F.O. Hamble by Isabell Kraemer

Pattern:  Hamble

Hamble 

Designer:  Isabell Kraemer

Yarn:  
Rosy Green Wool Cheeky Merino Joy (100% Merino)
Colourway:  Edelweiss (1 skein)

O-Wool O-Wash Sport  (100% Merino)
Colourway: Cuckoo Flower (2.5 skeins)

 Pigeonroof Studios Silky High Twist Sock (80% Merino, 20% Silk)
 Colourway: Railroad Stake (held double)

Needles: 3.5mm

Ravelry:  my notes

Added Notes:

1.  Designer Isabell Kramer is popular for a reason.  Her patterns are well written, fun to knit, and produce a garment that fits well.  When Hamble was published I happily cast on, knowing that this sweater would get a lot of wear.  I have to admit that I am delighted with the finished result.  The hardest part about this pattern was knitting the neckline.  There are increases on both the purl and knit sides, and the increases I made on the purl side were creating holes in the fabric.  I found a great tutorial that demonstrated how to do this properly.  Once the neckline was created the pattern was straight forward. 

2.  I played around with different colours for the contrasting coloured stripe before I picked the Pigeonroof Yarn.  For example, I loved how these two skeins looked together, until I started to knit the stripe and realized that there was not enough contrast between the two. 

Old Rusted Chair Sock Yarn: Colourway Spring Forward

I tried several yarn combinations until I found the fingering skein of Pigeonroof High Twist Sock.  I have been holding onto this skein for sometime as the yarn is gorgeous, much too beautiful to knit into socks.  As this is a fingering weight skein I doubled it, and it worked perfectly with the sport weight yarn.

Much better!

3. The Yarn:  This was my first time using Rosy Green Wool and the experience made me want to knit a whole sweater's worth. It is the softest merino I have ever felt. It's one of those yarns that you want to keep squishing as you knit with it.   O-Wool, a yarn I bought at Rhinebeck a couple years ago, is a lovely yarn too, and was a good match with the Rosy Green Wool.  Look at the variety of colours that are available.

O-Wool Sport

O-Wool is certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard.  You can read more about what that means on the O-Wool website.  If you are lucky enough to go the Maryland (this coming weekend) or Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool festival you can see O-Wool in person.  If you want to try either yarn the owner of O-Wool sells both yarns online.  Trust me when I say both yarns are worth buying.

4.  I was halfway through my second sleeve when disaster happened.  I spilled the remains of a Tim Horton's coffee on my sweater and the coffee seemed to hit every inch of my sweater, especially the cream upper body.  Luckily I was just entering my house when it happened and I was able to submerge it immediately in water, so thankfully no lasting damage was done!

I love the feeling of getting a sweater off the needles.  Since this is a sport weight sweater I still will get a lot of wear out of it before summer.  Instead of focusing on the two remaining sweateres I have on the needles I promptly cast on another one.  I have so many projects on the needles at the moment.  But I am enjoying every one of them.  More on that later....

As a side note I have been quiet on my blog recently as life has been extremely busy.  I hope to get back to a regular schedule soon, so thanks for sticking with me.  

Happy knitting!

WIPs: Hamble, Stronachlachar, and Old Romance

Every now and then I go through my large Ravelry queue, and try to reduce the number of patterns in it.  I find this quite challenging as there are so many amazing patterns which have stood the test of time.  Of course, I am also tempted by new designs that crop up daily, and so my queue just grows and grows.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Recently I seem to be obsessed with knitting sweaters.  Instead of casting on just one sweater, I have cast on three!  Two are newly published, and the third has been in my queue for a long time.  And the best thing...all are knit from stash yarn.

1.  Hamble:  I am a long time fan of Isabell Kraemer and have found that her patterns fit me well, and tend to get worn quite a bit (see Aibrean, Mailin, and Seashore).  I could not resist Hamble, Isabell Kraemer's newest pattern knit in Rosy Green Wool Cheeky Merino Joy, a sport weight yarn.  I had the perfect yarn in my stash.  On my trip to Nashville in the fall, I picked up three different coloured skeins of Rosy Green Wool from Haus of Yarn, to knit a shawl.  Only one skein was needed for the top of the Hamble body so I used one of the colourways I had called Edelweiss. In my stash I also had some O-Wool O-Wash Sport yarn.  These two yarns work perfectly together.  Although I love both yarns, I found that Rosy Wool is one of those yarns that I kept squishing as I knit.  Rosy Green Wool definitely lives up to the hype.   (I found out that O-Wool carries Rosy Green Wool if you are interested in trying a skein).  Here's my progress so far: 

Rosy Green Wool Cheeky Merino Joy in Edelweiss
O-Wash O-Wool Sport in Cuckoo Flower

Pigeonroof Yarns Silky High Twist Sock in Railroad Stake

2.  Another new pattern that I cast on as soon as it was published is Stronachlar, part of the West Highland Way collection, by Kate Davies.    If you haven't had the chance to look at this collection of patterns I highly recommend it.  I had the perfect yarn in my stash for this pattern, about 900m of a DK weight wool called West Yorkshire Spinners Blue Faced Leicester DK.  I love the look of the simple cables and, if I can finish Stronachlachar soon, it will be the perfect spring sweater to throw on top of a blouse.  

West Yorkshire Spinners Bue Faced Leicester DK

3.  Since the beginning of the year I have been slowly working on Old Romance, a fingering weight cardigan, by Joji Locatelli that was published four years ago.  The pattern starts with two identical lace strips that become part of the sleeves.  I decided to knit both lace inserts at the same time.  Each day I slowly added a few rows until I knit the 27.5" required and then the fun began. This cardigan has a similar construction to Joji's Japan Sleeves, as the lace panels are knit first, and once done provide the foundation for the sleeves.  The interesting construction keeps me entertained, but as it is a fingering weight sweater it will take me some time to complete.  See my Ravelry notes here.

The pattern begins by knitting two lace panels
knit in Madelinetosh Light in the colourway Cathedral

The next step is to join the pieces and create the two arms and neck
Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino 20 in colourway Verve

If only there were more hours in a day!  The trouble with knitting three sweaters at the same time is that it never looks like I have made much progress.  However I will remain hopeful that I will have three new sweaters to wear this spring.  Wish me luck!

Woolercoaster's Wonderful World of Wool August 12-18

Things were a little quieter on the knitting front this week.  But there were a few new items that caught my attention.

1.  Birds of a Feather shawl pattern by Andrea Mowry, originally published in Laine Magazine, Issue 2, is now available for individual purchase.  This shawl is a gorgeous knit using two skeins of yarn.  In the sample, Hedgehog Skinny Singles is combined with Hedgehog Fibres Kidsilk Lace, a luscious 70% mohair 30% silk yarn blend.  Check out the finished projects on Ravelry as there are already so many beautiful versions.  This shawl is definitely going into my knitting queue.

An Isabell Kraemer sweater from this same publication is also available for purchase.  Sibeal, a light fingering weight sweater knit from the top down is one of those comfortable sweater patterns we expect from this designer.

2.  I don't know about you, but I watch more podcasts on YouTube these days than I do t.v.  I especially love watching knitting podcasts as there are so many excellent ones to choose from.  One of the newer ones I love is the Yarn Pimp Podcast, hosted by owner Karen Posniak of Do Ewe Knit? a yarn store in New Jersey.  She is joined by the bubbly Danielle Guinta.  Past podcasts include a visit to the Hedgehog Fibres headquarters, and interviews with guests such as Stephen West, kristyglassknits, and Kristen Lehrer of Voolenvine Knits.  The latest episode is here.  Karen Posniak is a big supporter of indie dyers and carries a variety of brands.

Another one of my favourite podcasts is  the Grocery Girls, two Canadian knitters from Edmonton, Alberta. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching them yet check out their latest episode here.

3.  I love a sale and here is a good one:  designer Ambah O'Brien is taking 50% off one her patterns for 24 hours each day this month.  Check out her Instagram feed daily to see the design that is being discounted.  Her patterns are well written and very wearable.  I was so happy to be able to buy the Xandra Wrap, her newest publication at the reduced price. 

Here's another deal:  Hilary Smith Callis has just published Aeque, a very pretty gradient cowl pattern, that blends together five colours of fingering weight yarn. Perfect for those leftovers.   The deal is that if you purchase this pattern you can also buy any of her shawl or cowl patterns for 50% off.  Hurry, this offer ends midnight August 19th (Pacific time).

I am adding another new feature this week to my blog:

Tip of the Week:

Random stripe generator:  I  am currently working on a baby blanket using four different colours of yarn.  I was trying to decide how to effectively place the stripes when I remembered this website which generates a striping pattern for your selected colours.  I decided on this pattern:

My stripe pattern

The neat thing about this website is if you don't like the suggested combination of stripes you can refresh the page until you are happy.  

The pattern I am knitting with this combination of stripes is called the Chevron Baby Blanket, a free pattern by Espace Tricot.  This is my first time knitting with Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton.  I am not a huge fan of knitting with cotton but I have to admit that I am happy with how this blanket is turning out.

Chevron Baby Blanket

I hope you enjoyed this new addition to Woolercoaster's Wonderful World of Wool. (My son thought of that title and I am going with it.  LOL)   Here's hoping you have a happy and relaxing weekend.

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?

WIP: Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond

Knitting Challenge: 
Problem #1:  To find a sweater pattern that would suit a variegated yarn.
Yarn:  Malabriogo Rios:  100% merino (worsted weight)
Colourway:  Piedras
Needles: 4.5mm

Problem #2 No skeins are identical and two of the skeins I own are very light coloured

Malabrigo Rios
Note:  I have no idea why how I didn't notice a leaf on my yarn!

Light skein on the left, darker skein on the right

I wasn't sure what to do with this variegated yarn.  I knew I wanted to knit a sweater, but I was worried that a sweater knit in solid Piedras might be too busy for me.  After searching through Ravelry, I thought the Daelyn Pullover by Isabell Kraemer might work.  I really like the back of this sweater as it is knit in garter stitch, which always makes a variegated yarn look great.  But I believed that, in order to get a consistent colour in my sweater, I would have to alternate a lot of skeins. Who wants to do that?

I made the decision not to use the two lighter skeins and to find a pattern that I could use with just my four darker skeins.  This meant that I would not have enough yarn to knit a sweater.  I knew I needed another colour to work with Piedras. 

That's when I found Cocoa in Malabrigo Rios.

Problem #3  Find a pattern that would well with two colours.  

I had another look at the Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond, which had been in my queue since the pattern first came out.  Most people on Ravelry knit it with two solid colours and I wasn't sure that it would look good with variegated yarn. I just went for it, knitting big stripes in Piedras, alternating with four rows of Cocoa.  I am really pleased with the effect.  This pattern is so well written and easy to follow. It's also a great sweater to knit if you are a beginner, and I am sure it will get a lot of use.

Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond

I have to admit that I like a yarn challenge.  It was fun for me to look try and find the perfect pattern for my yarn.  Hopefully I will have enough yarn to complete the sweater and that it will look great when it's done.  Trust me when I say that I do not go through this much thinking everytime I pick out a pattern to knit.

What will my next knitting challenge be?

F.O. Aibrean

Pattern: Aibrean by Isabell Kraemer

Colour:  Tannenbaum

Yarn: 80/10/10 Madelinetosh Sport, a merino, cashmere, nylon blend
          4.5 skeins alternating 3 skeins throughout body and two skeins on                     sleeves

This was my first time knitting with a sport weight and I have to say that I am really happy with how light it feels on.  It's warm, but not too warm, if you know what I mean.  I sometimes shy away from knitting sweaters in heavier yarn, feeling like I won't get enough use out of it because it can only be worn on the colder days.  But this, to me, is exactly the perfect level of warmth for a sweater and will get a lot of use.

Needles: 4mm Signature Convertible Circular Needles

Added Notes:  
1)The stitch pattern is both on the front and back with the exception of the sleeves.  I was a bit leery of having to work this pattern for so much of the sweater but I was pleasantly surprised with how quick and easy it was.  Another bonus is that the majority of the sweater is worked in the round and alternate rows are just knitted.  Also, it is easy to see where you have made and error and so simple to fix if you do.

2)  Blocking is essential to this pattern.  Before blocking I was nervous as the sweater was quite tight fitting through the body.  But it blocked out beautifully and the width of the body grew by four inches which was perfect for me.

This is my third sweater by Isabell Kraemer (see my Mailin and my Seashore) and I really admire how well written her patterns are.  As I have mentioned before, they are the sweaters that get the most use in my cupboard.

Next up:  I have joined the Very Shannon Tops, Tanks and Tees KAL, I will be knitting CineCittà by La Maison Rililie. 

CineCittà

If anyone else has joined, let me know, and if you have never tried a Knit A Long this is a great one.  It just started so it's not too late to join.  Even if you don't want to join you can follow along on Instagram at #TTTKAL.

Happy knitting everyone : )

WIP: Aibrean

Patterns designed by Isabell Kraemer are wonderful to knit. You are guaranteed directions that are easy to follow and an FO that will be comfortable to wear and that will look great.  I was so happy to finally get one of her patterns called Aibrean on my needles as it had been in my queue for some time. I knew that my Madelinetosh 80/10/10 Sport in the colourway Tannenbaum would be a great match for it.

Madelinetosh 80/10/10 Sport

Colourway:  Tannenbaum

What I didn't expect was that after working on the pattern for one week, I would be ripping it out and starting over.  Not because I made any knitting errors.  No, I had no issues following this well written pattern.  As I knit this sweater, mostly in the evenings, I did not notice how different the skeins were from each other.  What I stupidly did was decide not to alternate skeins until I got to the part in the pattern where I put the sleeve stitches on hold.  MISTAKE.  I had reasoned in my head that since I bought all the skeins at the same time that they would be from the same dye lot and would look very similar.  Nope.  Wrong.  What I should have done before I grabbed the first skein was to lay out all the skeins in the daylight, side by side, and look to see if they were the same. When I finally had a closer look I noticed that each skein was slightly different. I don't know if you can see where I started alternating in the picture below but the section in the lower part of the sweater is definitely darker.  If I hadn't started over, the sleeves especially would look weird once I start knitting them because no other skein is as light as the first skein I used.

First attempt.  Notice the darker section when I finally started alternating skeins

So I ripped it out and started over.  Seriously I would think by now I would know better and alternate from the beginning.  Another lesson learned.  They say you will keep repeating lessons until you learn them.  I don't know who 'they' are but 'they' are right!

Well here is my progress a couple weeks after I started over.  I am almost at the ribbing section.

Second attempt alternating three skeins

It is very hard for me to capture the exact colours in this yarn.  It is a beautiful combination of a rich forest green, a lighter green and brown.  I will be very interested to see how this sweater blocks out and how much it grows as I have never knit this patterned stitch before.

While I was on my holiday a few weeks ago I managed to finish the beautiful Pebble Beach Shawl by Helen Stewart.  This is the second one I have knitted. The first Pebble Beach Shawl I knit was gifted so I had wanted to make another one for some time.  It is the perfect size and shape to wear around your neck.  This is a very popular pattern with good reason.  There are no charts.  Instead it is written line by line giving you an indication of how far along you are in the pattern.  So, for example, it will tell you when you are 50% along.  This is extremely helpful if you want to use a whole skein of yarn, or if you want to make sure you do not run out.  

Pebble Beach Shawl

Colourway:  Blue Bell

I knit this shawl in Madelinetosh 80/10/10 fingering in the colourway Blue Bell, a lovely soft combination of merino, cashmere and nylon.  This is a great pattern to showcase a special skein of yarn.  The revised pattern also comes in two other larger sizes.

Now off I go to work on Aibrean.  Enjoy what's left of your weekend and don't make the mistake I made..ripping out is not fun.

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?

A Look Back: 2015

2015 saw me immerse myself in knitting more than ever. I continue to enjoy learning about it and am constantly impressed with the variety of yarns, patterns, books, blogs and videos, etc. dedicated to this craft.  It's a great time to be a knitter and I still have so much to learn.  In honour of all things knitting I present you with my second annual list of Knitting Favourites of 2015.

Best Yarn Shop:  I had the pleasure of visiting 88 Stitches this past spring and I liked everything about it.  88 Stitches is located in Langley, B.C. and is the perfect size for a yarn shop, carrying a great variety of yarn including my favourite, Sweet Fiber Yarns. In fact Melissa Thomson's mother owns this shop. It was bright and sunny in the store and the owner was so friendly.  I truly wish this was my neighbourhood store as I would love to visit frequently.

Best Shawl: Of the seven shawls I knit this year I would have to say that Cladonia, by Kirsten Kapur is my favourite of the year.  Knit in Sweet Fiber Yarn Super Sweet Sock in Chartreuse and String Theory Caper Sock Yarn in Java, it is a beautiful combination of colour and pattern. The shape of the shawl makes it easy to wear and the cashmere in Caper Sock Yarn makes it so soft.

Cladonia by Kirsten Kapur

Best Sweater/Cardigan:  This was a hard choice for me to make as I knit four cardigans and three sweaters, all of which I absolutely love.  However, I am choosing Japan Sleeves, a sweater by Joji Locatelli because of its unique and fun construction.  I enjoyed every second of knitting this sweater.  The  lace inserts in the sleeves were knit first, and if you look at the photos below, you can see how the body of the sweater was constructed.  It was such a unique way to knit a sweater.  I hadn't had as much fun knitting a sweater since I knit Hitofude last year.  I also liked the colour combination of Madelinetosh's Molly Ringwald and Teddy Bear, creating a perfect spring sweater.

Lace panels were knit first and then the sleeve construction began

Once the sleeves were done knitting the body was knit in the round

Knit in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light:  Teddy Bear and Molly Ringwald

Best Knitted Accesssory:  2015 is the year I knit my first pair of socks so I must choose my Wildflower Socks knit in Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock. I followed Susan B. Anderson's How I Knit My Socks, a great basic pattern for newbies like me.  I have to say I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed knitting them.   But to me, the best part of sock knitting is wearing the socks.   They are so much better than store bought ones.  I definitely see more knitted socks in my future.

Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock:  Wildflowers

Best Yarn Brand:  My choice from last year was Canada's own Melissa Thomson of Sweet Fiber Yarns.  Her eye for colour is beautiful. But if I had to pick a new yarn brand for this year I would have to choose Woolfolk yarn. I had the opportunity to knit the pattern Pure Worsted with Woolfolk Far that I purchased at Purl Soho in New York.  It is a 100% merino with a chainette construction having a micron count of 17.5 (instead of the usual 35 which most wool products have).  I can't say enough good things about this yarn.  It is so soft that knitting and wearing an item knit in this yarn is pure bliss.

Best Yarn Colour:  This year I have continued becoming more passionate about photographing yarn and I have hundreds of photos to prove it.  There are so many gorgeous colourways available.   However, I would say that my favourite colourway of the year would be Monarch in Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock.  This yarn was part of Sweet Fiber's 2015 Sock Club and this is a skein that needs to be admired for a while before being knitted with.

Yarn That Surprised Me:  I tried Plucky Knitter Scholar for the first time this year, not knowing what to expect.  When you buy yarn online, without seeing it in person, it is always a risk.  However, I was not disappointed.  This worsted weight yarn is a 25% cashmere 75% wool blend.  I chose to knit Mailin by Isabell Kraemer with it.  This yarn gives you the perfect level of warmth but is not overly heavy or scratchy in the slightest.  I would love to knit a cardigan out of it but I will have to wait for the Canadian dollar to bounce back.

Mailin by Isabell Kraemer

Best Lookbook:  Although Brooklyn Tweed is still my favourite I think this year I would choose the Plucky Knitter Fall Collection Lookbook.  The Plucky Knitter has continued to make great strides this year to provide beautiful, highly wearable patterns and their lookbook shares their fun attitude toward knitting.  The use of bright colours and beautiful scenery in the Lookbook makes you want to knit every pattern that is in it.

Best Knitting Book:  I bought several knitting books this year but the one that stands out is Home and Away:  Knits for Everyday Adventures by Hannah Fettig. Often I buy knitting books that are beautiful to look at but only contain one or two patterns that I would ever knit.  However, I would love to knit each item in this book.  Another great feature of the book is that each pattern consists of directions for knitting a seamed or non-seamed sweater, depending on your preference.

Best Knitting Blog:   My choice is, without a doubt Fringe Association written by Karen Templer of Fringe Supply Co. If you haven't read this blog yet I can't recommend it enough.  Karen writes about knitting and sewing in an unique way.  For example, this year she hosted a Fringe and Friends Knitalong where she chose a sweater to knit and invited famous knitwear designers to knit the same sweater, and share their modifications and experiences.  It's a great way to learn about ways to modify and the reasons to do so.  She also has a year long hat knitalong and offered free hat patterns to knit.  I always learn a lot from this blog and the content is so varied, it is never boring.

Best Knitting Vlog/Podcast:  I enjoyed knitting while listening to podcasts as well as watching video blogs (vlogs) this year.  The one I found the most entertaining is Along the Lanes by Vero (thatcanadiangirl on Ravelry).
Born in Ottawa, Canada, Vero now resides in the United Kingdom. Although Vero only began her vlog this year her enthusiasm and expertise are evident. The vlog really stand out as being unique, creative and fun to watch, you never know what to expect.  For example, in one episode she takes the viewers along with her on a London yarn crawl.  It's a ton of fun...you should really check her out.

Most Helpful Video:  A great crafting website that I turn to for help is Craftsy. The variety and level of expertise offered through this website is impressive. The Craftsy video that I have turned to the most this year is Essential Techniques Every Knitter Should Know by Sally Melville.  Even the most experienced knitter will get tips from this Craftsy class. The best part is you can return to it again and again.

Best Knitting Accessory:  I am smitten with these lovely screen printed bags created by Jenna Rose, an artisan from Ontario, Canada.  They are just so pretty and unique.

So there you have my round up of my 2015 favourites.  Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read and comment on my blog this year.  It really means the world to me.  The knitting and yarn world is an exciting one to be a part of.  I look forward to knitting along with everyone in 2016. Happy New Year and all the best in the coming year! Thanks for stopping by.