Snow Day

This is Modern Twist from Heidi Kirrmaier. The sweater is knit in worsted weight yarn so you have many yarn options. The pattern can be purchased on Ravelry.

Design: 
This design is a modern twist on a traditional cable knit sweater. It has a simple cable (twist!) pattern, modified drop shoulders, and the option of a crew neck or turtle neck. 

Fit: 
Measurements shown above are the body circumference of the finished garment. I suggest you choose a size that measures approximately 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) more than your actual full chest/bust measurement. 

How it’s Knit:
It is knit from the top down, in one piece. You begin by knitting the upper back, then stitches are picked up for the upper front sections and the shoulders are shaped with short rows. It has some armhole shaping and then the body is knit in the round. Sleeve stitches are picked up from the main piece, and the sleeves begin with some short rows and then are knit in the round. Collars sts are picked up and knit at the end. 

The pattern includes links to videos that show a couple of the techniques, just in case that is something you find helpful. 

If you have any pattern questions, please post them here.

Lynn’s Jaunty is growing. Now that she is decreasing the rows go much faster.

We had a snow day. The dogs loved the snow. Beth had to run to the drug store late this afternoon to pick up dad’s prescriptions. She said the roads were still awful and she is driving a pickup truck with snow tires and she had it in 4X4. Hopefully everything is better in the morning.

Finished Ooey Gooey Cowl

Linda visited today wearing her finished Ooey Gooey Cowl. I’m in love. It was my first time seeing the cowl in real life. Linda loves it so much that she bought yarn to make another one.

Linda used Emma’s Suri Silk in Beach Please with Ghost Ranch Dyed in the Wool. She didn’t add the twist when she sewed it together.

Now I think I want to knit the cowl.

I was out the door early yesterday morning to visit our travel agent. We finalized everything for the train trip. Thin it was home to this set up and doing paperwork. By the time dinner hit I couldn’t sit any longer to blog.

It looks like we’re going to get snow tonight. If it’s bad in the morning then I’ll wait to head to the store. Please call before heading out to visit us if it’s snowing.

Train Trip

 

A weekend of football means a weekend of knitting. I should be finished by the weekend. Then I have plans to get back to one of my sweaters. I’m not sure which one but there are quite a few that need sleeves. My mom had the same problem. We found many projects with a front and back but no sleeves.

I don’t know what Beth did to the dogs at work today. They are all sleeping while we’re watching The Price is Right.

Today I booked a trip for dad and I. We’re going on the Rocky Mountaineer in April. Beth and I have been thinking about a trip for him for a while but we weren’t sure what to do. Last week I had an ad on Facebook for the train and Beth and I both agreed it was a great trip to take. Dad and mom were thinking about the train years ago. Beth has been obsessed with it for some time as well. Dad is excited!!! 

While I was booking the plane tickets I thought about a plane trip I took years ago to Los Angeles for TNNA in Long Beach. Bev and I were at the back of the plane. Julia and Karen were a few rows ahead of us. Karen thought that it was a good idea to knit white angora on a plane. She had a man beside her in a beautiful black suit. Every few minutes we could see Karen pulling yarn out of the ball and white angora was flying everywhere. The poor man got off the plane covered in fluff. I vowed that day that I would never knit with a fluffy yarn on a plane. 

Winter Sunset

Today I put together kits for Kaffe Fassett’s Winter Sunset. This fun scarf is knit with Rowan Felted Tweed and Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

These bright colours are the colours that Kaffe used for the scarf.

Not everyone wants the bright colours so I made two different combinations. 

There are so many colours of Kidsilk Haze and Felted Tweed that I could put together many, many combinations. Come on in and I’ll make you your own kit.

The kits are available online and in the store.

This weekend is all about football. The playoffs are starting so there should be lots of knitting time. 

Arranmore Light

We received sad news this week that The Fibre Co. is going to wind down their operations. We have carried Arranmore Light for many years and love the yarn. A restock order has been placed and we should see it the week of January 19th. Don’t wait because once the yarn is gone we won’t be able to get anymore.

Inspired by the breathtaking scenery of Ireland’s Northern Headlands, Arranmore Light yarn is spun in a mill that traces its roots to the homespun tweed industry of 19th century County Donegal. A finer weight than the popular Arranmore, Arranmore Light blends cashmere and silk with a fine merino wool to create an authentic tweed yarn of the finest quality. With a colour palette reminiscent of the wild Irish coastlands, Arranmore Light was designed for makers appreciating the best of luxury and tradition.

See all the shades.

This is the Bookish Cardi

The Bookish Cardi is a statement layering sweater. It features some of my favorite stitches and techniques: twisted stitches, crochet bobbles, and buttonholes which makes for an addictive knit that you won’t be able to put down! The cropped length, front button closure, and easy drop shoulder style make this the ultimate layering piece to mix and match with your wardrobe.

Deidre knit the 3rd size (with 2” added to the length) and used just over 3.5 skeins of Arranmore Light. Deidre knit the cardigan on 3.5mm and 4mm needles.

The pattern is by Annie Lupton (Boho Chic Fiber Co.) and you can purchase it on Ravelry.

Here are the yarn requirements for Bookish. 

This is our Library Vest (pattern purchased on Ravelry) that was also knit in Arranmore Light.

Andrea Mowry’s DRK Everyday Cardi (pattern purchased on Ravelry) is another great pattern for Arranmore Light. Photo © Andrea Mowry.

If you check out Ravelry there are more great patterns.

Have a great evening. The Price is Right is on so I need to go and beat dad at pricing.

Ooey Gooey Cowl

Today’s kit is the Ooey Gooey Cowl from Andrea Mowry (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

I love this style of cowl for colorwork, as it is perfect for when you don’t want to have to weave in lots of ends, and you always have the right side facing you! Plus, it happens to be one of my favorite accessories to wear thanks to its easy styling - just pop it on! I was craving the coziest cowl ever, so I reached for some Suri Alpaca, which I held double, and then paired it with a color- shifting yarn to make it extra dynamic.

The kit includes 2 skeins of Emma’s Suri Silk (you are holding 2 strands together when knitting the cowl) and 2 skeins of Dyed in the Wool.

Photos © Andrea Mowry

See all the Ooey Gooey kits online. I’m all over the place with my combinations so that everyone should be able to find something they want to wear.

My knitting is growing. It’s hard to put it down because you want to see the next colour. This time I’m knitting from the center of the ball which makes it harder to see what is coming. As you can see my balls are starting to collapse. I know better than to knit from the center of such a large ball but I did it anyway. It won’t be too long before I need to rewind them.

Douglas Cardi

Today I spent time putting together new colour combinations for the Douglas Cardi (pattern purchased on Ravelry). We knit our store sample in Cascade 220 Heathers and that is what I used for the kits. While I was making the kits I realized that we are out of colours for some of the original kits so those have been ordered and should be here early next week.

This is our store sample and it is the third size. Lynn thought it would be too big for her but it is perfect.

The Douglas Cardi is a grandpa-style cardigan complete with stripes, big pockets, and a relaxed fit. Named for my father, who is now fondly known as Grandpa Doug to my kiddos, it reminds me of when I spruced up my school uniform with my own grandpa’s golfing cardigan when I was in middle school. I love to amp up my cozy with this sweater no matter the outfit! This sweater is knit from the bottom up with afterthought pockets and a sewn on button band.

This is Lynn’s cardigan.

See the kits. If you like a colour that is out of stock, please contact me and I will let you know when the yarn arrives. 

Here are the combinations that I put together today.

Kit L

Kit M

Kit N

Kit P

Lynn sent a better picture of her Jaunty.

Our movie last night did not get any better. Beth has taken the remote from me and I’m not allowed to choose tonight’s TV. Now it’s on her. She said she’s going to pick something we’ve already seen to make sure it’s good. 

Now onto my knitting!