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!

Sweet dreams...

I'm so glad that baby Penelope and her parents are using the blanket I knitted for them! Look at those tiny little fingers... I wonder what she's dreaming about?

Have a great weekend everyone!

FO: Baby Tweed Blanket

Last night was our knit night and Catherine came! Catherine is a co-worker who I discovered a few months ago is also a great knitter and I had decided to knit the Baby Tweed Blanket for her baby girl to come! I still can't believe how lucky I have been to be able to give her her gift before the baby is born (and that is one day after her due date)!

I had planned to finish it early January before she'd stop working but no... with the cold that kept me sleeping for days and the fact that I had to order a sixth ball of Tahitian Pearl just two rows from the end, I finished a little later than planned.

Knitting that blanket went like a charm! The stockinette was really soothing. The yarn is really nice and spongy. Then, the edge is so pretty and interesting to knit. It does not look as neat as on the pictures below before it is blocked, but the blocking worked its magic once again.

Drying or I should say sun bathing on my new "blocking mats":

Oh, do I love the curly edge!

Pattern: Baby Tweed Blanket by Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed)
Yarn: Knit Picks City Tweed DK
Needles: US 9 / 5.5 mm and US 10 / 6.0 mm
Color: Tahitian Pearl (5.3 skeins) and Orca (2.14 skeins)
Start to finish: November 20, 2010 to January 22, 2011
For: Catherine
Modifications: Absolutely no modification. It's the first time I knit a pattern from Jared Flood, I could not have modified it! However, to be able to knit it without modification, I've had to order an extra skein of Tahitian Pearl! If I had read comments on Ravelry, I would have known...

I think this is my favorite picture:

I could not resist trying to take a photo like the one on the pattern:

It looks rather rustic but really is soft and enveloping...

And finally, I had fun simply wrapping it with a large pink ribbon:

Now, I can't wait to hear from Catherine and see her baby girl! Hoping that they will both join us soon at our knit nights!

WIP I can blog about!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! Here's it's very warm for this time of the year and the sun is gorgeous. It feels so good!

I started the Douglas mittens yesterday morning. It took me all morning to figure out how to knit the cuff! I almost decided to knit a simple 2x2 rib but then, when I got to when the cuff is turned and give such a nice finish, I was glad I stuck to the pattern instructions!

Also, I found a brilliant method to do a provisional cast on on YouTube: take a look here! I'll use this technique from now on. It really helps since I tend to knit a bit tight and this one is a dark color on rather tiny needles (note to myself for second mitten: use 3.5mm to knit the cuff, then 3.25 to turn and join it and finally, 3.75 for the hand of the mitten)! Yes, you saw it, the resulting stitches do not need to be picked, they are already on a circular needle waiting to be knitted ;-)

Here's a sneak peek:


Enjoy the rest of the day!

Teal and Rainbow Brite

I still cannot post about an FO although there is a progress bar on the right side of my blog that says 100%! It's coming...

Last night, I went to Effiloché to knit. Usually, I go knit at Effiloché when I need some yarn. Now, at the moment, I have a few projects aligned and I have all the necessary material. I'm probably the only proud knitter without a stash ;-) But I know I love sock yarn and tiny needles, so I can definitely see myself knitting many many pairs of socks in the future!

So here is my new acquisition:

What will it become? Probably socks. It is Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn. Blue is my favorite color so when I saw this skein in teal, I knew it had to be mine!

I have to confess that I sort of wonder if it's normal to be filled with joy just by looking at it? ;-)

Now, I may not have any FO to show, but Kara sure do (see previous post)! I can't believe how fast Kara knit this beautiful hat! Isn't it the perfect hat for this time of the year? That reminds me that I better get back to knitting my own hat for our knitting group exchange that's coming soon...

Have a great weekend everyone!

The winner is...

... from Knitting Lemonade! Congratulations!

When you get a chance, let me know your Ravelry ID and the name and author of the pattern you would like to be gifted ;-)

In the meantime, I'll go knit the hat for our knitting group exchange in mid-February (coming fast!).

Look at the picture above. Something is blocking...

Happy sunny Saturday!