December went by in a blur of cold and snow. It wasn't a fantastic month for finishing up projects, but an excellent month for slow, deliberate stitches and marking time in minutes instead of days.
To recap, I finished a pair of knitted socks. These socks were completed using the pattern Peacock Socks by Alex Anders, I used a yarn from Frankie Grey Fibres in the colourway rain showers. Which was perfectly suited to snowstorms and frost covered trees as well.
I whipped up a quick last minute Christmas Simple Waffle Weave Scarf by the Rogue Weaver for deserving recipient.
I also decided to challenge myself immensely by tackling my first ever Yule Log. Of course, the version I chose was a Baked Alaska Yule Log, because why no bring ice cream into it. It's a perfect match for the weather.
Pair 1 - Some plain vanilla socks made from Arne & Carlos Regia, 2459 Siljan, in honour of Arne & Carlos launcing their new sock yarn. The self patterning in this sock is so fun and makes them fly off my needles.
Pair 2 - These socks were made using a pattern called Minecraft Socks by Heather Cox and they have a really delightful bouncy texture that makes them easy to love. The yarn is one I've saved and petted for more than a few years. It was made with a sock yarn from Flock Fibre Studio in a colourway aptly named Cookies for Santa, I love the pops of red and green, extremely festive.
I tried some new recipes in November. Both, of course, were from the genius of Ruth Tam at Cook Til Delicious.
Baking 1 - Marshmallow-Stuffed Ginger Molasses Cookies, these tasted absolutely incredible. My timing was a tad off and my marshmallow melting got away from me, so not as gooey as they should have been, but definitely did not affect the taste.
Baking 2 - Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Loaf, mine isn't as pretty as Ruth's, both because I do not own a Pullman pan and because I am not as talented a baker as she is. But the flavour was fabulous and we devoured this sucker in one day.
In other news, I helped out a friend and crocheted a sweet baby blanket called Crochet Pattern Alphabet Baby Blanket Puff Stitch by Pam. It can be fun to try patterns I wouldn't normally gravitate towards and I was making puff stitches in my dreams for weeks after!
October flew by in a flurry of baking and a bit of knitting - here is a summary of October:
Finished knitting a pair of Celebration Socks by Alice Kim in a new to me yarn called Wisdom Yarns in Horizon, which was a really fun yarn to work with and hard to put down with the next color change just a few stitches away.
My garden was VERY fruitful this year and I couldn't get enough tomatoes.
I made Apple Fritters! And Dutchies! Wow are homemade donuts amazing! These did not last long at all and seem to be appreciated by everyone who was lucky enough to nab one. The receipe I used was Dutchies and Apple Fritters by Ruth Tam of Cook Til Delicious.
I also made a Spiced Coffee Crumb Cake and tried my hand at a Lemon-Cream Cheese Danish Bread from Ruth Tam's cookbook Baked to Order, both turned out very scrumptious and I cannot wait to bake more from Ruth's cookbook.
The last bit of October baking was Almond Poppyseed Sourdough Scones also on Ruth's Substack Cook Til Delicious, these didn't last the day and I can't wait to make a batch to freeze and eat on demand.
In crochet, I worked on a blanket, taking over for a friend who is having trouble with her eyesight. It was a cute little project called Alphabet Baby Blanket Puff Stitch by Pam.
July came and went. I mostly hid in my house. Here is this month's recap:
Some finished socks! These are Simply Ribbed Socks with Square Heel by This Handmade Life using Biscotte Yarns Felix Self-Striping in the Carousel colourway. These were fun to knit, and being a ribbed sock had lots of knit/purl changes. I did not do anything special in the heel knitting to accommodate for the self-striping yarn, but they turned out great anyway!
I've seen significant growth in my teeny tiny little garden where all I have going is some raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, and some peppers.
Color of my Fiber had a sale and I took advantage and purchased six skeins for future projects (socks!).
After completing a pair of socks, I immediately cast on a new pair, these are Woodnote Socks by This Handmade Life and they are adorable. I used some deep stash that has some micro striping. It may not have been the best pairing, but I was honestly curious to see how the yarn would knit up in a very textured pattern. I did a solid colour heel flap and toes out of some scrap yarn, still ended up with some pooling around the decreases, but that's ok! They are fun and I enjoyed knitting them! I have a decent amount of the yarn left for another project.
Since I yet again, did not have socks on my needles, I got right to it and wound up two 50g cakes for a new pair of socks. I'm looking at Sweet Woodruff by This Handmade Life because I think they would indeed be sweet in the newly acquired Peach colourway by Color of My Fiber.
This month, I came into possession of a huge bag of apples from a backyard apple tree. Lucky me! They were small but tasty. I decided to peel and slice about a hundred of the little suckers and made apple pie filling. My fingertips are still numb but my tummy will be satisfied for months to come.
I finally found the scrappy project I've been looking for! This is very exciting for me. I've gathered all my leftover fingering weight and have started knitting and knitting and knitting (it looks like brioche, but it's not!). This project is easily one that I will turn to for ongoing joy. Progress has been fast because it's been so soothing and meditative to work on, but it's really a yarn hog, so I will eventually have to slow down in order to knit more socks to add to the leftover pile.
The pattern I'm using is Bits And Bobs Blanket by Kay F JonesThe weight and squishiness of this blanket is seriously unreal.
I finished weaving and pressing and hemming my Martin's Towels by The Rouge Weaver.
Then, because I was having so much fun I got right to warping up another set of towels, which are the Diamond Delight by, of course, The Rogue Weaver. These are GORGEOUS, like, there may be some beginner errors or quirks that I threw in there, but overall, I cannot believe I made these. I am so excited. I think I will be making another set of these soon because the ones I just finished were given away as a gift.
To get in the seasonal spirit I decided to knit the famous Christmas Balls by Arne and Carlos, these were knit with the Rowan Norwegian yarn recommended in the pattern, these were a really fun project, and now I just have to decide what to do with them. I was thinking to make a sort of garland, but making loops to hang them seems reasonable too. Hmmm.
I've been knitting and knitting and knitting on my Redd Barna Unisex Jumper by Arne & Carlos and got it finished and blocked. It was interesting to knit from the bottom up instead of the top down. Learning from past mistakes and went for a bit oversized so I don't feel claustrophobic. I think it's great that the sizing on this sweater is unisex, maybe that's why it fits my massive man shoulders so well.
I bought a teeny needle felting kit of a little bear, just to try it. I'm not sure it was love at first needle poke, but it was fun and I got a cute bear out of it.
Remember that quilt I finished last month that I had the top sitting around for 10,000 years without reason, well, someone mark the calendar because I am on a roll.
I am ashamed to admit that I had another quilt, in an even sadder state of unfinished. This one had all the cutting done, but still required some piecing, and it had been sitting around even longer than 10,000 years. Literally. Ok so! I finished piecing! Most (almost all) of the fabric used for this quilt was from stash or leftover scraps. The pattern I used is called Triangularity by Jeni Baker.
Every month or couple months, I look very forward to catching up with Arne & Carlos and all of their adventures and shenanigans, seriously, if I am in a less than sunshiney mood, these two can have me hitting replay and gut laughing in minutes, I absolutely adore them. Anyway, I felt inspired to knit one of their patterns and try out the famous Norwegian yarn, and so I purchased the Redd Barna Unisex Jumper and knit this in Rowan wool and simply chose the (near) same colours that was in their original design. This month, I got a good start on that sweater.
I found myself with some waiting time this month and so cast on a new pair of socks in fun summery colours and since it was so hot, felt to make a pair of shorties for summer.
Here it is, Cocoa Puff (Pink Fizz by Andrea Mowry) in all her glory. She is done. But not blocked yet.
This sweater is very very light, extremely soft, hella oversized, and maybe, just maybe, wearable by me. Apparently the most picky sweater knitter in the history of the world.
Let us all thank Cocoa from A to Z Alpacas for the ability to produce a dope fleece.
This month I cast on some fun new socks, I can't remember what yarn I am using for these socks as I lost the ball band, and I decided to just invent a pattern, which remind me of fish bones, so I am calling these socks Rainbow Fish, because that's all I see.
And I also made some decent progress on my Pink Fizz by Andrea Mowry. I am loving knitting with this 100% alpaca, I am feeling a bit embarrassed that this is my first time knitting with this fibre because, I am pretty sure I will be knitting with alpaca way more frequently.
As a very fun side note, this yarn came from a family run farm, in the same region where I live and the colour name of the yarn is called Cocoa. Guess the name of the sweet alpaca who's fleece this is and whose very whimsical photo came with the yarn? Cocoa!! The fibre is naturally this rich dark chocolate color, just like the aplaca it was sheared from and the name of the colour is the name of the alpaca! So cool! I am in love. I wonder if they would allow me to have an alpaca on my residential city lot? Or maybe Cocoa the alpaca wants to come hang with me and provide me with cocoa coloured alpaca fleece for as long as we both shall live.
This month I finished the scrappy pair cabled socks I had started a couple of months ago.
Out of some Quince & Co. Lark in the River colourway, I knit a Huxley by Jared Flood, I'm thinking, since I haven't been having much luck with sweater knitting, perhaps a vest is what I'm in the market for? This vest is adorable and I am really happy with how it turned out. Will I wear it? I am not sure. I've never worn a vest before in my life and maybe I need to wear it around the house to get used to it before venturing into the wild with it.
A pair of socks I started last month got completed and blocked. The colour pooling is fun in these socks and I am a sucker for purple, overall it was just fun to knit these.
Honestly, I can't help but take advantage of a sale when I see one. Sigh. This time it was Andrea Mowry again with her adorable pattern photoshoots and personality. I know that I said it was time to break up, but maybe just maybe, I can win this. I took advantage of a coupon code to purchase Pink Fizz and by golly I want to make this work, ok, so here is my plan. I am knitting with 100% alpaca, super super soft, super light, super drapey and my hope it that the sweater is not constricting in any way, not itchy in any way AND, I am knitting this in a semi-neutral colour, so all signs point to a successful sweater.
This month, I cast on and made headway on a new pair of socks, this pair is just a simple ribbing I am making with Crafty That Way fingering weight yarn in 100% superwash merino in a colourway called Sweet Surrender.
So, I somehow justified buying myself a rigid heddle loom. I'm told it is a natural fibre progression, knitting, spinning, weaving. I think next is buying raw wool and carding it myself, but I am going to try really hard to resist any futher developments.
I wove a very simple set of towels from a pattern from the weaving genius and brilliant teacher, The Rogue Weaver, who is so generous with her weaving tricks and tips. Her patterns are extremely well written and have so much information, even a raving loon like myself can figure out the steep learning curve that is weaving. She is literally so inspiring, and her weaving projects are the reason I finally caved and bought a loom.
One of my previous handspun yarns is so pretty and I have been trying to figure out what kind of knitting pattern to pair it with, so in the end, I have decided to knit a Madison Scarf by Suzanne Middlebrooks, which is knit with a lace weight yarn. The handspun I knit is very light because I left it as a single ply and I think this pattern will allow for some discretion in varying thickness and the amount of yardage I have available. This was a 100% superwash merino fibre in a gorgeous colourway called Costal Retreat with deep blues and yummy gold green seaweed from Crafty That Way.
This month I knit a third Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague, this time, I used only scrap yarns and held two fingering strands double hoping and successfully achieving a marled look! I really love how this one turned out! And this toque is reversible, if you didn't know, so I did plan a bit of a gradient so it looks completely different inside out!
July was a very crafty month indeed. Here's a recap:
Tons of spinning! Tour de Fleece is no joke! Here are the fibres I worked on, all were hand dyed from Crafty That Way (!), I think this is correct: - Mindfulness - Targhee Bamboo Silk Wool Top (Roving) - Cherished - Targhee Fibre Wool Top (Roving) - Finished plying - Mint Chocolate Chip - Targhee Bamboo Silk Wool Top (Roving) - Finished plying - Hey There Romeo - BFL Silk Wool Top (Roving) - Grandma's Pansies - Superwash Merino / Nylon Top (Roving)
This month I also finished knitting my Cumulus Blouse by PetiteKnit and the reviews are in, mohair is as incredibly soft as people say it is. This sweater looks incredible on the designer, all loose and flowy on her tiny frame, for me, while I was wearing it, the top did feel as light as a feather, but there is no way this sweater is as flattering on me as it is on others. But, it's so so soft, I might consider petting it much longer in the frog pile. I wonder how incredibly difficult it is going to be to rip back double-held mohair. Maybe impossible.
I starter a Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague, what a great pattern, I love the spreadsheet that calculates the exact measurements and stitch counts. This hat I am proudly knitting with my own handspun, which was a Crafty That Way colourway called Goonight My Love, 100% Superwash Merino. I don't know why but handspun is SO FUN to knit with.
Well if a world wide pandemic isn't a reason to abandon all crafts for a few months/years, I can't think of another excuse! It's been a tough few years and I think in order to ground myself and try to gain a semblance of normalcy, I will resume posting my monthly recaps when I am able to!
To recap June 2022:
It's been awhile, but I participated in this year's Tour de Fleece, so first up a nice Targhee Bamboo Silk Wool Top (Roving) hand dyed in a colourway called Mint Chocolate Chip from Crafty That Way (used to be The Wacky Windmill), which I spun to a heavy fingering weight.
Next up, a BFL Silk Wool Top (Roving) hand dyed in a colourway called Hey There Romeo, also from Crafty That Way, and this again I spun into a heavy fingering.
I am very please with both.
For knitting, I knit the most complicated garment I've knit to date, and that would be the Grandpa Cardigan by Joji Locatelli. This cardigan was so much less complicated than it looks, thanks to the wonderful pattern. Joji is hands down my favourite and most reliable pattern designer, to be honest, I get a bit nervous these days venturing out to new designers when the price of wool and shipping (and literally everything) seems to have skyrocketed the last few years (hence my quilting hiatus, tear).
I used the yarn suggested in the pattern to minimize the risk of yet another cardigan I don't love, so that is West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester DK in the colour Aubergine [side bar - I ordered a purple colour online (no LYS where I live) and received a call that the store didn't actually have the stock that was listed online, and they asked if they could send the Aubergine as a replacement) and wow this yarn (!) it's amazing and I can see why Joji chose to pair it with a cabled sweater because the yarn really allows for outstanding stitch definition. Now I just need buttons.
These days, I have seen a ton of hype about mohair and have never taken the plunge, so I decided to couple the most talked about fibre with the designer that seems to be everywhere, to see what all the hype is about. With that in mind, I chose to knit a Cumulus Blouse by PetiteKnit and it's still in the works.
In other news, over my self-imposed break, I had knit a The Throwover by Andrea Mowry. I have to say the fit on this sweater was all wrong. The body was perfect, but I just could barely fit my shoulders and upper arms into the sweater. It's such a cute sweater, but again, to the frog pile. I also found after the fact, that I had dropped a stitch and didn't notice, so even though I could have secured it after the fact, I took it as a sign that it is officially time to break up with this designer. I think my body type and preferred style just don't work with her designs. She is darling and her designs are really fantastic, just not for me.
For some reason, one day I woke up and had the intense desire to knit a sweater for my Westie, so off to see what Ravelry could offer me and I landed on the Harness-friendly dog sweater by Jaq Cieslak, it knit up very fast and my little puppy took about three minutes to wiggle it up and chewed it up! haha, so like me, she is apparently picky about her sweaters.
As a highlight and for future reference, looking at knitting patterns for dog sweaters is an absolute sure-fire way to lighten up a blue mood. Here are some others I love: Faded Rib Pup Sweater by Stephen West, Marled Pup Sweater by Stephen West, Beaded Dog Sweater by Annie's Attic.
It's been a concern of mine that Gnorman did not yet have a companion, and I felt I had to make right on that as soon as possible. After hunting through my fingering scraps, she came together in no time and and formal introductions were made. Gemma and Gnorman were fast friends, taking to each other right away.
Wait, why have I never knit a Stephen West pattern - time to change that!!
Plugging away on my two monthly cross-stitch calendar samplers. I have the cutest little May house with lilies and blue bells and a Llamay with, I dare say, a bit of attitude.
I completed my The Daily by Andrea Mowry and fit and function are great and I think I quite like it.
For fun I knit up a little hacky sack with some leftover scrap yarn. I am no good, but it went to someone who has a desire to skill up.
In other news, this month I got bit by a crochet bug and decided to start making granny squares with no real plan.
This month I decided to cast on a new sweater, I feel determined to knit something I might actually wear sometimes. The sweater I chose is The Daily by Andrea Mowry, it's just so popular, how can something be popular if it's not great for the masses, right? OK so since the So Faded I made didn't have enough ease for me, I am going for extra large to be super roomy. Fingers crossed.
As there was a discount code offered, I also picked up the pattern Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry and I have selected some yarn colourways that make a fade that I hope apply the lessons I learned when attempting the So Faded pullover. I studied everyone's Ravelry projects like it was homework, determined to understand why some work and some don't.
I have Cute April House and a little Harepril completed on my two ongoing calendar cross-stitch calendars. I'm really really not sure about having enough contrast on the Cute Animals. Stop now and cut my losses? Try again on another fabric? What to do.
