Classic Newfoundland mitts

I've made a bunch of these classic Newfie mittens. They are warm, last very well, and are always enjoyable to knit.

This pair was for my niece. I adjusted the pattern size smaller so they would fit her perfectly. 

Pink is her favourite colour. I once knit her an adorable jumper in light purple and green. She said it was very nice. Then, a very short time later she earnestly reminded me her favourite colour is pink. 

I have not made that mistake again. No doubt at some point, I'll make her something ridiculously girlish and over-the-top and she'll be offended. 

That time is not yet! 

Ride a tangerine wave

I'm rather behind on my posting, so I'm going to plow through with some quick hits and get caught up.

I made this Wave shawl for my mom for Christmas. I've knit my mom a few shawls previously, which she tends to wear conventionally triangle at the back, "old lady"-style. Which is fine! Whatever makes her happy! But I wanted to make something that would be easy to wrap in a more interesting way or at least would drape beautifully even if worn simply.

I wish I had a better shot because the basement lighting and the blocking mat background really don't do it justice. The yarn is Expression Fiber Arts Superwash Merino Silk Pearlescent Fingering in November Topaz. I expected more of a deep yellow, and this tends more to a tangerine orange but lovely, nevertheless. (It looked quite orange in the seller's picture too, so I'm not why I thought it would be more yellow. My mental picture of "topaz" is yellow, I guess? I dunno. No matter.)

A simple and hypnotic knit, the Wave is well-suited to show off the subtle variations in the yarn's rich colourway. And speaking of hypnotic, be sure to put in some lifelines here and there. The lace section is a real beeyotch to fix if you fumble a stitch. 

I don't know if mom has worn it yet. I'm guessing not because it's so light and bright – perfect for spring. Soon enough, my pretties!

Entrelac baby blanket

Wowza, this project was on the go for a while. The yarn and pattern came from Mary Maxim when I was still part of the knit club. One of the things I enjoyed most about the club was that it helped me discover different techniques like this here entrelac. 

I started the blanket in late summer or maybe early fall of 2015. I know I was working on it at Thanksgiving that year because my niece soooooo coveted it. She thought it was the prettiest thing ever. So I took a break from the "big" baby blanket to make her a doll-size one. As I recall, each block was 6 stitches across for the doll blanket and 12 for the baby. 

Anyhow, I *thought* I was done this blanket apart from the edging – I had even bound (binded?) off –when I realized I had made a mistake in the second last row. Somehow, I had doubled back so that one corner of the blanket had an extra row, like the corner was an elongated triangle. I don't know how I managed to do that. 

I was pretty thoroughly tired of entrelac at that point, so I stuffed it in a drawer and left it for almost a year. When a coworker/friend/distant relative (yes, three in one) told me she was having a girl, it seemed like the right time to buckle down, fix it, and finish it. So here it is! 

The momma-to-be, whose baby will arrive anysecondnow, loved it! 

Co-pilot, revisited

This superwash merino silk yarn is in Tourmaline, the October birthstone colourway from Expression Fiber Arts. I'm an October baby, and it caught me at a weak moment when I hadn't actually bought any new yarn on a whim for a while, so I ordered it for myself. (Since then, I've had several yarn-related whims so I'm back on a self-imposed yarn moratorium. At least for a while.)

When it arrived, I had to figure out what I wanted to do with it. This yarn has the most gorgeous soothing smooshy texture. While I finished up the baby hat and struggled with the momma hat, this skein actually sat on my night table. It was silly, but it didn't want to be in a drawer and I liked to be able to reach over and pet it. (I have never claimed to be normal.) And I contemplated patterns.

I thought it would be a great yarn for That Nice Stitch. I did a provisional cast-on so that the seam wouldn't show when finished. 

But once I got it well started, I could see that it wouldn't work. The tourmaline was doing a self-striping sort of thing that fought with the pattern.  Imagine wearing that as a cowl. It could cause seizures in the vulnerable. So I frogged it and went to something I knew would work just fine. 

I previously made the Co-Pilot in Shimmer Silk, a yarn also by Expression Fiber Arts in the same fingering weight with a similar hand feel to the pearlescent. This time, I chose to make a single, much deeper loop. I cast on 120 stitches and knit 5 pattern repeats.

I like it! It's neat to see how very different the same yarn looks when knit using different stitches. A great reminder that not all yarns like all patterns and vice versa. Always fun to try new things – and sometimes fun to go with the tried and true as well. 

Baby, it's cold outside

I made this sweet little stocking cap  for the adorable little owner of the cuddle moose. (That happy story is not mine to tell, but know that all's wonderful in that particular sector of the universe.) It's the 6–12 month size using this pattern purchased from Ravelry, and it was a delightful quick knit. 

I also almost finished the matching mom size when I realized I had messed up one of the cables. So I frogged it to about halfway down and knit it back up – when I noticed that I had made a different mistake. Clearly it wasn't to be, or at least not right now. The unfinished object is currently in project jail while I decide whether to fix or frog it all the way back to the ball. 

Cute hat though, huh? I mean, even just by itself without the gorgeous wee model. 

A stocking that'll be fun to stuff

Dave has had the same stocking for years, since he was a kid I think. It's made up of crocheted granny squares in a thick acrylic yarn. Each year, Santa fights with it trying to fill it with goodies that it doesn't seem to want to accept. Anything other than small foil-wrapped chocolates, chap stick, or maybe a deck of cards gets snagged on one of the many holes on the way down, and there is little to no stretch for even slightly bigger items. Plus, for whatever reason, the feeling of the yarn gives me the willies. 

Of course, I didn't say anything for years because of Dave's presumed sentimental attachment. After years of suffering in silence (so noble! so unlike me!), I made some comment about it being a PITA. Turns out, nope. No attachment there. What's more, he also has the same willies feeling from the yarn. This was a very, very small problem I could fix! I decided to make a new stocking, and I set myself the challenge of only using yarns that I already had on hand to keep it thrifty and interesting.

Lots of free patterns available online, no surprise. I choose this Snowman Stocking from Bernat for a few reasons: it's super cute, offers moderate level of challenge, and it uses many different colours in small amounts. Plus, I found the back view adorable. 

I had fun picking out the mishmash of colours. The only one I bought was white worsted because I didn't think I'd have enough in my odds and ends, and what I had veered to more creamy shades anyway. I used a coupon at Michaels, so it fits with the thrifty theme. 

No memory of where the lime green or navy blue came from. The variegated blue and green I bought just before Lily was born. I remember vaguely thinking I'd use it for something for "the baby," then when the baby arrived I had no time or mental energy for knitting for probably 6 years. The yellow was from a box of yarns my dad's friend gave us when his wife left him (drama! but they've been back together for years now so water long under the bridge). The black was from my grandma's sewing box. The variegated green was from this project, and I held it double. The orange was from a variegated cotton yarn for dishcloths. I was particularly proud of digging that up because I really didn't want to buy a skein for maybe a yard of use.

I thoroughly enjoyed this project, and I didn't even mind too much weaving in all the ends, which is usually the bane of my existence. I can't wait until Santa sees it!

Turns out it really is foolproof

When I bought these two skeins of Crazy Zauberball (75% Superwash Wool/25% Polyamide) in Amsterdam at Stephen and Penelope, I had the idea that they would combine to make a really outstanding shawl. 

Here's how the yarn is described by the manufacturer: "Zauberball has been kicked up a notch, as two strands of the main ply have been dyed individually and then twisted together for a crazy combination in Zauberball Crazy! The end result is a self-striping multi-colored pattern, with a bold variegated design."

You can really see the intricacy of the colours in a closeup. 

I thought I would have no problem finding just the right pattern, but it actually took me quite a while and a great deal of consideration. The pattern needed to be simple enough that it would allow the colourways to do the heavy lifting yet meaty enough that it would hold my attention and result in an accessory I would actually want to wear.

It ultimately came down to a choice between Foolproof and Pendulum, both available for purchase on Ravelry. I chose Foolproof because the designer's description intrigued me greatly: 

"It’s an intriguing construction; a real mystery.

How about a cowl with no casting on & no binding off?

It’s made in rows but ends up all in one piece.

There’s no knitting in the round, no sewing, no grafting, no provisional cast-on, no picking up stitches. Promise.

You can make it to your own custom size, in your own choice of yarn without having to make a tension square. No kidding.

No purling, no knitting. Oh, wait, just joking - there is knitting - it’s garter stitch - with funky stripes and some easy intermediate increasing & decreasing."

So I cast on during a chatty evening with friends. I had to restart a couple of times because my needles were extra slippery and somehow I kept losing count (the moscato may have been a factor). In no time at all, I knew I had made a great choice for this yarn combo. Just LOOK at the halfway shot. 

Originally run as a mystery knit-along, the pattern is given in a series of four clues, four sections that you knit in sequence. During the early clues, the structure is baffling. Even seeing shots of finished pieces, I still had a hard time understanding how I was going to get from here to there. It made for a very interesting knit indeed.

Plus, the dreamy colour changes along the way were really enchanting. Most of the finished Foolproofs I've seen involve two solid colours and they're lovely, but  I do have to say my choice of yarns was inspired. 

The Foolproof looks lovely hanging down and absolutely gorgeous looped twice. I wore it last week, and the young man working the check-in desk at the hotel where I was staying called to me halfway across the lobby to tell me he liked my pretty scarf. It's an eye catcher, alright! 

I'll very likely make it again. Next time, I might try the variation called "Free Spirits," which allows you to choose your own weight of yarn, size and striping. Ooooo.... 

Gettin' braidy with it

I bought this yarn waaaay back when I ordered the yarn for this one. It's Tobermory Worsted (100% merino; 200 yds/182 m per 4 oz/115g skein) in Frozen, and it just jumped in my cart. I was powerless to resist the gorgeous blend of colours.

I adore the way The Blue Brick yarns are inspired from photos. Like, real photos with colours that exist in nature. Anyhow, it was love, but I had no actual plans for it, so into the stash it went to await inspiration. 

I'm always poking around Ravelry, saving appealing patterns that might work for the yarn I've already bought - and for the yarn I might just have to buy in the future.

Eight months or so later with summer waning (sigh), I started thinking about heavier weight yarns again. So into my Ravelry library I went, and A Very Braidy Cowl caught my eye. Worsted weight? Check. Single skein? Check. Simple enough to work with a variegated yarn but interesting enough to keep my attention. Check. Check. 

Anyhow, here it is. I'm super happy with it. And now I have two new cowls - mustn't forget this one - that are ready for colder weather. It always takes me a while to adjust to the coming of fall (I have an inner voice that repeatedly whispers "doom, DOOM" as the days get shorter), but some new pretties to wear can only help. 

This picture makes me laugh. Nothing about my face looks quite right. Musta been quite a day. 

Smells like a sheep, drapes like a dream

This lovely Hedgehog Fibres Skinny SIngles 100% merino fingering weight wool was one of the delights I picked up at Stephen and Penelope in Amsterdam. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with it before I decided on the Close to You shawl. What can I say? I'm a sucker for an interesting edge and a cute back story.

As I rolled the skein into a ball, I could not help but notice a distinct smell emerging from it.  Definitely barnyard-y. Pungent, even. As I knit, periodically I'd sniff. Yup. It was undeniable. 

I also wasn't in love with the look of the stitches. I sometimes think highly defined garter stitch tends to look "dish cloth-y."

See what I mean? Just me?

But I persevered, and I'm glad I did. Once this little lamby had a good soak in Eucalan and a nice air dry, it was perfect. The feel of the yarn was much softer too and less stiff. Not that it was stiff or scratchy to begin with, but the soak was definitely beneficial.

Anyhow, I like it a lot now. I think the pattern is perfect for a busy variegated colourway like this one – which, if I could remember what it was called, I would tell you for sure. I have one more skein of the Skinny Singles in a different color, and I think I might do some kind of a cowl in it maybe. 

I'm curious to see if it'll have the same l'eau de mouton aroma. If so, it won't bother me this time since I know it is easily remedied.

I am entertained (and moderately horrified) by how the Trumpian orange of my tan can almost compete with the very vivid burnt orange of our fireplace. The Frog Prince is not amused. 

A honey of a cowl

When I saw this yarn in a shop called Wollig in Voorburg, Holland, I knew I wanted to bring it home. I loved the rich colours with the stonewashed appearance at first glance and the hand feel sealed the deal. Choosing between variants was hard. I went back and forth between the DK and worsted weights, but ultimately I decided the greater yardage and lighter weight of the DK gave me more options. It's called Scheepjes Stone Washed XL (50 g = 75 metres; 70% cotton, 30% acrylic).

As to colour, I vacillated on that as well and ended up with “Garnet.” Deep burgundy is definitely one of my go-tos, and I tell myself I should branch out, but it was a good choice this time around. When I go too far afield or too bright, I find I have to talk myself into wearing it every time. I wanted whatever I made from this yarn to be like comfort food, easy to choose and happy-making.

Which led to one of the criteria for the pattern I would choose. In addition to showing off the simple beauty of the yarn, I wanted an easy knit, something that would ensure I the feeling of relaxation was knit right into the project.

With the Honey Cowl, I knew I had it. Not boring, but so simple. And look at how the honeycomb-ish texture shows off the yarn on both right side and wrong side.

Although the pattern is written for DK yarn, and the Scheepjes Stonewashed XL is ostensibly DK, I had to make some adjustments. Instead of casting on 220, 190 was plenty for a cowl that would loop twice. I used a little more than 4 and a half skeins, guessing that's about 340 m or so.

Simple, cozy, waaay too warm to wear for a couple of months... it's perfect.

Longbeach at the beach

A lovely small, light shawl in a fabulous yarn and colour. I've used this yarn before for my StarShower shawl-cowl thingy that I so love. It's Killarney sock (420 yards/384 metres per skein) from The Blue Brick, and ombre colourways are a treat to use. 

Starting with a very saturated pink, easing to cream, then very light grey, then a deep bluish grey, this ombre is called "Longbeach." If I recall correctly, it was the May club colour.  I think perhaps it's been added to the regular stock and no surprise because it's lovely. 

I just this very moment noticed the mistake in the second lace section. OOPS. How did I miss that? Oh well. Added character, right? I'm unlikely to parade around with my wing span stretched out like this. Or at least, not often. 

The pattern, also called Longbeach, came along with the yarn. It's meant to evoke the rippling sand into the water at sunset. I find it rather calming and lovely. Well, at least I did until I found that mistake. I'll regain my chill very soon.

There are boo boos in the pattern instructions to note. The written instructions have errors here and there as I discovered so I relied on the charts, which were correct.

Except - and this was kind of a funny thing - there was no legend for the chart. So I used the written instructions to figure out what the icons on the charts meant. I drew myself a legend to follow by looking at the written instructions and the photo.

My shawl (mostly) looks like it’s supposed to so I must have decoded them correctly. Yeah, the mistake was all my own. 

Thanks again to my fabulous model, Lily, who would rather be lounging. 

Yak silk lace and the virtues of a life line

I'm so pleased with how this shawl turned out. With a really beautiful yarn like this 50% yak down 50% silk lace weight from Expression Fiber Arts, I really feel pressure to choose a pattern that would do it justice. With Fruit Cocktail, available free on Ravelry, victory was mine. 

The first step, winding the very long skein into a ball, was a PITA. I don't want more gadgets in my house, and I don't really need one, so no winder for me. But I really could have used one for this yarn. I was being lazy lounging in bed so I was using my knees to hold the skein as I wound. Yeah, this was a bad idea for a very long skein. You knew that already, didn't you? I ended up creating a great big knot and having to make a cut in the yarn and wind it into two separate balls. I then used a Russian join to reattach the two ends as I knit. 

For the first bunch of rows, I had absolutely no trouble. Look at that! The diamonds emerged like magic. I found that, even though they weren't suggested in the pattern, stitch markers were so helpful. As I got further in the pattern, it became more complex, so I found myself counting and recounting stitches. The markers made this obsessive mumbling much easier. I was using a lot of markers (almost all the ones I have, so probably nearly 3 packages or so) by the end of the project.

Check out the pretty flower stitch markers! They were a delightful little gift with purchase with this skein. 

The deeper I got, I began to think the pattern had errors. I'd have extra stitches at the end of a row or be one short. In fact, the pattern is flawless. It's well-written and clear, with suggested variations that are also well-written and clear. The errors were all on me. The truth is, the lace was perhaps a little overly complex for my available attention span. But I was loving the shawl-in-progress so no way would I put it aside. Time for lifelines. 

The lime green picnic table may not be the most complementary backdrop, but the shawl had outgrown Stumpy. 

I put a life line in every pattern repeat or so. I think I only actually used one once, but it was so reassuring that they were there, given the number of minor errors I was making and fixing. Again, NOT the pattern's fault. 

I always envy those people who just drape a shawl and go. For me, I often feel like I have to adjust and fuss. It's not always carefree. (Part of the reason my favourites are my favourites, like the Starshower, is because they are easy-breezy.) The Fruit Cocktail, at least in this yarn, is absolutely easy-breezy -- to wear, if not to knit. It hangs just beautifully, and I adore how the manta ray "wings" gently curl. So pretty. Happy sigh. 

I finished this beautiful piece well over a month ago. It was about 6 weeks from start to finish, which is a very involved project for me. Did I mention the attention span thing? So worth the effort. 

Maybe possibly my new favourite

This fella here I had to start twice. The first time, I realized several hours in that I had cast on using US size 4 needles instead of 4mm. Well, that was kinda dumb. Good thing I enjoyed the pattern and the yarn, so I was motivated to get it right.

Speaking of the pattern, it's Starshower and it's available on – you guessed it – Ravelry for $5 USD. What made it twice the price for me was that I accidentally bought a similar pattern from the same designer when I meant to buy this one. So then I had to buy it again. (Apparently this project really brought out my inner bonehead.) I kind of kicked myself at the time, but now I'm looking forward to knitting the other one at some point so all good.  

It's an interesting pattern. The designer describes it as "shaped as a shawl, but mostly worked in the round - so it can be worn as a shawl, but without the ends dangling down." Yup, it's lovely and drapey without having to adjust it or redrape at all while wearing. Very carefree and comfy.

The yarn is another from The Blue Brick. This one is a fingering/sock weight (Killarney sock; 420 yards/384 metres per skein) in the March club colourway called "Cove." It's inspired by a photo of a cove in Newfoundland, and I just love the muted variations between greens and browns and browny-greens. Almost neutrals, really. I think I made a great match between yarn and pattern this time around.

I've had this project off needles for two weeks today, and I've already worn it three times. I think it's going to be a frequent flyer. Being a sock yarn (80/20 Superwash Merino/Nylon), it should hold up very well.

Here it is after having been worn to pet baby goats, admire peacocks, feel sorry for the pot-bellied pig, and play mini golf at Colasanti's in Kingsville. It's a very versatile piece, obviously.

Next up, a glorious yak/silk blend in beautiful summery tones. Stay tuned. 

Shimmer silk, oh how I love this scarfy-cowl-thing

This beautiful piece was knit-in-the-round using the Copilot pattern, which is available for free on Ravelry.com. I used Shimmer Silk from Expression Fiber Arts in the "All You Need Is Love" colourway, a limited club edition. It was my vacation project while I was in The Netherlands in March. Why yes, this post is rather overdue!

It was my second time knitting with this yarn.

The first project was the Falling Water scarf,  which showed me that A/ this yarn is a DREAM to work with and B/ it needs the right pattern to really strut its stuff. Given that Copilot was the pattern recommended by the fiber artist, it seemed like a sound choice.

And it was!

Plus, I'm so happy that it's outdoor weather again. The lighting on inside pics is just so grim...

Tree was happy to help.

I've worn this scarf a bunch of times since finishing it. Oh, and by the way, no blocking required. Sweet!

Check out that honkin' huge stone ring. I bought it (cheap!) on a whim a couple of years ago and never wore it. The first day I put on this scarf (cowl? scarf-cowl? scowl?) it called to me from my ring box. They are so happy together!

Oooo, the pretties, my preciousss...

When I first learned to knit (I was wee!), I would work with whatever yarn my mom or grandma or aunt would give me out of their leftovers. Given that I was mostly knitting Barbie blankets or sleeping bags or teeny little scarfs, just about anything worked and I didn't need a whole lot of it for any one project.

As a more grown up knitter (one with some funds and mobility, at least),  I would decide to make something, find a pattern I liked, then find yarn that would work with it at Michael's or Len's Mill or Lewiscraft (remember them?). I would buy just enough yarn for the project with I hoped less than a full skein leftover. My pile of yarn leftovers and the occasional full skein grew. But still, it wasn't a "stash" -- the yarn was more the means to an end. 

I've started to look at yarn differently now. Getting in touch with my inner fibre-Gollum. More  often, I find myself falling in love with the yarn, buying it, and then figuring out what it wants to be. I'm starting to understand those who have ridiculous yarn hoards that they'll never use and yet they keep adding to. I'm determined not to become one of them, but I get the impulse, I really do. 

On our recent trip to Holland, I ventured in to a couple of lovely yarn shops.

In Amsterdam, Stephen & Penelope at Nieuwe Hoogstraat 29 was a gem of a place, just a block or so away from the not-so-family-friendly areas many tourists associate with Amsterdam. The service was friendly and relaxed. The lady working in the store was astute too; she immediately provided The Dave and the kids with the Wifi password and ensured they were comfy so I could browse in a relaxed fashion. Genius. 

And in Voorburg, Wollig at Herenstraat 95 offered more treasures. I was very glad to stumble on this place--actually, The Dave stumbled on it and told me about it--because I hadn't realized there was a LYS so close to where we were staying. Their Web presence is pretty much exclusively Dutch, which is why I didn't find it in advance. Service was fluently bilingual and they carried some patterns and books in English as well. 

My rules for purchase:

1. It needed to speak to me (look at me, touch me, love me) 
2. I needed to be pretty sure I couldn't get it at home

As you can see from the nice little pile in the picture, NO PROBLEM. A bunch of skeins, different weights and colourways. Some from Holland, some from Germany, and a couple of delights from Ireland. None to my knowledge carried by any local stores here. And a beautiful book about traditional Dutch fishing sweater ("gansey") making, with information about what the various motifs mean and how to achieve them.

No defined plans for any of these treasures yet, but soon my pretties...

40 shades of green

This project came along hand-in-hand with my desire to discover some more interesting yarns from small-scale artists. The Blue Brick is the side business of a Toronto-based couple who hand-dye small batch skeins, with colourways inspired by one of their own photographs. A very lovely touch is that they include a copy of the inspiration photograph along with your order. 

They call this yarn, and pattern – one of their own as well – ‘Forty Shades of Green', named for a Johnny Cash song. You really should check out their project page and see how super-gorgeous this yarn is when well-lit and captured by a real photographer.  

Though comprising fairly simple stitches, the pattern itself was a bit complex and needed me to pay closer attention than I typically do. You'll see in the photo above that I used lifelines as I went. I never actually needed them, but I did have to do a few fixes along the way so the danger was real.  

Blocking revealed the delightful stitch definition and the intricate Celtic-inspired pattern. So pretty. You'll see it was stitched sideways and then seamed up the back. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the Cowboy style V in the front, but it hangs beautifully without looking too 'git-along-little-doggies' for my liking. 

And here it is in action, a quick snap using Photobooth on my office Mac. Then back to work! 

Important update!

Uncle Ernie approves of the Fluffy Wuffy Wonder Pillow. I repeat: Uncle Ernie has put the pillow to the comfort-seeking Boston test, and it has passed inspection with flying colours. Phew!

Falling water, shimmering silk

I wish I could get a picture that does justice to this beautiful yarn. It's Shimmering Silk Fingering in a limited edition colourway called "Life is a Flower" by Expression Fiber Arts. The colour is much more dimensional than my lighting (and my iffy smartphone camera!) can pick up. 

And the texture. Ahhh, such a joy to work with. Everyone knows that knitting can feel very meditative; this yarn just invited a blissed out state.  So, we've established I'm a fan, right? 

I felt pressure to choose the rightest, perfectest, loveliest pattern to honour this beautiful yarn. After much consideration, I picked the Falling Water scarf, available for free on Ravelry.com. I knit about 7 or 8 inches, then test blocked it to see if it would block out wide enough or if I should add a pattern repeat or two. Since it blocked out to about 6.5 inches, I thought it would be perfect. I thought. (Dramatic pause. Foreshadowing.)

Beautiful, huh? Knit, knit, knit, knit. I knit it to just over 52 inches long, hypothesizing that since it blocked out width-wise as the pattern stated, it would lengthen as suggested as well. This is a yarn that needs blocking to really show its stuff. 

Check it out. Unblocked compared to the previously blocked end. 

I blocked it using my DIY blocking wires. I really didn't get much length. Maaaaybe a couple of inches? But definitely 6.5 inches wide.

The calm before the frog

I was concerned about the length. I told myself that I could definitely figure out ways to wear it even though it's shorter than my usual go-to 6 foot length for scarves. Then, I tried it on.

Get ready to cue the sad trombone. 

The challenge was how it hangs. It doesn't want to be a luscious 6.5 inch wide statement scarf. It wants to be a scanty wee whisper of a scarf. Being not a scant wee whisper of a wearer, this isn't going to work for me. 

Insert usual abashed verbiage about "oh dear! I look so tired and I should have slapped a layer of makeup on and tried to do something better with my hair." But let's be honest, if I waited for all those stars and planets to align, the pic would never happen, so... HERE I AM. 

Anyway, absolutely gorgeous yarn. Delightful pattern. 5 stars each. Together, they just don't add up, sadly. Imma frog this scarf and do something more drapey, like maybe a very deep cowl that sort of pools down. And I'm likely to use the pattern again too, with a more substantial yarn. 

Live and learn, right??

Fluffy wuffy wonder pillow

I received this yarn as part of a mystery BOGO from the Yarn Factory Outlet ages ago. While I awaited an order from Expression Fiber Arts (stayed tuned because oooooo), I decided to do some kind of a stash buster. Since the bag o' lash was taking up valuable real estate in my yarn drawers AND it seemed fairly unlikely that I would ever spontaneously need it, I decided to find a project for it. 

Check out the close-up of this yarn.  Cramazing, right? You might think this would be the tippety-top of the commitment to quirk in my stash. You'd be wrong.*

Anyhow, I decided to make a pillow. If I was going to shop for buttons, I probably would have gone with a straight edge fold and like five big round shiny black buttons. In the spirit of stashbusting, I needed to work with ingredients I had on hand. Hence, a single button and an envelope-style fold. 

The "pattern"

10 skeins of Tent Sale Lash Yarn (weight and yardage unmarked; appears to be about 59 metres/65 yards and 50 g/1.76 ounces)
6mm needles
50 X 30.5 cm (19.5 X 12 inches) pillow form (I used a cheapie dollar store pillow)
1 large shiny button, or more or none

FRONT
Cast on 61 stitches loosely, using 2 strands held together. To cast on loosely, I cast on to two knitting needles held together. You could also cast on to a larger single needle and switch on the first row. Stockinette stitch until roughly 32 cm (12.5 inches) long. Switch to new balls of yarn when necessary at the begging of a row, so that the yarn ends can be used to seam the pillow. Cast off loosely. 

BACK
Cast on 61 stitches loosely, using 2 strands held together. Stockinette stitch until roughly 32 cm (12.5 inches) long. On next and all following knit rows, knit2tog first 2 stitches, then knit across until last 2 stitches which you will ssk. Continue stockinette stitch with reductions until approximately until 46 cm (18 inches) long. Cast off loosely remaining stitches. 

ASSEMBLE
Right side and wrong aren't hugely different with this yarn, but the Purl side is slightly fluffier so I considered it the right side. I made sure all the yarn ends were dangling on the wrong side where I couldn't manage to have them at the edge. Holding both panels with the right sides facing inward to each other, stitch the bottom and side seams together. I used the yarn ends where possible -- thrifty, and they'll never come unwoven. Turn the pillowcase right side out. Insert the pillow form.  Pull the flap over the front panel. Mark where the button(s) should be. Sew button(s) on to front panel. The gauge should be loose enough that you can force button(s) through the fabric of the flap without having to make proper buttonholes. 

The button is pretty much invisible in the photo. It's there, I promise. And it's bigger than you might guess. 

I know what you're wondering. BUT DOES THE PILLOW WORK? The verdict is in. It is both fluffy and wuffy. Truly, it is wondrous, attracting cuddles from all it encounters.

*As kooky as this yarn is, there is another batch of yarn from the same mystery shipment that waaay crazier. It is also lash, and it looks like the lovechild of Oscar the Grouch and the Snufalupagus. Brownish-yellowish-khaki-green. And shiny, so very shiny. I can't imagine that I'll ever find a use for it, and yet I am far too cheap to throw it out. (Yes, even though it was free.) Suggestions welcome. 

A moose, ready for his person

A dear friend of mine has been on a long and winding journey to parenthood. Recently, she reached an important milestone. She has now been officially approved by the powers that be to adopt a child. Woo hooo!

It's still a waiting game. But it is going to happen!

In celebration, I decided it was the right time to make a gift for the momma-to-be. The baby's room is done in soft, neutral greys and white. And there is a funky faux white moosehead on the wall. A cuddle-moose, I decided -- that's what every Canadian baby needs!

Turns out, patterns for moose cuddlies are surprisingly hard to come by. Happily, I found a sweet one in Knitted Wild Animals: A Collection of Adorable Animals to Create from Scratch by Sarah Keen. The photographs and layout are absolutely charming, and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. The book seems to be out of print, but I was able to get a very gently used copy through amazon.ca.

For the body and hooves, I used Patons North America Classic Wool DK Superwash (2 50g skeins for the body and a small amount of the lighter skein for the hooves). The antlers were made from Bernat Cotton-ish to get the desired colour and a white pipe cleaner to keep them perky. Momma may wish to remove the pipe cleaner before letting the little person loose with the moose, depending on how wee said person is. It's not a choking hazard, but pipe cleaner ends can be scratchy and could poke through the fabric of the antlers.

In the meantime, he patiently waits, antlers aloft with anticipation.