Trio of Colours

My post is very short today because I spent the afternoon at the dentist. Two hours in the chair. My mouth is a bit sore. After receiving the shipment of Tosh Merino Light with lots of pretty colours I was looking back at some of my projects that I knit in TML. This is from 2017.

I used Tosh Merino Light to knit Ambah O’Brien’s Xanthe. Ambah’s shawls stand the test of time. You can knit it today and no one will tell you that the pattern is five years old.

Xanthe Wrap is an invitation to play. Choose a trio of colours to express your style, the varations are endless; stripe two neutrals and add a lace colour pop, or keep it neutral for a classic look. Use your wildest speckle yarn striped with a solid and co-ordinating lace colour for something as fun to knit as it is to wear. The stretches of garter stitch make this a perfect project for travel or mindless knitting while beautiful lace keeps it interesting. 
Xanthe is knit on the bias which results in a rhomboid shape; it is easy to wear and will fast become a wardrobe staple. 

Pattern includes fully written instructions accompanied by a chart for the lace section.

You can purchase the pattern for Xanthe from Ambah on Etsy.

The colours are Cactus Flower, Prairie Fire and Medieval.

When Lucy was smaller and able to fit in the front seat.

I have a lot of suggested posts on Instragram about St. Bernards. I save them and show them to dad and Beth at dinner. Many of the dogs have the same traits as Lucy. 

Happy Halloween

Our pumpkins are ready. We are setting up a table at the end of the driveway where we will lay out goodie bags for the kids. Dad has some construction lights (which will be decorated with caution table) because he thinks the end of driveway is dark. He doesn’t want kids tripping. Dad and Beth are dressing up like construction workers and I will be in the house with the dogs. There could be some knitting time.

Last year we had well over 100 kids. It will be interesting to see how many we have this year.

Xanthe Wrap is an invitation to play. Choose a trio of colours to express your style, the varations are endless; stripe two neutrals and add a lace colour pop, or keep it neutral for a classic look. Use your wildest speckle yarn striped with a solid and co-ordinating lace colour for something as fun to knit as it is to wear. The stretches of garter stitch make this a perfect project for travel or mindless knitting while beautiful lace keeps it interesting.  

Xanthe is knit on the bias which results in a rhomboid shape; it is easy to wear and will fast become a wardrobe staple.

I was pulling skeins of tosh merino light for a customer this morning when I realized that we had all the colours back in stock that I used for Xanthe. I took my friend outside and we did a small photo shoot.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. I love Ambah O’Brien’s patterns. They are easy to follow and she has charts for the lace sections as well as writing the pattern out line by line. I knit this is just over a month in 2017. 

What are my colours?

-Cactus Flower

-Medieval

-Prairie Fire

This is Ambah’s shawl.

We have a beautiful fireplace in our house but it stopped working early in the spring. We didn’t need it during the summer but it’s getting to be fireplace weather. I changed the batteries in the remote but that didn’t work. I opened up the front of the fireplace and started playing with things. Maybe not a good idea. Then I asked my friends at google and after watching two different videos it is working again. There are batteries inside the fireplace as well - who knew? I know you aren’t supposed to be proud of yourself but I am a little bit. 

The Queen's Spiral Cowl

Jan finished Xanthe and it looks great. She used tosh merino light. The lace section is Onyx and for the stripes she only used one colour - Spectrum. She didn't alternate colours because Spectrum has so many colours in it. She made the shawl to go with her Mother of the Groom dress.

Susan finished her Xanthe too. She also knit with tosh merino light. I don't remember the two greys that she chose but I know that the contrast is Harvest. The colour combination is amazing.

Kathy brought her Xanthe in this afternoon for me to take a picture. Another beautiful colour combination. Kathy used Hedgehog Twist Sock - Velvet and Concrete for the stripes. Dragonfly for the lace.

If you are working on the KAL you still have time to send me pictures or upload them in our Ravelry group. Don't forget that Ambah is giving a coupon code for $6.50 towards a new pattern.

Frabjous Fibers has a new pattern - hurry, it's free right now.

The Queen's Spiral Cowl

Knit with a luxurious Queen of Hearts Mini Skein Pack, this cowl is fit for royalty. The merino and cashmere blend perfectly defines the stitches and eyelets creating a delicate, sumptuous swirl. The pattern is simple, and when worked in the round, you only need to remember one row. This cowl will spiral off your needles in no time!

We don't have the Queen of Hearts Mini Skein Pack (yet) but the Cheshire Cat Mini Skein Packs will work as well.

There wasn't much knitting last night. The hockey game was a nail biter. And it went late. Beth has been asking me for the past twenty minutes if I'm ready to watch The Amazing Race from last night. I better sign off now or she is going to start without me.

Finished

Blocked. Ends sewn in. Ready for me to wear.

Pattern: Xanthe (purchased on Ravelry)

Yarn: 3 skeins of tosh merino light. I used cactus flower, medieval and prairie fire.

Ambah O'Brien writes a great pattern that is easy to follow. One word of advice if you're still working on yours - follow the graph for the lace. It's much easier than trying to follow the words. You can see the direction that the decreases are going and the pattern becomes more intuitive.

It looks like we're getting on an airplane tomorrow. Spirit just sent an email to check in online. I'm pretty much ready except for my yarn. I need to roll it and get my needles.

The weather in Myrtle Beach at 5pm today.

Our forecast. I'm guessing that Beth will have me on the golf course every day (maybe not Saturday because she doesn't golf in the rain).

The first clue is out. YAY. I'm going to cast on tonight.

Ready to Block

I had a busy day of knitting. Xanthe is finished.

It's 11:30 and I told myself I wasn't going to bed until I cast off the shawl. I took some quick pictures and now it's time for sleep. I'll take more pictures after blocking. I'm going to soak the shawl in Soak tomorrow afternoon.

Roko and Melo enjoyed some time outside this afternoon. It was sunny and warm on the back deck. It's a big week for them - hair cuts on Wednesday. I don't know who is more excited. Them because their winter hair will be gone or me because we'll have less dog hair in the house.

Store KAL

Don't forget about our store KAL. There is still time to get the shawl knit. We are making Xanthe (pattern purchased on Ravelry) by Ambah O'Brien.

Xanthe Wrap is an invitation to play. Choose a trio of colours to express your style, the variations are endless; stripe two neutrals and add a lace colour pop, or keep it neutral for a classic look. Use your wildest speckle yarn striped with a solid and co-ordinating lace colour for something as fun to knit as it is to wear. The stretches of garter stitch make this a perfect project for travel or mindless knitting while beautiful lace keeps it interesting.  

Xanthe is knit on the bias which results in a rhomboid shape; it is easy to wear and will fast become a wardrobe staple. 

Pattern includes fully written instructions accompanied by a chart for the lace section.

Prizes
-Ambah has made a generous offer. Anyone who finishes before May 31 and posts a picture of their finished shawl in our Ravelry group will receive a coupon code for $6.50 to be used towards one of her patterns.

-If you purchase your yarn in the store (or online) please keep your receipt. Bring the finished shawl into the store with the receipt (or email me pictures of the shawl). We’ll share the pictures on the blog and give you a coupon for 15% off of a future purchase in the store.

I'm almost ready to start the last lace section. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Our garden is taking shape. Flowers are starting to bloom which makes us happy.

Survivor is taping and it's time to go watch.

Joji Mystery KAL

Colourwheel from Sirdar arrived today.

Sirdar Colourwheel is a gloriously vibrant colour effect double knitting yarn. This incredible yarn comes in a range of 6 wonderfully colourful shades. Colourwheel is a cake yarn so the true effect of each of the shades can be seen from the ball! What’s more, as well as there been a collection of patterns with one ball accessory designs there is also a free pattern for a wrap on the ball band! Colourwheel comes in a gorgeous acrylic wool blend and is a standard double knitting yarn so will knit to all Sirdar double knitting patterns.

See all the patterns...

One ball goes a long way and sells for $24.95.

Blend: 80% Acrylic 20% Wool 

Ball weight: 150g 

Yardage: 568y / 520m 

Tension: 22 stitches, 28 rows to 4 inches / 10 cm on 4mm needles

Joji will be starting a Mystery Knit a Long in May. You can purchase the pattern now on Ravelry and the first clue will arrive May 12.

Welcome to another rare mystery knit-along adventure with Joji. In the quest to knit this beautiful wrap (stole), we will have fun unveiling each clue while playing with color and texture. I wouldn’t want to make any knitter disappointed with the finished outcome, but the point of a Mystery Knit Along is not knowing what you’ll be making, there’s always that risk… Therefore, here are some facts about the wrap that will help you decide if you will like to embark on this project:

• The shape is a true rectangle. This wrap can be worn as a wrap, blanket scarf or even as a blanket.

• Approx. measurements are 26½ x 72” (66 x 180 cm) blocked.

• It has a graphic look, but it is still classic.

• You will need yarn in 5 colors and you will use up a lot of your yarn, so you need full skeins.

• The total approx. yardage is 1700 yards (1555 m). It is a BIG wrap. Please be aware of this.

• There will be 5 different clues, spread out over 5 weeks.

• It is good for all levels. There will be TV knitting and more engaged knitting. You will sure have fun.

• There is no brioche involved. There are no short rows either.

• There is a little bit of simple lace, about 10% of the total project.

• There is a lot of garter stitch.

The hockey last night was very exciting. I got quite a bit of knitting done.

Now it's bed time. I was busy packing boxes in the store today. We're almost ready for the Frolic. The last few things are caught in Canada Customs. Don't they know that we need the yarn? :)

Stripes

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. Beth and I hosted dinner last night and when everyone left I was way too tired to think about writing. I could only manage 4 rows on my shawl before I had to pack it in for the evening.

I'm into the second striped section of Xanthe. Ambah asks for a certain number of rows but I might make it longer if I have enough yarn.

Roko was very tired too. He curled up in the loft.

Lucy came to dinner. There were a lot of people and the house was warm. Lying by the vent was nice and cold. And it was quiet in that corner of the house. Twenty very loud people in a house can be overwhelming for a dog.

I've been doing accounting today which has put me in a bad mood :) I'm going to close up the computer and knit a few rows before dinner. That will put me in a better frame of mind.

Earth Stripe Wrap

Happy Good Friday! I hope you are enjoying the day with family and/or friends.

I was so excited when Diana brought this in late yesterday afternoon.

Pattern: Earth Stripe Wrap (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze

A multitude of distinct tones are blended, combined, striped, and fully united in the extraordinary Earth Stripe Wrap. Designed by internationally renowned textile artist Kaffe Fassett, it was first released by Rowan in 2007. A decade later, we’re still in awe of the masterful use of color—all hues aligning to create one outstanding vision. 

Two different colors of Kidsilk Haze are held together in multiple combinations throughout, creating a lofty DK-weight fabric. And the super kid mohair/silk combination has that warm glow we’ve always loved. A truly timeless piece. 

Here are our latest potluck colours from Hedgehog Fibres. They have been added to the website.

Skinny Singles 1130

Skinny Singles 1140

Sock 1150

Sock 1160

I'm over halfway through the first lace section on Xanthe. It's hard to knit lace and watch hockey and baseball.

Now it's time to clean the house. Beth and I are hosting Easter dinner on Sunday.