sand, waves & a sweater.

Coming to Tofino, BC, during the storm watching season has become a little bit of a winter tradition for M & I. He loves the photography opportunities and I love the long walks on the beach. The dogs just plain love it – they are so tired by Day 2 that we end up with 2 very sedate, happy dogs. There are very few people around at this time of year, which means we can walk them for hours off-leash and not worry about them jumping on people to say, “Hello!” (which I must admit is a bit of a problem – they love people more than other dogs!).

Last week, prior to setting out for the ferry, I cast on a sweater with very high hopes I would have it finished for this week. I used favourite stash yarn and knit like the wind. My gauge was way off for this project so I cast on for the XS, which would give me a 37” bust when finished instead of the 32” per the pattern. I have to say this sweater might be my new favourite thing ever.

Pattern: Tinder by Jared Flood

Yarn: Cascade Ecological in colour 8016 (cream, natural/undyed)

Needles: 5.00mm for body; 4.5mm for all ribbing

The only modification (other than gauge) was that I lengthened the sweater to 19” – although I suspect when I re-wash it and block it properly when we get home it will be closer to 20” or 21” long. The 8 buttons are $1.99 wooden ones from Gina Brown’s in downtown Vancouver. They were absolutely perfect for this simple sweater.

A note about my gauge for this if you are thinking about using Cascade Eco as well. When I washed my swatch and laid it out to dry, it was huge. The waffle pattern stretches out a lot since it is a modified rib.

I decided to re-wash the swatch and throw it in the washer on the SPIN cycle and see what would happen since I generally do this with all of my sweaters anyways (and no, I don`t wrap the sweater in a towel – I just throw them in for 12 minutes). It was also large, but not so large. I knit based on this second gauge (15sts per 4 inches; 5 rows per inch). If I were to just wet block this, it would be about a 40” bust when dry.

I finished this the day after we got here (I failed in my attempt to finish prior!), so in these photos, I haven’t washed and spun it yet but as you can see – I wouldn’t want it to be much larger as it is already a perfect fit. I have to wash it though as it’s FULL of sand! Happy knitting :)

Hark the Romni, evermore.

We just spent a little over a week in Toronto. While M. was working, I walked the streets of the city with my good friend, Sam. Since we are both knitters, our first stop was Romni Wools (per usual). For those who don't frequent Toronto or know the city, Queen Street is the centre of the "craft" world. There is anything from beading & jewellery, fabric (sewing machine shops too), tattooing, yarn, ceramics ... the list goes on ... and on. But the basement of Romni is infamous!

At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution with myself not to have a stash. It's kind of working. But my rule is that everything I buy must have a project in mind at the time of buying. If I see something and can't think of something to knit with it immediately - it's not bought. I have been on a lace kick lately and when I found these little 50g balls of yarn (and the colours -- oh the colours!) stashed deep in the basement of Romni, I think I swooned.

The little plastic bags covering the yarn may not look like much but when you unwrap them ...

They are like little balls of silk! But they trick you - it's cotton. I know. Amazing. I have been eyeing the Druid Mittens from Vogue Knitting Fall 2008. Some discontinued Rowan rowanspun 4-ply was tucked away in one of the bins so I grabbed some of this $4.25 with a 20% discount goodness also:

It's not the looks-like-silk-feels-like-silk-but-it's-cotton-beauty from above, but I love the tweed-y, home-y goodness that a neutral gray brings.

So while it was pouring rain and cool in Toronto, we are now home in the sweltering heat of Vancouver! No sweater knitting for a while me thinks.

ps. The title for this blog was not 'invented' by me - it is courtesy of Franklin Habit's submission to an episode of Cast-On a couple of years ago.

aloha

Through an unusually difficult winter for a variety of reasons but mostly just made worse by the weather, M. and I decided to get some sun in O'ahu, Hawaii. Rather than ramble about the trip, I would rather just show you. If you have any questions about where we stayed, what we did or anything of the like - please ask me. In the meantime, the colours:

mahalo & aloha