owls & cupcakes.

I don’t usually post about more personal things but I wanted to share the wonderful shower that my sister-in-law and Mom held for James. They truly went above and beyond!

K ordered some decorations off of Etsy, which looked beautiful on the cupcakes, glasses and mugs. The food was wonderful – the cupcakes especially, which were K’s homemade recipe.

I think the truly wonderful aspect of the shower was watching C, my SIL’s younger sister, with James – she has a wonderful gift with babies. I think we’ve found the perfect babysitter!

It was a lovely day :)

it’s official.

Remember my self-induced diaper sweatshop?

Well, he’s officially big enough for them now! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes :)

a workshop in yarn versus pattern.

I’m re-posting this because I had a good brainstorm with my sister-in-law about it. We decided that while the cream is nice, a blue might look better underneath just to neutralize, rather than highlight the cream in the yarn. She was right! I love the cardigan with this denim hued blue beneath it – I think it actually does the cardigan more justice:

This was a ton of knitting!

I started this cardigan in the late Spring and it progressed very quickly until tiny tuna was born, and of course, everything came to a grinding halt. I have been thoroughly enjoying him – our mornings and his bath time are definitely the highlights of the day – but getting some time to myself to finish this last weekend and this has been really wonderful.

Pattern: Atelier by Heidi Kirrmaier

Yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina in colour Parchment (3.5 skeins)

Needles: 4.00mm for the body, 3.75mm for the i-cord and garter edgings

I have worked many sweaters with a slipped stitch, i-cord edge down the front but for whatever reason, on this cardigan mine ended up being very very tight. It loosened slightly with blocking but I have to admit, it’s a little bit too tight for my liking. I do, however, like the shape it gives the sweater and with the interesting construction for the yoke, I think it really suits the cardigan. I think the yoke is my favourite part of this sweater – it’s definitely what drew me to it in the first place.

The other details about this cardigan like the pockets and garter edging on the sleeves are interesting details that I think make it a great knit.

As you can probably tell, I’m not gushing about this cardigan. It wasn’t the pattern – Heidi’s patterns are fantastic and this was no exception! The fit is absolutely perfect.

I am going to knit this again but in a solid or heather … you knew I was going to say that didn’t you? I loved loved this yarn when I bought it in February on our annual trip to Tofino. Unfortunately, it has ended up being a little bit disappointing as the colours next to the cream within the yarn just scream at you, rather than blending together for a subtle look. It’s very difficult to wear anything but cream under this as anything you put with it (even pale blue or grey) competes with the yarn. I guess that’s okay – I have several cream shirts – but I am not sure that I would buy with colourway again given what I know now about how it knits up.

That said, the garter and this colourway are striking – I do love the pockets, yoke and sleeves … I think with some wear this cardigan will grow on me. I’ll let you know :)

preparation.

Amazingly, there has been some time to knit! Not a lot but some. I’ve been swatching up a storm to prepare for Fall knits – a jacket-like cardigan, an Aran weight pullover, a tweed cardigan and a gorgeous cabled cardigan.

Left to right: Berroco Remix, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool, Patons Classic Wool, Madelinetosh Pashmina

From the summer, I have a few of knits that I am still finishing but … and I know this is a poor excuse … they are too heavy now to knit and nurse tiny tuna at the same time. I can knit & nurse as long as what I am working on is relatively small or lightweight … enter casting on for new projects! Hazzah!

What are you preparing to knit this Fall?

sherwood forest.

I have always loved the stories of Robin Hood, King Arthur and his knights, and generally anything medieval. I also love anything done by the BBC so when I stumbled on Robin Hood (2006) on Netflix while looking for something to watch while nursing in the middle of night, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And I’ve really enjoyed the series – sadly, though, I’m on the last episode of the last season. Bummer.

A gem that I have figured out while settling tiny tuna back to sleep after said nursing is to knit! The gentle rocking motion of my left arm – I knit continental – lulls him to sleep. Brilliant!

The problem is that I need small projects to be able to knit since a heavy sweater is hard to hold at the same time as supporting his weight on my arm. Enter toque knitting!

Pattern: Robin Hood by Grace Akhrem

Yarn: Knit Picks City Tweed HW in colour Tabby

Needles: 4.5mm circulars

This knit up literally overnight – he was awake this morning from 2:30 to 4:30am and just couldn't settle. Prime knitting time!

The highlight of this toque is of course the brim – it is very cool. I will definitely be knitting this again.

I hope this finds you enjoying the end of summer :)

military.

I’m taking a quick moment while tiny tuna sleeps next to me to share a re-finished knit :) After much debate with myself, I decided to re-think the closure of the Truffle Cardigan/Jacket that I finished earlier this year. I didn’t like the closure that I created but figuring out a closure that would work was quite difficult.

Although I have knit many sweaters, I still find closures difficult. In some ways, I know what I don’t like. That said, I often don’t know if I’ll like the closure until I see it finished. Maybe this is why I often buy more than one set of buttons per sweater and waffle back and forth between which to choose? This sweater was no exception and has probably been the worst of any sweater I’ve knit.

Originally, the closure was completed like this with 4 snaps backing the buttons. The shawl collar, while my favourite thing about the sweater, created a challenge: How to close the sweater while keeping the integrity of the collar intact? As well, adding buttons that augment the sweater and would not detract from its features (i.e. cables, shawl collar, yoke, etc.).

Although the look of the finished front is okay, it was actually quite awkward to fasten while wearing. The heavy snaps weren’t as functional as I had hoped. As well, I was only lukewarm on the appearance. It just didn’t feel finished.

What to do? I decided to buy some new buttons – I found these leather ones at a local shop – and go from there.

The i-cord lengths create a military look that I think finishes the front of the sweater much better than the previous closures.

The heavy Donegal tweed lends itself to a closure like this as when it’s knit tightly in the i-cord (I used small needles to obtain a rigid cord), the fastening is sturdy and uncomplicated to close while wearing. I included a button on the wrong side of the right breast (opposite the top visible left button) to assist with the closure as well.

When the cardigan is left open, the i-cord just hangs. I didn’t sew it in place along the front ribbing. I’m still deciding if I’m going to do this – I like the look of the i-cord just hanging when it’s open. There’s something quite organic about it.

I wonder if I’m the only one who struggles with sweater closures? Is this something you find challenging or is there something else about sweater construction that is your Achilles heel?

Happy August knitting! Can you believe the summer is passing so quickly? M and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary this coming weekend – we both can’t believe how quickly this summer has gone … as well as 5 years of marriage! :)

chevron.

Simple but effective. I started this when we were discharged from hospital – it’s much easier to knit for a little one when you know the gender! This is gender neutral but I have to admit, it was easier to choose colours after I’d met tiny tuna. I rummaged through my stash, chose my favourite colours and cast on with the yarn held double. A perfect project for sleep deprivation and constant interruptions :)

Pattern: Chevron Blanket by Purl Soho

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in colours Masala, Sweet Potato, Turmeric, Cornmeal, White, Phildar Preface Grey, Pumice Heather – yarn held double

Needles: 6.00mm

I think for this post, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.