FO: Solaria

While the test knitting stage was happening with Solaria, I cast on for it again to make sure that I had knit any of the changes as well, and to double check things like the math...I think that every high school math class should have a section where they teach the kids to knit and then have them do calculations for things like sizing and evenly spaced decreases/increases. Seeing some very practical application of math like that would have been very inspiring to 15-year old me, that's for sure.  But then again, I also think they should teach geometry by having people play pool. It's nothing but how to solve problems involving multiple angles. But I digress....

Pattern: Solaria (The Stella Collection)

Yarn: TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock, in a One of a Kind colourway

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Mods: None.

Notes: Needles with nice, pointy tiips make the nupps SO much easier. This is the kind of knit that I've been gravitating towards lately- ones that have an interesting enough lace to keep me on my toes when knitting it. I can memorized the stitches in the rounds, but it's the kind of knitting  you need to look at, which I enjoy in the summer when I'm watching less tv and spending more knitting time al fresco. The blues and greens in this remind me so much of sea glass.

Modification Monday: Girl Friday

Original Pattern: Girl Friday

Knitter Extraordinaire: Stephy (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Changed the gauge from worsted to sport weight, altered the neckline from a shawl collar to a scoop neck, knit as one peice to armholes. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Changing the gauge on a knit is a great way to give a pattern a brand new look- Stephy shrunk the gauge down to a sportweight, giving this sweater a dressier, more glamourous look. The scoop neck is a great alternative to the original shawl collar, and it reminds me of something I often forget- that just because a sweater pattern doesn't have a neckline that flatters you, doesn't mean you can't change it to something that does. This sweater is a beautiful example of how customizing a pattern to suit you yields truly beautiful results.

Bunny Cake (and Giveaway Winner!)

The Winner of the Stella Collection Ebook is....... Elena! Congratulations, Elena!!

I recently found this amazing bunny cake mould in an import shop that specializes in goods from Germany. I've never been to Germany, but if they have lots of baking things like this cake mould, then I need to book a flight and take an empty suitcase- bakeware is a weakness of mine.

The cake is small- it's good for two people, or maybe just one person, if it were, say, your birthday or you were having a bad day. Fortunately a cake recipe for just the right amount of batter is printed (in several languages) on the side of the box. Next time I make this, I'll experiment with decorating it- it looks like it would be so much fun- decorated and detailed with icing, or dipped in chocolate, or maybe with a lemon glaze....

New Patterns! A Giveaway! The Stella Collection!

 I'm so excited that this is now live!! Tanis and I have been busy working on a summery little lace collection:

Clockwise from top left: Nashira, Adhara, Solaria, and Suncrest.

The collection features 4 lace shawls interpreted in different ways: Nashira is a rectangular stole, Adhara is a two-colour triangular shawl, Solaria is a cowl (can also be worn as a caplet), and Suncrest is a half-oval.The whole collection is available for $15 (bargain!), or individually for $6 each.

 I designed Solaria during the final stages of my pregnancy, but Nashira was designed entirely after Lila was born. I can't get as much knitting done as I'd like, but having a newborn just makes me choosier about my projects, and designs.

Tanis of course designed the lovely Adhara and Suncrest:

All of the designs feature a different Tanis Fiber Arts yarn base and colourway. And of course, there are tonnes of colours to choose from!

Let's get to the giveaway! We're giving away to one lucky knitter a copy of the ebook, which includes all 4 patterns. To enter, leave a comment below telling me which pattern you are most excited to knit. Don't forget to leave your email or Ravelry ID, so I can get in touch with you if you win!  You can enter until 7:00 a.m. on Friday, June 22nd. I'll announce a winner that Friday afternoon. Good luck!

Modification Monday: Leaf Yoke Top with Sleeves

Original Pattern: #14 Leaf Yoke Top

Knitter Extraordinaire: Cristina (Ravelry ID)

Mods: lengthened the yoke, added sleeves, and includd the leaf lace from the yoke on the hem and sweater cuffs. Project page with great details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: The original pattern is a great little sleeveless summer sweater, but with the addition of long sleeves and lengthening the body, it becomes a cozy fall/winter sweater. The leaf lace detail on the yoke looks amazing on the sleeves and sweater hem and turns the sweater into such a gorgeous, feminine knit.The next time you're considering a pattern with a yoke detail for a potential modification, think of this sweater!

Mitten Update

I tweaked the chart for the mitten I'm working on, and I think I've hit on a more balanced colourwork scheme:

 unblocked colourwork knit on dpns... always looks blegh.

I only have a few more days to finish the mittens for the KAL- I think a more realistic aim is to finish one mitt! I noticed I want to make a slight change in the thumb gusset chart, so I want to fix that before I knit the second one.  I'm really liking the colour combinations, I've been wanting to inject more brights into my winter accessories, since I often go for a black or grey coat and let's face it- everything pretty much goes with black and grey. And these colours would make a basic winter coat something so much more interesting, don't you think?

Modification Monday: The Wool Peddler

Original Pattern: Wool Peddler's Shawl

Knitter Extraordinaire: Maria (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Using a simlpe raglan sweater as a starting point, Maria incorporated her the lace from the original shawl pattern. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm a big fan of taking a lace shawl and transforming it into a sweater or top, because it's such a great way for a knitter to take their favourite elements and incorporate it into something totally new. Here, Maria took the simple design of the shawl and turned it into a classicly beautiful pullover. I love it, it looks like the knd of sweater I'd pull on all the time.

Wee Wednesday: The New Normal

Lila is 7 weeks old, and she's already outgrown her tiniest onesies, which makes my heart twinge a little. I can already tell that it's true what they say- it goes so quickly.

Lila at one week

I find that everytime I spend time with family and friends, they look me straight in the eye, and ask, very very seriously, "How are you doing? How are you adjusting?" The truth is, I'm doing great. I feel like I've got away with murder- an easy pregnancy, a relatively easy birth (Lila was breech; I had a scheduled c-section after we spent weeks trying everything to turn her), and a healthy, trouble-free baby. I'm genuinely happy, and doing really well, which is fortunate. I know that's not true for every new mom.

The days feel really small now- hours slip by so quickly, and I eat most of meals over Lila while she is nursing (yes, my baby has crumbs on her). But I conciously choose to focus on the best parts of my day, like dancing around the kitchen with Lila to music to calm her fussy periods,  the way she feels snuggled up in my arms, her hilarious and ever-changing facial expressions, her sweet baby coos, her supercute parade of onesies. Don't get me wrong- Lila stubbornly resists sleep like it's her mission in life, and does not get anywhere neear the 14-18 hours total in a 24 hour time frame, not by a long shot. She also thinks baths and diaper changes are torture, and must be met with heavy screaming. But I don't dwell on any of the challenges. Sure, fatigue is part of it, but I can remember loads of times in years past where I stayed up late on a worknight to see a concert, catch a midnight movie, etc. I knew I'd be tired the next day, but the experience was worth it. I feel the same way about Lila- yup, I'm tired, but man, is it ever worth it.

Lila at 7 weeks. Do not let these sleeping photos fool you- it's just the only time I have two hands to take her photo is when she's sleeping!

Modification Monday: Peabody Cardi

Original Pattern: Peabody and Milena

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jolanta (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Combined design elements of both patterns to create a totally new look. Her project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome:  I love a pattern mash up! Jolanta's sweater is a beautiful example of a mash up done just right. I particularly like how balanced between the two orignal patterns this cardigan is- the sleeves, length, and stitch are from Peabody, and the cardigan, neckline, and tailored shaping are from Milena. The result is gorgeous- I wish I had knit this myself!

Mitten Troubles

I've been working on a pair of mitts featuring these colours for the Tanis Fiber Arts KAL, but haven't quite hit on the pattern that I'd really like just yet. (Horribly unblocked photos approaching!)

The corrugated ribbing isn't thrilling me, it's not as stretchy as I would like. I then decided to invert the colour scheme, and tweak the design slightly:

I still really like the colours, but the pattern isn't right yet. Since these photos were taken, I've frogged both completely, and am restarting with the plain white ribibng for the cuff, and a new idea for the colourwork. We'll see what happens! It's funny, sometimes a new design idea is awesome straight out of the gate, and other times it takes so many starts and re-starts.