Coming Soon

I love looking at Design Seeds for colour inspiration. Putting together colours for a shawl. Decorating a room. Just to look at pretty colours.

Alex came in today wearing a new hat. There is a story behind the hat but I need to save that for a few days. It was procrastination knitting because another project went wrong and it's too soon to talk about it.

The Oslo Hat

The Oslo Hat is knit from the bottom up in stockinette stitch with the yarn held double. The first part of the hat is worked on a short circular needle (3.5 mm / 40 cm), while the crown is worked on DPNs or on a longer circular needle using the Magic Loop technique to work a small circumference.

Alex used one skein of tosh merino light and one skein of Garnstories Singles.

I know it is only the beginning of June but we are ordering yarn, needles, books and accessories for fall and some will be arriving very soon. It's a very exciting time of the year.

Our first shipment of Shawl Cuffs is almost sold out. There are 7 left. Another order has been placed and I hope to see them next week.

Speaking of Shawl Cuffs, I saw this shawl on the Knox Mountain Knit Co Instagram feed. The shawl is called Jade Bay and you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Check out the rest of Knox Mountain's patterns.

Tucked into the shores of Kalamalka Lake, Jade Bay is one of the lake’s many great beaches. Named for the Okanagan chief that occupied it’s shores, Kalamalka Lake is one of only a handful of ‘marl lakes’ that display the reaction of limestone deposits to temperature change. In summer these deposits crystallize, giving the lake its blue-green hue. 

Jade Bay is a top down, triangle shawl consisting of squishy garter stitch and a simple lace border. Designed for your favorite solid colour, two complimentary colours, or a main colour and a mini kit.

You need 380 yards of a main colour and 60 yards each of five contrasting colours. Perfect for a mini skein kit and we have many mini skein kits in stock.

Speaking of mini skein kits, we will have 4 brand new colourways of Manos Fino mini skein kits coming tomorrow.

Fino mini skein kits are a world of fun! Gorgeous colour combinations in a luxurious blend of 75% Extrafine Merino, 30% Silk. 

We have three new colours of Noro Ito on the way to us. I think we should see them on Tuesday or Wednesday. There will be eight new colours for fall but only three are available now.

I see another Ito Nightshift in my future.

Minikins

It was a happy morning because Mr. Canada Post walked in with our second box from Life in the Long Grass.

DK Twist in Cactus Moonsoil and Moorlands. Oh My! I want to make more Hipsters.

There were more new colours of Singles and Fine Sock as well.

Freia Fibers has a new scarf pattern out called Brimfield. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

The scarf is knit with 4 minikins. These are fingering weight mini balls of Tina's fabulous hand dyed, self-striping yarn. A mini version of her Shawl Ball.

We don't have the yarn yet but should have some by the end of June. Tina will be debuting the yarn at TNNA. This is a trade show for yarn shop owners to see what is new for the upcoming season. I will be traveling to Cleveland later in June for the show. I'm hoping that Tina will bring yarn to the show and I can bring it home with me.

I borrowed a few pictures of minikins from Tina's Instagram page.

Think of the fun that you can have with these.

While on Instagram I saw a post from Ambah O'Brien.

Here is a link to finished shawls and works in progress on Instagram.

Sign up for Ambah's newsletter so that you hear first thing about pattern releases.

We've got you covered when it comes to mini skein kits.

I was in the store very early today. 8am is early. I'm paying the price now - it's bed time. Okay, maybe one or two rows first and then bed.

Happy Birthday Dad

Dad's still going strong at 77. He goes to work everyday. Most days he is on the job site by 7am. Some days we have to yell at him because he is pushing a wheelbarrow or doing a job that someone else should be doing. But he loves it so we try not to say too much.

I visited my happy place today. I wanted 3 more baskets for the store so it was a good day to head to Terra. Planters don't fit in my car so I had to go to Caledonia first and switch vehicles with Beth. That was after being in the store for a few hours packing mail orders, watering the gardens and washing the floors.

After dinner I went back to the store to drop off the baskets. I was able to knit a few rows while watching the first period of the hockey game but now I must say goodnight.

Fading

In two rows I will be finished the fading between the second and third colour. There could have been more knitting today but I opted for a short nap.

Are you joining us for the Joji KAL? Want to see what other knitters are making? Take a look at our Ravelry discussion.

Sirdar has started selling their patterns on Ravelry. Currently there are two and a half pages of patterns but more are coming.

Some of these leaflets are available in the store but Sirdar has so many leaflets that we can't carry them all. I think purchasing them on Ravelry is a great idea. They will be in your Ravelry library forever. You can print the pattern again and again. You can write all over the pattern and then have a fresh copy if you decide to knit the garment a second or third time. You can download it onto your iPad or another device so that you can take it on the go with you. No more fretting that you can't find your pattern - log into your Ravelry account and there it is.

It’s a name you might have heard from your mum or grandmother. But wherever you first heard our name, you’ll know that handknitters have passed their love of Sirdar yarns from generation to generation. 

Established as Harrap Bros. (Sirdar Wools) Ltd. in West Yorkshire in 1880, we believe we’ve earned our place at the heart of the British knitting community, as well as our growing reputation around the world for yarn innovation and trend-led design. 

We rigorously test every Sirdar yarn so you can rely on our quality. And we triple check every Sirdar pattern so you can be sure of a successful knit with the recommended Sirdar yarn. 

That’s why the Sirdar logo has become a reliable mark of quality for hand knitting yarns and patterns. 

Hand knitting is in our genes.

The Raptor game is on but things are not going well. It's time to sign off and watch. Maybe I can bring them luck.

I Love Tweed

We have new Progress Keepers from Twill & Print.

I'm really excited about the new yarns coming from Meadowcroft Dyeworks later in June. I have always had a love for tweed. 

They sent us a newsletter this morning and in it is a picture of Dave's currently project. (Meadowcroft Dyeworks is a father/son team who dye beautiful colours of yarn).

I started this sweater last weekend. This is using our Donegal Cottage Tweeds DK. The pattern is Duxbury Point Pullover by Beatrice Smith 

I so love the feel of this yarn.

Donegal Cottage Tweeds

Available in 18 colors, this yarn is every bit as soft as our Rockshelter line of yarns, and the tweedy bits have no different feel than the wool with which they've been spun. It's available in 2 weights: DK weight and fingering weight 

I ordered all 18 colours of fingering weight and 6 colours of DK weight.

465 Nightshade is a tonal in muted deep purples of red grape and night sky. 

 

460 Sea Campion is variegated in shades of mauve with dusty rose and moonlight highlights. 

We planted more flowers today. Lots of perennials. We put annuals in the island last summer and a few this summer but we decided that perennials are a lot easier. These are spring bulbs and I hope they will come up this summer. My Oma is looking down from heaven and is happy to see that we are following in her footsteps. She loved to garden.

We put them in on a perfect day. We've had a nice gentle rain for the past few hours. Grow Flowers Grow.

There hasn't been much knitting the last few days but that is going to change tonight. The hockey game is on. Tomorrow afternoon I will spread my shawl out on two circular needles and get some pictures. There are so many stitches on the needle right now that it is impossible to see the pattern.