FO: Sproutlette

Hi everyone - if you are still there,

The year started with many posts and then suddently, almost three months passed until today...  A few have asked if I was okay and if I was still knitting.  The answer to both questions is yes.  Many thanks for asking!

It is true though that I have been knitting less lately.  I could say it's because of spring and summer but quite frankly, we did not have much of a spring or summer until late June.  Now that summer has started though, it is very sunny and hot.  Wonderful!

Speaking of wonderful, I finished a project last week and it arrived to destination this week.  I will not spoil the surprise in case some of you read both our blogs and it is so recent that she did not make the announcement yet!

The FO is Sproutlette by Tanis Lavallée.  When I saw this little dress, I was immediately charmed!

 

Pattern:  Sproutlette by Tanis Lavallée.

Yarn: Coton Fifty at Bergère de France.

Needles:  US 3 - 3.25 mm.

Color: 20112

Start to finish: April 2013 - June 2013.

For: Little baby girl.

Notes: I modified the leaves at the bottom and the edge of the sleeves
since I was running out of yarn.  For the edge of the dress, I skipped

rows 18-19 and 22-23.  For the sleeves, I (k1, p1, k1) in the double

yo. With these modifications, I was left with only a few inches of yarn!

 

A few more pictures:

 I thought a lady bug button would make a nice touch for a baby dress!

All in all, the pattern is well written!  I did not enjoy the scalloped eyelet cast off I must say... :(  I guess I still knit too tight for this kind of technique!

Finally, I wish a lot of happiness to this little girl and her family!  A cute little girl like her will bring a lot of joy all around her I'm sure!  And she may be a future knitter as well :-)

Have a great summer everyone - but I hope to be back before it ends!

New sock yarn!

I went to Sherbrooke this weekend to visit one of my best friend.  I studied in Sherbrooke 5 years so it is always good to go back. Lovely weekend!

There is a two years old yarn store that moved to a new location (much easier to find!) and that I did not know about before so I wanted to take a peak...  They are Tricot-Thé Serré.  Charming and the owner is very nice!

I bought a little something: a skein of lovely sock yarn from Julie Asselin.

I will not talk too long (I just wanted to show my new stash acquisition!)  The temperature is finally starting to resemble spring so I plan to do a little bit of work outside today.  It is so nice to be off on a Monday!!!

Have a great week everyone!

FO: Saroyan

I finished the Saroyan back in March.  It went to an alpaga fiber competion last weekend although it did not win.  If you have any suggestion on what someone must knit with 100% alpaga for the best results, let me know!  I was a little puzzled when looking for the perfect 1-2 skein project.
 
This natural yarn was a pleasure to knit. The Saroyan pattern is beautiful.  It is mostly mindless knitting but the leaves on the side keep it interesting and gives a sense of it growing quite fast!

Here is the final result before blocking.

Although the yarn is 100% alpaga, the leaves are showing pretty well!

 

 I think this is closer to the true color...

 

It feels awesome around the neck!

 

Pattern: Saroyan by Liz Abinante.

Yarn: Princess Katara at Les Alpagas de la Petite Côte.

Needles: US 9 - 5.5 mm.

Color: No color, 100% natural.

Start to finish: February 2013 - March 2013.

For: Mélanie and Fiber Art Competition in Orangeville.

Notes: No modification.

 

This is a free pattern so there is no reason why you should resist!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Casting on...

Hello!  Yesterday, I casted on two new projects: one is going to be a gift so I will not talk about it and the other one is the Guernsey Triangle by the very talented Jared Flood.  It is the July installment of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Color Club 2012. 

Here is a sneak peak!  I just completed the first chart of the pattern.  It does not look like much so far.  It has an intriguing provisional cast on that I will need to graft at the end to make the edge straight.  It is the first time I will do that.  This is why I'm intrigued.  I verified on Ravelry and it looks like I did it right.

 

The yarn is a dream to knit with!  And yes, we had some fresh snow on Friday.  We really are looking forward to spring!

 

Yesterday, I bought new Knit Picks Sunstruck 16" circular needles.  So far, I really like them, just as much as the Harmony and the nickel needles!  Oh, and a sneak peak of my secret project I guess ;-)

And you, what's on your needles now?

Have a great Sunday!

FO: Hedgerow Socks

Another pair of socks finished!  And no WIPs! 

I know exactly what I will start next.  It will be a gift so I cannot tell you now what it is...  I'm going to use the 108 grams remaining from this 2009 FO.  I really am planning to knit up as much as possible of my beautiful remaining yarns this year.  I've also started posting them on my Trade or Sale stash tab on Ravelry.  If you are interested, send me a message over there!  I'd be glad to send some of it to a happy home where it will be appreciated!

So here is my latest FO:

Pattern: Hedgerow Socks by Jane Cochran.

Yarn: Blue Label Fingering Weight of Tanis Fiber Arts.
Needles: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm DPNs.

Color: Thrills.

Start to finish: June 2012 - April 2013.

For: Me.

Notes: No modification.

The sock blockers were bought just yesterday at Biscotte & Cie.  This is a nice store on the south shore of Montreal.  They also have an online store.  I did however resist buying new yarn as I already have enough to knit for the rest of the year!  I discovered that they also have very nice buttons!

I wish you a very nice continuation of the weekend and a great week!

FO: Business Casual

Hello everyone!

Last night, I finished my Business Casual.  The end date of the KAL is March 25th (Monday).  I made it!  It's been a very good KAL organized by Celtic Cast On.  115 knitters were in.  Many knitted more than one pair.  Go to this blog to see a parade of beautiful FOs!  To this day, there are at least 60 pairs completed!

When I started the pattern, I thought it would be a tough pattern.  So many crossed stitches :(  Thankfully, someone on Ravelry posted an alternate method without a cable needle.  So much easier!

Then, I struggled with the first sock.  Started over three times! 

And, I wanted to also knit the Saroyan and the due date was end of March as well!  I don't know why I do it to myself: deadlines :)

Here is my finished pair:

 

Pattern: Business Casual by Tanis Lavallée.

Yarn: Tempted Hand Painted Sly Grrl.
Needles: US 2 / 3.0 mm (circular and DPNs).

Color: Dreamy.

Start to finish: February 2013 - March 2013.

For: Me.

Notes: No modification.

 

It is a great pattern!  I really recommend it!  They are very wearable and I think that they are awesome for both men and women.

In the end, I made it. After this post, I will take a few pictures of the Saroyan because I'm handing it in to the lady who produces the beautiful alpaca yarn tonight. More details in a later post!

Have a pleasant weekend!

Three WIPs?

Here is my weekly update for the Business Casual KAL.  I've re-knitted the first sock completely.  I kept focusing on round 17 joint.  It wasn't good.  Now I feel good... except that I have a cold.  I took yesterday off (I mean a vacation day!) and woke up with a bad sore throat.  So, I knitted all day and finished one sock.  Today, I'm still at home.  My throat and my muscles are still aching.  No runny nose so far.  Just aching and feeling tired...  At least, it's good for my knitting when I'm awake.

 

Look at this!  I have three WIPs!  That means many FOs in late March, early April.  It will not become an habit, trust me but it sure makes for a pretty picture :-)

 

They are: Business Casual, Hedgerow and Saroyan.

 

I still have to graft the toes (and knit the second sock).  It fits perfectly:

And here is my work in parallel.  I have about one third done which isn't bad at all!

I hope you are all feeling better than me.  Have a great week everyone!