Bigger is Better Part 2

Churchmouse took their Jolly Wee Elf pattern and made a BIG elf. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and then download the free addendum here.

Our Jolly Wee Elves have gained a Jolly Great friend! We’ve created a free adaptation to our original pattern so you can knit this big buddy. Just the right size for a hug, this scaled-up version of our little hand-knit pals is so fun to make—and quite quick with big yarns and big needles!

A little tip about the base of the elf. Churchmouse asks you to add a washer for weight. If it's late at night and you don't have one, drop in a loonie or toonie.

Here are a few colour suggestions for Radarta

Dr. Zhivagos' Sky
Liquid Gold
Mercury
Rye Bourbon

Rain Water
Antique Lace
Whiskers
Simply Greige

This is the combination I am going to make. Very subdued but not every shawl can be bright.
Moonglow
Whiskers
Purr
Tern

It was a crazy day in the store so there wasn't time to put together more combinations. When I get home next week I'll make more. Rockshelter Sock makes a beautiful shawl.

My yarn is wound and I'm ready to hit the road. Beth has a movie on and is knitting away. We are going over make ones before I leave just to make sure she has it down.

Bigger is Better

Brian Smith has a new pattern out. I love it!! It is called Radarta and the pattern is purchased on Ravelry.

It is knit with 4 colours of fingering weight yarn. Perfect timing - madelinetosh merino light arrived today. I have a small fingering weight problem and we have lots in stock from many different companies that would work great for the shawl.

Churchmouse has updated their Christmas Stocking to a version knit in Super Bulky. There are many yarn options.

Rowan Big Wool
Malabrigo Rasta
Cascade Magnum

I would use Furreal for the faux fur.

When it comes to our Basic Christmas Stockings, we tend to think the bigger the better. So we’ve created a free adaptation to our original pattern for hand-knit stockings in a chunky-weight yarn—more space to stuff full of little gifts and treats! We’ve given you a few ideas to add your own personal touch—sure to prompt a hearty “Ho! Ho! Ho!” from St. Nick. 

For big, fluffy, quick-to-knit Basic Christmas Stockings, we chose Rowan Big Wool, with a furry cuff knit in Sirdar Alpine. Chunky-weight Big Wool is a woolly mammoth of a yarn spun from 100% merino wool. It’ll knit your stockings up in a jiff! Alpine, another chunky yarn akin to a fringed ribbon, adds a fun, faux fur finish. Have a blast playing with our festively stripey colorways!

You will need the Basic Christmas Stocking pattern (we have it in the store or you can purchase it on Ravelry) and then you can download the free addendum from Churchmouse's website.

My flight Sunday morning is very early. I need to be at the airport by 4:30 which means leaving home by 3:30. Big problem - we are supposed to see freezing rain. I'm going to stay in a hotel by the airport tomorrow night. I still haven't figured out my travel knitting. Lynn and I will do that tomorrow morning.

Maker's Trunk

This morning Mr. FedEx brought in two large boxes from Namaste. We only received one colour of the Maker's Trunk and I'm trying to find out when the rest will be available. (Then it hit me - it is Thanksgiving - Namaste is closed until Monday). It is a lot bigger that I thought. The box it comes in is 14"x11"x12".

New Buddy Cases. Lavender and Purple.

Beth stopped this morning to drop off our hats, mitts and scarves. Diane at Mission Services sent this picture along with

Hi Julie,

We received the very generous donation of gorgeous hats, mitts and scarves today!  I am so grateful to you for supporting Mission Services by making items yourself as well as encouraging your contacts to make and donate items for our clients!  They are going to be included as Christmas gifts for the adults and children when they attend our up-coming Christmas program.  These beautiful items will help keep people warm and toasty in the cold weather and I imagine will also bring a smile while helping people feel cared for. 

Thank you so much for partnering with Mission Services!

I'm flying to Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning to spend two days with Dad. I will be home late Tuesday evening. I need knitting but want something small so I think it could be the Fino Shadow Cowl - the pattern is free. When you fly with just a carry on there isn't a lot of room for yarn.

It takes one Fino mini skein kit and 3.75mm needles.

It's Nightshift time. An hour of knitting and then bed. I don't want to start watching the next football game because that will make for a late evening.

On your mark…get set…. GIFT!!

It's time for the 2019 Indie Gift-A-Long. I read about it in Ambah's latest newsletter. If you don't receive it, I suggest you sign up. Learn about new patterns. See what Ambah is up to. Coupon codes.

I took this from the Gift-A-Long (GAL) page on Ravelry.

We are prepping for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from tons of indie designers! This is our 7th annual GAL, and we are super excited to celebrate it all with you!

Welcome new members! We are a chatty and enthusiastic bunch - so don’t be overwhelmed by the volume in the chat thread! Just start by reading the information below, and then take a look at the Announcements & Map thread The Chat thread is super active, but if you prefer things a bit slower we have a Slow Lane Chat thread

What is Gift-A-Long? It’s a multi-designer promotion to help you kick your holiday gift-making into high gear!

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 5 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From November 26th, 2019 at 8:00 pm US EST through December 2nd at 11:59pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 10 - 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. Use coupon code: giftalong2019. From November 26th, 2019 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31, 2019 at midnight US EST there will be fun games, contests, and 8 KAL/CALs that will help you get your holiday knitting and crocheting done with companionship and fun! You can read all about the details in this post: click here, or on the FAQ page in our group pages.

Once you’ve got your Gift-A-Long patterns, we encourage you to join a relevant KAL/CAL! (For instance, if it is a cowl, please join the Cowls, Scarves, & Other Neck Things KAL/CAL.) To join, simply write a post in the KAL/CAL thread you want to join, including the pattern name you will be knitting and a link to your project page. KAL/CAL participants are eligible for lots of lovely prizes but you’ve got to post to win Please Note: all prize winners must be group members!

KAL/CALs will run from November 26th 2019 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31st, 2019 at midnight US EST, plenty of time to knock out all your holiday knitting and crocheting. We have tons of prizes, games, and great conversation, plus a lot of other fun, so pull up a chair and join us!

On your mark…get set…. GIFT!!

I went down the rabbit hole and looked at all the designers who are participating. There are great patterns!!!

This is Ambah's ADVENTuresome Wrap. The pattern is 25% off on Ravelry until December 1 - no code needed.

The Adventuresome Wrap was designed with a Yarn Advent Calendar in mind to make the most of daily mini-skein gifts that appear. There are so many possibilities. Add colours in randomly, arrange your minis in a gradient fade, or keep it simple and use a single main colour instead. This is also a perfect way to use up all those leftover yarns hiding in your stash. Frequent colour changes in the lace and slip stitch sections make this knit addictive and will keep you wanting to knit on.

Also, you can double-dip and knit your AMBAH X ADVENT KAL project in both the GAL and the official AMBAH X ADVENT KAL thread.....which is now open for chat. Cast on is still a few days away, however introductions have begun and project planning is well underway.  

Laura Bryant brought her beautiful Mosaic Wrap to Camp - Kelley didn't want to give it back. The wrap was a hit and four of us ordered kits to make it. Mr. Canada Post delivered them yesterday. Now I need to decide if I am going to knit this for myself or have Wannietta knit it for me. One way I get the joy of knitting with Laura's beautiful yarn and the other way I get the joy of wearing Laura's beautiful yarn a lot sooner 😘

This is the kit that Beth chose. She wants me to send my yarn to Wannietta. She knows she won't win the race with me so it would be better if I wasn't knitting the same shawl as her.

My colours. Elaine had the shawl on at Camp in these colours and it was stunning!

The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Late Winter 2019.

New pompom

Coming next week - the newest magazine from Kim Hargreaves.

A force of nature. With a spirited energy this collection of twelve designs is filled with joy and a cheerful freedom. Set against one of Mother Nature's magical backdrops, the homespun inspired designs have a romantic edge and a comforting allure.

We have the newest pompom magazine in the store for tomorrow's launch.
Issue 31: Winter 2019.

I have been secretly knitting on another Nightshift. I started this in October but set it aside because we didn't have the colours in stock. Ito #19 and #20 should be in the store any day now.

My back is to the TV and Beth is laughing like crazy. She is flipping between Just for Laughs: Gags and Impractical Jokers. I have to keep turning around to see what is happening and it is slowing me down. I'm also losing my train of thought. It's time to say goodnight.

Spud & Chloe

I spent yesterday afternoon knitting a few more hats. Beth will be making a trip to Mission Services this week to drop off what we have so far and we will be making at least one more trip down before Christmas.

Our pile includes
98 hats
41 scarves
7 pairs of mittens

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!!

We’re a group of dedicated staff and volunteers passionate about reducing poverty and restoring dignity to people who have been socially or financially marginalized.

This year we are expecting to prepare a Christmas program for more than 1500 adults and more than 1000 children.  We will provide a food hamper, toys for children and small gifts for the adults.
We also aim to provide warm winter clothing to our clients who frequently are in need of hats, scarves and mittens.  

Items can be dropped off in the store or at Mission Services - 196 Wentworth Street North.

I know that many of you don't live near the store. Please consider donating hats, mittens and scarves in your hometown. At a soup kitchen, food bank or women's shelter. Every community has people who are in need.

The week of December 9 we will have new enamel pins from Twill & Print. Just in time for last minute gifts.

We added Spud & Chloe Outer to the website today at a great price. It's time to say goodbye. The yarn is beautiful but we need room for new yarns that will be coming after Christmas. This is the Honeybear Hoodie - you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. There are 3 sizes to this cute jacket. 0-3 months, 4-8 months, 9-12 months. You need 3, 3, 4 skeins.

There are a lot of patterns on Ravelry that use the Outer.

Maker's Trunks should be in the store next week. I can't wait! One will be coming home with me.

Our Maker's Trunk was mindfully designed to bring a little bit of peace to your busy day-to-day life. With enough room to keep the essentials close by, the Maker's Trunk is the ideal way to carry your projects while minimizing clutter. The Trunk is ideal for storage at home, but the handles and latch closure allow you to safely and stylishly take your Trunk with you while you travel without worry. Including maker-specific features, such as two yarn feeders at the top of the trunk and adjustable trays, the Namaste Maker's Trunk is designed to help clear your mind and find Maker's Nirvana wherever you are.

I was up way too late last night watching football. The Grey Cup did not go the way I thought it was going to.

Two Point Cowl

Cathy and Sarah visited last week and Sarah was wearing her Two Point Cowl. I should have taken pictures because it was so cute on her.

The pattern is from Churchmouse Yarns. You can purchase the pattern in the store or on Ravelry. The cowl would make a great Christmas gift for a friend or for yourself.

Two-Point Cowl in Two Gauges!

“Snuggle up right quick!” 
Inspired by our ever-popular Easy Folded Poncho, this scaled-down version is totally seamless and slips easily over the shoulders. The simple shape makes it easy to re-yarn in another gauge. Just swatch for a softly draping fabric, then multiply the schematic dimensions by your stitch gauge—the math is easy!

This is the chunky version.

Plush, chunky-weight Rowan Brushed Fleece yields a wonderfully cozy cowl. A knitterly version of the Northwest’s ubiquitous polar fleece, it’s a super-soft blend of extra fine merino and baby alpaca. Warm and insulating but remarkably light, Brushed Fleece has a rustic charm and a range of natural colors. Plus, all that plump fluff means you’ll be snuggled up in your cowl in no time!

Much like our beloved Easy Folded Poncho, this project is so simple and so enjoyable, you’ll want one in every yarn you can get your hands on! The key to re-gauging is to knit a generous swatch, one that’s at least 6” x 6”. Wet block your swatch, allow it to dry thoroughly and let it rest. You want a softly draping fabric that has some body but isn’t stiff. Once you have a fabric you like, measure and note your stitch gauge—Use the free re-gauging worksheet to do a little bit of simple math to achieve the finished dimensions. 

The 2-stitch I-cord side edges and bind-off give a beautiful, minimalist finish. Don’t skip the pressing step on this one—that’s what gives the fabric a designer ready-to-wear finish.

We have a colour of Brushed Fleece for everyone.

This version is knit in sport weight yarn.

Lynn knit a Two Point Cowl for herself in Noro. The striping is fun and it is super easy to adjust the pattern for any thickness of yarn.

After a lot of looking I found the pictures of the Two Point Cowls that hang in the store. We used Brushed Fleece for the mauve cowl and Rowan Cosy Merino for the ice blue cowl.

Dad and Lucy traveled to Myrtle Beach today. Two weeks without our baby is going to be a long time. Now I'm going to turn on the TV and the fireplace and knit for a while.

Pretty in Pink

Eileen was in today wearing her Nightshift. It is gorgeous. She used Noro Akari in grey and pink. As Eileen was knitting her shawl she called because she was running short on grey but had lots of pink. I was confused and then we figured out what she did. I suggest using grey as the background for so many rows and then pink for so many rows. Eileen used the grey for the background all the way through. The result is great. Below I have Alex's with the background changing. The colour of Eileen's is much softer.

Mr. UPS brought some Dyed in the Wool this afternoon. This is Komodo - a brand new colour.

Devilish Grin

End of Summer

Exciting news - madelinetosh merino light should be in the store by the end of next week. 174 skeins. The merino light wall will be full again.

My Time Trades has been put away because we were out of the Unicorn Tails that I used. They are in the shipment as well so my shawl can come out again.

We will have new enamel pins in December. The minute they arrive we will add them to the website.

A few rows of knitting and then bed. Lynn and I had a crazy day in the store. I'm not complaining but my bed is calling.