stuffies that I handsew.
SO I wanted to let you know that I've got some posted up on etsy for sale. I also have some hinged bears for sale, but I haven't put them on etsy. I would be happy to sell them to any of you in Canadian dollars with no shipping of course! Just let me know :-)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/coy1

happy knitting
~Nessa

Hi Everyone!



I know it's been so long since I posted anything at all, and I did claim that I was forever moving to knit-fish.blogspot.com, but recently I've been thinking...why not just put my posts on both sites? That way some of you LJers will find me here, and other bloggers like blogspoters will find me there..
Anyways, I wanted to post a few projects I've been up to lately...
The above pic is of my Imogen, made from a lovely Fleece Artist kit in my favourite colourway, Mermaid.



The pic is silly, because it is ridiculously hard to photograph oneself. BUT I love this sweater! It is so cozy! It is made from an alpaca/merino blend & is a wrap style that is wonderful to snuggle up in on chilly days. Bring it, Winter! I'm ready for you!

The other thing I wanted to mention, is that I've got some of my patterns back for sale on Ravelry (for all you ravelers out there, you know who you are ;-) Find em at My Ravelry Shop!

There's Ella Phint!


And Pinot noir, a sock pattern which I can't find a pic of right now, but it's on the site. So check em out! I am working on some more patterns right now, which are in the test-knitting stage. So stay tuned for more fun knits!

Here is my new addy on the interwebs Knit Fish!
Please come visit me there!

Thanks to all who have read this blog throughout the years. I am grateful for all the friends I have made, like marydotmusic, paranee, & jabberworks, & I will make sure to keep on reading your blogs :-)

Well The Knitting Olympics are over. And I didn't complete one single project on my list. Oh well, sometimes life just gets in the way. I did, however, finish the July/August Lady sweater of Ravelry fame last night.



These pics are the best I could do since I had to take them myself.





That last one looks so much like a baby cardi to me, since there is no scale to judge size from. I guess it is fitting, since this pattern began life as a baby cardi.


The reason I was unable to finish all of my knitting projects for the Ravelympics was that I was busy doing another form of art...



This painting is just one of the ones I've been working on for a show during the Artist's Weekend at the Roost cafe in Sidney. I will be showcasing & selling some of my paintings, & collectible stuffies. Come check it out if you are in the area on Saturday & Sunday, August 30 & 31 between 9am & 5pm.
The paintings are acrylic on canvas.

As always, I have a love/hate relationship with my artwork. Part of me is the proud mama of each painting my brush touches, the other part doubts my talent. I guess it is hard to be objective about something you put a lot of time & creative energy into. I hope you guys like them!

p.s. I just ate the best lunch! I'll share the recipe here, but no pics cause I gobbled it up too fast. Inspired by Smitten Kitchen (see my fave links list)

Brunch Quesadilla:
(serves one)

2 corn tortillas
small amount of olive oil
1/8 cup of piquante salsa (or mild if you like that)[add as little or as much as you like really]
3 chopped basil leaves
chopped up strips of cheddar cheese
1 egg

pour a little oil in a non-stick pan
place one tortilla in the pan, and 1/2 of the cheese strips on that
when cheese begins to melt, crack the egg over top of the tortilla
break the yolk
top with basil, and dot salsa across egg evenly
cover with the 2nd half of the cheese, and the other tortilla
Let fry until egg is almost done cooking
flip it (careful! this can be messy)
Let fry on other side until it puffs up.
It should look golden on each tortilla side, with egg and melty cheese coming out the edges...mmm...

Serve cut into quarters, or however you prefer to portion up your quesadillas
EAT IT UP!

Hey knitters!



Does anyone in the Victoria area wanna learn how to knit socks on DPNs?
WHY? you ask.
Because I'm teaching a sock knitting class at the Beehive Woolshop starting September 2nd!
Yes, ME, teaching a class! Yay! I'm very excited about it.
The classes will be from 6:30pm - 8pm and are going to be every Tuesday for 4 weeks.
To be a part of this, just hop into the Beehive and sign up!

Hope to see you there!
~Nessa

This is the first yarn I have spun on my new wheel! I can't even believe how fast this spun up, it is about 75 - 100g of Merino wool from Ashford. I am kind of obsessed with this colour this season. Can you tell?



I love how it has that classic handspun thick & thin texture. I think I might knit a slouchy hat or toque out of it for this fall. I still have the handspun I did on the drop spindle to use up too & I think it will work nicely together with this wheel spun yarn.
I can't wait to knit it up!

~Nessa

I am trying my darndest to get the E.Z. take-off sweater finished for the Ravelympics. I think, I might just make it!



I am officially onto the sleeves, which of course are only 3/4 length. So really it's like 1.5 sleeves worth of knitting. (I feel like that was really terrible grammar, but I don't have the brain to fix it right now. Sorry grammar police!)



You are probably noticing that the waist band isn't finished. That is purposely on hold to see if I have leftover yarn from the sleeves to make knit the band 1.5" long, right now I am running out of yarn for the band and am about .75" into the band. I still have one ball reserved for the sleeves.

I am also feeling a bit overwhelmed that summer is coming to a close very soon. I am heading back to school on September 2nd, and I just don't feel ready. There is so much to get done, and all I feel like doing is procrastinating. I am looking at my schedule, and all of the commitments I have made & starting to freak out just a tad. Work one day a week, 4 lab science classes, volunteering one day a week, teaching a sock knitting class! I really need to get it together, but am finding it hard to get out of the summer groove.
Speaking of summer grooves, check out Jon & Roy. They are a local Victoria band that I have recently fallen in love with! (Their music of course, not them personally :-P). The song, Right Groove, has been running through my head at work a lot lately. They are just the perfect West Coast summer sound.



Here's a pic of the bike out on the Galloping Goose. I can't believe how much fun riding a bike is!

And speaking of geese...



happy summer knitting,
~Nessa

Hey all!

There are some new goodies up on the Coy shop! With more kinds to come in the next few days. I have been test driving this new style of stitch marker to make sure they hold up to real knitting. I am using them with a basic vine lace pattern in a worsted weight yarn. They have not snagged on anything & have held up to knitting action just fine!






& here's my update on the February Lady Sweater! I have now memorized the lace pattern so it is moving along much more quickly! It is one of my Ravelympic challenges to finish this baby by Aug 24th!


And a couple of proper daylight pics of the Bella Bike Seat Cover!



my awesome friend Bonnie from work gave me a bike helmet today! So now I can hit the road on my new Bella Bike!



happy sunday!

This past Monday, I spent the day with my friend Victoria. It was BC Day for all those non-British Columbians, and so the city was in full festivities. It was a lovely day! I didn't even mess with the colours in photoshop, these dreamy colours were what my camera actually captured!



We walked around Beacon Hill Park, and then on to the Inner Harbour to see some great free concerts, including Collin James, Sarah McLaughlan, and Feist.









Then, yesterday I bought a bike! It is a used vintage Italian folding bike in a wicked orange colour. The seat has a tiny hole in it from previous use, so until I get a new one I will use this crocheted cover over it.



I used my freestyle crochet skills to make this cute cover, which I have dubbed the Bella Bike Seat Cover, since my bike was called an Anna Bella model.



I intend to use my new bike to get to & from school & work. I love how it is so compact, and fits my tiny frame very well. More photos when the weather is not so miserable!

~nessa