Hey it's February!

How did that happen?! I think time is moving faster. I mean it feels like it was just Christmas and now we're into February already!

I've been doing some knitting lately and have my first FO of the year (well I finished 2 pussy hats so that's not true). But here is my first pair of socks for my 12 pairs of socks in 2017 goal...

I used some stash yarn scraps and did a plain vanilla sock pattern (Susan B Anderson`s How I Make My Socks, check it out on Ravelry if you`re interested, great free pattern). I usually make this pattern when I knit socks. It`s easy and slick. Plus it knits up fast! Especially when I make socks for me, which these are :)

I love this colourway, it`s from North Bound Knitting, an indy dyer from Ontario. It`s really fun.

I`ve started my February socks already. I`m not far along but I hope to get to the heel flap tonight. These are also for me and I`m using stashed Socks That Rock, and I have no clue what the colourway name is, the ballband is long gone. It`s bright and green and feels like summer.

I think I may go crazy for my next pair and knit some texture... I am kinda crazy like that. I have the Mercury Socks in my queue. They are a free lace sock pattern, I think I`ll make a pair. After that I may get really bold and knit a pair for Brent. He mentioned that he`s like a pair and I have yet to knit man socks... I may have to buy 2 skeins of sock yarn for him in a manly colourway. He`s probably not appreciate the crazy sock yarn I have in stash.

If you have any favourite sock patterns for dudes shoot me a comment below. I`d really appreciate the help!

Pussy Hat Project

Have you heard about this? I'm so knitting a few of these!

They won't get there in time but I promise to wear mine on January 21st in solidarity and sisterhood with the many marching on Washington DC for Women's Rights.

Amazing!

Queue Review

Oh I haven't done a queue review in so long! I totally love the queue feature on Ravelry. I use it to bookmark the patterns I want to knit. But... I do curate it every so often to keep it current, otherwise I'd have pages and pages. If there's a pattern that's been on there for too long and I'm pretty sure I have no intention of knitting it I favourite it and delete it from the queue. Because honestly, sometimes when I queue things I'm just in a mood, or caught up in the excitement of a popular pattern or just covetous of the lifestyle the picture represents. And I change my mind. A lot. One of the perks of being a creative type I guess.

So I was checking out my Instagram feed this morning like I do and I saw this picture posted by Kate Davies...

I love this sweater! Like love it! Granted I love just about everything this woman designs, she's brilliant. The photos she posts are always beautiful too. Now this pattern is called The Oa and it's part of her Inspired by Islay Club which I just bought a subscription to because I want to be on Islay right now, or in Scotland, or anywhere where it's not -27C. Also I want to knit this sweater. And I want the book that comes at the end of the subscription period. Oooh I want a lot of things!

Another sweater I queued today but saw on Instagram a few days ago is this one by Bristol Ivy...

The pattern is called Winter Petrichor and it's the perfect winter ski chalet sweater... It's winter here... I could ski... therefore logically I should knit this pullover... It's cute and I could see myself wearing this with jeans. I even have a stove like the one in the picture... clearly it's meant to be.

The last pattern I'll post today I actually first saw on Pinterest. It's a hat pattern. I have a love/hate relationship with hats. I love the idea of wearing them but the reality never looks as good on me as I think it should. Also I always make them too small. Like every time. I've been knitting for awhile now, it's a bit frustrating that I can't get my sizing down...

Anyway this hat is beautiful and reversible! I think I have a grey fingering weight in my stash I could use for this too... The pattern is called Constellate by Hunter Hammersen. It's knit in Madeline Tosh, everything knit in Mad Tosh looks amazing, why is that?

So as always at the end of a queue review post... What's in your queue?

This week's WIPs

I took a brief (only I can call 2 and a half years brief) break from blogging but I haven't taken a break from knitting.

I cast on a new sweater on Christmas Eve. I've had Herbarium queued for a while on Ravelry and I bought the yarn for it a few months ago. I'm using Rustic Fingering by Northbound Knitting in the "sterling" colourway, its a nice steel grey.

This is a very rustic yarn, probably best suited to outerwear garments but I'm planning on wearing this sweater over a shirt anyway and scratchy wool doesn't bother me.

The next WIP is really close to being finished but I have a feeling it's going to be too small. Actually I know it is and I don't really have enough yardage to knit it larger. I'll finish it but probably gift it to a niece. The hat is called Guggeren Mutze by Brigitte Kalin. It's such a lovely hat and I think it'll be perfect in a cream yarn. So I'll be on the look out for 574 yards of cream fingering weight... and I'll be going up a needle size or two to make it fit better.

What would life be without a sock on the needles? I've knit a few pairs in the last few months mostly for Beth but this pair is for me. The pattern is called Skedaddle Socks by Lena Gjerald. It's a free pattern on Ravelry and one that's been in my queue for a year at least. I first saw these knit by Dani from the Little Bobbins Knits Podcast. They're a simple pattern with a cable down the back of the leg and down the heel flap. I'm just about to turn the heel and work the gusset.

The yarn I'm using is an Opal yarn but I've lost the ballband. I like the colours though and Opal is a good long wearing yarn that washes well. I should have lots left over for my granny square crochet blanket. I'll share that in another post. It's a fun stash busting project that I work on whenever I have some sock yarn to use up.

Although I don't have a ton of projects on my needles and I've really scaled back the crafting in general, I think I would be lost without making things. I love living a handcrafted life.

An FO!

Ha! Can't believe it! I took pictures and everything!

I finished the Bobble Sheep Pillow by Purl Soho.

I followed the pattern and didn't make any mods, you can read about it here if you want more info. I love patterns that turn into really sweet finished objects like this.

I'm on a finish the wips kick right now. I picked up my Wheaten Wrap. I'm halfway through it. I have 6 repeats more to go. It's a fair bit of knitting but I love the soft purple and I can't wait to wear it. I also want to finish the mittens I started. Winter isn't over yet but I have a feeling that as soon as I finish them the snow is going to melt.

Ok now you know what I'll be doing tonight!

Stash Enhancement

Hello stash enhancement! I had a terrific mail day today...
All bought last year...
All bought online...
All yarn I haven't tried before...
All sock yarn...
All colours that are just out of my box...
All kinds of excitement over here...

I placed my first order at the Loopy Ewe and was not disappointed. The yarn selection is super and the little tape measure gift was very sweet. But the yarn, yum... I love buying yarn (I know I'm strange to those who don't share this love, thank goodness there are so many yarnaholics out there).

The above skeins are 3 shades of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn in Blue Adonis (top), Java Plum (middle), and Dark Umber (bottom). Colinette is a company out of Wales. I can easily see myself buying more of these yarns, they are so much fun. Each is destined to be a pair of socks for my 12 Pair Plunge.

I also ordered some Lorna's Laces, a company I've heard about many times on blogs and podcasts but have never seen in person. I got two skeins.

The top one is called Great Horned Owl and it's a combo of frosty blue, grey brown, mushroom brown and cream. Can not wait to cast this one on! And the bottom is called Black Pearl. Oddly a fitting colour for that ship. I'm not the craziest purple fan but this will make a terrific pair of socks.

The last skein I have to show you is my Sweet Georgia Sock Yarn Club installment for January. It's called Night Owl and is actually a variegated yarn with yellow, purple, and navy on a superwash merino and silk base. Again, not something I would choose but I think it will make a fun pair of socks.

This colourway was really hard to photograph with the phone. I'll try for a better one with my Canon. This picture is a bit close to the true colours.

This will probably be the last yarn enhancement my stash will see for a while. I'm trying to pay down some debts this year and when I think back to what I spent last year on my hobby, I wince a little. Mind you... I do have a birthday coming up...

Things that make you go hmmm...

I'm making serious headway on my Katniss socks. I have one finished and the other is so close. They fit great and I'm really happy with them. I love the oranges in this TFA yarn, they are just so cheerful to knit and while I'm not a orange fan for my clothing, for socks, anything goes right?!

I would probably be finished with the socks if it weren't for Ysolda Teague's new Mystery Shawl Knitalong. I bought the pattern last month and have been waiting for the first clue to come out. Well it did on Monday and I knew that once I started this shawl, other projects would be put aside until I knit the clue. So every Monday for the next month I'll be anxiously waiting for my email with the next clue. Very exciting!

My Windward shawl hasn't gotten any love lately, not even a row. Once the socks are off the needles I hope to get serious about this project. I think it'll be lovely once it's done and I do enjoy the construction. I've also been ignoring my pillow which is a shame because it's such a great pillow and I really want it. I guess I need to buckle down and do some serious knitting this week.

I'm waiting for my first shipment of Sweet Georgia's Yarn Club to arrive in the mail. I'm so darn happy to be in a sock yarn club again. I love getting parcels every month (or two depending on the club) in an exclusive colourway. Seeing as I've committed to knitting 12 pairs of socks and 12 shawls in 2014, sock yarn will be a welcome addition to my stash (since it won't be sticking around for long). I'll post a picture when I get it. Should be any day now.

Isn't it funny how close the spelling is for "addition" and "addiction"? Things that make you go hmmm...

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny today for a wednesday yarn along...

I've been reading the Fellowship of the Ring and thoroughly enjoying it. There's honestly nothing like a high fantasy adventure story in the summertime.

My knitting has been a bit on the backburner this summer. Too many things to do. I have been crocheting a hexagon blanket and it's such a joy to make. I love using up more of the acrylic bin.

I also started a wrap last weekend that's going to be one of those I'm-so-glad-I-made-this projects. It's Wheaten by Anne Hanson, published in Wool People Vol. 5. I'm using Palette yarn from Knit Picks in the Pennyroyal colourway. It's a soft dove purple/grey. I love it already.

Bit of an August Ramble

this will be a picture heavy post. Sometimes its easier to show you what I've been up to than explain it all with words...

Summer came with a bang here and was hot for a bit...

Then it cooled right down and has been spotty ever since...

Puppies were born and visited...

 a few times...

A farm was visited...

The flower beds are beautiful...

The garden is producing...

The kids are away...

The Summer Stitching Club is almost over...

My knitting has slowed it's just too nice outside but there are socks, a crochet hexagon blanket (I seem to have a thing for hexagons, who doesn't?!)...

a lacy cabled wrap, and some mittens (I really need to finish these)...

There's been more, so much more. But I'll save it for a rainy day...

A little bit of Basil

Nevermind the hole in my wall or my couch, sheesh... this post isn't really about how shabby my living room is, although it could be. It's really about a little dinosaur buddy that I knit for a certain birthday boy.

The pattern is called Basil the Boogie-Woogie Brontosaurus by Rebecca Danger and it was gifted to me by the amazing Pattytrish on Ravelry for my birthday (she's such a sweetie).

I knew when I saw it that it would make a great toy for Mr. Man. He loves dinosaurs and this one is pretty great, easy to knit and took very little yarn. A stash buster project, I love those.

If I was very ambitious I'd make a few more in different colours so he could have a proper Boogie Woogie Party.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny for another Wednesday yarn along here and I'm determined to finish this Simplicity Cardi that I've had on the needles for over a year now.

It's knit out of TFA lace weight in the sand colourway and I'm just about finished the first sleeve. I can't wait to block this and see just how amazing this cardi is!

I'm also starting a new book. I hope it's a good one, I'll let you know...

FO - Broken

I finished my Broken Seed Stitch socks on the weekend. They turned out just like I wanted... bright and fun. It's like a wee bit of sunshine on my feet.

I need the sunshine I'm telling you, this morning it was -19C. Really? I am never going to get the kayak out at this rate...

hats and socks

I finished a wip on the weekend. The pattern is called Wasatch Backcountry Hat by Christy Wall and it's a free pattern on Ravelry. I wanted to use up some bits of Cascade 220 Superwash and this is a great pattern for that...

The pattern says to knit for 4.5 inches before starting the decreases but I knit to 6 inches. If I knit this again I'd knit another half inch at least as it just barely covered B's ears.

As much as I like the finished result, knitting one by one rib sucks the life right out of me which is why I started this hat on November 9th, 2012 and didn't finish it until yesterday afternoon. Sadly this won't be my go-to hat pattern for the boys... but I still like it.

I also started a pair of socks yesterday. Well actually I restarted. I was knitting them on 2.75mm dpns but the fabric was coming out too big. So I frogged and restarted, this time I'm doing the cuff, heel and toes with the 2.75mm and the rest of the sock with 2mm dpns.

The pattern is called Broken Seed Stitch Socks by handepande. It's another free pattern on Ravelry. I'm using some yarn I got at Rhinebeck called Bittersweet Glamour Gams in the Princess Buttercup colourway. It has cashmere in it! It's lovely! I'm also using a skein of gift yarn that Pat (plynn on Ravelry) sent me for the Ravelenic Games. It's called Serenity Sock in the Tanzanite colourway.

Together these colours are loud. Really loud. I love them! I'll try to get a daytime photo next time and you'll see what I mean.

A bit of Knitting

I got to do a few test knits for Susan B Anderson lately. I'm super excited about getting the opportunity to be one of her test knitters. She's so creative and writes a very good, easy to follow pattern.

The above is her Tiny Top-Down Pullover Sweater & Cardigan. I still need to sew on the buttons on the cardi. I think they're destined to be present toppers and hopefully future tree ornaments.

The next test knit is also a KAL (knit-a-long) on the Itty Bitty Forum on Ravelry. The Waiting For Winter Mittens are knit out of worsted and they're so quick to make! These just flew off my needles. I did the size small for the test knit and they fit me a bit on the big size but they'll be great with a pair of gloves underneath.

The KAL is running all this month until January 5th. Feel free to join us anytime and post a photo in the finished thread to be eligible for prizes! I'll be knitting another pair that fits (the pattern is totally easy to customize) and a pair for the Superstar too (in purple Shelter), maybe with a lining for extra warmth.

I used some BT Shelter yarn to knit these mittens and also the tiny sweater and cardigan. I love getting to use up stash! Shelter is a great rustic yarn that knits up quick and the colours are fun too.

I'll be back tomorrow with another knitting update.

 

 

 

To poke my eyes out or not to poke my eyes out?

That is the question...

Why do I always think knitting a guys hat in 1x1 rib is fun? It's not. It's seriously draining the life right out of me...

On the flip side...

This hat is gonna rock!

Stash Inspiration

This weekend I went through some of my stash trying to figure out ways to use up odds and ends. I never seem to run out of those tiny bits of yarn... I pulled all my sock yarn together in hopes of casting on a scrappy pair of socks. The scraps almost fill a small lululemon bag. When it's full I'll be cranking out a few pairs of scrappy patchwork socks.

Meanwhile, I was left with 9 little balls that don't have nylon in them and are too soft/silky for socks. What to use them for?

Thank goodness for Ravelry! I went hunting and found Susan B. Anderson's Happily Ever After Mitts pattern. I made a pair a few years ago for the Superstar and its a fun free pattern.

I got knitting and finished the first one yesterday. I'm about halfway through the second as well. I'll be faced with an evenings worth of weaving in ends when the knitting's done... thankfully I don't mind so much.

Rhinebeck 2012

oh my gosh! Where to start? Maybe I'll start with a warning: this post will be long and full of friends and good times! Read on at your own risk!

So this past weekend I went on a trip to attend the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY. I flew out of Regina with my knitting buddy Katherine. We picked up Leanne from NB in Toronto and flew to Albany NY. Janie and Patricia from Kansas met us at the airport. They took us grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. I wish we had one here.

photo by Patricia : )

We drove to the house rental where we met a bunch of ladies I've been chatting with online for years. If you regularly read my blog or know me at all, you know that the Itty Bitty Knits group on Ravelry is a big part of my life. Sounds a bit silly when I describe it but you'd understand if you could meet this group. There are so many amazing people I met in person (finally!) and I feel so lucky to have spent the weekend with them.

photo by Joe (he's such a super guy!)

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, bright and early we headed off to Rhinebeck. I'm not sure I have words to describe how large this fair is. It has everything a fair should from food to petting zoos, sheep shearing competitions, dog herding, magicians, and yarn... oh the yarn...

photo by Rae Lynne

my pic, loved this fella's shoes!

photo by Becky - sheep bums

I went a bit mad buying up yarn. I got to hit booths and squish stuff I've only heard about on podcasts. I spent a long time at Miss Bab's and Socks that Rock. I found yarn for the projects on my list and lots that don't have a purpose... yet. I got some gifts and bought Soak, buttons by Jennie the Potter, and a nifty dpn holder.

The best was exploring the fair with my IBK buddies. We hit up the Rav meet up on the hill and I found podcasters that I adore like Leslie and Laura from the Knitgirllls and Carin from Round the Twist and the Deborah and Melanie from The Savvy Girls. I ate a deep fried pickle (interesting) and posed for pictures with my gnomies. Saw Stephen West from afar and went all fan girl in my head. I might have squeaked out loud, shoulda, shoulda, shoulda went and met him, he was so adorable. I saw the Yarn Harlot walk by with her entourage and I had to grab Suzanne to stay upright. It was really fabulous.

Becky's photo of Rae Lynne and I wearing our Whippoorwills

Becky's photo - deep fried pickles

Becky's photo - waiting at the gates to get in

Of course each afternoon we'd head back to the house and show off our finds, knit a bit, eat, drink wine, laugh and sleep so we could do it again the next day.

Becky's photo - thanks for using your camera way more than I did!

Janie's photo - that's Ellen with the wheel, she was fantastic!

The weekend was full of good friends, knitting, laughter and hugs. There are some fabulous huggers in this group! It was really hard to say goodbye on Monday. I started missing everyone as soon as I got on the plane to Toronto.

I know there are girls I met that I will see again. I have to because, they were that awesome (said in my best NY accent like Suzanne). We have a flickr group where you can see more pictures of our weekend if you'd like. And as always Itty Bitty Knits is an open friendly group on Ravelry, so if you knit, crochet, weave, spin, dye yarn, etc... check us out!