Happy Victoria Day

Beth and I took a trip to Terra this morning. We’re having our front lawn torn out and the sod redone. It is full of weeds and needs to be replaced. An irrigation system is going in to keep the grass looking good. We are adding new planter boxes so we went to see if anything grabbed us. Of course it did - the back of my truck was full when we came home.

I didn’t find planters for my store but they keep making new ones.

There were naps and a relaxing afternoon. The newsletter I was supposed to write will be on tomorrow’s to do list.

Dad is earning his keep. Beth does most of the mowing and dad does a few times around. It was still warm  after dinner.

Now we’re sitting outside watching the Jays play. It’s going to be a late night watching hockey but I’ll be in the store tomorrow packing boxes. Thanks to everyone who ordered over the weekend.

Rainbloom

Meet the newest pattern from Jenn Steingass.

This is Rainbloom and you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Rainbloom is a top down, seamless sweater design featuring botanicals and precipitation. Is it rain? Is it snow? Up to your interpretation and how you represent this design with your color choices. This pattern calls for fingering or sport weight yarn for a lightweight and versatile garment.

Jenn used Le Petit Lambswool for her sweater - we have lots of colours in stock including the colours that Jenn used. You could use Starke 6 or Dyed in the Wool for the contrast colour.

The second set of colours are almost finished. Hopefully tonight during the hockey game.

Cleared for Take Off

We have a new store sample - Diana dropped it off yesterday. The shawl is lightweight - perfect for a spring/summer evening.

It is called Cleared for Take Off and you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. We used one skein of Emma’s Super Silky in Whisper with one ball of Starke 6 in 2546.

After taking some time away from designing to travel, I wanted to create a project that reflected the ease and joy of the journey itself. This shawl is designed to be simple, soothing, and perfectly portable—the kind of knitting you can pick up on a plane, road trip, or while waiting for your next adventure to begin.

Cleared For Take Off ✈️ is designed with travel in mind, this soothing shawl is the perfect companion for your journeys near and far. Worked sideways from a tiny corner, simple stitches and an easy 2-stitch repeat makes it an ideal project to knit on the go.

The magic comes from pairing one solid yarn with a self-striping or color-changing yarn—the colors shift and unfold as you knit, creating a mesmerizing fabric that looks far more complex than it is. The result is a lightweight, versatile shawl that’s just as beautiful wrapped around your shoulders on a chilly plane as it is draped casually over your favourite outfit.

From Diana

It was a satisfying knit with great results! Definitely a perfect project for traveling

I’ve been working on the website. The new Atenti bags are online and should be here early next week.

The Traveler Cowl in Estelle 50 Cotton Lux is growing. I’m trying to go fast to see if one ball will make the cowl.

What a beautiful day! It was hard being inside. Dad brought me lunch and said that the garden centre he passed was jammed.

Flock Vest

Andrea Mowry has a new pattern. 

Nothing says layering goals quite like a classic vest. You can choose from a cropped or full length. I love to wear it buttoned up as a tank, or worn open over t-shirts. I love this little knitted vest with its fun play on stripes, and I hope you do, too! This vest is worked from the top down, seamlessly, beginning with the back neck, and has 2 different body length options. The button band and armhole ribbing are picked up and knit out from the body of the vest.

You can purchase the pattern for the Flock Vest on Ravelry.

Photos © Andrea Mowry

The vest is knit in worsted weight yarn. Some of the knitters on Ravelry have used

• Cascade 220
• Cascade 220 Heathers
• Cascade 220 Superwash Merino
• Malabrigo Rios
• Blue Sky Fibers Woolstock

Emma’s Smalliday sets are available for preorder on the website. Here is the link. You have until June 1st to order. This year you can order the set with Practically Perfect Sock or Seashell Sparkle Sock which is wool and nylon with Stellina.

There are many, many patterns available on Ravelry for Advent kits. I will feature a few this week.

It’s going to be a busy evening. Survivor, baseball and hockey. 

Organic Cotton Worsted

Before I went away I placed an order for Blue Sky Organic Cotton Worsted. Our shelves were looking bare. 

Environmentally friendly and naturally soft making it ideal for baby knits and your favorite sweater. A worsted two-ply yarn in a robust line of colors.

FIBER CONTENT:

100% Certified Organic Cotton

 

WEIGHT:

(Solid) 100g / 150yds / 137m

 

NEEDLE SIZE:

7-9 US / 4.5-5.5mm

 

GAUGE:

4-5 sts per inch / 2.5cm

* Suggested gauge only. Works beautifully with large or small needles. 

The shipment should be arriving next week. All out of stock colours should be in the boxes.

Here is a picture of my train/cruise knitting. I’m still on the second set of colours. I spent so much time looking out over the ocean trying to see whales that I didn’t knit much.

Last week I talked about the new bags from Atenti. They have left California and will be in the store next week.

I will work on the website tomorrow. We have hockey and baseball starting soon.

I will be updating the website tomorrow - we received lots of needles yesterday and today. Addi, KnitPro and Lantern Moon. We also received a restock of Crazy Zauberball and Edition 3.

Thank you to everyone who ordered while I was away. All boxes have been shipped. The store will open at noon tomorrow. I’m excited to see everyone again.

Home Again

I landed in Hamilton around 7:30 last night. Dad picked me up, we stopped at Tim’s and I was in the house before 8pm. So much better than flying into Toronto.

Our welcome in Victoria.

I love watching the pilot boat. They bring out a pilot to get the ship into harbour.

Saturday we were in Victoria and I went whale watching.

I didn’t take many pictures. I tried for a few minutes but kept missing things. These are from Orca Spirit whose boat I was on. These pictures are the humpback that we saw first. We followed him around for a bit and I think we saw him about 7 times.

Then we saw Orcas. The Naturalists onboard said it was the first time this year that they’ve seen two different breeds of whales on the same trip.

We followed the Orcas for a while. It was awesome. It was too bad we had to head back to shore.

My trip was amazing. It was a much smaller ship than I’m used to which has pros and cons. 

I received an email from Emma’s that we can start preordering Smalliday sets. I will have all the information tomorrow.

“Smalliday Sets” are our version of advent sets. We call them “Smallidays” because the idea is you open one “Small” a day during the holidays! Each mini skein is individially wrapped and meant to be kept secret until the first color is opened December 1, and another each day after for 24 days total. The perfect holiday gift for any fiber artist!

Did you know the music video for The Beach Boys’ hit song “Kokomo” was filmed at The Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World? The tropical vibes at the then-new resort were just right for The Beach Boys, and they are just right for us! We were inspired to create a set of day-at-the-beach, islandy colorways to bring some sunshine into the winter season, so it’s only fitting that our color theme for this year’s Smalliday Set is “WAY DOWN IN KOKOMO”. 

• Available in three different bases: Practically Perfect Sock, Simply Spectacular DK, and a new base we are bringing in just for this set: Seashell Sparkle Sock. It’s very similar to our Practically Perfect Sock base, but has a little sparkle throughout. 

• Each set includes:

  • (24) individually wrapped and numbered Smalls in brand new colorways exclusive to the set

  • a 2.5 oz Little Bee Lotion Bar

  • a new “Emma’s Yarn” sticker

  • a pearly progress keeper handmade by Emma’s

Tomorrow we’ll get back to knitting in the posts. Beth is not too subtly telling me to hurry so we can watch Survivor from Wednesday night.