On yarn and sleeves

Oops, I ran out of yarn before finishing sleeves and collar. Oops, I had to order another skein. Oops, I also ordered two more of the same in different colours.

I  love this yarn so. much. And I found a website that doesn't charge exorbitant shipping to Canada!

I also love set-in sleeves. Short-row sleeve caps are so much fun! This entire pattern is great, the fit is perfectly customizable and therefore excellent.

Long-overdue Round-up

In which I present, in a series of collages, what I've been working on.

Things for babies and adult babies:

• Knitted Kitty for Liam
• Kari Baby Blanket for Kathleen
• A happy octopus (from my brain) for Lexi
• An upsized Dice Bag of Doom! to hold a new tile-laying game we got. 

Things to keep hands toasty: 

• Two pairs of Generic Mittens Knit Flat with a not-so-generic chart I made for some good friends in Winnipeg
• Dew Drops Mitts for Meg for Christmas
• Two pairs of Matrix mittens, also with a home-brew chart, for the kids in our work holiday hamper
• Thanksgiving Day Mitts for my coworker to wear in the chilly office

Things to keep heads warm:

• Catkin Hat for me (also serves as a gauge swatch for my upcoming sweater!)
• Wild is the Wind for Meg for Christmas
• A from-my-brain lined toque for Liam to match his sweater (too small, sad!)
• A cheerful Knotted Pine for me!

Things to keep bodies warm: 

• Sweetness Cowl for mum for Christmas
• Twigs Stole for Mel as a wedding gift (never got proper pictures! Sigh.)
• Lancelot for Liam for Christmas (which I think DOES fit. Phew.)

Whew. That's quite a few things. Looking back at these, I've done a fair bit of chart-making and pattern-modifying. Good! Also a fair bit of stash-busting, though not as much as my stash-adding. Half-good!

Things in progress:

• Some warm Lopi goodness for a friend with a very big head
• A Catkin sweater for my fourth Knittiversary! Made with some luxurious alpaca-bamboo yarn. Ah the joys of a light fingering weight sweater! 

See you in a few months when it's something closer to done!

No, wait! One more, because I love this picture so much:

They were amazingly appreciative recipients.

A Mystery

I break the blog silence for this: a knit mystery!

While enjoying a cottage weekend...

Featuring mist, rain, sun, and a few waves...

Pattern: Song of the Sea on Ravelry.

I came across a pair of...

A pair of I-have-no-idea-whats! These were hanging on the wall; decor in cottage adorned with a collection of eclectic objects gathered by a life of travel.

They almost look like mittens, but the main hand area is so big. And those flaps! They aren't just flaps, they're hollow, accessible by fingers...And while on one side there are two...

The other just has one!

The item on cover of this book has a similar shape, pompoms, and strange little flap, and it appears to be a bag. I thought that these were a bit too small to be a bag... and why a pair?

I thought these were cats, to match the dogs above, but they may just be paper dolls.

Curious. Our 'host' hadn't a clue, as the cottage belongs to her mother-in-law. Very curious.

Of course, further investigation into the patterns in the afore-mentioned book solved the mystery!
See: Exhibits A, B, and C.
Conclusion: It's a purse! A 'finger' purse (uña means fingernail in Spanish), and those little fingers are for small things like change, chapstick, and sunglasses. Oh the wonders of the internet.

Psst: Soon it will be fall, and with fall comes cool weather, and with cool weather comes more knitting! So. maybe, more frequent blogging.

Some Finished Objects for the End of Winter

Seems we've skipped spring here and gone directly from a late winter to summer! Crossing my fingers the snow is done for good.

While it was still cold, I got a few last winter-weather projects done. Time for a round-up!

1. Brad's Windschief Set

Brad had to go to oilfields in Alberta three times this spring. On site they're not supposed to wear synthetic stuff, in case of a gas flare-up or something. He's just driving around in the bog setting up big metal triangles for satellites, so I don't think there's much danger...but it was a good excuse for me to knit him a thing! Two things! Two matching things!

Pattern: Windschief by Stephen West.

The toque fits me in a trendy, slightly slouchy way, and fits him perfectly just covering the ears. I love it and have stolen it on several occasions. But of course, I haven't had the heart to badger him about standing around letting me take pictures of him wearing it. Sigh.

I used Illimani Yarn's Royal 1. It's 100% alpaca and amazingly soft with minimal halo. Pricey, but I got the set out of a single skein. I think it would be perfect for this amazing sweater, but oh would that be an expensive sweater!

2. My Blue Streak Cowl

While Brad was off in Alberta, safely warmed by his toque and neckwarmer, I raided the stash for some chunky yarn and whipped myself up a cowl too. The yarn was purchased to make a baby thing, but it adds a nice bit of colour to my drab wardrobe.

Pattern: Blue Streak by Wendy Chapman 

It's cozy!

3. Red Robot Mittens

 A friend of mine was dealing with some stuff, so I did what I do to cheer people up: make mittens! These are last post's sneak peek.

Made-up pattern.

Good thing it's been unseasonably cold where he lives; the robots may be getting some use.

4. Meggie's Birthday Herringbone Cowl

Sigh. Spring birthdays sneak up on you. I needed something for Meg, and it needed to be fast. I looked in a few stores, but nothing really struck me, so I decided (with five days before her birthday) to make something.

Pattern: Big Herringbone Cowl by Purl Soho, with modifications inspired by the Tea Latte Cowl by Laura Jansen.

I used bigger yarn and needles than called for but cast on far fewer stitches for a smaller loop. It's still quite big! The stitch pattern is loose enough that the buttons can go wherever, so you can wear it a few different ways.

One way to wear, folding the top down toward the buttons. You can also fold the bottom up for a kerchief-y look that's snug around the neck, wear it as one big loop, fold it in half, etc.

5. Wishbraid Headband

And finally, this quick little headband I made during a meeting.

Pattern: Wishbraid by Erika Neitzke. She called for i-cord ties, but I wanted a button.

Phew. That's it. I've been idle for a week or two, but a couple I play soccer with just had a baby, so there's something cute and soft in the works. 

And then? It's getting a bit warm for wearing knits, but I was recently hand-me-downed a working sewing machine...

(Not) In Progress

After a rare three week spate of not-knitting-anything, I whipped up some mittens of my own design in under a week.

I like mittens. The shape is basic, so all it takes is a small gauge swatch and some math to get a blank canvas for colourwork. I seem to have a consistent issue with too much bulk at the wrist just after the cuff, so I'll make a point of devising a better increase method for the next pair.

For now, a sneak peek:

I even used stash yarn. The red was leftover from two other projects, and it's still not used up! I'll have some finished photos soon (the finished mitts are fun!), because they have to go in the mail. Is it odd that I have yet to make myself a pair of full mittens (two pairs of fingerless don't count)?.

But now I'm stuck again. Brad's going away next week, so I'll have lots of time, but I haven't a clue what to work on next. Maybe I'll have another go at recreating the Icelandic scarf I really regret neither buying nor photographing...

Is it spring yet?

No, not quite, but we have had a cheerful front hall lately.

We started a few of these from seeds last spring, but there wasn't enough garden space for all of them. We stuck this one in a pot and brought it in when the cold started. Now it's huge and blooming; a nice hint of what will come after the slush and ice and snow melts.

Dreaming of t-shirts and sunlight warm on the skin...

Alafoss Mania

I haven't quite been working exclusively with lopi for the past few months, but it's almost true.
Wanna see?

A few Christmas gifts:

A toque for Brad.

With lined earflaps for extra warmth. (No pattern, inspiration from Thorpe and Riddari.)

A toque for Meg, in green, of course. (Pattern: Thorpe, with colourwork from Hlekkur.)

And a sheep for mum. With her wool sensitivity, there's no way I could make her a lopi garment. (Pattern: Fluffy Little Sheep from Lion Bran Yarns.)

A few post-Christmas gifts:

Some slippers for Brent's brother to slide around the hardwood in his new house. (Pattern: Non-Felted Slippers, which I've used once before.)

And a vest for a friend's new baby to wiggle in. (Pattern: Kambur, minus the sleeves.)

And a few just for me:

A sweater to celebrate my third year of knitting!

With a neat cable/lace combo. (Pattern: Kross)

And some thick, warm, pretty fingerless gloves.

Pattern: Handtak, with colourwork from Hun.

Five out of seven patterns taken or adapted from Istex Lopi 28. I think I got my kronur's worth.

Some nice things about lopi:

• It knits up SO QUICKLY
• It is SO WARM
• It comes in SO MANY NICE COLOURS

Some not-so-nice things about lopi:

• It's got quite the halo
• It's a wee bit scratchy
• It costs more than double here what it did in Iceland!

I think the nices outweigh the not-so-nices, especially because I STILL have some left after all these projects!

I have to try to get Brad outside and bring the camera one of these days while it's still winter. Neither of us are particularly willing models, but I have no action shots, ever. Not even for my two epic took-forever projects of 2012 (sweater and blanket).

Guessing Game

Let's play a game! I will show you a picture, and you can guess what it is!

Ready?

Let's go!

{1}

If you guessed "A half-bound off blanket edging", then you're correct! Your prize is the knowledge that my blanket it almost done!

{2}

If you guessed "A knit thing that I won't get to hear more about for another month yet", then you're correct! Your prize is the anticipation of waiting to see what it will be!

{3}

If you guessed anything at all, then I have no idea if you're correct! It arrived in the mail today but I wasn't allowed to open it. That means that CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

{4}

If you guessed "An extremely lazy cat, so lazy that she sometimes doesn't leave her bed or nest made of coats for all of the daylight hours", then you're correct! Your prize is a whole bunch of fur on your clothes the next time you stop by my house!

So? How did you do?

It's winter time, it's Christmas time! Time for anticipation and parcels arriving in the mail, time for knitting like crazy!

Work

I don't wanna.
I wanna go home and knit all day.

Maybe I should do a PhD...


Kidding.

Souvenirs from Yarn Heaven

While in Iceland, I bought a basket-full of wool. Literally.

And there's another five balls of the beige underneath.

 Of course I didn't buy the actual basket there. It's where I've been storing my projects and skeins that are in progress. Guinness had taken to sleeping in it, since it was only ever half full. But now! Now it's home to Icelandic sheepy goodness.

The browns and blues are Lett-Lopi, the grey-greens are Alafoss-Lopi, and the bright greens are Einband. 

The browns will become my annual sweater, I plan on making Kross. It's not a traditional Lopi sweater, but I think I'll get more wear out of it. I bought the pattern book, so I'll probably make another Lopi in the future. And one my local yarn stores started selling Alafoss yarn, so I could even do it right!

The Einband will become a lace scarf for me at some point. They had some lovely ones in Iceland, but I'm too stubborn to buy knit things. I have yet to find a similar pattern, but it'll happen.

You may also be wondering what that backdrop is... It is my big souvenir, an Alafoss blanket!

Goes nicely on the rocker.

It's warm and scratchy and soft and smells like sheep. I love it.

Clearly made for tourists, as it's in English. I am a happy tourist though.

And finally, the essential fridge magnet. We weren't really impressed with any of the magnets in the tourist shops. I mean, yes, it's a fridge magnet, it doesn't matter, but we usually get one for some good reason. For example, we have one from Vancouver that features dinosaurs. Why dinosaurs? No idea, and that's why it's funny.

So we had given up on an Icelandic magnet, until I saw these guys at the airport:

Eeee!

Perfect.