Before and After

Susan finished her Painting Waves and it is beautiful. She used HH Skinny Singles. One colour for the stocking stitch section and charcoal for the garter stitch ridges. I really like how it looks.

This picture is great. The shawl looks like it has waves in it.

A couple of weeks ago Churchmouse Yarns featured their Bias Before & After Scarf knit in Mille Colori Baby. The colour they used just came back into stock.

We love to revisit our Bias ‘Before & After’ Scarf—and rediscovering how it got its name! Knitting fingering-weight yarn at a more open gauge will make you wonder if it’s really going to turn out as pictured. But rest assured. With some good basic blocking the rather unattractive fabric will transform into a smooth field of stockinette. Plus, knitting on the bias eliminates rolled edges!

Lang Mille Colori Baby Superwash has a self-striping nature that brings even more adventure to your Bias ‘Before & After’ Scarf. True to its name (mille colori means ‘a thousand colors’ in Italian), long washes of vibrant color twist together in this yarn’s single-ply strand. Spun from springy, 100% Australian merino wool, Mille Colori Baby Superwash is as resilient as it is soft!

You can purchase the pattern on Churchmouse’s website. 

Here is a picture of the original scarf knit in lace weight yarn. Mrs. Crosby Reticule would make a beautiful scarf. One skein is all you would need and we found more colours that were hiding on us.

My knitting didn’t go so well last night. I ripped it out and am starting again on the 5mm needles. I found the 5.5mm way too loose and I didn’t like the fabric. Also some of the slipped stitches were really big and it looked sloppy. It’s better to start again after 20 rows as opposed to knitting 10” and deciding that I don’t like it.

I’m really early today. Tonight I need to finalize my tax return and pack it up to send in. Then back to my Nightshift.

New Project

Casapinka has a new pattern. We have Ravelry codes for the pattern if you purchase the yarn to make Noncho. The yarn purchase must be made between now and Sunday evening - May 2 - before 8pm EST to make sure I have enough time to email you the code.

When you make your purchase online please leave a comment in the notes that you are making Noncho. We will email you a code to download the pattern. 

From Casapinka

This DK pattern is in lieu of a Casapinka LYS Day pattern since many LYS’ weren’t aware (and I wasn’t in time) of LYS Day this year. It is instead a celebration of National Bubble Tea Day, April 30!

How it works 
When you buy yarn to make Noncho from an LYS on through Saturday, May 1, you will receive an individual code from the LYS (not from me - please don’t email me!) to redeem. It MUST BE REDEEMED by Sunday night 11:59 Pacific Daylight time when it expires. Codes will not be activated until April 30 at 8am EDT.

Please support your LYS’ and spread the word!! It will also be for individual sale and a fingering weight version will also be available but the yarn amounts are not yet determined (the fingering weight one was an afterthought and is finishing up in testing.)

Note - all sizes are 17” long (See schematic.) If you think you would like it longer, buy more yarn and just continue with the same increases.

You can see the yardages for the pattern on Ravelry. These are for DK weight yarn. I don’t know the fingering weight yardages yet - keep checking on Ravelry. 

When you place your order, please make sure that your email is correct. If the pattern isn’t downloaded by Sunday May 2 at 11:59 PDT then you will have to purchase it. Casapinka is a stickler for rules - she is giving the pattern for free so we must respect that.

What yarn to use?? You can use a wool like Tosh DK or you could go a summery yarn like Rowan Denim Revive. It just depends on the season you want to knit for. Here is a link to all our DK weight yarns.

Photos © Casapinka

My tax return is finished. Two days early. And I get a refund of about $50. 🎉🎉 It’s time for a celebration and right now that means starting a new project. I’m going to cast on Nightshift using the new colours of Dream State. I am also going to knit it on one size larger needle - I have read on Ravelry that a few people have done it and the shawl is a bit bigger.

We have progress on our addition.

Tonight would have been a perfect evening to eat outside - unfortunately we don’t have a table and chairs yet. We’re waiting to purchase these. It’s one of those things that you want to see in person. And you want to sit in the chairs to make sure that they are comfortable.

Just call me Procrastination

Laine Magazine #11 will be available on May 7th. Our copies have been ordered and should be here in time for the release.

Laine is a high-quality knit & lifestyle magazine for knit folks. We cherish natural fibres, slow living, local craftsmanship, and beautiful, simple things in life. Our intention is to inspire you to gather and share, to be part of a community of like-minded knitters, makers and thinkers from near and far. Knitting is more than just knit, knit, purl. It is a feeling.

You can view the patterns on Ravelry.  They are stunning. Just what you come to expect from Laine.

Photos © Andrea Mowry

Here is an older Andrea Mowry pattern that I’ve never looked at before. It’s called White Pine. This pattern has just been updated to the official DRK pattern layout and now includes FIFTEEN SIZES! 

White Pine has a gentle A-line fit thanks to the garter details that grow along with the body to create a beautiful silhouette. The sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down, including the set-in sleeves!

You can purchase the pattern on Andrea’s website.
 

The sweater is knit in worsted weight so you have many, many yarn options.

We have brand new colours of Noro Tsubame coming tomorrow.

Named for the barn swallow that migrates to Japan during cherry blossom season, this is a classic worsted-weight silk/wool blend. Each oversized skein contains 656 yards making it ideal for an endless variety of one-skein projects!

I saw a few Hipster’s on Ravelry that were knit with Tsubame. Someone did ZickZack. They used 4.5mm needles and cast on 72 stitches. What a great looking scarf! Diana is going to need a new project soon. Hmmm...

My last two evenings have been spent finishing my tax return. Yup, just call me Procrastination. I do it every year and then tell myself that next year will be different. It never is. This has really cut into my knitting time 😢 The good part of the evening is that the Jays game is on while I’m working. What a night for Vladdy!!

Pressed Flowers

I cast off Pressed Flowers this afternoon. You can see that it definitely needs to be blocked. The bottom edge is a bit wavy but after it’s soaked in Soak and then laid out to dry it should be flat.

There are thoughts of another one but I put those to the back of my head and brought out my Temperance Shawl. 

I was staring at skeins of Tosh Merino Light yesterday while packing boxes and combinations kept popping into my mind. This led me to Lilli Pilli - one of my favourite Ambah O’Brien patterns. 

Photos © Ambah O’Brien

Lilli Pilli is a beautiful Australian plant whose deep magenta berries inspired the colors of this shawl. 
Worked on the bias, in three fun colors; two striped together contrasted with a third for the lace sections. Lilli Pilli is fun to knit, and works up big and cozy. There are so many ways to use color in this project ― let your stash out to play!

The shawl is knit with three colours of fingering weight yarn. The pattern can be purchased on Etsy.

Ambah writes a great pattern. They are very easy to follow. 

You can use any three of these Hedgehog colours. It was a bright sunny day which led me to these colours.

From the top

Sorry Not Sorry

Spell

Hush

UFO

Highlighter

Melon

Coral

From Uschitita - I was thinking the purple for the lace and the green and light colour for the stripes.

Eyes Wide Shut

Vikings

Ella Elle La

Coquette - Deux, Dr. Zhivago’s Sky, Sugar Coat

Prairie Fire, Grasshopper, Jade

Saffron, Oak, Antique Lace

Elizabeth Taylor, Eleven Dark, Antler.

If you lay on the stairs you can look out the front door. 

Bandanna

This is the Bandit Bandanna Cowl by Kelsey Stephens (the owner of Primrose Yarn). You can purchase the pattern on Primrose’s website.

Bandit is a super fun, and easy accessory knit, worked flat from the bottom point, up, increasing as you go, and then seamed after blocking.  It is knit using an uncommon technique called: "Jacquard Colorwork", which is a cross between mosaic knitting and stranded colorwork, where the knitter is using both colors simultaneously on both the RS and WS rows and knitting on both the RS and WS rows.  You hold your yarn in the back to carry your floats for the RS, and you hold your yarn in the front on the WS to carry your floats.

Anyone who knows me, knows my love for all things with a southwest / cowgirl feel.  I found the inspiration for this cowl, oddly enough, from the patterning on a roll of paper towels we had sitting on our kitchen counter.  The intricate diamond pattern caught my eye, while I was making coffee one morning.  Early on in the pandemic, toiletries like paper towels were hard to come by, and I couldn't help but think back to how struck I was when I saw people using handkerchiefs to cover their faces, when we were standing in line, one morning at the grocery store. They looked like bandits! I was craving a quick accessory knit with a little texture, a lot of colorwork, and a fun technique to achieve a mosaic look, but knit using stranded colorwork.  I quickly sat down and charted out the colorwork, with the roll of paper towels sitting next to me, and the Bandit Bandanna Cowl was born.

Photos © Kelsey Stephens

To knit this you need 2 skeins of Roan DK and 2 skeins of Dream State. I didn’t find this pattern until after I left the store so I didn’t put together combinations. But, there are some combinations of Roan and Dream State further down the post for another project. I will take more pictures tomorrow.

Tin Can Knits has a new pattern. This is called Lullaby and you can purchase the pattern on the Tin Can Knits website.

Soft waves of colour cascade over your knees as you knit, keeping you cozy and inspired by their ever-changing combinations.

There is nothing complex, new or groundbreaking here, but instead the comforting repetition of soft stripes.

These gentle waves are shaped by a stitch pattern as old as the hills, like a lullaby sung by parent to child down the generations.

The finished stroller (crib, throw) size blanket measures approximately 26 (32, 40)” wide by 32 (40, 52)” long, but will vary based upon finished gauge and blocking.

You can knit the blanket in fingering weight, DK, worsted or bulky. 

I played with Minikins this afternoon. These are for Stephen West’s Painting Waves. You can purchase the pattern on Stephen’s website. I loved knitting the shawl. The pattern was easy to follow and the colours are changing quickly.

When I put this together I envisioned starting at the right and working around to the left. The tosh merino light is the garter stitch stripes.

Xenon

Wildflower

Coral Crush

Lipstick

Vamp

Fuchsia

Metropolis

Dirty Harry

This is the Painting Waves that I knit with a Minikin Palette Pack. There are 9 Minikins in my shawl but it would be more than long enough with 7 or 8.

Here is my bright suggestion for Passeggiata.

Across the top - Fuchsia, Lipstick, Harvest

Middle row - Vitamin C, Dirty Hippy, Fuchia (I didn’t realize that I duplicated the colour - it works or you can add in another colour)

Bottom row - Metropolis, Vamp, Wildflower

Then I did a few combinations for Moonwhistle. You can purchase the pattern on Andrea Mowry’s website.

For this you need 

Roan DK - main colour - 2 skeins. This colour is running throughout the shawl

Roan DK - second colour - 1 skein. This is used in the garter stitch section with the main colour

Dream State - 2 skeins. This is used with the main colour - you are working a pattern stitch.

Beautiful Ambition, Wololo, Cerulean

Cerulean, Castaway, Charmed.

Charmed, Close Call and Devotion.

Divine, Stay out of the Forest, Cerulean.

It’s a busy TV night. The Jays. Lots on HGTV. Plus Law & Order Organized Crime and Top Chef from last night. Hopefully Beth will look after the converter so I can knit.