Projects on the Go
I have had another case of startitis that has come on quite suddenly. Since I am on maternity leave I decided to put myself on a yarn diet. I’m still getting a good amount of knitting done, the baby naps a fair bit and she’s kind of a lone wolf so she doesn’t like to be held all the time. This makes for some free hands and relaxing knit time. The yarn diet goes like this: 2 balls knit for 1 ball acquired. This is a slow but sure way to reduce the stash and my yarn spending habit. For some reason this makes me feel free to start whatever project I want with yarn I have, it’s a strange thing.
First up is my Thermis Cowl. I’ve knit this up twice before, one for my cousin’s birthday and one as a sample at Urban Yarns. Unfortunately the UY version went walking one day. It’s so sad when knitting is stolen. It’s not the yarn I miss as much as the time… This one is being knit in some pretty Tosh DK from Madelinetosh. Tosh of any weight is my newest obsession, it’s fantastic. The colours are so rich.
Next up is the Tea Leaves I’m working on for my Mom. I told her I was knitting it for myself so I could knit it in front of her. She’s a very smart woman but she never picks up on stuff like that. I could probably just tell her what I was getting her for her birthday and she would just forget and be pretty surprised when she opened it. I enjoy this quality in her, it makes life easy sometimes.
I’m also working on a Clapotis for the UY Clapo-tea party May 6th. I haven’t gotten very far but it’s going to have to stay at the top of the pile so I can get it done in time. It’s a pretty simple knit once you’ve established your pattern.
I’ve also cast on for a pretty fair isle cardigan for miss Hunter. I couldn’t resist this sweater when I came across it on the Purlbee blog. I’m knitting it in Blue Sky Alpacas Sport and Melange. I’m not sure this is the sanest choice but I had all but 1 skein of yarn already on hand so I decided to go for it. I’m LOVING this colour combo.
That’s all for now but I’ll let you in on a little secret: this is not all the projects I have on the go…..
Etsy Update!
It’s been a while since I last updated my Etsy shop! Since my yarn dying is currently a rather small scale operation, I have been having trouble keeping up with orders from AnySpunThread and Urban Yarns. I finally managed to order yarn blanks in a more appropriate number and dye some up for my Etsy shop. I’ve also got 2 new colourways: Highbury Blossoms and Vancouver Sky.
The inspiration for Vancouver sky is obvious, those grey days by the water. The pair in the photo are my friend Robin and her son Jaden. They thoroughly enjoyed their outing, grey skies or not. This yarn is a pale grey with streaks of darker grey and black.
Cherry blossoms abound on Highbury street in Vancouver. Every spring the sidewalks are completely pink. This yarn is dyed a pale pink but with shots of dark brown to represent the branches.
Check out my Etsy shop for the latest batch of Gourmet Crafter Yarn!
Tiny Tea Leaves
I think this might officially be the fastest sweater I have ever knit. Not so much in actual knitting time, but in dedication. I knit it up in 1 week and 1 day. It’s sized for a 2 year old but at the rate she’s going, Hunter will fit it in no time!
The yarn (Swan’s Island Organic Merino) and pattern (Tiny Tea Leaves) were a gift from the darling Sheryl of AnySpunThread. Up until she was born I intended to call my baby, whether it was a boy or girl, Hunter Sunshine. For some reason, that I cannot fully understand now, I decided in the hospital to give her the family name of Ann. She will, however, always be my little Sunshine. Sheryl picked the yarn for a little Sunshine girl with cute vintage buttons to match, does she know me or what? The pattern is so nice I’m knitting the grown up sized Tea Leaves for my mom out of the SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted in the colour Cypress. Such a nice thoughtful gift, thanks Sheryl!
Quick Knit
I’m not sure I really need another bulky cowl but the colour and softness of Twinkle is just too hard to resist. I saw the colour 2 weeks ago and it was one of those situations in which I did not purchase the skein on the spot and instead chose to stew about it all week. I picked it up last friday and I still wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it, I only knew it must be mine! I searched around and I found a pattern that was pretty close to what I wanted in a free Lion Brand Basic Cowl pattern but I changed the gauge, needles, and stitches cast on to match my yarn and sizing desires.
The ribbing makes it a nice fit around the neck and the stockinette stitch means you can knit this puppy up during a hockey game. I wrote out the pattern, since everyone likes a nice easy PDF! The finished measurements are 10 inches high and 24 inches around. You will need 1 skein of Twinkly and 12mm 16″ circular needles. You can download the pattern for the Little Star Cowl.
An Anniversary Scarf
Scarves seem to be one of the major staples of knitting. That being said, there are really not that many scarf patterns to be had. It’s easy enough to make up your own pattern, there is a little math involved but nothing too serious. It’s a scarf so gauge is not critical and if it winds up 6.5 inches instead of 6, no big deal. That might be why scarves are so popular with the knitting crowd, the possibilities are endless.
Despite these endless possibilities I am knitting an incredibly dull scarf. The weird thing is I am loving it. I am loving knitting it and I am loving the final product even more! The yarn has a certain special meaning to me. I bought this yarn on my honeymoon almost 4 years ago when we were road tripping through the Maritimes. We got to pet the alpacas the yarn came from, which was pretty neat. Hubby must have been quite smitten with his new wife because he let me stop at many a yarn shop, he seems less keen now…. It doesn’t speak very highly of the stash that I am knitting yarn from 4 years ago but at least I’m getting to it now right?
The Source
The yarn is even kind of boring in colour but the simplicity of the twisted rib and the versatility of the black and grey are working together to make a very useable and pretty scarf. The twisted rib is so delightfully mindless as well. I don’t have to look at my knitting very often as it is but I’ve knit this scarf almost entirely without looking. We even watched a movie in the dark the other night and I didn’t miss a stitch. I may grow weary of this type of knitting before the yarn is gone but I’m riding the wave for now!
Tie Dye Fun
(Side note, check out that Terry Bradshaw hairline!)
Just before my little Hunter came along, my dear hippy crafting friend Kynna came over and we got to tie dying (why do I always want to type Tye Dye?). I was eager to create some tie dyed onesies for my little one to be and I wasn’t sure if the baby was a boy or girl or if his/her middle name would be Sunshine or not. In case you think that’s sarcasm, it’s not, we are still thinking about Sunshine for the next one! Anyhow, we thought tie dye would be adorable for any baby and my mother in law had bought me some plain white onesies so I was ready to roll. I hadn’t tie dyed since summer camp many years ago but I figured it couldn’t be too difficult if children could do it right?
I picked up a tie dye starter kit at Michaels and away we went. We had a few ideas involving swirls and patterns but mostly we just decided to be experimental. We tied and dyed for about 20 or 30 minutes and had 5 onesies ready to roll. It was fast, fun, and easy, what a great project! It was as easy as I remembered it and I could not have been happier with the results if I tried. Basically you mix up your dyes in squirt bottles (as per dye instrcutions), put some thickish rubber bands all over the onesie (or whatever you happen to be dying) and squirt away as you see fit.
The instructions for this particular dye called for saran wrapping the onesies once they were dyed and leaving them for 6 hours. We tried a couple at 2 hours and the others over night. The ones we left over night came out much darker, which I liked, although if you wanted a more pastel look I would leave them for less than 2 hours. Thanks for some good fun Kynna!
A Love Affair with Silk
Have you ever had a project that just wasn’t coming out quite as planned? I was working on a cardigan for myself out of the lovely Alchemy Silk Purse (far out of my budget but I had a moment of weakness). I was going along and finished the right front panel and the back before I realized that it just wasn’t quite working out. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I wasn’t happy so I started unraveling. Then I pondered. What should I do with this wonderful yarn? What would be better than a cardigan? Should I find a different pattern? Make something else? The questions were a little endless so I put the yarn aside and worked on some other projects for a while.
Just when I had nearly forgotten about it I came across a gorgeous pattern on the purlbee: The Evening Shrug. This was it, the pattern I had been waiting for! Although I really hate working with those tiny 12″ circular needles the results were well worth it. The shrug came out beautifully and really made the most of my luxurious silk yarn. I’ve been wearing it quite a bit as I’ve got a black and turquoise thing going on right now in my wardrobe.
That wasn’t the end of my silk love affair though, I still had 2 skeins left. What would I do with these last two sumptous skeins? I decided on the ever trendy triangular scarf with fringe from ‘Destination Alchemy‘. I figured a vibrant teal would add some zazz to any outfit and I was quite pleased with the result. I skipped the beading (not a fan) but I kept everything else. My only regret is that I can’t wear them together!
The Trouble with Minky
For those of you who don’t know what Minky fabric is (and I didn’t until recently either) it is a super soft kind of fuzzy fabric that is ideal for baby blankets. I suppose it’s ideal for anyone who loves a nice soft blanky but it mostly (until recently) comes in pastelish colours, ideally suited to a baby colour palette. I discovered this magical stuff and immediately set about making some blankets for my own wee one and the seemingly endless supply of friends babies as well.
I made 2 such blankets with some cute cotton on one side and minky fabric on the other with rounded corners.To make such an item you need 1 meter of each fabric (this depends on the size you want your blanket but I figure about 42″ by 60″ is a good size and I didn’t have to do any math to make everything match up this way). Some neutral thread or something that will go with both fabrics and many many pins. I recommend a nice glass head quilting pin, they are so sharp and you can iron over them if necessary without getting melted plastic on your fabric.
Step 1: I pinned the fabrics with right sides together and used a plate to trace the rounded corners. Instead of trimming to the rounded edges I just sewed along the line and trimmed afterward. Tip: use LOTS of pins. If you think you are over pinning you are not. Minky moves around A LOT so the more pins, the better off you are. I did not learn this until about the 3rd blanket.
Step 2: Sew the two pieces together leaving an opening to flip the blanket right sides out. I used a 1/4 inch seam but it’s not crucial. Just pick a seam width and run with it.
Step 3: Trim corners and turn blanket right sides out. Using a slip stitch close the gap you left for turning. Iron blanket.
Step 4: Sew another seam around the blanket, this time about 1 inch from the edges. This helps to keep all the pieces together and gives a really nice finished look.
Voila! A great baby prezzie and a super soft blanket is complete. It’s especially nice to blitz out a couple of these at a time, as with any sewing project it just makes things go a little faster and ups productivity. There are a lot of pros and cons to minky that I have discovered so here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:
Pro: So soft and lovely, comes in some great baby colours, easy to wash.
Cons: Makes a giant mess while you are sewing the blankets, bits of minky everywhere! Slips a lot while you sew (although over pinning does help with this situation quite a bit), not made of natural fibers.
All in all though, I would certainly (and probably will certainly) make more minky blankets in the future because they are a clear crowd pleaser and I just love ‘em.
Hunter Ann
Just a quick introduction between visitors and feedings! This is my new baby (my only baby really but she is new none the less) Hunter Ann born January 22nd (just barely, almost the 23rd). She was born a very healthy 8lbs. 1oz. Mummy gave her a pretty serious cone head but that has subsided and she is my perfect, big footed, soft skinned, baby!
Nesting
As I sit and wait for baby to arrive (7 days until the due date) I am crazy nesting lady. My house hasn’t been this organized since, I think ever! I keep trying to tell baby “today is your birthday, just come on out!” but it doesn’t seem to be working. So far I have:
1. I made 3 blankets with some super soft Minky fabric (more on sewing with Minky later, it’s quite the tale)
2. I’ve made spagetti sauce for the freezer
3. Finished my Snuggle Sack (zipper and all)
4. Made blueberry muffins
5. Made clam chowder (also with some for the freezer)
6. Have become weirdly addicted to popsicles.
7. Made chocolate chip cookies. Then hubby and I ate them all so I will be re-doing that
8. Cleaned the hosue several times
9. Washed and folded all baby supplies.
This is not an entirely exhaustive list but I am now onto some design work and knitting the stash. I sure hope the babe comes soon or it will meet with an entirely too organized mother and may have to re-adjust expectations as time passes!
