Off the Needles: Quaker Ridge Shawlette

My Quaker Ridge Shawlette is done.  The weather here has been damp, rainy and cold so the best photo I could get was the one below.  It was going to start raining when I took this picture so hopefully I can add a better photo soon.

Quaker Ridge Shawlette by Susan B. Anderson

I am very pleased with how this turned out and as I have mentioned in previous blog entries I love the combination of the two yarns I used.  Ravelled here.

I am feeling under the weather today so I think I am going to spend the afternoon with my knitting.  It's time to start a new project but I am not sure what I am going to do.  Look at this pretty skein below.  I picked up two skeins of this Malabrigo sock yarn in the Primavera colour way and I just love it.  But I don't know what it wants to be yet!  Any suggestions?

Malabrigo Sock Yarn

I am also very tempted to try out Amy Herzog's CustomFit program.  This program will help you design a sweater after you have given them your body measurements and swatch gauge.  I think I will knit a swatch and give it a try.

The picture below was taken through my classroom window.  I think I have the best classroom for scenery!   It was early morning and the sun was shining perfectly on the trees. Canada is so pretty in the fall.  Have a good week everyone.

On the Needles: Quaker Ridge Shawlette

Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving and I was so busy preparing for that meal that I didn't have a lot of knitting time.  This week I am trying to make up for lost time.  I decided to get started on using that Sweet Georgia Yarns Merino Silk Fine that I bought back in August

 and have started the Quaker Ridge Shawlette by Susan B. Anderson.  Here it is:

Quaker Ridge Shawlette

The softness!  I combined Sweet Georgia yarn with one strand of Filatura di Crosa Superior yarn.  What an incredible combination.  I wish you could touch it...it's just lovely.  I swear I would have a lot more done if I didn't keep stopping and feeling it!  Ravelled here.

Off the Needles: Tanis Fiber Arts

I have been a member of Tanis Fiber Arts Year In Colour Club for the past two years.  Six times a year Tanis mails out a skein in a new colourway with a pattern.  I always admire Tanis' skill with colour. This colour, Mosaic, is one of my favourites this year.  It is a combination of "gold, spice and dirty denim" to quote Tanis.  The yarn is in Orange Label which is a mix of cashmere, silk and merino worsted weight yarn.  It is so lovely to knit with and this colour looks spectacular in the sunshine.  The pattern that came with it is called the Framed Slouch.  This hat pattern has cables and was a fun knit. The brim can be folded up if you want less slouch.  I will be definitely knitting another one and I am sure it will prove to be a very popular pattern once it is widely released.

Framed Slouch

Another knit that I finished this week is the Inspira Cowl: the Steampunk version.  I bought the yarn at The Knitter's Fair in Waterloo a couple weekends back...check out my info here.  I love working with a yarn that changes colour...it's so much fun to see what colour combination is coming next.  I used the recommendation from the owner of the The Needlework Emporium and cast on 150 stitches and didn't do any decreases.  I really like the way it turned out.

Inspira Cowl

There is nothing like a fast knit!  As for my Pull Me Over sweater I have run into a bit of trouble.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I had decided to knit long sleeves at the last minute and sadly did not have enough yarn.  So I ordered more Madelinetosh hoping that the dye lot would be very similar to the yarn I already had knitted.  Unfortunately the yarn that arrived this week looks too different to use.  So I have been ripping out the one long sleeve to make it 3/4 length and adding that yarn to the other sleeve. I am not sure if I have enough yarn to make that second sleeve 3/4 length.  I will work on that sweater later today and see what I can do.  Very frustrating.

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?

My Fitbit Motivator

Although this is not an exercise blog I just had to share with you a little device that has surprisingly changed my exercise habits.  As knitters know it is very easy to get caught up in a knitting project which requires a lot of sitting time.  I knew I wanted to get more active and a friend of mine encouraged me to get a Fitbit.  

This is a user friendly pedometer.  It clips onto your clothing or slips easily into your pocket.  It measures many things, including number of steps taken each day, calories burned, number of active minutes and distance travelled.  It syncs easily to your computer and iphone.  It sends you messages to tell you that you are almost at your goal and you receive a weekly report about your progress in your email.  You can set any goal for number of steps although it starts you off at 10000.  There are also ways to track your weight, how much water you have consumed as well as other things.  It has really motivated me and made me become aware of how much I am actually moving.  The best thing is that I got my husband one as well and if either of us have not met our daily goal by the evening we end up going for an evening walk just to get the mileage in.  I got my Fitbit from Amazon.  It comes in a variety of colours.  Try it out!

On the Needles

I am currently working on a sweater called Pull Me Over.  After my last two failed attempts at other patterns this is turning into a delight to knit.  I got gauge right away, the pattern is easy to follow and I really like the way it is turning out.  I've even tried it on and it fits very well.

This is Madelinetosh 80/10/10 Worsted in Sand Dune.  This is the first time I've used this yarn and it won't be the last.

Knitter's Fair 2013

This weekend I went to the Knitter's Fair in Waterloo.  This is a one day yarn shopping bonanaza where various vendors bring their yarn to one location so that shoppers like me can spend way too much money and buy more yarn than they need.  I was so excited. Every year I go I bring a list of the kind of yarn I am looking for to keep me focused.  This year I wanted to find some sport weight yarn to make some of the fabulous cardigans I see cropping up on Ravelry.  Do I stick to my list?  You can guess the answer to that.
Well I did buy a sweater's worth of sport weight Madelinetosh Pashmina in baroque violet.

This is the first time I have ever bought Pashmina and I have to say it is incredibly soft and will make a stunning cardigan.

I also bought Madelinetosh DK in copper penny.  Although it is not sport weight it was such a beautiful fall colour I couldn't resist.

I also couldn't resist two skeins of String Theory Caper Sock in Skye and Avalon.  If you have not yet tried this yarn I highly recommend it.  Soft, beautifully dyed...it is a real treat to work with.

My last purchase were three skeins of Classic Elite Yarns Liberty Wool to make an Inspira Cowl.  It is a free pattern on Ravelry and I thought it would be fun to knit with such colourful yarn.

I was really missing the Tanis Fiber Arts booth as they did not come to this show.  It is one of my favourite Canadian yarn lines but Tanis had a baby in the spring and chose not to come this time. Hopefully she will come back next year.  Next time I will show you what I have been having fun knitting.