Category Archives: Knitting

Knitting woes and a come back!

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Things don’t seem to be going right for me knit wise this week.

Monday I realized I was using the wrong weight of yarn on a project…..

Today I realized that I made a mistake at the beginning of a shawl I started now that I’m halfway in…..

I was feeling rather frustrated about my wasted knitting time until I pulled out my blocking board to pin out this beauty!

These are the gorgeous cables from a sweater I just finished.

The pattern in Elia by Julia Trice and the yarn is the very scrumptious Colour Adventures Bella Worsted in Sour Cherry. What an amazing pairing!

All will be revealed shortly!

I can’t wait to show you the finished sweater. Its my first sweater knit with a hand dyed yarn!

I hope you have been having more lucky with your knitting than I have at the moment. Tell me, what are you knitting?

Splitstone

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Pattern: Splitstone by Alicia Plummer

Yarn: Cascade 220 in colourway 9456

My Rav Project Page

I finished my test knit for Alicia and I couldn’t be happier with this.

I’ve been hoarding this colour of Cascade for something special. It’s such a beautiful blue with a bit of a purple undertone. I assumed it would eventually become something for T but when I saw Alicia’s vest I just knew it would have to be a Splitstone for me.

One thing I enjoy so much about Alicia’s patterns is that I never have to lengthen ANYTHING. She has the long torso down to a science!

We took these pictures during a snowmobiling trip through the woods. We had a little bonfire on the trail and toasted marshmallows before I striped off the snow pants to get a couple of quick shots.

Splitstone has already been getting lots of wear but I’m HOPING I will be able to put it away for a few months to enjoy some warmer weather….

The snowfall this morning doesn’t leave me with much hope though.

Business Casual KAL – The Winners

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It’s time to announce the winners of the Business Casual KAL!

Can I just say that all you are all winners because collectively we knit a whooping 82 pairs of Business Casual Socks!!! AMAZING!

I know you are all going to enjoy wearing your socks just as much as I have been since I bound off both pairs.

So… Shall we get down to the prize business?

First up was the lovely skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in the Atlantic Colourway donated by the lovely Tanis herself.

 The winner is LundenKnit! Sara finished 3 pairs socks during the KAL.

Next up another lovely skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label this time in the Thrills colourway donated by Megan of Stockinette Zombies.

The winner is Hundgestrickt!

Tina knit these neutral soft grey business casuals.

We also had a lovely skein donated from the ladies over at Wandering Cat Yarns.

This is Wandering Cat Yarns House Cat.

400 yards of 100% merino in the Water Dragon colourway.

The winner is Divadar who also knit more than one pair, I believe it was 4. Here are her socks.

The next prize was an uber cute sock bag donated by the lovely Susan of GirlCaveBags.

The winner is Carambole! Here are her Fleece Artist Socks.

Next up were our patterns donated by the designers themselves.

SpillyJane donated a pattern of choice.

The random generator chose Hege as the winner. She also knit 4 pairs of socks.

 Jeannie Cartmel donated a Pattern of choice.

This prize goes to LauraH3 who knit these variegated casuals.

Last but certainly not least Elinor Brown donated her colourwork pattern, Culture Socks.

The final prize goes to rstovin who knit these lovely pink grapefruit BC’s.

Thanks so much to everyone who donated prizes and for all of you knitting along with me.

You made this KAL so much fun!

Hope to see you all next time around :)

Marion

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It has to be said that the Business Casual KAL definitely took up all of my blogging time. I had no idea it would get so big but I’m glad to be able to get back into my regular blogging schedule again.

I recently finished a test knit for Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots. You may remember Chuck and Agatha that I have previously test for her. I adore both of those knits and wear them often so  I knew when she posted her yellow version of Marion that I needed to add it to my wardrobe too.

Pattern: Marion by Andi Satterlund *pattern still in testing*

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash in colour 864

Needles: 5mm

Ravelry Project Page

I have had my eye on this colour of Cascade Superwash at my LYS since last summer. I loved it from the get go but was unsure what I should knit with it.

When Andi asked me to test I knew right away it had to be this colour. Thankfully they had just enough skeins left when I went back to check.

I did something a little different with this photoshoot. I really wanted to show how fabulous this little cardi looks casually as well as dressed up.

You know I love to add things to my wardrobe that are multi functional.

 For Casual I paired it with my favourite jeans and plaid shirt. I will likely wear it with jeans most of the time because there isn’t a lot of cause to dress up running around on The Ridge.

I do however like to wear a dress any chance I get so when the occasion arises I’ll reach for my favourite polka dotted one. These cropped cardigans look so great with dresses that have full skirts.

I was once again stumped when it came to buttons for this cardigan.

I bought silver and green buttons but kept coming back to some brown wooden ones I had in my stash. It was a nice contrast but the issue I had with the brown is that I knew I wanted to wear it with my black dress and I just didn’t think I could handle the brown buttons with a black dress. Yes I am weirdly anal but colour matching.

Finally I tried some black leather look buttons from my stash and had a hand to forehead moment. Why didn’t I think of black to begin with!

 I can’t gush enough about Andi’s patterns, the construction, the style, all so perfectly perfect.

I will no doubt be in line to cast on her next pattern.

Business Casual – Finished Pair!

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It’s time for another update and I’ve got a finished pair!!!

These are knit with Tanis Blue Label in Brick

I knit them with 2.25mm dpn’s knitting 4 repeats for the leg and 4 and a half repeats for the foot.

They are a perfect fit and I couldn’t be happier with them!

Lets have a look at our other finisher’s this week!

Viki chose Tanis Blue Label in Aquarium for her second pair of lovelies.

Laurah3 knit her socks with Yarn Bee Walk Away Sock with PBT.

Mum2x2 used Turtlepurl Yarns Big Turtle Toes for the version she knit for her husband. A lovely manly pair!

Gemfireknits used Cascade Yarns Heritage Quatro Colours for her variegated pair. Love the subtle striping.

Pattymatt used Lang Yarns Jawoll Color Aktion for her rustic pair of Business Casuals.

DivaDar finished her second pair of Casuals. This time using Ella Rae Lace Merino!

Mombeauty chose Knit one Crochet too crock-o-dye for her socks.

Michelle is the only participant so far to knit her socks in two different colours. She used Biscotte and Cie La Douce in Lime and Turquoise colourways.

We’re on the downward slope now, with three weeks left to finish.

I’ll reveal the final prizes next week that will hopefully give you the boost you need to finish up those socks.

Crossroads

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This was a quick test for Elena of Anadiomena Designs.

Pattern : Crossroads Hat by Elena Nodel

Yarn: Colour Adventures Sweet Merino DK in Aegean Sea and Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton Colour 125.

My Rav Project Page

A sweet little hat that is perfect for using up all those scraps in your stash.

The whole hat uses approx 50 grams of yarn.

 Stripes are addictive by themselves but seeing that slip stitch pattern emerge really had we wanting to keep knitting until it was finished.

 A great unisex pattern to whip up for a gift.

I gave T a couple of colour options and of course she chose blue. It paired up very nicely with some grey left overs I had kicking around.

Little T is just getting over a bad bout of pneumonia and actually her first time being sick other than a runny nose. It was quite a shock for all of us when we found out she was so ill, at first we suspected the flu but when she wasn’t getting any better we knew something was up.

Its so nice to see her smiling face in these pictures and know that she is back to the fun loving little girl we are used to seeing.

Definitely a deserving recipient of one of Mama’s hand knit hugs!

Business Casual – Chugging

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Sorry this is a little late this week folks! Lots going on and I just couldn’t find the time to sit down and get this done.

My socks are coming along nicely and hopefully I will have some pictures for you next week.

 You all have been knitting up a storm and I love all the FO’s that keep rolling in!

Let’s take a look at those finished Socks!

Nzfriend knit her kitty approved Casual’s in Knit Picks Stroll Tonal in the Thunderhead colourway.

Hege completed her second pair in Garnstudio Drops Fabel. Love how these ones stripe.

Victoriasmum used Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight. Such a beautiful semi solid!

Jhocy Indigodragonfly MCN Sock in the colourway “And then Buffy Staked Edward. The End”

Sara of Lunden Knits finished her second pair in Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering in Gus and Clara.

Claire of Far From Harm Farm knit her in Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet.

There are still lots of pretty socks in progress too!

From left to right by: Tanis Lavallee, Dimples74, TammyG

From left to right : Rosehiver, Porcupine, Jansezknit.

We are at the halfway point now with almost 4 weeks left to go!

I’ll have more prizes for you next week as well so keep chugging so you don’t miss out on a chance to win!

Business Casual KAL – Prize Alert

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We have more beautiful FO’s this week!

Rhonda of JediKnits finished her pair of Business Casual’s in Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in Pink Grapefruit. I have a soft spot for the Pink Grapefruit colourway and might have gasped when I saw these. Love!!

Viki of Ruby in Stitches used Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in the Twilight colourway for her socks. Love the semi solidness of these!

Sarah of Wicked Stitches knit her socks toe up and two at a time using Tanis Blue Label in the Dove colourway. Another beautiful grey pair. *Grey seems to be a popular colour for this KAL.

Mel of Knits with Camels used a variegated skein of Tanis Blue Label in the Aquarium colourway. I don’t recognize this colourway, not sure if its an OOAK or an older colour…. I love that this pattern works well with solids right through to variegated’s. Endless possibilities.

  Tracylw knit Business Casual’s for her husband who has a size 14 foot!!! She used  Tanis Blue Label in the midnight colourway.

DivaDar used Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi for her socks. Love the striping of this Pleasant Prairie colourway.

SOMESylvie knit her version with Squoosh FiberArts Merino Cashmere Sock in the Blackberry Crush colourway.

RoseHiver knit these gorgeous BC’s out of Tanis Blue label in a OOAK *one of a kind* colourway Raspberry Burst.

Hege of Cloudberry knit business casual’s for her husband using Garnstudio Drops Fabel in colour 300.

Pam of Califishknits finished her socks using Knit Picks Stroll Multi in the atmosphere colourway. Another fun stripey pair.

Well done everyone for finishing your socks so quickly!!

Since we are on the topic of yarn…. how about a few more yarn prizes!

The lovely ladies of Wandering Cat Yarns are generously offering up a skein of their delicious hand dyed yarn as a prize.

 This is Wandering Cat Yarns House Cat.

400 yards of 100% merino in the Water Dragon colourway.

Thankfully this prize isn’t at my house because I don’t think it would ever make it to the mailbox!  Thank you so much ladies for this beautiful prize.

Megan of Stockinette Zombies dipped into her own stash and is offering a skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in the Thrills colourway for one lucky finisher!

Photo copyright Tanis Fiber Arts used with permission.

Thrills was the May 2012 colourway from Tanis Year in Colour Club.

So 3 skeins of yarn are up for grabs if you finish your socks and have a picture of the FO up by March 25th. I do have more prizes coming up but I’m going to hold off on those for a while yet :)

How are your socks coming along this week??

I know quite a few people that finished early have started a second pair!

Business Casual KAL -Travelling Stitch

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I made great progress last week on my socks. I’m cast on one sock in each colourway and have been tandem knitting them back and forth. This method seems to be working out well for me and Iove being able to play with both colours at the same time. I managed to turn the heel of each sock this week.

 The Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in Brick.

This colourway seems to be pooling a bit but I think the colours are close enough that they won’t be that noticeable once they are complete.

Tanis aptly named this colourway Brick. The colour is spot on!

Wandering Cat Yarns Barn Cat BFL in Parrotfish

I thought this was going to be a variegated skein but to my surprise when I started knitting I realized it was striping. I’m really enjoying this colour combo, reminds me of the beach.

Now how have your socks been coming along??

Woweee! We have two finished pairs of socks already!

Sara of LundenKnits knit her socks in a mere 3 days! Incredible.

She used Tanis Purple Label Cashmere Sock in Sliver Plume.

I love the shades of grey with subtle pops of pink in these socks.

The colourway is a special kit colourway and not available through Tanis shop.

I believe Sara has a second pair on the go already!

Monika of Smoking Hot Needles also finished her socks in 3 days.

I want these ladies sock knitting stealth for sure!

Monika knit her version with Wandering Cat Yarn’s Alley Cat BFL in the Fern Gully colourway.

Everyone else’s socks are looking good!

Here are a couple of WIP’s from this week.

Left to Right : Versions by Deadlysmurf, Laina and Hotcheese

Left to Right : Versions by Fancybell, Redknitz, and Tracylw.

Make sure your projects are tagged CCObusinesscasualkal because there are ton’s more WIP shots to come next week!

I’m going to leave you with a short video of how I do the travelling stitch. I know some folks are having a bit of trouble so I’ve tried to explain how I do it.

The video was a quick job because I have a sick little girl at home so hopefully this won’t confuse you even more!

Travelling Stitch

Welsh Country Socks

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Pattern: Welsh Country Socks by Nancy Bush from the book Folk Socks

Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock, undyed and Knit Picks Stroll Solids in Ash.

My Rav Project Page

I have been wanting to knit this pattern for years. In fact Folk Socks was the first sock book I ever bought back in 2006. I’m glad I finally took the time to make them. Simple with just enough colour changing and stranded knitting to keep it interesting.

If you are looking for some mindless socks with a few simple changes I would definitely recommend this pattern.

Mods: I started out with 82 sts and decreased down to 64 for the foot. If I were to knit these again I would cast on less stitches for a tighter leg.

I also added the stranded motif to the start of the toe as well as the leg. The original socks in the book were knit this way and I think it really ties everything together nicely.

 I finished knitting these almost 3 weeks ago but am only now getting around to taking pictures of them. I knew there was no way I was going to start a sock KAL with socks still on my needles. I would have been doomed from the get go. I don’t plan on having any languishing UFO’s this year. I’m going to knit and complete everything in a timely manner and not bombard my needles with too many projects. I may even tackle some of my poor sock UFO’s from last year that I just didn’t have the heart to frog.

I  already have a list of sock patterns ready to cast on once my business casual’s are complete so I best get knitting!