Canucklehead

I recently released the Canucklehead set, which I designed for Pam's Woolly Shoppe, and would love to share it with you!

In celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary, I designed a tuque, and then, for those who prefer to wear cowls, and for those who want to be extra warm and wear both, I designed a matching cowl. Worked in Estelle Worsted,  these are available in a wide range of sizes so that the whole family can be decked out in cheerful Canadian maple leaves. Might I suggest that in case you are a Toronto hockey fan, you can make them into Maple Leafs instead simply by knitting in blue and white instead of red and white. I don't happen to know any Leafs fans personally, but I respect your dedication to the cause!

On February 18th from 10:00 to 17:00, if you can make it out to Pam's Woolly Shoppe, there's a party going on, complete with Hot Apple Cider and Maple Leaf cookies, and I would love to meet you! The Canucklehead pattern will be bundled as a kit for this event only, so it's a great chance to pick it up free with purchase of the yarn needed to complete it.

Otherwise, the Canucklehead patterns are now available for purchase via Ravelry, as a set or individually! Further details on my Patterns page.

In other announcements, I've started a monthly newsletter! The first issue, with a more detailed behind-the-scenes look at the Canucklehead Set, went out the other day and is archived here, but to receive the March newsletter you can subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/czV5l9  There will be more behind the scenes information and photos, along with occasional special subscriber-only offers!

Yarn Chase Hat

Today I'm sharing with you a ridiculously adorable knitting collection! I am very pleased to be a part of the new Knit Picks collection, Charmed: Whimsical Knitted Accessories. You can check out the entire collection at Knit Picks or at Ravelry, where you can see foxes, gnomes, vegetables, cheerful pops of colour, all making for a great set of accessories. (Update: Pattern can now be purchased at this link from Knit Picks, and you can pick out your yarn colours right there to put together your kit!)

My contribution, the Yarn Chase Hat, features a cat chasing a 3D ball of yarn that unravels around the hat. Worked in Knit Picks Palette, it is written for sizes small, medium and large (pictured below in small). Knit flat, using intarsia, the hat is seamed, embroidered with surface crochet, and topped with a pom-pom.

A little while ago, I joined Instagram, where I'm giving away a copy of the e-book! If you're on Instagram, you can enter by commenting on this post by the end of October 29th (23:59 GMT).

Good luck, and Happy Knitting!

This Past Week

This past week I have:

-Cleaned at least part of the house (or at least, tidied it a lot, not that you can tell anymore now that the week has passed by).
-Spun up a 100g Batt and started to ply it.

-Finished up a work sample and sent it in.
-Taken the kids back and forth from their Super Fun Summer Camp that they had a Really Great Time at.
-Set up a spreadsheet for a new thing, and got started on the grading.
-Swatched.
-Wove-in the ends for a baby hat that had been otherwise finished for weeks.

-Crocheted bits for a special project related to a play that you should go see at Fringe in Edmonton if you are anywhere near here during Fringe.

-Been given a new-to-me camera by my family as an early birthday present. Loving it, but it will be a lot of reading the manual before I actually have a clue what I'm doing. It's already easy to tell how much better it is than our decade-old camera though!

-Visited with the great ladies at the two knit groups that I occasionally get a chance to attend.
-Went yarn shopping.
-Spent wonderful time with family.
-Planned an embroidery project.
-Not at all gotten around to sewing. Maybe next week?

About a Year, and About a Week

It's been a long week, but it ended with a lovely package in the mail:

It's sample return time! It was delightful to open the package from Knit Now and find three samples that I had knit up to present my patterns that Knit Now have published in the past year. The Woodland Cardigan represents an important beginning for me, as it was my first third-party publication. It also marks a year since I have started working full-time (or, as full-time as I can during the kids' school hours and the occasional round of household errands and tasks) at knitwear design.

This week has featured an interruption to work; that of having a sick kid at home all week. She's well on the mend now though, and for that I am very thankful. I am also glad that I have been able to easily take that time with her due to my work being fairly flexible, and that if it was going to happen (and this kid is rarely ill), it happened during a slow week. Sure, there was a lot that I would have been working on, but none of it needed to be done this week exactly.

While spending time with my daughter, I did also make a bit of progress on a few non-work projects, such as on her socks that I've been meaning to make for awhile:

and, on a hat for a friend's baby (just need to weave-in those ends!), the pattern being garter and hearts by Amanda Keeys and it is knit in Et après by Plassard, colour 89. If it looks a bit big, it's meant for the 6 month and up size, as it's rather lovely out, so the baby shouldn't need it for awhile yet.

Also, I'm still spinning the blue silk. I'm getting rather close to the end of the singles, but it's still going. 25g has been taking longer than I thought, but it is a rather fine single (maybe not consistently fine, but I'm still happy), so it may be a few more days yet before I can start getting this organized for plying. No idea what I will make with this just yet, but it's certainly no rush to decide. I'm enjoying the spinning process and the feel and shine of that silk!

In Which I Finally Finish a Few Things

I had a rather productive weekend, despite something in the way of a low-level migraine (I don't get them often thank goodness, but it's even rarer for it to keep threatening to return off and on). I finished swatching for a submission, wrote it up, and sent it in. I spent time visiting with fellow knitters and spinners while knitting and spinning. I finished and delivered baby gifts:

Gather by Tin Can Knits, knit in Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, accompanied by my usual baby mittens, and a pair of books for an adorable pair of babies. Gotta keep heads and hands warm, and gotta start filling up a bookshelf with lovely reads. This time, I went with Sandra Boynton's Going to Bed Book, and Julia Donaldson's The Gruffalo. These are both favourites at our house, but I'm always looking for more great books for little ones, so I'd love to hear from readers what some of your favourite baby/kid books are to read or give as gifts!

I also finished my modified Slable by Woolly Wormhead. Now, I wouldn't have modified it if I'd had enough yarn, but as I was using my handspun, it would have been very difficult to spin up some more as I would have had to order in more roving first, and also because it's a cabled yarn that took a lot of time and work to make in the first place, and my spindles are all otherwise occupied anyhow.

If I'd known I was going to run out of yarn, I would have continued with size 23", but would have started the charts and such based on size 21" for where the repeats would fall. As it was, I had to back up and start the decreases earlier (I just plain didn't want to go all the way back to the brim), which worked fine, and pretty much just left out one repeat.

I couldn't resist sneaking in one last cabled section as I worked the last several decrease rounds, but worked them in single twists to make up for how few stitches were left at this point. It was a bit taxing on the hands, but it worked neatly enough, and I'm satisfied with the result. I was too eager to wear Slable to block it just yet, but will do so soon.

I'm certainly developing an appreciation for just how little yarn I do have once I'm finished spinning 100g, and hopefully will be able to estimate a bit better. Even better, will work on measuring more accurately, helping that by measuring AFTER washing the yarn instead of before.

Quick WIPs and FOs Update

I've been busy swatching for a couple of submissions, but I've also had time to do a bit of knitting and spinning.

After finishing up spinning the yarn for my mom's Christmas present, I took a bit of time to spin up that Creamsicle Batt from what was then Flannelberry Creek and what is now A Curious Spin (go check out the new website, hot off the press re-vamped today, or even better, check back again in a few days, as it will be even better once there's been time for the owner to get everything posted the way she'd like it).

Anyhow, I decided to try spinning with a more woolen style as it would work with instead of against the batt's preferences, and ended up with a lovely bit of yarn that is perfectly happy to be somewhat thick-and-thin (I had to remind myself occasionally not to make it too even, though some consistency across the yarn was nice). Next time I'll have to buy a bit more, but I'm sure I can find some use for it (I just haven't quite decided what yet). I'm quite happy with the results (it sparkles a lot more in person):

As for my New Year's knitting, I've had to put Slable down for a wee little bit.

I ran out of yarn, and had to pull it back to somewhat before the point pictured here.

I have a plan though. I was knitting the largest size as it doesn't take much for a hat to give me a headache, and the looser sizes tend to do better so long as they're also long enough to cover my ears properly. However, I'm not sure I need quite as much slouchiness as I would end up with following the pattern exactly as is (even though I'd really prefer to follow it properly), so I think I can modify it slightly to end up finishing the hat before the yarn. It's a shame I didn't have a bit more yarn, but I'm sure I'll eventually get a bit better at estimating and measuring my handspun before starting a project. Eventually.

So, aside from swatching (finished one sub, one more to go), I'm finishing up baby hats and mittens for a friend who just had twins the other day. I'm actually down to weaving-in the ends now, having put in a bit of work after taking photos, but so far, Gather , by Tin Can Knits, is working out to be just lovely paired with Rowan's Pure Wool Worsted. Must get back to swatching now, but I'm taking the baby knits with me to the kids' swimming lesson so I can make myself get around to weaving-in while I'm waiting.

Happy New Year 2015

Happy New Year!

I didn't really want to start 2015 off with a cold, but, having tried my best to fight it off over the last couple of days, I've now succumbed. I'm relying on cold meds to improve my willingness to budge from the couch, and am going to be enjoying plenty of hot tea.

Luckily enough, a cold, being a minor thing, all in all, is not a thing to interfere with my New Year's plans, which is to start the year off knitting something for myself. I do this most years (I've made exceptions for years where it was kinder to myself to tackle a work-in-progress instead), and this year's pattern of choice is Woolly Wormhead's Slable. I am also using my handspun to knit it, hoping that my cabled yarn will make the textures play all the more nicely across the hat. Despite much admiring Woolly Wormhead's work, this is only my second go at actually getting to knit up one of her designs, but I can wholeheartedly recommend her anytime you want to knit a hat.

So, what are you doing for yourself to start off this year? I feel we could all use a few ideas for nice little ways to take a moment and be kinder to ourselves.

In Which Designing is Found to be Much Like Juggling

This last week has been a busy design week. I'm somewhere in the middle of most of the different stages of design. I have one third party publication design where I've approved the proofs, and all I have to do is wait another several months to shout about it being published. I have another third party publication design where I'm in the middle of reviewing the proofs. There's an accepted commission for which the yarn is in the mail, and I'm doing the prep work while waiting for the yarn to arrive so I can make a new swatch and get a few more details straightened out. There's a couple of on the shelf ideas waiting for a slow period so I can get them organized for self-publication. There's a submission that I'm waiting to hear about, and there's a submission that I'm mailing off today. Juggling anyone?

Photos for any of these designs will be a little while yet in coming of course, but it's still keeping me pretty busy!

Luckily, I still have photos to share, since I finished up a baby tuque and mittens:

The pattern is Chocqua by Amanda Keeys, and was knit up with Knit Picks Swish, which I keep on hand for baby knits. Wool that is soft and washable is my favourite for babies. What yarn do you like for baby knits? I'm always happy to expand my baby knits stash!

Spring Break

I seem to have missed an entire week somewhere...

Of course, it's been busy this week with the kids both home (and playdates, and playing soccer in the evenings), so while I kept meaning to post any given day since Monday, I just plain haven't.

I've been doing a lot of swatching, swatching, swatching, and unfortunately can't share any of that, but fortunately I can share two things.

I finished my husband's Christmas socks:

The pattern is Cable Clock Socks by Ann Budd, though I changed the yarn to sport weight, so knit a size or so down but with 3mm needles to balance it out. Must have worked, because they fit the husband (but not so much myself, though I am modeling the socks in the photo above).

I also quickly whipped up Beanie Flow by Michaela Richter last week. A cousin (technically my cousin's cousin, but close enough) has rather recently taken up knitting, but has jumped straight into the deep end (and is swimming, er, knitting, like a pro in no time), decided that she wanted to knit this really cool pattern, though modifying it to incorporate colour-blocks. Sure, a little intarsia to spice things up, why not? The only difficulty was that the pattern is in German only.

Since that's just the sort of crazy thing I might do, I definitely wanted to help out, and in the end, joined in to make it a knit-along. Thankfully, between online translation, putting our heads together, and the (thank goodness) fact that the pattern has charts too, we figured it out.

Mine came out a bit small because I didn't check my gauge, but it fits my youngest just great, and she loves her new hat.

I've had a sneak peek at my cousin's version, and it is spectacular. Hopefully she'll add photos to Ravelry once she is done so everyone can check it out in the project gallery for the pattern!

Must get back to my swatch, the timer just went, so it is done soaking and ready to block!

Hup Oranje!

I finished knitting Hup Holland by Tori Seierstad a while ago, but finally have some decent photos.

I took the first set right after finishing, but it's hard to get photos of your own head:

Also, the hat gave me a headache, so I re-blocked it, this time stretching it over a size 3 soccer ball.

My head is apparently the size of a size 3 soccer ball, because now it fits just fine, which is a relief. After all that work, not being able to wear it because it gives me instant headaches that last the rest of the day would have been a pity.

I had my husband snap photos instead this time, which worked much better:

Now, just looking forward to the opening ceremonies for the EDSA Mini World Cup next Wednesday!

Dyeing to Tell You About My New Hat Plans

First off, the skirt.

I finished it in time to wear it to quiz night last week! I am not completely satisfied with one or two things, but all in all, it went quite well. I was worried it was coming out too tight in the waist, so eased it a little wider, only to find that it would have been just fine if I'd stuck with the pattern. Might make another with this pattern sometime, so will trust it on the next go! I have a bit of fudging to do with the side zipper to get it to lie correctly, and will have to get to that sometime, but as that's a bit of handsewing that I haven't gotten to yet, it is as likely to be awhile before I get around to it.

The pictures are from today rather than last week, but the only important difference is that  my hair is pulled back instead of being so curled (and big. I don't like having big hair) that it looks like Lady Edith from Downton stuck her finger in an electrical socket.















Next project to catch up on: the  Hup Holland hat by Tori Seierstad.

This pattern was originally used as a fundraiser to raise money for a new football ground in Lillehammer, Norway. I was too late to buy it for that, (it is now a free pattern, now that that goal has been reached) but I plan to donate to the Jumpstart charity next time I'm at Canadian Tire to balance that out.

I had ordered some orange yarn back around Halloween, as Knit Picks had a sale on orange and black yarn, and I needed a bit of both for projects in my queue (including this one).
 
Only one problem... The orange was not orange enough.

The pile of wool sat around for awhile. I wanted to over-dye it, but that creating a bit of a getting-around-to-it obstacle. Finally, to celebrate joining the Dutch team here in Edmonton for the Mini-World Cup indoor soccer tournament, I knew I had to get around to it right away so I could make this hat.

I bought lots of Kool-Aid powder. It's easy to dye with, and, it's bright orange. I explained to the grocery store clerk, as I wouldn't want her to think I was planning on drinking 18 packets.

I spent a fair bit of a day unwinding the balls into skeins. My youngest helped by running around a couple of chairs set back to back, then sitting in the chairs when she got dizzy.

The next day, I set to work dyeing the yarn.

It was still not quite the right shade of orange as it was now too reddish, though it sure smelled like oranges!

I wanted to over-dye it with yellow to brighten it up, but went on a fruitless search for yellow Kool-Aid powder before deciding on playing with Wilton's icing dyes instead.

Soaked the yarn in vinegar, then cooked it up with Golden Yellow, which I think brightened the yarn enough. More vinegar in the rinse stopped it bleeding, but unfortunately banished that lovely orange smell.

In the meantime, as the yarn dried, I started the hat.

Though I found that the blue was not blue enough.

I finished knitting the blue rounds, put the hat on waste yarn instead of switching colours right away, then dyed the piece in the microwave.

Wilton's Royal Blue was just the thing.

The red is red enough, the white is white enough, and the black is black enough, so I'm finished dyeing for a little while.

Enjoying January

 It's a wintry day out here today (I was going to take a photo, but really, it just looks more or less like the snow from this past post anyhow, so I'll just leave well enough alone.

Suffice it to say that the buses are expected to be running late, and it's best to avoid driving. It's also cozy weather for knitting indoors, and other indoor activities (my youngest decided to use the wii-fit game, and ran on the spot for something like 5 kilometres, though not all at once). Tomorrow should be warm enough to have a great time in the snow for some outdoor fun!

Speaking of outdoor fun, on the weekend before last, we went and enjoyed the Deep Freeze Festival here in Edmonton. The kids especially loved the ice slide, the sculptures, and the popcorn.

It was a bit chillier than last year, which was probably just as well for keeping the ice sculptures frozen, but we were all set with enough handknits to keep warm, or at least, warm enough to enjoy the festival.












Though actually, my eldest had lost her tuque some time ago, and was making do with an ill-fitting one until she decided it wasn't worth it and stopped wearing tuques altogether. So, while at the festival and for the next few days, I got to work on a new tuque for her.







Luckily, I still had the leftover yarn she had chosen for the lost tuque, and even more luckily, I found the perfect pattern for her in the book that my dear brother had luckily given to me for Christmas this year.

 Here is the Princess Crown by Alison Stewart-Guinee, as seen in the highly enjoyable Fairy Tale Knits: 32 Projects to Knit Happily Ever After. The yarn is Cascade 220, of which I think I should own more. Lovely yarn, particularly the heathered colours.

My daughter was very pleased. Very, very, pleased. She has a crown, so why wouldn't she be? It fits much better than her last hat, so even better.

The only change I made was because I was running out of purple. I love the picot edging in the original, but there just was nowhere near enough purple to make a go of it, so I simply got going on 2 x 2 ribbing, corrugating it for the contrast for a couple of rounds, then switching back to the yellow for a few more rounds.

She kept wearing it throughout lunchtime, and treated us to her trademark pirate-grin while gobbling up her favourite split-pea soup!

 Since Christmas holidays finished up, and after I finished up my design samples (more on those another day after they're finalized), I started organizing and finishing off things. These Courtside Booties by Donna Childs are cute enough, and the Patons Grace yarn is splendid (I think I want more of the blue when I get a chance), but I don't think I'll be making any more of them, as I found the finishing work a bit fiddly. Of course, I also don't usually see the point of booties, so maybe we'll just look at these as having been too tempting to resist; I'm over it now.

My friend's daughter has grown entirely out of the socks I made her a few years ago, so I've been meaning to make her new ones. I started to knit the first sock while we drove up to visit family in Dawson Creek, and finished it the next evening. We had a wonderful visit, and I'm so glad we had a chance to get up there. It was my aunt's 60th birthday, and we had a great fun gathering full of family and friends. I'm looking forward to my next visit in the summer, as it had been way too long between visits this last time!

On the way home, feeling like switching projects, I finally got around to knitting past the second inch of brim on this tuque, Brownie by Woolly Wormhead. I've been wanting to make this for ages (I've been wanting to make any number of Woolly Wormhead patterns for that matter), but kept putting it aside for one reason or another. Now that the baby I'm making it for is nearly due to arrive to our friends a few doors down, I felt I'd better just finish it up. I love this hat, and might just take my time knitting it to enjoy it all the more.

So, what are you doing to enjoy January?

Is it March Already?

For all that it's March already, and we are to "spring ahead" by setting the clocks forward tomorrow, there's still too much snow to play Gaelic Football outdoors. Still, I've been busy helping to organize the coming season, and my blogging has just not been happening as a result.

However, I've still been knitting. I'm nearly finished my husband's cardigan in fact, but the button-band/shawl collar seems interminable at this point.

Of course, it would help if I'd only work on that project, but I do have a few other projects on the go, and something about spring seems to have convinced me to cast on for two new pairs of socks, then there's been a bit of sewing, mending, and of course, everyday life. I should also start some seeds for the garden...

Amid all this distraction, I have managed to finish a baby hat, which is now on its way by post to a new baby along with a copy of The Gruffalo (excellent book, do read it), so here it is:

This is the Classic cap by Amanda Keeys, knit in Berroco Vintage.

Sorry, that's all for now; hopefully I'll have a detailed post about the finished cardigan soon!

Today: More Catching Up

Today I get to catch up a bit on last post, thanks to my helpful sister-in-law who kindly sent some photos to share of the apron of which I hadn't remembered to take a photo, and of the penguin hat in action, which is of course, infinitely cuter than a penguin hat without a cute baby in it.














So, here is my extremely adorable nephew (about 6 months) with his winning smile (such a cutie!):

and with his proud Dad, providing confirmation that despite the hat's colours coincidentally being an exact match for another hockey team, this kid is definitely an Oilers fan (but of course!):















Here is his mom, who looks lovely in her new apron:

 


I'm glad to show the apron off here, especially as I was so pleased to find the fabric. It struck me as being stylish without being too elaborate or fussy and of course being in blue, which is among her favourite colours, also made it a good match.













And here are the gorgeous-looking Linzer cookies that my lovely sister-in-law made with the cutter set I had tucked into the apron pocket. I'm sure are quite tasty too, as she makes excellent desserts.










To continue to catch up a wee bit more, here is a hat I whipped up for a new baby who lives far away (it's fun knitting hats for babies, it hardly seems to take any time at all if it goes well, and this one did):

I designed this hat after a bit of swatching and sorting through the yarn stash, finding some nice soft Swish DK from Knit Picks in Squirrel Heather. I think it went rather well, and am pleased with how I managed to fit the decreases neatly into the cable pattern despite starting without knowing how I would end it (though I did stop to chart it out just before ending to make sure it would work).

Now this next item is definitely about catching up, as I started these socks about a year and a half ago when I was in Vancouver for a football tournament. By the time I arrived at home, the first of the pair was not quite finished. A few months ago, I fished them out of the bottom of one of my knitting bags, finished the first, and started the second. Sometime last week, I decided to just finish them up already, and so here they are:

These are the Sunday Swing Socks by Kristel Nyberg, worked in Patons Stretch Socks in Licorice. When I had started these in Vancouver, I found it an enormous effort to keep track of the (really quite simple) lace pattern, but when I picked them up again, I found them extremely easy to work with only occasional reference to the pattern. It only goes to show that a bit of practice with a newer skill (in this case lace) goes a long way when it comes to the facility of reading your knitting. I'm glad I picked these back up, if only for learning how far I had improved in a year or so.