Colour!

The colours in the shop are slowly moving into Spring.  New yarn is arriving every few days!  Pretty Pastels and cool summer brights! 

However, I am still working on projects that began a while ago? 

February was a busy month and March is already filled with great events!

Stay tuned!

Sakura

Sakura is a new yarn from Estelle.  This cotton, silk and acrylic blend is just right for summery projects.  Aran/worsted weight yarn knits up quickly and with its long colour runs it rivals any Noro like yarn. There are currently 4 colours in the shop and at $13 for 100 grams its very affordable.

After a couple of false starts I settled on a free pattern on Ravelry called Shizuku by Angela Tong.

Working on it over the weekend I realized that I had left the digital scale at the shop and therefore I was not completely sure about the amount of yarn I had knit.  The shawl/scarf pattern is one of those that allows you to knit 1/2 of the yarn in by increasing stitches and then the rest of the project is done with decreases.  

Knowing that the yardage was similar to Noro Kureyon I followed the pattern and stopped knitting at 32 stitches.  I weighed the remaining yarn when I returned on Tuesday...51 of the 100 grams remained!

Also in the finished pile is a reversible hat for a friend, I hope she likes it.

I am enjoying the Roses that arrived at our home on Valentine's Day.  The Farmer picked them up from our friend Richard, who is a commercial rose grower in Clarington! 

If you ask, I will tell you the whole story about the Roses!

Only a couple of Yarn Challenge Kits remain!  Claim yours soon.

Yarn Challenge 2013

It's that time of year again.  Soper Creek Yarn Challenge is on!  

This years yarn of choice is Cascades Yarns 220 Superwash Sport!

4 great colours!

We (Mary and Helen) have been busy winding them into 'challenge size balls'

The trip into the city this past Monday was to pick up the last colour.

Rules are simple:

1.Enter the Yarn Challenge by purchasing a kit for $5.
 (Kits contain approx. 15 grams of each of the 4 colours)
2. Use all of the colours in your project.
3. Projects may be knit, crochet or any other yarn craft!
4. Do not add any other colours, other than embellishments and notions.
5. You may purchase more yarn in the same colours. (15% off for participants)
6. Return your finished project before April 5, 2013

Voting begins April 6th and continues until April 13th, Winners announced on April 13!

Prizes:

1st Place: $30 gift certificate
2nd and 3rd: $15 gift certificate.

Kits will be available February 14th - March 10th, there are a limited number of kits available.

For inspiration check out 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012  yarn challenge entries!

See you Soon.

21 Days!

 That's how long it took to make the Accidental Sweater!

 It was an easy knit, but sometimes it's so easy you get ahead of yourself and then stuff happens!

The Wool was quite slubby and it gives the sweater a rugged texture but blocking really smoothed out the lumps and bumps.

 The Pattern: Market Jacket by Tanis Gray
The Yarn:  Wool Classica by Manos del Uruguay

I just have to find the right buttons..it may take awhile.

Visit the shop to see it!

Learning Opportunity

Progress on 'The Accidental' sweater is stalled.  I was happily knitting away at this last night and even had a chance to try it on!  Good new is that it is going to fit, bad news is that I messed up on the pattern,  I skipped a whole section of the lace portion of the pattern. 

After thinking for a few minutes. 

I knew I had three options:

1. Leave it alone, as the mistake actually happens on the whole body of the sweater and repeat the same 'mistake' on the sleeves.

2. Rip back all that nights knitting.

3. Carefully drop the stitches in the cable/lace section and re-knit the stitches in the correct pattern.

I knew that if I didn't fix the mistake I would not be happy with it and ripping back a whole evenings work without at least attempting the 3rd option seemed like a learning opportunity missed!

The pictures are not very clear, but you can see here how I had cabled a section that should actually have been more of the lace.

 I knit to each section and literally dropped the 13 stitches involved in the pattern back to the rows I had missed.  Using a double pointed needles just one size smaller than the rest of the knitting made re-knitting the stitches easier,  blocking will easily take care of any wonky stitches.

Here are the stitches re-knit in pattern.

They are not mistakes, they are learning opportunities.  I just wish I didn't have so many of them!

Progress?

The Accidental sweater is progressing well! I have just put the sleeves onto extra circular needles and started working on the body!  I am pleased with everything about this project!  

 However the other projects are not?
 The Lace wrap, only inches done!

 The Ribbed Beanie needs a lot of attention,

The there is the new skill I am learning?

It is my goal to finish the sweater in time to wear in for Valentine's Day, only because it is a lovely bright red!
The other projects will just have to be patient and wait!  

This is a Knitt'n Night week, Wednesday: 6 pm - 8 pm!

See you Soon.

An Accidental Sweater?

 It all started on Wednesday when I was closing for the day.  I shut down the computer when it told me not to turn it off because it was downloading 7 important updates.  (I like to turn off everything electrical in the shop overnight, except the front lights, the fridge and security system)  So I waited and waited.

Well, leaving me alone in the shop for any length of time is not a good thing.  I couldn't do anything on the computer, (obviously) I could continue to count stock, but I would just start something and then the downloads would finish, I certainly wasn't going to mop the floor.  I decided to take the Christmas trees out of the windows and re-arranged the display a bit. and still the computer was 'working'.   So I waited some more!

Then I remembered the book 'November Knits' and the lovely sweater pattern I had admired.  Then I remembered that extra bundle of Manos yarn I had ordered in hopes of making a sample for the shop.  (A sample that fit me!)  Would it work? I knew it would as I had done a test swatch with a bit of the same yarn at home earlier.  I just had to find the bundle. If the downloads hadn't made it near the end I was going to look.  I found the bundle in the bottom of the box.  I was tempted to wind a couple of skeins as the computer was still churning away.

The whole process took 40 minutes.  I was late for supper!

The pattern is lovely, top down with enough details to be interesting and easy to pickup and work on when I have a few minutes.  The yarn is lovely.  Manos del Uruguay is one of the few yarns that are truly 'fair trade'.

It is my goal this year to be more mindful about where my money ultimately ends up,  purchasing more Fair Trade items, more local products, maybe not all the time but even just one item a week.  It will make a difference in someones life.  

Also this year, more fresh flowers in the house!  These tulips were a gift and I am enjoying the colour and the smell of spring.

See you Soon.
It's a Knitt'n Night week, Wednesday January 16th.