Seen on our walk yesterday… and this sweet girl and this little guy soon, all those leaves will fall But look at that snow line! Granted we don’t get much snow in Vancouver but this city is nestled alongside the Coast Mountain Range and those mountains get covered in white fluff every winter.  My hands are always the first to freeze when it gets cold outside (or with over-zealous air conditioning, or at the movies!)  But not today.  Today, they were TOASTY thanks… Read more »

A wonderful way to celebrate Wovember with a wooly sweater… my Grandpa Sweater Aidez is completed and is the coziest thing ever!!  I adore everything about it.  What an enjoyable knit! Considering that this is a longer sweater and is knit using bulky yarn, it is actually quite light and the wool softened considerably after being treated to a warm bath with some wool wash.  This design has different cables to keep the knitting interesting and after a long, long time, I… Read more »

Fall is my favorite season.  This time of year is so fleeting yet so beautiful with the rich autumnal shades that surround us.  As temperatures dip, a cozy hat is perfect to keep the chilly winds at bay. Courtenay is a textured beret with a leaf motif that is perfect for fall.  I used a skein of SweetGeorgia Yarns for this pattern in the “Ginger” colorway and the color couldn’t be more perfectly autumnal!  This hat uses less than 150… Read more »

Remember this shawl that I test knit recently? This pattern is called, Find a penny and was designed by a dear friend and a fellow Amira, Lindsay.  I love all of her knitting and the yarns she uses.  She’s been steadily cranking out new patterns too, bravo!!  The first time I met Lindsay, it was at one of our knitting meetups in Dubai.  The Amiras meetups were always a blast.  We were the loud, excited bunch of ladies at a local coffee shop with piles of… Read more »

It has been a while since I knit anything for my son, Prithvi and when he mentioned this fact to me last week, I felt a humungoid pang of guilt!!  Determined to remedy this sad truth I cast on for a hat using some 100% alpaca yarn from Aslan Trends.  If you’re looking for a soft yarn, this is definitely cloud-soft!! I knew that garter stitch would be ideal and so I went on a Ravelry hat hunt.  I came across a pattern… Read more »

I really want to gush about this pattern from designer, Elena Nodel.  She creates the most interesting designs that are great to knit and fun to wear.  Since she’s got a little girl of her own, she cleverly incorporates “growing room” in her patterns with the active child in mind.  So, the finished sweater is not restrictive in any way for climbing and running and hanging upside down!! Cinnamon is from her Spice Girls Series and is a top-down raglan jacket with… Read more »

I finished a test knit for a friend this week and it was just the perfect amount of knitting instant gratification.  More details about the pattern coming once it is published including my slap-forehead moment when I ran out of yarn.  I took advantage of the fact that my “recruit” was ready to strike-a-pose today 🙂 Additional pictures and yarn/pattern deets soon.

We’re back to regular life here at Chez Rambling Roses with it being the first day of school today 🙂  I’ve been craving for some instant gratification knitting lately and so I decided to cast of for this hat a couple nights ago.  Instant gratification achieved since I finished it this morning. Right now, it is just a blob and I’m hoping that blocking will work its usual magic so that I’ll have a nice little beret in a few days.  It… Read more »

I am so overwhelmed and grateful to everyone who has commented and emailed me over the past few days.  Thank you so very much.  Each word of encouragement and support has meant so much.  This online community of friends has, once again, proved to be a lifeline of support.  My family and I are deeply touched by your thoughtfulness.  Thank you! The crafty juices are flowing again!

This year, the kids and I did handmade gifts for Father’s Day. Prithvi baked a chocolate cake from scratch and it was yum-o-delicious!  It was actually quite the feat for a first cake and I’m amazed at how fantastic it turned out.  Kiki made a card and a picture frame-esque thingy with a photograph of her and daddy.  The card was begun at preschool and she finished it off at home, with a whole bunch of squiggles which she said was her… Read more »