Thermal surgery

I waited two weeks before undoing one sleeve of my Thermal to adjust it. The more I thought about it and the more I tried it on, the more I knew it was the right thing to do. I even looked forward to it!

So, this morning, I took the measurements from a few sweaters I have and removed and frogged one sleeve. Even frogging Thermal takes a lot of time...

So, the upper part of the sleeve was 6 inches and bulked under the arm. My usual comfortable sweater would measure about 4.75 inches, so I frogged to remove 12 stitches per round.

I was a bit surprised that it's only a difference of 12 stitches. I hope my calculations are good. However, trust me, this time I will try it on at least one million times. I will also sew it to the body before I redo the second sleeves...

Yes, that would be about 12 inches of waffle stitches undone...

In parallel to this and my Bella's mittens, I've also started knitting a gift. I will not elaborate because the recipient may read these lines. All I can say is that it's garter stitch and it's very addictive. Who would've thought!

Have a great Sunday!

Thermal is "almost" finished

Hello everyone! Last weekend, I spent at least 10 hours on my Thermal and it's almost finished. What a relief! It remains to be blocked and the buttons you see are only temporary as they are not exactly identical.

It does not really show on the picture, but if I want to be happy and wear that sweater often, I'll have to re-work the sleeves. I'm having a hard time taking a photo of myself that show that they are too big since it tends to bulk under my arm and does not really show unless I hold it. However, I'm used to wearing more adjusted sleeves and I think it looks better so I think I will undo them until were I think I should no longer increase and it should be just fine. I still don't want them to be tight (because I think that the body is so comfortable), but I'm sure I can remove 20-25 stitches per round above my elbow and it will be better.

I'll leave it as is for a few more days (while I finish my Bella's mittens!) and un-sew the sleeves if I still feel like it then!

This is why I wrote that Thermal is "almost" finished...

Hope you all have a good Sunday!

FO: Jeannee

I finished the little Jeannee to go with the Baby Cabled Hat and Mittens set.

They are in Précieux. I really enjoyed that yarn. Now there is too little left to add anything more to this set. I like these little tiny and pink socks!

Now, I'll go work on Thermal! Wish me good luck ;-)

Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!

Note that this post does not have anything Halloween related ;-) But I hope you will have a good one!

At the moment, I'm slowly completing the little pink set for a collegue baby girl who will come into this world in early January. I'm adding a little pair of socks. The first one is knitted and is so tiny and cute! Pictures soon!

Then, last Sunday, I felt sick with a headache and nausea and thought that starting the Bella's Mittens would lift my spirit. For sure, I wasn't feeling well because I no longer liked them and started surfing Ravelry to find something else to knit with my 2 skeins of Cocoon... Thankfully, after a good night of sleep and a day at home to sleep some more, my senses came back and I started to like them again and quite frankly, I've knitted a few inches now and they feel so good! Love that yarn!

We had our knit night at a pub this week! It was fun! We have such a lovely group! There were two contests this week: a beautiful skein of yarn that came directly from Rhinebeck (what's Rhinebeck, hi hi...) and a "tipi" from Audrey at the Mouton Bleu. I was the lucky winner of the tipi! I love hand-made bags and it is so well done! Love the fabric, it's so pretty! Thanks again Audrey!

Anybody noticed this free pattern (Cropped Top) on the last Vogue Knitting? I think this is the strangest knitwear I've seen so far... I'm speechless... Honestly, would you wear it or offer it to a friend? ;-) Or is it just a styling mistake?

Lastly, you should go check out the new Biscotte colors: I love them and especially Coconut sur la plage and Vigne.

Happy Halloween!

FO: Cabled Baby Hat and Mittens Set

Yesterday and this morning, I watched a little TV and completed the two mittens for this cute little set! I don't think it even took 3 hours per mitten!

Pattern: Cabled Baby Hat and Mittens Set by Paulina Chin
Yarn: Précieux by Biscotte
Needles: 3.75 mm and 4.0 mm
Colors: Pink
Start to finish: Sept. 11 to Oct. 17, 2010
For: TBD
Modifications: No modifications at all!

Thank you Paulina for such a nice pattern!

The yarn is lovely to work with. Look how pretty it is in jersey!

There is some yarn left for a pair or two of little baby socks. I shall knit that next!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Pink baby hat

Hello everyone!

This is going to be a very short post, just like the time it took to knit this little baby hat ;-)

The yarn is really nice to work with and I love how it looks! More details to come when the set is completed. It is time to knit the little mittens now...

Have a great Sunday!

New project

It's raining today. It's going to be a quiet day for me.

Last week, in my enthousiasm to finish Thermal I had to come to the conclusion that I would need one more skein of yarn to knit the yoke. So, I've ordered an additional skein of Knit Picks Gloss and it should arrive next week. Yes, the sweater is all knit now, except the yoke!

So, I've decided to start a pink scarf with my Précieux. However, it turned out that I did not feel that the pattern I had chosen went very well with that yarn. It's important to have a good match, otherwise the whole process will not be as enjoyable in my opinion.

All week, I've been looking for the perfect scarf with just one skein (195 yds). I wanted something simple because there is a subtle nuance in that yarn that I did not want get lost in a complicated pattern.

I've casted on a few different patterns, but always ended up frogging it. No spark! Yesterday, I offered my Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan and this is when it hit me! With my beautiful and soft pink yarn, I could make baby accessories like hat, mittens, socks, etc. So, I've finally chosen this hat and mittens set. I'm sure there will be enough left for some tiny socks after.

It should be rather quick and fun!

Have a great Sunday!

One hundred...

... blogs in my blogroll. Wow! I can't help it. It cuts drastically on my actual knitting time, but it is so inspiring. Take a look at my blogroll...

I love reading every day stories, see recent FOs, admiring beautiful pictures, discovering new patterns, etc. It's even encouraged me to develop my own photography skills, cook new receipes and garden.

I love to see what real life friends are up to, virtually visit people from other countries who share my interests, read what well-known knitters have to say and see what knitters I've knitted patterns from will come up with in the future...

Some of them I've discovered recently, some of them I've been reading for quite some time now!

OK, I'll try to restrain myself (at least for now)... There's a certain Thermal waiting for me...

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

P.S. I shall not spend it reading blogs ;-)

FO: Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan

This is already the last "official" day of my two weeks summer vacations. Snif! It went by way too fast. I don't have anything planned for today, except preparing my bike for tomorrow's bike ride and hopefully transplanting some flowers with my brand new shovel ;-)

Now, to the subject of this post, here is the little Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan I've been working on for the last couple of weeks:

Pattern: Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan by Looking Glass Knits
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish DK
Needles: 4.5 mm to make approximately the 12 months size
Colors: Nutmeg (2 skeins), Whirlpool (a lot less than 1 skein), Asparagus (a lot less than 1 skein), White and Black (probably best to use any leftover yarn you have since it takes so little)
Start to finish: June 1st to August 25th, 2010
For: Louka
Modifications: I shortened the length of the cardigan to ensure that it's all knitted with the recommended 2 skeins. The body is 11 inches and the sleeves are 10 inches (both from top of the cardi to the two rows in blue at the buttom). The ribbing is also 6 rows instead of 7. I modified slightly the chart of the duplicate-stitch head of the sheeps so that the little sheeps look towards us!

I'm very happy with it and look forward to gift it! It is really nice and soft! I should mention it's my first color work and although it makes a lot of ends to weave in (which is not my favorite part of knitting), it's definitely worth the efforts!

I used this little video to learn the duplicate-stitch technique. It took me a couple of trials to figure it out, although it is so simple once you get it! Isn't it cute?

Happy Friday everyone!

Visit chez Biscotte & Cie

I'm on vacation. Finally. For two weeks ;-)

It was a rather ordinary weekend. Yesterday, it was awesome outside so I worked around the house! Today is a little rainy so I went to Biscotte & Cie for the first time. Wait... it was not an ordinary weekend because it's not followed by an ordinary Monday ;-)

Back to my little escapade to Biscotte & Cie... This LYS is simply charming! Unfortunately, it's not close to where I live. However, when you are on - did I mention it already - vacation, it's fine to drive a little bit further to get some nice yarn!

The service is also great. It's important for me because I still don't master the art of substitution... I also met a lady who leaves on the North Shore and gave her our coordinates for knit nights!

So, after looking and admiring and touching, I decided to go with what follows...

Super Bambou in a gorgeous blend of gray, blue, yellow and green. I think the colorway is Empereur:

I would like to knit Jaywalker socks with it. Isn't it yummy?

Then, the Precieux in a gorgeous pink:

I would like to knit a simple yet beautiful scarf with it: Golden Peaks and Valleys designed by Janet D. Russel (Twisted knitter). Maybe I will rename it Blooming Peaks and Valleys!

Finally, little buttons for guess what? It's almost all knit. Finishing time...

I hope you all have a great week! I know I will...

ETA: Better pictures... Discovered this morning that my camera was in the wrong mode and explained why the previous pictures looked so sort of fake...

Summer and knitting

Hello everyone!

Looks like I've taken a little break from blogging in July. The truth is I haven't had much time to knit. I knitted when I went to knit nights and that's about it. We've had such a hot July that knitting on my patio was out of the question!

However, I've started knitting again this week. Here is an update on my Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan. The baby I'm knitting it for is born now. It is a boy (we didn't know yet), so I'm continuing with the blue version! I hope I can finish it by the end of my vacations (starting in one week!) and deliver it! We will see ;-)

I have to say that I undid the whole yoke to knit it again less tight. I was just watching the picture of the previous attempt and really, there is not much difference, but I think it is more loose now. I look forward to weave in ends and add the sheeps eyes and all. I think it will be pretty cute. I'm glad I'm using the original colors. Also, KnitPicks Swish DK is really nice to work with.

I have to pick up the last number of IK. I like the cover pattern. Also, I love two patterns from the new Twist: Hallett's Ledge, Twinflower (in particular) and many more...

Enjoy summer and knitting everyone!

Flowers and yarn

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, but tomorrow is Canada Day so I really feel like it's the weekend!

I took a few pictures of my favorite flowers in my front yarn. They are so pretty! I love watching them!

Does any of you follow interesting gardening blogs? Any suggestions? There is absolutely nothing in my back yard (just grass) as I'm getting rid of the swimming pool... :-(

And well, something else, that is also really nice to watch ;-) It's Summer Sox from Classic Elite Yarn. I'll finish my Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan first though. No worries. Thinking about what's next is very motivating ;-) Maybe Jaywalkers, but I'm still looking!

Happy Canada Day everyone!

First color work

I've been wanting to try Fair Isle and intarsia for a while now. Here it is, my first attempt:

So far, so good! I look forward to finish the little sheeps in white and see better if the tension is good. It seems fine, but it's hard to say when it's on the needles.

Time to go outside! It looks like it's going to be lovely day again!

Virevolte

Hello everyone! I'm so glad it is the weekend! And... is there a better way to start your weekend than a surprise in your mailbox?

Let me show you my brand new fabulous Virevolte knitting bag from Brin dans le vent that I ordered this week. I had been waiting for it for a moment now and especially, lately, after we've been shown a prototype!

The designer of these bag is an ergonomist, so I was really curious to see what would be the perfect knitting bag for her! It came with a row counter, a pouch bag for yarn, two surprises and a nice note! The row counter hold by a dotted pink ribbon is so tiny!

To me, it is the perfect size. Not too big, not too small...

The fabric is absolutely gorgeous! Isn't it? I was a little hesitant when I chose the bag because there are 4 different models you can choose from. The lovely pink fabric with sheeps that I ended up choosing (!!!) makes me want to sit down to knit and relax! It's calling my name ;-) It's very soft too! I love those little sheeps! The logo Virevolte is absolutely gorgeous in pink. It really stands out on black.

Look at the inside! It has a spacious pocket and black ribbons to hold things I will bring in my bag.

I'll stop here before you think I have shares in her Etsy shop ;-) It's just that I think it is such a nice bag and I loved it the moment I saw it and touched it!

Knowing me, I will be using it for many many years. Merci Chantal!

Have a great weekend everyone!

FO: Bliss Shawlette

I love it! Here is my beautiful and perfectly sized (!) Bliss Shawlette:

The magic of blocking has occurred ;-)

Perfect to be worn at this time of the year!

Pattern: Bliss Shawlette by Melissa Wehrle (Neoknits)

Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn Double Sea Silk (more than 1.5 skein)

Needles: US 8 / 5 mm

Color: Topaz

Start to finish: March 27, 2010 to May 30, 2010

For: Me

Modifications: Replace the k2tog by ssk on the left side. Many other knitters have also done this. That makes the two sides more alike. Also, I've knitted 40 more rows of the Herringbone pattern. That made the shawlette block 50" by 25".

Once again, I love it! The Double Sea Silk is wonderful to knit with!

Here is my favorite photo:

I highly recommend this pattern. It is fast and pleasant enough to knit twice ;-)

Have a wonderful week everyone!

In the meantime.... shoes

My Bliss Shawlette is blocking! I finished it this morning. It will be the perfect size now! I will post some pictures as soon as it is dry!

In the meantime, I've been tagged by Fionie to play a game related to shoes! I don't own many pairs of shoes. Most of the time, they are very comfortable and I wear them for a long time until I replace them with a new pair! As for knitting, I am almost monogamous with shoes ;-)

Here's my favorite pair of shoes at the moment. Aldo is without any doubt my favorite shoe store.


Since there is no knitting photos in this post, I thought the next photo would go well with the first one (both have similar pink tones). I took this photo a few days ago, right before the heat wave. These flowers next to my house are magnificient.

In progress...

26 rows to go and my Blish shawlette will be done! I really enjoy this pattern! Love the color and the pattern is really nice!

My vacations are almost over:-( I'm going downtown Montreal tonight to have dinner with my sister and friends on a terrasse!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm on vacation!

I'm on vacation this week. Awesome! The weather is fantastic here in Montreal! Every May, I take a week to work around the house. This year is memorable!

On top of that, today I received my order from KnitPicks!


It will be used to knit a Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan from Looking Glass Knits. It will be for the baby of friends who are expecting their first child in July. July? I better start soon!!!

These friends also happen to like surprises and did not ask for the sex of the baby. I think these colors are neutral enough...

Enjoy the sun everyone!

Row counter!

Knitting my shawlette again is going well (although I made a mistake this morning and frogged it all again)!

Here's my new row counter companion:

It's a gift from my good friend Chantal! She's very good at lifting my spirit (unless I'm talking mittens)! Thanks a lot Chantal! It brings a fun element in re-knitting my shawlette!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Practice!

What a pity... I finished the Bliss shawlette last night, but it's too small. It falls in the category of scarfs rather than shawls (even shawlette!)

Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely beautiful (even before it's blocked!) I like is so much that I have to redo it, but bigger...

It's not a problem either because I really enjoyed knitting it and I know that I will be glad I made it larger. And there is plenty of yarn left... I should have known, when I realized that there would be so much yarn left that my sample probably wasn't right ;-(

Wish me luck and I really look forward to showing you the real thing! This one was just a practice ;-)

Have a great week!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 7: What a Yarn

I have to say that whenever I go in a yarn shop, I'm definitely intimidated. I really don't understand yet the rules of substitution or the porperties of each fiber. Sometimes, two yarn look like they are equivalent, but they're not! That's why I always rely on the nice people who work in yarn shops and who are usually quite passionate about their merchandise!

Usually, I get my yarn at Effiloché or Mouliné, but I also order at Knit Picks. Then, I look foward to visit a beautiful and new yarn shop on the south shore of Montreal: Biscotte & Cie.

Here is a photo of my "huge" stash:

Does it qualify as a stash?

I hope you all had a wonderful Knit & Crochet Blog Week!

I will be back to show you my new shawlette Bliss. There are two more rows to knit and blocking left. I look forward to seeing it after blocking!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 6: Revisit a past FO

Oups... I almost forgot to blog today! A past FO? Let's talk about the famous Noro Striped Scarf! I loved knitting every stripe of this scarf! Addictive! Magnificient colors! It is also very warm! I wear it a lot.

I hope I get to knit other ones in the future!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 5: Location, Location, Location

Where do you like to indulge in your craft?

Most of the time, I knit in my living room. Sometimes watching TV, sometimes not! Yes, sometimes I like it when it's all quiet and peaceful!

Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, we go knitting in a cafe! We are Tricot Rive-Nord (North Shore of Montreal). It's always very inspiring to see what everyone is making and learn all sorts of things!

Here is a photo of our group 2 days ago! From left to right: me and my second sleeve of Thermal, Chantal, Audrey and Valérie!


Have a great weekend everyone!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 4: A New Skill

Hello! As I answered on day 2, the new technique I would like to learn is color work or Fair Isle. And so, the new skill I would like to acquire is knitting with both hands to do color work.

As a first step, I've watched a short tutorial. That's a start!

Here are two more patterns that I love:

Have a great evening all!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 3: One Great Knitter

OK, this one isn't easy... However, if I vary it just a little bit it changes everything. I change it to: "Great Knitters"!

From this, I can simply say that all you have to do to find the answer is look at my blogroll. Yes, I read all the posts from the bloggers that are on my blogroll. At the end of the day, after a long day at work, I sit down with a glass of wine, a guacamole or whatever I'm having for dinner and I go through the blogs that rolled at the top of my list during the day! I follow their adventures, discoveries and everything they share because I think that the are very great knitters and they all inspire me!

So many "chef d'oeuvres": FOs or WIPs!

It's also amazing the friendships that you can develop from sharing a commun passion! And well, knitters, in particular, are great people don't you think?

I'd like to add that there are surely many other great knitters that I have yet to discover! Feel free to drop me a line if you have a favorite knitting blog that you cannot find on my blogroll!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

Day 2: An inspirational pattern

Had it been a few months earlier, I would have said: Monkeys, Jaywalkers, socks in general! However, it was already my goal during the Ravelympics! It's not as complicated as it may seem! I loved it and will knit other ones soon for sure!

Hence, my next goal is to learn color work! And one of the most beautiful pattern I find is Autumn Rose Pullover by Eunny Jang. It's not in my queue because quite frankly, I don't think it would be a good idea to start with this pattern, but admit that it is gorgeous.

Then, I love Anemoi Mittens and Endpaper Mitts, both by Eunny Jang also.

Hint: Endpaper mitts are already in my to-do list... If I think it's fun, Anemoi mittens would be a good continuation.

Good night!

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

It seems like a new tradition is starting as we speak. The first Knit & Crochet Blog Week!

Today's subject (day 1) is how and when did we begin knitting?

I started knitting again in February 2006. I say "again" because I learned to knit when I was a kid: knit and purl. My mom would cast on and I would go on. Also, in high school, I took knitting and knit a whole sweater! Again, my mom would cast on for me and I would do the knitting. There was no shaping for this sweater, the yarn was not really nice and it stayed in a drawer until it disappeared I can't remember how... Also, I did not feel like knitting anything else after that semester.

Then, one morning in 2006 (a Saturday) I woke up thinking about a lady I worked with who told me a few times that she enjoyed knitting. I wondered if I could remember how this was done. For no reason, I felt like I had to go to a book store and buy a knitting book. It was Knitting for Dummies. I thought that it ought to be perfect! Then, I went to a sewing store and asked for beginner yarn and needles! The lady recommended a skein of Partner in blue and 4 mm needles!

Since then, it has become a great hobby for me! I think that the more I knit the more enthousiastic I get about it!

Have a great Knit & Crochet Blog Week!