In order to perk myself out of my summer knitting blues I decided to create something practical for summer. I knit these sampler placemats with the intention of giving them as host/hostess gifts at a summer BBQ (which, by the way, are my favorite part of summer, nothing like a backyard BBQ). Having finished them, I kind of want to keep them. I wanted a bit of fun colour and some different patterns to hold the interest. They are also a ridiculously quick knit as they are made with Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton held doubled on 8mm (US11) needles. One ball per placemat.

There are 4 different stitch patterns and each placemat is knit with a seed stitch border. If your friends are a little more subdued you could go with the undyed organic version of the same yarn. These placemats are a fun and practical little knit, perfect for a gift or to brighten your patio/kitchen table. Although the label says hand wash only, I have machine washed mine and they are a titch smaller but none the worse for wear. Alexa’s Sampler Placemats pattern is available for free here: Alexa’s Placemats

For those who don’t know, the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver! I’m excited to see my country and my city on the world stage and to be here during the excitement (chaos) of that time. Commuting anywhere will be a nightmare and I’m not really all that big on crowds (a bit of claustrophobia) but I’m excited anyways. I haven’t managed to get any tickets but my lucky mother did. I wanted her to have something to keep her hands warm as she watches speed skaters race around the track and hockey players putting the puck in the net. Not only are the Olympics coming to town but Canada day is coming too. These mittens are slightly unseasonal but this is Vancouver, it still gets cold at night in July.

The flip side

You may be aware of my slight (complete) mitten obsession. I have knit many pairs and even taught a couple of classes on Fair Isle mittens. I decided I would try my hand at designing a patriotic pair of my own. The front features the Canadian Maple Leaf and the palms have some cute red snowflakes on them. I have combined some of my favorite mitten features including the i-chord cast on and the corrugated cuff. Of course, if you desire a shorter mitten, the cuff is optional.

These mittens were made using 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport in white and one in red. They are super soft and cozy. I used US 4 (3.5mm) needles for the pair pictured here but I used US 3 (3mm) needles for my Mom’s pair (she has much littler hands than I).

To purchase this pattern for $6 please click here. Patterns are emailed in PDF format.

So I whipped up this little pattern, the Easy Peasy Toque. It’s a guaranteed winner in a 16 stitch gauge (worsted) yarn on 5mm needles. knit in the round with some simple shaping up top. To give it a little brim for warmth it starts off with a little garter stitch. The yarn pictured above is the lovely and addictively soft Malabrigo worsted. I got two hats out of one skein and it is quite reasonable priced. I couldn’t ask for more!

If you are looking for an Easy Peasy Toque pattern for $5 click here.

Lately I have noticed a resurgence in the popularity of Cowichan sweaters. I love the vintage quality they have. The browns and taupes with their earthy designs. I was inspired to create something like it for myself. I wanted something a bit lighter so I could wear it more often (it’s rarely cold enough to warrant the original thick sweater around here). So a shrug was just right.

I am also inspired by the charming image of birds. Once I started looking for them began to see them  everywhere, stamps, paper, fabric, and of course, in the sky. These birds sit contentedly on a branch looking at each other. They are birds of a feather.

This shrug was knit with 12 skeins of Mirasol Sulka (a lovely combination of wool, alpaca, and silk in a 16 stitch gauge) in truffle (9), cocoa(1), and snow white(2) and was knit on US 9 (5.5mm) needles.

Go to paypal now to purchase this pattern for $5! Patterns are sent via email in PDF format.

PS. Thanks for being my model Anja!

My charming little brother, Jordan, came to me the other day with a knitting request: he needed a new toque. Now, my brothers (and the men in my life in general) rarely come to me with crafting requests so I feel the need to oblige when they do. Mostly I just decide they need something and knit it for them, no muss, no fuss. So, my mission was set out before me in fairly simple terms, a toque, maybe with some earflaps.

I pondered my mission, what color? What fiber? How important is washability? How shall I design it? Should it roll, should I include the earflaps? Finally I settled on a beautiful variegated green in the Malabrigo Worsted. I set to designing and came up with a simple, yet effective toque with just enough style….or so I thought. A few weeks later (I am as surprised as you are that I managed to finish his toque so far in advance of his birthday) my brother rolled across a photograph of the toque I had made him. “I want something like that, but with bigger earflaps, and with different colors, maybe with a design on it” he says to me. I shot him the look of death.

I had two choices: I could give up on knitting him something and enjoy my new awesome green toque or I could accept his challenge and create his dream cap. I think you know which option I chose. I had 1 week to design and knit the Jordan’s perfect toque. I pumped him for some more details and once I felt I had a good idea of what he wanted I was off to the races. This is what I came up with. Some fairly neutral colors with a little punch of green in the snowflakes. Stockinette stitch with some big earflaps and a design on it, just what Jordan ordered. I crocheted around the edges to give it a more finished look and to add in a little more green. This cap took 4 skeins of Mirosol Sulka (a lovely combination of wool, alpaca, and silk).

To purchase my original toque pattern for the Earflap Cap, click here.

To purchase Jordan’s Toque pattern click here. Patterns are sent via email in a PDF format.

Sometimes there are shapes or images I come across in my day to day life that I find intriguing or inspiring. I have been thinking about the shape of the honeycomb lately so I thought this might be the time to put it into my knitting. These gloves are a simple design with a honeycomb cable up the back.They are a great quick knit (perfect for a gift also) and they use only one ball of RYC Soft Tweed (I used loganberry). It’s supersoft which I am finding a little rare in a tweed.

To purchase this pattern for $5 (CAD) click here. Patterns are sent via email as a PDF document.

I originally came up with the idea for these glass cozies when my brother moved out on his own (just to Mom and Dad’s suite above the garage but still on his own). His colors were black and white with punches of green. I found some electric green yarn that I thought would be perfect to accent his place and I designed these glass cozies. This way his glasses were multi-functional because he could drink hot or cold beverages from the same glasses.

I wanted my own french press cozy and glasses to look funky and retro so I went with a sort of mottled blue/brown/white for the french press and a nice blueberry color for the cozies. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to use a couple of skeins of the luscious Koigu. The colors are unbeatable and the variety is also amazing. I am a big fan of things that are the same yet different so each cozy has a slightly different pattern but they are all the same size. The different patters are also helpful for guests to remember which glass is theirs, similar to a wine charm.

The yarn is held double throughout so it is also possible to use one strand of variegated and one strand of solid together or 2 strands of variegated or 2 strands of solid. I like that even the solid Koigu is not one flat color but is slightly variegated as well. I used the same technique of combining strands in my Earth to Ocean blanket and I just can’t get enough! These funky moose buttons added a little retro charm, I got them from (where else?) Button Button!

To make the glass cozies I used 2 sets of double pointed needles to get the tapering effect. I started with a set of US 7′s and then switched half way to a set of US 5′s. This way there is no need to increase or decrease your stitches, you simply carry on with the pattern and change your needles size to get a smaller diameter. This gets the cozies really snug on the glass. With wedding season fast approaching I figured this would also be a perfect gift. Something personal yet not too complicated and definitely original.

To purchase this pattern for $5 (CAD) click here. Patterns are send via email as a PDF document.

I have been enamored over the past couple of months with the short button scarf. As soon as I got enthusiastic about them it seemed like everyone I know wanted one! I had to churn those babies out fast. That being said I came up with a couple of really nice patterns and decided to put them up for sale.

The great thing about these little wonders is that they usually only take one skein (depending on the size of the skein obviously). This may not seem at first like a fantastic attribute but here are 3 reasons this is great:

1. You probably have a skein of yarn hanging around that you can’t think of anything to do with but you still really like it.

2. There are often sales at your LYS on the last ball of a given yarn or color.

3. This is a great opportunity to treat yourself to a gourmet ball of yarn since you only need one skein.

It seems to me like this is a prime opportunity to throw in a little cashmere or silk perhaps. I made some with a lovely cashmere wool blend, cashmere and alpaca, alpaca and silk, the list is endless! Once I got going on them I came up with some neat patterns with some cables and mock cables.

I felt that the chunky yarn I used for the 2 by 2 scarf (pictured in blue up above) did a nice job of showing off my stitches so a big chunky cable seemed fitting! This scarf works with one button or 2, it’s up to you! If button holes are a little scary (or if you like to multiply the number of ways you can wear a scarf) The Mock Cable scarf works because you don’t need to make any button holes and you can wear the scarf however you want.

These are both made with wool or alpaca blends but I think a nice Springy alteration would be to make them in cotton. For those cool nights after warm days when you need just a little something.

To buy my charming 2 by 2 Cabled Button scarf  for $5 (CAD) just click here.

To buy my charming Mock Cable Button scarf for $5 (CAD) just click here.

Thanks for being my gorgeous model Robin!