Henry's Sweater

There are a couple of new little boys in the family!  

Good excuse to knit something.

Last fall I found some nice Cascade 220 quatro at one of the suppliers and decided that it was perfect for a Gramps sweater.  I have made this top down baby sweater before and found that pattern to be well written and easy to follow.  I did however make my own modifications.  I liked the blue green combination but felt that having the button bands and the ribbing in the solid blue was just too bold. 

 

 

 

After finishing the sweater I felt it needed pockets.   Using Elizabeth Zimmermans version of an after thought pocket I was able to add 2 tiny pockets.  (Warning the following photos may alarm some new knitters.)

 

 

The pockets were marked  and figured out which row on each side of the sweater was the correct place for the incision.

 

 

   I cut the stitch in the center of the row and carefulluly un-picked the knitting.  

 

This left me with 2 rows of live stitches.  12 on the bottom and 11 on the top.  (That's the engineering)   The 12 on the bottom would become the outside edge of the pocked.  The stitches were  picked up, knit one row and then cast off firmly.

 

 

The 11 stitches on the top became the pocket lining. adding a stitch on each end and worked a few rows to make a tiny blue flap.

 

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Then wove in all the ends and stitched down the pocket lining.

 

The Farmer thinks I go to a lot of trouble sometimes!  

Gramps  from Tin Can Knits

(there are copies at the shop and you can purchase a PDF version through Ravelry from the store as well)

12 - 18 months size.

Cascade 220 quatro super wash.

150 grams of the green, 40 grams of the blue.

 

The lighting at home was not a good example of the actual colour.

 

 

 

'Pat' models it very nicely.

 

This post was written a while back, but it had to wait until 'Henry' was given the gift!

 

See You Soon.

Knitt'n Nights

January has begun and that means we are back to a more normal schedule, including Knitt'n Nights.

Most yarn shops have a group that meets for social time, sometimes you can get some information about knitting or crochet, but it really is meant for an opportunity to meet with those who share your passion.

When Knitt'n Nights began here we had a few knitters who came, we made Mittens for charity and it was called "Knitt'n Mittens", the 'fee' for the group was to knit a pair of Mittens to raise funds for various charities in the area.  We raised over $200 through the sale of handknit mittens and the rest were donated to a Women's Shelter.

As the group grew and we accumulated more chairs, fitting everyone in meant that the shop was completely 'trashed'.  The new space offered a big space without destroying the space too much.

This year we began asking each person to bring a small donation to raise some funds for the Kiva Project.  Kiva is a lending organisation who funds entrepreneurs who would not normally qualify for a loan from the major banks.

We have raised $200 and with that we were able to support 2 businesses. 

As we raise more funds we will add to our portfolio!

I am a firm believer in helping people become independent, encouraging new businesses that will help not only them but their communities.

We have to make room today as Knitt'n Night is tonight!

The next one is in 2 weeks on January 21st!

See you soon!

Out with the old!

Dear 2014:

I am sorry we did not get along very well.  At times you will have to admit you were very difficult, sending people and situations into my life that were challenging and stressful.

There were happy moments. 

 The Boy had an amazing adventure as a Co-op student. He had an opportunity to work at a job that led him to many parts of the United States and Western Canada.  For me as his Mom I worried, the internet was a wonderful way to keep in touch.  He is back 'home' at school and that makes me a bit less worried, I still worry.

The Girl was able to move into a new area at her employer, it's a maternity leave fill in and she is now working in one of the prettiest jobs in Canada!

The stressful moments involved The Farmer and a new piece of equipment we installed. We spent most of the summer trying to convince the manufacturer that the fault lies within the equipment.  They blamed everything else. (Cows, water, feed, barn all the things that were in place before the new equipment arrived.)  Finally we proved that they were mistaken and now we are waiting to have a new system installed.  Once it's up and running we can never discuss it!  (Legal stuff)

I learned a lot through this ordeal; how to spell 'pseudomonas'; the staff at the University of Guelph Lab services are amazing; we have wonderful  friends and neighbours.

It seemed as if 2014 was filled with complications, everything took 5 more steps than needed to get accomplished.

This year we replaced the furnace and air conditioning, hot water tank, stove, computers, internet services and an emergency purchase of a very large piece of farm equipment. 

So, 2014, it is time you and I parted ways, I know you were leaving anyway but as the saying goes: don't let the front door hit you on the way out!

Regards

Tina!