Home Again

We had an amazing time at Camp.

The lake looked eery this morning.

By lunch time the sun was shining.

The ladies dyed Sock Blanks yesterday. These are so cool. I was busy teaching or I would have dyed some too. They had so much fun!!

I can't wait to see the finished projects.

Thank you to Beth Casey and Fiona Ellis for teaching amazing workshops. They are truly professional in their classes and throughout the weekend. Beth helped me with the goodie bags on Wednesday evening and then with unloading the van on Thursday morning. Both ladies participate in all our events - games night, fashion show and student fashion show. Fiona did an amazing talk during my fashion show.

Thank you to Lynn for her help getting everything packed (and unpacked tomorrow). We forgot one small item which is amazing. And it was my fault.

Thank you to Beth (my sister) for all her help before, during and after the weekend.

Thank you to all the students who joined us this weekend. We had so much fun. Great weather. Amazing food. A lot of laughs. And a bit of knitting.

Now it's time to put my feet up. I didn't knit one stitch while away. I think I might be casting on something new.

Camp Day Two - Playing with Colour

Beth Casey taught dyeing this morning. The ladies had fun making sock yarn with speckles.

Fiona taught Experiment with Colour and Fair Isle. That is a lot of swatches.

This was the view from the dining room this evening.

The clouds were wild this evening. The wind was blowing. Howling. The lights were flickering. And we're supposed to have thunderstorms tonight. I'm rushing to finish my post before we lose the internet. 

It was another great day. Tomorrow I'm teaching two classes. It's always fun to share knitting techniques with others.

Camp Day One

The Campers are here and we had a great evening. It was Games Night and for the first time ever Fiona's team won. I wasn't able to get pictures but Anne took lots. She will share with me next week and then I'll post them.

Our mini yarn shop is ready to go.

It's bed time. We'll be up early mixing dye for Beth's dye class. I hope to dye some yarn myself.

Let the fun begin

We're here and are ready for the Campers to arrive tomorrow.

Are you making the Gradient Lapghan from Cascade Yarns? Today's block (#10) was designed by a friend of mine, Sandi Prosser.

Now it's bed time. We have a long day tomorrow. 

Don't Judge a Book

Espe is finished. Pretty much. I think that it needs to be reblocked (I didn't get pretty points on the cast off edge) but that will happen after Camp.

Pattern: Espe (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 3 skeins of Arranmore Light
Needles: 5.5mm

 

We'll be packing Big Blue in the morning. Poor Big Blue. Rust. Dents. No radio. She's losing paint. My parent's taught at a young age that you don't judge a book by it's cover. Big Blue is very reliable and has been our show vehicle for years. I hope she has a few more miles in her :)

FlexiFlips arrived today. Happy Dance.

Early next week we will have new Comfort Fade Cardi kits from Autumn and Indigo. I can't wait - my needles are ready!

Now it's time for bed. I think we're ready. Bayview-Wildwood here we come!

Marled Mania

©Stephen West

I was up early this morning doing work and started poking around on Ravelry. Stephen West has a new pattern called the Marled Mania Cardigan.

Gather your favorite colors to knit this long marled colorful sweater. Hold two strands of fingering weight yarn throughout the entire project to use all those leftover bits of wool, alpaca, and mohair. Qing Fibre Melted Suri is featured for the super soft and fluffy ribbed yoke & cuffs. The top-down sweater continues into the garter stitch body with a ribbed underarm detail. The body and sleeve lengths are customizable. Knit a shorter version or continue for a long dramatic length like the red sample. This swingy sweater with fitted sleeves will become your favorite layer during chilly days!

©Stephen West

I think it's safe to assume that most of us have leftover fingering weight yarn at home.

Why not put them together for an interesting cardigan? My cardigan would be greys, purples and teals. This would be a very different look than Stephen's. Maybe a bit more subtle?

We have a new book from Rowan.

A collection of 8 handknit designs by Quail Studio. From cardigans to sweaters, this collection features quality and timeless designs with a classic look.

 

Don't forget that fall hours have started.

Monday - Friday 10-5:30
Saturday 10-4
Sunday Closed

Beth and I have been working on our Thursday Night Camp Games. It can be a challenge to come up with new games and I think we've done a very good job this year. Beth is like Julie McCoy. She is the fun committee for Camp. It is her job to make sure that everyone is having a good time.

I should probably start thinking about the clothes that I am going to take. I'm leaving Ancaster around noon on Wednesday. The washing machine is going to be busy tomorrow night.

Speaking of busy - Lynn is going to have a few ends to sew in tomorrow. Espe is almost dry.

Norwegian Star

Beth's hat is growing and she is much happier with the colours for this one. It really shows off the Dream State.

This is Cathy's Esjan (pattern purchased on Ravelry) knit with Woolstok. You need three colours, two skeins each.

This top down shawl starts with easy garter stitch. Two contrasting colors are added with a giant holey lace pattern. The holes increase in size while also adding stitches to the overall semi-circular shape. The fabric is knit loosely with a worsted weight yarn resulting in a deceivingly fast large shawl.

Why am I showing pictures that you might have seen before? I had a migraine today (the third one in three days) and a lot of the day was spent resting. It's gone now. I finished Espe and it has been soaked in Soak. Then I remembered that I was supposed to get a preblocking picture. Oops. I have nothing to show so I went back to find projects that might interest you now the cold weather is coming.

This is North Row. I love this colour - it is the same one that I used for Espe.

North Row is a garment that flows from the deep cowl neck, all the way to the hem. This sweater is designed with a fair amount of positive ease to add to the garment’s casual elegance. North Row is a versatile, feminine piece that deserves a favourite skirt as much as a good pair of jeans. A key piece for your wardrobe that is worked in the round for the cowl while adding the structure of seaming for the sweater body. North Row can be worked up in a bright colourway to make a statement piece or a softer neutral to layer over anything in your closet. Choose the shade to make the most of your new favourite sweater. This relaxed sweater is designed to be worn with 20-25 cm (8-10 in) positive ease at the full bust.

Kaffe Fassett's Earth Stripe Wrap knit in Kidsilk Haze is so yummy.

The Shaded Landscape Wrap from Prism Yarns.

This lovely lace yarn is a terrific substitute for more costly silk. Lustrous, smooth and silky, the hand is superior with beautiful stitch definition and blocking retention. Tencel® is ten times more absorbent than cotton, stretches less than rayon, and is environmentally friendly (made from sustainable trees and in a closed-loop system that re-uses all chemicals). 

The Crazy Magic Boomerang knit with two balls of Noro Silk Garden Sock.

Fun stitch in a boomerang shape - easy to knit and easy to wear. You can work from written instructions or a chart - whichever you prefer. 

The original ripple stitch has been adapted to make this an intuitive knit.

Now bed. Tomorrow morning I see Trish and then it's off to the store.