F.O. Lanterns by Sylvia McFadden

It was just last summer that I had the opportunity to visit 88 Stitches, the sweetest yarn shop in Langley, B.C.  Much to my utter delight the pieces designed by Sylvia McFadden of Softsweater Knits were on display.  Previous to visiting 88 Stitches I was a big fan of Sylvia McFadden's patterns on Ravelry. But when I saw her creations in person I was in love. I knew I had to knit one.  (You can see the photos I took that day here if you are interested.)  

Pattern:  Lanterns

Designer:  Sylvia McFadden (Softsweater Knits)

Yarn:   Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmere DK (100% cashmere) 4 skeins

Colourway: Spiced Pumpkin

Needles:   4.0mm
Ravelry:  Link

Pre-blocking

Added Notes:
1.  This is the first time I have knit with 100% cashmere. It is incredibly soft, but what struck me is that there was not much give to the yarn.  The pattern called for fingering weight yarn but I wanted a heavier shawl and chose a DK weight.  I used almost all of the four skeins I had.  When I cast off I was disappointed with how small the shawl was (52 x 17") and never having blocked cashmere before I wasn't sure what to expect.  What happened was magical. The lace just opened up and the shawl grew to the perfect size (68 x 32").

2.  The designer gives you the choice to do either a twisted version or a regularly knit version.  I chose the twisted version and I am glad I did.

2.  This is not the first pattern I have knit by this designer.  Check out The Elder Tree Shawl as well. (Blogged here).  I highly recommend her patterns.  They are easy to follow and the results are beautiful.

On the Needles: Blue Brick Yarn, Camellia Fiber Company, & Sweet Fiber Yarns

After getting Madewell off my needles I was very happy to pick a few smaller projects to work on over the next few weeks.  I focused on three yarns I was excited to get on the needles, and after perusing Ravelry in search of that perfect pattern match, I decided on the following:

The first skein that was calling my name was Blue Brick Killarney Sock , an ombré yarn in the colourway Labradorite, an 80% merino and 20% nylon blend.

Blue Brick Killarney Sock

After seeing Julie Crawford's version of Starshower  I decided that I had to get this pattern out of my queue and onto my needles. This lacey cowl, designed by Hilary Smith Callis, is knit back and forth until it is long enough to be joined in the round.  Here's my progress so far.

Starshower by Alicia Plummer

Another skein I have  been excited to cast on is Camellia Fiber Company CFC Flax DK  in Rose Quartz that I have previously showed you.  I only have one skein of this yarn and I really wanted to pick a pattern to showcase this unique blend of fibers (50% alpaca, 25% flax, 25% silk).  I wish you could feel how soft this yarn is.  I have never knit with anything like it before.  After looking at many patterns I decided on Antiquity by Alicia Plummer, a beautiful set of mitts. I love the eyelets and I am so happy with how it's turning out.

Camellia Fiber Flax DK in Rose Quartz

And finally, the third pattern I started is a shawl that I have seen in person, when I was in Vancouver last month.  As mentioned previously in this blog I was quite taken by the display of softsweater's shawls that I saw on display at the yarn store 88 Stitches.  I really think the photos on Ravelry don't do them justice.  A fingering weight shawl called Lanterns was one I knew I definitely had to knit. However, instead of fingering yarn I decided to go with a DK yarn I had in stash called Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmere DK in Spiced Pumpkin.  I have 800 m of this gorgeous yarn, and I feel that it is going to create a luxurious shawl, that will show off the beautiful stitches in this pattern very well.

Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmere DK in Spiced Pumpkin

Lanterns

So there you have it, my friends.  That is my knitting plan for the immediate future.  What's on your needles?

F.O. The Elder Tree Shawl

I mentioned to you a few posts ago that I had purchased a skein of Clara Parkes yarn called CVM/Romeldale 2.0 in the Aborio colourway, and that I was on a hunt to find the perfect pattern that would showcase and utilize each inch of this beautiful skein. The pattern I settled on was The Elder Tree Shawl by softsweater, a Vancouver based designer who has many beautiful patterns on Ravelry. 

After swatching on several different sized needles I decided to go with 4.0 mm. The pattern itself was a joy to knit. It can be adapted for any weight  and amount of yarn you want to use.  The pattern was simple to knit but not boring at all.  Any knitting mistakes I made were quickly evident and easy to correct.

The yarn itself was so lovely to knit with that I took my time knitting this pattern, wishing that I had another skein, to make a larger shawl.  First of all the yarn smelled delightfully sheepy.  It was quite lofty, hardly weighing anything, and it seemed to be quite hardy, as it didn't seem bothered whenever I had to rip out a few rows and reknit.

My favourite part of knitting a lacy shawl is blocking it.  The shawl was quite tiny (40.5 x 15")  prior to blocking and thankfully grew (54 x23") to a perfect sized shawlette.  Here are the before and after shots.  

L-Pre blocking   R-After Blocking

Pre-blocking

I am so happy with how the lace opened up and the yarn itself softened up considerably.  This is the second yarn I have tried by Clara Parkes.(See my blog entry reviewing the first one I knit with).  Each yarn she creates is so different and I can hardly wait to see what she comes out with next. 

After Blocking

When I was on my holiday last week, driving back to Vancouver from Seattle, I did a quick stop at 88 Stitches in Langley.  On display, to my delight, were a collection of softsweater's knitted shawls.  Her designs Waiting for Rain and   The Rain Outside are very popular right now, but these earlier shawls are worth checking out too.  When viewed in person these shawls are just stunning.  I asked if I could take a couple pictures to remind myself of what I needed to add to my queue.  I have linked the shawls to Ravelry.

L to R :  Grateful Moments, Fossil & Bone, Authenticity

L to R:  Salt Water, Solarium, Grateful Moments

L to R:  Lanterns,  A Certain Darkness, Lonely Tree Shawl

Lanterns

I don't know if my pictures do them justice, but trust me when I say, if you are looking for a shawl pattern to knit you might want to try one of these.  You won't be sorry.  I, myself, love the look of Lanterns and Fossil & Bone....hmm let's not forget about Authenticity.   Actually I could knit any of these and be extremely happy.

So thank you Clara Parkes and softsweater...you made my knitting experience very enjoyable.

Gray Rose: by Thea Colman

I just made the sweetest little hat called Gray Rose by Thea Colman.  Although I had intended to knit this pattern for myself, it didn't quite go as planned. For some reason I chose to knit the hat in the smallest size.  I have to admit that I didn't bother knitting a swatch with the yarn and I ignored my inner voice telling me that the pattern was turning out too small for an adult sized head.  But I was enjoying knitting this adorable pattern so much that I decided to just finish it and put it away in my bottom drawer, as a future gift for someone special.  I definitely want to knit it again in an adult size at some future date.  Ravelled here.

Gray Rose

I loved knitting with the West Yorkshire Spinners DK yarn that I had bought in Scotland a couple summers ago.  It is a Bluefaced Leicester yarn and I find myself gravitating more often toward knitting more with sheepy yarns and less with superwash yarns.  When I was buying this yarn I thought that one could only find this yarn in Scotland or England but I soon discovered it in a Canadian yarn shop on a trip to Vancouver. 88 Stitches in Langley, British Columbia has a great selection of it both in DK and Aran weight.

WYS Bluefaced Leicester Yarn

I used my leftover Woolfolk yarn for the flowers and it worked perfectly with the WYS yarn.  I added some Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label Yarn in Tidal for that punch of colour.

woolfolk far

After knitting Gray Rose I knew that I wanted to use the rest of my West Yorkshire Spinners BFL to knit a cozy sweater.  I decided on Georgetown by Hannah Fettig in her published book Home & Away.  Each pattern in this book provides you with the option to knit a seamed or seamless sweater.  Although I haven't had much luck with seaming sweaters recently I am determined to master my skills, so I have jumped right in and chose the seamed option.

I can hardly wait until it's done.  

Gotta go...must get back to knitting. Have a great week!

Spotlight: 88 Stitches

Everytime I travel I like to visit the yarn stores in the area.  Luckily I have a wonderful husband who supports my habit.  A perfect yarn store to me is a store that carries a good variety of interesting yarns, in a welcoming, cozy atmosphere run by someone who is knowledgeable, but not pushy.

This time when we visited Vancouver we stopped by a lovely store called 88 Stitches which fits this description.  As a fan of Melissa Thomson and her Sweet Fiber yarns I had wanted to visit this store as it owned by her mother, and of course is one of the retailers that carries Melissa's yarn.  The second I walked into the store I just loved it.  It is a bright and sunny place with a beautiful selection of yarns, and the owner was very welcoming and helpful.

So much yarny goodness!

This yarn store carried a great variety of brands including Rowan, Shibui, Jamieson's, Swan's Island Yarns, Sweet Georgia and Berroco to name a few.

All the samples from Sweet Fiber Yarns' pattern collection were there.  The patterns combined with the beautiful yarn were even more impressive in person.

Bridgeway & York

Dockside & Brae 

Bedford Cowl

Capilano:  a cowl made with 2 skeins of Cashmerino Worsted in Moss

Of course I had to buy some Sweet Fiber Yarn.  Unfortunately the stock was a bit low as Melissa Thomson has just finished relocating her dyeing studio.  But the good news, for those that live in the Toronto area, is that Melissa Thomson is coming with her yarn to the Toronto Knitters Frolic at the Japanese Cultural on April 25th.  Hopefully many people can visit her booth that day and then will understand why I like it so much.

Sweet Fiber Merino Twist DK in Chartreuse

West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester Yarn
and Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock in Parchment

I just wish this was my neighbourhood yarn store.  I would be there all the time!