Oh it is so cold out there!

We have had some pretty cold temps here!  It has been too cold some days for the kids to play outside...it gets pretty boring without being able to play in the snow.  For me, i don't mind being forced to relax and read to them while I knit :) 

I have been working on some new patterns and finishing up some old ones.  I made a cowl for my friend, Angelina:

Isn't she pretty?  I made mittens for her last year too :)  The cowl is "Weather The Storm Cowl"  by Trisha Paetsch.  For both mittens and cowl, I used Cascade 220 in a teal colour and for the interior of the cowl, I used a medium grey alpaca/bamboo blend by Mirasol named Qina.

For Crystal & Shawn's baby, Lincoln:

My billionth Baby Surprise jacket!  I used some leftovers of Elann's sport weight highland wool, and some Lana Gatto Alpaca.  I found some cool retro buttons that my mom had hung onto since my brother was little.  India handmade the card.  She has her own little Etsy shop here :)

Longies for Mr.Loxley:

He is so cute! I love this guy :)  I used black Patons wool (this stuff pills like nobody's business!) and the blue is a hand dyed Araucania yarn, Atacama. I only had the one small skein, so I paired it with the black.  He wears these alot!  This is a basic longie pattern that I made up as I went along. 

A Coin Lace Scarf for me:

hahaha! You can see my dimples in this photo :)  This scarf is very long! It took me several weeks to knit in between other projects.  it is Shui Kuen's "Coin Lace Stole" pattern.  I used three whole skein of Knit Picks Imagination Hand Painted Sock yarn.  Very soft and pretty.

A Sea Princess Jacket for Scarlett:

This is to match her Yacht Club Skirt.  It is a pattern by Anadiomena; Sea Princess.  I love this pattern!!  I have knit it twice and will knit it again.  I used Elann's Superwash Bamboo that is now, sadly, discontinued. 

I will admit that some of these projects have been completed for a while.  I just have been a bad blog neglector.  Is neglector a word? Well, if not, it is now!

A little catching up...

Original post written January 2010...

Since December, I have managed to finish up some projects, start and finish many easy ones and start some more complex ones. Since I really do not have much knitting time, I have fallen back on some old favorites, such as Bellas Mittens. I have knit 3 pairs! I used Cascade 220, held doubled, in three different colorways; purple for Dee with a matching scarf, Teal for a friend, and Pea Green for India. I still have at least 3 more pairs to knit as they are chunky and warm and they knit up quickly. If I had more time, I could easily get a pair done in a day, but as time is limited and I only do a row or two at a time, it takes me a few days to a week. For Dee's pair, I shortened the cuff so that they are easier to take on and off when you have a coat on. I only posted Dee's photos.  The matching scarf is Gathered Scarf by Maryse Roudier.

For Willow, I knit a Pinwheel sweater using leftovers of Elann's Peruvian highland Wool. I had not initially liked this pattern but it really is fun to knit, quick, somewhat knidless and very cute once i is done! The really neat advantage to this sweater is that is fits 9 months to about 4 or 5 years old. If you flip is around with the larger part of the circle at the top, it acts as a hood for a baby/toddler and you just roll up the sleeves. Flip it the way it is shown on Willow, and it will fit an older child! Raveled here :)

Speaking of purple, I picked up an old project to finish; Wisp. I used Elann's Super Kydd in Gothic Grape. I started out with more stitches to make it wider. Raveled here :)

To match the Baby Legwarmers, I made a rainbow jacket using Knit Picks Palette. This is a Phildar pattern, that I don't think is listed on Ravelry yet.  Raveled here :)

India knit this adorable little sweater for Lox and I made the matching hat. It is another Phildar pattern (can you tell I love Phildar??).  It is from Tricotez Calin Printemps/Ete 2007.  We did some mods: seamless from the bottom up with raglan sleeves.  i think stripes look nice when they connect on the sleevers. Raveled here :)

I am going to be spending some time updating my blog and adding some new features.  It has been sadly neglected as I have been busy taking care of my family.  I also wasn't happy with how timeconsuming it was to load photos and links, but now it is so much easier!  So, stay tuned :)

Hats, Mitts and Stockings :)

A few weeks ago, I knit some hats for my friends two sons. Now that she has them, I can post pictures :) They are both the Thorpe pattern, done in London Tweed. They are nice and soft :) Levi is modeling the blue hat.

For myself, I made the Unoriginal hat and Bellas mitts. I had to make some mods to the mitts so that they have flip tops. This makes it so much easier than taking off the whole mitt as they are so long. I added all the details on Ravelry. If you are a knitter reading this and are NOT on Ravelry, please go now and sign up. You will thank me :) Oh, and both hat and mitts are made using Araucania Magallanes in the Andean Sunset colorway :)

Last, but definitely not least, a friend of mine, girlymom, and I are working our way through the Knitters Almanac together. Along the way, we have done some other knit alongs. She is amazing with socks, so we have done a few pairs together. It is not my forte, so I need lots of advice and guidance and she is always there for me :) Last week, I finished my Lakeside socks. Well, they are stockings, really. I used Elanns Sock It To Me in the Rose Wine colorway. They fit amazingly well (I have been schooled well in this department!) and I love them! The lace was fun, but when I had finished, I noticed I had made a few mistakes in the smaller lace sections. I am not ripping it out now, that is for sure and I don't think it is too noticeable. Tomorrow, on the Knotions blog, you will see some pics of my socks :) I feel very honoured. I got this pattern from Knotions, btw...

A new goal of mine is to tag my posts properly and add links to all my patterns and yarns, so bear with me. My time is so limited and I would rather be knitting, but I know that I always find it helpful when searing other peoples blogs :)

Bella's Mitts

More mitts! I have knit many pairs this year, but none for myself just yet. I need to though and soon! These cute almost-to-the-elbow length mitts were for my buddy Andrea. We came to be great friends about 9 years ago when we were both expecting babies. Since then, we have had two more pregnancies together! Makes it very easy to remember birthdays and ages :)

 

Anyways, one of the neat things about our friendship is that we share the same birthday, although 6 years apart. For many years, we always went out together to having a mini celebration. This year, on the 18th, she turned 40 :) Her family had a beautiful surprise party for her which we were so happy to attend. I wanted to make something special and it had to be quick as I only found out about the party a few days before hand. So, Bella's Mitts won! I used almost two whole hanks of Araucania Magallanes in the "Baffin Island" colorway and it took me two evenings to knit the mitts. A really warm, quick knit and I highly recommend this easy pattern. I wish I had better pictures but it has been very overcast and snowy :)