More from Coastal Knits

I haven't shown a picture of the last Gnarled Oak. Lynn finished hers in time for the Frolic and proudly wore it all day-even when it was so hot in the booth we thought we were going to wilt.

Lynn does have button holes but she couldn't find buttons to her liking. We looked in the store late Friday night but we were so tired from setting up that we couldn't find anything/didn't really look. We went with a shawl pin for now until she finds the perfect button.

I love the leaves across the top.

Did you know that there are new patterns coming out called Coastal Kids? These won't be in a book but in leaflet form. I think they are going to be shipped to us next week.

I took Wannietta's work outside to get a picture that is better than what I showed from the Frolic.

Pattern: Wildflower Cardigan from Coastal Knits
Knit in Tosh Pashmina

The pocket detail and edging are beautiful!

Melo had surgery on his ear this afternoon. Leanne called that he was doing well. Beth is there right now picking him up. I can only imagine what a suck he is going to be tonight.

Survivor last night was great. Kat's first mistake was not taking Tarzan and his wife for the reward. Then she made a stupid statement about why she took the people she did. At tribal when she was talking about a blind side thinking that Sabrina was going was priceless. I think that Tarzan and Christina are sitting really good right now. If they keep their mouths shut they could outlive the others as the fighting starts.

I'M GOING TO KNIT TONIGHT!! Sorry for writing in caps but if I say it then I have to do it. :) Who cares that the house needs to be cleaned.

Holiday

I'm ready for the day. Mail is done and ready to go. Once my post is finished the computer is going away and the knitting is coming out.

I have my iPad with me and the TSN Masters App is downloaded. There isn't TV coverage of the Masters until 3pm (you wouldn't want to show everything) so I am watching online until then. I could watch on my computer but this way I can watch and work at the same time.

Tiny Tea Leaves-the yoke is almost done. The pattern is super easy. We were talking about Tea Leaves in class last night. Sarah and Lynn both knit the adult version. Once the yoke is done the body can be considered boring knitting. You can also think of it as great car knitting. Lynn travels many weekends to the cottage and she got the cardigan knit while driving - okay she was sitting in the passenger seat :)

Sarah brought me her Gnarled Oak. I was afraid to take it just in case something happens but she is okay with it hanging in the store. We are taking it to the Frolic and Lynn will be in charge of it there. It will also be Lynn's job to get it back to Cathy who will be traveling to England in May to see Sarah.

There is a pile of patterns to be priced but I'm calling holiday and setting them aside until next week. I will post them as I price them.

Enjoy your Good Friday tomorrow. I will try to post but there is church, knitting and quilting on the agenda.

Gnarled Oak Part 2

I was in such a hurry yesterday with my post that I didn't give it a title. It was the first thing I did today.

It is very early in my world. Last night Beth went to have a sleep study done. I have been telling her to do it for a long time and she finally listened. She came through the door at 6:30 this morning. The dogs were extremely excited to see her. I was happy because she brought a tea and muffin for me.

Sarah emailed me a few pictures last night. Her Gnarled Oak is done. I love the pictures. They look like something from a magazine.

In case you don't know Sarah here is a brief history. Sarah and her mom Cathy (yes, the Cathy who helps out in the store-the one who keeps things in order) started coming to the shop 8 or so years ago-maybe longer. They then joined my Wednesday night knitting class. We hit it off and Sarah started helping out in the store. She went off to teachers college which meant less time in the store but she still came in on Saturdays and helped out with the shows.

Sarah and John got married a few years ago and John just took a job in England. It's sad for us here but Sarah is having a great time. You can follow her adventures on the blog she started. If you look on the right side of my blog it says My Blog List. Sarah is go go little red.

When Coastal Knits first came out Sarah decided that Gnarled Oak was going to be our garment for the Frolic. She picked a colour and helped Lynn with hers. I decided to join in so we would all be wearing the same thing. Sarah won't be here for the show but I hope she wears her Gnarled Oak on April 28 to show support. :)

She is coming home for Easter weekend and we hope to see her in knitting class on Wednesday night.

I did a bit of knitting last night but it is hard to knit with a 75 pound Golden Retriever named Roko in your lap. He was upset because he mom left him so I was the next best thing. The back of the Trendsetter vest is done and I am almost done the first square on the front.

Here is the second piece of my quilt.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get up early. A load of laundry is in-mannequin clothes. The ladies are going to be redressed for summer and I thought it would be nice if they had freshly washed clothes. Cheques have been written and I'm just finishing up mail orders.

Then its off to see Lucy at the Quilt Rack. I hope she has colours that will work. Friday we are closed for Good Friday. Church in the morning and then an afternoon by the sewing machine.

Gnarled Oak is done

I'm wearing Gnarled Oak today. Beth took a couple of pictures quickly before work. When I say quickly I really mean it. The dogs were already in her truck and she took two pictures before throwing the phone at me and driving off.

When I got to work I was afraid that I would be too warm but the weather has turned cold this afternoon. What happened to summer?

I need to block the front bands but I was so excited about it being done that I wore it anyway.

The grafting last night took longer than I thought. I know that you graft with the right side facing out but I started it with the right sides together. Only 5 stitches were done but it still meant picking back. There were a few bad words being thrown around.

My afternoon has been spent on the Frolic. I finally started my list of what we are taking. Then it was time to contact a few suppliers with emergency orders. I'm out of a few patterns to make kits.

When I was looking on Ravelry I saw this for the Frolic. I need to find out who did this so that they can make banners for us. What a great job.

We sent out a newsletter this morning. If you didn't receive it you can view it here.

Knitting class tonight and then Survivor and American Idol. I can't say I was sad to see Colton leave Survivor last week but it would have been better if he had been voted out. That kid thought very highly of himself. I'm not sure how I feel about this season of Idol. Normally there is a favourite by now and I'm not sure there is this season.

Beth brought me dinner so I'm staying at work before class. I now have an hour by myself to knit.

Sewing in Ends

Gnarled Oak is almost done. I'm about half way done sewing in my ends and then I need to graft under the arms.

This is the shawl pin I picked. A newly finished cardigan deserves a new pin-not one of the old ones from the drawer. :) I can justify anything.

Tosh Chunky found a home. Wish it was at my house but it isn't.

We have

-cove

-smokey orchid

-william morris

-well water

-cousteau

-tart

-kale

Yummy!

Somehow many bags of yarn came home with me today. 

-tosh dk in lowland so that I can make another Gnarled Oak. I won't start it right away but I can sleep better knowing the yarn is at home. It's hard to believe but I don't really have a stash at home. There are many works in progress but not much yarn that isn't on needles.

-the Trendsetter vest that I am working on for the Frolic

-3 skeins of tosh vintage in Volga (shades of blue) to make Tiny Tea Leaves. I really enjoyed working on an easy garment in stocking stitch. Sometimes it is nice to have knitting that you don't have to think about.

Now I need to get the wool winder out and wind some balls of yarn.

New Colours of Shepherd Sock

My Gnarled Oak cardigan has sat in my bedroom for the last week. I'm at the critical point. It's almost done but I'm not sure that I will like it. Will it fit? Will it look good on me? When I get here on a garment I put it aside and go onto another project. It's better to sit unfinished than be finished and not like it.

Last night I decided to suck it up and get back to the cardigan. I finished the chart (there were two rows to go) and then the five rows of garter stitch for the collar. The cast off is done and I had Beth pause Survivor so that I could look at it on me in the bathroom. I love it. It's with me today so that I can start on the front bands. The weather is supposed to cool down next week. I better get it done so I can wear it.

The next dilemma was buttons or shawl pin. I decided to go the shawl pin route. That way I can pin it many different ways using one of the many shawl pins in my drawer. Or I could choose a new one. :)

Ms. Canada Post came in this morning with a box from Lorna's Laces. New colours of Shepherd Sock are here!!

I'm coming up with combinations for Linen Stitch scarf kits as I am writing.

Beth called me this afternoon to ask if I had plans after work. She was thinking about going golfing and she didn't want the dogs to be alone for too long. Not a problem. I'll go straight home. I must admit I am jealous. Wish I was out enjoying the beautiful weather.

Is feels like summer

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get up early. I was tossing and turning this morning so I decided to get up and get my day going-much earlier than I had planned. I got some website updates done and orders placed before 9am. Then I went to get a new mask for my CPAP. I never sleep without my CPAP and my mask was starting to get a bit yucky. Can't wait to get to bed tonight. :)

I hope you are experiencing the beautiful weather we are having in Southern Ontario. It feels like summer. I have the door of the store propped open because it is so warm out. My car said 19C. Unbelievable.

I didn't get a lot of knitting done last night but here is my vest so far. You can put the colours wherever you want so every one's vest will be a bit different.

I'm knitting in my ends as I go so there won't be any sewing when I'm done. Sewing in ends ranks right up there with sewing on buttons.

I just found the button to edit photos on my phone. How did I miss this before? I can rotate photos before emailing them to myself. What a great feature.

I was able to work on Gnarled Oak this afternoon. I have two more rows of the chart to do (one knit row, one purl row) and then five rows of garter stitch for the collar.

Here are a couple of close ups of the leaves. The cardigan is in the front window and the sun is still out so the colours are off.

I just got home from work and the car still says 19C. Not good if you like to ski but great for us golfers.

That darn Barry

I only got four rows knit last night. One row was a killer. To give the 3D look of leaves the pattern has you doing something close to bobbles. Knit 3, turn, Purl 3, turn then do a decrease. It took forever.

I got a few more rows done in the store and had to do another killer row. I got part way through and then we had many customers. I'm not complaining about customers. Wish I never had time to knit in the store. :) The row needs concentration and picking it up and putting it down isn't good. So I put it aside until tomorrow. I didn't even bring it home tonight. Something else got in the way.

We received a few more kits from Trendsetter for the A-Mazing Blocks Cross Front Vest in the Marshmellow Twist colour way. I couldn't stop myself. There isn't enough for a picture but there will be tomorrow because once I am done this I am going to knit.

Barry Klein is the owner of Trendsetter Yarns and has an amazing eye for colour. If Barry is putting together colour combinations you know they are going to be great!! I loved this when I saw it at TNNA and knew I wanted a sample for the Knitter's Frolic.

Marshmellow Twist

Pamela dropped off a flyer in the store for a new knitting meetup in Dundas

The Around the Bay Knitters Guild and the Dundas Library invite you to a monthly drop-in for knitters-new and experienced-at the Dundas Branch of HPL. Guild members will offer encouragement and advice for beginners and everyone at all skill levels can share craft ideas and enjoy the membership. This program is Free and you don't have to belong to the Guild to attend.

The first meeting is Wednesday March 21 at 6:30 pm. Watch the Around the Bay Blog for more information.

It's knitting time! Hope you are doing the same.

Cables

I am working away on the yoke of my cardigan. There are 28 rows in the cable pattern and I just finished the 14th row. A discovery has been made while knitting-I am very picky about my cable needle. I didn't like the one I was using last night but the one I am using today is much better.

The brochure to Camp is finally done. I'm very excited about the workshops we are offering-they are all brand new to Camp. Josh Bennett, Beth Casey and Fiona Ellis. We can't ask for any better instructors.

You can download it here...

I received an email today with information on the next Kim Hargreaves magazine to come out. We should have it in May.

There was also an email from madelinetosh. Tosh chunky is in transit.

• tart
• well water
• cousteau
• smokey orchid
• kale
• william morris
• cove

I kind of took the day off-I knit for most of it. There is yarn I want to knit with and won't start until I get Gnarled Oak done (I know, this has never been a problem in my life before). I haven't watched the Y and R for some time but put it on at 12:30. Adam could see. Then he was blind. Miracle he can see. Then he is blind. Now another miracle and he can see again. I probably won't watch for a while again. :) Then I watched General Hospital. Today was the lead in to Robin's funeral. I remember when she joined the show and watched her grow up. It's sad to see her go.

Knitting class tonight and then TV to watch-that's good for me-lots more knitting time for the evening. Colton on Survivor could be the most annoying player ever. It will be interesting to see what he tries to pull tonight. Please let us have good songs on Idol tonight. And a new Criminal Minds.

Cables are started

I finished my short rows and have row 1 of the cable pattern done. You can't see a lot in the picture but I was proud of getting to this point.

There are finally enough rows done that I can put it on a mannequin. 

Last night a newsletter went out and a few people commented that the background was very distracting making it hard to read. I have picked a new template for the next newsletter that doesn't have any background so hopefully the problem will be solved.

If you didn't get the newsletter you can see it here...

Beth and I went to Five Guys for dinner and then did a bit of running around after work. When we got home I checked my email. An order from Winnipeg-thank you. Junk mail-no thank you. And an email from Direct Air that they have suspended all flights until May. Guess that means my plane ticket for two weeks from now isn't any good. I checked out Porter. Over $2000 for that weekend. US Air is over $700. I'm glad that my trip wasn't important. Maybe April.

My knitting is staring at me so I think I'm going to move upstairs and get a few more rows done.

Knitting Machine

There was no time to post yesterday. I was a knitting machine. The decreases are done and I reached almost 5" past where the sleeves were joined to the body. Now I need to do some short rows. This will make the cardigan longer in the back than in the front. Not hard to do and the instructions in the book are excellent.

I wanted to knit more last night but made myself go to bed at 11:30. It was an early morning today. Out of the house at 8 for a quick trip to Toronto. I stopped at one of my distributors to pick up yarn for a customer (forgot my list and didn't get yarn for another customer-not a bright moment) and then on to get bags for the store. I was back in the store by 11:30 with lunch for Jane. Then onto Beth's warehouse to help her out for the afternoon. I'm home for a few minutes then off to have my nails done.

Ms. Canada Post brought in some more patterns today including the Berkeley Square Cardigan

Fiber Trends Pattern FT466 Design by Therese Chynoweth
Classic rib trim is combined with knit-and-purl texture to create a sophisticated, yet relaxed cardigan. Wear it with jeans or dress it up to suit your mood. With only two seams to sew, this is one design for the minimalist in all of us. The body is worked in one piece to the armholes, shoulders are joined using three needle bind off, and the sleeves are worked in the round to the underarm.
Size: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)
Finished Bust Measurement: 35 3/4 (40 1/4, 44 1/2, 48 1/4, 52 1/2. 56 1/4)
Yarn Requirements: 1200 (1325, 1500, 1600, 1750, 1875) yds of a worsted weight yarn.

Needles: Circular (circ) US size 8 (5mm), 16" & 32" (40 cm & 80 cm), and set of 4 or 5 double pointed (dp) needles.
Other Supplies: Split ring markers or coil less pins, stitch holders, six 1" (25 mm) buttons.
Gauge: 19 stitches and 26 rows= 4" in Boxes pattern. 

This will look great in madelinetosh vintage!

Beth just got home from work and there is a newsletter in her inbox to proof read. It should be going out to you tonight. Last night while lying in bed I was trying to think of things for today's post. I came up with something good-so good that it will be in a tips and tricks newsletter going out next week.

Time to run. After my nails the knitting will resume. Top Chef finale tonight and then the start of Top Chef Canada. I can't believe I watch these. I don't cook and wouldn't eat most of the food they make but I can't get enough of it.

Two Day Post

Kate sent me an email and asked me where she could find the link to the classes on my website because she was doing a blog post. They aren't on the website yet. Please don't get me started on that-the web guy has them but hasn't done it. I decided to save this post for Saturday and do a post just about Kate. Don't miss out on taking a class with a fabulous teacher.

From Friday

It has been crazy weather in Ancaster this morning. Sunny one minute and then white out snow the next. Right now it is sunny and a beautiful day.

We have a new Noro yarn.

Ayatori
60% wool
40% silk
22 stitches = 4" on 4mm needles
142m on a ball

The colours are pastel-very summery. Me wants some. :)

The new Noro books for spring haven't arrived yet. There will be one from Noro and I believe that Jenny Watson is doing one as well. If you are like me and need to start with the yarn right away then you can choose any double knitting pattern.

Check out a cardigan called Pretty in Pink on Ravelry. This will look great in the Ayatori.

Ms. Canada Post made her daily visit with a box of patterns. Westknits 3 from Stephen West is here.

Thendara
Knit in tosh pashmina
I WANT!! (I'm being very greedy today)

See all the patterns from the book...

I'm writing away and looking out the window to lots of snow. It really can't make up it's mind.

It's Saturday

I have been working away on Gnarled Oak. Okay, that is a bit of a stretch. I worked on my quilt Thursday evening. All 16 squares are done. Now they need to be trimmed. Okay, I need to press them properly and then trim them. Then it is time for the borders. Gnarled Oak has proceeded past the second decrease row. I have another 3" (which includes two decrease rows) to do before I can start on the yoke pattern.

There were more patterns in the box with the Stephen West books including

Scalene by Carina Spencer
We have the scarf knit in the store in lace weight and I have knit it in Liberty. You can also knit Scalene in fingering weight (think of the possibilities).

I'm looking forward to a day at home tomorrow. Knitting and quilting mixed with Nascar, golf, The Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice.

Liberty

We have two new colours of Liberty from Classic Elite. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love this yarn. I have knit a lot with it and have it at home on the needles as well.

Liberty Wool is a super-soft, washable wool available in solid and printed colors. This yarn's balanced twist will make all stitch combinations pop.With all the great qualities of wool and the ease of machine washability, Liberty Wool knits at a gauge that suits many designs and is ideal for children's pieces as well as those for adults.

7865 Violet Glen

7864 Flower Garden

I love these colours!!

Classic Elite is bringing out two colours a month until June. We don't know what they are until they arrive in the store. Just like Christmas.

I totally forgot to show the colours that arrived in February

7863 Brick Road

7862 Watercolour
Rainbow

There are new patterns as well.

February Baby Cardigan
I'm going to send an email to Classic Elite asking them to make this in an adult size-very cute.

A cardigan for babies with set-in sleeves, garter stitch cuffs and chevron hem and collar. Written for sizes 6-12 months (18 months, 24 months) and shown in 6-12 months size.

Colour 7862 Watercolour Rainbow

 Easy Moebius Cowl

An easy cowl with plenty of interest that is entirely knit, first flat in Garter stitch then joined with a ½ twist. Cowl is then finished in the round with a contrasting Stockinette stitch border.

Colour 7864 Flower Garden

 Hooded Scarf

A long, ribbed scarf with a simple hood with easy shaping in the middle. Piece begins with ribbed scarf end and worked across the hood then down the second scarf end. Hood is seamed in finishing.

Colour 7865 Violet Glen

Mitred Cowl

Worked entirely in Garter stitch, ten mitered diamonds are worked one after the other, in one piece without breaking yarn. A short seam is sewn to join the first diamond to the last and form a cowl. Stitches are then picked up and triangles are worked along each edge to complete.

Colour 7864 Flower Garden

I am about to start the second decrease row on Gnarled Oak. Last night in class Lynn asked me to set my cardigan aside and work on something else for a bit. I am further ahead than her and she wants to catch up. Rumour has it that Sarah will be home for Easter weekend. Will she have her cardigan done for us to get pictures??