Cheers!

I can not believe how slack I've been (with the blogging, not with the knitting - I've been knitting up a storm...)! I've got some stuff to share in the coming weeks as I gear up for Christmas but to start I thought I'd show ya'll this cute little wine warmer set. Tonight it's off to be gifted as I attend my first party of the season. Let the games begin!

Makes me giggle... hehehehe

Seriously...

Could these be any cuter?!


Delivered to Miss Sophia today! More baby projects on the way!

BABY SOPHIA

On May 10th my step brother and his wife had a baby girl. Like a true goof, I have no pictures yet but trust me, she's beautiful and I don't even like babies. They all usually look like plucked chickens to me but not miss Sophia, she really is the most lovely little girl.

I had knit her 2 hats before she was born in green so she'd have something to wear home. That was before we knew whether she was a boy or a girl. Once we got the news I checked out my stash for pink. Oddly enough I have quite a bit of pink (anyone who knows me just chuckled a bit). I started with the petal bib but quickly realized it is a bit big for a newborn so I'll make more for later. Right now I want newborn stuff!

Meet the baby bolero! Yes, once again the pic is sideways, turn your head. I haven't blocked it yet but I will.

Now I'm starting on the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.

I've also got a pair of sheep booties on the go. Stay tuned for many more baby knits!!!!! And maybe even a pic of the baby!

Mom's Birthday Sweater

Mom's birthday was coming up and I wanted to do a sweater for mom that she could wear now. See it's hard for me to do sweaters for Christmas because there is just too much knitting to do to take on such a large project. So the only way anyone will get a sweater for me is for their birthday. But Mom's birthday is in April and it kinda sucks to get a nice heavy sweater when you can't wear it! Hence the spring sweater I did this year.

It's called Lace for All Seasons Cardigan from Knit 'N Style Magazine, Feb 2010
The pic of the one in the magazine is done with a recycled acrylic poly blend. No way was I using that (I detest synthetics!)
So I ordered Knitpicks Comfy Worsted in Honey Dew I liked it as I knit it up but once I washed it I was shocked at how it pilled. I have lots of good quality store bought 100% cotton sweaters that don't pill at all. I guess this price really was too good to be true. It's okay but I'd think twice before using this yarn again.

Overall I'm pleased with how the sweater turned out. Sewing it up was a torture but once I stopped treating it like sewing up fabric and got out the old Stitch 'n Bitch Knitters Handbook and found out how to sew it up properly it went much better.

I'd like to do one for myself in a fall colour since our fall tends to be warm.

Reversable Cable Scarf

I started this to be my Olympic project but it took longer. I'm very happy with it. It's the Reversible Cable and Eyelet Scarf from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders. The top pic is the right colour.

It's just right for this time of year around here!

We interrupt your normally scheduled knitting for some baby bits!

My friend Alyson gave birth to a baby boy just over a week ago so I stopped what I was working on to knit him up a couple of things.

Merino-Silk Cable hat from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.
(why yes it's sitting on a wine glass! aren't all baby's heads just that size?!)


And Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties from Ravelry in Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton.

I'm going to see him tomorrow to give him his gifts but I'm kinda more excited about seeing Alyson who I haven't seen since she got pregnant (and now she's given birth!). I can't wait!!

Olympic Hat

I whipped up a red hat to match my red olympic mitts.


That's it, no more red!! Canada and Norway tonight for hockey! Go Canada Go!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think it's safe to post this today. I finished a pair of cottage socks for both my mom and her husband. The pattern is a freebie on Lion Brand's website. I did use a smaller needles size for mom's. I had made a pair for myself using the needles the pattern called for but they are a bit loose. I really like how mom's turned out.

I did the "New Cottage Socks" pattern for Dennis. I just felt they were a little more masculine.

I put a little puffy paint on the bottom of mom's

And Dennis'

The colour is Cranberry. It's a beautiful shade of red. Happy Valentine's day!

Knitting for and During the Olympics!

I'm allergic to the fleece lining the official Canadian Olympic mittens so I knit myself some I could wear. They are deadly cute. I'm hoping I'll have enough to knit a matching hat. The yarn is Lion's Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick and the pattern is Wool-Ease Mittens that's linked on Ravelry.
During the Olympics I'll be working on the Reversible Cable and Eyelet Scarf from Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders which I got for Christmas. I love these one skein books because I so often see a beautiful skein of yarn and buy it but then it's often a challenge to find a pattern to really show it off. I know have 4 one skein books!

Granny Tan gave me 3 balls of this Cashmerino Aran. It's so beautiful and this pattern is really highlighting its beauty. And it matches other accessories I have, a neck gaiter, a hat, fingerless mitts, and 2 headbands so I'm all set to mix and match! The colour of this is so pretty and it's not fuzzy so I'll be able to wear it into the spring!


For those of you on Ravelry, I updated and added a bunch of projects on there.

Let the Games begin!!

Cottage Socks

I just finished these and they rock!!!




It's Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. The pattern is a freebie on their site. I'm making more of these for all the peeps in my life. I slip mine on, curl up with a hot chocolate and feel very cozy.

More Post Christmas FOs

Two more gifts done. Mom's socks. They are more purplish than the blueish as they look in this picture.

I also finished a neck gaiter for mom out of my handspun i picked up at the 9th annual maritimes spinning retreat. I hope I have enough yarn left for a pair of fingerless mitts but we'll see. It's a 60% bamboo, %40 Merino wool blend.

Mom gave me a skein of alpaca that I knit into these fingerless mitts. (I only had one pair and I wear them over my gloves on cold days. Plus these match one of my neck gaiters and my llama hat). I have enough left to do a headband which I'm working on now. Granny Tan gave me some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for Christmas in the same colour family so I'm going to make that into a scarf and I'll have a whole set!

My goal is to finish all outstanding Christmas gifts by the end of Jan.... I just might make it!

More Christmas Gifts

Quick Christmas gift update. I finished a beautiful 2 ball, 1X1 rib scarf for my step-brother. It's made from Paton's SWS but the light blue ball was short so overall the scarf is short. Luckily it's so beautiful that he'll still wear it. I hope. We haven't been able to find SWS from the usual places lately and I'm suspecting the Paton's was having supplier issues. Many balls were split and rejoined at various points in the ball and I'm guessing that the short yardage in the light blue ball I had was not the first ball that was short. I hope they get it all sorted out. It's a nice yarn and the colourways are lovely.

I made these Maine Morning Mitts (pattern on Ravelry) for my step sister. This is a lovely pattern and it takes less than 100 yards. They were a little tight so I might add an extra rib when i make this pattern again. Luckily my step sister has tiny hands!

This is one of mom's socks. I still have one more sock to do for her, one more for her husband, to finish her hat, neck gaiter, fingerless mitts combo... then Christmas will be done!