dimanche 24 janvier 2016

Soft hues

If I keep at it, I'll have a very decent collection of Stephen West designs. They're my go to in terms of shawls and funky garments patterns. 

That being said, the two shawls featured today, although they are both Westy designs, feel very romantic in colours. 
Yep. This time around, I was in the mood for soft hues and more subdued combo.

I started the Fringed! first, somewhere before Christmas, and had it done during the holidays, but procrastinated when it came to adding fringes. I recommended this pattern to a customer who is fairly new at knitting, telling her that it was mostly garter with a few eyelets. She finished it pretty quickly and one day, just put ALL of her fringes. I was jealous. I picked up mine and just finished the whole thing. So voilà!



I think it's lovely. I'm happy with how the colours of the different yarns play together. As I stated on my Ravelry project page here, there were two skeins I was hoarding, because I valued them too much to do a small utilitary accessory. I was waiting for the perfect project to pop in my mind that would make them shine. And I think I hit it.

The Daybreak was knitted for a slightly similar reason. I wanted to feature the beautiful Kibou (by Noro) we had received in the shop and was looking for something neutral to tone it down a notch. Sylvan Spirit by Green Moutain Spinnery did just that. Plus the weight, the gauge, the texture, they were all a perfect match.




These will surely get a lot of wear! Both indoor and out.

So? Still think Stephen West is too funky for your style? ;)

mardi 19 janvier 2016

Indigo Frost

When I saw the Indigo Frost pattern by Isabell Kraemer, I had a big crush and was very impatient to cast on. But I had lots of wips on my needles, some of them being big sweaters and such, so I decided to wait a little. 
But as soon as I had my needles free again, I picked a lovely blue-green and just went on with some stash yarn for the slip stitch colourwork.
It's the kind of project that keeps your mind focused, between the increases, the slip stitch motif and the section of eyelets, I was never bored.
That allowed me to knit this poncho all of last week, almost monogamously. I'm really glad I finished this piece quickly, as it's the perfect layering piece for winter. It will also be super practical in between seasons, with fingerless mitts.

dimanche 17 janvier 2016

Two sorts of lace

Lace can be used in so many different ways in knitting. The two FOs featured today are a good example of the various possibilites.

First off, a super intricate sock pattern by Adrienne Fong, that combined lace and beads (but I tend to stay away from those).
It was first published as a mystery KAL for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group, but I got way past the finish line, especially for the second sock.

Last week, I needed some good old chart knitting to keep my mind from being bored, so I picked my quarter done sock and pushed through to finish it.

Then again, you can also totally knit lace at a large gauge in bulky yarn and get a fabulous result too!
This is Arika Cowl, by Jane Richmond. I knitted this pattern and blogged about it here before. This time, I used Ecological Wool and it made the whole thing really smooshy and warm. It's lovely and it knits up real fast. All in all, the perfect pattern for gift knitting (or selfish knitting!).

dimanche 10 janvier 2016

Granville

I first spotted this sweater on UandIKnit Instagram feed, when she announced the testing period. She soon released it after that and I was really excited to cast on!
I chose to combined Green Moutain Spinnery Sylvan Spirit in Antique Brass with some Baby Kid Extra in a matching green that was discontinued and laying around the shop. I knew it would exceed the gauge, so I picked the XS size and carried on.
As some other Raveller stated, this design is basically a long yoke with very little body. For me, who have a yoke syndrom (and I think I yet have to blog about that pathology), this is the perfect project. The increases go on for ever, along with the central panel, so it's virtually impossible to get bored. 

I decided not to do any pockets to prevent extra bagginess around the belly. Glad I did that, as it's already heavy with fabric.
As you can see from the creases, this garment is getting a lot of wear! It's so just so crazy comfy... with a tank underneath or a lovely striped long sleeves tee, it's the perfect layering piece. I wanted to have a little mohair to get that soft halo from Josée's picture.

But then, I feel very much inclined to knit a wooly version also. So many designs to knit, so little time.

More on this project in my Ravelry project right here.

samedi 2 janvier 2016

Winter Shawl

I hoarded this yarn for about a year, until recently, Manon, one of our favourite customer, knitted a Offland Lace by Caitlin ffrench in the very same smooshy handspun alpaca by Pierrô, a local spinner.
I knew it was time to turn this fabulous yarn into a shawl!
I didn't have a label with all the required info, so I weighted my balled yarn (242 g), measured a 5 g and applied that to the whole, which gave me 405 yards. I browsed for patterns in Ravelry, trying to make the most of my lovely product and fell upon this pattern I'd seen before. Summer Flies by Donna Griffin.
I wanted a semi-circular shawl with various section of lace. Of course, it would be lovely in a summery fabric, where the lace could shine a lot more, but at least it made the whole process enjoyable. It's always fun to have a new section to look forward to.

 More info on this project on my Ravelry page here.

 I also took some pictures on my boyfriend with his superb knitted kit.
The hat he's wearing is yet another The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio, in Noro Kureyon Air. The cowl is a Color Theory Cowl, by Xandy Peters in Noro Kureyon and Lamb's Pride Worsted and the mitts were part of my 2015 Tanis Fiber Arts Year Club in Colour. It's Orange Label (merino silk and cashmere worsted) in the one of a kind Caramel colourway. Heaven! The pattern, also by Tanis is called Ah Caramel.
I was a little disapointed that the fingerless mitts came out too large for my hands and too cold for my thumbs, but was really glad that they fitted my men perfectly, since they are just precious!