The Doodler

This was The Doodler at 4pm yesterday afternoon. Clue 2 is finally finished.

Then I went crazy. The first wedge of the third clue is finished. I'm back on track and on a mission to finish. My hands were very sore when I went to bed last night.

 They are better today and when I'm finished my post I am going back to it.

Beth came home tonight with a new Christmas tree. We gave away our tree when we moved and thought we would get a new one that is pre lit. Oh my goodness. We haven't had fun this evening. There is one part of the tree that won't light. We've been undoing lights and replacing them and can't find the bad bulb. I finally convinced her to stop and the tree is going back tomorrow. We thought that tree lights had improved and that if a light went out the rest would work. Not so. We are going to get one that doesn't have lights and we'll string our own (as long as they will work if one bulb goes out). We can't spend hours every year trying to find a bad bulb. That will only lead to fights. I might be able to decorate later this week. I can't wait. My good decorations haven't been out for a few years.

Marie Wallin Autumn

Lately we've been talking a lot about scarves and shawls. Maybe you've finished your gift knitting and are ready to move onto a sweater or cardigan. There is a new book from Marie Wallin that we should have in the store late Monday afternoon. The designs are amazing!

Autumn is a collection of 10 beautiful designs for women from Marie Wallin. Inspired by the autumnal hues of the British countryside it featured stunning fairisles and intricate cables, making it suitable for the knitter with more experience.

The designs are knit in Felted Tweed, Felted Tweed Aran, Rowan Fine Tweed and Cocoon.

Talk about WOW sweaters. True works of art.

 

Yummy wool and silk

There are three free patterns from Louisa Harding using her new Amitola Grande.

I have designed three quick holiday projects to knit, each using just one 100g ball of Amitola Grande, perfect to gift or knit for yourself! Just follow this link to download the patterns and get knitting.
http://www.louisaharding.co.uk/justgiving.html

The patterns are free, however if you would like to make a donation to Cancer Research please follow this link:
https://www.justgiving.com/Louisa-Harding/

Amitola Grande is a luxurious silk and wool blend self-striping yarn.

80% merino wool
20% silk

250m on a 100gram ball

$29.95 a ball.

Blogging is a bit frustrating right now. In a very good way. I have lots to tell you but I need to divide the posts up or I would have a really long post with too many pictures. Right now I have posts written for Sunday and Monday. Things could change though if something new comes up like free patterns or a finished project.

Last week I took home a skein of Malabrigo Rasta and was going to knit a cowl. The colour has been calling my name. I was working on Thursday afternoon when the phone rang. "I'm home from work and my scarf is finished. There is a skein of Rasta on the counter. What is it for? Can I use it? I left my iPad at mom and dad's so I'm using yours. And I'm logged into your Ravelry account. You have a cowl in your favourites called the Textured Cowl. Can I use the skein and make that?" There went my skein. Beth made the cowl and I love the colours even more.

I took it outside for pictures along with a few other things. I didn't want to throw it on the ground when I was done so I put it on. It is so warm.

Lynn brought in her Ombre Cowl Hood this morning. It looks great.

Pattern: Ombre Cowl Hood (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in 605, 664 and 659

Here is mine so far. It has a totally different look in the Kidsilk Haze Stripe.

I unpacked a box yesterday afternoon that was full of Knitter's Pride needles and accessories. This pattern holder (available in two sizes) will make your life much easier. 

This indispensable pattern holder is a handy way to keep and display patterns and charts while working on a project. Useful for all knitters, but a “must-have” for lace knitters, especially
Convenient tool for keeping patterns close and easy to read
Easy to fold and unfold for storage; Lays flat when folded
Can stand upright when folded open, vertically or horizontally
Snap closure insures that materials inside stay neat and put
Extremely strong magnets keep patterns and/or charts in place
One extra long magnet strip also works as an indicator guide
Handy pocket holds patterns and charts
Pen pocket keeps marker close at hand
Black poly-jacquard fabric is sturdy and easy to keep clean
Small Size:
Dimensions (in open position): 35cm x 26.25cm (14" x 10½")
Dimensions (in folded position): 17.5cm x 26.25cm (7" x 10½")
Large Size:
Dimensions (in open position): 50cm x 30cm (20" x 12")
Dimensions (in folded position): 25cm x 30cm (10" x 12")

Now back to work. The store is open - we have customers to help and shelves to straighten.

SweetGeorgia

Tough Love Sock from SweetGeorgia is making it's way across Canada to us. Right now the scheduled delivery date is Tuesday (December 1).

A perfect blend of warmth and strength to make a hardwearing sock yarn that can stand up to your affection and abuse. Tough Love Sock is our best-selling yarn and knits up beautifully into fine-gauge sweaters, small shawls, as well as socks! Spun from 80% superwash and super soft merino and 20% nylon, this 3-ply yarn is so versatile — knit it firmly for hard wearing socks, knit it loosely for drapey shawls, or knit it doubled for a great worsted weight substitute. Suggested gauge for sock knitting: US 0-1 (2-2.25mm) | 8 sts/1″

390m (425 yards) on a 100gram skein

$30 a skein

 

 

Choosing colours was very hard. Felicia has many, many beautiful colours. I chose a few colours and then I went with SweetGeorgia's best selling colours.

We love the Party of Five Tough Love Sock kits and there will be many colourways in the shipment.
From SweetGeorgia

We’ve been indulging in colour since 2005 and in celebration of our 10-year anniversary, we’ve made these very special gradient mini-skein kits! These five-colour gradient sets are currently available in Tough Love Sock. Each set contains five 105-yard mini-skeins for a total of 525 yards.

One kit will make Soft Twilight -  a new pattern than you can purchase on Ravelry
 

Delicate slipped stitches and beginner cables meander across the fabric of this asymmetrical shawl, creating a beautiful, airy effect. The subtle shift of colours from our Party of Five set captivates our attention, reminding us of the soft hues that dance the snow at twilight.

The kits aren't here yet but you can be prepared. SweetGeorgia is offering a discount on their patterns (including Sweet Twilight) for a few days.

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL — 40% OFF PATTERNS
We want to give thanks to all of YOU who have allowed us at SweetGeorgia to spend our days creating colours for you to enjoy and express your creativity.

Starting this Friday, November 27 until Monday, November 30 (Pacific Standard Time!), we are offering 40% off all patterns purchased through our website and on Ravelry:

enter the coupon code "BLACK2015" at checkout

Find the perfect pattern to kick off your holiday making, or start something just for yourself once all the holiday festivities are cleared away.

I just tried the code and it's working. Enjoy.