Knitted Bliss

Fabulous Fair Isle! Adelia Mittens

2012-01-27T11:44:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Adelia Mitts

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label Cashmere Sock in Sand and Spruce

Needles: 3.25 (US 3)

Mods: None.

Notes: Hooray for mittens! These are the softest pair of mittens I've ever worn. They are part of the TFA January KAL, and I think the last of my KAL FOs, even though I also wanted to knit the matching cowl. I love these mittens- stranded mittens are perfect for extra warmth, and they are sooo soft. Did I mention the soft?! Soft. Anyway. I digress.

I also have some bump photos! Because hey, mittens look good on a baby bump, I think. I'm also pleased that there are lots of cool textured buildings around our new place, so it's given me lots of neat places to plan for future FO shots.

TFA January KAL FO: Jewel Prism

2012-01-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

I'm participating/moderating the Tanis Fiber Arts January Knit/Crochet Along, which is happening over in the Ravelry Group thread. The official kick off was January 1st, and crafters are challenged to complete a project before midnight on January 31st. I've got a few projects lined up for this KAL, and the first finished is the Prism Shawl in the Jewel Colourway (Red Label).

I didn't make any modifications, although the pattern is more of a recipe than a hard and fast set of rules to knit by, which I enjoy. As for the yarn, you know me- I can't get enough of single ply goodness!! I'm loving how the red label knits up, it's sooo soft. And the colour is amazing. There is something so wonderfully luxe and yet rustic about single ply yarns, I find them addictive.

Modification Monday: Lacy Top

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: #09 Lace Dress

Knitter Extraordinaire: Amanda (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Used stockinette on the body instead of garter stitch, reworked armholes, tightened up the neckline, ans added a different trim to the hem. Project page with great instructions on the knitted edging can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Sometimes a whole knitted dress can be a bit of a investment, not just of time, but of yarn as well. But changing it up into a beautiful top is a great alternative. This top is the perfect summer modification- it's breezy and a great mix of knitting and crochet, and I'm really impressed with the gorgeous results!

Giveaway Winners and FO: Gin & Tonic Hat

2012-01-20T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Hold Your Needles Give away winners are:

(drumroll please)

kim c said...Wow, what gorgeous patterns. The pictures are wonderful too. Personally I am in love with Lumme & Mai - All of them are lovely though.

Fie said...My favourite patterns are without a doubt Lumme (I can just imagine being nice and warm while out in the cold weather we're having now and the cables give it an interesting both modern and traditional look) and Juuli (because of the intricate details and because the green of the pattern sample is just so joyful and reminds me that spring is on its way)

Paula said... I really love Pikkuapila and Vammus. They're both lovely!

Thanks so much everyone for participating! It's always exciting when there are three chances to win.

As for me, I've been doing a fair bit of knitting lately, but not a lot of photo taking. But recently we did get these photos:

Oh yeah- I had my hair cut to shoulder length just before Christmas!

I needed a new slouchy hat. Of course there are already loads of slouchy hat patterns out there, but hey- surely we've got room for one more? This hat is a very quick knit, super comfy, and perfect for hand-dyed or variegated yarns. The pattern is getting ready for formatting, and then it'll be going live! For those of you who are interested in the Strada Winter Headband pattern, don't worry- It'll go live in the next couple of weeks.I'm trying to keep things in order around here, otherwise it'll never get done!

Hold Your Needles 1& 2: Review and Giveaway!!

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

I recently heard about Hold Your Needles 1 and Hold Your Needles 2, two remarkable pattern collections
from Finnish designers Mari Muinonen and Suvi Simola. The first collection has 12 patterns and the second collection has 10 patterns, all for very reasonable download prices. Both collections feature lots of texture and many have gorgeous (I mean, really) cable details.

Hold Your Needles 1 has a great mix of patterns, including two for men, two hat/mitts combo patterns, and some for kids/babies. Most of the patterns call for heavier weights of yarn, which helps them knit up really fast, as well as keeping you and your loved ones nice and toasty warm.

My personal favourites from Hold Your Needles 1:

Clockwise from top left: Lumme, Muikkuset, Reha, Muffeli

Hold Your Needles 2 maintains a similar design aesthetic, focusing on the heavier weights of yarn that knit up quickly, as well as lots of rich texture and beautiful cables.You really need to click on over to Mai to check out the amazing details (and it's grown up version, Juuli)- those pockets are amazing!

My personal favourites from Hold Your Needles 2:
Clockwise from top left: Paju, Friika, Kiedo, Mai

Both of these collections are filled with thoughtful details and clever designs, and when you look at the FOs from other knitters, you can see they have consistently strong results- which is extremely important! It's easy to have great pattern photos, but the proof of a great pattern is in it's ability to deliver consistent results.

Suvi and Mari have very generously offered to do a giveaway- 3 lucky winners will receive the e-pattern books for both Hold Your Needles 1 and 2! Just leave a comment on this post telling me which is your favourite pattern from 1 AND 2 (so- you're telling me the names of 2 patterns, one from each collection). The deadline for entering is Thursday, January 19th at midnight (12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). I'll announce the three lucky winners on Friday- good luck everyone!

Modification Monday: Almost Anjeli

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Anjeli

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jen (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Jen did a lace repeat on every row (instead of every other row) for a portion of the scarf, which created this new look. Project page with full details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Sometimes you misread a pattern and get a very different result, which can be either disastrous or serendipitous. This is an amazing incarnation of the latter- a happy accident of misreading the lace chart had Jen knitting the lace on both the right and wrong sides, which gave gave a totally different shape and a lacier, airy texture. The result is so different from the original, yet absolutely stunning!

Modification Monday: Cry Me a River Mitts

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Kalajoki Socks

Knitter Extraordinaire: Annabel (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Using the design for the socks as a stepping stone, Annabel created these great-fitting arm warmers. Project page with great details on her mods can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm always quick to say that a great sock pattern can be modified into an arm warmer pattern, but the truth is it requires a little more math than that to get a good fit through the arm and wrist. Annabel did a superb job with these mitts- they look comfortable, cozy, and great-fitting. I love the placement of the design, and the thumb gusset looks perfect. These are beautiful mitts!!

Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts are now LIVE!!

2012-01-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

The Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts pattern is now for sale!! This was the exclusive pattern I developed last spring for the 2011 Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour (my month was May).Now that 2011 is over, the pattern is publicly available for $4 (you get both the cowl and mitts patterns together in the download).
Included in the pattern is a video tutorial link on how to 'unravel' the dropped stitches portion, so you can see exactly how it works for the cowl. The mitts include two sizes.

This is my first time adding a not-free pattern to Ravelry, so I wasn't sure how to link both the Cowl and Mitts. If anyone knows of a better way, please let me know!

The cowl is more of a necklace style, and is surprisingly warm and wearable. I know it looks more decorative than warm but somehow it just works and is indeed cozy (although I imagine if you use cotton yarn, not so cozy). I knit it again later that summer in blue, using a full skein (220 yards):

I really love both the cowl and mitts, and I hope you do too!

Modification Monday: Paris Night Melody

2012-01-02T07:20:00.001-05:00

Original Pattern: Melody's Shawl

Knitter Extraordinaire: Sachiko (Ravelry ID)

Mods: The clever construction of this pattern intends for the item to be worked in the round and then cut open like a scarf- Sachiko decided to keep it 'uncut' for a modern and stunning infinity scarf. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love how Sachiko transformed this clever scarf into an infinity scarf, it's a great idea that could be done with lots of other scarves, as well- even if it is knit more conventionally, a provisional cast on could be used and ends could be grafted together. But this one really shines for it's simplicity, and requires a really beautiful yarn to pull it off- her choice of the Malabrigo Lace in 'Paris Night' (a truly amazing colourway) really sets off the knit. I want one just like it!

2011 Wrap Up and Final FO

2011-12-31T15:00:00.001-05:00

My 2011 knitting goals were to have 28 FOs and design 3 new patterns. I did hit my design goal:

Make Up Your Mind Tank, Pink Grapefruit Cowl & Mitts*, Velvet Morning.

*These were exclusive for the Tanis Fiber Arts 2011 Year in Colour Club, but will be for sale in January!

I fell short of my overall FO goal, with only 22 FOs, and I didn't even photograph one of them yet (it was a Stockholm Scarf that I gave to a friend for Christmas, and I wrapped it up the second it was dry) Here are the 21 I did get photographed:

And here is the final FO of 2011, a Christmas gift for my cousin Chantal:

She requested a winter headband that was simple and had a big bow, and I didn't quite find any patterns that were exactly what I had in mind, so I winged it and made up my own. I really love the final result, so I'm glad I kept notes! I'll start working on the pattern in the new year.

I'm not that surprised I missed my target of 28 FOs this year, to be honest. I can pinpoint exactly where the knitting time was lost- my first trimester of pregnancy, when I had to go to bed 1-2 hours earlier than I usually do every night for 3 months. Considering that's when I do a lot of my prime knitting time, I estimate I lost approximately 90-100 hours of knitting time, which would have definitely been some more more FOs. But hey- that's life, right? So- my 2012 goals. For 2012, my knitting goals are to design 5 new patterns, and have 20 FOs. that sounds a little more reasonable. Especially since the new patterns count as FOs anyways- I'm sneaky like that. Happy New Year, everyone!! I hope that you all have an incredibly happy, yarn-filled 2012.

FO: Oak Grove Fingerless Mitts

2011-12-30T10:57:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Oak Grove

Yarn: Becoming Art Cielo Sport

Needles: 3.25 mm dpns (US 3)

Mods: None.

Notes: these are such pretty mitts, the oak leaf design is really exceptional, and the technique gives it a raised look. My only wish is that I had reduced the stitches around the wrist- I have scrawny little bird wrists (5.5" circumference) , and there is a bit more room in them than I typically need. It would have been easy, too- just decreased about 6 stitches shortly after the ribbing from the stockinette portion, and added them back in when approaching the thumb hole round. But how can you argue with the results?

These photos were taken shortly after Christmas at my parent's home, where the local temperatures were -17 C without the wind chill. Going coat-less meant the photos had to be done in 2 mins or less!

Modification Monday: Tracy Sweater

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Textured Knots

Knitter Extraordinaire: Claudia (Ravelry ID)

Mods: used the great stitch design of the original blanket pattern to create a totally different pullover inspired by it. Her project page with more photos can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love the details, the way the cables for the knots are used to elongate the shape of the sweater for a flattering fit. it would have been easy to go a bit overkill and have knots all over from cuff to neck to hem, but the design elements are right on key. It's a stunning knit, and also pretty impressive to turn a blanket into a sweater!

The End is Near!

2011-12-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

In last year's wrap up, I stated my knitting goals, which was to design 3 new patterns and have 28 Fos. I did a quick check on my Ravelry project page, and noticed that I'm about 7 FOs short of my yearly FO goal! While I'm not sure I can power through and get another 7 knits done and photographed in time for the new year, I'm certainly going to try to get as close as I can. Currently on my needles:

Oak Grove Fingerless Mitts, which I got as a kit from Becoming Art in the Clove colourway. This has been lingering in my stash, and since the move I've had an opportunity to review ALL my yarn again (and just this past weekend, I finally found the pattern booklet again for the Peterborough sweater! I'll be casting on for that in the new year, for sure. Reviewing all the yarn and patterns post-move provided an interesting time for ~~where the heck am I going to put all this yarn, dear god I had no I had so much~~ reflection on my stash, and future projects. I'm mulling over what my new knitting goals will be for 2012... stay tuned!

Modification Monday: Blue Shift

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Pearl

Knitter Extraordinaire: Joanne (Ravelry Id)

Mods: Transformed the raglan t-shirt into a stunning sleeveless shift dress. Great details on exactly how she did it can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: This dress is an absolute stunner of a modification! I love how chic and even sort of retro the silhouette looks as a sleeveless dress. I'm in awe of Joanne's vision in creating this dress. She even chose the colour based around the fabulous buttons, and I can't imagine the dress without the buttons- it's like the icing on the cupcake, don't you think? I love everything about this knit!

FO: Cabled Canuck

2011-12-16T11:24:00.004-05:00

Pattern: Cabled Canuck

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Green label in 'Sand'

Mods: None.

Notes: I haven't done cables in ages, so I forgot how much fun they are! This hat was a perfect little hit of cabled goodness- the design is interesting, the cables are fantastic, and the design is classic.

Also, these photos were all taken in our underground parking garage. It's so hard to find good lighting this time of year, because it's pitch black by 5 p.m., and G suggested we try the well-lit parking garage. It worked out great!No more waiting for the weekend, trying to get just the right light... the parking garage was perfect, even if it was a bit boring. But G decided to jazz up the photos by trying some lomo and black and white effects. We're both excited by the discovery of this new 'studio', and thinking of ways to make the most of it over the winter!

Why yes, I am wearing my Velvet Morning cardigan!

Nathalie has tagged me with the Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks so much!

The rules are:
1. Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to recently discovered blogs you enjoy reading.
4. Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

If anyone wishes to join in, please consider yourself tagged! Let me know if you post, so I can go and read your post, too! So, seven random things about me:

1. I was a vegetarian for 16 years, from the ages of 12-28, totally by my own choice. My reasons for starting were as arbitrary as my reasons for going back to meat, and sometimes I regret it... not because meat isn't damn tasty (it totally is), but because it is fraught with so many more environmental and ethical issues. So I don't eat it every day, and I buy local/organic/antibiotic free meat. it's more expensive, but it eases my conscience when I think of those poor chickens/pigs/cows/bison/rabbits. Yeah, when I fell off the veggie truck, I fell hard.

2. Every time I move, I totally cry over losing my old place. Even if there lots of reasons to leave the place, I get really attached to physical spaces. It breaks my heart to think I'll never live there again.

3. I have an unfortunate habit of seeing comedies in movie theatres, finding something mildly funny uproariously funny, and then while everyone else in the theatre has had a polite chuckle, I'm howling with laughter, tears steaming down my face, and then I laugh even harder because I'm aware I'm the only one still laughing and that's even funnier.

4. I love peanut butter more than any other food on the planet. I call it my best friend.

5. No matter that I know about the holidays every year, I find it so hard to get my head around the sheer volume of shopping and gift giving. Every year I tell myself that I'll do a handmade Christmas and make gifts for everyone; every year I totally fail.

6. I hate shoe shopping. I'm one of the few women on the planet who is not interested in shoes beyond a practical, can't-go-walking-in-bare-feet sort of thing. I actually buy different versions of black flats and wear them almost exclusively all year long. I do have a couple other colours of flats, but it's pretty boring in my shoe closet, let me tell you.

7. Despite this lack of shoe interest, I love fashion magazines, and my favourite is the UK edition of Glamour. Total brain candy, but I love it. There are so many clothing retailers over there that we don't have here, and I'm fascinated.

That's 7! remember, if you participate, send me a message and let me know!

Wee Wednesdays: Baby Bliss

2011-12-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

G and I recently found out... we're going to have a baby girl:
It was so obvious on the ultrasound that G blurted it out before the technician could! I couldn't wait to cast on for something in a more decisive colour palette, so I cast on for these baby frog legs, and decided to add stripes.

Modification Monday: Sheep Baby Cardigan

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Sheep Heid

Knitter Extraordinaire: Ann (Ravelry Id, Blog)

Mods: Turned the stranded colourwork hat pattern into a baby/ toddler cardigan. Projec tpage with details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: This is a stunning sweater- I love the use of the sheep design at the hem only, and the geometric shapes at the yoke. Everything about this feels like it's in proportion- the balanced use of neutrals, the pop of green (how perfect for the button band?!), even the sheep. It's just beautiful!

New Pattern: Velvet Morning

2011-12-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited that the new issue of Knitty has gone live, and my latest pattern is in it! Everyone, please meet Velvet Morning:

It's knit up in Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label, with Midnight as the base colour, and three contrasting colours: Sand, Mallard, and Atlantic. Tanis graciously test knit it for me in a totally different colourway, and you should check out her photos here.

I LOVE this sweater. it's such an easy thing to wear- pants, long sleeved tee, Velvet Morning. Done.

It was ridiculously hot when we did this photos, I was getting cranky from the heat (I was also very early days pregnant, I may not have been feeling awesome, either- I was so tired all the time in the first trimester). So I'm not as smiley as I usually am! But trust me- I wear this sweater all the time, and I'm so glad that it still fits now that I'm pregnant. That's the best part when all the growth is up front- open, drape-y cardigans still fit like a dream.

The sweater is meant to be oversized, with lots of positive ease, and lots of cozy warmth. The sweater knits up surprisingly quickly in the aran weight, and for those that aren't crazy about stranded colourwork, I bet this would look amazing in two colours- one base colour and one contrasting colour. I hope someone does it so I can check it out!

Modification Monday: Green Dress

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Original Pattern: 121-27 Waistcoat in Alaska

Knitter Extraordinaire: Lyyli (Ravelry Id, Blog)

Mods: Transformed the original button front cardigan into a sleek sweater dress. Project page can be found here.

What Makes this Awesome: The dress is such a modern, fresh version of the original design. I love the great neckline, and the cables at the hem look fantastic. I want a dress just like this (gorgeous, amazing green included)- chic, interesting, and drop dead gorgeous. I also think that keeping the short sleeves gives more options for layering through fall/winter. Such a great knit!

Modification Monday: Rivendell Gloves

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: #03 Marlene

Knitter Extraordinaire: Lisa (Ravelry Id, blog)

Mods: Turned the amazing sock pattern into a stunning pair of gloves. Project page with details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Okay, I'm the first to suggest that a sock pattern could easily be a fingerless mitt pattern and vice versa, but gloves! I love how she kept the stitch all the way through to the tips of the fingers, which really completes the look. I think these are beautiful, elegant and sophisticated. Not a thing about these gloves seems out of place- it's like this design was always wanting to be turned into gloves. Just perfect!

Coastal Knits Winner! And Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2011-11-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Malin (from Sweden) the winner of the Coastal Knits giveaway! The random number generator selected comment 21, which was her comment- she chose the Rustling Leave Beret as her top choice for a pattern to knit from the book.Thanks to everyone for participating!!

I'll be jetting off to Bristol, England for a short family visit, but in the mean time, here is an update on the baby blanket, which I've started to call the rainbow blanket for fairly obvious reasons:

G really likes the 'wrong side', in particular:

I decided to stick with the green, and instead of mirroring the colour repeats (as the original pattern calls for), I just did a straight up repeat every 54 colours. The more colour repeats I knit, the happier I am with it.

Modification Monday: Chimera

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Labrinyth

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jamie (Ravelry Id, Blog)

Mods: Revamped the original simple stockinette pullover into a cable and lace sweater with shorter sleeves. Project page is here.

What Makes This Awesome: This is such a gorgeous sweater, it could practically be a pattern in it's own right. Jamie kept the neckline and overall fit of the body of the original pattern, but changed up everything else. The leaf lace in the front panel adds great detail, I love the extra cable down the sleeves, too! The whole sweater is stunning. I want one!

Book Review & Giveaway: Coastal Knits

2011-11-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

This is easily one of the most beautiful pattern collections I can ever remember seeing. Every aspect- the patterns, the photographs, the sketches, the information on the design process, the layout- everything contributes to the overall look and feel of this book. Some of my favourite patterns are:

Water's Edge Cardigan

Rustling Leaves Beret:

Rocky Coast Cardigan:

Gnarled Oak Cardigan:

What strikes me the most about this pattern collection is that every single knit looks easy to wear. Not over styled, but realistically pretty- like any of us could knit this, put it on, and get the exact same look.

Alana and Hannah seem very well paired in this East Coast/West Coast collaboration- the knits work together as a collection really well, and it seems only fitting that they share the glory of the two most popular patterns- Alana designed the Rustling Leaves beret and Hannah designed the Rocky Coast cardigan, both are the strong runners for most popular pattern in the collection.

Looking at the patterns on Ravelry does not do this book justice- it really is a gem. I really liked the patterns when I saw them on Ravelry, but it wasn't until a had a copy of the book in my hands that I was utterly blown away by the whole collection. You need to get this! And when you do, head on over to the Ravelry Coastal Knits Group for a community of others who are also knitting the patterns. You know what else would be fun? How about we give away a copy of Coastal Knits? Leave me a comment below telling me your favourite pattern from the collection by November 20th, 12:00 p.m. (that's noon!) EST.

Wee Wednesdays: Baby Blanket Progress

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

I tip my cap to Jolene, who suggested a fabulous new feature for the blog when commenting on the baby news- Wee Wednesdays! So, sometimes on a Wednesday (not every Wednesday, but I'll confine baby knits and baby talk to Wednesdays) I'll post about something baby/knitting related. Like this baby blanket:

The night I was knitting the baby blanket, and then was struck by the thought that I only needed 5 colours for the blanket, not six, and what was I going to do with the extra colour?! I stared at it for twenty minutes trying to figure out how to modify the pattern to incorporate that 6th colour when it slowly dawned on me... I did indeed only have 5 colours. And then I realized all the work clothes that fit me right now are grey, which is boring. And then I started to cry. Because I apparently can't count to 5 and all my clothes are grey.

I may have missed out on morning sickness, but hormone craziness has hit me like a tonne of bricks.

But I let some days pass and looked at it again. And I started to think that maybe it was looking a bit off, so I tried it without the green... which:

Makes me think of the 70's. Or clowns from the 70's. There are laws about red and orange being used together that requires more spacing than what I've done here in this second take. I don't know what I was thinking, taking the green out of the mix. Hormones, give me back my knitting mojo!

UPDATE: The pattern I'm using is a free baby blanket pattern which you can find here.

Modification Monday: Spring is Here! Cowl

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts

Knitter Extraordinaire: Elin (Ravelry Id)

Mods: Transformed the fingerless mitt pattern into a a cowl. Project page with full details on how to make the cowl can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love the original pattern, because it is the perfect balance of the simple (lots of stockinette) and feminine detail (the eyelet and picot trim is so perfect). I'm not surprised at all that someone wanted to make a beautiful matching set out of this- that kind of prettiness begs to be near the face. And doesn't it look so perfect with the original Susie's Reading Mitts? I bet this set would be a perfect holiday gift.

Best Canadian Poetry 2011

2011-11-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

I know I don't normally talk about writing here, but I'm super excited to announce that one of my poems has been published in the 2011 collection of The Best Canadian poetry in English:

Every year, a special guest editor for the anthology goes through the literary journals that published poetry that year and choose 50 poems to be collected into the work. I'm very honoured! I know I don't talk about writing poetry much, but it's something I've always done. It's gratifying to be included in this year's anthology.

Modification Monday: Modified SummerTurban

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Original Pattern: Knit Yourself a Turban

Knitter Extraordinaire: Allyson (Ravelry Id, Blog)

Mods: Changed the pattern to be more lightweight and summer appropriate, and wrapped the front differently. Details on all her mods can be found on her project page, as well as some super cute photos showing how she styles her turban.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm normally not big on turbans (despite thinking Elizabeth Taylor always looked mighty fine in her many turbans), but this is one I could totally see myself wearing- it's cute, fun, stylish and looks so much easier to wear than I ever would have imagined. I love the way Allyson did the extra wrapping at the front, and the whole effect is tidy and polished. I can't imagine a cuter summer hat than this!

A Very Special Announcement

2011-11-02T07:15:00.001-04:00

Whew! The move has been a lot of work, and has led to G and I having lots of conversations about where to put things, configure the furniture, buying new furniture, etc. So many decisions!

I thought since I had some big news to share, it would be nice to share it on a video. The new place is totally not unpacked, so trust me- I'll get some better backgrounds soon. In the mean time:

Sorry to end it with such an obvious boob shot, I'll learn to walk around the camera next time.

Modification Monday: Julie's Chapeau

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Marigold

Knitter Extraordinaire: Eliza (Ravelry Id, Blog)

Mods: Knitted the brim flat, added short rows at the crown to help with the slouchy fit, added a functioning button hole and button, increased stitches for a slouchy fit. For all the great details on this mod, check out her project page here.

What Makes This Awesome: Sooo.... you may have noticed that the Julie in Julie's Chapeau is totally me. When I visited Eliza in Chicago a couple months ago, she very generously knitted me this gorgeous hat while we were hanging out over the weekend. I actually attempted to make one just like Eliza's (her mod is so successful, if you go to the projects page you'll see there are a few that decided to copy the mod as well), and it is technically on the needles somewhere in a cardboard box right now, but now that I have this gorgeous hat, it's the one I wear every day now that the weather is chilly. I absolutely love it- it's an awesome mod, and a perfect chapeau indeed. Thank so much, Eliza!!

Modification Monday: Garden Variety Fairy

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Sally, the Eco Fairy

Knitter Extraordinaire: Tau (Ravelry Id)

Mods: Eliminated the wings and made the ears bigger for a more elvish fairy; created a customized knitted wardrobe which includes knitted underpants (!!), a beautiful lacy dress, galoshes, and a capelet.

What Makes This Awesome: As soon as I saw this, I went completely bananas. I think this is the most darling knitted toy I've ever seen- I love this little garden fairy. Have you see the underpants? Too cute! Promise me you'll go and check out all the amazing, detailed photos on the project page- it's totally worth it. The detail of the hair is incredible, and there is not a single detail of this mod I would change.

The Big Move!

2011-10-21T09:31:00.000-04:00

Why yes, I do still have a classic Nintendo....

We're almost done packing everything up, sorry it's been so quiet lately- packing has taken up so much time! I also had a work conference in St. John's, Newfoundland recently, which was busy-busy (and totally squashed my earlier ambitions to go to Rhinebeck this year). But I did see a seal!

This friendly seal apparently gets fed by the locals, hence her being so tame for this close shot....

I've also been working on a new design, but it's been slow going. I think I'll need to churn out a quick little knit just to feel like my knitting mojo is still in the pink. Mod Monday will go ahead as regularly scheduled (and it's a knockout) but I can't wait to get some updated photos and show you guys the new place! I hope the kitties and the hedgie adjust well to the move... moving can be so hard on furry (and prickly) friends.

Modification Monday: Cherry Basket Picovoli

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

Eek! Got my dates screwed up for scheduled posting, and accidentally posted this on Sunday. Some lucky people got a sneak preview!

Original Pattern: Picovoli

Knitter Extraordinaire: Heidi (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Added the 'cherry basket' lace and bobble stitch pattern to the yoke of the original picovoli tee pattern, and added a bobble rib hem. Details can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: When you have a great simple design, there are absolutely no limits to the varieties of add on or changes you can make- it's like a perfect, blank canvas. I love the cherry basket stitch pattern, it's so amazing to see an interesting stitch like this incorporated into such a lovely, wearable tee. This looks like such an awesome summer knit!

FO: Prism Shawl

2011-10-13T10:40:00.001-04:00

Thanks everyone for all your comments and suggestions for what do with the awesome New Lanark yarn. By popular demand, Peterborough has won! I'll begin swatching soon.

Pattern: Prism Shawl

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label in 'Cobalt'

Needles: 3.75 mm (US 5)

Mods: Changed needle size, my 4mm needles were busy with another project.

Thoughts: This is a great shawl 'recipe' pattern. You can add in larger stockinette sections, more eyelet rows, etc. I knitted this to have a one-skein knit ready to show at the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair in the Tanis Fiber Arts booth. It was my first time knitting with this new yarn- the single ply merino/cashmere/silk blend is so buttery soft! The shawl is lovely- the single ply means that it's a bit thicker than a fingering weight, probably closer to a sport weight, which adds a lovely, soft warmth. My mom went crazy for this shawl, she wants one too!

That last kitty photo is my parent's cat, Finnigan. These were shot at my parent's place over Thanksgiving weekend.

Modification Monday: Deep in the Forest Sweater

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Deep in the Forest Mittens

Knitter Extraordinaire: Astrid (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Used the charted design from the mittens and fleshed it out to make this stunning colourwork sweater with a circle yoke. Great details on how she made this can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: Mittens into a sweater?! Consider me blown away. I am always amazed when a very intrepid knitter can take the colourwork inspiration from a small knit and transform it into a large scale garment. The cream and the rich browns look so good together; I love the natural colours. What an amazing sweater!

Modification Monday: Wonderful Wallaby with Robots

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Wonderful Wallaby

Knitter Extraordinaire: Blanchois (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Changed the pullover hoodie to a zipper cardigan, changed the hood shaping and added colourwork.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm pretty sure the robots say it all- this sweater is awesome! I love how she altered this great little hoodie with the contrasting colour zipper and the great colourwork. It just makes this sweater that much more fun and interesting. Little boy knits can be so much fun, and think this sweater shows that perfectly. Project page with details can be found here.

Scottish Yarn

2011-09-28T09:51:00.005-04:00

My parents recently took a trip to Scotland, and very sweetly made an effort to go to New Lanark (about an hour outside of Edinburgh), which is a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring an 18th century mill, which still produces wool and textiles. They very thoughtfully brough tme back a sweater's worth of yarn:

Sorry for the lousy photos, it's been overcast and raining every morning this week.

I love the colour! It's beautiful donegal tweed yarn, 90% wool and 10% silk, and I'm really looking forward to knitting up a gorgeous winter sweater to cuddle up in. Now, there are three things that are looming large in my mind to potentially make with all this gorgeous, gorgeous yarn:

Now technically, Peterborough (the first one) and Nidden (the second one) call for worsted weight, and this yarn is DK (which Nespelem calls for). The trouble with Nespelem is that I find myself leaning more towards Peterborough or Nidden, because I like the long look and the drapey style. And when I look at the other FOs, peopel have been using DK weight for both of those other sweaters as well, with lovely results; and they all call for 4mm or 3.75 mm needles, respectively. Which means I feel pretty confident about subbing in some DK and just have a slightly lighter weight cardigan if I decide to go for Nidden or Peterborough.

So what do you think? I'm having a tough time deciding, and sure could use some advice from you guys!

Modification Monday: Toast at the Seaside Sept. 26th

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Patterns: Toast and Ships and Seaside

Knitter Extraordinaire: Eliza (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Ah, the pattern mash up. It's a wonderful thing. I love how Eliza took the classic coziness of the Toast pattern and made herself some mitts to go with her gorgeous Ships & Seaside Cowl. What a great idea for a bit if stash busting and for making a lovely set. The colours were a perfect choice, they look so wearable and classic.

And... today Eliza is celebrating her 2nd wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary, Eliza and Jake!

8:30: the First Eight Days

2011-09-23T09:36:00.001-04:00

I've already learned SO much about my wardrobe since I started working on the 30 in 30 wardrobe remix, it's amazing. For example- I own mostly solid colour items, very few prints. Which makes for a seriously dull wardrobe, if you ask me. How come I never noticed this before?! I don't even own a patterned blouse. Seriously.

Also, I apparently do not like having my photo taken every day. If G was available, we snapped a shot on the patio, and if he wasn't I used the tripod and my point and shoot camera in the library.

Also, I still haven't chosen all my 30 items, because it is now clear I only wear about 15-20 items in rotation. My wardrobe is in a rut! This is a lot more work and not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Modification Monday: Idlewood +

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Idlewood

Knitter Extraordinaire: Traci (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Added lots of colourwork, eliminated the pocket, added ribbing to sleeve and body hems. Project page is here.

What Makes This Awesome: I was blown away by this gorgeous sweater when I first saw it- the colourwork is stunning, and I love the muted palette Traci used to create it. The charts are from Elizabeth Zimmermann's The Opinionated Knitter, Leaflet #3, and I think the whole combination is just dynamite. I want to a sweater just like this now! Looks perfect for layering.

Modification Monday: Paper Daleks Sept. 12

2011-09-12T07:01:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Paper Dolls

Knitter Extraordinaire: Rebecca (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Charted out a whole new colourwork yoke to feature the main characters (and the famous daleks) of Doctor Who- Including charting out text, which is tricky! Project page is here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love it when people really personalize their knits, and what better way to personalize than with a colourwork version of a beloved TV show?! I think this is such a clever use of colourwork, and it's not often I see text in knits, either- another reason to love this one-of-a-kind pullover. Just so awesome.

FO: Autumn in Ombre

2011-09-09T09:32:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Ombre Cardigan

Yarn: Tanis Fiber arts Pink Label in 'Chestnut' and 'Brick'

Needles: 4 mm circulars.

Mods: None.

Notes: This is one of those perfect sweaters that you know will be a wardrobe staple. I love the easy fit and clean lines, and the ombre effect is the perfect amount of interest- not too much, not too little. It's totally a wardrobe classic.

It's knit using two strands of laceweight held together, which was nice- it knit up pretty quickly and it was fun to watch the colour shifts. really enjoyed using one of the brand new TFA colourways, too- Brick is a really gorgeous shade, just right for fall. I can tell I'll be wearing this a lot!

The kitties were really keen on getting in on the photoshoot action (or at least just wanted my attention), but then refused to sit pretty when I tried to include them:

Cats. What can you do.

30 in 30: Wardrobe Remix

2011-09-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

I first heard of the 30 in 30 Wardrobe Remix from Eliza, a friend and blogger who decided to put her closet to work and create 30 different outfits in 30 days, using only 30 items. She is going to do it again this fall, and I'm going to participate as well- starting tomorrow!

My reasons: I get lazy. I'm not a morning person, and that's typically when I get dressed, so it's easy for me to get into an outfit rut and not think creatively at all about what to wear. Also, like many women, I have a tonne of clothes and probably only wear about 2% of my wardrobe in any given week, and I can admit it- I'm boring with my wardrobe. Pants and sweaters, accessorized with a necklace.Yawn.

The rule I'm going to dress by:

30 items, which will consist entirely of visible clothes (obviously undercrackers, socks, etc. won't count).
I'm not including shoes into this, because I'm not a shoe person and I know perfectly well I'll either wear black flats or rain boots for the next 30 days, without fail.
No outfit can be worn exactly the same way twice.
Accessories are not included, and will be used as much as possible to punch up the existing clothing choices. It's about time I make the most of all the scarves and handbags I own, for goodness sake.

I've been reviewing my Pinterest Style Board to get some ideas of the sort of things I'd like to be wearing, to ensure that those are the items that make the cut for the next 30 days. Let's see how well I do. I'm giving myself extra credit if I manage to do stuff with my hair, too. Sometimes long hair is such a lazy cop-out, it's so easy to do absolutely nothing with it.

Modification Monday: Gray Swan Dress

2011-09-05T07:01:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Evenstar Shawl

Knitter Extraordinaire: Johanna (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Used the beautiful circular shawl as a starting point for the skirt, and transformed it into a dress, using this pattern as a base for the upper body. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: This is easily one of the most beautiful knitted dresses I've ever seen. The skirt is stunning, and the bodice is gorgeous, and I love the tulle underskirt that gives the dress more shape. not only is this picture perfect, but Johanna has created a truly original, one-of-a-kind dress that really sets the bar for what a gorgeous knit dress can be. So impressive!!

Modification Monday: Aidez

2011-08-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Aidez

Knitter Extraordinaire:Cecile (Ravelry Id)

Mods: Changed up the cables for both the back portion and the front neckband, and added pockets. Project page with great details on the modifications can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I generally feel that pockets make everything a little more awesome, I'm completely smitten with the addition of pockets on this clever mod. I also love how the cables make the sweater look so different- particularly the front neckband. Just goes to show that you can have a lot of fun playing around and substituting cables for a fresh look on a gorgeous sweater.

Our First Home!

2011-08-25T10:23:00.003-04:00

G and I are very excited- this past weekend, we finalized the purchase of our first home!! We have bought a two bedroom condo townhouse in downtown Toronto, which we are thrilled about. We won't be taking possession for a couple of months, but it is exactly what we have been looking for, and we're so excited. I spend a lot of time going over my Pinterest Home Inspiration Board lately. Here are a few of the real estate shots of our new place (keep in mind this is how it looks currently, none of this stuff is our furniture):

Of course, we'll decorate the place and make it our own, and the furniture that they have now is not at all like our furniture, but I'm looking forward to making it our own. These are the photos from the main floor, there is an upstairs, but the bedroom photographs are terrible. Today we have the home inspection, and I'm looking forward to going over the space in more detail with G, and talking about some potential furniture placement!

Oh, and here's a parting shot of little Bruce Quillis. He's very camera shy, but he feels a little safer when he's peaking out from his little wooden house.

Modification Monday: Blue Coral

2011-08-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Coral

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jurga (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Added length and stripes to this summery pattern to make a dress. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love the beautiful, monochromatic stripes of this dress,and the ombre effect she achieved with this. The striping in the fabric mimics the striping in the yoke perfectly. This dress looks striking, yet unfussy. Gorgeous, yet comfy. And who doesn't want a summer dress that does all that?! This is such a perfect knit dress for the warmer weather.

FO: Cooling Ring of Water

2011-08-19T07:21:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Burning Ring of Fire

Yarn: leftover scraps of Tanis Fiber Arts Aran Weight (Green label)

Needles: 5mm circulars (US8)

Mods: Added Stripes, to use up 4 leftover colours of yarn. I knitted in pattern for 19 rounds, added one row of the new colour, then back to the previous colour for an additional round, then continued in the new colour for 19 rows.

Notes: This pattern is so fantastic- it's super easy, super fast, and by striping it I could stash-bust some of those random leftover bits of skeins that you get piling up. This is the perfect little cowl for when the fall arrives, and I think this would make an awesome and quick gift for someone, too. I love this cowl, and I bet it would look lovely in variegated yarns or even something a little fuzzy. Maybe I'll try a different texture the next time I knit this! A little strand of mohair or angora carried with the yarn would be very cozy in the winter...

Modification Monday: Un-Iced

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Iced

Knitter Extraordinaire: Isabelle (Ravelry ID, Blog, Podcast)

Mods: Changed the gauge and added length to turn a cozy cardigan into a cuddly knitted jacket. Project page is here.

What Makes This Awesome: I don't think it ever would have occurred to me how wonderfully simple this modification could be- knitting a cardigan at a super bulky gauge and making it longer to turn it into a chic knitted jacket. Plus, the super bulky gauge emphasizes the great texture of the garter stitch borders. This looks gorgeous as a jacket! And I don't yet have a knitted jacket for the crisp fall and spring days- maybe I'll have to make an Un-iced, too!

Our Newest Family Member

2011-08-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce you to our newest family member....

This is Bruce Quillis.

He's pretty awesome. And so gosh darn cute.

This is our first hedgehog as a pet, and we're pretty excited. We've done lots of reading up on proper hedgie care, and apparently they get on well with cats! Quillis is is 1.5 years old. Once we decided to get a hedgie, I wanted to find one that needed to be re-homed, rather than buy one from a pet store or breeder. It's always so much harder for adult pets to find homes.Yarn is very intrigued by Quillis, but Gatsby hasn't shown any interest in Qullis at all.

Quillis and Yarn meet for the first time. Not quite a successful meeting of the minds.

Interviewed!

2011-08-09T08:41:00.006-04:00

Sarah (aka The Sexy Knitter) has recently revamped her site and started a new feature called Getting to Know You, where she interviews knitwear designers. I'm pretty excited to be the first one! You can find the interview here, as well as a super impressive styling spread for my Make Up Your Mind tank, on taking it into fall. I'm so impressed!! I'm familiar with Polyvore but have never attempted to make a set before- this is so inspiring!!

Sarah's board was all the inspiration I needed to play around in my own wardrobe with wearing this knit into the fall, and she's spot on: layered with jeans, boots, a cardigan and killer accessories, this is really perfect. Thanks so much, Sarah!!

Modification Monday: Paulie

2011-08-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

Original Pattern: Paulie

Knitter Extraordinaire: sneezerville (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Changed the gauge for a lighter and airier summer cardigan, and used the contiguous sleeve method, etc. Project page can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Summer cardigans are a lovely wardrobe item, yet I don't have any. This knit totally makes me rethink that- it's beautiful, functional, and I love the stripes, textures, and Sneezerville's trying out the new technique for the sleeves. On top of all that, she used recycled yarn from a sweater she found at Goodwill. Such an amazing summer cardigan!

Recipe: Swedish mead

2011-08-05T10:15:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure is no surprise to some of my more long standing reader friends, I'm into Swedish everything- the culture, the food, the design. Lotte Jansdotter has created a beautiful book that is strikes a perfect note for me- she focuses on small space living, crafting one's home, and focusing on friends, family, and make the most of what you have. The sketches, the photos, the projects and the recipes are all exactly the kind thing that I love to see; the kind of lifestyle that I try to create in my own life. I can't recommend the book highly enough, really.

I had lots of fun trying out the recipes, but I was particularly taken with the recipe for Swedish Mead, which I had never seen before and required ingredients that I always have in my kitchen. So I got to work!

Swedish Mead
from Lotte Jandotter's Handmade Living, with permission

Ingredients:

17 cups or 4.25L of water
3/4 cup or 185 g packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup or 185 g of granulated sugar, plus 6 teaspoons
zest and juices of 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon of active dry yeast
18 raisins

Directions: In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest. Remove from heat and let cool from hot to warm (105-115F). Stir in the yeast until dissolved. Let stand, uncovered and at room temperature, for at least 12 hours.

Put 1 teaspoon of sugar and 3 raisins in each wine bottle(I used pop bottles, personally), strain mead through a sieve and pour into the bottles. Cap tightly, and store in a cool dark place for 1 t 2 days, until the raisins float to the surface. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I usually forget these things, but if you happen to notice the super fun fox t-shirt I'm wearing, I got it here.

I've made a few batches of the mead now, and I honestly love the stuff. It's so refreshing in the summer, and it was my first time experimenting with making something carbonated. It does have some alcohol in it, but the content is low (depending on how long you let it sit, I suppose!). This doesn't taste like lemonade- more like a shandy. Served ice cold on a hot summer's day, I can't think of anything better:

Modification Monday: Girly Dashing

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Dashing

Knitter Extraordinaire: Mikka (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Added more cables and modified the thumb gusset. More information on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: When it comes to fingerless mitts, the quest for the perfect thumb gusset is always an important one. Mikka made some great changes to the gusset, and the extra cables definitely make the mitts more feminine and pretty, which I love. I never would have thought to do that with this pattern, and now I'm so inspired!! I love these mitts, they are perfect.

FO: Mother's Day Lace Sweater

2011-07-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

Pattern: #28 Lace Cardi

Yarn: Elann Superwash Worsted

Needles: 5 and 6 mm circulars (US 8 and 10)

Mods: Eliminated the shawl collar, opted instead to just do a normal ring of ribbing around the sweater. Added sleeves.

Notes: A huge thank you to Laura who kindly sent me an extra skein when I ran out of yarn. For some reason, I thought it would be super awesome to have all my cream/white coloured yarns together in the same box, so I thought I had more of this yarn that I actually did (no, just loads of other weights/fibers in the exact same colour...). And it turns out, they don't make it anymore. But super Laura to the rescue! The sleeves I added on are bit small, but fortunately my mom has skinny arms.

This sweater was an unusual knit for me, the construction was not something I'd done before, and the whole second half of knitting it I was constantly battling fears of running out of yarn while simultaneously adding sleeves. my mother picked out the pattern, and it is beautiful, but I find the shaping a bit odd, in that it is most narrow at the hem, and widest through the waist. But the end result is beautiful.

Modification Monday: Help Me Rondeur

2011-07-25T07:30:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Rondeur

Knitter Extraordinaire: Heidi (Ravlery ID)

Mods: Adjusted the hemline from the original pattern to sit flat for a more flattering hemline, and added a lace detail. Project page can be found here with more notes.

What Makes This Awesome: This is a perfect example of how awesome it is to be a knitter and customize your clothes for a more flatting fit. Heidi wasn't comfortable with how the rounded hem of the original pattern might fall on her body, and instead chose to do a more classic hem, but added a bit of lace detail to spice things up. I love how the lace at the hem line balances out the amazing detail at the raglan 'seams' and the whole garment looks beautiful. What a fabulous customization! Plus, I had a genuine smile over her witty little project name.

A Trip to the Frog Pond

2011-07-20T09:30:00.005-04:00

I hate frogging. Every time I consider it, I suddenly have a Rain Man-esque ability to remember exactly how many hours I spent knitting it thus far, and it hurts.

The cowl was cast on in August 2010, while in... England? Stockholm? It feels so luxurious to be wondering what country/city I was in when I cast on. Which is why I've been clinging to this project, hoping it would magically become something I wanted.
But you know, it's just not going to happen. I love the yarn ( Knitpicks alpaca cloud) but this cowl is just... not working out. I know I'm not going to wear it. And what is the point in knitting something that you know you aren't going to love?

This was supposed to be this caplet, but somehow it transformed into what is a very granny tea cozy, no?

(okay, this is a useless photo that is mostly showing the wrong side of the knitting, but trust me- it's striping and looks dreadful)

Because that's all I see when I look at this- a self-striping, granny tea cozy. Which isn't going to work for me. I do love the yarn (although it was a surprise to find out it stripes!), but it's going to be shelved, and one day, the perfect project will present itself for this yarn, I know it.

Modification Monday: Girly Wurm

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Wurm

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jaana (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Mods: Added a picot edging and eyelet details to the ribbing for the body of the hat. Details are on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: The Wurm pattern is so lovely and simple, it's great to see how a few small tweaks can yield such beautifully different results. I absolutely love the eyelet between the ridges of garter stitch, and the picot trim looks so pretty. I love this mod!! Might need to make one for myself when the weather turns cool again....

FO: Handspun Toasties

2011-07-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Toasty

Yarn: Pidgeonroof Studios roving, handspun by Tanis

Needles: 5 mm dpns

Notes: I. Love. These. Mitts.

They are buttery soft, toasty warm (true to their name!), and pure bliss to wear. I was originally thinking of a cowl when I saw the skein of handspun, but then I couldn't bear to knit it up into something I'd never be able to see while I was wearing it.

But I look at my hands. Actually, I look at my hands a lot.

And these are pretty awesome to look at.

TTC Knitalong Redux

2011-07-12T10:15:00.005-04:00

Saturday was the 3rd year in a row I participated in the TTC Knitalong, which was a blast. I was attempting to do more live tweeting, so I didn't actually take any photos during the event that weren't cell phone photos! But here is Team Purple at Americo (sorry for the grainy cell snap):

It was a very fun day indeed! I was pretty restrained, since my stash is already a huge storage problem to begin with, but I couldn't resist taking home these goodies:

I was feeling salmon-y pinks that day, I think! And I also scored a Gleaner, which I was pretty excited about.

My take along knitting for this fun day was a very simple pattern made from this amazing, gorgeous handspun:

The roving is from Pidgeonroof studios, and was spun and plied by Tanis . As soon as I saw it, I couldn't wait to knit something up- it's so deliciously soft and cozy. Not that I need that right now in July, but that's how amazing this yarn is- I couldn't wait for chilly weather. FO photos coming very soon!

To conclude today's post, here is a photo of Gatsby hiding under the barbecue:

So fluffy. And he's trying to stay out the sun to cool off, poor thing.

Modification Monday: Steampunk Wedding Veyla Mitts

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Patterns: Veyla and Bo Peep Gloves

Knitter Extraordinaire: Tanya (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Mods: Combined two patterns into one for a pair of beautiful, vintage-inspired gloves. Project page is here.

What Makes This Awesome: I think you all know how much I love a good pattern mash up! I don't think it would have ever occured to me to put these two patterns together, but I can't believe how beautiful the results are- the combination of the bo peep glove texture and the perfect lace cuff of Veyla just look meant to be together! And those pearl buttons underline the delicate vintage beauty of these mitts. I'm in awe- they look so stunning.

Pearl and the Beard Giveaway Winner... Emily!

2011-07-04T15:30:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Emily, who was selected by the random number generator to win the Pearl and the Beard CD!! Yay Emily!!

I did a post over on the TFA blog, about this Canada Day weekend at the cottage; which was a great time to do lots of future planning for the blog and patterns to come. Also: a sneak preview of a new design that will be coming out at the end of the month!

Modification Monday: Latvian Cowl

2011-07-04T07:01:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Baby Blanket Latvian Garden

Knitter Extraordinaire: Raquel (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Transformed the stranded baby blanket into a beautiful cowl. Great details to follow her modifications can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm a huge fan of taking a great colourwork chart and using it for other items, and starting with something a bit smaller can make colourwork easier to tackle. This great cowl looks beautiful and is no doubt super toasty warm, thanks to the stranded colour work. Look how cozy Raquel looks in the photo above! Bonus- It looks very fetching on the canine set, too:

I couldn't' resist posting these adorable photos of her doggies modelling. Dogs and knits, it's just an awesome combo.

Pearl and The Beard Giveaway!

2011-06-30T09:00:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been really digging Pearl and the Beard, a Brooklyn NY based trio that specializes in a soulful american sort of sounds that just seems perfect for summer. Plus Jocelyn is an expert knitter that designed the sweater that they are wearing in the promo shot above. She even did a video about making it:

Here is a link to their myspace page, where you can listen to their songs (I'm particularly fond of Lost in Singapore, Sweetness, and Reverend), and although I'm sort of lamenting that they don't have more videos, here's one that they did in the park:

To enter to win a CD, please leave me a comment and your email address. The contest will be open all weekend, and a winner will be chosen on Monday, July 4th at random. Good luck!!

** UPDATE:: Apparently the media company contacted a bunch of knitting blogs (including mine) but didn't make an effort to schedule them, so I apologize if this looks shady in any way because a bunch of others are having the same giveaway. I do genuinely like the music, and am not getting paid to promote them- just a copy of the CD as well.

FO: Blue Grapefruit

2011-06-28T13:33:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Pink Grapefruit Cowl

Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in 'Dusk'

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Mods: none.

Notes: I had a skein of KnitPicks Gloss in Dusk left over from 2007, when I was knitting Thermal. I noticed that the colour has been discontinued, which is too bad. I thought it would be the prefect skein to experiment with a bit more yardage, and see how the cowl looked- I used the whole skein (220 yards), and was super pleased with the results. It is like wearing a really stylish necklace. I loved the outfit I was wearing this day (we were at Niagara Falls), and the cowl really made it feel more polished for me. That, and I'm super in love with my vintage wicker purse (Ebay totally came through for me that day). I think I'm going to need a bunch of these cowls in different colours.

This was my favourite photo of the day, I think:

"There is a velociraptor eating my handbag!"

Modification Monday: Global Warming

2011-06-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Global Warming

Knitter Extraordinaire: Stephy (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Modified the pullover to be knitted top-down, changed the neckline to a scoop neck, and added a lace detail from this pattern.

What Makes This Awesome: I can't even count how many patterns I've looked at and thought, 'it would be perfect for me if it only had a different neckline/different sleeves/some more detail/less detail/etc. This awesome pullover shows that you can really play with the framework of a good pattern- Global Warming provided the perfect backdrop for Stephy to change the neckline and experiment with a lace detail she liked from a different pattern. Customizing means no one else is going to have the same sweater as you, and this is a beautiful example of that. Plus, I love hot weather knits!! Check out her project page, here.

FO: Wasabi Cream & Sugar

2011-06-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Cream and Sugar Cowl

Yarn: Shibui Knits Sock, in 'Wasabi'

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Give me all your yarnz!!

Notes: I didn't make any modifications, and really enjoyed knitting this for the second time. It's one of those great gift knitting patterns- quick, one skein, and easy to churn out quickly. My friend Andrea saw the previous cowl and wanted one, so I happily obliged. I have some of the yarn leftover, I'm going to make her some fingerless mitts as well. Not that she needs either of those items right now- it's hot. Like, your skin feels like sticky toffee hot. But no matter how hot is it right now, fall always comes around again.

Why yes, I did put on a wool cowl and a winter coat to model this for you in the dead heat of June.

I'm working away at this cardigan for my mom, as an overdue Mother's Day gift. I actually ran out of yarn (totally my own fault- I keep all my white/cream yarns together in one box, and thought I had more of this yarn than I really did) but fortunately a fellow Raveler came to my rescue and sent me the single skein I needed to get this completed.

I'm also working on another version of my Grapefruit Cowl, this time making it bigger, for more of a fall weather cowl. Maybe because I've knit this stitch so much, but I find the pattern really easy to memorize, so I just pick it up and chip away at it whenever I get a chance. It's almost done- just need to drop the stitches!

Modification Monday: Modified Sprite Hat

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Spritely Hat

Knitter Extraordinaire: Sarah (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Mods: Altered the sizing of the adult sized hat by adding half an extra stitch repeat, and eliminated the leaves on the top. More info can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I should offer a disclaimer about how much I love Sarah's blog and designs, she really is awesome in my books. So I'm a little surprised it took me this long to find this super pretty hat modification in her projects! I love how Sarah's take on the pattern has yielded a beautiful, unfussy hat that looks perfect for when the days get chilly. Eliminating the decorative leaves on top made it look more grown up, and I think her yarn choice was spot on brilliant- who wouldn't love a cashmere cap like this?!

What I'm Into Now: Beet Blush

2011-06-16T09:55:00.000-04:00

Through the many splendoured thing that is Pinterest, I came across an interesting tutorial on making blush from beets. And considering that I had all the ingredients already in my home, I figured I could totally take 30 mins to experiment with this.

I peeled and chopped one beet, and mixed it with 1 tablespoon of glycerine and cooked it in a double broiler, as per the instructions. I had an old roll-on eyeshadow that I pried open and cleaned out, making it the perfect container for my beet blush. I don't think I could have chosen a better container, the roll on is so easy to manage and there's no mess.

I couldn't' find a better spot to take a photo of this. Just a quick bathroom snap!

And the result? Love it! The colour is really build-able, so it can be as light or dark as you want, and different types of beets can yield different shades. Mine were just plain old red beets, but I'd like to try with some of the more pinkish hued beets out there. The next time I make this (and heck yes, there will be a next time) I'm going to use less glycerine, maybe 1 teaspoon, and add a tiny bit of water just to make the texture a little less dewy. Glycerine is great moisturizer. I'm also wearing it in the photos as a lip stain, too. I love multitasking products.

These photos were taken this morning, and poor Gatsby, although wanting to fling himself down at my feet and demand tummy rubs, was totally not interested in having his photo taken this morning. At all.

Modification Monday: Shifting Sands Cardi

2011-06-13T07:00:00.004-04:00

Original Pattern: Shifting Sands

Knitter Extraordinaire: Onkuri (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Turned the scarf pattern (oh yes, you read that correctly- a scarf) into a cardigan. Great details can be found on her blog post here, and her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: So many clever things about this knit. I love that she fully incorporated the scarf into the cardigan. The scarf portion is divided into three sections for the collar and neck, which is a clever way to do the shaping. I even love the colour!! such a beautiful knit.

Design in Progress

2011-06-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a new design, which isn't quite top secret, so I thought I'd blog about it a bit! It's another summery tank, and I'm hoping to have it completed and ready for launch early July. This is the teaser photo I'll leave you with:

I can't say enough great things about this Silver Label Tanis Fiber Arts 100% mulberry silk yarn. Okay, it's not super cheap, but it feels like absolute heaven. I'd probably be finished this already if I didn't take so many breaks to stop and squish the knitted fabric, and rub it against my cheek. And even G was touching it and exclaiming, 'what's this made of? It's amazing!' It's just incredible.

The Wool Ball Charger

2011-06-09T10:30:00.002-04:00

Find yourself needing a really, really long phone charger? Then maybe this is just the thing for you!! It's still a concept and not a retailed product as of yet, but I love it. And I daresay, so would my kitties.

Modification Monday: Corrie Fair Isle Mitts

2011-06-06T07:00:00.002-04:00

Original Pattern: Corrie Fair Isle Vest

Knitter Extraordinaire: Caroline (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Took the colourwork chart from the vest pattern and made fair isle fingerless mitts instead. Details, including a great chart for the thumb gusset, can be found on her project page here.

What Makes This Awesome: Caroline is back on Mod Mondays with another gorgeous take on turning a big colourwork project into a smaller one. I'm so impressed are how well she scaled down the pattern, and the thumb gusset in the pattern is fantastic. Smaller colourwork projects are a great way to try out fair isle without the commitment of a huge project. And I love stranded mitts! They are beautiful.

New Pattern: Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts

2011-06-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

My latest pattern is now live!

The Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts were created for the Tanis Fiber Arts year in Colour Club, which sends out an exclusive pattern and a custom-dyed colourway to each of the club's members every second month. This means that for those of you not a member, this is a horribly teasing post about a pattern that is not available just yet! This pattern will remain exclusive to the TFA Year in Colour Club until next year. But don't despair! You can still purchase a membership to the club at any time, and you'll be sent all the yarns and previous patterns up to the current month.

And if you are willing to wait, I will be selling the pattern (both the mitts and the cowl/scarf are included in the pattern) next year.

Modification Monday: Bellevue Cardigan

2011-05-30T07:00:00.002-04:00

Original Pattern: Bellevue Cardigan (fingering weight)

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jane (blog, Ravelry ID)

Mods: Adjusted the length of the sleeves to make them much longer, while keeping the lace pattern. Details on how she did this are on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm amazed at how changing one thing can change the look of a garment so much. I don't like short sleeved cardigans(the exception being capped sleeves) , but lengthening sleeves that have a lace detail in them can be a lot more challenging than just knitting a bit more length in the middle. Jane did a fantastic job lengthening with the lace, and the cardigan looks more chic and modern for it. Beautiful result!

FO: Holiday Cardi

2011-05-26T09:55:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Amiga

Yarn: Americo Original 100% Pima Cotton Flame

Needles: 4.5 mm (US 7)

Mods: I always knit my sleeves flat, and seam them. I tapered the sleeves by decreasing two stitches on each side every 3 rows 3 times (so in total, 6 stitches decreased in each sleeve) about 1.5 inches from sleeve hem. I also did 4 rows of ribbing, since I don’t like rolled hem sleeves. I didn’t do the button or the button hole, and lengthened the cardigan substantially.

Notes: I cast on for this a few days before I went on vacation, specifically with the idea of having a nice stockinette knit to chisel away at while travelling.It was a great project for it, and I'm especially pleased with how the simple shape really makes the most of the slubby yarn, which had been sitting in my stash for two years, because I wasn't sure what to do with it. Unlike the many other things that have sat in my stash for multiple years- I tend to know exactly what I want to do with it (one day).

The only thing that I'm not crazy about is that the fabric stretches out at the elbows and gets 'elbow bag'. but really, that's a lot of sweaters, so... not a huge complaint. cotton yarn isn't known for it's elastic qualities, so I'm not that fussed.

I want to always have an FO while on a fun holiday. Because even though in these photos it's raining and I'm about 45 minutes away from going to bed for the rest of the day because I feel so rotten... you can't tell- the landscape just makes the photos so striking. Yay for holiday FOs!

Holiday Redux: England and Croatia

2011-05-24T10:33:00.007-04:00

I'm back! G and I had an amazing time, first with family and friends in England (Bristol, Wells, and Brighton were the stops this time). My only disappointment is that I got fairly ill about 4 days into the trip, and stayed ill the rest of the time, including losing my voice for a few days. Nothing quite like waiting a decade to go to a country you've been dreaming about, only to spend every day pieced together by will power and cold medication. Oh well, it happens. Highlight photos from our trip:

England:

Split, Croatia:

Hvar, Croatia:

Dubrovnik, Croatia:

Hvar was definitely our favourite, it was a lusciously slow pace and I'm not sure if I've ever seen such turquoise water before- just gorgeous. I didn't visit any yarn shops, but I did do a lot of knitting. I even got some lovely FO shots for a new knit, which will be posted this week!

Modification Monday: Go for a Spin

2011-05-23T07:02:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: 28 Turquoise Lace Sweater

Knitter Extraordinaire: Kerstin (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Transformed the summer knitted tee pattern into an exquisite tank top with beautiful straps and a crochet trim. Also adjusted gauge. For more details, please see her project page here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love it when people take a knitting pattern and change it for an entirely different season. It' so forward-thinking. I'm so impressed with Kerstin's simple yet detailed take on this. She knitted it in the round, and then used a gorgeously detailed crochet border to add detail, and her straps are so clever. It's details like that that make a garment look so, so professional. This is beautiful!!

Modification Monday: Butterflies on Mulberry Cardi

2011-05-16T07:05:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Summer Flies

Knitter Extraordinaire: Miyayo (Ravelry ID; blog)

Mods: Turned the adult-sized lace shawl pattern into a kid-sized lace yoke cardigan. Details are on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: A shawl into a cardigan!! What a brilliant idea.The lace design works wonderfully as a lace yoke cardigan, and the result is so, so pretty. The picot trim echoes the lace design, and the colour is so pretty. What a beautiful result!!

Modification Monday: Flowers for Gnomes Hat

2011-05-09T07:00:00.003-04:00

Original Pattern: Selbu Modern

Knitter Extraordinaire: Dana (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Turned the pretty 2-colour fair isle tam into a a 5-colour fair isle slouchy hat, substituting the original design for vintage colour work charts for a totally new look. Details can be found on her project page, including the very cool link to the vintage colour work charts, can be found here.

What Makes This Awesome: Talk about really making a go of colour work! I love the new charts that Dana substituted, they are so pretty and fresh. And going from 2 colours to 5 colours takes a lot of planning and foresight, and this hat is all the more beautiful for it. I love the slouchy take on the pattern!

Post- Frolic, and Going on Holiday!

2011-05-04T12:26:00.000-04:00

The 14th Annual Knitter's Frolic in Toronto was this past weekend, and such fun!

I was working at the Tanis Fiber Arts booth, which was so much fun. I had been practising for questions, and was memorizing pricing and yardage info- I didn't quite manage to learn all the colours in time. So many to choose from! And it was really interesting to see that end of the knitting world, how certain colours sell, the way knitters shop- we're all so different, and yet the same. it's amazing!

G and I are leaving for England in about 8 hours, where we'll spend some family time before heading off for a romantic holiday in Croatia! I've wanted to travel around the Dalmatian Coast for about ten years now, and G thinks I've put it off for long enough. FOs and holiday photos when I get back!

Modification Monday:

2011-05-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Sorello

Knitter Extraordinaire: Erin (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Changed out the lace detail on the original pattern and instead did intarsia stripes for a totally new look, modified the construction and shaping to turn the t-shirt into a dress.

What Makes This Awesome: I don't see a lot of mods that involve intarsia, so this knit definitely caught my eye- changing out lace for intarsia is a great idea, and completely changes the look and feel of this knit from the original pattern. I love the shaping she did to achieve the dress, and I like that it looks quite similar to the Danish flag. I love bright colours for a baby- it loooks really fresh. How adorable is that little girl in her fabulous dress?!

FO: Cream & Sugar Cowl

2011-04-28T10:09:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Cream and Sugar Cowl

Yarn: o.o.a.k from Tanis Fiber Arts

Needles: 3.75 mm (US 5)

Notes: I knit this lovely neckwarmer back at the beginning of March, and promptly gave it to my mother who had been admiring it while I was binding off at her home. We took some photos, but it wasn't until we were back in Toronto that it was clear that they just didn't work. So we had to wait until we were back in the same town as the cowl to do some re-shoots on Easter weekend! Isn't my mom gorgeous?She makes 57 look goooood.

This is such a great little pattern. It's perfect for a treasured skein of fingering weight yarn, and everyone who sees this just loves it- another friend in my home town saw it and wanted one, too! So.... here it is in progress, the Cream and Sugar Cowl in Shibui sock yarn, in the wasabi colourway.

I was surprised when I looked over my projects and realized I hadn't made anything with this yarn before. It's really lovely, and the indoor, nighttime photo doesn't do the colour full justice- it's a lovely, fresh spring-y green.

Modification Monday: Ivy League Mitts

2011-04-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Ivy League Vest

Knitter Extraordinaire: Caroline (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Turned the beautiful fair isle vest into these stunning fair isle fingerless mitts, and even charted out the thumb gusset in pattern. You've got to check out the full details on her project age, here.

What Makes This Awesome: There are so many things to praise about this gorgeous pair of mitts. It's not even that these fair isle mitts are a beautiful adaptation of the vest, or that she even charted the perfect thumb gusset(!!!), but on top of all that, it's that her brilliant usage of harmonious colours together. Nothing jars or seems out of place. Just perfect, stunning mitts.

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I hope you are having a lovely day. I know not everyone has a green thumb, So here is a link to some great house plants you can buy that do a great job of scrubbing the air and removing toxins.

For those of you who want to try or already enjoy growing some tasty edibles (even if all you have is a tiny little windowsill and no garden to speak of), here are some great links:

I actually grow lots of tomatoes (cherry and grape ones) on my patio every summer, and they are amazing- so full of flavour. And really easy- all they need is a sunny spot. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Earth Day Ramp Up: Keeping Clean & Green

2011-04-21T14:30:00.001-04:00

I was a bit of an early adopter on environmentally friendly cleaning products, since most commercial ones make the skin on my hands really irritated, or the overpowering scent makes my throat feel funny. I also find it odd that we somehow have collectively accepted the idea that wiping a surface down with poisonous and harmful chemicals is somehow 'clean'.

I use straight up baking soda for anything I feel needs a good scouring- such as the tub, bathroom and kitchen sink, etc. And if I feel like I really need to disinfect a surface, I wipe it down with a rubbing alcohol (isropyl alcohol).

But earth-friendly sometimes needs to be really easy, right? Enter Method, probably the most consumer-friendly eco cleaning product company. They make every kind of cleaning product you can think of both for your home, and for your body. They even have a wonderful line of baby care products- all all non-toxic, naturally derived biodegradable ingredients and an earth-friendly outlook.

Method products are available in: Canada, United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. And they come in many great fragrances- not too strong at all.

I only buy biodegradable laundry detergent, although I'm not faithful to a particular brand. It's great for sensitive skin. Method makes a great one, but I find that my grocery store carries a bunch of them, so I buy whatever is biodegradable and on sale. I don't use dryer sheets (they have formaldehyde in them!), so to eliminate static (and use less electricity) I don't run my dryer more than 20 minutes at a time. I find clothes only get static-y if they become bone-dry in there, so running it for shorter times eliminates that. Or, if I don't need the shrinking and de-wrinkling powers of the dryer, I hang clothes on a dry rack to dry au natural.

We're all friends, right? Of course we are. So hopefully it's not TMI to tell you about the line of feminine hygiene products I use:

I love Natracare. They don't behave any differently from the plastic products that most of us use. Think about this- every feminine hygiene product you have ever used in your entire life (including the wrapper/backing) is still sitting in a landfill somewhere. Whatever your preferences are, they have the product for you- and it's all organic, biodegradable, and awesome. I've used their products for years and never had any problems. And they are available everywhere. Check out this country list!

And even though this isn't really about keeping clean, we're all interested in knitting, crocheting, or spinning fibre, right? How about trying your hand at dying with vegetable base dyes? Re-Nest has a great article on this.

Earth Day Ramp Up: The Beauty Edition

2011-04-20T09:50:00.004-04:00

First of all- Tanis Fiber Arts is having a giveaway! Go leave a comment for a chance to win!

I know I don't often talk about some of my non-knitting personal habits, but with Earth Day coming up on Friday, I thought this would be a good time. Most of the products I use are 'green' products, and I feel like I've tried enough of them that I thought I'd give you my faves. the first one is what I feel is the most important, since skin care is generally something we all care about. I personally don't see how slathering oil and petroleum industry by-products onto my face will give me the skin I want. Here are three simple products that I love, work great, and are better for you and the environment:

First up: Rose Hip Seed Oil

I use rose hip seed oil on my skin every night when I go to bed. Just a dime sized amount mixed with whatever moisturizer you currently use is perfect. I bet in about two weeks you'll notice a real difference in your skin. Brand doesn't matter, and you can get it at every health food store every where. It's about $15. It's magic.

Next up: Tarte Cheek Stain

This product is amazing, and also rocks as a lip stain. I use the 'natural beauty' colour. And I know $30 seems like a lot for blush, but this will last you a looong time. And it's free of parabens, sulphates, synthetic fragrances, petro chemicals, and Phthalates (all that stuff- terrible for you!). Which brings me to me next point- you see that green symbol on this shamelessly thieved photo from Sephora? Sephora actually has an entire section devoted to earth friendly beauty and hair products. Go check it out!

What about perfume? Glad you asked: Lavanila

This smells incredible. The company has a series of fragrances and body care products that smell utterly, unbelievably amazing. Vanilla Grapefruit (pictured above) is my favourite. Considering the kinds of chemicals that go into perfumes that you then tend to spray directly onto your skin, a more earth friendly choice of fragrance will definitely benefit both you and the planet.

I hope you'll take a closer look at some greener products that you will enjoy! Let me know if you do try any of the above.

Modification Monday: Latvian T-Shirt

2011-04-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Original Pattern: Girly Top

Knitter Extraordinaire: Betsy (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Revamped the simple stockinette top to feature a beautiful colourwork design, and also adjusted the neckline and sizing. Details and more photos can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: This is such an inspiring knit. The original pattern is a very simple, no colourwork pullover; and provided the perfect template to explore this lavish colourwork design. And the result is just utterly beautiful!

WIP: Simple Socks

2011-04-14T07:42:00.003-04:00

In the pre-ravelry days, I knitted a pair of socks very similar to these. I still wear them regularly, and when at my friend Laura's house, she saw my socks and really wanted a pair of her own. Who am I to deny a close friend hand-knitted socks?

These are just plain, cuff-down stockinette socks. I'm knitting these on a 2.5 mm 9-inch circular; it's my first time using a tiny circ. I actually really enjoy it. I find knitting on dpns sort of hard on my wrists sometimes, and the magic loop/two circs technique isn't my fave (I know, I'm sorry, I just feel like I spend as much time feeding needles through loops as I do actually knitting).

Gatsby does love to get in on the knit blog action.

I've been knitting these on the subway or in various cafes in the city. And as someone who frequently knits in public, I'm used to people asking what I'm knitting. But when an older lady slid over to get a better look at my knitting while on the subway, I was totally unprepared for her question.

Nice Older Lady:"You're left handed, aren't you?"
Me: ".....uum, yes. How can you tell?"
Nice Older Lady: "I'm teaching my granddaughter to knit, and she's left handed too. I'll have to tell her that left handed knitters can do just as well!"

So, are there any fellow southpaw knitters out there? Is there really a difference? I knit 'English style' (I'm a thrower, not a picker). I never thought it mattered- for crochet, yes, because I hold my hook in my left hand, but for knitting... the only time I find it affects anything is when I do a long tail cast on, since it is technically backwards (I hold the needle in my left hand).

Fellow knitters, help me out- can you actually tell if someone is left handed when they are knitting?

Modification Monday: Inspira Sweater

2011-04-11T07:01:00.000-04:00

Original Pattern: Inspira Cowl

Knitter Extraordinaire: Sigrid (Ravelry ID, blog)

Mods: Transformed the beautiful colourwork cowl/caplet into a gorgeous kaleidoscopic pullover. Details on how she did this can be found on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I can't say I've seen many transformations of a caplet into a sweater, have you? This is such a lovely reinterpretation of the pattern. the colours Sigrid chose are so pretty, and the whole effect is just... WOW. Talk about making a pattern your own! What a stunning sweater.

Team TFA!

2011-04-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Some of you already know the super exciting news (on top of having a pattern in Knitty launch yesterday- wow, I'm having a good week!), but head on over to Tanis Fiber Arts to read my post. I'll be posting there from time to time, particularly every Tuesday- for TFA Tuesdays!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

2011-04-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

The new issue of Knitty is out, and I've got a pattern in it!

You would never know that it was the dead of February when we took those photos. We found a stone wall that seemed to look 'warm', and I ditched my coat while we took as many photos as quickly as possible. I was freezing!!

The Make Up Your Mind racerback is designed to be a layering piece, worn over another tank top or t shirt. The Kollage yarn is really breathable, and has awesome yardage. I highly recommend

This is my first time sizing a garment pattern, and I was really nervous about it. I read lots of books about designing garments, but nothing was really out there for grading pattern sizes for racerbacks (I guess it is kind of a niche item). If anyone has any trouble at all with it, please feel free to send me an email, and I'll try to help anyway I can. My email is over there on the right, underneath my profile picture. I want you to be as happy as possible with the finished results!

Modification Monday: Rose Red Jumper

2011-04-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

Original Pattern: Snow White

Knitter Extraordinaire: Alana (Ravelry ID)

Mods: Changed the ribbing to a cabled stitch pattern, and knitted it top down. details can be found on the project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I love the cabled stitch she chose. The sweater still looks like the original pattern, but the cabled stitches add lot of texture and detail, and knitting it from the top down meant she could decide to cast off whenever she felt like she got the right length. Looks perfect!

KCBW: The Last Two Days

2011-04-03T08:35:00.001-04:00

Day 6: "Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft?"

When I knit the ducky baby blanket for a friend's new baby, I thought it would be really cute to knit these booties:

(photo shamelessly filched from the pattern)

So I bought some pretty yellow merino, got my needles ready, printed out the pattern and started. I really should've read the pattern thoroughly before beginning, because if I had, I would have known that this was absolutely chock full of techniques I'd never used before. I don't know Judy's magic cast on, I don't know Turkish cast on (despite actually having lived in Turkey, so obviously I felt like a total dummy), and the part about the applied i cord with the crochet hook... I put the yarn down and the needles back in the drawer. If I was going to attempt a project with all sorts of new techniques, I was definitely not giving it away as a gift. I do really want to try knitting these one day, but it'll be for my own little one, so I can put them on her/him every single day and enjoy looking at them!

Day 7:"Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter."

I knit everywhere- home,transit, in public, wherever. Let me tell you. (With apologies to Dr. Suess)

Would you knit, here or there?

I do knit, here or there.
I like to knit everywhere!

Would you knit in a house?
Would you knit with a mouse?

I do knit in a house.
I would knit with a mouse.
I do knit here or there,
I like to knit everywhere.

Would you knit little socks?
Would you knit them with a fox?

Yes to socks!
And sure, with a fox!
I do knit in a house.
I would knit with a mouse.
I do knit here or there,
I like to knit everywhere.

Would you? Could you? in a car?
Knit sweaters, hats, and scarves?

I would and do knit in a car,
sweaters, hats, mitts and scarves!

KCBW: And Now for Something Completely Different

2011-04-01T15:16:00.002-04:00

"experimental blogging day: to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create."

So I thought I'd do my first-ever video blog post! It's on how to wear a caplet, since I've had some comments on caplet FOs in the past saying that people aren't really sure how to wear them. This is how I wear them. I wasn't in front of a mirror at all, so this is what I would consider to be 'real life' caplet application. I don't know about you, but I don't look in the mirror every time I adjust my clothes or put a coat on.
***UPDATE: Some of you have commented on caplet vs. capelet. There is no difference, I just refer to it as a caplet, because to me, they seem more like the knitted cap of a mushroom than anything resembling a cape. Personal preference only.

And Now For Something Completely Different 2011 from Julie Knitted Bliss on Vimeo.

I was nervous- this really was something completely different for me! I think next time I'll use an HD camera or something, because this is grainy city. Definitely a learning experience!

KCBW: Where Are They Now?

2011-04-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

"Whatever happened to your __________?
Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity."

I enjoy knitting gifts, so I actually give away quite a few of my knits. Below are the items I knit in 2010 that were given as gifts to friends and family:

There is one item though that has had a slight red wine mishap:

What kills me is that this was probably the most labour intensive knit I've ever made. it's a longer style pullover, plus long sleeve, plus a full hood... on small needles. I must have spilled some red wine on me, didn't notice, and then (oh, the worst!) put it away for the winter and didn't notice until I pulled it back out again in the fall. So it's really sunk in there, right on the stockinette portion so there is no missing it. I've washed and treated it, but it's not budging. I'm thinking that since it was knit with undyed wool to begin with, I'll dye it a new colour. I was looking at the dyes on Knitpicks, and they have quite a few beautiful colours... any suggestions?

Yarn Store Review: Sweet Yarns

2011-03-31T08:12:00.000-04:00

I was recently in my hometown of Sudbury, Ontario (and those of you who follow my Twitter already saw a photo of G and I at the big Nickel!), and was please to find out that they have a brand spanking new yarn shops, called Sweet Yarns. They don't have a website, but their facebook page is great, and often lists discounts and class info.

I'm going to make a bit of a generalization and say that it's hard for small yarn shops in suburban areas heavily populated by big box chains such as Walmart, Michaels, etc. People get in the habit of just picking up yarns where they are also buying paper towels and forget about supporting the local and independent businesses. But Sweet yarns has done a g rat job of distinguishing itself- Paulina, the owner, only stocks yarns that are not carried by the big box stores, and has lots of knitter faves, like Berroco, Malabrigo, Debbie Bliss, and Rowan yarns. She also has lots of great classes, and the atmosphere is totally the kind where you can bring your knitting, pull up a chair, and hang out for a bit. I'm so happy to see Sudbury get a great LYS! I'll be popping in every time I'm back home, for sure.

I have no idea why I have that horrible look on my face- I think I was confused as to what that gentleman was knitting. turns out, it's an oversized Christmas stocking! Getting a huge jump on your holiday knitting- now that's clever.

My mom is a huge supporter of my knitting- she would love it if I could just stay at home and knit her a whole new wardrobe, all the time. But we did pick up some yarn for a new cardigan for her, and what will be these legwarmers for me.

KCBW: Yarn Wrangling

2011-03-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

Day 3 Question:
"How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry."

There was a time, about two years ago, where I bought a bunch of freezer sized ziplock bags, hauled all my skeins of yarn from their various hiding places, and entered all their details in an excel spreadsheet. Then I put them in the big ziplock bags, stood on them (make shift vacuum seal!) and zipped them shut. They were then stacked neatly in an armoire.

Screenshot of a portion of the original spreadsheet

But I've been in almost every one of those bags by now, and I've definitely added substantially to my stash since then, and it's all a hodge-podge mess again. I have yarn tucked away in my closet, in drawers, in boxes under the bed, and even have loose skeins running amok in my folded sweaters. And I didn't keep up with my yarn spreadsheet. none of the yarn below is in the spreadsheet, and that's just some of what I bought in 2010:

Confession: I thought the spreadsheet would be an awesome tool for when I was at work thinking about knitting- if you walk by the screen, it totally looks like I'm doing work! What is nice about looking at this old screenshot is I did indeed use some of the above yarns for their intended projects. As for Ravelry, I use my project queue as a place to keep notes of certain yarns I'm intending to use.

KCBW: Days 1 and 2 Combined

2011-03-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2011 is such a great idea, and I couldn't' resist taking part! Although I'm not usually one for blogging every day, I think all the questions are really interesting and relevant, so I'll double up on some of the days.

Question 1: A Tale of Two Yarns
"Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them."

Love: Mirasol Sulka
Knits in Question: Shoulder Warmer, Ravelympic Pullover, Mini Cardi.

What I Love:
Oh, what don't I love about this yarn?? it's wonderfully soft, the colours are all richly heathered and prismatic, it's a dream to knit with, wears wonderfully, and the Mirasol yarn company does great work in helping disadvantaged, rural communities that tend to alpaca herds in the region. They have made great inroads in building a school, establishing a clean water supply, focusing on nutrition and education (illiteracy is extremely high in the region) for the children who work in this industry. Indeed, the company is named for a little girl in the area that was tending 3,000 alpacas when they started.

Loathe: Valley Yarns Huntington
Knit in question: My folded pullover.

What went wrong: I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. It was so soft and lovely and knit up like a dream. But when I went to wet block.... disaster. The dye bled, and the sweater grew to enormous proportions, so I put it in a tumble dryer to help get it down to a smaller size again, and it got all pill-y and fuzzy and old looking, right away. I know the photos don't show it- the lighting was fantastic that day and made everything look a lot more flawless than it really was. Yarns that grow immensely in the blocking stage just cheese me off in general. So does dye that bleeds.

Question 2: Skill + 1UP
"Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?"

I've expanded my world of cast ons and bind offs this year. The i-cord cast on was a new one for me, and the super stretchy bind off has pretty much rocked my world. I also have been using Kitchener stitch a fair bit, even though it's not my favourite, but I find this tutorial so helpful, and it's really not that bad. I also tried short row shaping for sleeve caps (for top down sleeves) and I'm a big fan of that. I'd like to advance my crochet skills- hopefully this is the year! This blog post is the big draw for me.

Modification Monday: Zigzag Gloves

2011-03-28T07:01:00.002-04:00

Original Pattern: Helix Socks

Knitter Extraordinaire: Onkuri (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Mods: Transformed the pretty spiralling stitch sock pattern into a fabulous pair of gloves with a zig zag design instead. Project details on her project page, here.

What Makes This Awesome: I'm blown away by this modification! I can easily see how a sock pattern can be transformed into some awesome fingerless mitts with a few small and clever tweaks, but this is so creative- ditching the spiral design and changing up the direction so that the zig zag emerges, and turning them into gloves where each finger has a zig zag as well... KABOOM! Mind. Blown.

Late to the Twitter Party

2011-03-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

Hi All! I'm more than a little late to the Twitter party, but I've joined in order to tweet about the knitterly goings on in my life. If you feel like checking out my tweets (wow, that sounds dirty) my twitter button is over there on the right! Give me a few hours to get myself sorted with some decent tweets.