Easing into it...

Did you check the calendar? How is September seriously only 3 days away?! That snuck up fast on me, I'm not going to lie. :) Are you ready for a new routine? I only sort of am. We had such a lovely summer! I know Owen had a lot of fun, and we were able to have a lot of family time, which is so important, as often my hubby has to be gone for much of the time.

But it is what it is, and we have to start preparing for the fall. Of course, I love the fall. And I'm really quite looking forward to roasted butternut squash soups, warm mugs of tea, and heaps of knitting!

Market season will be here before we know it. In fact a lot of venues have already put out their applications? I've applied to two. Fingers crossed that I'll be in! I'll know by September 10.

How about you? Have you embraced the change that's about to come? Are you excitedly preparing for fall and winter? Are your needles clicking away. or are you clinging on to summer, and partially in denial that school is about to start up again.

I'm a bit of both. :)

Wishing you a fantastic Monday! I hope you have a lovely week!

xoxo becca.

New Shop!

I know I've been extremely quiet on this blog as of late, but I promise you, I've been a very busy bee. 

I'm beyond excited to have opened up a new shop! Nook will still be running as I always have been, offering private lessons and sample knitting... but I've also branched out to own Goodnight Baby By Nook! 

 Over the years I've often posted about work knitting, though I've never mentioned more than that. What I had been doing was knitting for Goodnight Mouse Baby Knits. I've had the joy of knitting for Jessica, and I've made such a great friend in her. As life would have it, Jessica has also become a successful photographer, and has a business doing so. Painted Barn Photography.  As you can see from the photos above, she's very talented! And so, as life with 3 boys keeps her on her toes, running both businesses just wasn't in the cards. And so I've taken the opportunity to take on the knitting shop. I am so excited to continue on in this venture and to keep knitting high quality, beautiful baby items for you all. I am looking forward to adding new items and designs to accompany these classic staples. 


This is an extremely exciting adventure, and I hope you'll come on by my new facebook page and etsy shop! As I mentioned before, Nook will still remain very much the same. That facebook page will still include fun knitterly thoughts and advice, as well as an update on any upcoming events (ahem christmas markets already!?!?), Goodnight Baby is simply an extension :) 

Thank you all so much for your support over the years! It gives me confidence to continue on with my dreams :) I'm so happy to be able to share this one with you. 

Facebook | Etsy 

xo - becca

Happy Rainbows

A good rainbow'd knit is just the ticket some days :)

This shawl happened a little while ago, and it's now in the loving arms of it's new owner :) I honestly loved knitting it. It was a very quick, potato ship knit. 

And the yarn? Caterpillargreen never disappoints, even her seconds skeins, which this one is. I basically wanted to create a crescent shawl in garter. Though I wanted to be sure that the color changes remained crisp and clean, so whenever there was a color change, I simply did that row in stockinette. It created a lovely, squishy shawl! 

The pattern I based this on is TGV ( High Speed Knitting) by Susan Ashcroft. It's such a fantastic pattern! I highly recommend. I didn't do the ribbed edging as I didn't want to draw away from the yarn, however I think the next time I knit this shawl, I'll try it as written, and with a single color) just for kicks. That being said, I've seen it with self striping yarns, and it looks fantastic! So you know, maybe I'll make a few more. ;) Also, I used a 3.75mm/US 5 needle. It ended up being a pretty massive shawl! 

This ended up being a shawl that was paid partially in trades. I scored a beautiful terrarium, and a much needed lesson on painting. I had never painted any rooms before, and I wanted to do Owen's room for him. I learned lots of great tips, and I'll definitely feel more confident and excited for my next painting adventure! 

Tell me, what's on your needles? xo

still knitting! :)

I can't believe it's been a month (almost) since I last blogged. Well no, that's not true. I can. Honestly, with the hours in the day that I spend knitting, or now spring cleaning & purging, and everything else life has me doing, I seem to not make it on here too much. But you know what? I kind of like that this space is always just waiting for me to come on here whenever I can, and put out whatever I want. yeah. I like it. And if not many people read it anymore, well okay. I can hardly expect readers to keep checking in when I'm rarely here these days. I understand. :) And maybe one day I'll get back to blogging more regularly, but until then... this will work for me.

However I have been a busy bee knitting. There have been some babies being born, so adorable baby knits needed to be made. So I knit up another Milo vest. And a pair of booties. Because they are just too adorable. This gift was for another one of Owen's teachers. And she loved it. I knit up the 6 month size, so that baby could get more rather than less wear out of it. They grow so stinking fast, that I find that doing the larger sizes are a good idea. :)

I really, really like this pattern. It's such a quick, satisfying knit. And there is just so much you can do with the pattern. You have endless options with color work, or texture. I opted for a basic thick & thin stripe sequence. I feel like this is such an adorable little man vest.

And those matching booties! gah! They really are just so cute!  As per the last time I knit this set, I used Mineville wool project merino DK. And I'm still so sad that it's discontinued. It's just so very lovely to knit with! xo

I like the style of the booties because they're meant to actually stay on the foot. the contrast color actually rolls up to give a longer leg if needed. Bonus, it will keep baby's leg warm too! So practical :)

If you are ever in a jam for a quick and adorable baby knit, then I highly suggest this gem! xo

elephants make me happy

Of course it's been an entire month since I've blogged last. Of course. Whelp, that's the way February went, I suppose! This doesn't mean I haven't been busy knitting, because you know THAT can't be true!

It seems there are many babies about to be born. One to Owen's grade 1 teacher. He had such fun last year in her class, and so a hand knit had to be made :)

This has been done for quite some time, but as we only just recently gifted it, I didn't want photos floating around before that happened. Now it's safe!

This is the first time I've knit the MILO vest. And it certainly won't be the last! What a fantastic construction! I had such a good time knitting it. It's very quick, and allows for so many different variations. As the gender of this baby was going to be a surprise, I knew I didn't want to do the traditional yellow or whatever. Actually, I don't think people do the pastel yellow or purple or greens anymore... do they?

Anyways, I had some Mineville Wool stashed away for the perfect knit, and this was going to be it :) I sadly wish that I had scooped up more of this yarn while I had the chance as I'm pretty sure this base is no longer available. It's 100% merino, machine washable (which is perfect for a tired parent) and is a DK. I suppose this being a coveted yarn in my stash  makes this gift that much more special. :)

So the details:
Milo by Georgie Nicholson (I knit the 9 mos size)
Yarn: Mineville Wool Project dk in Cauldron & Bright Moss
Needles: US 4/3.5mm & US 5/3.75mm

I love it! Like I said, it allows for so many different variations once the yoke is completed. For this particular vest, I took advantage of the blank slate, and decided to put in elephants. How cute! This teacher loves the colour green, so I knew I wanted to incorporate a bit into it. Apparently she also grows big babies, so I decided to knit up the 9 month size. This way babe will surely have some time to wear it.  (I've decided that newborn handknits, though absolutely adorable, get so little wear out of them.. and you can't be sure that the baby born will be small enough... so if I'm gifting a handknit, particularly a garment,  I'd like to see some use out of it..  that nixes the nb size).

The pattern is very clear, with so many different sizes to choose from. I do suggest you highlight the size you are working on, just to make those numbers stand out. And I did take the designer's advice in going down in needle size for the garter yoke. I like to know that the vest will fit snugly, and garter has a lot of give, so this worked out just perfect in sizing.

The bottom row of elephants ended up puckering just ever so slightly, which kind of bothered me. I must have just tugged on the CC a little bit. So that would be something I'd look out for in the future. Of course, this won't be noticeable once babe is wearing it.

And can we just take a little minute to ohh and aaah over these adorable booties? I know you've seen them before, because I blogged about them in my last post. But surely they deserve another squeal of cuteness!


Have you knit the Milo vest before? Do you have a go-to for baby booties? 
I thoroughly enjoyed this gift knit, which is definitely a good thing, as it seems there are many friends having babies! It's a good time to be a knitter. xo

I'm waving at you!

When I've been especially quiet in this space, I think it's just assumed I'm buried in yarn. And to be truthful, that's what's going on :)

I can not believe that November is already upon us! October saw just shy of 70 FO's just for work knitting! Though it's not my record, it's still definitely a busy month! I also had some customs, and a sample go on the needles as well...

And if that weren't enough to take on, I ended up deciding to do a Market! Owen's school is putting on it's first annual Holiday Market, and I'm doing a booth! Owen will be helping me, of course. He is beyond excited as he'll be finger knitting, and selling his necklaces. :) I'm so proud of him! There will be another post about this market soon enough. xo

Please believe me, I think of spending more time in this space often. But as most of you are also crafters, I'm sure you understand the chaos of this season of ours. Holiday knitting is upon us!

I think also that this year has been harder for me to post more frequently as my husband has been away since the summer. He's been gone on course, and we won't see him home until just before Christmas. It makes for busy, and long days for me.

I also have a few selfish knits on the needles as well! Sadly socktober only gave me 1 sock. Not even a pair! haha But hopefully soon I'll see more socks in my sock drawer.

Tell me, what holiday knits do you have planned? Will you treat yourself and make sure you have a new handknit to wear? I'd love to hear from you! xo

22.5 degrees & love

Goodness it's been a while, hey? Did you miss me? haha it's ok if you didn't. ;) I can hardly believe we are just about to embark into June! Where on earth has the time gone? The last few months have been full for us and we are preparing for a busy summer. The Mr. is going away on course for 5 months, and we'll have to say our goodbye's half way through summer. And so we are planning on some important family time in the meantime.

Speaking of family, my amazing OMA has traveled across Canada for a visit! say what?! I'm very glad that long-life genetics are on my side! Oma is 97 and still enjoying every bit of life. So amazing.

She has so many stories to tell, her memories are full. It's lovely! I will be spending much of the weekend with her, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Oma actually was one of the first people in my life to teach me to knit. Up until last year, she was still knitting! Remember this beautiful blanket she made for one of her great grandchildren? Such a special gift.

So of course, I really couldn't let her go home from this amazing visit without a knitterly gift. Oma is loving the variegated yarns, as they are still new to her. I let her choose from some of my favorites in my stash, and she settled on Miss Babs Tarte. The colorway is Berlin.

Gorgeous, isn't it?  I ended up deciding on knitting up Martina Behm's 22.5 degree shawl. I am so glad I did! I absolutely loved knitting this up! In fact, I enjoyed every stitch so much that I'm feeling I'll need to order more Miss Babs! I used a 3.25mm for this project.

I really love the construction of this shawl. So incredibly simple and soothing. Like much of Martina's patterns, I imagine! I was able to use up the entire skein, thanks to Martina's formulas for adapting different yardages to her patterns. Love it!

From start to finish, this only took me a week. I still managed to knit up work knitting as well! It was such a lovely knit, I hardly noticed the extra hours of knitting time put in.

This yarn also drapes like a dream. I so, so love it! The scallop edge is a nice, dainty little feature. Really so sweet! When I saw Oma last week, I was wearing my hitchhiker. She kept commenting on the variegated yarn, and just loving it in the garter stitch. I knew I couldn't go wrong with another pattern from Martina. I had chosen 22.5 degrees so that Oma would have the option of wrapping it around her shoulders like a more traditional way of wearing a shawl, should she choose to.

I certainly plan on ordering more yarn to make one for myself!  I'm looking forward to giving this to her tonight. xo

Do you follow me on Instagram, Ravelry or Facebook? If you don't yet and you'd like to see what I'm up to a little more often than when I post on the blog, please come and follow me! Be sure to say hi! I'd love to follow you too! xo

Knitting in a castle? Sign me up!

This is really happening.

A year ago I had hosted a workshop for Pacific Women's Day here, at Hatley Castle. (cue X-men... yep, this was their school!)
I had such a lovely time, that when I was asked to participate in a knitting workshop again this year, I jumped at the chance!

Of course, teaching here, at Royal Roads University is pretty nice on my ego too.. I get to play knitting professor for the day, no? hahaha I'll buy it.

So this is where I will be this weekend. :) It's really the perfect place to knit. We've got 14 people currently registered, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I will be sure to take a moment to walk around the gardens after the event. Because really, it's just so lovely!

I remember feeling so inspired by this place last year... Even though I will only be spending a few hours here,  I'm sure my needles will be happily clicking away all weekend long! I mean, how can you not want to sit here, knitting needles in hand, sipping tea. Yes. this will be good.

Tell me, what are your weekend plans? xo

awaiting spring

One of the reasons why I love living on the West Coast is the early spring that we often get. Though the air has still been pretty chilly in the mornings.. (for us, that's just 3 or 4 degrees) I'm starting to see signs of spring!

(source)

This of course, gets me very excited for knitting. (lol, what doesn't?!) This is really such a nice time to be layering up in our hand-knits though. And so, sweaters, mitts, socks etc are still very popular knitting items in all of my news feeds.

The holidays (and months leading up to it) are always my busiest time of the year. This year proved no different. I'm sure that was evident in my lack of posts here. I cannot complain, because knitting for a living is a dream job for me, and I'm so fortunate to be able to do it. That being said, selfish knitting definitely takes a back seat.

I think it's been almost a year since I've really focused on knitting something for me. (apart from a test knit that I just happened to love, so it was kind of a double win there).. And so I'm finding myself really looking forward to this spring in the hopes that there will be a few items coming off the needles just for me.

There are so many things that I am looking forward to knitting. I definitely would like to try to have socks to tote around everywhere I go. They are such a portable project, and the amount of single skeins of fingering weight in my stash is astounding..... so there's that. Also, I have been trying to collect sweater quantities. This is important to me, as I was mostly feeling that I was limited in my options with only single skeins to work with.

So I see some exciting months ahead. Longer days coming, which means longer visits to the park (and knitting at the park!!)

Do you want to follow along with me on what will be on my needles this spring? Follow me on Instagram, and you'll be sure to see what's new for me.

Do you have big knitterly goals for the spring? Please share! I'd love to hear from you! Grab your big mug of tea and let's plan our next projects! xo

Guess who?!

Well hello there!!!

Yah, I realize I haven't been very vocal here the past few months, but I'm here now! I can't believe we're into 2015 now. So crazy. Knitting has of course taken hold and really, that's the main reason I've been so quiet here. Work knitting has kept me very very busy. So of course, I can't complain! The market went oh so well, and Christmas was lovely.

Our little family headed to Alberta for a few days between Christmas and New Years, and then my little man turned 7 on the 3rd! How on earth do they grow up so fast? Oh my heart. But I was strong. No tears. ;)

And now comes the much needed routine! I've been making a few changes here at home. I am no longer offering knitting classes through the cloth castle, rather I'll be doing private lessons, and mini classes.

It has been a very rainy few days here on the Island. And today is no different. So on this dark, dreary, & cozy day I'll be baking bread and of course, knitting ;)

Tell me, how were your holidays? Anything memorable happen? Have you started off the new year with any selfish knitting? Do tell, I really have missed you! xo

A little of what I've been up to..

Hellooooo!!!

How are you? It feels as though I've been away forever, and I suppose in a sense, I have.... Where on earth has November gone? It has been a crazy few weeks... And there's more craziness to follow.

The Owl Designer Fair is just under 2 weeks away now. Last week was full of filling custom orders, and now with work knitting, and market knitting, I feel slightly more sane. haha... 

Of course, we had to do this over the weekend.....

Normally we wait until the beginning of December to decorate, but our weekends are already filling up, and so we figured we might as well tackle it over our long weekend. (Owen had a PD day on Friday.) 

So now it's feeling very Christmas-sy here and it's getting me more and more excited for the Owl Designer Fair! 

If you are in the area, I'd love for you to come and say hi! 

Soon, I'll give you a sneak peek of the goods I'll be offering at the fair. :) 

Have you decorated yet? Hope you are also surrounded in yarn!

xo

now available in Spanish :)

Although I know that for some of us, it's hard to admit that the countdown until Christmas has begun, it has... 

Many of us are busy with holiday market prep, and beginning our adventurous handmade gifts for the holidays! kudos to those of you who can manage to pump out gifts for everyone! 

I know that we're always looking for quick gift ideas, and I wanted to take the time to remind you of two of my free patterns! One is the ever popular mug hug. These are perfect stocking stuffers, or a quick added gift for your child's teacher.

Add a starbucks gift card, and a few chocolates (or a bottle of wine) and you're set! ;)

 I get so excited to see all of your versions of the mug hug, and there are many!!

The other pattern is my Jardain coasters! These are crochet, but I promise you, they're an easy peasy pattern! 

I am so excited to let you know that the Jardain pattern is now available in Spanish! Find the link here.

Here are the quick links to the patterns :)

Mug Hugs | Jardain Coasters

I have been busy clicking away, and watching my product grow for the market, and I have to say I'm getting pretty excited!! I promise to have a little update on the new items added soon!

What quick holiday knits (or crochet patterns) do you have in your bag of tricks? Come share! xo

I've got a market!

There is a reason for the quiet here, I promise... October is usually when my busy season really ramps up, and I've been very busy stocking for my one and only winter market!!

That's right! I'll be back at the owl designer fair this year! And I couldn't be more excited!! I absolutely LOVE this event! Everyone kept me very busy last year, I even had customers buying straight off my needles! I am really hoping to have some extra stock on hand this year.

Here's a sneak peek at a few of the items you'll find at my booth this year :)

There was such a fantastic response from the newborn hats, so you can be sure there will be heaps this year! And perhaps a few of the styles in larger sizes as well!

 These mittens are the warmest, most squishy mittens! They were super popular, and I'm happy to be bringing them back!

The ever popular katniss cowl! There are limited quantities of these, so you'll have to be hurry to snag your own! 

If you are in the area at all, please do come by and say hi! I'll be downstairs this year! And of course, I promise, I'll have some yummy treats too... xoxo

I hope you can come!! I've made a facebook event as well... And I'll be posting some pictures there as more items are added to the inventory!

xoxo

popping in!

Hey!
Now that fall is here, and all knitters are casting on everything... it's really my happy place. I just love the crisp morning air, the leaves showing their true colours, and the smell of a fall rain. It's really just perfect...
We celebrated thanksgiving this past weekend, and Owen and I also ran races!

Though it's the most insane time of year for me to be preparing for a race, as my work load increases dramatically this time of year, I really wanted the experience of racing in the fall.... and I have to say, I love it! Owen did such a great job! He is one speedy little dude. :)

And now it's time to really buckle down and dive into the busy knitting season. I do have something to share with you soon!! Tell me, what have you cast on? Are you working on gift knitting? Selfish knitting? do tell!! xo

hey hey!

I'm back!! Did you miss me?

Our little anniversary getaway was so so wonderful! Really, just what we needed. Both Les and I felt really relaxed afterwards. It was just amazing to be together and not have to be anywhere else.. so SO lovely..

'course, the view was just breathtaking... and that is always a bonus! We could have watched the ocean for hours.... (I think we did). At any rate, I feel pretty certain that this needs to happen more than once every 10 years. ;)

And now it's back to reality. Which isn't so bad :) I've got a fast approaching market, which I'll share with you this week, and Les is already off to sea until Friday. (but home only for the weekend).

So I feel ready to tackle this busy month, and my knitting needles will be clicking away furiously! (for real, I just made a pot of coffee, and it's 8pm!)

Tell me, are you preparing for any holiday markets? What do you have on your needles? I am already looking forward to casting on a selfish knit this winter! xo

here's to a decade!

It is so true, that the older you get, the faster time flies...

I remember when I was really young ....or more realistically, when I try to tell my 6 year old how to be patient... through lengths of tv shows, and it's soooooooooooooo hard! Now, life happens in a blink of an eye!

so crazy. but i try not to miss anything... I try my best to hold on to every moment, (well the happiest ones anyways)...  just look how young we were!!

today, my man and I are on our first romantic getaway since our honeymoon! we're calling it our second honeymoon... we're so excited.

grandma and papa are holding down the fort with owen, while we whisk each other up island to celebrate 10 amazing years together.

I love you Les. And I can't wait for many more decades together with you xo...

The key to a long life.

It's no surprise that knitting is my passion. seriously, you can ask anyone who has come in contact me and they probably know that I am a knitter. I can't help it. If I'm not knitting, I don't know what to do. Ha! 

I learned to knit when I was really young. My oma and my aunt watched over me and taught me these life changing skills for me. My grandma was a knitter too.. sadly I never had the opportunity to meet her, but I know she's looking down on me and is so very proud. I feel pretty honoured to have her very knitting needles in my possession. 

My oma is 96 now. soon to be 97! and I am incredibly proud to say she's still knitting! I honestly hope I will age like her. This woman has had such a full, and amazing life. 

Though she admits to not be knitting as much these days, and needs patterns that don't require a lot of "seeing" and avoids yarn that is too dark.... I am so amazed that she's still working away at this incredible craft, her hands moving away on their own without any need of direction... 

Of course when my Oma heard my cousin was expecting her second babe, she set to work on a beautiful knitted gift... 

it's lovely! The pattern itself is very simple... no frills... but so very pretty! Oma actually asked me to add the fringe for her, and to deliver it.. Of course I jumped at the chance to be able to work on a project with her! What an amazing experience! 

Oma has never knitted with circulars. she hates them.. and also would never knit with larger needles... so knowing this, and realizing that this must have been knit on a 3mm or so just amazes me!

It has been proven that knitting helps with memory, dexterity, stress, anxiety and many other things! 

So then I can't help but wonder if knitting is her secret to a long life? I'm going to hold onto that... xoxo  

new starts!

I am pretty happy to welcome the first day of fall, and the first day of school all at once! yep! kids are now officially back in school!!! goodness it's nice to get back into a routine. xo

of course I've gotten used to his company... so I'm kind of missing him... xo

But now the season of holiday knitting & cozy cowls is at us in full force. i love it!

how are you celebrating the first day of fall? xo

onward....

You guys. Seriously. I'm in love.

This is definitely one of my favourite custom knits to date. Mostly because I immediately feel like I need to cast on for another right away, for me.

So let's start with the yarn. Ohmygoodness the yarn. I used madelinetosh 80/10/10 worsted, in fog.
I had actually never knew that madtosh carried the 80/10/10 worsted, and it surely didn't disappoint. It's such a squishy, full yarn, with so much bounce! I loved knitting with it! And I think the colour was perfect for this pattern.

Ok now to chat about the pattern..
This is Onward, by Shannon Cook.
The pattern is part of the collection JOURNEY that Shannon and Jane Richmond created.
This is honestly one of those wrap-me-up cozy shawls that everybody has to own.  I love it! The pattern is really enjoyable and always keeps the interest there. I love that she provided stitch count checks (the chart on the following page) just to ensure you were on the right track and hadn't effed it up anywhere. It also helped to keep track very quickly where I was in the pattern when I had to set it down for the week.

It really was a very straightforward knit. I only worked on it on the weekends, and it was done in 2 of them. Oh and I used a 4.5mm needle.

I really had a hard time popping this one in the mail. In fact I know that I'll be ordering more yarn to knit up another one for me in the very very near future.

Tell me, have you knit from this collection yet? Have you knit the onward shawl yet? Do tell, what yarn did you use? In what colour? Oh I feel like I need another one asap!