Celtic Cast On

Knitting woes and a come back!

CelticCastOn — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:52:09 +0000

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?

Demolition

CelticCastOn — Sat, 04 May 2013 16:35:22 +0000

Things have been a tad busy up on the Ridge.

For the last week and a half I’ve been busy doing something I really enjoy……

Ripping and Tearing!

We’ve started phase one of renovations on our house. It will probably take all summer to complete working at it when we can. I’m very excited and can’t wait to see the end result but its going to be slow going as we piece things together.

The first thing that needed to get done was to tear things down.

This week I removed two small decks and a porch off the front of the house by myself.

*Ice cream breaks included*

Thankfully Moose was home to help rip off the side decks because they were stubborn, and we wanted to save as much wood as we could for a future project.

*The Tiny Carpenter at work*

Everything needs to be off and cleared out by Monday morning because we have a rented toy coming that’s going to get some major play time this week.

I’ll be checking in when I can to show you the progress. I still have WIP’s and FO’s to share too so hopefully I’ll be able to find some time to throw those in as well.

Master Rowan

CelticCastOn — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:26:39 +0000

If you didn’t already know Tanis‘ baby boy arrived into the world a few weeks ago. Go have a peek if you haven’t already he is scrumptious! When I found out Tanis was expecting, last summer, I set to work to find something to knit for her. I must have changed my mind a hundred times, choosing a pattern and colour for someone else is tricky business! She decided not to find out the sex but for some reason I chose a boy pattern to knit and tuck away just in case she did have a boy.

This is the Master Charles pattern by Tot Toppers. I chose not to knit the sleeves thinking he would look rather dapper with a button up shirt underneath or the like and still have lots of room for movement.

My Rav project page

The pattern is knit in the round from the bottom up to the arm pits then working the front and back separately. I picked up 32 sts around the armpits and working an inch or so of ribbing to finish it off.

When Rowan arrived I pulled the vest out to make sure everything was ok before I sent it and started to worry that this was going to be waaay too small. Not having a baby in the house anymore makes you forget how small they actually are. I got T to put her arm through the armhole and when I saw that her arm fit with some room I calmed down a bit and figured it would most likely be ok for him too

Hopefully it will fit him at some point, preferably NOT in the dead of summer!

Splitstone

CelticCastOn — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:34:36 +0000

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

CelticCastOn — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:50:15 +0000

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

CelticCastOn — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:01:49 +0000

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 Causal KAL – Final Finishers

CelticCastOn — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:50:29 +0000

The end is finally here!!!

I must say a huge thank you to Tanis for creating such a fabulous pattern that so many people want to knit.

I also wouldn`t have been able to have a KAL with SO MANY PEOPLE without all of you! Thank you for joining in, chatting and cheering each other on. It really has been a blast and so fun to see all these amazing socks.

I`ll have a final sock tally next week when I announce the prize winners so for now lets look at the final finishers!!

Laurence finished her socks using Malabrigo Sock in Azules.

Greenbeanstring used Tanis Blue Label in a OOAK called Mossy

Cccatie used Tanis Blue Label in Dove for her verison.

Valerie of Wandering Cat Yarns used Wandering Cat Yarns House Cat in Cafe au Lait

Hundgestrickt used an unknown yarn in a soft grey for her Business Casuals.

Sparrow31 used Shibui Knits Sock in wasabi for this lovely green pair.

Suuf chose filcolana arwetta classic in colour number 143 for her socks.

DivaDar used Ancient Arts Fiber Crafts in the colour Nigeria for her 4th pair!

Allison1031 used Marigold Jen yarns BFL socks in the colourway Apple of Megan`s Eye.

Misstlog chose Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in mauve for her version.

Porcupine made her socks with Regia Color 4ply in colourway F1904.

Sara of LundenKnits finished her 3rd pair of Business Casuals using Lorna`s Laces Solemate in a colourway called The Bean.

Hazelbranch chose Tanis Blue Label in an OOAK called Sienna Mix.

Anyonecanknit used Tempted Handpainted Sly Grrl in the Dreamy colourway.

FiberJewels used Dizzie Lizzie`s in an unknown colourway for her version.

Evelyn used an unknown stash yarn for her socks, possibly Knit Picks in their Deep Water Colourway.

Kwoodie finished her socks using The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in the colourway Southern Green Stinkbug.

Carambole finished her socks using Fleece Artist Blue Faced Leicester Socks in the Ocean colourway.

Knitlove8 finished her socks using The Verdant Gryphon Bugga in the colourway Peacock Butterfly.

RedYarnKnits finished her socks using Red Heart Heart & Sole in the colourway Green Envy.

For anyone still knitting ,you have until midnight tonight (atlantic time) to finish your socks and get a picture up to be included for prizes. Don`t give up yet!!

See you all next week for the big announcement!

Business Casual KAL – Pair number 2!

CelticCastOn — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:52:22 +0000

We’ve reached the last week of the KAL.

There is definitely time to finish off your socks if you are still working on them. You have until Monday 25th midnight Atlantic Time to have your pics up on Rav or emailed to me.

I trucked along last week and was able to finish my 2nd pair of socks for this weeks post.

Knit with Wandering Cat Yarns Barn Cat in Parrotfish.

Another perfect fit! I love the spring-ish colours

I’m not the only one who has been knitting like crazy.

There are tons of finished socks this week.

RamblingRoses used Dream in Color Smooshy in Romeo Blue to make these beautiful socks for her son.

LeslieAnn79 used Socktopus Sokkusu Original in the colourway My Funny Valentine.

Debbieknits5000 used Tanis Purple Label Cashmere Sock in Tropics for her pair.

Dcmo knit her socks with WanderingCat Yarns Alley Cat BFL in the mermadia colourway.

Tanis finished her socks using one of her new colourways of Blue Label called Lucky Penny.

Lunatic84 used Knit Picks Bare that she handyed purple.

Dimples74 chose Malabrigo Sock in colourway 857 for her socks.

DivaDar finished her 3rd pair using Tanis Blue Label in Chestnut.

Sylviemom chose Tanis Blue Label in Sand for her version.

Rosehiver finished her second pair using Tanis Blue Label in an OOAK called Olive Truffle.

Sewable used Vintage Purls Vintage Sock in the colourway Top Soil for her Casuals.

Jwallace chose scheepjes invicta extra in colour 1346 for her socks.

ReVi-and-nOa used FishKnits Strong Heart in Carmamello of her socks. I looove this colourway.

Maryknits7 knit her Business Casual’s with Tanis Blue Label in Faded Plum.

Wowee! That was a heck of a lot of socks this week!

Great job everyone! We have 57 completed pairs… can we make it to 70?

Happy Finishing!

Business Casual KAL – Prize Alert

CelticCastOn — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:42:36 +0000

Wow these weeks are slipping by so quickly!

We have 2 weeks left in the KAL!

I’m working away on my second pair of Business Casual’s while admiring my beautiful new Yarn Bowl.

My dad is a tad addicted to his lathe and I asked him to try making a few yarn bowls. This one is made out of Oak, Ash and Mahogany. I’m a complete sucker for Mahogany! He has several more finished up that I need to take pictures of so expect a full blog post with purchase information shortly..

Now onto the socks!!!

AndreaSJ chose London-Wul Heidi’s by Hand for her Spring-ish pair of socks.

Hannah finished her socks using Calkwalk Yarns Walk

FancyBell knit her BC’s with Tanis Blue Label in the colourway Thrills

Susieville chose Tanis Blue Label in Chestnut for the version she knit for her husband.

Hege has been hard at work. These are her third(above) and forth(below) pairs of Business Casuals.

She used Garnstudio Drops Fabel for both pairs.

Megan finished her stripey BC’s using Marigold Jen Superwash/merino/nylon sock yarn in the Harvest Moon colourway.

LesleyBadger knit these beauties with The Plucky Knitter Plucky Feet in Emerald CIty.

Mamagiff used Premier Yarns Serenity Sock in pink for her version.

Vava22 used Fortissima socka mit bambou in colourway 0018

Rhonda of Wandering Cat Yarns used Wandering Cat Yarns Alley Cat sock in the Campfire Colourway.

Kylie used Cascade Heritage Solids for her beautiful pair.

Tammy finished her socks using Ball and Skein Sophia in the Oceania colourway.

Leslie used Tanis Blue Label in Brick for her socks.

That brings our total up to 39 finished pairs and counting!!

I have more prize to show you this week.

Susan of Girl Cave Bags has kindly donated this cute sheep sock bag perfect for your current sock WIP.

Make sure to check out her Etsy shop for updates and uber cute bags to house your knitting. Love!

We also have three fabulous designers who are each generously donating patterns.

SpillyJane is a master when it comes to quirky knits. If your socks are covered in Gnomes or Pints of Beer everyone knows you’ve knit a SpillyJane pattern! She takes inspiration from pottery songs and food and I just love her quirky style.

Jane is kindly offering up one of her patterns for one lucky finisher!

Photo’s Copyright SpillyJane

Jeannie Cartmel is an amazing sock designer. There isn’t one of her designs that I do not love and I may have gushed about her before. You’ll have a chance to win one of her gorgeous designs!

Photo’s Copyright Jeannie Cartmel

Elinor Brown is a queen when it comes to colourwork. You will have a chance to win her pattern Culture Socks featured below but make sure you have a look at her other designs as well. They are all beautiful!

Photo Copyright Elinor Brown

Hope you are all chugging along and will make it to the finish line on time. Who wouldn’t want one of these prizes right???

We’ve had 156 people sign up for this KAL. I know not all will make it or even cast on but do you think we can get 70 pairs by the end date??

There are 100 project pages started on Ravelry right now so we’ll see what happens over the next two weeks!

Hurry, Hurry Haaaaard!!! *kidding Happy Knitting ya’ll!*

Business Casual – Finished Pair!

CelticCastOn — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:13:30 +0000

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.