Exciting Knitting Announcement!

This blog has lately been filled with a lot of running.  Fairly enough since training for a marathon is an almost full time consuming passion.  HOWEVER, I do still find some time to fit in some stitches.

When my youngest daughter potty trained, I quickly changed her diaper basket into a knitting basket, and it sits nicely at the end of our couch.  One project started, another one joined it, (and another), and quickly it was near overflowing.  I've been working hard to empty the basket (mostly because I really want to cast on a pair of socks).

My eldest daughter turned 8 a week ago, and I ordered some special yarn from the US to make her a ballet shrug.  More often than not she would be cold at ballet class during the winter so this seemed like a great solution.  The pattern search however was not.  Knitting patterns are not cheap, and lately pattern price seems to have taken another leap.  Some costing anywhere from $6-$10.  I don't mind spending the money if I know I will use the pattern more than once, but likely for a kids pattern like a shrug, I won't.  A little daunted, I set about altering this adult pattern.  One I have knit for myself.  Calculations set, I cast on, and.... it worked!  It fits her like a charm, and I even had enough yarn to make the arms full length and with thumb holes (because who doesn't love thumb holes?)

One down in the basket.

Next in the basket was a capelet for my Mom.  I started this project for her 60th birthday.... two years ago.  Gosh wow seriously.  I was having knitting guilt everytime I passed out a finished project and it wasn't hers.  That included Christmas gifts, birthday gifts.  It was becoming a knitterly heavy burden.  Ballet shrug done, I picked that capelet back up, and cast it off this past weekend. It's beautiful, but I am glad to not see another p5tog for a while (that means purling 5 stitches together.  A feat that my needles are not very fond of).

Finally (and here comes the annoucement), is my icelandic sweater.  I finished up the arms this past weekend and have joined the arms to the body, so only have the yoke to go.  I'm excited to be entering it into the Western Showcase.  Every year at the Calgary Stampede,there is an art showcase tucked away in the corner of one of the buildings, wonderfully placed by the wine pavillion.  There are paintings, quilts, cakes, and oh yes, knitting and crochet.  Two (?) years ago I entered in two of my knits.  I loved seeing them on display and even won a ribbon.  The icelandic sweater is pretty unique in that the yarn is actually from iceland, as is the pattern, and I made a number of alterations on it to have a proper fit.  When I realized a couple of weeks ago I could have it completed to submit, I became determined to get it done.  I checked the brochure this morning and I have about a month left to get er done.

Once the sweater is complete, I will have a cowl left in my basket, and then SOCKS.  That should correspond nicely to the start of summer, where knitting socks is a wonderful light project.

What do you have in your basket right now?

'Stache with Stash!

I recently did some stash busting, to create this adorable 'stache for my eldest daughter.

We had a week of incredible cold (temps in the negative teens), and she asked to wear her scarf to school.  A fleece scarf that came free with her snowsuit, when I think she was 2.  A knitting Mom can do better than that!  Plus she was using it as a balaclava and was always having to ask someone to tie it behind her head.

I turned to an online group of friends on Ravelry who suggested Incognito.  Seriously, how fun!

This knits up in no time flat, and there are about six possible 'staches to choose from.

I first knit poirot, which unfortunately was too wide and narrow and didn't look like a moustache at all when my daughter wore it.

This one is just perfect and was an alternate moustache a Ravelry user created.

Bonus is I didn't have to buy any yarn for this project.  All stash I had tucked away.  The pink and purple are Cascade 220 and from a ballet bag I knit for my daughter 4 years ago.  The 'stache is created from a hat I made for her I believe when she was 2!

The weather has warmed up, but we are all ready for the cold when it hits again now :)

Ain't Noyone Have Time for That!

Laundry.  The bane of my existance.  I manage to get laundry washed, but folded and put away is a whole different gamat.  And that being with not having to wash my hubby's stuff, and having help from my big two to get theirs put away.  It just seems never ending.  (Especially after 13 days of sickness, but who is counting).

Regular laundry aside, I've had a basket of handknits sitting in our bathroom for the past two months.

I came clean (ha!) about it yesterday to a friend who chuckled at me.  I haven't been knitting, because I haven't been washing.  And if I'm not finding the time to wash the handknits, then why am I knitting?  It's a bad circle of thought for a knitter to be caught in.

After confessing to my friend, I confessed a little bit broader.  Here was my IG post.

The feedback I got was really lovely.  That these handknits represent alot of love.  That they are precious.  Wash them a bit at a time.  Make a 'pattern' so I don't need to measure each time.  Buy superwash.

I woke up this morning to find a class of my sons had been cancelled, and all of a sudden we had a whole day layed out before us without plans.  It was 8 am and I set to work.  I brought down the entire basket, and am proud to say, in 45 minutes I had washed all but one shawl and a hat, and covered almost my entire bedroom floor in clean handknits.

I used two sinks, a number of times, and I gave up on the wires, the blocking mats (I wouldn't have had enough), and I gave up on the measuring tape.  I washed, I hung, I layed them out scrunching when necessary, and tugging when needed.  I just hope they all will still fit - ha ha!

It feels really good to have this done, and now I am going to do my best to stay on top of it.

And you know what else?  Today is #iloveyarnday.  How appropriate!  I hope to find some time today to pick up those needles and set to work.

Thanks for all the encouragement friends!  I needed that gentle push.

Goldilocks Tunic

For my daughters second birthday, I dug deep into my yarn stash, and found some Shibui Knits Kiwi yarn.  It was originally destined to be a shawl (to be honest half is knit into a shawl), but that project was never going to see completion.  So I took the remaning skeins, and though bright, thought they would look great on her.

The Goldilocks pattern has just under a medium difficulty rating on Ravelry, and I would agree.  The pattern is quite confusing at the beginning, and only offers initial help in getting started.  After a little bit, I soon started to figure it out and find a rhthym, but I wouldn't recommend it to a knitter just starting out on garments, or on faux cabling.  There is still one section under the arm I'm not convinced is done properly, but noyone knows that but me (and maybe you if you can tell from the photos!).

Mods I made:

I knit the dress to 10.5” before doing the mock cables on the bottom.  

After the increase rows on the back I did a row of mock cables. I love the way it turned out.

I also added mock cables on the sleeves. I picked up a total of 50 stitches for each arm.

I'm a love gifter.  As most craft people would say (I assume), that one way they show love is by giving of their handicrafts.  I would never have thought that one of my kids would end up potentially (because I'm not giving up hope!), not being knit-worthy.  

I finished up that knit, lovingly tucked it into a gift bag, and waited for the moment she would open it, envisioning her asking to wear it right then.  And it sort of worked like that.  She opened it, tried to put it back in the bag, I encouraged her to put it on, she did.  For a mere second or two.  Then tried to rip it off.

Oh the craft heart broke a bit.  My eldest tried to reason with her.  We went on a bike ride instead in the clothes the little actually wanted to wear.  I tried the next day.  She would throw the tunic across the room.  I'm as stubborn as she is.  So I emptied all her drawers leaving only the tunic, and a choice of leggings.  (Crazy, perhaps, but determined).

She went to her dresser, opened the drawer.  Closed it.  Opened the next "nothin there!" she said.  Open, close, open close.  Then the tears started.  She left the room diaper clad.  Tried to put on her sisters clothes.  I put that tunic on her.  Showed her how nice it was.  We praised her all day long about that dress.

I got some good photos.  Not sure if she will ever wear it again.  But it was worn for one glorious day.

I had plans to knit her sweaters for the Fall, but I think I might need to stick to hats.  Hats seem safe.

Knit Parade - Heather Hoodie Vest

This was my January project for my knit group, but I actually started this sweater/vest back in 2013 (the Spring or Summer I believe).  Maybe I knew this project would end up languishing for awhile, which is why I never set a start date.

Most other Ravellers have knit it in a short amount of time, which is no surprise given it is knit with bulky yarn on big needles.  It should fly off fast!

I made a couple of mods on this project, the first knitting the body one inch longer than the pattern called for.  The second was the hood.  As other knitters had commented, the hood as per pattern would be quite huge.  I knit it to ten inches before beginning the decreases.  I also found a standard bind off to be quite tight to comfortably pull it over your head, so around the top of the hood I used an elastic bind off.

I love this hoodie and have already worn it alot.  A great layering piece for the temps we see here late winter, Spring, and Fall.

Yarn:  Cascade Eco colorway 8010
Pattern Link:  Heather Hoodie Vest