Modification Monday: Plum Frost Stockholm

Original Pattern: Stockholm Scarf



Knitter Extraordinaire: Lea (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Created a matching slouchy hat with stockholm pattern brim, and a stockinette cap.

What Makes This Awesome: Well  I'm already a bit biased on this one (Stockholm Scarf mod, yay!), but I genuinely love the slouchy hat! What a great idea for a matching set - the hat looks amazing with the scarf, and the texture of the brim is lovely and deep. Lea wrote great details on her hat, which can be found on her project page, here.

The Seven Days of Hot Chocolate- Coming Very Soon

I've been percolating an idea in the back of my brain since December- creating 7 different, new hot chocolate recipes to help celebrate this chilly season.

But I swear, something must've been in the water (or the milk in this case!), because since I started working on it, I've seen recipes coming out in the new issue of Martha Stewart, saw a Nutella version on Pinterest.... another on Tastologie.... and there are probably more hiding out there in the great wide interweb! But hey, better late to the party than a no-show. Starting February 1st, I'll be posting a new hot chocolate recipe that I've concocted every day, for seven days. This means that there will be a slight break in Modification Monday (still posting for January 31st, but we'll be skipping February 7th).

The recipes are meant to be shared, so you'll find them all making enough for 2 large mugfuls of chocolatey goodness, or three smaller ones. I hope you'll find at least a couple recipes you will want to make!!

Cream and Sugar Cowl

For those of you who read both my blog and Alana's blog, you've probably already seen this:

G and I did photos for Alana's latest pattern, the Cream and Sugar Cowl. I was so excited when I cracked open the package and saw how beautiful it was! This is cowl heaven- loose, luxurious cables, and a one skein project that is perfect for some treasured sock yarn you've got squirrelled away in your stash.

I've got the perfect skein of yarn already picked out for this pretty little thing. And how perfect would this cowl be for gift knitting?!

Modification Mondays: Jessie Milo

Original Pattern: Milo

Knitter Extraordinaire: Meike (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Used a lovely charted design from this sock pattern and altered the sizing and decreases. Great details can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: This is a beautiful example of using colourwork in a knit that didn't originally call for colourwork. Altering the gauge and using the colourblocking stripes of flowers gives this little pullover vest such beauty.  I don't think this could be a more perfect piece- it's fresh, light, and flat out stunning.

What I'm into Now: The Daily Otter

This is my new obsession. A website devoted to posting a new photo of an adorable otter, every. single. day.  Useless? Heck no. How can you not feel a bit of a  happy lift when looking at an adorable otter?

Modification Monday: Pomatoma-Shrug

Original Pattern: Pomatomus

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jen (Rav ID, blog)

Mods: Tramsformed the beautiful sock pattern into a stunning shrug. Details are on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: There are so many wonderful sock patterns out there, but this is definitely one of the best. Jen's modification turns the beloved sock pattern into a beautiful shrug. I love the detail of the back, It looks like the perfect shrug to put on over a tank top of a bare summer dress. I would love to knit one just like this! And with her promising to add more information on the modification soon,  this could mean that you could make a shrug out of almost any sock pattern- think of the possibilities!

Stockholm Scarf- Now in Swedish!

Just a quick post to let you know that the Stockholm Scarf is available in Swedish!!

A huge thank you simply must go out to Inger Lundin. She put together a fabulous translation in December, and then I got distracted by the holidays, but it is now live! The side bar (over there to the right) has the short cut to the pattern, in both Swedish and English.

As a complete aside, my favourite Swedish word is 'fika'. I'm amazed that we don't have a word for it in English, but it means a coffee/hot beverage and a treat (such a a slice of cake, a tart, croissant, etc.). "Let's go for a fika!' sounds way more interesting than 'Let's go for a coffee', don't you think?

FO: Eco Aidez

Pattern: Aidez

Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool

Needles: 8mm (US 11)

Mods: None. Knit it in pieces and seamed just like the pattern told me to.


Notes: I printed off the pattern before the correction to the back cables were made, so my lattice weaving is not perfect (the pattern page shows where the pattern correction occurs). But I don't care- It's beautiful, I can throw it on with just about anything, and it's cozy and lovely. The pattern is utterly amazing- I'm so impressed by how it all came together, and how the collar was done. The sleeves are not too long- my hands were really cold, so I just automatically tucked my hands into the sleeves without realizing. It was -10 Celsius and I was frolicking on the shores of Lake Ontario in January. Cold was pretty much how it was going to be.

I have nothing but rave reviews for this yarn. The whole time is was knitting it, I kept exclaiming, "It's so sheepy!" to my husband, who thankfully thought it was funny. This was my first time using the Eco Wool, and I will definitely be using it again, many many times in the future. It's amazing.

G made this funny little GIF file of me bouncing around in the freezing cold while he snapped pictures of the back:

If you haven't made this sweater, and you enjoy cables, you must knit this. I wear mine all the time- more than any other sweater in my wardrobe, hand-knitted or not.

Modification Monday: Modified Stripes To Keep mMe Warm

Original Pattern: Stripes to Keep Me Warm


Knitter Extraordinaire: Islefin (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Mods: Added a split neck line and a button placard, as well as added length.

What Makes This Awesome: Having a button band at the neckline was a brilliant idea for allowing more options for how warm you want to be while wearing this lovely caplet. The jogless stripes look amazing, and how perfect is that one lovely dark stripe near the bottom? I love how the colour is echoed in the button choice. I tend to wear a lot of jeans and long sleeve t-shirts, and this could easily be thrown on top and you have a gorgeous outfit that's perfect for this time of year. Wonderful modification details can be found on her project page, here.

Modification Mondays: Gray Sky Meander

*Edit* Oops! I labelled the title of this post an FO by mistake. For those that are used to Mod Mondays, I'm sure you were not remotely confused. For everyone else, Sorry! Holiday Brain! This is what happens when you sit in front of the TV knitting and eating box after box of chocolates... your brain gets soft. Sorry! Ana did a fantastic job knitting this, don't you think?

Original Pattern: Meander

Knitter Extraordinaire: Ana (Rav ID)

Mods: Ana adjusted the sizing substantially for each of the 'scarves' and creatively reworked the way they join together to get a much better fit for her petite frame.

What Makes This Awesome:  The cardigan is composed of four plaited strips that combine moss, garter and stockinette, and then those are joined together to make the cardigan. To customize seomthing that is in as many peices as this is very tough, but Ana did an amazing job. She looks fantastic, and this cardigan looks so glamourous and rich with texture- utterly amazing.  I want one now, too! More lovely photos on her project page, here.