Drivers License

My Nightshift is growing. I’m using the new Noro Ito colours - 76 and 91.

It was a day of errands. I was at the spa this morning for a pedicure. Then home to work on the website and write a few newsletters. Everything is set for Black Friday - I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. I was happily knitting when I realized that I need to get my drivers license renewed. I went to Service Ontario on Upper James. BAD MISTAKE!!! It was nearly impossible to find a parking spot. When I got inside there was at least 50 people in front of me. You might not know this about me but I don’t like to wait in lines. I left and headed to Service Ontario in Caledonia. I live at the halfway point and should have gone to Caledonia first. I could park right in front and the lady working was playing on her phone because no one was there. I was in and out in under 5 minutes.

Dinner is finished and I’m going to my chair. I’m a bit obsessed with my shawl.

New colours of Ito which lead to a new project

Mr. FedEx came this afternoon just as I was leaving the store. We have two new colours of Noro Ito

Above is 76 and below is 91. They aren’t on the website yet - I’ll do that tomorrow.

Noro's Ito yarn is a kaleidoscope of color and texture that ignites the imagination. Ito is not just any yarn—it's a slubby, worsted weight wonder, crafted from 100% wool and packaged in generous 200-gram skeins boasting 437 yards of creative potential. Prepare to be mesmerized as you knit with Ito, as its ever-changing color spectrum unfolds before your eyes. One of Noro's most vibrant creations, Ito weaves together a symphony of hues, daring you to count the myriad colors dancing within each ball. A single skein of Ito is more than enough to knit a captivating scarf, but it also shines brilliantly when used for head-turning sweaters and statement accessories. Embrace the challenge and let your creativity soar with Noro's Ito yarn—where every stitch tells a story of color, texture, and endless inspiration.

This happened when I got home. I’ve been uninspired by my current knitting. It happens to everyone. I thought a new project would get me going. I normally pick colours that are very different so it will be interesting to see how this comes out. So far so good. What is the pattern? Andrea Mowry’s Nightshift (purchased on Ravelry). I’ve knit the shawl many times and enjoy it. The Nightshift also makes great blog posts - lots of colour.

Now to finish my tea and knit a few more rows. Once you start a Nightshift it’s hard to put it down. What is the next colour going to look like?

One Love Mystery KAL

The third clue is almost finished.

The pattern is easy to follow and becomes intuitive. I like how the colours are working. The yarn is Emma’s Crazy Beautiful Color for November. 

Take a look at the finished projects on Ravelry.

The Christmas tree is up.

I put up a purple tree in my bedroom. There is going to be a lot of Christmas in our house this year.

This afternoon dad and Beth made lemon loaf. It is a Starbucks copycat and it tastes so good!! Dad likes to help with baking.

Now back to football and my knitting.

Don’t forget that the store will be closed this Friday.

Lite Bright Loop

Thank you Wool & Pine for a new cowl pattern. This is the Lite Bright Loop and you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Lite Bright Loop brings all the playful color blending of our fan-favorite Lite Bright and Extra Lite Bright sweaters into a cozy, wearable cowl. This is a stash lover’s dream: grab your leftovers, minis, handspun treasures, or the ends of your sweater fades and turn them into a colorful accessory thats super fun and easy to knit. 

Using a simple stranded colorwork motif (no floats), Lite Bright Loop lets you mix shades in a way that feels organic and expressive. Fade boldly, knit softly shifting gradients, or go full confetti explosion, every loop becomes one of a kind. 

And because every stash looks different, the pattern is actually 4-in-1, with separate charts for:

• Fingering weight – 5 colors
• Fingering weight – 17 colors (also adaptable to 9 minis for a single-loop)
• DK weight – 5 colors
• DK weight – 19 colors (also adaptable to 10 minis for a single-loop)

Work the whole thing in fingering weight, all in DK, or hold fingering yarn double to meet DK gauge. Our red sample follows the 5-color fingering version, while the green/autumn sample was knit using the DK 5-color version with a mix of DK scraps, handspun, and fingering held double.

Wool & Pine always has lots of photos so you can really see what the finished garment looks like. Having two different colourways knit up helps as well.

Both Alex and Lynn were in with me today. It was a crazy day of counting yarn, stocking shelves and rearranging. Crazy Sexy Wool lives at the front door. We also received a restock of double pointed needles in larger sizes.

Tonight’s movie is Yours, Mine and Ours - the version from 1968. It is a great movie. How can you go wrong with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball?

Soak

No-rinse formulation to get your washables deliciously clean.

Are you using Soak to wash and block your knit/crocheted items?

1. Soak  

Pour a capful of Soak into a gallon of cool water. Make sure there’s enough room for the water to move around and cover the item. Soak it for 15 minutes (longer is okay). 

2. Squeeze

Gently squeeze out the water- there’s no need to rinse. Some colour may bleed into the water, but don’t worry, this won’t harm your garment. (But it’s always a good idea to test for colour-fastness before washing.) 

3. Dry

Roll the item in a dry towel* and squeeze out moisture. Lay flat to dry.

*If your item (like an underwire bra) should not be rolled, just use a towel to press out any extra moisture before lying flat to dry. 

To find out how to use Soak in the machine, or get the scoop on some pro-tips for caring for your favourite lingerie, cashmere, swimwear and more, keep on learning at Soak School! 

Related Posts:
Machine-washing
Scent-sensitive
Spot cleaning

Lynn, Alex and I use Soak for washing and blocking our garments. What are our favourite scents?

Lynn - Yuzu

Alex - Pineapple

Julie - Yuzu or Pineapple

I finished Jaunty this evening before dinner. Alex is coming in tomorrow and I’ll send it home with her.

The decreases on Jaunty are a little different. You aren’t decreasing one stitch - you need to decrease two to keep the rib pattern going. Susan was in yesterday to make sure she was doing her decreases correctly. The last thing I said to her was “make sure you catch both stitches when knitting 2 together”. I was knitting away last night and looked down - I had dropped a stitch when I did a decrease. It was 10 rows down. I laddered it back up and all is good but there were a few choice words. 🤬

New Yarn Alert

Mr. FedEx came this afternoon with boxes of Crazy Sexy Wool. I’ll be busy tomorrow finding somewhere to put the yarn.

All of a sudden I looked at the calendar and it’s the middle of November. I need to get working on newsletters which I hope to get to tonight. I also worked on our store hours for December.

We will be closed on Friday November 28th. 

Dad and Beth are out tonight so it’s me and the dogs. I started to put ornaments on the tree. Jackson walked close to the tree and I realized that the good glass balls need to be up top and plastic balls need to be at the bottom. I went into our storage room to find more decorations. There are 3 huge boxes that are way too heavy for me to carry. Beth and I will need to start going through them tomorrow night to see what needs to come upstairs.

Now a bit of CSI:NY and knitting on my Joji shawl. 

The Watering Can

I took the day off and drove to Vineland to visit The Watering Can.

This is from their website

Set in the heart of Niagara’s wine country, The Watering Can Flower Market is a European inspired shop bursting with plants and flowers with new discoveries at every turn. We are a family run, plant enthusiast, flower loving company who loves a good coffee to fuel our excitement.

We have 2 locations to explore! Our Vineland destination centre features a unique experience with thousands of tropicals, cacti and succulents, our floral boutique, café and our workshops. Come enjoy a walk through while you savor a drink and pastry from our café or better yet, stay for lunch amidst the plants in our greenhouse. Guiding and teaching others our knowledge and skills of this wonderful world we live in, can been seen through our extensive workshop line-ups. Our St. Catharines store is exclusive to our floral boutique and is located right in the downtown core.

The shop’s founder had an immense love of flowers and sought to share her admiration of nature’s gifts. In her memory, we continue to grow, create, and teach. In her honour, it is our pleasure to serve you.

I can’t believe that I haven’t been there before.

There are 5 out buildings where they teach workshops. If I was only 25 again. This would be a perfect setup for a yarn shop 🥰

I came home with a few bags including a new Nativity Set.

It had to come home with me. 

I’m totally into Christmas now. After The Price is Right we’re getting the Christmas tree out.