Celtic Cast On

Pattern: Capricious by Elena Nodel *set to be released sometime in June*

Yarn: Rowan 4 ply

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to test knit a design for Elena of Anadiomena Designs.

Its the adult version of Elena’s Sweet Poppy design, that I hope to knit for T soon.

I knew I wanted a yarn with great drape for this cardigan. So often I have come across patterns like this that are supposed to drape but with a different yarn choice it could all go wrong and not drape like it should.

Luckily I had some Rowan 4ply cotton in my stash that I though would be the perfect match for this pattern. I’ve worked with Rowan 4ply before and new that it bloomed when blocked and with the size of needles needed I thought it would have the perfect drape too.

Elena used a method called the Contiguous Method developed by SusieM.

Basically its knitting a garment with shoulder seams and sleeve caps from the top down using one continuous row back and forth.

I loved the idea of this method. It means no seaming and you can try it on as you go.

I’m happy to report the fit is excellent and the method easy to catch on to. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for more contiguous patterns.

I love the simplicity of this cardigan with its feminine details.  Definitely something I would wear and can wear without having to worry about it going out of fashion or getting sick of it.

The cables down the sleeves give it that little bit of interest so its not ALL stockinette, although I think it would still be fab if it was.

I really like the little points that the sleeve edges form too to match the points at the sides of the body.

Fun, Feminine and Fashionable!

I honestly had no idea what I was going to wear this with until I had the cardigan finished.

I had a look through my dresses and was delightfully surprised when I realized it matched my favourite sun dress perfectly!

This is not the first time this has happened either!

I KNOW this is going to get worn a lot this summer because I practically live in that sun dress.

Now if only the sun would come out so I could look like I had at least a bit of a tan!

This also counts as project one finished for the Luvinthemommyhood KAL.

I’ve joined the Luvinthemommyhood: Tops, Tanks and Tee’s KAL

Cast On date was April 11th 2012

Cast Off is May 23rd 2012

Basically you pick any top tank or tee your little heart desires and knit it. There are a TON of people over at the Luvinthemommyhood forum on Ravelry chatting about their patterns and yarn right now. This is seriously a fun KAL.

I chose to knit Farrah…… correction I chose to knit Gemini but then I remembered I’d told my mum that I’d start a sweater for her when I got back from Ireland so I decided on that instead.

I had a kit for Farrah in my stash that I received as a gift.

I was a bit iffy with the yarn at first, it’s Berroco Glint, a cotton, nylon, metallic yarn, not really my style.

I do  love the Farrah pattern but thought that the colour in the kit was just a bit too light for me to pull off . I did however think the colour would suit my mum very much, she wears the colour quite off as it is.

I’m very surprised by how much I am enjoying this yarn. The beige colour has a beautiful coral throughout and its almost knitting up in stripes here and there and you know what….. I LIKE the sparkle…… there I said it! I LIKE THE SPARKLE!!

Farrah has a pretty simple stitch pattern, rows of stockinette between lace panels. It’s proving to be a good knit for reading.

My Farrah Rav notes

The other knit I have started *I’m not sure if this will qualify for the KAL or not, have to ask the Big Wig aka Shannon* is Capricious, a test knit for Elena Nodel of Anadiomena. It will be the adult version of her Poppy Cardigan.

Capricious uses a contiguous method, developed by Susie Myers, that allows you to

shape shoulders and knitting set-in sleeves without a use of a single short row.

Genius I say!!

I’m using some stashed Rowan 4 ply cotton for this one. It’s knitting up with a nice drape that I think will be perfect for this cardigan!

My Capricious Rav Notes

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool

        Paton’s Classic Wool scraps

I love the vintagey colour combo’s on our antique snowmobile and really wanted to knit a pair of thick, warm socks to wear while we were out on it.

Something simple and *just for fun* had that same vintage feel.

I’m pretty pleased with how these turned out but next time I think I’ll add a few more sts to the leg.

They could have a little more wiggle room up there.

I would also do a jogless stripe next time as well. I think I got caught up in the fact that I was trying to knit them two at a time and forgot about getting rid of the jog.

To be honest once I reached the foot I started knitting them separately… I may try two at a time again sometime but I think I enjoy knitting them tandem through each part of the sock.

There’s one question still nagging me though…..

Should I have added stripes before the toe as well or would that have been too much??

Well… Boss had a good Easter!

He was pretty pumped when we woke up to snow on Easter Sunday. It snowed all day and we ended up with over a foot of snow!

Moose wasn’t exactly enthralled to have to plough the yard so our parents could get in.

T was hard at work last week making some Easter nests for our guests.

We used Chow Mien Noodles

Melted Chocolate

Peanut Butter

and Mini Eggs.

Not something we would normally have around here but I think we only ate one each and sent the rest home with everyone. It was fun to bake something together that she could easily decorate on her own.

Don’t they look pretty displayed in her basket?

Her Basket also housed the eggs we dyed during the week.

Instead of dipping we left them to soak during nap time to get the most vibrant colours.

I’m glad to say that that snow melted in just two days and we are back to dead grass…… for now.

Well here you have it. My first project for the Lily Kate Spring KAL!

HASLAM!

Pattern: Haslam by Lily Kate France

Yarn: Kidazzle by Fleece Artist

I knit Haslam exactly to the pattern but then blocked the snot out of it because I had plans of using it as a shawl AND a scarf.

Knit from side to side, Haslam is an easy knit with beautiful openwork and short rows to keep you on your toes.

I’m completely smitten with this yarn.

It was wonderful to knit with not to mention look at.

The colour is pure perfection!

A slight and I mean very slight variegation  makes it the perfect choice for me.

I must get my hands on more!

Once blocked Haslam becomes a good sized scarf.

I wear my shawls like this most of the time so I know this one will see lots of wear and add some much needed colour in the Fall and Winter months.

It will also double beautifully as a shoulder warmer over my summer dresses that I”m just itching to get into!

I have one more project to go for this KAL.

I think I can swing it!

There’s still time to join the KAL.

Lily has lots of accessories you could whip out by the end of the month. Or maybe you’d like a Haslam too??

Knitting – I’m trying to get some WIP’s finished up because I have so many projects lined up that I want to cast on for. I know if I don’t finish these now they will end up in the pile of unfinished socks I already have on the go. I just have the feet and toes to go and I’m hoping to get a good chunk of that done today. I will hopefully have a new pair of socks by the weekend!

Reading -  My MIL brought this book for me on the Sunday and I instantly knew I would love it. Katie Davis a then 18 year old girl moves from Tennessee  to Uganda for a 1 year term as a kindergarten teacher. What she doesn’t know is how her life would change and how at 21 she would end up starting a non profit organization, adopt 14 ugandan girls and help so many other out along the way.

This book really hits home for me. We have several sponsored children, our first we sponsored when he was only 3 and Moose and I were still dating. He lives in Uganda and because we shared a little of what we have is able to go to school, have nutrious meals, get medical help and education for the community about farming, how to grow crops etc. All things we take for granted every day.

I’m interested to get to the end of the book and have already looked at Katie’s non profit organization Amazima. Check out the website for ways to help and if  you don’t already sponsor a child you should definitely consider it. Living with a little less *something this world needs so terribly to do*  can save a child’s life and give them a chance at a future.

Pattern: Lancelot by Solenn Couix-Loarer

Yarn: Cascade 220

 Mods: My only modification was to go down to needle size for the ribbing. It was suggested in the pattern if you want it to be a bit tighter in those areas.

My Rav Notes

A test knit for Solenn and my first test of the year. Solenn made this gorgeous sweater for her son and when I saw it I knew right away it would look fabulous on T too. I was thrilled when she asked me to test for her.

I knew I wanted colour for T’s version I just wasn’t sure what colour. I wasn’t really thinking of red until I saw it at my LYS and knew right away that it was the perfect colour for a  Miss Lancelot.

 Clean lines and a sophisticated look make Solenn’s pattern great for boys and girls, not to mention wearable and in style for many years to come.

Lancelot ranges in size  from 1 yr to 12yrs. It’s knit bottom up in the round for minimal finishing and fuss.

I was kind of worried that T would grow out of this before the Fall but after blocking she seems to have some more room and definitely enough length to hopefully last through to next year. She is now in a 4T eek!!

As for the photo shoot… it was the most difficult one by far. She started off marching through the trees saying “Here comes the marching girl for the camera!” but then it turned into a full out run everywhere! It was kind of difficult to capture a good shot in .2 seconds before she took off again.

It’s time for another Yarn Along. I haven’t read a book for a good couple of weeks.

I picked up a couple of books while I was away that I’m excited to read.

This first is Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh. A true story for a boy growing  up in a Romany Gypsy family in the 80′s.

I’m sure you have all seen or heard of the tv show “My big fat gypsy wedding” . Growing up in Ireland I grew up hearing about Gypsy’s  a lot but never saw any of them. They would come to the door looking for milk etc. so I guess it’s only natural that I was always curious about them. This will be an interesting read I am sure.

As for Knitting I’m chugging right along on Haslam, I’m been enjoying the simlicity while catching up on my current tv obsession…. more about that later!

Have you read any good books lately??

The LilyKate Spring KAL is underway!

We hope you’ll join us!

You have until May 1st to knit one of Lily’s designs and be entered in the draw for her entire pattern collection and a skein of yarn!

Lily designed a lovely Spring Shawl to kick off the KAL

Haslam

Knit in a silk cashmere blend this little number would be the perfect summer shawl to offset those sweet summer dresses.

I may have already started mine

I’m using the only skein of yarn I purchased when I went to Knit East last Fall. Fleece Artist was there with a yarn tasting and this skein was among the samples being tested. There were no other skeins like it so on the last day I begged them to sell it to me. They finally caved after much grovelling.

I also have Alysha on the go too with this.

 Rocky Mountain Dyeworks sport, a gift from Lacey.

What could be better than knitting comfort food in my two favourite colours?

*Lily’s patterns are like comfort food for me. I know I’ll just follow her instructions and not be wondering what she means here or questioning what was meant there just smooth sailing!*

Come on over and join us, we’d love to have you!

Pattern: Jolene Cardigan by Jenny Watson

Yarn: Berroco Pima Colour 2266

 Mods: Added 2 inches of length to the 51cm chest version.

My Rav Link

Last year when we went to Ireland, Moose came in one day with a UK knitting magazine called Let’s Knit for me. It was sweet of him to pick it up for me. Most UK magazines are in a package and include freebies, this one was no exception. It contained a booklet called The Little Book of Baby Knits. I flipped through and immediately stopped when I saw the cutest little cardigan called the Jolene Cardigan. I knew then and there I wanted to knit it for T. I brought it home, it got tucked away on a shelf and I forgot about it.

It wasn’t until I began a search for some cute patterns to knit for a few friends that are pregnant that I remembered about it. I contemplated knitting it for a friend but knew that I wanted one for T before she grew out of the sizes. I had some Berroco Pima in my stash from a sale last year. It was such a happy colour I just couldn’t leave it behind….of course I had plans to make something for  T  with it.

Why I didn’t immediately cast on in the round is beyond me but I definitely regret it when it came time to sew it up. I spent more time seaming than I did actually knitting the entire cardigan. I finished off the seaming in Ireland with the hopes of being able to take some pictures while we were there.

I did get pictures but it didn’t really get the blocking it needed so I reblocked when we got home and took the pictures you see about which turned out much nicer.

Here are the pictures I did get in Ireland.

T’s favourite landmark at home was definitely Scrabo Tower.  You can see it from many angles as you travel around the area and T’s little hawk eye would catch it every time and yell “There’s Scrabo Tower”, let it be noted that she started saying this with an Irish Accent.. sooo cute.

Around Scrabo Tower is the Scrabo Golf Club and Scrabo Country Park. You park at the golf course and then walk up to visit the tower. I didn’t want to go all the way up to the tower. I wanted it to be in the background of my pictures so we found a goat path off to the side and headed up to find the perfect spot.

Well we found the spot but when golf balls started landing around us we realized we were pretty close to a hole. We waited until the players started to walk down to the hole, lifted T up onto the green and started taking pictures. I literally only have a few moments to take them so they aren’t the greatest shots but I did get T with her Tower