Mitten Mania!

Yep, I'm still obsessed with these Newfoundland mittens. I've decided to knit mittens for my mom, dad, brother and his girlfriend. I've also knitted another pair just because.



This pair is for my brother' s girlfriend Gwen. She likes purples and pinks, so I thought the Sean Sheep Armitage in Cranberry for the body colour and Patons Classic Wool in Plum Heather for the cuff and thumb would be right up her alley. The only problem I'll have with the Sean Sheep is matching up the colour gradiation on both mitts. The pair I made for my dad turned out well, but the colours don't line up exactly.



Again made with Armytage in Foliage and PCW in Dark Natural Mix. Green's my dad's favorite colour, so I think he'll love the gradiations from emerald to olive to grass green. I hope these fit my dad, I wasn't thinking of hand size when I made them, so they fit me, but I'm not sure they'll fit him.



I tried to make some adjustments for my brother's mitts. I added another honeycomb repeat and added some rounds to the thumb, as he's all tall, thin and lanky. I had knit him Swell two Christmases ago, with the same black and new denim PCW. He had to wait 2 years to get matching mitts, but I had to knit that Dr. Who Scarf for him!



Mom's favorite colour is blue (which might explain why I like turquiose, mixing both of my parent's favorite colours), so these mitts in PCW New Denim and Old Maize will make her happy. I love the combination of blue and yellow, it looks so fresh and crisp.

As I'm typing this post up, I'm watching Flight of the Conchords. Hilarious! But very distracting....I apologize for the terrible writing!

Another season passes...

And I manage to get an update done! I was supposed to be spending today doing loads and loads of laundry, but when I went downstairs to make sure no one was ahead of me, I discovered both of the washers and one of the dryers was broken! Can't do much laundry with one dryer! So, to cheer myself up, I went over to LK yarns. My birthday was last Friday and I had been generously given CASH, so what would any knitter do with a surplus? Buy yarn of course!

Noro and sari and Fleece Artist! OH MY!



I knew I wouldn't be able to leave without some Noro, and I knew I'd find something in the big bins of Fleece artist mill ends and seconds. But then I saw the recycled sari silk... I've thought about buying it many times, only I found many of them just had too much red in them! This skein has a lot more cream and gold, but still lots of red and fuschia.



I'm not sure what I'll make with this yarn. I'm thinking maybe a bag? It's not a yarn that you'd put next to your skin.



I just love that there's little bits of metallic thread. Plus, I only pad $10 for a 150g skein!



Next is the goregous Fleece Artist. I absolutely LOVE this colourway, but I did also have my eye on a blue green and bronze one that reminded me of a Nova Scotia Tartan. Both are mill ends, and I can't find the colours on their website. I imagine this one is called "forest greens" or something. Again, don't know what I'll do with this, but most likely it'll end up a scarf.



Last but not least is the Noro Kureyon, colourways 40 and 207. Aqua/purple/brown/blue and
brown/green/orange/fushia/purple/electric yellow! I can't wait to make another scarf out of these! It's either going to be another ribbed scarf or a diagonal scarf like the Unicorn Pegasus Rainbow Scarf by Huan-Hua Chan. I love how bright these colours are, so I can't wait to get started to see how they look together!







See? In the centre there? A little bit of the shocking bright yellow! Eeee I love Noro!

So that's the latest addition to my yarn stash, but I still have so much more to show you! I will post in a wee bit, too much to post in one go!

I will be back (eventually)

Hi all you people (I don't even know if anyone looks at this site anymore). I haven't posted in over 8 months. I've been busy with 2 jobs that had me working 6 out of 7 days a week. I have some pics from back in March to post here, but I'm awaiting a better camera before I take pics of any new stuff I've made.

I will hopefully post soon, as I now have a new job! It's 9-5, M-F, so I finally have weekends off for the first time since I was 16!

Any ways, on to the knitting!

I've had an obsession with Newfoundland Mitts since I was a kid, and now that I know how to knit them, I went on a bit of a spree.



From Left to Right:
My turquiose and rainbow mitts. Made with Paton's Classic Wool in Too Teal and Katia Mexico in Easter.
Black and rainbow mitts, made with PCW in Black and Katia Mexico again
Teal and brown mitts, made with PCW in Peacock and Retro.
Pink and yellow mitts, made with PCW in Old Rose and Maize.

There are two other pairs I knit missing from this picture. My original blue and red pair got lost on a bus while Greg and I were on our way to the movies in Bayers Lake. I hope someone found them and has toasty hands because of them! The other pair was sold at the yarn store I work at, Kreative Knits & Designs. It was similar to the black pair, but in white instead. The black and teal pairs were sold a while ago, both bought by the same person!


Close up of the honeycomb stitch.



These mitts have evolved slightly from my first pair. The cuff has changed from a 1x1 ribbing (which I am horrible at) to a k2, p1 ribbing that looks a lot sharper and seems to sit snugger on the wrist. The cuff is knit for 20 rounds which gives me exactly 3 inches. The thumb is knit for exactly 20 rounds before the decrease row. The top of the mitt...well, I had been finishing it off with a kitchener stitch to get them to lay flat, but it makes it awkward to get the mitts to lay the right way, so I've switched to a regular "thread yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight" ending. I still haven't perfected picking up stitches for the thumb, but I'm good at sewing up the gaps produced as a result of my lamentable skills.

Speaking of Kreative Knits, I think I'll give you a bit of a tour. Knitters, ask away if you want to know about a yarn you see.

One of our many walls of yarn. To the left and right are scarves and hats and such that we sell in the store.

More yarn (lots of Lily Chin here).

Mmm...Berroco.

Some beautiful pillows made by Crystal, who moved to Alberta last summer. I miss her. The pillows are made with woven ribbons.

*drools* Scottish Cashmere.

And here's where I sit and knit all day long.
Oh, and we also sell some really nice handmade soap. There's handmade in Nova Scotia, with ingredients like Maple Syrup, Dulse and Blueberries.

I of course love the Apple Blossom one. I just might have to take it home with me.

While I was snapping these photos, I took a picture of my new favorite necklace. I got it for A DOLLAR. Which I guess is a good thing since I lost it. I'm so sad.




This is a scarf I started. It's made of 100% pure silk yarn from Fleece Artist, a Nova Scotian yarn company. I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm not a lace knitter, but I'm trying hard not to screw this up. It's silk, for crying out loud. It deserves to be knit into something beautiful.

Close up of the pattern.
I'm also working on a bigger, brighter scarf. I was inspired by Brooklyn Tweed's Noro Striped scarf, so I took apart the Calorimetries I made ages ago (and only wore one a couple times) and put the yarn back together to make a bright, splashy scarf I won't get bored with. The colours are beautiful. They go together well, without being too similar. I love teals and browns, but I also love rainbows, so this scarf is the perfect marriage of my favorite colour combinations.



My one irk with Noro is the fact that there are random knots in the skein, which result in an altogether different colour popping up. For a subtle gradiation self-striping yarn, this is a jarring jump from one colour to the next.



See what I mean? it goes from tawny brown to electric blue in the middle of a row! And the other ball jumped from a green to a purple!



Well, that's it for now, I'll try getting some new batteries for my crappy camera and update from March til now!

Get 'er done!

I've been pretty slack with everything since my birthday. My knitting has been slow and steady, work has been a bit tedious, and I've spent a lot of time watching episodes of shows I've missed (The Tudors, Dexter and Big Love being a few). Now that American Thanksgiving has come and gone, I've been on a mission to finish all things Christmas as soon as possible. So far, I have finished knitting One person's gift, but I only have two more people to buy gifts for. I think I'm in a good place for a month left to Christmas. So, most of these are WIP pictures. Hopefully that will change!

First, the Christmas presents. I hope none of the recipients glimpse this page, but I think I'm safe!

For my brother, who has wanted a Dr. Who scarf for ages, I have restarted one I began earlier this year. The first attempt was too wide, and wasn't going to be long enough. This one, however, will be monsterous!


The scarf is over a quarter of the way completed, and it already spans my 6' queen sized bed. So, we're looking at a 20' scarf at least! Notice the pink stripe. I'm going to have only one or two more of those, because paired with the other colours, it simply makes the scarf too feminine. I've replaced the pink with a grey-green for the rest of the scarf. My colours are not very accurate, I'm improvising with the huge amount of Patons Shetland Chunky yarn I was given by my aunt last year.

My dad is a huge golfer, he's out on the course almost every day in the summer. He also has everything under the sun golf related, includig books, ornaments, computer games, etc. So, I decided it was time I knit him some golf club covers. They're unique, stylish, and could double a s mittens if he was in a pinch :)



I have another cover finished, made in opposite colours to the tan and teal (teal bottom, tan top), and I'm going to make another in the red and grey, switching the colours again. I wanted a matching set, but I only had enough yarn for two of each colour scheme. I still think it looks great. The pattern is from Creative Knitting (my favorite knitting magazine), and the yarns are Patons Classic Wool in Peacock, Dark Natural Mix, Rich Red and Pearl.

Close ups of the houndstooth pattern (so easy!):



And last, but not least, my scarf for my brother's girlfriend. It's a simple sideways garter stitch scarf, but the yarn is amazing so it looks really nice.


Bad photo...


Close up of the thick and thin quality of the yarn (Bernat MAX in April Wine)


A bit truer colours, but any attempt at accurate colours today was hopeless, it was a very grey day!

That's all for now, I'll post the rest at a later time!

22 Celcius? Seriously?

How am I ever going to get a chance to wear all my toasty knitted stuff when mother nature can't make up her mind? It's as warm as July out there! Oh well, I shouldn't complain, I love warm weather!
So, what have I made lately? Not too much, I'm trucking along on a few lengthy FOs, and some Christmas presents, so nothign really to show for my efforts just yet. But I did finish a couple small projects, which I've been fighting with my camera so I can take pictures of them, but here they are!

First, the easy peasy dishcloth, with the easy peasest pattern.

Yarn is Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in....a pink, orange and yellow colourway? Sorry, don't have the name at the moment.

I'm not a fan of the pooling colours in the middle of the cloth, but it's not a big deal.


I finished off a cute neckwarmer out of the Katia Mexico yarn I've used for my Newfie mitts. It's a simple tube of about 120 stitches, knit in 2x2 ribbing. Much less yarn than a scarf, and it does the same job!


These were more of a repair job. I had to take apart one of these mitts because a mistake I made in the waffle pattern, causing it to be too short. Now they're good as new!

The colours go with my House Unity scarf I made a while back, as well as a green and yellow cabled hat I made to match the scarf as well.


Two weeks ago was Thanksgiving here in Canada. I saw this adorable turkey over at Bittersweet and HAD to make him. While working at Kreative Knits that Saturday (yes, I have the job, I LOVE it, it's wonderful, I knit all day!) so I worked on him at the store. He is almost all single crochet, and he was as easy as (pumpkin) pie!

All of the yarns are acrylics I had lying around.

And last, but not least, we have a tiny ladybug infestation. At least 20 are hanging out in our bedroom window. So pretty, but I worry the cats will eat them.


My birthday is in 2 days! Someone buy me Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute! I worship Elizabeth Doherty and her amazing skills!

A chill is in the air!

Remember in my last post that it felt like 39 celcius (102 ferenheit)? Well, on Sunday, it managed to make it to 14 C (57 F), but by the time I got home from work, it was closer to 3C (37F). Brr! Soon there'll be frost and, dare I say it, snow! So, as the weather turns from pleasent to icy, I have been working hard, cranking out fetching beret/tam type hats. But before we get to that, I wanted to show you my first completed "knitting" project. I think I might have been 10 or so when I made it.

This scarf was made on a large spool knitter, using the yarn that came with the loom/spool knitting set I got as a child. I'm assuming it's acrylic, and the colour pattern goes peach, gold, green, white, peach, gold, green. It has been worn for years by my first teddy bear, who is a mere 5 inches tall.

Pretty impressive for a first textile project, I must say, and Teddy's all ready for the fall chill.

I promised some photos of the berets I made, and I will not disappoint. Without further ado, here they are.

Beret #1 (My favorite):

(Note all photos of me wearing the hat suck.)

Specs:
Pattern: Bulky Tam by whatifknits
Needles: US 10.5 circs (I think 24") and DPNS
Yarn: Patons Nuance in Mythic. This yarn is so soft and light, I'm totally in love with it!

Beret #2:



Specs:
Pattern and Needles same as #1
Yarn:Bernat Felting Natural Wool in New Iris
A little thicker, probably better for winter, but still very pretty!

Beret #3:


Specs:
Pattern and Needles same as #1
Yarn: Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair in Glacier Bay
I hated working with this yarn, the mohair went EVERYWHERE, but I love how it looks now.

Beret #4:



Specs:
Pattern and Needles same as #1
Yarn: Patons Divine in Richest Rose
Another Mohairy yarn, but much softer than Moonlight Mohair. Pink is not really my colour, so I might sell/give this one away.

Cold weather does not just call for Hats, I have started making mittens as well. My favorite mitts are ones I saw all through my childhood. I've wanted a pair for years, and now I'm starting on my second pair! They're called Newfoundland mitts, and they're very warm. The honeycomb stitch holds in the heat, and even when made with acrylic yarn, they keep the hands of kids and adults cozy, even when wet!

My pair is very reminisent of spring, so hopefully they'll cheer me up during the gray days of February.

Without the flash, the colours are still bright!

Close up of the pattern, two slipped stitches pull the fabric into the honeycomb shape.
I got the pattern from the Creative Whimsy blog. But the pattern isn't really copyrighted or anything, people have been knitting these for decades! I was obviously inspired by her use of Noro Kureyon, though.

My mitten specs
Needles: US 6 (4mm) DPNS
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Too Teal, Katia Mexico in Easter (as you can see, I frogged my scarf I made earlier!)

Well,that's all from me now, bundle up dearies! Snuggle your furry friends!