Tuesday, May 31, 2022

7 more rows

I took a drive to Terra today to buy plants for our house. 

I show their front planters every year and every year I want them for my store. 

My car was full. The plants are resting in the garage for the evening. It is way too hot to plant them. 
📷 © Stephen West
This was on Stephen’s Instagram feed today. A new pattern is coming on Thursday. 
It’s cookie time.
I wrote my post and then knit a few rows. I have 7 rows until I’m casting off. I won’t make it tonight but maybe tomorrow. I’m going between my cowl and Ranunculus. I have 4 more increase rows on Ranunculus and then I’m splitting the sleeves and body. 

Make sure you look at your inbox. A newsletter just went out. Now a few more rows while we watch hockey and baseball. 

Monday, May 30, 2022

Yarn Shopping

I’m trying to finish a newsletter to go out tomorrow morning and in the newsletter I talk about going to the trade show in June. I mentioned new products. I took a look at the vendor list again and I better make sure my Visa card is cleared. I can see a lot of shopping in my future.

Atenti Bags will be at the show. This is a brand new Hope Basket. I have a feeling there will be a restock of bags. 😘

Gleener is going to be at the show so we will be restocking. 

From sweaters and suits to sofas and bedding, Gleener helps you get the longest life from your clothing, upholstery, and linens. The 3 different Fabric Safe Edges™ eliminate pilling, lint and pet hair from virtually all fabrics. Each edge is designed to gently revive a different type of fabric, from big and bulky, to medium, and delicate. The integrated lint brush picks up pet hair, dusts away dandruff and can be used to beautifully finish any de-pilling job. Extend the life of all your faves without the need for expensive and toxic batteries. Choose Gleener and feel good about buying less and making it last

Sometimes they bring out a special colour at the shows. Fingers crossed for something fun.

Della Q sent out a teaser email about new products and a new colour. I’ve been carrying around the Maker’s Tote for the past few weeks and love this bag.

Freia Fibers has new colours coming for fall. This is a sneak peek.

I put together some more combinations for the Velvet Mirror Cowl this morning.




Jackson has a few toys in the backyard.

I had a few visitors in bed last night. They look like angels until they decide it’s time to wrestle while I’m in bed with them.

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Happy Sunday

While my iPad was charging I pulled out my Inclinations Cowl to knit a few rows. I think I might have a Spincycle/Andrea Mowry problem. 

Diana is going to knit us an Inclinations Cowl using the new Edition 3.
She is starting with 2 balls of each colour. I think that should be enough - we’ll find out in a few weeks.

I started my post yesterday and then got busy knitting last night. Happy Sunday. What a beautiful day!!
Rununculus is progressing. I have a few more increase rows and then I’m ready to separate the sleeves from the body. I laid it outside and Boscoe wanted to see what I was doing.
I’m almost finished. 


Friday, May 27, 2022

Finished Cowls

Alex stopped this afternoon for a quick visit and dropped off some of my knitting. I knit and Alex blocks, sews in ends and sews my seams. It’s the perfect arrangement - at least for me.

This is Andrea Mowry’s Velvet Mirror Cowl. You can purchase the pattern on Andrea’s website.

This cowl gets started with a provisional cast on and then is knit sideways as a tube. A half twist and some kitchener stitch to finish it off and you have an easy to wear, cozy-to-the-max cowl to pair with all of your cool weather outfits!

I used Rowan Kidsilk Haze (double stranded) and Spincycle Dyed in the Wool. Kits are available on the website. I really enjoyed making this cowl and would highly recommend it.

I need to be careful with this cowl - Lynn wants it. I’m going to be checking her bag when she leaves every evening 😘.


Alex also blocked my Shift. I used Dyed in the Wool Absolute Zero, Dead Reckoning and Cold Comfort. I have a new mauve jean jacket and this will be perfect.

I’m going to continue with the cowl theme when I sit down to knit and watch Top Chef. The rows on my Inclinations Cowl are getting shorter so it feels like I’m knitting faster.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Organic Cotton Worsted

Yesterday we received a big restock of Organic Cotton Worsted from Blue Sky Fibers. Blue Sky recently released this great looking sweater pattern for the cotton.
Knit from the top-down in soft organic cotton, this beautiful sweater has subtle allover texture. Easily adjust both the body and sleeve length to your desired fit.

You can purchase the pattern for the Shady Hollow Sweater on Ravelry.





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.

Perfect in any baby’s room—whether modern, retro, romantic, or eclectic—this wee patchwork ‘blankie’ will always be a beloved gift. It’s simply knit in garter stitch strips (totally beginner-worthy!) so it’s an easy project to tote along and straightforward to assemble.

This adorable baby blanket is plush and wonderfully soft in Blue Sky Fibers’ Organic Cotton Worsted. Cotton is soft by nature and this fiber lets all that natural softness bounce right through its loose, 2-ply twist. With a springy-ness that’s reminiscent of wool and a fantastic range of deeply saturated colors and artistic, printed speckles (Printed Organic Cotton Worsted!), it’s 100% certified organic cotton and environmentally friendly.

Churchmouse knit their Garter Blocks Baby Blanket with Organic Cotton Worsted. They also added in Printed Organic Cotton Worsted.

You can purchase the pattern on Churchmouse’s website.

We also received a restock of Lang Jawoll.

Jawoll - tried and tested a million times and for many years a sock wool classic - including reinforcement yarn for heels and toes to extend the life of your socks! LANGYARNS JAWOLL is the Rolls Royce of sockyarns. The wool is sourced from Corriedale sheep: for JAWOLL we only use wool of the finest provenance from Chilean Patagonia. During shearing the best parts of the fleece are selected and sorted out. The average thickness, the diameter of the fibre, is just 25 microns (1 micron = 1/1000 mm) so the wool feels very soft and is very comfortable to wear. The Corriedale sheep live all year round in the natural wilds of Patagonia. Because of the scant food supply, their wool remains white and grows to an average staple length of 10cm. This makes it take dye well, the colours are brilliant and the finished yarn is highly resistant to pilling (knot forming). In every 50g ball there is a spool of reinforcement yarn for knitting in to strengthen heels and toes. This will increase the lifespan of your socks. Due to the superior quality of the fibres JAWOLL is also excellent for baby or toddler knits and for men's knitwear.

Brian Smith has a new pattern on Ravelry that is knit with Crazy Zauberball. Knitting with a self-striping yarn is always fun. The shawl is a great shape. Diana needs a knitting project - I think I’ll play with colours tomorrow.

Worked sideways in stocking stitch, this design creates triangles that slowly grow in size. Using short rows to shape and add interest, with a garter ridge separating sections.

Brian used one ball of 2428 with two balls of 2429. 

You can purchase the pattern for A Change of Scenery on Ravelry. 





We made up some new kits for Andrea Mowry’s Inclinations Cowl this morning.

I was looking at some of the finished Ranunculus sweaters on Ravelry. I can’t show pictures but here are links to some that I like. You need to be signed into your Ravelry account to see these.

Knit in Zauberball Crazy Cotton - take a look at the bottom edging

I’m almost halfway through the increases on my Ranunculus. There was a bit of knitting last night during Survivor. Hockey is on and it’s time to move over to the knitting chair. I’m torn - Inclinations Cowl or Ranunculus???

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Knitting Progress

The yoke is finished and it’s time to start increasing. I did not do the cast on that the pattern called for. I was ready to start and wasn’t in any frame of mind to do something fancy. I cast on 90 stitches with a .5mm smaller needle. I did the ribbing and then omitted the increase row. Lynn is wearing one of her Ranunculas sweaters today and she did the fancy cast on. Yes I like it better but…

We put the sweater on a Barber Cord to see the actual size. It took Lynn less than 3 minutes to slide the stitches onto the cord and the same amount of time to get them back on the needle. Barber Cords are awesome and we highly suggest you have some in your knitting bag.

Lynn has one word of warning about Barber Cords. I am working on a 5.5mm needle and she was gentle slipping the stitches. The Barber Cords work best for 4.5mm and smaller needles.

When I finished the yoke pattern last night I went back to my Inclinations Cowl. I’m busily working away on my decreases.
Lynn’s Inclinations Cowl is done, blocked and sewn together. The colours look awesome. Lynn loves it. It looks better on a person but I was outside with my friend so I threw it on her.
 
Isabel Kraemer has a new cardigan. Lynn is in love with it. Maybe I should say obsessed. I think this will be her next project.
Elah is worked seamlessly from the top down. Fronts are worked in lace pattern, while the back is worked in Stockinette stitch. Knitting starts with the provisional cast on of the shoulders for the fronts (you will first work the right front, then the left front). Once the short row shaped shoulder slope is done, the front is worked flat to underarm. Shoulder stitches are picked up from the provisional CO of both front shoulders to work the back to the same length. At underarm both fronts and back are joined to work the body top down back and forth to the bottom hem. As the front ribbing is built in, there is no finishing required. Sleeve stitches are picked up around the arm openings to work the sleeves in Stockinette stitch top down in rounds to the cuffs.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. 

The cardigan is knit in worsted weight yarn - the options are endless.

If I was knitting the cardigan I would use Kathmandu Aran. We have a shawl knit in the yarn and it looks amazing in textured stitches and in stocking stitch.






Beth and Jackson are at school tonight so I have time to start my increasing on Ranunculus. When they get home we will be watching the season finale of Survivor. I might have to work on Inclinations - I have the pattern memorized so I can knit and watch.