F.O. Seashore by Isabell Kraemer

Seashore, by Isabell Kramer had been in my queue for a long time and was the perfect sweater to have as my first project of 2016.  It is knit top down, and like all her patterns, so easy to follow.

Ta-dah!

Turquoise is one of my favourite colours and knitting with the Undine colourway in Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Sock Yarn (100% merino) made me so happy. 

Black Trillium Pebble Sock Yarn:  Undine

I paired this kit with Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino 20 (70% merino, 20% cashmere and 10% nylon) and it was a match made in heaven. The two yarns worked so well together and the cashmere in Sweet Fiber Yarns added such a luxurious feel to the sweater. 

Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino 20:  Smoke

I was so worried that I would not have enough yarn with just one gradient yarn kit of Black Trillium Yarns.  But it was the perfect amount of yarn for this sweater. One kit was enough for the body of the sweater as well as six stripes on each sleeve. There is even enough yarn leftover from four of the colours to use in some future colourwork project, such as mittens or a hat.

Knit top down

I certainly have become a big fan of Isabell Kraemer since I knit Mailin, a sweater which has got a lot of wear.  She seems to know how to design the most wearable sweaters that are fun to knit and therefore hugely popular with knitters.

My Ravelry notes are here.  I highly recommend that you try knitting a pattern by Isabell Kraemer, if you haven't had the chance yet.  The original was knit in two colours but I think it's the perfect sweater to play with your leftover fingering yarn that you may have laying around.  If you love knitting with colour you should definitely check out the Black Trillium Fibre Studio website.  You will be amazed at all the colour choices. And if you purchase any yarn by Sweet Fiber yarns you will not be disappointed.

Have you knit any sweaters by Isabell Kraemer?   Which ones do you recommend?

Christmas Knitting: Borough Market Mitts & Vector

Christmas is fast approaching and, like many other knitters, I am trying to fit in knitting a few gifts.  I have lots of projects that I would like to complete but there are so many other interruptions. However, I have been able to finish a couple projects this week. This first project, Borough Market Mitts, by Alex Tinsley was highly satisfying because it was knit in two nights and used Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label in Royal Flush, Charcoal and Natural, yarn that was in my stash already.  This aran yarn knit up to be a cozy warm pair of mitts.  I like how the top cuff of the mitts can be folded up or down depending on your needs.

Borough Market Mitts

 The next gift I have been able to finish is a pattern my friend requested called Vector by Tanis Lavalee (of Tanis Fiber Arts).  This pattern appeared in the infamous Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People Vol. 7 in both a wrap and a scarf version.  I chose to knit the scarf using this beautiful yarn by Black Trillium Fibre Studio.  The gradient colours are absolutely beautiful in person.  You may recall that I knit Algiers in the colourway called Grasshopper earlier this year, one of my all time favourite patterns.  The only modification I made was knitting each colour only once in the scarf.

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Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Sock

The result was a garter stitched scarf that shows of the gradient yarn beautifully. 

Vector

I used pretty much all the yarn and the result was a long scarf that you can wrap around your neck a couple times.  Hopefully my friend will be happy with it.

And on a funny note, I guess my grade six students realize how passionate I am about knitting.  Here is a part of a poster one of my students made, with me in the sled.  It really made me laugh.

I hope your preparations are going smoothly and you are finding time to enjoy yourself (including some knitting time)!