A Word About Bootsocks.

I have a feeling that "boot socks" mean different things to different people. To me, they are not just "socks that look good with boots". They are a working sock! A boot sock should be a little roomy so that you can fit a sock liner in. If you've never worn boot socks with a sock liner....oh my goodness, your feet are missing out. A liner is a very fine sock made of cotton, or sometimes silk. It wicks the moisture away from your foot and then your woolly boot sock will absorb it. So your feet stay warm and dry! The liner also provides the friction cushion, so that any rubbing is between the boot sock and the liner...not your foot. So blisters are uncommon with liners and boot socks. So that's why when I write a "boot sock" pattern they will be a little roomy. I'm thinking that just going down 1/2 size on the needles would probably remove the need for a liner if you don't want to use them. But try it, just once! When you're out in the cold, with your boots on and a lot of walking to do. It is amazing how well boot socks and liners work together and how much more comfy feet can be!

27 Knots Boot Socks

Subway Boot Socks

Fiddlehead Reversible Boot Socks

These patterns available here: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/moira-engel

Three Cheers for Fall!

I'm the first to admit that I am not a lover of sun, sand and summer. I wilt noticeably and spend a lot of time hiding indoors. Fall, winter and spring are my seasons. Not just because I knit either. It’s just something about me. Those first few colored leaves send me into a giddy joy that lasts straight through until June. Fall is my new year! I feel inspired to start new things, make my resolutions and get moving again.
This fall has been particularly busy. I’ve been fortunate to have been working with Three Irish Girls Yarn. It’s my first experience with their yarn and boy, do I love it! The stitch definition and drape of their “Kells” merino is amazing. It even smells pretty! My design “Arya Sweater” went live with their “Eunice’s’ Choice Club” for October. My bootsock design “Walkin’ in the Free World” was their “Sock Club” choice for September. I’ll be releasing both these patterns in my Ravelry Store in December.

I’ve also started work on a wrap…I’m not really a shawl person. I like having the long, wide wrap that you can wind around your head and shoulders. Here’s a sneak peek!

It’s turning into a bit of a career because I have to keep putting it aside to work on something with a deadline looming. I really love it though, I think it’s so pretty…or will be if I ever finish it!




My dilemma is a sweater that I shall call “Indecision”.

I bounce back and forth between loving it and feeling it’s not quite right. Maybe it’s the colors….I wanted a subtle change but perhaps I should have gone bold! It’s certainly not the yarn; I worked it in “Dream in Color” Classy. Super soft and delicious yarn, so I want to do it justice. The pattern is written, the photos are taken and I still can’t decide. More deliberation is required and some honest critique! This is really the first time this has happened to me, so I’ll try to glean some wisdom from it.

Other than knitting, I’m finding a challenge in my last offspring in High School. With 15 years between children…really, it happens… the whole school thing is kind of dragging out. So, as a homework support person, I find myself learning Math 10 again. Third time round you think it would be getting easier! I love math, it’s kind of like magic! I honestly find thinking hard for a few hours makes me more tired than exercise, too bad it doesn’t burn the same calories. I pray that there’s still hope my brain will rally and it just hasn’t gotten too old.

Bullies......worse than zombies!

I had thought that when I started to blog, it would be about knitting. However, once I started to write things down ~ I realized how many things I had to say! Probably not interesting for all, but stuff that I'd like to share or get off of my chest. So today I have been ruminating about bullies. My first experience with a bully was in grade 6. It was my introduction to many overpowering emotions; fear, despair, isolation, helplessness and loss of self confidence and self esteem. It lasted for about a year and probably changed the course of my life for a while. I lost confidence and found friends that I thought could protect me. It annoys me that I still think about that bully and it still hurts 40 years down the road.

That experience was NOTHING compared to the soul crushing pain and helplessness I experienced when it was my child who was bullied. She got it bad. It was physical, psychological and even the teachers had a crack at her. It started in Grade 1 and continued for her entire time in school. We tried homeschooling, but my beautiful girl was absolutely determined to find her place in the playground. My husband and I were at the school constantly. We tried mediation with the bullies...counselling and threats. Nothing worked. We didn't know at the time that my daughter had Asperger's syndrome. But we knew that she was different. She had a scary high IQ and was/is an extremely gifted violinist. Also, she's strikingly beautiful. You would think those things would guarantee social success. Nope. She dropped out of high school and went on to a very successful musical career. I found this book during her adolescence, it was amazing and depressing. I would highly recommend it though. Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Pipher.


Our son was a miracle baby, born 15 years after our first. He was diagnosed at 3yrs old with Aspergers. We were not surprised, he was already reading at a grade 5 level and could name all the planets in order....with their physical manifestations. Scary, for sure!! Our daughter begged us not to put him into regular school. She was right. We tried one year and the bullying started. I was amazed how vicious these wee little kinders could be. He's been homeschooled since in a wonderful program where he attends classes once a week and works at home with two visits from an amazing Special Ed teacher the rest of the week. I wonder if the real world will be too much of a shock for him....but at least until then, he is not being destroyed.

So that's the history of bullies for the formative years. What really blew my mind is the reality that bullies never go away. They're everywhere!! On the road, at work, in parking lots, grocery stores, everywhere!! My husband and I spent quite a few years in wonderment and self pity before it got to be too much and we decided that we needed to learn about bullies. We found quite a few books on the phenomenon and started studying. The one that changed the world for us was "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense at Work" by Suzette Haden Elgin. My husband and I worked through the book together and it totally changed the way we communicate with each other and the people we encounter. A life changer for sure!

It was an eyeopener to find behaviors in ourselves that made us perfect targets. It was challenging to change those, but in the end it was totally worth it. We have a mental blueprint now that helps us decipher and diffuse situations that could become abusive. Sometimes, especially on the road...you just get out of the way. Don't make eye contact or flip them the bird (you can still do that in your head if it makes you feel better). This is a sensible video on handling road bullies.



So, they're out there....like the zombie apocalypse....only it's the bully apocalypse. Maybe I'm in a minority of people who think bullies are running amok and rampant. Maybe it's because I have special needs kids and that seems to be a red flag to bullies. Maybe it's just human nature and it's always been this way. I don't know, but it's definitely worth the time to learn how to deal with them without losing your power.

An Orchid Hint!

It seems that everything I do turns into an obsession at some point. For the last few years, besides knitting and designing, it's been orchids! I'm not an expert but I'm having success and lots of blooms! Here's a hint that I just learned...and if you look at the picture of the twiggy thing with a new blossom shoot, you can see that it works! When your Phalaenopsis is finished blooming, cut it just after the second joint(?) on the stem and if you're lucky it'll bloom again! Lucky Me!! :D

Here's some of my other orchids in bloom....so pretty!

OK...this one is a little weird, but it smells amazing! It's called the "Witch Doctor" :D

My first and oldest orchid, it's a Cattelya

Mason Jar Hack

My amazing yarn safe!!

My husband Brian is an avid woodworker. He does things the old fashioned way and uses and refurbishes a lot of antique tools. Brian also likes to use authentic finishes from long ago and has recently been using linseed oil paints. He needed a "safe" for his paint brushes and came up with this brilliant design fashioned out of a mason jar from the thrift store.

As soon as I saw it I knew that this was just what I needed to keep my yarn safe! Ours is a very "debris" filled household. Infiltrated with sawdust, cathair, crumbs and whatever else spills, crawls or makes it's way in. Right now I knit out of bags, so the idea of a mason jar was very appealing. It's pretty and I can see my yarn and what it's doing while I knit. He drilled the hole and sanded and bevelled it so that it's quite smooth and doesn't catch or wear the yarn. I am in love with it!! A $3.00 Ikea mason jar hack, yay!!

I'm building a website!

Wow, talk about a learning curve! I've been working on this for about three days...and I have to say that I'm pretty darn proud. I'm going to try to do different sorts of blog entries there, but some will be the same. This whole internet thing is very time consuming! It's amazing to look and see that people all over the world have had a look at what you have to say. Here's my new address, I can never get the link thingy to work...that learning curve thing again :) www.moiraengeldesigns.com

Exciting last week of July!!

I'm sooo excited that two of my favorite patterns....the ones that I probably had the most fun designing and knitting are live this week!
The first one is in Enchanted Knits 2014 by Interweave. "The Rumplestiltskin Wrap". I wanted to create something that almost looked like hammered metal. Sort of what I'd envisioned spun gold would look like. It was originally designed for Rapunzel, shuffling around in a drafty tower. The hood was a must because I figured that she spent a lot of time with her head out the window! It's knit in a DK yarn with twisted stitches, so it really didn't take that long to knit up. I was especially pleased with the border. I'd never used wrapped stitches before, so it was really interesting to do and I found the finished border really appealing. The yarn I used was Sweet Fiber's Merino Twist DK...totally delightful! It'll be cozy too!




The next pattern that came out was "The Tugboater Pullover". It's my first mens' pattern and was inspired (of course) by my Tugboat Captain hubby. I felt that the Maritime industries are pretty well represented in knitting; There's the Fisherman's Knit, The Gansy, The Merchant Marine's sweater. I felt that a lack of Towboat sweaters was a huge oversight. So this one is a little gansy, a little henley and a little cowichan with the bold motif. I don't know if you can start an official sweater for something...but in my rather cluttered mind, this will be the official Tugboat sweater!