FO: Neckwarmers Galore

These neckwarmers were finished ages ago, but it was tough getting some good FO shots. Re-shoots were necessary, on more than one occasion. There just isn't as much daylight as there used to be! I made my neckwarmer first:And G liked it so much, he asked me to make him one, too:I was pretty pleased about that, since it was the first time he had ever asked me to knit him something. Pattern: Jan 2009 update: pattern link on the interweb is dead, now seems to only be a Ravelry Download Needles: 9 mm straights (I haven't knit on straights in ages- felt odd) yarn: stash, some grey homespun for Guy's neckwarmer, some mysterious black (possibly merino?) yarn for mine. Notes: The stitch pattern is really easy and enjoyable. In case you were curious about button placement (I certainly was!) I'll show you what they look like unworn: (Little Yarn wanted to get in on the photo action, it would seem). Guy wanted his toggle at a certain point, and I knew I had wanted two buttons on mine. Having the buttons on the diagonal from the loops allowed for a good closure around the neck, and to make a tidy triangle that tucks into your coat. Also, you can see that G's is not as wide as mine, and is longer. I love how easy it is to customize for the perfect fit, whatever you want. For those of you familiar with Phoe (and if you're not, go check out her awesome blog!), you have already seen many gorgeous photos of the beautiful cowls she knits up. I was very happy to receive one of her cowls in the mail! Lucky, lucky me. The colours are gorgeous, definitely the sort of colours I wear, and cowls are the chilly neck solution for fall. Between neckwarmers and cowls,I'm feeling so over scarves. How about all of you- are you still feeling scarves, or do you prefer other little knitted treats to keep the chill away?

I Lykke Me Some Yarn

I don't know about you, but I can't just pop into a yarn shop. If I'm there- it's for the loooong haul. I spend a good hour or two even just combing the isles. This probably seems ridiculous to some who research their yarn choices, ravel everything and go with yarn in mind-in/out boom. Done. Not that I don't (I usually write up a guide list) but when I walk in to my LYS fanciful thoughts like those fly out the window. Romni is like crack for yarn addicts. I'm a total freakin zombie when I go there. Shuffling slowly down the isles... MUST.. HAVE.. YARN! So on this particular occasion I needed fiber for two projects. A scarf for John, T's friend, and Spiral Boot Socks by Veronik Avery(love her!). I got nothing close to what I wanted for either project and instead chose these: 2 skeins of Drops extra fine merino in charcoal

I'd been wanting this stuff for ages and the fiber is soooo soft and perfectly spun. Merino has to be my all time fav fiber. This will either be a cowl or a marigold hat with some fun mods for better slouching like ifandany's marigold. and then I fell in love with Cadence sock yarn. Two skeins and 700 shy yards of beautiful caramels. However in purchasing these, I knew another big LYS shop had to take place. Crap!(j/k) I finally got around to it last Saturday after work (we're starting to get winter in and fall will be on 40% sale soon, fyi). I combed and combed and found what I wanted. For John's scarf: 6 balls of Cascade Superwash 220 (4 black & 2 dark emerald green) Let me tell you how nice and springy this stuff knits up. Exactly the density and material I was looking to create. This swatch was knit on 4.5mm. Sorry for the photo quality, it was batshit cold outside and I couldn't hack it! Then I chose the sock yarn. It was between Sublime extra fine merino, RYC cashsoft and Lana Gatto VIP for the longest time but I settled with the VIP. It was the exact color and blend I wanted. 3 skeins of this, although I may only use two depending on my gauge. Beauty. Speaking of that, I saw Lykke Li at MOD CLUB this past Friday. Fantastic show, absolutely on point. Amazing covers of Vampire Weekend's Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa and I lost it when she did Tirbe Called Quest. Yes girl, you can kick it. This version isn't as good as ours was but you get the idea. Pretty dope. I've mentioned her on the blog before ages ago, but she's now blowing up! Get your hands on everything by this girl, her voice will haunt you! Two other musics to love: Grizzly Bear-Knife. Watch this video. Have your mind blown. Kaiser Chiefs-Never Miss a Beat. Video here. **one last quick note** This new layout is driving me mental. I don't like that our photo edges get cropped. Jules and I had a great surprise over the last week and I'm happy to say that it looks like a bigger and better TEAMKNIT is peaking around the corner. Hold tight folks. xo Jen

Very Cute

Holy moley, these are too cute. If anyone is thinking of making animal mittens for any reason, here is a whole whack of inspiration for you. These versions can be bought from www.rainbowjeans.com (Over the Rainbow in Yorkville, Toronto)and retail for roughly $30. Lobster Mittens, or as I affectionatley (if geeky) call them 'robsta craws' Tiger Mittens Lion Mittens Raccoon Hat Bear Mittens Panda Mittens Penguin Mittens

Homesick Razor Cami

I was sitting out back this past Sunday wondering what in the heck I was going to do with the yarn I had just frogged. Some of you might remember my very first Montego? Well it's no more. I saw it hanging on my scarf rack and decided that it would get more use as a top or cami of sorts. Not knowing what pattern I was going to use didn't stop me from casting on for a gauge swatch. Gotta start somewhere. In the coming days I was going to have a bunch of free time-mainly because I was working the Federal Election as Deputy Returning Officer. Which was an ordeal itself, but I made a good friend along the way. (Shout out to Morgan! xo) However throughout the day, I became increasingly sick. At first I thought it was allergies, being in an old elementary school gym and all. Perhaps my sneezing was due to the dust. Ha. Wishful thinking. The next day I turned up half dead to work and C took pity on me and sent me home. I spent the next 12 hours lying in misery knitting this: The Razor Cami. It's a simply sweet pattern that relies on negative ease instead of shaping to hug the wearers curves. With only one real pattern row I hardly had to glance down while watching the entire Bourne Trilogy that first night. I can knit like a demon when I'm sick it seems. and here I am now as compared to my beaded halter/cami Two more inches and I'm ready to start the straps. I saw on Ravelry a version with thicker almost cap like sleeves which I'm going to try and duplicate. So far I really like it, and I can't get enough of the Cathay. It's like a soft hug against the skin.

FO: Raglan Pullover

I should have finished the sweater ages ago, but then I got a Wii..... and then a week later, a Wii fit..... and suddenly there was a lot of Wii but not so much knitting going on. But I got there in the end. Pattern: Opulent Raglan, from Knitscene Fall 2008. Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, 4 skeins Size: 34" Needles: 4 mm circulars Mods: I eliminated the ruffle on the sleeves and instead opted for a 1" of ribbing around the cuffs and the hem. Notes: I wasn't getting gauge, so I made the 34" bust (one side up from my usual size). Even with this, the sleeves were too tight, and I had to rip them back and eliminate the decreases. They are still snug, but not uncomfortably so. I should note that in the photos, the sleeve cuffs look like they are rolling, but they don't normally. I was wearing this all day, and since it hits right at my elbows, they got folded up all day. I really loved this pattern. Top-down raglans are awesome, I love the simple style of this sweater, with the delicious cable details. It's the kind of sweater I would buy. A moment to vent, if you would be so kind... There are so many patterns in the Fall 2008 Knitscene that I love, but so few of them have patterns written for smaller sizes, and it's really disheartening to try to recalculate for 6" or more difference in the bust. I know that more fuller figured gals have often been disappointed by not having patterns with large enough pattern sizing, so I really wish there was some standardization on this. I think it would be perfectly resonable for knitting magazines to provide patterns in established size ranges, geared towards their readers. There. Rant over! I originally wanted to do an outdoor shot for this sweater, but it's been too chilly. The bookstore was an excellent solution, but I did get a little distracted:This book makes me want to up my crochet skills, stat!

New Look for Team Knit!

Welcome to the new look of Team Knit! We are still doing some tweaks here and there, but we felt it was high time for somthing different. What do you think?