Woolercoaster's Wonderful World of Wool: November 18-November 24

This is such a busy time of year for many people, but it is important to take time for yourself to rejuvenate.  When you have a minute here are some knitting related news items that might interest you:

Contest
Yarn Canada is holding a contest to gift yarn to individuals and groups who knit or crochet for good causes.  They’re giving away $2000 worth of yarn and are hoping to get as many applicants as possible, to ensure the prize will have the maximum impact.  Here's the prizes they will be giving away:

1 x $500 of yarn to a Canadian group who knits or crochets for a good cause

1 x $500 of yarn to an American group who knits or crochets for a good cause

10 x $100 of yarn to Canadian or American individuals or groups who knit or crochet for a good cause

 All the information can be located here.

Free Pattern
This is a great time of year to check the Ravelry pattern page daily as many designers will offer free patterns for a short time.  Here are a few that look like fun:

Getting Warmer is a cowl knit from the bottom up in bulky weight Woolfolk Luft yarn.  The pattern is by Espace Tricot and would make a great holiday gift.

Sheepish Little Hat Light  a sweet fingering weight hat by Melissa Kemmerer available in sizes baby to adult.

Diagonal Striped Garter Stitch Loop knit in a chunky weight yarn by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas.

New Publications/Patterns

A Brooklyn Tweed Holiday Lookbook has been published just in time for the holiday season.

The amazing designer Kate Davies has provided a sign up for the West Highland Way Club which is a club and design collection.  The fun starts in January when club members will receive three months of weekly patterns.  At the conclusion the newly published 120 page book is mailed with all the patterns included.

Deep Woods Toque is a rereleased pattern by Kiyomi Burgin using Madelinetosh Light. I have wanted to make this hat since it was first published in Knitscene 2015 and I am finally knitting my own version.  I have combined the beautiful Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label in the colourway Maize with Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock in Merino in Vintage Lace.  I am loving these two colourways together, but there are so many other possibilities.  Read more about my version here.

Deep Woods Toque by Kiyomi Burgin

The annual Indie Designer Gift-a-long began on November 21st and runs until December 3.  To help knitters out 311 indie designers are offering their patterns at a discount until November 28th.  Very Shannon and Jane Richmond are two of the designers involved, but this is also a great time to check out newer designers, and to knit with a group of people focused on holiday knitting.  See Very Shannon's 25% off discount code.  Offer is only good to November 28th.  Don't delay.

Podcast
I am always on the lookout for new YouTubers or podcasters who are entertaining to listen to while I knit. Knit Collage is a new to me podcast.  Check out the latest episode here.

I hope you found this round up helpful and that you make time for some peaceful and relaxing crafty time over the next few weeks.  Happy knitting!

F.O. Camira by Carol Feller

I can't tell you how much I enjoy knitting a sweater or cardigan which is constructed in an unique way.  For example patterns such as Hitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu, Japan Sleeves by Joji Locatelli, and Capall Dubh by Carol Feller are examples of beautiful patterns with interesting constructions that I have knit.

Once I saw Carol Feller's gorgeous cardigan for this year's KAL (knitalong) I joined right away. I knew I was in for an entertaining knit.  I was not disappointed.  The directions were broken up into four clues and were very clear.  Additional help, if needed, was available in the discussion boards and that made the project so easy and fun to follow.  Here are the details:

Pattern:  Camira

Camira front view

Camira back view

Designer: Carol Feller

Sweet Fiber Yarns Merino Twisted Worsted

Yarn:  Sweet Fiber Yarns Merino Twist Worsted (100% Merino 183m)
5.5 skeins

Colourway:  OOAK 

I have been a long time fan of Sweet Fiber Yarns and was lucky enough to snatch up six skeins of this yarn at the Knit City yarn festival at the end of September. (I used the word snatch as it was an extremely busy booth and these were the only skeins of this particular colourway).  It is very hard to capture the correct colour of this yarn, but the swatch below gives you an idea of the gorgeous mix between purple and  blue. 

Needles:   4.5mm & 4mm

Ravelry:  Camira

Added Notes:

1.  The construction of this cardigan was unique and very entertaining. The directions were broken down into four clues. The first step was to knit the center column of the back. 

Clue 1

Next the sleeves were constructed coming out from the center column. The bonus of this step was having the sleeves done so early in the pattern.

Clue 2

Then stitches were picked up around the front and the back and the rest of the body was completed for Clue Three.  For the final clue the collar and button band were knitted.

 2.  I did not want my cardigan to have too much positive ease and kept that in mind when choosing the size.  Prior to blocking the sleeves were a bit snug and the sweater length was not quite as long as I wanted.  But as with anything knit with superwash yarn, the cardigan grew with blocking, and I am very happy with the resulting fit.

3.  I tried to take some photos of myself to show you the fit.  My son usually helps me out when I need a photo taken of myself but he was not available to help.  Luckily I finally bought myself a tripod and I braved the cold weather to try and get a decent shot of myself. The following was the best one out of the bunch.  All the ones with my face in it consisted of me with either a weird expression on my face or the photo was not in focus.  I definitely need to practice! 

I would highly recommend this pattern as it was a very fun knit, but not difficult at all.  If you are nervous about knitting this cardigan, there are lots of photos and support given in the Discussion Boards, that should answer any questions you may have. Enjoy!

F.O. Ghostwood Mittens by Kiyomi Burgin

Pattern:  Ghostwood Mittens

Designer: Kiyomi Burgin

Yarn: 
Rowan Kidsilk Haze:  70% Mohair 30% Silk 
Colourway:  665 Hibiscus

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino:  100% Merino
Colourway:  La Vie En Rose

By combining a worsted weight yarn with a mohair/silk blend I ended up with a fluffy, cozy pair of mittens.  I am so happy with them.

Rowan Kidsilk Haze

Madelinetosh Tosh Merino

Needles:   3.25mm and 3.5mm

By using this smaller needle size the fabric produced is quite dense, which is perfect for keeping out the wind, and keeping your hands nice and warm.

Size:  2

Ravelry: My notes
Added Notes:  This is a lovely quick pattern to knit.  The cable design adds a nice touch of visual interest and is perfect for those new to cabling.

I love learning about designers that are new to me.  It wasn't until I was writing this blog post that I realized that a bunch of designs I have admired over the years  were designed by the same person...Kiyomi Bergin, a fellow Canadian.  When I look at her collection I am amazed by her talent. Here are a few of my favourites:  Kiyomi designed the Deep Woods Toque that was originally published in Knitscene Winter 2015 magazine and has been in my queue since then.  The designer has recently re-released it.  Other favourites published in Pom Pom Quarterly are Windlass, Carlu Pullover, Boum, and Fragmentation.  I also really like Fredericton, which is a gorgeous his and hers shawl collared cardigan.
Kiyomi has a twin sister named Sachiko Bergin, who is also a knitwear designer, with a gorgeous collection of designs as well.  Check out their website Needle Leaf Designs for further information.

Time to go cast on the Deep Woods Toque!