Through the Loops Mystery KAL

I took part in the Through the Loops Mystery KAL by Kirsten Kapur during the month of June.  Each week I received a part of the pattern, five clues in total.  Here is the finished shawl:

Ta-da

I can't tell you how happy I was with the whole process.  First the yarn...this was my first time using Black Trillium Fibres and it is so beautiful I cannot capture it on camera.   The colours seem to glow and the slight variegation in each skein was so pretty.  The yarn blocked beautifully.  I will definitely buy more of this yarn, there are just so many pretty colours to choose from.

The pattern:  I have been slowly working on improving my lace knitting skills.  This was the most challenging lace project I have done to date.  In fact if I had seen what the finished shawl looked like before starting it I might have shied away from doing it at all.  By getting a part of the pattern each week it made it feel manageable.  I was happy to discover that there were no tricky stitches and I solely used the charts (although written directions were provided).  For me the difficulty lay when I occasionally missed a yarn over, throwing off my stitch count.  I would then have to go back and figure out where I had gone wrong.  However, I quickly learned that using stitch markers throughout each row, to mark the repeated part of the pattern, was extremely helpful as well as putting in the occasional life line. The directions were very well written with enlarged charts to follow and the pattern was fun to knit.  I highly recommend it.  Look here to see the other finished shawls...each one is gorgeous.

Blocking:  Ahhhh the magic of blocking.  Look at this pattern completed before blocking:

Pre-blocking

Now look at it after...It was so much fun to block and see the magical transformation.  That's my favourite part of knitting.

After blocking

So if you are looking for a shawl pattern to knit this summer you can't go wrong with Kristin Kapur's design.

First Day of Summer

Saturday turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day and my husband and I decided to forget about our weekend chores and simply enjoy ourselves.  It was one of those days where everything fell into place.  It all started when I read the Blue Brick blog.  In a post the writer, Shireen Nadir, mentioned that she would be in Niagara-on-the-Lake in an Art Show at Frogpond Winery selling some of her jewellery.  This blogger is a favourite of mine because not only is she a knitter, but she takes amazing photos and designs very unique jewellery.  So we decided to go down and check it out.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I only got a few photos from my phone.  I had the pleasure of meeting Shireen and she was kind enough to take a photo with me.

Shireen Nadir and me!

Here is a sample of her jewellery:

Blue Brick jewellery

 It was hard to choose but this is the necklace I ended up buying:

Since we were in Niagara we couldn't leave without checking out my favourite Ontario winery called Colaneri Estate Winery where we enjoyed a delicious pizza and a glass of wine looking out over the vineyard, followed by a lovely wine tasting.  There I bumped into a very good friend of mine and had a good chat with her.  

On the way home my husband surprised me and stopped by a yarn store that I have always wanted to visit in Ancaster called The Needle Emporium.  Talk about a great selection of yarn, especially the largest variety of Madelinetosh I have ever seen available in the GTA. The store has everything from Madelinetosh, Rowan, Lorna's Laces, and Spud & Chloe just to name a few.  This store also carries the new line of Mrs. Crosby, a brand just introduced by Lorna's Laces.  Here is a shawl called Groovy I just finished in Mrs. Crosby Carpet Bag, a DK weighted yarn in 80% merino and 20% silk blend.  

Groovy in Mrs. Crosby "Carpet Bag"

I really enjoyed knitting with this yarn. The colours available are quite beautiful and the colourway I chose is a slightly variegated turquoise blue called Sunset Regatta.  The store is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in the area.  I really like that the owner had a huge amount of knitted samples which helps when making yarn buying decisions.  Once we got home we had a delicious barbeque and then I sat and knitted outside until the light started to fade.  What a peaceful day.  I hope you enjoyed the first day of summer too.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  Although I lost my mother a number of years ago my dad is still doing well and I look forward to a nice visit with him today.  My father-in-law is also a healthy, active man.  My family is so fortunate to have both of them in our lives.  To celebrate Father's Day, in my grade six class this week, I had the students pick a character trait that best describes their dad and make a picture depicting that trait. Some of the students made a picture of their dad as a superhero...hopefully the dads will like them.

Look what I got in mail.   A new copy of Wendy Bernard's Up, Down All Around a beautifully made Stitch Dictionary.

New book by Wendy Bernard

 I already have my eye on a specific pattern that I would love to make up as a scarf. Have a look:  I think it would look great in a beautiful colour of Madelinetosh Light.

I also liked this interesting edging.  It would be beautiful at the bottom of a sweater.  This is a clearly written book which I can see myself using again and again.

I have been plugging away on my two shawl KALs, challenging myself, by trying to complete two different lace patterns. I made it through Clue 2 of  the Through the Loops Mystery Shawl.  I am learning the value of using markers and checking my work frequently for stitch counts.  For each clue that is given I use a darker gradient of the colour of the Black Trillium Fibre colourway called Grasshopper.  It is a very subtle shift between colours which I appreciate.  I will enjoy seeing what the third clue brings today.  Stay tuned!

Through the Loops Mystery KAL

I hope all the dads out there have a wonderful day!  Happy Father's Day!

Off the Needles: Jackson Creek Cardigan

I finished this sweater by Glenna C. for MadMay with the exception of the buttons.  I am very excited to know that I can knit a sweater in about three weeks as I have never done that before.  I always say that I am not a fast knitter but I am an enthusiastic knitter!   I was very happy with the fit as well....those gauge swatches really work.  This pattern was knit in pieces and then seamed together.  All the seams look okay except for the shoulder area.  I may have to rip that part out again to see if I can get the sleeves to lay flatter.

Jackson Creek Cardigan

I have put the cardigan aside for now so that I can focus on these two fun patterns.

My projects for June are two KALs....This one is a swatch for Through the Loops Mystery Shawl KAL (knit-a-long) by Kristin Kapur.  Once a week through June a part of the pattern is sent to each participant to knit.  What the final shawl looks like remains a mystery until you receive the last clue.

Swatch for the Mystery Shawl

I am using Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Sock in the colourway Grasshopper.  I have to say that I am very impressed with the vibrancy of the colour, my photos do not do it justice.  It is a gradient hand dyed yarn in one of my favourite colours...it just makes me smile when I look at it.  Each skein is about 127 yards.  The colour choices in the Black Trillium Etsy store are simply beautiful.  I definitely see more of this yarn in my future.

Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Sock in Grasshopper

I have also joined the Tanis Fiber Arts Shawl Knit-a-long.  The goal is to knit a shawl throughout June completing it by the end of the month.  For this KAL I chose a skein of TFA Silver Label (100% fingering silk yarn), one of the yarns from the 2013 Year in Colour Club called Boysenberry.  I decided to do a shawl called Fine Vine by Marisa Herandez. 

Fine Vine

 It is a lacy pattern and one of my goals is to improve my lace knitting skills.  This shawl, as well as the Through the Loops Shawl, should really help me on my way to meeting my goal.

The interesting thing about this KAL is that each participant can choose whatever shawl pattern they want.

If you have never thought of joining a KAL you should really consider it.  When you join a KAL you can receive support and encouragement when needed on Ravelry.  Each KAL has a discussion group.  It's fun to see what other people across the world are knitting.  Also a KAL is very motivating because there are usually deadlines that you are trying to meet.  Before you know it the KAL is over, and you find out that you have finished another knitted item, and met (virtually) some nice people along the way.