1 Super popular Ravelry pattern
1.5 skeins of Mini Maiden
5mm Addi Lace needles
15 stitch markers
2 hair elastics acting as stitch markers
30 purposely dropped stitches
1 accidentally dropped stitch
4 ends to weave in
several evenings
1 10 hour car trip
1 very late night
= 1 finished Clapotis!
Hope to see everyone tonight! 6-9 at Urban Yarns for tea and cookies and Clapotis!
I was just sitting on my couch the other day, minding my own business when Anina sends me an email with a link to the Spud and Chloe Blog. Now, as you may know, I have a real problem with startitis and a Clapotis shawl that is required to be finished for Friday (it’s coming along nicely by the way). Well I opened the email (mistake 1) to find a picture of a lovely little sampler blanket, called the Dreamcatcher. It has everything I love in a blanket, different stitches, many colours, and a pretty patchwork effect. I started knitting by making sampler blankets (I made them in strips rather than squares because it was easier to make mathematical mistakes that way) and I also made some Sampler Placemats I like the idea so much.
So here is the small amount of Spud and Chloe Sweater I have and I’m just deciding on which other colours I will add. They have put out some fabulous new colours since I picked these up and I’m thrilled to have an excuse to try some different ones too. Perhaps adding some Barn Red? Maybe some Moonlight or Grape Jelly? It’s not as though Hunter needs a new blanket and it’s not as though I need another project but the combination of inspiration and fun yarn is irresistible. I blame you Anina.
Thermis Cowl knit in 1 skein Tosh DK
I’m so excited! I have been waiting a LONG time (even in knitting time) for this yarn to come in. I am in love with all things Madelinetosh andp it seems like the feeling has been sweeping the knitting world. What I love the most about this yarn are the colourways. Some are a very subtle kettle dye, while others are a little bolder, all have a dimension that is to die for! I’ve been particularly smitten with kettle dyes myself. Instead of a flat colour there is just so much more to them. It’s really adds something to even a simple stockinette piece. A kettle dye can also be preferable to a variegated yarn when it comes to lacy or cabled patterns. The pattern still comes through but the piece is more interesting than it might be in a flat colour.
We have 3 different kinds of Tosh in: Tosh DK, Tosh Merino DK, and Pure Silk Lace. You might be wondering about the 2 DK weights (DK, by the way, stands for Double Knitting, and knits up around 22 stitches per 4 inches). The Tosh DK is a plied superwash yarn. Perfect for garments you don’t want to handwash (I feel some baby garments coming on) but still a hand dye, what a great combination. The Tosh Merino DK is a single ply yarn, this means it has little spin to it so it’s super soft but keep it far away from hot soapy water (unless you are felting but that’s a special circumstance). I like the Merino DK for a scarf or hat, something that doesn’t see a lot of friction and needs to be buttery soft. The DK is great for a sweater or mittens, something that needs a heartier yarn. The lace, of course, is perfect for any piece of summery lace and the shine combined with the stunning colourways is stunning. At a very generous 1000 yards per skein you could knit 2 smaller shawls or 1 large one with just one skein, how fabulous! I’m starting to think my Rock Island shawl should be a Madelintosh one…..
A couple of months ago a did a post about some popular sweaters I was thinking about knitting and FYI I cast on the Tea Leaves Cardigan for my Mom. She is pretty fabulous to knit for since she is 1. small. It takes the least amount of yarn and time to knit her a sweater because she is a small, it’s pretty great. 2. appreciative. Mom is a crafty lady herself and she always appreciates a hand knit. 3. wears knitting. It’s so nice to make things for someone who not only appreciates the work done, but loves to wear knitwear! She doesn’t worry about itchyness (although I do try hard not to knit itchy things obviously) and she is willing to design an outfit around a pretty knitted item, instead of the other way around. The sweater is well under way in SweetGeorgia Worsted, the colourway is Cypress.
This brings me to my next obsession: lace. The weather is slowly turning (looks like one nice day and one rainy day but I’ll take it) and I find nothing lovelier than lace in summer. Last summer I completed 5 lace shawls and this summer I am planning at least 5 more. I thought I would share my top picks.
1. First up is Brooklyn Tweed’s Rock Island. This is not a shawl for the faint of heart. It has lace on both sides (no purl row breaks) and a slightly more complicated construction than the traditional triangle. It is, of course, stunning though! And without sounding redundant, it’s very lacy. There are a lot of shawls out there that have large portions of stockinette or garter stitch with a little lace edging. These are fabulous, don’t get me wrong. But Rock Island, while it does have some garter stitch, has a lot of large holes, making it a more open piece. 680 yards of lace is needed for this project.
2. Damask is one of the most popular projects on Ravelry at the moment and I think it’s just lovely! I’m not sure if it’s partially because I’m a real sucker for mustard yellow right now but there are some really beautiful projects in the pattern. I am thinking about some Malabrigo sock or possibly some Alchemy Juniper for this project. 380-650 yards of sock weight (approximately 28 stitches per 4 inches) is needed for this project.
3. Vesna is a shawl from the latest Twist Collective and it’s done up in one of my personal faves, SweetGeorgia Merino Silk Lace. I have a skein of this with a generous 680 yards so I could start either the Rock Island right away…tough decisions!
Kynna has finished her first full sized sweater!!!! This is a major knitterly accomplishment if I do say so myself. Sweater knitting is a lot more particular than say, scarf knitting (most of the time). You have to be a lot more precise with your gauge and sizing, and this can be a little scary. It’s a lot of knitting and we are so used to trying on sweaters before we buy them! Not to discourage though, it’s a challenge worth taking on.
That being said, when you knit your own sweater there are also a lot of upsides. You have a unique garment, no one will have one exactly like it. You can also really tailor it to your liking. This may take a few re-do’s and a little ripping out but it’s worth it for a sweater that works just the way you want it to.
Kynna’s sweater is Wordsworth by Berocco. It is knit up in Berocco Blackstone Tweed and it’s just lovely. It’s a nice soft tweed (relatively hard to find a soft tweed so it’s quite nice when you do!) and it comes in a whole bunch of lovely colours. Kynna’s pretty pink sweater is also rather timely, since it’s been so cold this week! I’m loving the vintage leather buttons she chose too, they add a little something to the knit. Well done Kynna!
The Clapo-tea party has had to be postponed until Friday May 13th, I’ve seen some beautiful projects already, it’s gonna be a blast! Here is a pic of Kynna’s rainbow Clapotis, it’s coming along nicely.
2 month photos, the phone is for scale
There are man baby bootie patterns out there. I mean MANY. Some are cute little button up items, a nice wardrobe addition but for miss Hunter I wanted a substantial bootie to keep her feet warm. Socks have been an issue, but in a different way than most. Hunter’s little friend Sofia is always losing her socks because they are too big for her teeny tiny feet. Hunter is always loosing her socks because they are too small for her large feet. Why no just purchase some bigger socks you might ask? Because her ankles are still very small so they fall off! You can see why she needs some nice wool booties to ward off the cold.
My very faves are these bad boys from Elizabeth Zimmerman. The patten calls for a fingering weight (AKA socks weight or 28 stitches per 4 inches) but Hunter has some enormous baby feet (skis) so I knit mine in a DK weight. They are a little bigger but they will fit longer, always a good thing. They are really just little sacks for her feet that stay on with ties. I was supposed to secure the ties to the bootie but apparently I enjoy searching the house for longish pieces of i-cord instead…..
The construction of these booties is amazing. I wasn’t sure I would really end up with actual booties in the end because they are knit all in one sort of square piece (you’ll know what I mean if you knit a pair) that needs only one little seam. This is a good project for a beginner with some faith because there are only increases and decreases, no heel turns.
It’s hard to find baby socks in darker colours. There is a lot of pink and blue, a little yellow and that’s about it. Hunter needs to be stylin’ though and she needs black socks! I settled for a very dark purple but I’ll be making a few more pairs of these for sure, so black is still on the list!
It’s that time again and Urban Yarns is ready as usual! Last year Jan, Anina, and the team were wildly successful in raising money to fund cancer research and they are up for the challenge again this year. They will be hosting a fundraiser next Thursday, April 28th from 7-9 at 1537 Marpole Ave. You can give in 2 ways at this shindig. The first is by purchasing some beautiful jewelry from Silpada Sterling Silver Jewelry. There will be samples to check out and try on and 10% of all sales will be donated to the UY Ride Team. The second is by bringing $20 and a bottle of wine worth approximately the same. For every 10 bottles brought there will be a draw and some lucky winner will win all 10 bottles. The event is sure to be a fun evening for a good cause. Please RSVP to Jan at jleard@telus.net ASAP.
We are also excited for some great upcoming workshops. First up is Margaret Radcliffe, knitter, designer, and the author of the Knitting Answer Book and The Essential Guide to Colour Knitting Techniques. Margaret is coming to UY in May and will be teaching both Two-Handed Two-Colour Knitting Techniques and Perfect your Circular Knitting. Give us a ring at the shop to sign up for either or both! There will also be a book signing Friday May 27th from 7-9 so we will see you there!
Two Handed Two Colour Knitting
Wednesday May 25th from 7-8:30 pm
Cost $35
Perfect Your Circular Knitting
Thursday May 26th from 1-2:30 pm
$35
It’s Easter coming up this weekend and I’m enjoying some excellent Easter themed knitting. I realize that wee Hunter will not remember this occasion but I’m still looking forward to knitting her up a little bunny and photographing her to death surrounded by colourful eggs. I haven’t started my bunny yet, but I’m confident I can pull this off in 4 days. The pattern is a free one from Spud and Chloe’s blog (I recommend you check it out, there are quite a few nice free patterns there). It’s a cute little guy knit in Spud and Chloe Sweater in the colour Ice Cream and stuffed with a tennis ball. This is a pic from the pattern, since mine is a work in progress.
When I went searching for a charming little knit for the coming event I found many cute patterns out there! Easter is a perfect time to pick up those pastels you’ve been coveting but not sure what to do with too. One of my faves is this little combination of pastels, fair isle, and eggs. You will need a variety of sock yarns in an eastery pallet for these little joys. They won’t go bad and you don’t have to dye these ones up!
These little chickadees are also a quick knit and a good introduction to toy knitting. They don’t have too many fussy parts but they have enough shaping to pose a small challenge to the beginner knitter. I’m knitting mine up in Spud and Chloe but any aran weight (18 stitch gauge) will do. I’m going to put a cat toy with a bell in it inside the chickadees for a little added fun.
Last but not least are some pretty little fuzzy chicks. I’m thinking Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri of course, although I’ll be knittng mine in white and blue instead of yellow. A fuzzy Peter Rabbit would also make some adorable chicks. Just choose a needle 2 sizes smaller than the one recommended on the ball band to knit with. This will make a nice tight fabric so your fill won’t show through between your stitches.
Enjoy some fun seasonal knits!
It’s not that I don’t love knitting baby items. I actually love knitting them even more now than when I was preggers. It’s that there is no real way to size a baby. They are all just too darn different. Above is a photo of 2 baby sweaters that are apparently the same size – 9-12 months. They are only a little bit big on miss Hunter (who is 12 weeks old) right now.
Does this mean that the patterns are flawed? Nope. I really enjoyed the Owlet pattern, it knit up so quick and it looks so cute! It just means that babies are very different sizes and it’s nearly impossible to knit for a particular age for the first year or two. I originally knit the Owlet so it would fit her at 9 months, in September/October when the weather is turning cold again. Not gonna happen. She will be wearing it on some cooler summer nights instead.
Once I accepted that I cannot size a baby to a specific month, or even a small range of months, life as a knitter became easier. I could freely knit some larger sweaters and not concern myself with the exact date she would be able to wear the garment. I remember when she was first born and I was disappointed nothing I knit would fit her. Now I have a slightly different spin on the subject: who could know? My mum is tells me about how she didn’t have a sleeper big enough to take my youngest brother home from the hospital because he was so big when he was born. There is just no telling! So if you’re knitting for a babe, just knit a bigger size and go with the flow.
The sweaters above are the Owlet and the Simple Raglan Top Down Baby Cardigan (knit for Hunter by the lovely Kynna). They are both aran weight sweaters (18 stitches per 4 inches) so they knit up in no time! Pick up a couple of SweetGeorgia skeins and knit something sweet for a babe today!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, knitting is art. There are many who would agree (and some who would not) but I firmly believe that the use of fibers to create a unique item, whether it be a garment, a household item, or just a pretty piece of knitting is definitely art.
On the CBC As it Happens they recently aired a piece on a small group of knitters in the UK. They were inspired by famous works of art and created masterpieces in their preferred medium: yarn. Some of the re-imagined masterpieces were creating using quilting, needle point, knitting or crochet.
You can check out a little about the CBC piece here and there is also a facebook page with more examples of inspired fiber art here. There is also a pretty fantastic pattern for a Marilyn Monroe illusion knitted wall hanging here on Ravelry if you are in the mood to re-interpret some art with a pattern. I find this kind of work inspiring, knitting solely for the sake of art, without the practical element of useful knitwear. Knit up something just for the fun of it!
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