Emergency Hat!

My friend, Trisha Paetsch, has a really fun pattern; the Emergency Hat.  It comes in 3 sizes and is knit from the brim to the crown in a pretty lace pattern.

Scarlett, my little bunny :)

Leanne Mittens for ME!

My sweet, India, knit me some mittens :) In one of my favorite colors; purple!  It is the "Leanne Mittens" By Trisha Paetsch (I hoped I spelled that right!).  They are a free pattern that comes with her e-book; "Grand Prairie Hats"

India used Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool Chunky in Grape heather and Noro Silk Garden Chunky.  Very comfy mitts! I love them :)

For my sweet girl, who is always knitting something for someone, I knit her a Mister or Missus Toque in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed, colour "Dill Heather". 

Of course, I will knit matching mitts for her :) We just knit back and forth for each other :D

I am working on a Tree Fort Jacket right now for a sweet friends and can't wait to share those photos!

Happy Knitting!

Knitting For a Friend & New Pattern Preview

I have been working on several projects lately. I am so happy to have all these Union Suits finished for my friend, Tara! It took me longer than expected but they are done :) 

Elanns Bamboo classic was used for the blue and purple Union Suits.  It was extremely spilty, but super soft.  It should be comfortable for a baby :) This blue suit is size 3 months.

Elanns newer Sonata Soft in brown was used for this size 3 months suit.  It is not as soft as the bamboo, but did soften up some once washed.

Periwinkle union suit in size 2 years for Liv :)

I also knit a hat for her, like the ones I made a few years ago. "Thorpe" is by Kristen Kapur and is easy and quick to knit. It is also a free pattern! I used Knit Picks Swish in Serrano and Dusk.  I held the strands doubled to achieve the correct gauge.

Life has been busy lately.  My mum has been in the hospital for 3 weeks, home for a few days and is back in again.  I have tried to go down there every week for a few days and help out.  Hopefully things will return to "normal" soon for them :)

I have a few new patterns coming out, one of which is a unique hat pattern:  "Mister or Missus" Toque.  It comes in 5 sizes: baby, toddler, child, women's and men.  It features seamless twisted stitch cables that run from front to back and a section on each side.  It is an advanced beginner to intermediate pattern, but isn't too hard once you get going :)

Above is the womens and toddler sizes using Cascade 220 wool.  I knit these last year but haven't done anything with them since then!

The hat is started at the top.

Notice Loxley's scarf? India knit this little beauty :)  Maybe I can convince her to write out the pattern?

More cuteness :)

The Man's hat was knit with Madelinetosh Vintage, if I remember correctly. 

This pattern will be knit up with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Tweed soon!  Come back for a free pattern giveaway :)

Happy knitting!

SOS Shawl

Ok, almost a month since I have posted here? Really??  Where did that month go???  Oh I guess I got a part time job, and designing  a tiny bit, homeschooling, yeah, that's where it went :)

I finished my SOS shawl! I am not a huge shawl wearer, but I totally envy India's Simplicity Shawl.  She wears it around the house and it is so warm and cozy.  When Trisha asked me to test knit this for her I was so excited!  I used Elann's Peruvian Pure Alpaca Worsted in Pewter Gray and Dark Gray for the bottom edging on 4mm needles.  I could have used a 4.5mm needle, but this is fine.

It took me a few weeks in between projects but I found it easy to stop and restart.

  The patterns are easy to memorize and see where you are just from looking at your knitting.  India is modelling for me :)  You can find the pattern here:  SOS Shawl by Trisha Paetsch.  Happy knitting!

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 :)

Purpurravaara-huppari / Green Gable

Ok, so before everyone thinks that ALL I do is knit to the neglect of my family, I want to explain a few things. Here is how I manage to get so much knitting done...

~I spend anywhere from 0-4hrs throughout the day knitting. I knit while waiting i n the car for 20 minutes to pick up my son, after the kids are in bed, when the kids sleep for an hour in the afternoon. If my dh is driving, I knit. If I have to wait anywhere, I knit. It really adds up!

~I stay very organized. I have about 4 knitting bags. One or two with small projects like hats, mitts, etc.,. and then a couple for larger projects. I also keep my stash organized and my patterns organized by season and either child/baby or adult.

~I knit fast for a thrower :) I would love to learn to knit continentaly, but for now, until I have the patience, I am a fast English knitter. This means the yarn is in my left hand and I have to throw it around for each stitch.

~I make mods to almost all patterns to make them faster and easier with less finishing work at the end. I love knitting seamlessly! This can save a few hours in itself.

~I very rarely sew in the ends. I either, when working with wool, is spit splice or I knit the ends in. It is working so far!

~This is my main hobby and I only sew occasionally and haven't scrapbooked in years. I really need to catch up!

~I like to complete each project. I just don't have room to store unfinished projects :)

So, those are some of things I try to do to get the most out of my knitting experience :)

Now, for a new hoodie that I just finished. It took me ten days and is seamless, of course :) This was one of the first projects that I really wanted to make that I saw on Ravelry.It is by a Finnish designer and way back in July, the pattern was not available.....until Vogue Fall 2008! I used Elann's Peruvian Highland Chunky wool in the Grape Heather colorway. It is nice and soft, light, but extremely warm. The buttons are hibiscus flowers made out of steel, I think or some type of metal.

I also knit myself a quick hat; only 56 rows with bulky yarn. Easy quick and warm, now I need to make matching mitts :)

...another day....another sweater...

Ok, I seriously do not knit a sweater a day, but I am finishing up a few projects, including things around the house and my goal has been to completely finish a project per day. So far, I am doing it!

Today, I finished a sweater that I designed for children, but the cable design is not my own. I will, however, add my own design once all my numbers add up correctly and start doing my test knits. This one is for Levi :) He loves it and looks forward to the matching hat and mitts...maybe tomorrow?

I used 6.7skeins of Elanns Peruvian Donegal 100% wool on 4mm needles. It is surprisingly soft!