Preparing for 2012

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!  I did!  We celebrated Christmas Eve at my cousin's cabin and spent Christmas relaxing at my brother's.  Magical!

I don't know if I've mentionned it here, but although I learned knitting again from Knitting for dummies and the internet, I surely inherited the gene of knitting and patience from my mom!  Every week, she comes to my blog to see if there is something new and we talk about it over the phone (my parents still live in the little town where I grew up and it is a few hours from where I live now).  She will be surprised to see something she's made this time!  Funny fact: I totally get the "frogging and re-knitting satisfaction" from my mom ;-)

My mom is a smart lady and for Christmas, she bought some beautiful kits and made three of these scarves in one week: one in gray tones for my sister, one in pink tones for my SIL and one in blue tones (of course!) for me!  I'm not sure how it is done exactly, but these were fun and mindless projects for my mom and I can really appreciate that she gave us something crafty for Christmas!

As for me, as mentionned in the title of this post, I'm resisting casting on a new project in order to prepare for 2012.  The lovely Andi from My sister's knitter gifted me a beautiful pattern that I've always loved since the time it was released: Andrea's shawl.  Although I'm tempted to knit with the same colors as the original pattern (as I very often do when I pick a pattern), I'm almost decided on making it blue and without stripes with the beautiful skein of Malabrigo yarn also gifted by Andi-my-kntting-fairy ;-)  Thank you again Andi!

So here are my knitting goals for the near future: 

1. Finish the Douglas mittens.  I've just finished this morning the lining of mitten number one!

2. Cast on for Andrea's shawl if it arrives before the first package of the yarn club I suscribed to in 2012.

3. Cast on for the first project of TFA's Year in Color. I am so looking forward to it!

This is probably the last post of the year for me!  Take care and see you in 2012!  xx

So Sweet!

It really made my day when I found in my mailbox this afternoon a hand knitted gift from my dear friend Susan!  Susan and I met in the blogosphere mutually commenting on each other's blogs and exchanging e-mails!  She's hosting So Sue and she's also So Sweet!  ;-)

The color is beautiful although I wasn't able to capture it perfectly in the following pictures:

Such a nice color to brighten up the winter.  They fit me perfectly:

Can you see that they are have a touch of pink in them?  Lovely!

It was accompanied with a nice little card and a tape measure!  How thoughtful and I couldn't believe what a coincidence it is since mine broke one week ago!  And it is so cute!  Until now, there has been just a little bit of snow here, if you can see it through the window...

Thank you so much Susan!  I know I will be wearing them often! 

You definitely need to visit So Sue.  Susan not only knits beautifully but she is also sewing very nicely!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Baby shower

Today, we had a baby shower for Audrey.  She will have a baby very soon!  We all made a little something for her baby girl: hats, socks, blankets, toys, etc.  I made her a little Kira's hooded vest. I think it is such a cute pattern and it must be so practical!

Pattern: Kira's hooded vest by Yumiko Sakurai.

Size: 12-18 months.

Yarn: Sweater of Spud & Chloë.

Needles: US 7 / 4.5mm and US 8 / 5.0 mm.

Color: Firecracker.

Start to finish: November 2011 - December 2011.

For: baby Anne-Sophie.

Notes: No modifications.

The plain part went very fast.  The star tweed stitch took a little longer than I expected, but it wasn't that long after all!  And so worth it!  I was just a little worried that it would not be ready on time!

Yes, it was the secret gift I was knitting!  The good part about it is that there were only the shoulders to sew.  The rest is all picking up the stitches and knitting with circular needles.

There is also the so famous seed stitch at the bottom and around the armholes!  So cute!

Finally, I cannot pass telling you how I like the yarn I used!  I think it is perfect for baby knits because it is wool and cotton.  So warm but without being itchy.  Mostly, it's superwash wool!  The colors available are gorgeous too!  It was difficult to choose!

I really recommend this pattern!

Have a great weekend all!

Progress

This weekend is supposed to be productive in the knitting area. Here is a glance at what I'm working on.

The secret gift (priority 1):

And only if there is some time left, the lining of my mittens (priority 2):

I wish, but I don't know if it is possible, that I finish them before the 2012 Year in Color Club starts!

No more blogging for today.  I have to return to my knitting ;-)  Will you be knitting this weekend?

Have a great weekend!

In my future...

I've started working on the Douglas Mittens again this weekend.  Actually, I'm un-knitting a little bit (so that you know that this is really me!).  Two weeks ago, at our knit night, we were discussing how different increasing methods for M1 could create little holes more or less...  When I picked up the mittens again yesterday, I thought that the increases for the thumb lining were maybe a little too "airy" for my liking (if "airy" is an English word!).  So, I thought I could undo 15 rows and try to knit front and back loops instead of doing the usual M1.   I'll let you know how it turns out ;-)

So I guess that the lining of these mittens is not the most exciting thing to knit, but at least the yarn which is really tiny is very pleasant to knit.  It's also my favorite color (blue!) and knitting stockinette while watching Friends DVDs isn't bad at all ;-)

I'm quite motivated because it's my only UFO at the moment.  I'm gonna cast on shortly for a secret gift but it should be fast to knit (or at least I hope so!) 

Then, I'm still thinking about my next sweater.  I recently bought the new Coastal Knits book that you surely heard about lately!  I love it!  The patterns are beautiful and so is the book itself!  I could knit all the sweaters from this book.  Really, I love them all!  So, while I knit the lining of those mittens and my secret gift, I can ponder about it!

And finally, but not least, I suscribe on Friday to the 2012 Year in Color Club at Tanis Fiber Arts. Tanis is from our area (which I only found out recently, duh!) and look at the "brochette" of designers for 2012:  Julie Crawford of KnittedBliss (and TFA!), Hannah Fettig of Knitbot, Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting, Hilary Smith Callis of the Yarniad, Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops and and (woah!) Jared Flood of BrooklynTweed!  Really, I've had to pinch myself because it's almost too good to be true!  It's the first time I participate to a club like this. It will be a challenge for sure!

So, yes, this is what will be in my future!  This is a "pictureless" post.  Sorry!  I just had to share my enthousiasm about what's coming!  How about you?  Are you knitting for the Holidays?  What's on your needles or what will be on your needles in 2012 (if, of course, you already know)?

Have a great week everyone!

FO: Jaywalker

Today I finished my Jaywalkers.  Wouh! 

When I set this goal earlier in October (Socktoberfest 2011) to finish this pair of socks I started in the beginning of August, I just thought that it would be a fun way to accelerate my knitting pace and finish it a little faster so I can move on to the next project. 

Well...  it turned out to be a challenge more than I had imagined ;-)  I felt just like during the Ravelympics!  I've had to be disciplined!  And I made it! 

Here they are:

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina.

Yarn: Biscotte & Cie Super Bambou, 107g for the two socks.

Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm

Color: Empereur

Start to finish: August 2011 - October 2011

For: Me!

Notes: No modifications

Very nice self-striping yarn from Biscotte & Cie.  I really enjoyed knitting with it! 

The second heel was the longest to turn.  I was just making one mistake after the other...  Maybe I was too anxious to finish ;-)

The final touch!

Overall, it has been a very fun project!  No wonder so many people knit that pattern!  I wonder though if one day I will be able to knit one pair of socks in just a week!

Have a great week everyone!

Socktoberfest and new yarn!

Happy automn dear knitting friends!

There will be at least two posts in October on my blog ;-)  This one and the one when I will hopefully show you my finished Jaywalkers!  I've decided to participate to Socktoberfest 2011. My "challenge" is to finish these socks in October.  Nothing extraordinary but it will be motivating for me to have a deadline!

After the socks will be completed - by the way, I love knitting them! - I will start a secret gift!  I will only show you the yarn I bought for it.  Yes, as I'm thinking a lot about the people who are at Rhinebeck this weekend, I decided I would have my own little knitting escapade by going to Espace Tricot.  This store located in Montreal is so nice!  The people are so helpful.  They even let us use their IPad to look up patterns and yarns.  I think it's pretty up to date!  There is also a space if you want to sit down and knit!  They have magazines, buttons, and mostly many very nice yarns!  I really recommand that you go if you live near or visit Montreal!

Here is my new acquisition.  It is Spud & Chloë Sweater.  The colorways are amazing or said differently, difficult to choose from ;-)

I was also very happy to find gift tags from the talented Knitterella.  I've been eyeing them for quite a while!

And finally, look at the little buttons I found!  Aren't they cute?  I think I must have chosen them so that they brighten up these rainy days that we are having!  Note that the trees have amazing colors these days over here!  The other day, I was on the highway and could not stop admiring their beauty!

I'm so excited!  Isn't fun to buy new yarn and related items?   Okay, I have to go now... for some Socktoberfest work!  Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Summer report

It's already September and although I don't go to school anymore, I feel like evaluating my knitting this summer!  It certainly isn't an A, but the teacher would certainly mention that at least, this summer I knitted and made some good progress.  Yes, and I have to say that I don't understand why I had stopped knitting completely in the past in summer. 

So this summer, I've completed Thermal and I've also knitted a new pair of socks with yarn I had bought last summer.  I also finished the exterior of the Douglas Mittens and started the lining.  Since it starts in the inside, it does not show, but I'm already at the start of the thumb.

 

I've also started the Jaywalkers with the Super Bambou I bought at Biscotte & Cie last summer too.  They are a lot of fun to knit (the colors are nicer than in this photo)!

And I'm also planning for a secret baby knit (I have yet to choose the yarn) and my next sweater/cardigan.  For the latter, I change my mind all the time.  Will it be Featherweight Cardigan, Mountain View Cardigan, Tea Leaves, Castelgar Cardigan or something else?  There are so many beautiful and wearable nice patterns out there!  I'm thinking about some nice yarn like Malabrigo or Madelintosh so that this loooong process is enjoyable!  I'm also thinking light gray.  We'll see!

Happy September!

FO: Spring Forward socks

Aren't vacations great for finishing things?

The Douglas Mittens are in their pre-finishing state, that is, they are drying from the blocking that the patterns recommends before knitting the lining. They are almost dry. I just realize that I should swatch for the lining instead than for a new pair of socks like I was about to do last night.

I'm very satisfied with the colorwork. I am tempted to post a bigger picture, but then, that would steal the "thunder" for the finished mittens with the lining, wouldn't it? Of course, by the time I finish them, maybe the photo would only be a faint memory... Let's take a peek then ;-)

The yarn for the lining is so thin (Estelle Baby Silk Lace). It's hard for me to imagine that this will be resistent enough to be the inside of a mitten. What I am very sure of is that it will be incredibly soft and warm.


Coming back to my new FO. The Spring Forward socks have been very easy and fun to knit. I recommend the pattern (altough I now realize that many knitters have already knitted this pattern). The chart is easy to memorize and still, the result is fun!

Usually, I'm really not into variegated colors, but this one I really like!


I knew that my left foot was bigger than my right foot, but it's very clear on that picture isn't it?

I'm also amazed at how symetrical the pair turned out to be! The beginning (upper part of the leg) is different and I decided that I could live with that! But then, look at the rest of the leg, the heel, under the feet and the toe tips! I almost wonder how that can be because I started the second sock with the rest of the first skein (maybe 8g left) and then joined the second skein!

Pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Summer Sox Variegated, 85g for the two socks.
Needles: US 1 / 2.25 mm
Color: 5556 Viva violets
Start to finish: June 2011 - August 2011
For: Me
Notes: No modifications

Now let's see when will be my next FO!

Have a nice and restful day everyone!

FO: Thermal II

I'm so happy and relieved... My second Thermal is now complete!



Pattern: Thermal by Laura Chau
Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss
Needles: US 4.0 mm
Color: Teal
Start to finish: May 2009 - August 2011
For: Me
Notes: No modifications

It will be very good to keep me warm at nights this winter!

And I confirm there will be no more Thermal in my life ;-)

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Summer progress

Wow! I haven't posted since mid-June! Here is a little update on my knitting.

The good news is that this is the first time that I continue to knit during summer. Yé!

So what are my current WIPs? Well, the same ones as in the previous post. However, there is a little bit of progress.

First, I still have to buy the buttons for my Thermal and post the final pictures. This could take place this week.

Second, the Douglas Mittens are going well. I've almost finished the exterior of the second mitten. After that, I have to wash them and knit the lining inside. They should be ready for winter, although experience tells me that you just never know... Needless to say, this is knitted inside, with AC, watching tv ;-)

Third, the Spring Forward socks are also going well. See, this is the second sock. The grass is a little drier and my toe nails are now electric blue compared to my previous post ;-)

I hope that you are all having a wonderful summer! Today,
the weather is fantastic! I'm just taking a little break inside to cool down!

Happy knitting to all of you!

It's summer...

... and obviously less time to knit and blog! However, this summer I continue to knit which is already better than the years before!

I have the perfect project... At my pace, it will last all summer ;-)

First, they started as modified Muscari. I stopped because there were too many modifications and I lost one of the needle!

Then, they became for maybe 15 rows Hedera. I did not get the yo before purl and thought it required too much concentration...

Finally, they are Spring Forward and so far, so good! Very easy to memorize and I like the heel!

Enjoy the sun everyone!

Nice day to knit

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm still here although I haven't knitted much since my last post. A few repeats of my Muscari first sock and I've finished the exterior of the first Douglas mitten (there will be a lining inside). I hope I can proceed to the provisional cast-on this morning and complete it since it was the most time-consuming part for the first mitten.


I'm very happy with the way I picked up the stitches for the thumb gusset. I found this video on YouTube and it worked very well. I just picked 3 stitches between the held stitches as indicated in the pattern and it worked perfectly and there is no holes!

Have a great week everyone!

New beginnings

While it's sunny and warming up outside, I'm working on a new project this morning. It will be good for my knitter's spirit... Yesterday, I've had a little "adventure" with my now almost completed Thermal...

While my first Thermal that was a little too small did not enlarge a bit when I blocked it two years ago, my second Thermal who fitted just as I had planned expanded like I had read about but never seen with my own eyes! I initially thought it was pretty funny to see such long sleeves and body, but then, thinking about all the time invested in it, I thought it might not be "that" funny :-(

Could the "expansion" be due to the fact that I went up from 3.0mm to 4.0mm needles and kept the same yarn? Maybe my tension is looser now as well...

Anyways, it went to the dryer (within a pillow case - what a great trick! - as advised by my smart friend Audrey) and now it continues to dry. It's not so big anymore so I have hope. We'll see when it's completely dry how it fits...

So last night, I finally casted on a cute pair of socks. These colors say "Easter", "spring" and "summer"! The pattern is Muscari. Quite interesting to knit!

Now, I'll head outside! It's so nice and sunny. It will be quite warm, finally, this afternoon!

Help for Japan

Yarn on the House just posted about a lovely little hoodie: Kira's Hooded Vest. How cute!

I love to knit for little babies and I find this little hoodie so cool! It comes in many sizes, is gender neutral and can be knitted in various fun color combos!

The pattern sales will be used to help people in Japan who are still in a precarious situation.

Yumiko Sakurai, the designer, hosts a beautiful blog as well (oh the flowers in her background on her April 10th post!) where you can also find other very cute designs for kids!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Slowly but surely

Finally, the Easter weekend has arrived!

This afternoon, I'm going to go eat some macaroni at a friends place to help them raise money for breast cancer. It is a tradition in their family on Holy Friday (in French, Vendredi Sein)!

Tonight, I'll go knitting at Effiloché. This is always fun!

So far, I've completed my objective of the morning which is to sew the first re-knitted Thermal sleeve to make sure it fits this time before I re-do the other one. And yes, it does.


Now I can proudly show you my underarm ;-)

I have to find some nice buttons to go with it. I think I will go for a similar shade of green and slightly bigger than these temporary white ones. Any suggestions for a different color?

I'm so glad that I resisted the temptation to cast on for a pair of socks this morning. That would have been too easy ;-)

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

Hat exchange - Part 2

... and here is the beautiful hat that I received in exchange. It's Audria by Dutch Knitting Design:

Audrey (Le Mouton Bleu), who is literally a knitting reference in our group, knitted it for me. She chose a beautiful color for me since I like all types of blue, turquoise and green! It is very light and delicate.

It's the perfect hat for spring!

Thank you Audrey!

Hat exchange - Part 1

We (our knitting group) were finally able to hold our hat exchange that was planned for mid-February in mid-April! Yé! I can finally share it on the blog!

First information I couldn't share: the yarn (and that was not just any yarn). First of all, the objective was to use yarn from our stash. Well, I don't really have a stash (or at least I think that less than 5 skeins does not offer enough option). Hence, I had to sacrifice myself and go to Espace Tricot (first visit there too!). I chose some nice Tough Love Socks from Sweet Georgia in the amazing Blackberry colorway:

Isn't it just beautiful to look at? Although I spent quite a few minutes to choose it (yes, that would be me picking one, seeing another one, changing again, etc.), I am very pleased with my choice! It may be hard to see on the picture, but the yarn color changes very subtly. It was lovely to knit with as well!

Here is the final result: Skinner Hat by Melissa LaBarre:


Lovely pattern as one could expect from Melissa LaBarre:


Pattern: Skinner Hat by Melissa LaBarre (a.k.a Knitting School Dropout).
Yarn: Touch Love Sock by Sweet Georgia.
Needles: US 1 - 2.25 mm and US 2 - 2.75 mm.
Color: Blackberry.
Start to finish: January 9 to February 5 2011.
For: ?
Modifications: No modifications and I really enjoyed knitting it!

Here is a picture of me modeling it! Not a bad picture considering that I took it myself!


I recommend both the yarn and pattern! I truly enjoyed knitting it!

Doesn't it just feel like spring?

Here are my favorites from the new Twist Collective!

Pergola by Sandy Rosner:

Addie by Whitney Gegg-Harrison:

Madrigal by Kristen Rengren:

Avivah by Mary-Heather Coger:

It makes me dream about being a full-time knitter ;-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Such a lovely surprise!

I'm so spoiled! Two weeks ago, I won a contest organized by My sister's knitter. Make sure that you visit this blog regularly. I guarantee that you will love it!

Isn't it incredible how many giveaways there are all over our knitting community? Not only is it exciting to participate, it is pure happiness when you receive an email that announces you that you win!

As you may have guessed, I received the much awaited package today! I couldn't wait to open it! I can't take my eyes off of its content since then! See for yourself!

The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga handpainted sock yarn in the Leaf Insect colorway:

I can't wait to knit with it! Look at this amazing blend of greens! So perfect at this period of the year!

Then, there was an amazing skein of Malabrigo Sock yarn in the Impressionist Sky colorway:

It was totally unexpected! I can't wait to knit socks with this yarn! They will be like a treasure! Blue is a color that makes me feel so good!

And as if this wasn't already too much, it was accompanied by a lovely card and note, caramel truffle ground coffee and note cards with cute little owls from Sweet Malien:

Thank you so much again Andi! It feels like a knitter's dream ;-) I can't wait to knit with it but in the meantime, it will be almost as good to admire it!

Have a great week everyone!

FO: Bella's Mittens

Last time I looked, there were 5008 finished Bella's Mittens on Ravelry! Short, long, flip tops, with lining, etc. There are so many different versions and colors!

Mine are knitted accroding to the original pattern by Subliminal Rabbit with the Moss Stitch Palm Variation by Nancy Fry. From the beginning, I loved the palm of the mittens as in the movie.

Pattern: Bella's Mittens by Subliminal Rabbit and Nancy Fry.
Yarn: Rowan Cocoon
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Color: Scree (1.5 skein)
Start to finish: October 25, 2010 to March 16, 2011
For: Me!
Modifications: I knitted rows 67 to 74 of the mitten tops twice because I have long hands. That way, they fit perfectly!

This yarn seems very warm and is softer than I thought. We're having lovely days these days! I'm not sure this is the best of timing to try on my Bella's, but I will be wearing them to get the mail later this morning ;-)

Enjoy the weekend everyone!