Celtic Cast On

I’m so excited to share my next project with you.  I have wanted to try Fair Isle for MANY years but have always shied away from this “scary” technique. Pat and Elinor have inspired me for years with their beautiful projects and many of  Elinor’s original designs are waiting in my queue to be knit.

In December I started a binder with a collection of  patterns I wanted to knit in 2009. I was determined that 2009 would be the year I would learn fair isle and added a few stranded patterns to the collection. So determined  in fact that I put a colourwork beret at the top of my list and decided it would be my first knit of 2009.

Well………… its now the end of October 2009 and I FINALLY mustered up the guts to give this fair isle gig a go.

I must say I was fretting for nothing! Once I got the hang of knitting with both hands I was flying. I didn’t seem to have any trouble with tension either, which was surprising.  It all just seemed to flow so wonderfully.

Pattern: Opus Spicatum by Kate Gagnon

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in grey mix and plum heather

Needles: 4mm and 5mm

Start Date: October 22nd 2009

Finish Date: October 23rd 2009 

Every time I put it down to tackle something else all I could think about was picking it back and knitting some more. It didn’t take me long to finish and it was sooo much fun. Addictive would be an understatement.

This pattern comes out quite small, mine was a perfect beanie when I cast off but I was dreaming  more along the lines of a slouchy beret. I blocked it over a dinner plate and volia, instant slouchy beret!

I’m already thinking about my next fair isle project and I’m excited that I no longer have to sit and drool over all those colourwork sweaters and cardigan’s. You better believe I’ll be knitting one of those before long!

Opus and my owl mitts completes my “grey” set of accessories. On to the next!

Pattern: Give a Hoot by Jocelyn Tunney

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool grey mix

Needles: 4mm and 5mm

Start Date: October 19th 2009

Finish Date: October 21st 2009

Mods: I had to add about 8 plain rows before I started to decrease for the top in order for them to fit me. They also benefit greatly from a good blocking before wearing.

For the past few days I’ve been thinking about my winter accessories. I’m usually a matchy matchy person and like everything to co-ordinate so when I was getting ready to take the dogs for a walk the other day I realized my accessories needed some work.

Donning my sikkim, yellow and brown newfie mitts *that I adore*, casually cowl and large cowichan style cardi I most likely resembled multi coloured yarn barf walking down the road. I had a little think while I walked and decided to get my accessory baskets into some kind of order and see what I would need to knit to  be some what co-ordinated.

I found my Thermis that I knit last year. As it stands right now its a lone ranger, I have nothing else grey or complimentary to grey, mittens or hat wise. I do however remember when I bought the yarn for Thermis I bought enough grey and a complimentary colour to make co-ordinates. Sounded like a good place to start!

Enter the Give A Hoot mittens. I’ve had these in my queue since the pattern came out last year and thought they would compliment my thermis  nicely. I used the same Patons Classic Merino Wool in grey mix I used for thermis.

I knit up the first one in just over an hour’s worth of House! The second mitt is almost complete , I just need to find some eyes for my little owls.

I do have plans for a hat to complete this set, it includes delving into a side of knitting I’ve always been too intimidated to enter… Wish me luck!

Baby belly is 38 weeks 4 days in the pic

Pattern: Newfoundland Mitts

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Mustard and Chestnut

Needles: 3.75mm dpns

Start Date: July 29th 2009

Finish Date: July 31st 2009

My friend S asked for my help knitting the Newfoundland Mittens Pattern. I was all for it except I’d never actually knit them before and the only way I can adaquately teach someone how to knit a  pattern is to knit it myself, so……… Mitten’s in July it is.

These mittens were a delight to knit. Had a known how easy they were I would have knit them years ago. They are a basic knit, purl and slip stitch pattern that makes them fun and addictive to knit.

Knitting mittens seemed to do wonders for our weather so maybe I should start a snowsuit next…….