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!

Christmas Crafts!!

I've been a busy little elf! Here's a family of hats.
Man's Cable Hat from Ravelry

Slouchy hat, also from Ravelry

And a slouchy beret (perfect for going over big hair!)

All of those were knit with Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick.

Next up is a shawl based on the first part of an icelandic shawl pattern. Knit out of knitpicks palette

I started painting some balls yesterday. My bells are a little off but it definatly looks homemade! (I've just started some more balls, stay tuned for the final batch, they are turning out really nice!)

Mom painted some penquins. Aren't they stinkin' cute?! I'm going to glaze them and sparkle them up for her.

I did up some bookmarks and wine charms. Overall I'm pleased with the results.

And I'm still knitting, painting and I haven't even yet started to sew. Yikes!

Lots on the go!

First I finished a matching hat before the 9th Annual Maritime Spinning Retreat but it was too warm to wear it.

I had a great time at this year's retreat in Fredericton, New Brunswick. When I came home I slept 12 hours Sunday night! I bought some alpaca from Last Resort Farms. Her name is Maya. She is the brown spun here. The white is kid mohair that we got in our gift bags. I'm going to make this into a falling leaves scarf after Christmas for me. I'm really hoping I have enough for a scarf and hat.

While I was at the retreat I started a pair of Maine Morning Mitts in Patons SWS. They knit up super quick and I like how the thumb gets incorporated. These will be a Christmas gift.

I was going to make a shawl out of the fingering yarn I won at last years retreat but after a couple of attempts I've decided these will be socks. Colourful yarn, eh? It's from French Hill Farm in Maine. It's wool, mohair and nylon.

I'm going to do an Icelandic Shawl for my grandmother out of some Knitpicks palette for Christmas.Mom and I went to the Christmas at the Forum Craft show last weekend and she picked up a ball of alpaca that matched an alpaca scarf Granny Tan gave her. So I knit her a hat to match her scarf.

I also have a red beret on the needles for mom that I'm hoping to finish by the weekend so she can take it to Cape Breton for a music festival. I have to stop giving her stuff now and start saving them for Christmas.

I'm also working on a pair of cabled booties for my great aunt that need to be done soon in case my mom goes to Newfoundland in early december.

I also bought 2 bags of %60 bamboo/40% merino, each 1/2 lb, one grey and one pink. I'm working on the grey now. I hope to have enough on to do a shawl from each. My Christmas list seems reasonable until I realized today that it is just 43 days until Christmas. Oh crap.