Recovering...

Today's post is going to be a bit brief. I'm just now recovered from having one of the worst bouts of the flu I have ever had. My toddler got it first, then about a day later I got it. We were both hurting so bad yesterday that the both of us just cuddled on the couch together under a blanket. Which if anyone knows how active my toddler is, is completely unheard of!

So today is my selfish knitting day. I'm working on a pair of Smokestack Socks for a Christmas gift. I consider it selfish knitting because I enjoy knitting this pattern.

Pattern: Smokestack Socks by Tanis Lavallee

Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga! in Black Witch Moth

I should be working on this sweater blob, but I'm just not into it today :-(

It's being stuck on sleeve island that has me loosing interest. It needs to be done but my ambition just isn't there. I'm halfway done the second sleeve and it's looking better than the 1st sleeve. I increases the amout of decreases and it seems to be working how I imagined. So that means that I'll have to rip out the 1st sleeve and redo it. Which if it was a worsted or Aran sweater would be no big deal but this sweater is knit in sport weight yarn and is a XXL size. Sigh. I love my Grandma :-) Beacause if it was anyone other than my Grandma...

Happy Knitting :-)

A Cute Little Fox :-)

Growing up my cousin was my best friend. There's only 7 months between us so we grew up together. We were constantly chatting, having sleep overs and confessing out crushes to each other. There were a lot of fun times. A lot of memories that I look back on now with fondness :-) As we grew older, each of us took our path and kept in touch. We started our families :-) 

It's amazing that her daughter is 1 year old already! I had knit her 2 Sunnysides in Garnet just over a year ago when we were waiting or her to be born. It's crazy how time flies. 

Isn't she just the cutest!

So when I asked what Marabel needed for her birthday, my cousin asked for a knitted mitten and toque set in garnet. She had loved the sweaters I knit her and wanted it to match. 

It didn't take me long to find a suitable mitten and toque pattern. I fell in love with Foxy Wolfie & the Fox Mittens patterns. So I ordered a skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label in Garnet and Natural. 

It took me a couple days to knit. Not because the patterns were difficult but I had to do a bit of thinking and decifering with the Fox Mittens pattern. I knit then ripped out. Then did it again. I had to take a quick break then come back to it. Like half a day break. But once I figured it out I banged out the mittens pretty quickly. You can check out my projects page to see what minor mods I did on the Foxy Wolfie toque. Nothing major but it makes the 3 needle bind off look way better down the road.

The set turned out super cute :-) I'm very pleased with them! I hope they are well received! 

The only minor thing that happened was that when I threw them in the wash some of the red from the garnet bled onto the white. I fixed that though. I just threw it in the washing machine again with a bit of Synthrapol and half a cup of bleach and it cleaned up the natural yarn quite well. 

My daughter might be in need of a new toque now! I should have enough of the garnet left for another toque yet :-)

Happy Knitting :-)

Ombre Revisited...

My Ombré has been completed since 2012. It's been worn many times and is perfect to wear with a tank top and a pair of jeans. This was the first sweater I knit from lace weight yarn and I loved the light lofty feel of the fabric. It's the perfect sweater to wear when I need a lighter sweater to wear.

The funny thing is that I never added buttons to it since it's completion. I had several options but none seemed right, or I didn't have enough of one type for the sweater. I decided to remedy that a couple weeks ago. I was searching for buttons for my Lady Sunnyside when I remembered I still needed buttons for my Ombré  Then I immediately remembered these beautiful glass flower buttons I bought years ago. I had disregarded them because I didn't have enough. I pulled them out of the button jar and took a look of how they would look on the sweater. 

They were perfect! Although I was short 1 button. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to find the same button anymore. I had boughten them on Etsy about 2 years ago. What are the odds that the shop is still open it if they still have this exact button?

Pretty good, apparently. 

I was able to buy another set of the exact buttons and they arrived within about 10 days :-) As soon as I got them they were sewn on. 

Pattern: Ombré by Tanis Lavallee

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label in Sand and Velvet Chocolate OOAK

Buttons: Vintage Glass Flower Buttons

They are beyond perfect! I'm so happy with the overall look :-)

Happy Knitting :-)

FO : Lady Sunnyside

Over the years my go to pattern for baby gifts is Sunnyside by Tanis Lavallee  It's simple yet has just enough detail so it keeps your attention. I've knit 6 so far!

Yarn From Top Left : Woolen Rabbit Oasis in Violette, assorted Louet Gems Fingering & Sport, the next 2 photos in Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label in Garnet, Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in Purple Spotted Swallowtail, Woolen Rabbit Opal in Blush

Sooooo... I was super pumped when I saw that Tanis was making an adult version of her Sunnyside sweater! I saw this photo and I was super psyched! I patiently waited for the pattern to come out. It seemed like forever. Then when it came out I was beyond excited that she offered it for FREE the first week! So I immediately downloaded it and started contemplating yarn choices. 

I decided on Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label in Truffle. It was beyond perfect :-) I also joined the Lady Sunnyside KAL in the Tanis Fiber Arts Ravelry Group  I wasn't able to finish it in the time allotted but I'm just happy that I was able to get some selfish knitting in for myself ;-) It is beyond perfect!

The only minor modifications I made were: 

- I casted on 8 stitches for the underarm portion which is for the largest size not for the size I knit. Then I would get a little more room for my arms. Then I knit according to the pattern.

- I finished the increase section for tr waist shaping. Then worked straight until it reached my hips in length. I then added 2 more increase repeats so it would fit over my bum. Then I worked straight until I was happy with the extra length.

Not much for mods. I like my sweaters a bit longer so they fit over my bum :-)

I love this sweater and it bloomed out wonderfully when I washed it and dried it. I also found the most beautiful and perfect buttons for it from Chasing Fire Studios while I was at the Calgary Fibre Arts Fair! 

I was so glad that I was able to knit myself something because from now until Christmas it's crunch time to get all my Christmas knitting done! I have everything planned but we'll see if I can get it all done. 

XX Fingers Crossed XX

Happy Knitting :-)

Goodies From The Calgary Fibre Arts Fair...

I've been looking forward to the Calgary Fibre Arts Fair since the summer and the last week I've been counting down the days :-) This is the first one and I was very pleased with it! I was a little disappointed that there were only a few vendors but it can only get bigger every year :-) 

I took a few pictures of a couple of the booths and my favourite items!

The first booth I came across was the Danware booth. They had an abundance of yarn bowls, knit buddy skein holders, and hand lathed knitting needles. The prices were very reasonable, and my friend Lori was able to score a pair of needles. They were beyond beautiful.

I fell in love with the gorgeous braids at the Dragonfly Dyewerx booth. I've boughten from her etsy store before and was very pleased with her yarn :-) We had a wonderful little chat and she sold quite a few items! I had to come back to get this photo and she had sold quite a few braids already!

I had taken a few photos and this is the only one that I could get when there wasn't a pile of people scrambling to grab yarn ;-)

I then skirted over to the Little Barn Studio table and they had a wonderful assortment of braids as well. 

I kept looking at this braid! It was calling my name. 

Although I had already bought some roving and some beautiful buttons. By then the budget was blown ;-)

This was the first purchase I made. I saw the Spin Candy Rainbow Merino Felt Packs from KathFish Fibre Arts and I just had to buy all 3. I'm not planning on felting them but instead I'll spin them. My plan is to eventually make a sweater for my toddler. Although since I'm in the mist of christmas knitting it will have to wait until next year.

Next up? My favorite booth there! I kept going back. Over and over again. I chatted to the Chasing Fire hop owner for a bit towards then end and she helped me find some buttons that would work for a WIP. 

Her buttons were a complete hit and stock dwindled very fast! I was able to buy 2 sets.

The grey/blue ones are for a project I'm finishing up but I bought the blue / green ones on impulse. My button collection is completely out of control and soon I'm going to have to buy yarn to match my buttons ;-)

At the same table was Tamara. She has her own Etsy store Daddysgirl . I was chatting with her for a bit and I was completely enthralled with her Hansen Crafts Mini Spinner. She did all the carving herself. She's the only approved vendor to alter the Hansen Crafts Mini Spinner. So if anyone is interested in a customized Mini Spinner get in contact with her :-)

Tamara also makes these beyond gorgeous bags :-)

I'll definately be going back next year. I had so much fun :-)

Happy Knitting :-)

A Taste of the Rainbow...

Since the last post I've been weaving a bit here and there. It's taken me a little while to get into the "groove" of weaving with a rigid heddle but, overall, I've got the hang of it now. The first few rows are a bit sketchy but it's my first project on this loom so I'm happy with how I'm progressing so far :-)

After my last post I was able to find a bolt but it was a smidgen too big. Like maybe 1mm so it wouldn't fit in the hole. I checked all the hardware stores in my town and there were no bolts smaller than 1/4" x 3". Which was a bummer. So I had my husband widen 1 hole in my loom to accommodate this bigger bolt. It works and now my Loom is on the stand :-)

It's a good thing that I waited to warp my rigid heddle. It was definately a 2 person job and I had my husband help me with it. He was beyond flabbergasted of why anyone would weave when it takes so long to set up. If I was a pro it wouldn't have taken 2 hours. I would rather take the extra time and make sure that it's as close to perfect for my skill level, then whip through it and mess up the whole project. But other than that he was a great assistant ;-)

As soon as the warp was on, I was getting my bobbins wound and ready to go. I got to weaving and did the first couple inches in black before I went to bed for the evening :-) 

Then the next morning I was obsessed with weaving and whipped through a good 7 colors of my gradient. 

This is where I've left off. There has been a bit of progress here and there but not too much. I'm in a groove to finish my Lady Sunnyside. 

I've finished the yoke, sleeves and about 5" of the body so I'm hoping to knit as much of the body as possible tomorrow :-) I would like to actually finish a TFA KAL. My track record isn't so good ;-)

 

So hopefully I'll have progress or FO pics of my Lady Sunnyside in the next post! Fingers Crossed! 

Happy Knitting :-)