k2tog YO ssk YO

The knitting language is full of abbreviations… WIP, FO, YO, K2TOG and many, many more.  If you aren’t a knitter, you’d probably think that this was weird and maybe even bordering on rude.  Last week, I kept losing my place in the pattern I was working on and had my 11-year-old son, Prithvi, call out the pattern rows to me.  After some initial stumbling he really got into it and began a rap of sorts.  You see, he thought that all of the YOs (yarn overs) in the pattern were just knitting exclamations! 

k2tog, YO, ssk, YO, YO YO YO!!! 

Lots of knitting happening here, some of which I can’t talk about yet – test knits, surprise gift knitting… stuff like that.  Now, all of that’s done and I can go back to my regular scheduled cardi knitting mania.

I’m done with the body of my Metro cardigan and moved on to Sleeve Island.  The sleeves should go quickly because these are three-quarter length sleeves and the yarn is worsted weight.  Then, I have a little bit of the collar to get done before this sweater has a date with the blocking board.

My Dark and Stormy cardigan hasn’t seen much action lately, but seeing that I’m on roll with Metro, it will just have to wait on the sidelines a teeny bit longer.  This yarn too is worsted weight and so progress should be quite quick.

I really want to finish knitting these sweaters and get some wear out of them before the weather turns warm because I can see life in the garden already.  It seems like the earth is waking up from its long winter nap and we have little green shoots sprouting from the bulbs we planted in the fall.

I can’t wait to welcome spring blooms and if you’ve hung around my blog long enough you’ll know that I’m a sucker for flowers.

PS: Just my rotten luck…. just as I was typing out this blog post and was about to hit “Publish”, it began hailing.  Whaaaat???!!! ^&%%^$$#  Not golf ball type hail but rather cute little mini pebbles.  Still!!!!  I guess I can hold off on the spring knitting wishlist then!

Posted by & filed under Cardigans, Kids, Rambling. This post has 7 comments.

Tiny Tea Leaves

I’d almost forgotten how exciting it is to knit sweaters for the tiny humans.  You cast on, knit for a few days and before you know it you’re casting off — it’s like the sweater knits itself.  Now that’s instant gratification!

When Kiki announced one day that I had to knit her a blue sweater, my heart sang.  I knew immediately that I wanted to knit her a Tiny Tea Leaves since I love my Tea Leaves Cardigan so much.  She is too young to notice that we would be all matchy, matchy and so I picked out some lovely blue Tosh DK from my LYS and just began knitting. 

Ahem…Knitting Police please note that I didn’t swatch before casting on.  So, gauge swatch, smage smwatch!

This is a great cardi pattern for kids and there were just a couple of modifications I did –mostly to do with the button bands.  I went down a needle size for the bands and knit a couple extra rows so that the buttons would sit in the centre instead of tugging at the buttonholes.  I also added two extra stitches at the underarms.

Every little girl should have her own Tiny Tea Leaves, no? 🙂

Deets…

Tiny Tea Leaves (Ravelry link)

Pattern: TINY Tea Leaves Cardi by Melissa LaBarre 
Yarn: Tosh DK in “Windowpane” 
Needles: Size US 6 & 7/ 4 & 4.5 mm

Posted by & filed under Cardigans, Family, Finished Knits, Kids. This post has 14 comments.

Windschief

The Windschief Hat is probably the quickest knit I’ve done in a really long time.  The pattern is so addictive and has the perfect balance of mindless stockinette with some interesting bits thrown in, in the form of twisted rib stitches.  Yarn overs and decreases makes the ribbing twist all the way to the top :: clev-ER.

This is a great pattern by designer Stephen West and definitely gets two thumbs up from me!  The only change I made to this hat was to knit it a tad bit longer than what the pattern called for.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, Vineet picked out the yarn and pattern for this hat and he absolutely loves it.  So, that’s a win!

Windschief (ravelry link)

Pattern: Windschief by Stephen West published in westknits
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in “Grey Tabby” 
Needles: Size US 6 & 7/ 4 & 4.5 mm

Love the swirly top…

I’m glad my guy likes wearing the stuff I knit for him 🙂  Which brings me to a major guilty confession  – I’m seriously lagging behind on knitting for the kiddos!! Better get crackin’ on that Tiny Tea Leaves asap!

Posted by & filed under Accessories, Family, Finished Knits, Hats. This post has 8 comments.

Eye Candy

Stash!  Every knitter has a bit of yarn or boat loads of it.  Some knitters cram this stash into the deepest recess of their closets while others prefer to proudly display their piles-o-yarn for inspiration or…decor!  My stash is what I call, um…moderate 😉 and I try to keep it stuffed into the two large-ish bins in my closet.  Any overflow and I go into a state of panic.  You know the feeling… “Oh no, I spent all my money on yarn!  Now I won’t have any money left for groceries so we’re all going to starve and die!”  The best way to keep this panic at bay is to keep knitting from these bins of stash.  Twisted logic?

I joined a fantastic group on Ravelry last month called Stashdown.  The focus is to embrace your stash in 2011 and knit projects using what you have instead of hoarding yarn or going crazy with all of the pretty yarn that’s out there for the grabbing.  Some of the members in this group have set incredible challenges for themselves like declaring 2011 a no-buy year for yarn or to cut down their stash by half!  I ain’t pulling off any of those crazy stunts coz I’m weak like that.  That being said, I was determined about stashing down this year until…

Pffft, I fell off that wagon when I cheerfully handed over my credit card to the sweet lady at Three Bags Full last weekend and walked away with these lovelies.

I didn’t stop there, I went to Unwind Yarns because I needed another set of 4.5 mm needles and walked away not only with the needles but also these babies.

The madness doesn’t end because I lost my cable needle and I needed it desperately for almost all the projects I’ve been working on recently and I had to make a trip to my LYS, Black Sheep Yarns, for this when I swear I heard these skeins calling out my name!

Of course, there were yarny presents under the Christmas tree…

I’ve reached a state of major bin overflow and have thought a couple of times about breathing into a brown paper bag.  This is a good thing because driven by this panic I have knit feverishly ever since and I’m happy to report that I’ve completed two projects this year.  Well, they’re smallish, but still woot, woot!

The first project is a test knit that I recently mailed off to the designer.  I can’t talk about it until the pattern is published.  So, that will have to wait.

The next one is a hat that I knit for Vineet seeing that he braved the crowds of “squeeing” knitters at Three Bags Full (it was their Belated Boxing Day Sale!) and picked out the yarn and pattern himself.  This project took me two days from start to finish.  Actually, strike that!  This hat took me the exact time it takes to watch two movies.  The pattern is Windschief by the charming Stephen West and is my first go at a Westknits design.  I loved it and highly recommend this pattern.  FO pictures for this one coming as soon as I block it.  In the meantime, here’s a progress shot when I was half way through.

I am hoping that I make good progress with Stashdown this week because I have two sweaters on the needles that are going quite well and Kiki has been begging me for a blue sweater.  Good thing then that I bought those two skeins of blue Tosh DK from my LYS:)  I may not finish them in January but I can be optimistic!

And before I forget, here’s a modeled picture of the husband’s Mowl.

Have a great week all!

Posted by & filed under Finished Knits, Hats, Rambling, Stashbusting, Yarn. This post has 7 comments.

Next Year Already!

I was talking to a friend about next year a few days ago without realizing that “next year” is already here!  It has been really good to get back to our routine lives after an insanely busy yet wonderful holiday season. 

Vineet and I even managed to take off for a short break this past weekend to celebrate our 13th anniversary.  My mom offered to look after the kids and we jumped at her offer before she changed her mind!  We wanted this break to be different and so we chose this adorable Bed & Breakfast that was close enough to the city core without being smack dab in the middle.

This place was spectacular with amazing views of the North Shore mountains on one side and the downtown core on the other.  But the highlight was the breakfast that was served to us every morning.  Freaking AMAAAAZING!  Three…yes, three courses of delicious, exotic food.  “Brandied fresh strawberries in lace toffee cups”, who eats this stuff and doesn’t feel like they’re in heaven!

Sorry about the crappy pictures, we had only my little point-and-shoot camera with us this weekend.

Sunday was perfect sunshine with not a raindrop in sight and since that’s so rare in Rain-couver, we decided to stroll down Main Street which incidentally isn’t Vancouver’s main street!  I didn’t have a clue that Three Bags Full is on that same street and that they were having their belated Boxing Day Sale.  Ka-ching!  I walked out of that store with a couple of lovely goodies.  However, I didn’t stop there because I made a couple other yarn related stops – I’m bad, I tell ya! That being said, I love everything I bought!  Show and tell next time:)

It was great to getaway but sweeter still to come back home to the kids who didn’t drive my mother crazy (that’s what she tells me!)

I have been knitting quite a lot but I can’t really talk about the project I’ve been primarily working on since this is a test knit.  Details coming as soon as the pattern is published. But, I can show you my Dark and Stormy sweater which I am so in love with…

I’m much farther along on this sweater than when this picture was taken.  Like I said, show and tell next time – yarn, knitting and the hubster’s Mowl.

Posted by & filed under Family, Food, Rambling. This post has 6 comments.

A Year Of Knitting

What an incredible year this has been for my knitting and I don’t think that I’m going to quit anytime soon!  When I look back at all the projects that have hopped on and off my needles in 2010, I feel like I’ve really progressed with the creative part of my life. 

I challenged myself to knit 12 sweaters in 2010 and I only managed to get half way through that goal and knit 6.  But that’s ok because I know that next time I will set realistic goals for myself.  I also realized that as much gratification I get from knitting those quickie hats and mitts, sweater knitting will be my favorite drug of choice!

Ahem…. there are some projects here that look very my like they are unfinished and there are some FOs that weren’t even photographed because I was in too much of a hurry to mail them off to far away places.  But trust me, this is my 2010 FO parade!

Knitting was something that I got into to keep my fidgety fingers still while watching TV or for passing the time while waiting at the dentist’s office for a root canal and believe me, time passes so much quicker in the waiting room when you’re knitting!  When I was “forced” to learn knitting at school as part of my Home Ec grade (“S.U.P.W” was what it was called at my school) I would find any excuse to avoid working on my stockinette square.  I still remember the yarn I used – it was garden variety acrylic in the prettiest shade of cornflower blue.  But that square kept falling apart every time I picked it up – dropped stitches and accidental yarn overs were to blame.  Added to that was my lack of enthusiasm to play with sticks and string and all I ended up with was a dirty, fangled piece of something with a few stitches holding things together.  My teacher was the sweetest lady though and helped me unravel that mess and begin again.  I ended up with a semi-decent square-ish piece of fabric with just a couple LARGE holes!  But she was so happy and oohed and aahed over my first finished object.  She was the sweetest teacher:)  I brought it home and used it as a blanket for my doll for a long time.

I never knit another thing after that until I went to a craft fair in 2003 and saw this Danish lady knitting all sorts of pretty little things.  She made it look so lovely and interesting and easy even!  I picked up the needles again and cast on for a hat…using a pattern!  I haven’t been able to put the needles down since!

This knitting thing that I took up as a hobby has become a part of my everyday.  Sometimes I have to force myself to stop chanting the one-more-row mantra and put my knitting down.  But the best thing about knitting is the joy that working with my hands has brought me.  It’s amazing when you knit something for a friend or a loved one and they can’t stop grinning when you give it to them.  (Yes, the Shawl Collared Cowl I gave Vineet for Christmas has been used almost constantly since he opened the package…  WIN!! Free Smiley Face Courtesy of www.Smiley-Faces.org I will post pictures soon)

I’m excited about continuing my knitting journey in 2011 because my love/obssession/passion/whatchumaycallit for this craft has made me a better person! 

 P.S: Also, I love to play with pretty yarnzzzz

Happy 2011 everyone!!!!

Posted by & filed under Finished Knits, Rambling. This post has 9 comments.

Off The Needles, On The Needles

I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders once the Christmas knitting was done.  I’m kicking myself for not photographing a couple of pieces before they were wrapped and mailed away.  I knit two Porom hats since this pattern has passed the hat-stays-on-my-head test.  I used the same yarn but different colors.  The finished hats turned out great and the recipients are going to love them, I’m sure.  They were so quick on and off the needles that I didn’t even document them on Ravelry and I’m usually good about stuff like that!

Once the overload of accessories were off my needles, I just wanted to cast on for a larger project.  You know me and my sweater knitting bug!  I’ve had my eye on Metro for a while and thought that this pattern would be a perfect match for my Madelinetosh Sweater Club yarn. 

This yarn is such a joy to knit with because the base is just gorgeous – merino, cashmere, nylon…mmm, mmm, mmm.

I just hope I don’t run out of yarn!

Posted by & filed under Accessories, Cardigans, Hats. This post has 5 comments.

Off To Market

Over the weekend, we visited the Vancouver Christmas Market to enjoy some holiday festivities but mostly to indulge in German yumminess and spiced mulled wine, mmm! 

The Ice King and Queen and The Nutcracker were some of the stars

But look at all those knitted hats (probably machine-knit, but still!) 

Nothing like a hat to keep you warm on a cold evening

…and of course, hot apple cider helps too!

especially if you sip it through a stick of cinnamon 

There was more knitting, this time as store decor.  Knitted olives…how adorable!

My Christmas knitting is almost done, yeehaw!  I had to shelve a couple of planned projects because my index finger was beginning to feel a bit sore.  I have an annoying habit of pushing the needle tip on that finger every time I knit a stitch.  Ouch!  Although I have enjoyed knitting all these gifts for the ones I love, I am ready to get back to sweater knitting.  The weather outside is frightful… perfect to curl up with a warm wool sweater on the needles!

I hope everyone is staying warm and happy this holiday season.

Posted by & filed under Canada, Family, Food, Ravelympics 2010. This post has 8 comments.

December

Even though we have all the other preceding months warning us of December’s arrival, suddenly, it’s here and the crazy Christmas knitting marathon begins.

On a whim I decided this year that I would indulge in some Christmas knitting.  If I had this idea in um…July, it would have been great.  It’s crunch time now and I’m still 6 Christmas knits short and I keep getting more “requests” everyday from family that they would “really, really, really love a handknit gift this year please, please, please”!  I just can’t say no to this sort of plea which is why I have been knitting like a crazy woman. 

I finished a pair of Fetching mitts using Malabrigo Silky Merino.  Crazy soft!  I took this picture when I was half way through the knitting, but trust me, the pair is done.  I just have to steam block and weave in the ends and this project will be 100% complete, woot woot!

I’ve also finished a Honey Cowl using Tosh DK :: warm and cushy.  Here it is on cast on day. (FO pictures of all these quick knits coming soon)

Then there’s this project I’ve been knitting for the hubster.  (No specific deets or pictures yet because he reads my blog sometimes)  I’m torn about this design because I don’t know if it will work for a guy.  Although, the yarn is swoon-worthy Madelinetosh Eyre so maybe I could pull this off?  Let’s see, I will go to Plan B if this goes south.  At this point, I don’t have a Plan B, eeep!!

So, do you have any Christmas knitting plans?

Posted by & filed under Accessories, Finished Knits, Gifts, Stashbusting. This post has 7 comments.