Inexpensive Odds and Ends

The stash I picked up while in Nova Scotia for my brothers wedding is still seeing me through! A nice assortment of 50¢-a-piece... some of it brand new, some of it balled up with no labels. And perhaps my favourite, some that were knitted with for about 4 inches of what was undoubtedly intended to be a scarf but abandoned. (Never unraveled, just pitched needles and all into a goodwill bag.)

Glimmer Fluff 4-ply was full of sparkle and just begging to be in an itchy holiday sweater, but I had bigger better plans and was delighted to find out that it was self-striping when I got going! Part of it now decorated the mess of Bank Street in the Glebe, which is full of construction this summer.

The other current favourite is this no label, formerly knotted up rats nest of purple. It's got enough fluffy heft to it to work on bigger needles, and end up on larger targets.

Happy face needles are #10s that I picked up at Zellers. "Kids" needles (colourful and with faces on them) were significantly cheaper than boring adult ones.

A small test run in Dundonald Park lead to bigger and brighter pieces, currently up on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South, at the Gladstone intersection, outside James Street Pub, and in Connor's Gaelic Pub washroom. With enough left for at least one more bigger size tag!

Googly-Eyed Accessories

Dollar It has some fuzzy yarn available at $1 a ball! It's kind of scratchy and I can't imagine trying to wear it as a scarf or anything, but it makes for a darn cute little monster!

This one ended up on the east coast, near the lighthouse in Yarmouth.

And there have been a handful around Ottawa... some more camouflaged than others.

Finger Knitting 2.0

A fresh tree koozie was put up the other night!

Thanks to Melissa for helping me, since the trunk was too wide to reach around on my own!

3 balls of the Paton's Quick & Cozy.

Colour Coded on Purpose?

Normally no. Whatever yarns I find cheap are what I work with, and I like using contrasting bright colours, but usually don't think much beyond that.

Usually.

But once in a while, something strikes me that's too good to pass up...

More About Town!

The other day on the way home from the Beer Store (oh, Flying Monkeys...) I wandered through Dundonald Park. There was a brightly knit tree that caught my eye, because I wasn't the knitter. As I got around to the other side, I saw the message weaved into it...

Ah-maaaaze-zing! So I promptly pulled out a back-up knit from my bag and responded!

Although I have put words into my tags before, it's been in a limited few... mostly because I work on them while watching movies, and following a proper pattern needs more attention. High five to the No Knitting person, and their patience in the lettering!

Finger Knitting

Laura and Donnie, undergoing the Finger Knitting Experience.

Finger knitting is a needle-less way of weaving... it works especially well with chunky yarns, and for graffiti, it covers large surfaces faster.

Milton clock in Yarmouth

In a park by the Pretoria Bridge.

My first big coverings were 2 trees downtown last summer. One (shown above) disappeared in record time from a community centre bus stop. The other however, made with the same odds and ends and put up the same night on someone's front lawn, has lasted well into the winter!

Inspiration.