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Heading Home

August 7, 2016, 5:09 pm
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It's my last night here. I'm sad about leaving but happy to be getting home. Some Olympics/knitting and then bed. I hope the men's swimming is as exciting as the ladies was last night. I need to be up early to get the house in order. This is the time when staying in a hotel looks good - you close the door and walk away. Someone else worries about the towels and sheets and everything else.
It has been bright and sunny all day. I headed to dinner and came home to it getting dark. I keep forgetting that it gets dark here a lot earlier than at home. I'd say 45 minutes earlier. I ran outside to get pictures. 
I tried to do something fun in a tree but it didn't really work. It doesn't show the pattern but it really shows the colours. I won't be able to work on this during the flight. You cut the yarn every row to make the fringes and that could drive me crazy on an airplane. There isn't a lot of room to spread out. 
Lynn is progressing on her shawl as well. She said she loves the colour and is really enjoying knitting with tosh sock. She's been off today and she has tomorrow off. I think she should be at the lace section when I see her on Tuesday :)
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Arietta

August 8, 2016, 4:55 pm
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I made it home safely but it was a long day. We boarded the plane and taxied out to the runway. The pilots were doing their final checks and something was wrong. We sat out there for about 45 minutes before heading back to the terminal. After 30 minutes we got off the plane and sat in the terminal for an hour. We re boarded and headed home. There was a problem with the brakes so getting things fixed was a good idea :)

I got quite a bit of knitting done on my cowl. The first pattern is finished and now I am alternating between two rows of turquoise and two rows of lime.

Mr. Canada Post delivered more new yarn while I was away. This time from Classic Elite.

Yak and merino blend for squishable luxury in worsted weight Arietta. Outstanding stitch definition and a color range of soft mid-tones make Arietta a cable knitter's dream.  
80% merino wool
20% yak

118m/130 yards in a 50gram ball
22 stitches = 4" on 3.75mm needles
20 stitches = 4" on 4mm needles

The yarn is super soft and would feel amazing in a hat. It will feel amazing in a cardigan, sweater or vest as well.



Classic Elite has designed these great patterns for Arietta. You can purchase them individually on or all of them in an eBook. 

78126 Whispering Wind

We have the last two colours of Liberty Wool.
78127 Tapestry

Now it's time to sit and watch some Olympics and knit. My shawl isn't going to knit itself.

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Studio Linen Collection

August 9, 2016, 4:35 pm
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While I was away I mentioned that we received a new linen from Erika Knight. There are great patterns for the yarn in the store.



See all the patterns for Studio Linen...
A collection of individual design leaflets featuring simple patterns that are classic and wearable. Studio Linen is cool to the touch and has a delicate drape making it perfect for summer garments that will get better with wear and age.
There is more work happening at our house. We are getting a driveway and I'm very excited. Hopefully it will cut down on the dust in our house. I'll be able to put my car in the garage which doesn't really matter right now but it will when the snow starts.


They are ready to do the front porch, steps and borders.

I should be doing work but I'm a bit tired. Staying up way too late watching the Olympics. I didn't get one stitch knit on my Olympic shawl today so I'm going to try and do a few rows before it's bed time.
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Getting Ready for Camp

August 10, 2016, 11:11 am
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We have a new sweater in the store. Thanks Lynda - it looks great.

Pattern: Cromwell Pullover (you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry or in the store)
Yarn: Woolstok from Blue Sky Fibers
Cromwell is the new favorite sweater. With longer sleeves, a roomy neckline, 3x1 ribbing and a relaxed fit, it gives a modern look to the traditional raglan-sleeve pullover. Knit in one piece from the top down with springy worsted weight Woolstok. It’s a great advanced beginner piece.
The sweater is surprisingly light. You think wool sweater and the first thing that comes to mind is hot and heavy. This sweater is neither.

One note on the sweater - the sleeves are very long. I originally thought that Lynn had really short arms but then I looked at the pattern picture. The sleeves on the model are very long.


While I was away, Lynn sewed the ends in on my shawl.
Pattern: Lamina Wrap (pattern purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 2 skeins of Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat and 2 Cheshire Cat mini skein kits (Beautiful Soup and Gyre & Gimble)

My shawl is very long and I love it. But because it is so long, I needed two skeins of the solid colour. If you want the shawl to be the length from the pattern then you will only do three pattern repeats of each colour (and then you will only use one skein of the solid colour). I didn't want leftover yarn so I did four repeats of each colour.

I've been working on Camp this morning. Homework should be emailed out by the end of the week.
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The Shawl is Growing

August 11, 2016, 3:54 pm
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My Eccentric Chevron Wrap. I love how the colours are playing out. I think I'm about a quarter of the way through. Yikes. I don't think I'm going to make it. Hopefully dinner is waiting for me when I get home so I have more time to knit.

I stopped to see Ms. Lucy on my way to work this morning. Beth brought mom a tea while I was there - yes, she's a suck up. Beth and Lucy wanted to show off. My parent's townhouse has a nice long hallway to throw things down. Lucy runs as fast as she can and runs back just as fast.

I'm home and dinner was already on the barbecue when I got here. Perfect. I can finish my post and then get to the knitting. It's going to be another long night watching the Olympics - hopefully we'll see more swimming medals.

The front porch is starting to take shape. Once the weather cools a bit they can pour the concrete.

Biking in the Velodrome is on. Gotta run.
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Log Cabin Afghan

August 12, 2016, 10:52 am
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The Log Cabin Afghan (free pattern) is one of my favourite knits and it looks amazing.

Cathy took these pictures of her afghan a few summers ago at the cottage. I can't stop showing them. And every time I do I want to pick up my yarn and make a few more squares. I have one finished afghan and am working on a second one.

The pattern calls for 20 squares but Cathy decided to make 25. I think my second afghan will be 25 squares too.



Why am I showing this today?

1. I'm jealous that she's at the cottage and I'm here :)
2. We have kits for the afghan and the price has been reduced. Right now the kits are $200 and that includes the black border.

Here is my afghan.

The project is very portable. You are knitting individual squares (each one uses a whole ball of Noro Kureyon) and then the squares are put together. But they aren't sewn - they are knit together. It's easier than it sounds.

Don't miss out on a fun project that looks amazing and will last forever.
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Wilder

August 13, 2016, 3:23 pm
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Mr. UPS brought a pretty new book yesterday.
Wilder features 21 designs in Kim Hargreaves' classic style. From feminine lace and cable cardigans to modern drop stitch sweaters and simple summer tops, this collection features designs for every skill level.

You can't go wrong with a Kim Hargreaves book. Her patterns are beautiful. I fell in love with Kim's patterns 29 years ago in Rowan Book #1 and have loved her work ever since.







My Olympic knitting is growing. I think I'm about 1/3 of the way. I need to get to it. There is going to be a lot of knitting tonight, tomorrow and Monday.
This is my little cheat sheet. You use the colours in whatever order you want. Laura suggests 1, 2, 3 or 5 rows of a colour. I want to make sure that I'm using the colours evenly. I have two skeins each of the blue/green and purple/teal. There is one skein each of the other colours. I mark down the number of rows I've done in a colour and make sure that each section is equal. A section can be as many rows as you want. My first section was 8. I'm on to the second one and this might be 6. Then it could be 10 or 12 or 18. 

Someone came to visit Beth and the boys this morning.
She looks huge. Dad weighed her last week and she was 45lbs. Last night she got up on the couch by herself. Oh oh. Mom and dad are in trouble.
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Alinda

August 14, 2016, 5:44 pm
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Ambah O'Brien has a new pattern. Alinda (purchased on Ravelry) is knit in laceweight.
Alinda has an automatic 20% discount through to midnight Tuesday, August 16 - no code needed.

Light as a cloud, Alinda is a large, lace weight wrap. Designed to be worn wrapped several times around, with tapered ends to tie or dangle in front. Knit it up in your favourite bright or neutral colour, this easy to wear wrap is sure to be a year-round wardrobe favourite.
Interesting construction gives this shawl a modern edge with a subtle Chevron eyelet patterning tapering to the final point.
Which yarns will work?
  • Mrs. Crosby Reticule
  • tosh prairie
  • Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace
  • Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace
  • Rowan Lace
  • Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace
  • Freia Ombre Lace

We had a beautiful rainbow last night. I was standing outside in the rain like a crazy person snapping pictures.


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Georgian Bay Shawl

August 15, 2016, 7:53 am
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Cathy has been busy knitting while at the cottage. She finished her 3 Color Cashmere Shawl (pattern purchased on Ravelry). It looks great - I can't wait to see it.
I've renamed this my Georgian Bay Shawl because the blue is for the water and the greens in the Mrs. Crosby Satchel are for the trees.
The shawl is knit in Mrs. Crosby Satchel. One skein each of Magnolia, French Chambray and Creme Fraiche.
I asked if Sarah was getting the shawl. Here is Cathy's response
Sarah is not, I repeat, not getting the shawl. 😈😊 It will be mine but I will give it to you first for the store. It's an easy pattern, just a lot of knitting as it keeps increasing until at the end there are over 500 stitches to cast off. I like the shape as it can be worn several ways and looks good scrunched around the neck like a scarf. 
It looks like they had fun on their photo shoot.


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Knitters' Fair

August 16, 2016, 6:35 pm
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There are only 24 sleeps until the Knitters' Fair. We are busy getting samples knit and orders placed.

The speaker this year will be Anne Hanson
Anne Hanson, owner of Knitspot and Bare Naked Wools, is a popular and respected knitwear designer and yarn producer. She will be speaking about her company, what inspires her to create, and the reason she uses small batch, family-owned mills and farms for her yarn line, Bare Naked Wools. Anne will discuss the interest that hand-spinning peaked in her, and how the many types of natural fibers had personalities of their own. After wishing there was some way to make hand-spun yarn more accessible to knitters, Anne found herself at the right place when working on another project with Mountain Meadow Wool Mill. She began sending unique undyed, natural yarn clubs out to hundreds of eager knitters, and from there came her own yarn company with many lines and featured fibers. Anne will discuss why she chose to use small mills and farms and how her yarn has evolved into a marker for wearable, fun clothing and accessories through her Ensemble project.
The Fair webpage...
Watch for updates on the Knitters' Fair Facebook page...

Cathy's pictures from the cottage have me excited about Camp and sitting by the lake.
Attention Campers. An email has gone out with homework and it has been posted on the Camp Blog. Now there is no excuse for you to come without your homework :)

Someone started puppy school last night. Beth said that as she was walking Lucy in she could hear people whispering 'is that a puppy?'.
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Gradients

August 18, 2016, 8:30 am
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Chevrione is knit starting from the small end of the triangle to the end, where it is bound off using a picot bind off! It can be worked with lots of beads, a few beads, or no beads at all. Chevrione was specifically designed to use gradients, as the wave pattern shows beautifully with the gradient. This pattern includes both full written and charted instructions, and can easily be modified for size by working extra repeats of Chart B, or omitting repeats of Chart B.
Pattern: Chevrione by Rosemary Hill (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: fingering weight


Have you looked at a gradient kit but weren't sure what to knit? Chevrione is perfect.
A Party of Five mini skein pack from Sweetgeorgia would work
 
If you use a Cheshire Cat mini skein kit then you will get an even bigger shawl.
If you use one of the new gradient kits from Prism you will get a huge shawl.
The new shawl ball from Freia would look awesome too.

If you aren't into a lot of colour then a skein of handpainted yarn would look great too. Romi's patterns are beautiful and very well written. You can't go wrong.
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Start planning for fall

August 19, 2016, 6:11 am
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I love August in the store. New yarns and books are arriving all month.

Mr. UPS delivered a box yesterday from Rowan that included a new book from Marie Wallin.
Springtime is a collection of 8 beautiful designs by Marie Wallin. The collection features Marie's signature style colourwork pieces along side elegant cabled garments. The collection features Felted Tweed and Kidsilk Haze and would be suitable for the more experienced knitter.
 




We are well stocked in Felted Tweed. It is one of my favourite Rowan yarns with amazing colours.

There will be 5 new shades of Felted Tweed coming for Fall and I think that they are in a shipment arriving later this afternoon.
193 Cumin
194 Delft
195 Boulder
 196 Barn Red
197 Alabaster

Classic Elite's latest Web-Letter has a free pattern for this cabled hat knit in Arietta.
Yak and merino blend for squishable luxury in worsted weight Arietta. Outstanding stitch definition and a palette of soft mid-tones make Arietta a cable knitter’s dream.


We now have the layout for the Knitters' Fair. The Needle Emporium will be in booths 12, 13 and 14.

My shawl is growing. I love the colours. The push is on - I don't know if I will get it finished. I'm trying but there are a lot of stitches and I still have a lot of yarn.
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Rowan Magazine #60

August 20, 2016, 12:13 pm
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Lynn finished her Olympic knitting. And she blocked. And she sewed in the ends. She gets a gold.
Pattern: Ishbel (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: one skein of tosh sock
Ishbel is a simple shawl pattern that can be worked in two sizes and two different yarn weights. The smaller, fingering weight version makes a cosy but pretty scarf while the larger, lace weight version can be worn as a scarf or draped elegantly around the shoulders. The solid stockinette centre lends simplicity to the design and adds extra warmth when knitted in thicker yarn. Ishbel is edged with a beautiful vine pattern and finished with elegant scalloped points.
There is a new sweater in the store too.
Pattern: Zenith (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok
This easy and distinctive pullover will become a weekend favorite. Tiered geometric forms course around the shoulders, balancing the loose shape of the lower body and sleeves, and a mock turtleneck adds pleasing proportion above the motif as well as protection from the autumn chill. Our model is wearing Zenith with an oversized fit (with just over ten inches of ease), but you might opt for a standard fit with four or five inches of ease if you prefer.

Knit seamlessly upward from a tubular hem and cuffs, this pullover is plain sailing up to the circular yoke. Purl stitches and cables combine to form a gracefully graduated honeycomb about the shoulders, with yoke decreases integrated into the charted motif. The neck is shaped with short rows for a comfortable fit.
The pattern calls for a tubular cast on and cast off but don't let this hold you back. You can do a regular cast on and cast off.

Rowan Magazine #60 is in the store. 
The patterns are awesome.
Rowans 60th Magazine features Rowan's most exceptional yarns and designers including Lisa Richardson, Martin Storey and Kaffe Fassett. Tempest Collection includes 26 exquisite designs for men and women, taking inspiration from rugged seascapes and embracing cosy, wearable pieces we long for during the winter months. Lisa Richardson has designed the second story; Felted Tweed. Using the eye-catching colour palette of Felted Tweed and Felted Tweed Aran this collection features beautiful colour-work and unique shaping for the 17 designs.




 

The front stairs are almost finished. What a difference. The facing on the steps and the edging of the driveway are a teal colour. When everything is finished we will need to paint our front door to match.

The driveway should be poured on Wednesday.
Now it's back to my Olympic knitting. I don't think my shawl will be finished but I'm going to try my best.
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Eccentric Chevron Wrap

August 21, 2016, 3:46 pm
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Here is my Olympic knitting so far. If I wanted to 'cheat' I could cast off right now and say that I finished during the Olympics. I can't do that though. I still have yarn and I don't waste yarn. I have to accept defeat and say that I didn't finish. It's the first time ever and I'm sad.

This afternoon I had equipment failure. My needle broke where the tip and cord join. I had too many stitches on the needle - I should have been working with a longer cord. It doesn't help that I jam my knitting into the bag and I'm not gentle with it. I got all the stitches picked up and went on a search for a 4mm needle. I found a 150cm cord (what I should have been using from the start) and 4mm tips. I was on my way. For 2 and a half rows before I realized that the stitches felt loose. I didn't start on a 4mm needle. It was a 3.75mm. I had to do another search and found the right tips and I'm back on my way. The shawl is in garter stitch and no one will see the few rows that were on the wrong needle.

We have another new sample in the store.
Pattern: Endless Wrap (you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry or in the store)
Yarn: 9 skeins of Woolstok from Blue Sky Fibers
Wrap yourself in yards of cozy Woolstok. Fun to knit, fun to wear, the Endless Wrap is a long swath of lofty, textural knitted fabric. Panels of knit/purl and yarn over patterns make this a good next step project for a beginner knitter.

I took my friend outside three different times to get pictures and every time the shawl looks a bit too orange.

The true colour is 1311 Rusted Roof.

It's almost time for the Closing Ceremonies and I'm heading back to my knitting. I hope to have the shawl finished this week so that I can get back to a few other projects. I have a long list of things to complete before the Knitters' Fair.

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New Yarns

August 22, 2016, 4:27 pm
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It's one of my last Mondays off so I put it to good use and visited Trish. The grey is gone and my hair has been cut. What a happy day.

Karen (above) and Kathy (below) shared pictures of their finished Annisa Wraps. They both look amazing. The pattern is by Ambah O'Brien and can be purchased on Ravelry.

They wanted to make sure their pictures were in before August 31 so that they can be eligible for the draw. Take a look on Ravelry at all the great KAL pictures of projects made with patterns from Ambah.

We received two more new yarns late last week.

Meet Milo from Manos del Uruguay.
65% merino wool, 35% linen
Approx. 380 yards /350 meters
per 3.5oz / 100 grs skein
Gauge:20-22 sts per 4"/10cms
Needles:US4-3.5mm/US6-4mm
New for Fall 2016! Milo blends merino wool with fine linen for a yarn that is simultaneously rustic and elegant.  The linen retains its natural color through the dye process, giving a heathered effect.  It also lightens the yarn and gives the knitted fabric excellent drape.
We received five space dyed and five semi solid colours.





The Mitad Cowl is a free pattern and takes one skein of Milo.

Sirdar Harrap Tweed Chunky is from the same stable as our beautiful Harrap Tweed DK yarn. It has the same heritage of being inspired by Thomas and Henry Harrap who founded the original company, which in 1934 became Sirdar. Harrap Tweed Chunky comes in a palette of 8 shades that have been inspired by the beautiful surroundings of the Sirdar Head Office in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Harrap Tweed Chunky is the perfect family yarn and our design team have designed 8 leaflets with designs for women, men, children and the home. These are timeless designs that you will want to knit and make time and time again.
40% nylon, 30% wool, 24% acrylic, 6% viscose
100gram ball
168m/184 yards
14 stitches = 4" on 6.5mm needles
machine washable
There is a pattern book with 18 designs for children and adults including




The first coat of sealer went on the steps today. These really show the teal colour (and the fact that the front door is the wrong colour).

One more coat of sealer tomorrow and then they pour the driveway on Wednesday.
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Samsung

August 23, 2016, 4:30 pm
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I showed our Elder Tree Shawl knit in Rowan Revive a few weeks ago. We have a deal for you.

The yarn for the shawl (5 balls) is on sale for $45.

We have most of the Revive colours available.
Purelife revive is our wonderful tweed effect, fully recycled summer yarn. It has a beautiful rusticity.
36% recycled cotton
36% recycled silk
28% recycled viscose

We have a new yarn called Gaia. This is a bulky yarn.
75% wool
25% acrylic

There are 85m on a ball and it sells for $14.95. 4 balls will make a great GAP-tastic. It is a fun, easy knit that will make great Christmas gifts.

I showed Harrap Tweed Chunky yesterday and today we have a sample. The sweater took 6 balls.


Hurry. Who doesn't want to win a new washer and dryer? Here are the rules...

I'm going to have Beth go through her drawer of hand knit socks. I want these!
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Kaffe Fassett

August 24, 2016, 7:32 pm
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He's all about colour. If you flip through any of the 60 magazines from Rowan, you can easily pick out the designs from Kaffe.
This gorgeous free pattern has been designed by Kaffe Fassett in Kid Classic and Felted Tweed. This beautiful vest uses both fairisle and intarsia techniques with gorgeous squares of colour for a stylish and eye-catching effect, a classic Kaffe garment.
Download the free pattern...

A shipment just arrived from Cocoknits which included Yarn Snips.
This rustic, one-piece snip is made of forged black steel and comes packaged in a kraft tube for easy portability and storage. When not in use, the snip sticks to the Knitter's Keep.
4" in length.

Please note these are snips, not scissors, and they are imperfectly hand-forged. They have a nice heft in the hand, and the good news is that no one is going to borrow them from your knitting kit – they are really only good for snipping yarn!

We have more colored stitch markers as well. I'm using the Colored Ring Stitch Markers on my Eccentric Chevron Wrap. They slide along well and are very easy to find if you drop one on the floor.

The work started early this morning.

It's almost finished. Tomorrow they are saw cutting it and then Monday they are sealing it. Two more weeks and then we can drive on it. The other good thing is being able to sleep in. No people here at 7am to work :)
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Georgian Bay Sunset

August 25, 2016, 1:10 pm
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Cathy has been busy at the cottage. I'm not sure if she's having more fun knitting or taking pictures of her finished projects.

Pattern: Miso (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 1 skein of Mrs. Crosby Train Case

This one was hard to get a good picture of as it's hard to see the pattern with the yarn I chose and it's still really windy. Anyways, the model had fun! She even had to wear it as she went out for a paddle on her paddle board.

I'm renaming this one Georgian Bay Sunset Scarf as the colours in the yarn remind me of the colours in the beautiful sunsets we see up here.


The pattern is well written and a very simple knit. I decided to do the smaller one so that I had a little bit less fabric to wrap around my neck.
The larger one would be great, too, I think.

The colour of the Mrs. Crosby Train Case I decided on was a big departure from the blues and greens I usually choose to knit with. Remember how I agonized over the colour in the store? In the end, I'm glad I used this mix of corals and pinks.





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So Close

August 26, 2016, 2:51 pm
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I spent the afternoon knitting with the hopes of finishing my shawl. Almost. I think I have about 10 more rows. It doesn't seem like a lot but each row is over 500 stitches.

In between rows I've been taking a closer look at the new Rowan magazine. Rowan #60 has some interesting sweaters knit in Cocoon.
This wonderful soft roving British yarn is a designer's dream. Made from a blend of merino wool and kid mohair, it creates beautiful textured and cable stitches and lovely striping and pattern effects.


If the yarn interests you but these patterns don't, Rowan published a magazine for Cocoon (The Cocoon Collection) which is out of print but you can purchase the book or individual patterns on Ravelry...

This is Cheri from the Cocoon Collection - it was my Olympic project one year.

I've been asked for more Lucy pictures. Here she is. All 50lbs of her. Look at the drool. Mom and dad better make sure they have kleenex with them at all times.
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Cupcakes

August 27, 2016, 12:20 pm
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Rita visited this morning and brought in her latest project to show off. It's awesome.
Pattern: Margo (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: tosh vintage
Rita knit the larger size and used every bit of 5 skeins. Her colour is Jasper.
Margo Poncho uses aran/bulky-weight yarn and is worked flat, in two pieces (front and back), and attached at the shoulders using the three needle bind-off technique (so it’s completely seamless!). Front and back sides are buttoned together. Both the front and back feature an easy faux cable stitch pattern that is fun and interesting to knit (they look similar to cables but are actually created with just slipped stitches and yarn overs). The back piece is longer than the front, creating a more modern silhouette.

We have something very special coming next week. Lorna's Laces dyed a colour of Solemate exclusively for us.
They named it Cupcake. Now I'm hungry :)

Solemate was originally made as a sock yarn but we've used it for scarves and shawls too.
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