Knotted Pine Hat

I finally finished my Pull Me Over.  I enjoyed knitting this pattern although I wish I had not run out of yarn and been able to do the full length sleeves I had wanted to do.  This yarn really grew through blocking and my sweater is a bit big although it still looks good.  Sand dune is the Madelinetosh yarn colour I used but it is very hard to capture on camera.  You can read all about my sweater here.

Pull Me Over

I finally broke out the Juniper Moon Yarn I was saving and have started creating a new hat by Alicia Plummer called Knotted Pine. It's on sale for $2.00 for a short time so don't delay!  Here's what I've knitted so far:

Knotted Pine

There are a lot of pretty stitches on this piece including the honeycomb pattern on the front, embossed moss rib, a braid, and, on the back, a half twist stockinette stitch.  This is my first time using this yarn and I quite like the halo effect it creates.  Not to mention how warm it is.  You should check this pattern out.

Today I took a trip to Toronto and visited Lettuce Knit which is located in Kensington Market.  This yarn store really celebrates Canadian yarn dyers and has quite a unique and varied collection. The lovely woman working there gave me quite a tour and pointed out some of their unique collection.  One yarn I was introduced to was Julie Asselin's yarn called Hektos, a merino, cashmere and silk blend in a beautiful grey called Shining Armour. Unfortunately I do not have, as of yet, a photo to share with you that will do it justice.  I will show you next time!

The Rhinebeck Sweater Book and Other Great Patterns

There are so many new patterns cropping up on Ravelry that I wish I didn't have to work and could just sit and knit all day!

Here is a list you should check out.

First up is Ysolda Teague's The Rhinebeck Sweater book and e-book.  If you go to her website you can look at all the patterns and preorder.  Pumpkin Ale is one of the patterns I am excited about.  This book contains patterns by many of the top knitting designers like Thea Colman, Gundrun Johnston, and Cecily Glowik MacDonald just to name a few.  The book and e-book will come out November 6th.

Another pattern that I quite like is called I Heart Cardigans by Tanis Lavallee (of Tanis Fiber Arts). This lovely worsted pattern has cables and looks like the perfect fall sweater.  Love it!

I am a big fan of Amy Herzog (who by the way has a cardigan pattern in The Rhinebeck Sweater book) and she has come out with a pattern called Dalriada in sport weight yarn.  It looks like a very flattering style of cardigan that will suit many different body shapes.

Gabbro by Carol Feller is another sweater pattern that looks lovely to me.  It is a fingering weight sweater with some pretty lace work.

And then there is CustomFit which is a new venture by Amy Herzog.  Basically you pick your yarn, knit a swatch, take your measurements and through Amy's program a sweater/cardigan will be designed for you to your exact measurements.  I am on waiting list to do that as they are unrolling the program slowly.  You can see what some test knitters have made using Amy's program here.

I find the knitting industry so exciting right now.  There is so many ideas, designs, yarn choices...the possibilities are endless.  It really would be a great industry to work in and I envy those that do.

Pull Me Over in progress

As for my knitting status I have stalled on my Pull Me Over sweater pattern. I decided I really wanted to do long sleeves and I ran out of wool.  A new skein of Madelinetosh 80/10/10 worsted is on its way to me so until then I am working on a fun little pattern called the Inspira Cowl using some Classic Elite Yarn Liberty Wool.  It's a fun pattern and is knitted with two different coloured multicoloured skeins so the yarn colour you are knitting with keeps changing.  Here are my details here.

Inspira Cowl

So happy knitting to all of you.  What patterns are you excited about?