Thanksgiving Dinner

I was with some knitting friends on Monday and we have decided to knit Mixed Tape from Wool & Pine (pattern purchased on Ravelry). I had the perfect yarn from my stash in my mind. It’s Rockshelter Sock which has been discontinued for some time - the top is all about stash diving.

I cast on and then realized that I should have more colours left over from a shawl. Guess what - the shawl isn’t finished.

I brought it out and should have it finished during the week. This is Joji’s Fading Point (pattern purchased on Ravelry)

Fading Point is constructed from both ends towards the centre, and then both pieces are connected with triangles to achieve a seamless rectangle.  

Triangle one is finished and I’m working on the second one.

We’re full on ‘get ready for dinner’ mode at my house. We forgot a few things so Beth is at the grocery store and I hope she remembers everything. The turkey is going in the oven at 6am and then it’ll be time to tidy the house. Floors, toilets, yarn pile tidied, kitchen table cleaned off so we can eat….. Hopefully there will be a nap before everyone arrives.

The DRK Everyday Saddle

Meet Andrea Mowry’s latest pattern. You can purchase it on Ravelry.

The DRK Everyday Saddle is the newest pattern in my on-going wardrobe staples collection! It uses clever top-down construction, combining a saddle and drop shoulder to create an interesting knit that will shine in your wardrobe! You can choose to knit it to a cropped or more standard length. Or maybe one of each! 

This sweater is worked from the top down, seamlessly. We begin with the saddle shoulder, then pick up stitches for the back and fronts separately. Once the yoke is completed, we will join to work the body in the round, knitting the sweater to either a Cropped or Standard length. The sleeve stitches are picked up from the armhole openings and worked in the round.

Ms. UPS dropped off 3 boxes today. A customer was pulling into the parking lot as Ms. UPS was unloading and exclaimed “it’s like Christmas” which it is. Some of my favourite yarns.

Box 1 from Spincycle

Plump in Tough Love

Dyed in the Wool

    Rusted Rainbow

    Miss Me

    Melancholia

    Levitate

Box 2 and 3 are filled with Malabrigo Rasta

The website has been updated for everything received today.

While we were unpacking these boxes Mr. FedEx brought a box of Rowan Mohair Tweed. All colours are back in stock again.

As we were unpacking a customer came in to purchase the yarn for the Glencoe Poncho. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry or you can purchase the Mohair Tweed magazine online or in the store.

Just before we closed Mr. Canada Post brought in a box of Cocoknits stitch markers. The Earth Tone Stitch Markers are new.

Thank you to everyone who visited today. We had a crazy day in the store. It was awesome!!! Now it’s time to put my feet up and knit. Baseball and football are starting soon.

Shipments coming soon

Zanete Knits has a new sweater pattern which is stunning.

Use code RAV_MARTA to get a 10% discount. Code is valid until 18th October 23:59 BST.

Marta Sweater is named after my grandmother. She was the one who saved a rare book of Latvian ornaments from destruction during Soviet times and kept it safe until she could pass it on to me. Parts of this book feature heavily across my entire pattern collection.

I scattered ornaments from its pages throughout this sweater. I let my hand do the drawing while I was thinking about all the things she meant to me. She was a skilled weaver, crocheter, and knitter, and she taught me craft techniques I hadn’t encountered anywhere else. The picot edge in this pattern is one of them. She showed me how to do it on a mitten when I was very young and I have never forgotten it.

The colourwork runs deep past the sleeve separation so you get a lot of colourwork to enjoy. The floats are predominantly short, making it a meditative, rhythmic knit. There are some longer floats near the bottom of the chart and the pattern includes Ladderback Jacquard placement suggestions if you want to try this method.

Marta is a roomy, comfortable sweater with positive ease so it sits well without riding up. A waist shaping option is included if you prefer a more tailored fit.

You can purchase the patten for Marta on Ravelry.

The sweater is knit in Sportweight yarn. When I look at her needle size and tension I think that I might use fingering weight like Le Petit Lambswool for the background. Knitting a tension swatch will be important for this sweater.

We have a shipment coming from Spincycle tomorrow or Friday. There will be a brand new colour of Plump called Tough Love.

I used 3 skeins of Plump on 8mm needles to make the Sophie Scarf. I think there will be another scarf in my near future.

We should have a box coming from Rowan this week with a restock of Mohair Tweed. The yarn has sold well and Rowan was out of stock. All colours should be back in stock.

Now it’s time for Survivor.

Lynn’s Antipodes

Lynn emailed me pictures of her finished Antipodes. It is amazing! I can’t wait to see it in person.

Lynn used Kathmandu Fingering (dark grey) with Dyed in the Wool (The Family Jewels). Lynn knit the 4th size and it fits her perfectly.

It’s going to be a quick post tonight. All is good but I’ve been busy with appointments and errands and haven’t had time to sit down. We’re getting ready for Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. It’s going to be a smaller crowd this time - 24 people.

Have a good evening and I’ll write more tomorrow.

Hannah Jacket

PetiteKnit has a new pattern. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

The Hannah Jacket is worked from the top down. First, the back yoke is worked back and forth on the needle with increases. The shoulders and the front yoke are worked from stitches that are picked up and knitted along the back yoke, and the body is then joined and worked back and forth on the circular needle. The sleeves are worked from stitches that are picked up and knitted along the armhole openings. Stitches are picked up and knitted along the neck opening, and a 2x2 rib edge is worked. At the end, stitches are picked up and knitted for the front plackets along the front edges. The front plackets are worked in double knitting with buttonholes along the right front placket.

I think Cascade 220 Heathers would work great for the Hannah Jacket.

Here are the 10 colours that are coming later this fall.

Photo © Stephen West

The first clue to Stephen West’s latest MKAL is out. So far the shawl is interesting. I can’t wait to see where he is going with it. If you want a sneak peek take a look at his group on Ravelry.

It’s a busy day watching football and knitting. I hope to have pictures tomorrow.

Grevillea

It’s done. Blocked. Ends sewn in.

Pattern: Grevillea (purchased on Ravelry)

Yarn: 1 skein of Emma’s Practically Perfect Sock in Mom Jeans with one Emma’s Theme Pack in Capricorn

See all the colours from Emma’s

Blocking makes all the difference.

A lot of knitters are afraid of blocking. I soaked my shawl in Soak for 15 minutes. I drained the water and took my shawl outside. I laid it over a chair and let some of the water drip out. Then the shawl was laid out on my kitchen counter on towels. I did not pin it out. The weight of the wet wool was enough for it to block flat. 

If you want a smaller shawl you can work less repeats at the beginning. 

It was a beautiful day out and Lynn was happy to go outside for pictures. Now it’s time to get back to Antipodes. I’m very close to the point where I will be able to knit around. No more purl rows. YAY!!!!

Ooey Gooey Hat

Andrea Mowry has a new hat pattern. 

I couldn’t resist adding a hat to the Ooey Gooey Collection! This sweet little number is quite a quick knit, with sizes for the whole family! This hat is worked from the brim up, beginning with a ribbed brim. You then get to jump into welts for texture and some curvy colorwork for interest. After that, it’s smooth sailing with classic crown shaping.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

You need a dk weight yarn and a Suri Silk. Hedgehog Merino DK and Emma’s Suri Silk will make a beautiful hat.

Photo © Andrea Mowry

New Cocoknits stitch markers have been ordered and they should be here in a couple of weeks. I’m a big fan of their stitch markers and now you can choose between colourful and earth tone.

By popular demand, our classic Cocoknits ring stitch markers are now available in the lovely Earth Tone color palette! These rings are nylon coated steel and cling to magnets, like all of our stitch markers. There are 10 each of 6 colors (60 markers total) and they accommodate needle sizes US 0-13 / 1-9 mm. 

The stitch markers are great because if I drop one I hear it hit the tile floor. They are much easier for find than plastic ones. Drop the whole package and they spill everywhere? Get a magnet and you’ll have them picked up in no time. 

T-Pins are available in the store. They arrived in our last order and I forgot to add them to the website.

T-pins are an essential part of our Knitter’s Block Kit. We sell extra T-pins in case you find you need more. If you aren’t sure if your T-pins are stainless, soak them overnight in a shallow dish of water. If they rust, do not use them! Cocoknits T-pins are stainless steel – which means they won’t rust when they get wet during blocking – very important after you’ve spent many hours and dollars on a project!

Product Details

Stainless steel – will not rust

Includes

• 40 Stainless Steel T-pins
• Tin

I’m working away on Antipodes. I might be able to join into the round tomorrow night.