Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Keep Dreaming

Annie Lupton has a beautiful new shawl pattern and you can purchase it on Ravelry.

The Keep Dreaming Shawl is a lacy triangle shaped shawl.  
The design features two different lace motifs and a sweet picot bind off. Knit up in Wooldreamers Manchelopis yarn, a lovely unspun wool yarn with 2 strands that has an incredibly soft, billowy hand. The Keep Dreaming Shawl is a large, chunky, but surprisingly light and airy shawl that will have you begging to snuggle up in its embrace!

The shawl is knit with 2 strands of DK weight yarn so the possibilities are endless. 



I’m back in the room packing to head to the airport. I’m sad to be leaving but it was great to get away for a few days. I have two more pattern repeats to go on my cowl and then the cast off. I’m not sure how much knitting will happen on the plane - I think I’ll be sleeping. My flight lands at 6:30am. Dad and Fred are picking me up and I’m going home for a few hours sleep. I hope to get to the store late afternoon to pack boxes for Mr. UPS to pick up on Friday. You never know - the first orders from Saturday could go out tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Decreasing

It was another beautiful day in Vegas. I packed my backpack (the new Della Q Midi Backpack) and went for a walk. 

My cowl came with me so that I could get outdoor pictures. I am just about to start the decreasing.

Caitlin Hunter has a new pattern. You can purchase the pattern for Awilda on Ravelry.

Awilda is a sport weight sweater knit from the top down, featuring playful, easy-to-work colorwork, and a relaxed, cocoon-fit body. This pattern is a great stash buster and opportunity to play with color!  

Short rows are worked at the back neck. Instructions are given for lengthening the body and sleeves as desired. 

Each row uses only 2 colors and has short floats so this is quite approachable for beginner knitters. 

The pattern calls for sport weight yarn but when I look at the tension I think you could do the sweater in a fingering weight yarn as well. Fingering weight will give you more colour options. It also gives the option of using mini skeins for the colour work. 

I wrote this before dinner and totally forgot to hit publish. My stomach is full and now it’s time for a rest and some knitting. I was up at 6 this morning and walked 9km today. I’m tired.

Monday, January 29, 2024

Hello from Vegas

My trip so far has been great. Lots of knitting, resting, walking and eating. Today I set out early to the Conservatory at the Bellagio.
In celebration of Lunar New Year, Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens has unveiled its new display, “Infinite Prosperity: The Year of the Dragon". The exhibit uses glamorous floral arrangements and vibrant décor to pay homage to the highly anticipated Year of the Dragon. The display thoughtfully draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of Asian architecture, folklore and culture, with each element meticulously designed to symbolize the promise of a favorable new year on view through March 2.














My knitting is growing. The first skein is finished and I joined skein two last night.
Spring Rowan will be launching on Thursday. I was late getting my order in so our books and a new yarn should be in the store on Monday. I will get everything online and you’ll be able to see it in person next Wednesday. Over the next week I’ll have lots of pictures to share with you.

It was warm in Vegas today. 20C - the hottest January 29th in history. It is supposed to be this warm tomorrow as well. My knitting and I might sit by the pool and soak up some Vitamin D.

It’s only 5:30 here. I’m going to say goodnight and head downstairs. There is still time for another walk before dinner.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Surprise Sale

We’re having a surprise sale while I’m away. Madelinetosh Merino Light, Tosh DK, Vintage, Twist Sock and Wool + Cotton are 20% off until 8pm on February 1st. Don’t forget that we won’t be shipping until I get home.

My plane watching is going to be Chicago Fire. We’ve finished Season 4 and I have Season 5 downloaded. My yarn is wound and ready. 
I’m making the Traveler Cowl in Dyed in the Wool Sea Spray. The cowl is mindless knitting - perfect for the plane.

I packed most of my clothes last night and caved on the size of my suitcase. I am checking a bag. This gives me more room in case I go shopping. It also gave me more room for yarn. 😀 You never know how much knitting time you are going to have. What if you run out???

Friday, January 26, 2024

Stockholm Slipover

Lynn is making the Stockholm Slipover using Le Petit Lambswool (Soft Blue Green) with Le Petit Silk & Mohair (Blue Grey). Lynn is very happy with how the colours are working together. I really like them as well.

The pattern is from PetiteKnit and you can purchase it on Ravelry.

Photo © PetiteKnit 
I am thinking (just thinking right now) about bringing in ChiaoGoo interchangeable sets. To start we brought in the new special edition Forte 2.0. We have two sets in stock.

ChiaoGoo's newest Special Edition interchangeable set, the Forté 2.0, includes tips that are an elegant combination of sleek stainless steel combined with Carbon Fiber or African Blackwood. The set boasts the new SWIV360 interchangeable cables. Silver in colour, these cables have the same properties as the much-loved red and blue TWIST cables, PLUS an added swivel feature! Knitters have been hoping for this for years. In addition to the SWIV cables, TWIST red cables are included for the small [S] sized tips. Each threaded steel join is laser etched with the tip diameter and join size, which will never wear off. All Forté parts and pieces have [S] or [L] size joins, so they are compatible with all similarly coded interchangeable parts.

Made of REACH-compliant man-made material, the Forté case is as elegant and functional as the tips and cables. It includes a double-sided, removable needle board that firmly houses all tips, elastic that securely holds but gives easy access to accessories, and four pockets to hold the rest of your knitting supplies, including a spot for your pattern or notes.

The Forté set includes 14 pairs of 5" (13 cm) tips as follows:
US 2 - US 8 (2.75 - 5.00mm) - Carbon Fibre shaft with stainless steel tips and joins
US 9 - US 15 (5.50 - 10.00mm) - African Blackwood shaft with stainless steel tips and joins

Plus the following accessories:
REACH-compliant zippered case
Six memory-free SWIV360 cables (14", 22", and 30" in both small [S] and large [L] joins)
Three memory-free TWIST red cables (14", 22", and 30" in small [S] joins)
Steel scissors, a measuring tape, pen, end stoppers, cable connectors, tip adapters, stitch markers, darning needles, and swatch/needle gauge

Lynn and I went outside for pictures so you could see how the Traveler Shawl looks on a real person. All my shawls are the second size which means that the second triangle is longer and you end up with a bigger shawl.













My post was finished when Alex came in with her Rad Plaid Cowl (pattern purchased on Ravelry). I had to add the pictures - it looks amazing.
Lynn gasped when she saw the cowl and asked if she could try it on. She’s wanted to knit it for some time and I think she will once her vest is finished.

Alex used one skein each of

Emma’s Practically Perfect Sock Heavy Pour
Emma’s Suri Silk Petal
Dyed in the Wool Dirty Little Secret
The Rad Plaid Cowl combines 3 colors and simple slipped stitches to create a fun plaid fabric with endless color combo possibilities! This cowl style is perfect for colorwork projects because the floats are hidden inside, and it is so easy to style. Just pop it on to finish any outfit and add a little cozy to your day! It begins with a provisional cast on and is then knit as a tube in the round, twisted once and grafted together using the Kitchener stitch.




I need to pack tonight but the most important thing is to get my knitting in order. I can buy clothes or toiletries there but I will be lost without my yarn. The other order of business is figuring out what TV show I’m going to download to watch on the plane. It should have been Suits but I’ve been watching it at home and I’m almost finished. Just a few more episodes to go.