Holiday Knitting

It's been a little while since my last post. Been a little busy with making gifts for Christmas.

Let's start with one of the earlier ones - Lonely Tree Shawl :  This one I made for my mother. It was meant to be a shawl but the pattern ended up being very small and it's more of a neck warmer. I bought her a brooch to hold it closed because you can't even tie it or wrap it. Here is an example of it on the needles. Very early on!

Blocking it didn't really help to stretch it.. should not have used acrylic. I know now that acrylic doesn't block well / at all. Knitters beware!

Project 2: The Bella Cowl : I made this cowl for my step mom for her birthday in November. I am very happy with the result. I made it from a wool blend I believe. It is a nice blue that has the potential to felt, but I still like it. Took me about a day to do, was pretty simple :)

Project 3: A simple scarf for a friend in California. He may not use it much but that's okay. If he ever comes to Canada he'll get a chance!

Finally, my personal project. Something for me! After seeing Catching Fire, I loved the cowl that Katniss wore so I knew that I had to make it. Not surprisingly, there were already patterns out there so I bought one fromAnaid Designs on Etsy / Ravelry. It was a pretty good pattern. I was confused in the beginning about the Herringbone stitch because it was different than the ones I'd used before. After some guidance from the designer, I was on my way. 

Hurray! The collar was hard on my hands as you have to knit with 2 strands together with really chunky wool. I felt like my shoulder was going to pop out at times too. All in all, pretty worth it. Still needs blocking as the back curls up a bit. But it's done!

What will come in 2014?

Happy Holidays!

Knitting all day all night

I am all too exited for creating new things. I recently sold 2 items from my shop and can't wait to knit more things!

I've recently made a few mug warmers - some just for me and some for the shop. These are great ideas for Christmas stocking stuffers ;)

I have a couple more items to add today which may include fingerless gloves AND a mug warmer with a moustache on it for the ever popular Movember. I just have so many ideas for you all.

Thank you to all those who support me including my friends and family. You all may be getting a little something extra for me for Christmas :)

Happy Saturday everybody. Keep calm and relax on.

Knit, knit, knit... crochet?

So I decided that I wanted to make a bunch of little animals and I knew that I didn't like the look of knitted animals that much. Plus I don't like the battles that ensue with double pointed needles - especially near the end.

This is when I knew that I had to learn how to crochet to make this work. I asked my Grandma to show me the art of crochet and I was motoring along in no time as she is a long time crocheter- and a pretty talented one at that. 

Here is the blanket she made me for Christmas a couple years ago:

So after she showed me the basics I was on my way. It took a few restarts until I finally got it:

A bowl and a cat. :) Stay tuned for my next project : AN OWL

Pattern creds : http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/miuku-the-cat

                                http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/notions-bowl

Simple Knits

I used to think straight up knitting was boring and ugly. Too simple. I was a bit of a snob; if one can be a knitting snob. Sometimes simple is best. This is part of a glove set I made for myself recently - 

It came out gorgeous - made with 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I got lucky with this skein, half price! The flecks of red in the brown is to die for. They are perfect for typing on the computer in the winter. I've already gotten good use out of them as my office has no heater. To my great disapproval. It only started to warm up in the last hour of the day. I'd better get used to it.

So although cables can be beautiful, so can garter stitch. In its own simple way. 

Pattern cred goes to Megan Eliza on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alyssum-fingerless-gloves

Lazy Sunday

After a late night last night at an early Halloween party, this girl is planning to watch Harry Potter all day and knit some scarves. Need to get more things into the the shop! Winter is coming. Must knit faster.

This will likely be a neck warmer with buttons. Cause buttons are cute. I wanted to make a hat with this colour but my knitting needles haven't come in with the correct size yet. Soon. 

This scarf is fairly simple - 2 rows repeated til the end. I already had to frog a few rows cause I wasn't paying attention to it. Was too into The Half Blood Prince. Is my Harry Potter obsession unhealthy? Me thinks not. I own a time turner. Yes. Enjoy your Sundays!

Knitting and Me

Knitting is never boring. It is detailed, time consuming, trying at times and sometimes there's math. The math part hurts my head but once I figure it out, it's all down hill from there.

I have been an avid knitter now for about 3 years - getting really into it this past year. I admit, once I realized that I could make more than scarves, it became more interesting for me. 

My first dabble into things other than winter wear was a tiny mouse:

My passion grew. I was then making cupcakes and ninjas and eventually a dinosaur. Roar.

So this is me. My journey through all things knitted. I hope you'll join me as I discover new things to make and share with you :)