About Me.

About Rachel.

I'm Rachel and I am an avid knitter. I dabble in other crafty goodness but generally knitting is my addiction of choice. I have learned a lot since picking up the needles again at New Years 2006, namely about sweater construction and transforming a 2D drawn image into a wearable 3D object.

10 Things to Know About Me.

1. I met my husband in Munich, Germany. On a sidewalk. While waiting to go into Oktoberfest. We started chatting because we were both Canadian. We just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.
2. We just welcomed our first child into the world. It's hard to imagine life without him now.
3. Dogs are a girl's best friend. We have two Golden Retrievers named Charlie and Charlotte. They are wonderful and I love them to bits but they also drive me a little batty. Charlotte and I are inseparable.
4. I knit mostly with wool. To me, true knitting pleasure is 100% wool in hand. I like the scratchy, hard-wearing wools best. Don't ask me why as I am not a fisherman from Newfoundland and need the waterproof-ness (I know that's not really a word) or ruggedness of these wools ... but I just plain love 'em.
5. I am a continental knitter. And I was reminded of that fact the other week in the doctor's office while waiting to be seen. Who knew that that was something complete strangers pointed out to one another?!
6. Writing all over my patterns is important to me. I make a lot of notes while I'm knitting and not only does it help me when I reflect on the finished object, but if I ever knit something again or want to steal a part of a garment for another, I am able to remember what I did (sleeves come to mind as it is hard to find good fitting sleeves ... for me at least).
7. Podcasts are my favourite thing to listen to. I love music but I enjoy podcasts more. My favourites are CBC's Vinyl Cafe, Tapestry, Ideas, Quirks and Quarks, and Laugh out Loud just to name a few. I listen to The Economist to get most of my international news ... and because I like the jingle at the beginning.
8. My car is named Calvin. My dad helped me find and buy my first car (which is now 13 years old ... oof) and I kept telling him we were looking for a car that suited the name Calvin. Like that was the most important part of car shopping.
9. I have kept a diary since the first day of Grade 8. True story. I think I am on journal number 9 or 10 now.
10. The most useful knitting 'tool' that I own is a tie between my swift and dressform. I can not choose which is most valuable. Both were gifts. Both are integral to my knitting since they have both prevented many knitting mishaps. Many. Tangled yarn is no fun but neither is an ill-fitting sweater ...

Why I blog at welfordpurls.com.

I created welfordpurls after deciding to blog about my projects, process and ideas about crafting (namely knitting but also sewing and occassionally spinning). What I have ended up enjoying the most are the comments I recieve from you, dear readers, and the chance to see what others are working on by reading their blogs. Thank you!