New Collections and a Contest
My darling design partner Emily is coming out with a new collection! I’m so excited because while Emily and I are design partners I’m also a huge fan of her stunning lace work. She is working away on a collection of garments, accessories, and shawls set to come out in September 2012, Handmade in the UK. I’m a big fan of Emily’s shawls, I’ve knit the Photosynthesis (which my mother absconded with) and the Sunflower and I love them!
Tin Can Knits is running a contest until the end of May (as well as offering a 20% off coupon on all patterns from Tin Can Knits, Gourmet Crafter, and Modern Lace). The prize is a skein of Gourmet Crafter lace yarn dyed to your colour liking and a chance to design a piece of lace with none other than Emily herself! For more details on entering the contest and what the design work entails you can check out the Tin Can Knits blog here.
Just to keep you all updated on my current knitterly status Emily and I are also working diligently on our next joint design project. I will be seen swatching, cursing, doing some math, watching the weather closely for photo opportunities, and talking incessantly about certain stitch patterns.
A Wicked Case of Startitis
I finished a few projects that were on a deadline a couple of weeks ago and I had a brilliant idea. Why not just indulge some startitis? The yarn for 3 or 4 projects was already in my hot little hands, why not just go with it? I’m always fighting my knitterly urges to purchase wild amounts of yarn (I work in a yarn shop, it’s SO hard to just walk on by every day!) and cast on multiple projects in an evening. While the budget wouldn’t allow for the wild amounts of yarn I could certainly cast on with wild abandon!
Beyond Puerperium in Rocking Yarn (that’s right, I did it!)
Child’s Classic Raglan Pullover by Jane Richmond
In Tanis Fibre Arts
Rae by Jane Richmond
Yarn – SweetGeorgia Silk Merino Lace (yarn held doubled)
I’m not going to sugar coat this, it was great. It was everything I wanted it to be. I cast on for a Rae, a Classic Child’s Raglan, and a very special little Puerperium cardigan. I placed markers, got my increases all set up then started the next one! I also cast on for another Gramps cardigan and a couple of secret projects I’m working on with Tin Can Knits. It was everything I wanted it to be, and as a yarn/knitting enabler I have to encourage you to try it some time.
Something Special
I rarely use the word special when referring to yarn. It’s not that I don’t love yarn, I obviously do! I just don’t think of any one yarn as particularly ‘special’. Lately though I’ve been getting kind of precious with my yarn choices and I have an undying urge to knit with rare and exotic fibers. Being back in the shop at Urban Yarns is not helping this situation. We recently got in some Yak down yarn. It’s 137 yards or so of a worsted weight and it’s $50 a ball. This seems like a ridiculous thing to covet so seriously. I walked by it every day this past week and thought (in kind of an obsessive fashion) ‘what might I make with this yarn?’, ‘what pattern might this natural colour look good with’, ‘how many balls would I need to make x?’, ‘would baby booties and a hat be crazy in this yarn?’, ‘do I even wear fingerless gloves?’ and on and on and on….
I haven’t picked up a ball yet but I’m seriously obsessing. It’s becoming a problem. The yak yarn sits next to the qiviuk and the bison yarn too. They are also starting to pique my interest. Maybe I need to spend some serious time with my stash….or maybe I need to pick up a ball of yak yarn…..
Hunter’s First Birthday!
It has been a whirlwind going back to work but it’s so great to back with all of the yarn and in the thick of the knitting world! Amongst organizing babysitting, driving, and work I managed to put on a pretty swinging first birthday party for my little Huntress. Here is her big day captured by Ann and Kynna:
Eric Carle Banner
Hunter's Year in Photos
Opening Presents with Daddy
Blowing Out the Candles
Cake Decorating Fail....
Hanging Out
As Planned….
Creepy Santa from the Stanley Park Train
Somehow this year I had dreams of sitting in front of my tree and sipping cocoa with my little family. Instead I mostly find myself running around after Hunter crying ‘PLEASE don’t break that oranment!’ and moving to the floor of the house without a tree….. Ah well, just because things aren’t as envisioned doesn’t mean they are bad, just different. Instead of trying to sit quietly we went to Van Dusen Gardens where Hunter could run around and I could sip spiced apple cider and admire the lights.
On the knitting front I’ve mostly been working on some new designs and I’ve finished my Christmas exchange knitting, but neglected to take photographs of some of them before I sent them off (failure). The only piece I’ve got a picture of is my Puerperium for Mad Dog. It’s a priceless electric pink (Tosh DK in colourway Poprocks) and it’s going to have some baby appropriate skull and crossbone buttons. I love this pattern but it’s really oddly written. There are charts where there should be brackets (this might not make sense but if you saw the pattern you would know what I mean). I’ve knit it twice now and I can definitely see knitting it up a few more times in my future! I know it looks a little dress-like. I was knitting away thinking ‘Mad Dog is a little long for her age….’ and when I looked up I had knit a bit of a dress but I think it will look adorable over leggings so I’m just going to add some short sleeves and it’ll be done!
Christmas Knits
Ok so I’m a little behind to say the least. Not in the knitterly sense, I’m right on track with my delightful Christmas knitting, but in the Craft Room sense. I’ve had so much fun visiting friends, hosting some little parties, and generally enjoying my new home and neighbourhood, the Craft Room has fallen by the wayside.
I have waited so long for this space to call my very own and now that it’s here I find the process of organizing it rather daunting. First of all there is A LOT more stuff than I remember having. Yarn was coming out of every room of our old apartment and now that I can see it all in it’s shining glory I have to take a good hard look at my serious yarn problem (although of course it was rather inspiring at the same time so you win some you lose some). Add that to the number of half finished quilts and boy, it’s really something to behold. Of course I don’t really restrict myself to 2 types of crafting. I make cards, collages, scrapbooks, friendship bracelets, cross stitch and any number of other random crafts, each of which has it’s own array of supplies and leftovers. It’s a wonderful life to lead with so much creation in it but it’s a tough one to organize. Slowly but surely!
Onto some great finished projects I have been working on for the last couple of weeks:
Stag Scarf: Patter revamps are coming soon!
Hunter Hat (for who, I will never tell!)
Habitat by Brooklyn Tweed
Mistake Rib Scarf from the Purlbee
I can’t wait to send these babies off to their happy recipients! For those who want to know the Stag Scarf was knit in Spud and Chloe Outs (2 skeins), the Hunter hat was knit in Madelinetosh Vintage colourway Twig (1 skein), the Habitat Hat was knit with Louet Gems Worsted (1 and a bit skeins), and the Mistake Rib Scarf was knit with Madelinetosh Vintage in Norway Spruce (2 skeins).
Life is Good
I must say life is good. BUSY! but good. I just moved and I have (drumroll please) my very own craft room!
It’s a space to call my own, it’s amazing. I haven’t quite finished it yet but I promise pictures very soon. I have a little bookcase that is dedicated just to crafting books and magazines, how great is that! Everything in one room with a desk, my sewing machine, and shelves of crafting supplies. It’s a little bit like heaven I imagine…..I look forward to being able to leave my crafts that aren’t finished out and about, instead of constantly packing them away and taking them back out. It’s a wonderful thing. There’s a small closet in the room but I have to save some space for hundreds of copies of ’9 Months of Knitting’. Our initial small run has sold out so we are excitedly expanding.
I’m also doing a truckload of Christmas knitting, doing some pattern re-formatting, and awaiting a couple of yarn shipments. Life is very good indeed and I will keep you posted!
A Sad Goodbye
Friday my little family moved out of our little 2 bedroo
m apartment and it was a rather sad goodbye. Gary and I lived there for 6 years and I was somewhat surprised to find I was really going to miss that place! We are moving into bigger and better digs but I thought I would share a few memories
- Burnaby Mountain
- Crazy Weather!
- Lots of Yarn and Crafting
- Baking
- Pregnancy
- Hunter’s First Bath
- Hunter’s First Steps
- Beautiful Fall
Fabulous Dinner Parties
- Getting Ready for Our Wedding
Goodbye!
Baby Shower Goodness
I recently attended a baby shower for my cousin and I went a little overboard with the knitting….
It’s so nice to knit up baby things and it is especially great in the teeny tiny sizes, Hunter is getting too big! I was even more enthusiastic to knit teeny tiny things to a fellow crafter (Mummy to be is a sewer/sewist). First I finished the Puerperium Cardigan, possibly the most tiny adorable thing I’ve ever knit. I dubbed this one Peanut Butter Cup for obvious reasons.
Then I thought, let’s get nuts! A while ago Ann sent me this link to an adorable grampa cardigan knit up in Madelinetosh Merino DK colourway Plaid Blanket. I had a copycat moment in which I had to knit it!
It seemed that the 2 cardigans were not quite a complete package though so I added some booties (pattern forthcoming in our next books!) and a Hunter Hat (Hutner insisted I put it in).
All four knits went over quite well at gift opening time and I can’t wait to see them on the new one in January!
There’s more…..
Well, as if you can’t get enough of me with the Knit Social event tonight and the Urban Yarns Launch party tomorrow night, you can come see me Saturday too!
I’m proud to announce that I will not only be selling my yarn and the new book at Bird on a Wire on main, but I will be their featured Artist in the Window this weekend. That means you can come and chat (I’ll probably be working on my Maile cardigan, in Gourmet Sock Berry Picking) but I’ll sign your book too!
Bird on a Wire is a shop containing arts and crafts made entirely by talented local individuals. There is something new and beautiful every time I go in! I can be found there this Saturday between 11 and 4 so come on by and check it out!
Reminder: The Back to School Sale ends on Saturday so take advantage of some free shipping!
