A Look Back: 2016

2016 was a great year for knitters. People were blogging, instagramming and podcasting about knitting and yarn more than ever before.  Everyday there seemed to be either a new pattern, yarn or Knit-a-long.  In honour of all things knitting I present my third annual list of Knitting Favourites of 2016. (You can check out my previous picks here:  2014 and 2015).  I have provided links if you wish to read more about any of my favourites.  

Best Yarn Shop:  I had the pleasure of visiting several amazing knitting stores this year.  Although I loved Fibre Space in Virginia I would have to say Tolt Yarn and Wool in Carnation, Washington is my absolute favourite yarn store. I loved everything about this store.  The staff were friendly, the variety and quantity of yarns were amazing, and the size and layout of the store was perfect. I admit it was quite a drive from Seattle, but I would do it all over again if I had the chance.  I had heard the hype about this store and after going there I truly get it.  It's that good. 

Tolt Yarn and Wool

Best Sweater/Cardigan:  This was a hard choice for me to make as I knit four cardigans and three sweaters, all of which I love.  I am improving on knitting the appropriate size for myself and picking the right yarn.  I decided to pick two favourites, the one I wear the most and then the one that I enjoyed knitting the most.  The one I wear the most is Madewell by Joji Locatelli knit in Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label (Painted Jeans colourway).  I love the multiple colours in this yarn and the style of this sweater.  It goes with everything.

Madewell by Joji Locatelli

My favourite sweater to make was the Clarke Sweater, by Jane Richmond, in Malabrigo Rios (Piedras colourway). I really love how this sweater showcases the yarn.  Although each skein appeared to be similar at first glance, once I started knitting I noticed how much each skein varied. I decided to alternate three skeins of Piedras and that seemed to help. Despite having to alternate skeins I loved knitting this pattern.  I am a big Jane Richmond fan as her patterns are gorgeous and well written.  I suspect I will knit another Clarke Sweater one day.

Clarke Sweater by Jane Richmond

Malabrigo Rios:  Piedras colourway

Best Knitted Accessory:  My Antiquity Mitts by Alicia Plummer are my favourite accessory this year.  This pattern was the perfect fit with Camellia Fiber Company CFC Flax DK yarn (a combination of Alpaca, Linen and Silk).  I was amazed at how this yarn feels as it is so different from other yarns I have knit with.  I definitely would love to knit with this yarn again.

Camellia Fiber Company CFC Flax DK

Best Yarn Brand:  This year I really became interested in yarn that was not overly processed.  Although I have a lot of superwash yarn in my stash I have enjoyed trying yarn like Targhee-Columbia, Bluefaced Leicester and CVM/Romeldale  yarn.  I hope to continue trying other natural yarns in 2017. One of the coziest sweaters I knit this year is Georgetown by Hannah Fettig knit in West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece Bluefaced Leicester DK yarn.  This yarn is a work horse of a yarn and is the coziest sweater I have ever knit. I would love to try knitting cables with this yarn.

Georgetown by Hannah Fettig

Best Yarn Colour: There are so many pretty yarn colourways.  However, one really stood out for me this year.  When attending Indie Untangled in Rhinebeck I was able to see Voolenvine Yarns in person this year.  Now I see what the fuss is all about.  The colourways are stunning.  Look at this one in Kristen's Wolke base:

Voolenvine Yarns:  Faeirie Hair

Best Knitting Book:  I bought several knitting books this year but my favourite is Take Heart by Fiona Alice. This book was published by the same women who publish PomPom Quarterly and I think they did a wonderful job.  The patterns and photography are beautiful.

Best Knitting Instagram Feed:  There are so many amazing Instagrammers that I follow.  One of my favourites is The Plucky Knitter.  They are always posting inspiring photos of the most beautiful yarns and the patterns that I would love to knit.

Best Knitting Magazine:  I am a big fan of Pom Pom Quarterly.  There are several patterns I find I want to knit from each issue.  I finally got to knitting Vitsippa by Joji Locatelli from Issue 12 and was so pleased with the result.

Vitsippa by Joji Locatelli

Other honourable mentions go to two new magazines:  Making by Carrie Bostick Hoge and By Hand by Andrea Hungerford.  I really enjoyed reading them this year.

Best Knitting Blog: And speaking of Andrea Hungerford, my favourite knitting blog of the year is her Blueberry Hill Crafting blog.  Andrea is a prolific knitter and crafter and is always knitting items that I have in my queue.  She knits with the most amazing yarns, ones that I also have on my wishlist. She is honest in her analysis of her F.O.'s which I find extremely helpful.  You should check her out. 

Best Knitting Vlog/Podcast:  2016 was the year I got into the Grocery Girls podcast, knitting obsessed Canadian sisters living in Edmonton, Alberta.  They are so much fun to watch.  Even Joji Locatelli is a fan of theirs, naming her latest shawl The Girl From the Grocery Store, in honour of them.  I am definitely casting on this shawl in the New Year.

Best Knitting Accessory:  I am still smitten with these lovely screen printed bags created by Jenna Rose, an artisan from Ontario, Canada.  I love giving them as gifts.

Jenna Rose bag

Well that's it for another year.  Thank you for reading through my list of favourites.  I appreciate everyone who drops by my blog and especially those who take the time to add a comment. I look forward to seeing what everyone makes in 2017.   Happy New Year!!!  All the best in the coming year.

Fall Favourites on Ravelry

As a knitter I love this time of year.  As the air gets cooler, I reacquaint myself with my handknit shawls and sweaters that I haven't been able to wear for some time. Knitting turns to cooler weather projects such as my Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond, which I am getting closer to finishing.  But as I remain on sleeve island for the next while, I wanted to take this opportunity to focus on a few new things in the knitting world.

Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond

Have you noticed how many new patterns have been appearing on Ravelry this month? Everytime I look at Ravelry there are new patterns to check out.  Here are just a few that have caught my attention:

Baby Pattern

Mabel:  a free pattern by Fiona Alice for Loop Knit Lounge.  This is a sweet aran weight cardigan sized for children up to four years old.  I love all the details in this cardigan, especially around the neckline.

Cowl

Copenhagen Callling:  a cowl knit in DK weight using two colours in three different patterns.  This knit is designed by one of my favourite designers, Isabell Kraemer, who is known for her beautiful and wearable patterns.  I like the fact that the cowl uses DK weight, which would knit up quickly and be warm for the cold days ahead.

Cardigan

Brooklyn Tweed has recently published their Fall 2016 pattern book.  The concept for this pattern collection is that each design comes in a male version and a female version.  The stand out for me is Mohr by Norah Gaughan.  This worsted weight cardigan, knit in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, is knit bottom up, combining lattice cables and ribs. The shorter length of this cardigan really appeals to me too.

Sweater

If you are looking for a beautiful cabled sweater to knit this fall, look no further than Alina Schneider's (Gift of Knitting) newest pattern released this month, called Journey.  I like everything about this sweater.  The cables Alina chose for her design complement each other well and her attention to detail is wonderful. I think this is one of those sweaters that would look great to wear no matter what the occasion.

photo by Gift of Knitting

photo by Gift of Knitting

Shawl

Plucky Knitter came out with Field Trip- A 2016 Plucky Knitter Collection containing a variety of patterns.  One that caught my eye is Alpenglow, a lace and cabled bulky shawl.  That would be a fun knit and I think I have the perfect yarn for it, some Super Soft Merino by Purl Soho.

Publication

Andrea Hungerford, of Blueberry Hill Crafting, is publishing a new Serial called By Hand. I have been a fan of Blueberry Hill Crafting for a long time. Every picture that Andrea publishes on her Instagram or Blog is of the highest quality and I am sure By Hand will be no different. There are three issues planned for the first year. Her goal is to create a virtual travel guide for fiber and fabric enthusiasts describing makers around the country.  The first issue focuses on makers in Portland, Oregon and contains interviews with Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed, Woolfolk's Kristin Ford as well as independent yarn dyers such as Bumblebirch and Canon Hand Dyes.  I am very excited to check it out. Order information is here. 

It really is an incredible time to be a knitter. We have so many options with different yarns and patterns to choose from.  What are some of your favourites this fall?

July Favourites

July flew by so quickly and here we are at the beginning of August.  I thought it would be fun to look back and pick out some of my favourites from the month:

Favourite Blog Post:   Karen Templer, author of the Fringe Association Blog is one of my favourite bloggers. If you haven't read her blog before I highly recommend it.  Karen is hosting a Top down Knitalong running from August 15- September 30. She is challenging knitters to knit a sweater without using a pattern.  Of course there will be lots of support from fellow knitters, tutorials, etc.  For example here is one of the blog entries where she guides KAL members.  Although I would love to join in, I know that I unfortunately do not have the time to commit to it.  However, I will enjoy reading up on all the participants' progress.  How fun!

Favourite Yarn Store Visit:  If you are a regular reader of my blog you know what I am going to write:  Tolt Yarn & Wool.  I think about this store often as it was such a lovely place to visit. The store had such a great variety of yarn, many of which I had never seen in person.  It was extremely well stocked and everything was so thoughtfully displayed.  Can you imagine having Tolt Yarn & Wool as your local yarn store?

Favourite Yarn:  To be honest there is too many to pick from!  However, Andrea Hungerer of Blueberry Hill Crafting, another favourite blogger of mine, gifted me a skein of Camellia Fiber Co. CFC Flax DK which was incredibly kind!  This yarn is a unique blend of 50% alpaca , 25% linen and 25% silk.  One skein is 270 yards (247m) so I am trying to decide which pattern I could use to help show off its beauty.  I love this kind of challenge : )

Camellia Fiber Co.

Favourite Unfinished Object
I started Joji Locatelli's Madewell cardigan at the beginning of July.  It was the perfect travel knitting project as it is a very basic cardigan. The yarn I chose to use is my long coveted Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label fingering yarn in the colourway Painted Jeans.  This colourway is an incredible mix of colours, from browns, greys, purples, blues...very challenging for me to photograph correctly. I think this pattern is a good match for variegated yarn as it's simplicity really lets the yarn colour be the focus. However, I forgot how long a fingering weight cardigan takes to knit!   I am almost finished the second sleeve and I hope to finish the whole cardigan this week and hopefully can show you it soon.

Favourite Finished Object
My favourite F.O. would have to be my Elder Tree Shawl by softsweater in the yarn by Clara Parkes called Clara Yarn CVM/Romeldale 2.0.  This was the first pattern I knit by softsweater (a fellow Canadian) and I thought the pattern was well written.   After knitting with this yarn I am really interested in trying more natural yarns.

The Elder Tree Shawl by softsweater

Patterns that I want to knit
There are so many gorgeous patterns out there that I want to knit immediately. I find it really difficult to narrow it down.  But after visiting 88 Stitches and seeing softsweater's collection of shawls I know that Lanterns is definitely high in my queue.  I think this pattern suits a  natural yarn and I want to make sure I pick the perfect one.

Lanterns by softsweater

But in the meantime, after knitting a fingering weight sweater for the last few weeks, I am in the mood to knit something with somewhat thicker yarn. Digging deep in my stash I found these beauties.  I am trying to figure out a perfect pattern that uses several colourways.  Although it is great that there are so many patterns to choose from on Ravelry sometimes it is overwhelming, isn't it?

Shalimar Yarns, Madelinetosh, Sweet Fiber Yarns, & Cephalopod Yarns

Favourite Video Blog:  Have you checked out Michele Wang's podcast?  As you all know she is a wonderful designer, creating patterns for Brooklyn Tweed, Woolfolk, and Manos del Uruguay to name a few.  Her blog is informative and offers good insight into the knitting world.

Favourite Yarn Related Instagram Photo:

Tolt Yarn and Wool

This is a display of Elemental Affects Shelter Fingering that I took at Tolt Yarn & Wool. What a perfect way to display the yarn.  Sigh.

Favourite Non-Yarn Related Instagram Post

I know, I know...who posts a picture of carrots?  Well I do!  I was so impressed with the way the fruit and vegetable stands at the Granville Market displayed their food.  It is one of my favourite places to visit in Vancouver.  I also find that now that I post on Instagram I am being more observant about what would make an interesting photo...and carrots won that day.  

Granville Market, Vancouver

That about sums it up for my top picks.  Happy August everyone!!