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Longest Project Ever Giveaway

January 6, 20137 Comments

I just finished a project I started 8 (yes, EIGHT) years ago. I’m not sure exactly when I started it, but I know where I was living when I was blocking it originally, and I haven’t lived there in a very long time. I also know I got the yarn from a store that doesn’t exist anymore.

The project is the Perfect Turtleneck, from Patons Design Series. It’s a chunky cabled sweater with lots of ribbing and a giant turtleneck. The cables are quite pretty, and I recall it being a very straight-forward pattern. I’ve been looking for mistakes, but apparently my knitting was better back then than I thought it was.

The reason it had hibernated for so long is that when I tried seaming all the pieces together the yarn would untwist and pull apart. I got so frustrated with it that I put it away and forgot about it. I mentioned this to someone in passing recently and they suggested using a different yarn in a matching colour.

After finishing all my Christmas knitting and not knowing what to start next, I resurrected this beast and got down to business. It took 3 evenings of work, but it’s finally done. Unfortunately, I have aged 8 years and gestated 2 children since I began this sweater and it just doesn’t work for me anymore.

So, if you’d like to receive this sweater for free, leave a comment telling me about your Longest Project Ever (knitting or otherwise) and I’ll do a draw on January 11th (my birthday!). The sweater is a size small (fits a 34″ bust).

Mariette Scarf

December 28, 2012Leave a comment

Time for a new pattern!

I can’t help but think that cashmere feels the need to be touched just as much as we feel the need to touch it. What better place to have it rest than around your neck, giving you a warm hug on blustery days. This beautiful variegated yarn calls for a simple stitch pattern so the colours can be the star of the show. Add a couple of chunky buttons for a little extra interest and you’ve got a soft, stylish accessory to show off all winter long.

Mariette is worked flat in seed stitch – TV knitting at its best! Buttons are sewn on near the cast-on edge. The scarf is intended to be wrapped around the neck two times and then buttoned closed, echoing the infinity-scarf style without having to cast on 300 stitches.

As usual, you can buy my pattern here on the blog or through my Ravelry store. Thanks to Elenor Dixon for technical editing and Ryan Barr for the lovely photos.

Merry Giftmas II

December 24, 20121 Comment

So, whatever became of all that jelly I made in the fall? You know, the ones I blogged about here. Well, it all came in handy now that the Christmas gift-giving season is upon us. I had made crab apple, rhubarb, jalapeno, and mint, all of which happened to be either reddish or green. I packaged up one red and one green bottle in a cellophane bag and added a tag, badda bing, badda boom, quick gift for friends! Yes, it was a lot of work back in the fall, but none at all now that it’s busy Christmas season.

Merry Giftmas

December 19, 20121 Comment

I decided to knit something for A’s preschool teachers for Christmas this year. I had the same thought last year, but in typical Kate fashion, my thoughtfulness came far too late to actually act upon. But this year I was on it! And to make sure I hadn’t bitten off more than I could chew, I chose a pair of mittens with bulky yarn that would knit up very quickly. Bella’s Mittens, by Marielle Henault, is a ridiculously popular pattern that has been on my radar for a while. I happened to have some beautiful bulky alpaca that C’s coworker (an alpaca farmer) gave me that I’d been saving for the right project. Here are the results…

These soft, lovely yarns are really special. The alpacas live just north of the city on C’s co-worker’s farm. She takes the fiber to be spun at Custom Woolen Mills, where they use antique machines to spin the yarn. I just think this is so cool, and particularly environmentally friendly considering that there is essentially zero shipping involved. I am going to try and get more yarn from her in the future!

Anywho… I printed up a tag for the mitts as I couldn’t bear the thought of them getting accidentally felted. I attached them with a little bow, wrapped them up and put them in a gift bag along with some Two-Tone Peppermint Bark. And now I’m off now to deliver them!

Mmmmm… Cashmere

November 15, 20121 Comment

I am knitting (and designing!) with some absolutely incredible cashmere yarn right now and I just had to share the yummyness. In order to truly appreciate cashmere one must touch/rub/fondle it, but the colours of the hand-dyed yarn are so beautiful that they deserve a photo. I happened to see these two skeins of this Hand Maiden hand dyed 4-ply 100% cashmere for 50% off at the Loop recently and I couldn’t walk out of there without them. I’ve said it before, I’m a sucker for bright, highly variegated yarns, even though they can be a bit of a challenge to work with.

I swatched a lot before realizing that only the simplest of stitch patterns was going to work with this yarn, so I’m working with seed stitch. The project will be a scarf/infinity scarf/cowl, because they’re so hot right now, but it’s hard to come up with something that hasn’t already been done. I’m hoping that this design, while simple, will be elegant enough to capture potential buyers. Here is a sneak peak…

PS. I will likely be MIA for the next little bit, holidays and moving are taking over my life.