quick gift knitting!

I get so excited when I see someone's f.o of a pattern that I designed! especially this one...

photo by mamatronic

michelle aka. mamatronic is amazing with her mad knitting skills, and coupling with beautiful photography her ravelry project page is just stunning!

when I saw her blog post about this project yesterday, it put the biggest smile on my face. wahoo!! serious happy dance!

and the recent response to these boot cuffs have gotten me inspired to publish more patterns. i'm typing up something as we speak (haha I didn't mean this post, but I suppose I am doing that too.)

these make excellent Christmas gifts. they are practical and beautiful! and relatively quick to knit up.
find the pattern here:

ravelry | etsy

 

thank you michelle for your fantastic photography and knitting skills. :)

 

have you started compiling a list of quick knits for holiday gift giving? which patterns have made the cut? wishing my American friends a lovely thanksgiving! xo



sometimes it's good to be selfish...

I'm realizing more and more how important it is for the busy knitter to make sure to set aside time to do some selfish knitting. it is really the reason why we started knitting in the first place....

and especially with the holidays hovering just ahead, it's easy to get caught up in other knitting. namely gift knitting, or market knitting if you've got any of those coming up. trust me, I know how easy it is to forget to knit for yourself....

so I'm happy to say I've talked some sense into myself, and am working on selfish knitting here and there. when more than 95% of what I knit isn't for me, or anyone in my household, it's pretty stinkin' important to fit in some selfish and family knits.

I give you basketcase mitts. pattern by amy miller. remember my pendulum? same designer. you can't go wrong. i love her!
this was a really quick knit with gorgeous results. that basketweave stitch is just so stunning! I love it. paired with plucky knitter traveler aran yarn, really you can't go wrong. the colour I used is honey wilkes.

these mitts are so very warm, and squishy, and the colour is just so pretty! I keep staring at my hands. hee hee... I even had 43g leftover yarn... one skein is more than enough.

I did go down in needle sizes. I used a 4mm/US6 and 5mm/US 8 for these mitts. they're still a little bit bigger than I'd like... so warning that I think these mitts run a bit big... it's not stopping me from wearing them though. nope, they like my hands, and my hands like them. :)

and even with all of the deadlines looming ahead, I'm so very happy I set aside time for a selfish knit. and if I can do it, trust me.. you can too. if you're the type of person who rarely knits for yourself,  I challenge you to make sure you do some selfish knitting, with some lovely yarn for Christmas... you deserve it! xo

i'm already working on my next selfish knit. what are you working on? xo

it starts!

welcome Friday !

this weekend we are hoping to decorate for the holidays. and of course cuddle up and knit. we've been having cooler than normal temperatures and it's certainly getting everyone in the mood for the holidays! hurrah! you can bet the Christmas tunes will be playing.



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what will you be doing this weekend? visiting any holiday craft fairs? decorating? crafting away? come chat xoxo the weekend is finally here!

making a list.....

I don't know about you. but I thought I used to be able to stay up until the wee hours of the morning elving, and then getting up at 6:30am (or earlier) to tackle the day. for some reason I totally thought I had it in me to do that today.

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ummmm no. ha. I did muster up the energy to make a pot of coffee pronto though. so that part is good. I wish I could say I was already elving though! and I know that will start oh so soon. so right now i'm trying to make lists, and decide which projects will take longer, and which need to be finished first.

I always have grand plans in my head, and then when I put it down on paper I seriously have to question my thought process. lol! I have to remind myself of the above... "it's ok to say no to unnecessary crazy". definitely. and while I absolutely love the spirit of handmade, I have to remind myself it doesn't mean a knitted advent calendar... or even necessarily anything knitted at all! it was a nice reminder. and made me less afraid this morning. ;)

so today I found this on pinterest.

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and I totally think I have to create this. and honestly, what a perfect gift too! the link under the picture will take you to pinterest, but I've saved you a step. click here to go straight to the source. xo

and now as I go chug another cup of coffee, and get ready to volunteer at my son's book fair today... i'll be trying to realistically plan my gift giving. of course, there will be knitting in there too :)

how are you doing for the holiday gift giving? do you have a plan of attack? come chat. let's share tips, tricks, and even ideas! xo

basketcase!

what? did I really just go almost a whole week without posting anything?!?! where on earth has the time gone?

granted, I was feeling under the weather. but still... I didn't realize it had been so long! anyhoo, I hope this makes up for it. ;)
even though I've been keeping very busy with work knitting and market prep I decided I needed some good old selfish knitting. it's such a rare thing for me, and boy did it get me excited!!

I bought a skein of plucky traveler aran yarn in the honey wilkes colourway... and it's soooo squishy! and it's also the perfect match for the basketcase mitts, I believe. I am such a fan of amy miller's patterns. this one is no exception. I adore it! and the cabling on this mitt makes me feel oh so clever!

I stayed up way too late last night finishing up the first mitt because I needed the needles for work knitting today. ha. that's incentive! oh but I love this project! and i'm excited to have something new for me! I can't wait to show you when they're all done!!

here's hoping we'll see more selfish knits in the very near future. :)
what's on your needles today?

queue exploding

I have just favourited and queued almost all of the patterns in Brooklyn tweed's wool people vol.6 issue. check out the look book here. and be warned, you'll be itching to cast on before you're done browsing the look book.

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and now your queue has grown as well....and I sooo wish I had a bazillion more hours in the day... and a woodstove to curl up and knit in front of...

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I am supposed to be super focused right now.!!! I have the owl designer market next month, (which desperately needs my knitterly attention) and let's not forget about Christmas!!! gack!

so today i'm going to have a freak out. what about you? xo

Are you climbing? I am.

i'm sure you've all heard the buzz about journey. a beautiful new knitting book written and designed by two of my besties, Jane Richmond and Shannon Cook.

if any of you are looking for Christmas ideas for your knitterly pals, this would be a perfect gift! i am happy to tell you that i was able to test one of the patterns and so i can speak firsthand, that climb is an excellent project! if you've never knit socks before and would love to try, this would be the perfect pattern to dip your toes into sock knitting with! .. haha did you get that? dip your toes in? ha. (bear with me, I've had little sleep, and i'm easily guzzling my third cup of joe right now)...

i used knit picks stroll tonal yarn, (the grey is stroll fingering) and a size 2.5mm needle.
these are easily the fastest socks i have ever knit, and i can not wait to knit more! I've honestly stocked up on more yarn just for this purpose. my hubby is excited too because he'll most certainly get a pair or two ;)

when you're knitting them it will seem as though your foot must be uber long but trust the pattern. jane totally knows what she's doing. and you'll absolutely love the result!

best part is that this pattern allows for so many different colour combinations! i'm already thinking of a green and pumpkin combo. yes that will be awesome!

get more info on all of the patterns (there are 6 gorgeous ones, including 2 sweaters!) here. and believe you me. you'll love this book. the pictures are stunning, and i for sure want to knit everything! if you loved island, you'll adore journey.

do you have a copy already? tell me what colour combos will you use for climb? xo have a happy weekend friends! full of knitting, of course. xoxo

sometimes life throws you curveballs.... and kittens. xo

I've been quiet in this space this week. But it's been crazy here. my little man lost a tooth at school, so yesterday was a rush to the dentist... all is fine, thankfully... and the "toothmouse" was generous for sure... he literally ran into another kid... and his mouth hit this kid's head :(

oh also, this sweet little darling has joined our family.

and she. is. rambunctious! love it!! it's the kitten in her for sure. thankfully baxter has stopped growling and hissing. she's now chasing him all over the house.. haha he's such a scardey cat. ;) we still have yet to name her.  I bet by the weekend they'll be cuddling. they've made amazing progress already! xo

so this, coupled with trying to stay on top of the busy season of knitting... yeah... I clearly need more coffee, and less sleep... if only this cold would leave already!

'tis November!

I hope to have a quick weekend plans post for you tomorrow! chat soon! xo

swoon

so i'm pretty much smitten with a sweater pattern.....

cochenille's version on ravelry

and I might have even talked about it before today... I can't even remember, this is what happens when i'm completely sidetracked with a pattern... mrs. garter. by ankestrick ...so so smitten. I can just picture myself wrapped up in this with a good book and a cup of tea, in front of the Christmas tree. yes. perfect. though I highly doubt I could have it done in time for this Christmas, (I don't even have the yarn yet.. hah) i'm pretty determined to knit it .



lilalu's version on ravelry

the big question now is which colour-ways I want to knit the sweater in. i'm certain I want to knit the shorter version (as you see in both examples). i'm also partial to both of these combos. either a grey and darker grey, or a grey and yellow...

as for which yarn i'll use? i'm totally going to get a custom dye by the amazing sandara of duck duck wool! and i'm pretty excited about it!!

i'm also kind of surprised that this pattern has only been entered 60 times on ravelry. all of the comments are that the pattern is amazing, so well written, and the sweater is a quick fave staple of the knitter. at any rate i'm super excited to make this one a staple in my wardrobe .
but honestly, what do you guys think regarding the colour choices? any input?

do you have a sweater that is just calling your name? which is it? come chat. it's the perfect day for it, really. xo

market season begins!

and just like that, we are at the start of a new month already! we seem to barely get back on our feet before the bombardment of holiday knitting hits us hard... but i'm ok with that. though holiday knitting has been on my mind since ummm last Christmas it's a given i'll be uber busy. but this weekend I want to take some time to really organize my stash... and figure out my "knitting calendar".
this isn't really any small feat though. my stash has grown substantially since vogue knitting live back in the spring. for real. I brought back a lovely haul from that event, and I've since gone to Virginia, had a few knit picks orders, the plucky yarn keeps coming, and there's been a few extras as well. oh yah, and you got a hint from the other day of knit city.

the hardest thing of all of this is finding time to knit with my own yarns. I've mentioned many times in the past that i'm actually a product knitter. yep, i'm one of the very lucky and few ones out there that is making a living from knitting.... and let me tell you, on top of that I've been agreeing to test knits, a wholesale order, and planning markets. i'm crazy. (but knitters generally are) ;) I do realize I can't do heaps of winter markets though. I love the market atmosphere... even the insane prep period. I really do love it. but with my other obligations, and desire to actually knit for my family and if ever at all possible for myself I've decided to really limit my winter markets.

and if you're in the area, you'll want to go to this one. i'm so excited to announce that i'll be a vendor at the owl designer fair again this year! I absolutely adored this market last year. it was my busiest event, and so much fun!! so mark your calenders.. Dec 6 & Dec 7 at the fernwood community center. you can be sure there will be lots more info on that throughout the month.

I plan on doing something a little different with my booth this year, and i'm excited about it! I can't wait to show you all!!
and so this month is already full and exciting. I love this time of the year!


how is your November looking? do you have any upcoming winter markets? come chat. xo