Knitting Feeds

I recently bought a wallet insert for my traveler’s notebook and I love it! It’s from ThreadNPrints on Etsy. Now I have everything that I need to help me stay organized at my fingertips: wallet, bullet journal, scratchpad, planner supplies and knitting notions pouch. All in one notebook the size of a passport (although much chubbier!). It feels great to finally settle into a personal planning system that works for me, especially during the busy holiday season.

I’m making a list and checking it twice....

How are you managing to stay organized around this busy time of year?

Happy Sunday evening! Hello there loves! It is a bit later on Sunday...but I made it. ;) How was your weekend? Are you in the throws of decorating for the holidays? Decorating has been done in my family home, due in large part to my insistence. I like to make... Andi

Happy Sunday evening! Hello there loves! It is a bit later on Sunday...but I made it. ;) How was your weekend? Are you in the throws of decorating for the holidays? Decorating has been done in my family home, due in large part to my insistence. I like to make... Andi

Earlier this year, I was rummaging through the stash searching for inspiration when a few variegated skeins caught my eye. I quickly put together some working combinations, including this version that emphasized the red, rose and plum shades in the variegated yarn.

That's as far as things progressed. Then a couple weeks ago, I realized there were several skeins of a lovely soft platinum grey (Sugar Bush Bliss) lurking in the stash. The limited yardage restricted project options, but it occurred to me if the colors worked, it might serve as a nice foil for the variegated yarn (KFI Indulgence).
Once I opened up to the possibilities, one thing quickly led to another, as is so often true where knitting is concerned.

The initial swatch using my new-favorite slip stitch turned into the first of a pair of fingerless mitts. The cool platinum created solid vertical stripes that to my eye play nicely with the lateral bands of color produced by the long-print variegated yarn.

As soon as the mitts were bound off, I cast on for a matching scarf. My original plan was to go long and skinny, a shape I find especially versatile, but then I realized something intriguing. If I turned the long scarf into something more compact such as a cowl or neckwarmer, I'd have enough yardage to make a shawl, something I desperately need now that cold weather has settled into our little valley.

The holidays are just around the corner and there are a bazillion things I should be doing. Instead, I suspect I'll spend the evening snuggled under a warm, wool afghan, knitting a soon-to-be shawl.  


Connecting with the linkups in the sidebar.

A couple of cozy projects to brighten these short days of winter. The yarn is from Must Stash Yarn in the Bumbles Bounce colorway. The pattern for the blanket is Northeasterly and it is so fun & easy. I can’t wait to start on the second column and see it grow. The kid and I are having a Friday night holiday movie marathon (hubby is on a work trip to Texas). Just watched Rudolph and Charlie Brown. Next up is my pick: Little Women. The kid will probably doze off after fifteen minutes whereby I can switch to Love Actually :) Have a wonderful weekend!

Hi friends! I hope that you are having a great start to your December. Do you have any fun plans for celebrating the season? One tradition that I love is to count the days until Christmas with a yarn advent calendar. It is so fun to mark each day with a little pretty miniskein of yarn. This year, I treated myself once again to the advent calendar from Adelaide Cottage. I also bought a Christmas frankensocks kit from Havirland (thirty -  5 gram mini’s) which I put in a little mailbox. I then pull out a mini each day until Christmas. The first picture shows Days 1-3 so far. I foresee lots of cozy knitting time ahead. Planning on making some sock ornaments as well as adding to my various scrappy blankets with all this pretty yarn.

Hoping to be back soon with some more holiday fun!

Dear Maeve,

Welcome (a little belatedly) to the family. Ordinarily, your introduction to me, and the blanket that comes with me would come at the same time, but your slightly early arrival (and the broken wrist I had – don’t worry about that, you’ll learn about bikes later) mean that your blanket followed our meeting rather significantly. Indeed, you’re the first baby in the family to get your blanket by post. You’re still very, very little, so you may not remember when we met. Usually, I’d point out that I’m the one who comes with all the knitted stuff – to help you place me in your mind, but you’ve got so many knitters around you, that it isn’t really going to help you sort out who I am.  Instead, you may remember me as the lady who helped your mum with nursing you – I’m the one who kept talking about latch, and insisting your mummy aim for your nose. (I know, it sounds crazy, but you and I both know it works.) As an aside, I’d like to thank you for being born right before Knit City – It was so nice to be in the right part of Canada so we could have that time together. Good thinking, Sweetpea.

You are the second baby born into this family that tripped me right out – your cousin Elliot was the first – his mum is my daughter Meg, and your Mum is Savannah – she and Meg played together as littles, because they are cousins. Your grandmother is my sister-in-law Kelly and she’s the one you probably think of, when you think of knitting.  Kelly and I went out for dinner just after you were born, and we talked about what you are – who you are really. You aren’t just Kosti and Savannah’s daughter, you are the amazing and miraculous person who made Kelly a grandmother, and Ben a grandfather.

We talked about the feeling of it. Ben said that he had always loved your mother, and your Auntie Kamilah, but how he feels now is different, and I knew just what he meant – I see it in your Great Uncle Joe too. (You’ve met him as well. He’s the big loud one who cries with joy when he looks at you. I know your Grandfather does that too, but Joe’s the one with more hair.) We learned about this special love when Elliot was born. It’s a shocking, powerful thing, and you should know it means that there is nothing he won’t do for you, and I mean nothing. The love your grandfather’s oozing is a fierce and mighty thing, and he is unfettered by the restraints and rules of parenthood. If, my little Maeve, you knew how to ask for a pony, there is no doubt in my mind that Ben would have one tied up in your bedroom later today.

Your Grandmother Kelly – oh, it’s a little different. We talked about the confusing feelings that come with transitioning into being a Grammy. See, in her heart, she can tell you are her baby. It’s the only thing that makes sense really, you are tiny and new, and made of the same stuff that your mummy was, and all your grandmother can think when she takes you in her arms is that you are hers, entirely.  This makes it very difficult to understand why she is not allowed to do with you as she pleases – to ask your Mum for permission to dress or change you, and why inexplicably, you sleep with your Mum at night.  I’m proud of her (as I was of myself) for the respect she’s shown your parents in not making off with you. This love is not as fierce as your grandfathers, but it is the most enduring, determined and patient love you will ever know.

I understand, my little Maeve, about your grandparents, because Elliot took me to school on that, but I have to say that I am properly freaked out by your parents. On some level, I remain confused that my baby has a baby, and similarly boggled that your Mum has become a mother as well. I know it happened, intellectually I believe that she is indeed your parent, but it just seems so impossible.  I watched her nurse you, and snuggle you, and the way she looked at you… oh Maeve, that’s your mother for sure, and a fine one. I knew your mother when she had trouble being responsible for a hamster, and I’m happy to report that she’s grown infinitely as a person. You’re going to do just fine with her.

Let me tell you this too, ma petite, I have been around a lot of families at the beginning of their parenting journeys, and there is much you can tell about the character of a partner from how they begin the trip. It can be a difficult time – so much of those first days is about you and your mum. Really, mummies and their babies are still one person for the first little while, not yet separate from each other, and for some partners it is difficult to find a role. I took a great deal of pleasure in watching your father Maeve. Kosti is gentle and kind and clever, and while he was so good with you, he seemed to grasp from the beginning that caring for your mother was also caring for you, and the love and support he gave her while they were both learning how to do this thing was a very good thing to watch. You’ve got a good team on your side, I can see that.

Now, about your blanket.  It’s big, I know, but I have a theory about these blankets and it isn’t just that they are meant to be your baby blanket, but something you can cuddle up with your whole life- and as little as you are now, your parents are both tall, and I don’t think I’ve overshot. I chose special stitches for you Maeve – just like the ones for Hank, Luis, Frankie, Myrie, Emmett and Elliot –  your blanket is unlike any other.

In the centre is a pattern of Fir Cones – for the forests your parents love to hike all over the world. I’ve no doubt that you’re going to be a kid with a favourite tree, and enjoy the woods and the out of doors, the way your mum and dad do.

Surrounding that centre, just as you are surrounded in life – a border of ring lace, meant to signify the family that encircles you.  This, my darling girl, is the only element of the blanket appears on every one that I’ve knit. You have the great good fortune to be born into a strong, vibrant, loving family, and though so many of us live far away, never doubt that we are all around you. The blankets have it in common, because we all do.

Beyond that, suns and moons – round and whole and bright, meant to remind you that though some of your family is far away – and though you have been born into a family of travellers, and that may even take you farther, we are all under the same sky, all the time. We all see the same moon, the same sun every day, no matter where we are.

After that, snow. With a Russian father and a Canadian mother – how could snowflakes not be a theme for you? It is something your parents have in common, though they are from different places, you are a child of the North.

Finally, around the edges, some Orenberg lace, a little something for your Russian father and his family, and it is very pretty – but it has a garter stitch base so it isn’t just beautiful, it’s strong and enduring, a trait I wish for you.

Welcome, sweet Maeve. You are loved beyond all measure.

Ever yours,

Great Aunt Stephanie

(PS. Thanks for going to sleep long enough for your mum to take those last few pictures. Very thoughtful.)

How can it be the end of November already!?! It seemed like autumn barely arrived yesterday. We had a very quiet and peaceful Thanksgiving last week. My MIL stopped by for a whirlwind visit on her way to Florida. So we ended up eating Thanksgiving dinner twice (the other dinner was at my brother’s). I also had quite a bit of time to knit since no one trusted me with Turkey duty. Two socks have been cast off since we last spoke. Both have been my constant knitting companions this fall and were joys to knit. The other project finished was a quick Sockhead Hat using a beautiful fall mini’s set from Hue Loco. I am calling it my autumn fade hat. Quite appropriate since we are now heading into the busy holiday season. Time to cast on some festive Christmas socks!


Did you cook for Thanksgiving? Any holiday knitting/crafting plans?

Hello loves! Sorry for the missed Sunday post. It would seem that the cold/flu bug has bitten and I am just taking some time to feel 100% again. I hope you all had a good week and we will chat as normal this Sunday! XO, andi Andi

Well, there. Youngest daughter is not only married, but the occasion’s now been properly feted, and I can’t even tell you how trashed our house is.  Not the kind of trashed that comes from not cleaning up for a few days because you’re busy, I mean the kind of deep trashing that comes from three sisters doing their nails while searching for just the right earrings (everything from my scant collection was rejected, and in the end Megan gave Sam the ones she was wearing) while a father tries to find his cuff links and tune his guitar while another installs fairy lights all over a venue, while people drop things off, and pick things up and Pato and Ken cut signs out and Megan arranged props for the photo booth and Amanda’s trying to secretly tune a violin and there was rehearsal and sound check and all of my pairs of tights had holes and my hair was trying to come out funny and we cut and arranged all the flowers and made three kinds of salad for sixty people while there’s glitter goddamn everywhere and there’s a hairdresser doing Sam’s hair in the living room and auntie’s are being picked up and dropped off and another one is bringing over the favours and who did we think was picking up the samosas, and I baked six batches of brownies and then we had to figure out how to get a brownie tower and all the flowers to the venue and then it started to rain.   That’s what put us over the top, I think.

(A few quick shots of her shawl, what with you all caring about the knitting, I think. Pattern is Timeless, and the yarn is Shibui Lunar, beads are silver lined crystals.)

It was worth it. Every minute of it. Just look at that Bride shine.

I think it’s pretty clear, from the way I’ve chosen to live my life, that making and doing things for others is a love language for me, and it’s a value I know Joe and Ken share, and one that we’ve worked hard to instill in our children and those we’ve chosen to make our family.

I have never been more confident that I’m surrounded now by people who feel the value in it. From Sam, agreeing to have this party – one I’m not sure she wanted (hence eloping to Vegas) but going along so cheerfully to show us she loves us, and feels the love we have for her… to watching her siblings bust a move so hard to fill the day with things and people that she loves… to the gifts of music and time and energy and hand made things that were special for Sam, and for each other.

 

It was good for my heart too, to see her new husband Mike working to learn this language. He’s a good guy, that Mike, and I can tell his family shares a lot of these values, though the scale of our escapades might be a surprise to him. (Quite possibly, it was the flashmob that got him – when Joe brought out the guitar, and the gathered masses all broke into “You’ve really got me” with a lot more enthusiasm and less skill than The Kinks.)

It is in these moments that I am so proud of this little family – and I my only wish now is that we could learn to do it without trashing the house so completely. (I have washed the kitchen floor twice and I think the silver glitter may be permanent.)

PS. Amanda has been instructed to not even think about dating for a while. Or at least until I get the house clean.

In America, Thanksgiving is the ultimate weekend for leftovers. If your extended family is like mine, it's difficult to have too much turkey and too many delectable side dishes and desserts, because any remainders will be systematically gobbled up over the course of the long weekend.

In the spirit of this holiday, I've spent this weekend counting my blessings and wallowing in the basics: family, turkey, friends, turkey, dishes, turkey, errands ... and more turkey. I also seized the opportunity to indulge in some quality knitting time and to deal with leftovers of another sort.



The three pairs of warm, woolly mitts-in-progress, which have been patiently waiting for me to summon the time and attention to seam them, have finally become wearable FOs. I'll do my best to capture some modeled shots, but for now, these simple pics will have to suffice.


Meanwhile, I'm going to (try to) stay focused on the two outstanding afghans that require some finishing before they can be declared complete, along with the new projects (yes, plural) I accidentally cast on in a turkey-induced haze. If those things happen, I'll soon be able to share more FO details with you.


Connecting with the linkups in the sidebar.

www.knittedbliss.com

Black Friday is upon us, and to get into the spirit of things all my patterns are 50% off this weekend only with the code knittedbliss. Hop on over to my design page to snag yourself a deal or two! My Favourite Articles and Links This Week Classic works of art reimagined in modern times.

The post Link Love: My Favourite Things This Week appeared first on %%www.knittedbliss.com%%.

0

You know, earlier this year, when I turned 50, I wondered if this was going to be the year I finally learned a lesson or two.  (This is a separate wish than the sort I make every night, when I go to bed swearing that in the morning when I wake up it will be the start of a whole new me. The sort of me that finally cleans closets and streamlines her life and never, ever opens the fridge and thinks holy crap what is that smell, or the sort of me who always has a salad for lunch. I like to think that’s normal – as is my inability to wake up as that other person (she says, munching peanut butter toast, again.) I speak here of my failure to learn what I’ve come to think of as The French Lesson.

It’s possible I’ve told you this before, because it’s something I still struggle with (despite it being a really powerful lesson.)  When I was in grade nine, the first year with classes in different rooms of the school – something came over me, and I skipped French. I just didn’t go. Looking back I can’t even remember what I did instead of going to french, although at the time it all seemed important. It probably involved the boy next door. I was pretty deeply in love with him and everything he said seemed right. Anyway, love and complications aside, I skipped the class, and it was the first time I’d ever done it, and I knew instantly that it was the wrong thing. I felt horrible, and guilty, and that feeling stuck.  I had no idea how I was going to face the teacher after doing that, and so… I skipped the next class too.

Now the problem was huge.  I’d skipped two french classes.  Two in a row.  That was just too horrible to face, and so I skipped a third one while I tried to figure some elegant way out. You see where this is going. The whole thing, and this is still just unbelievable to me, even though I was really, really young and stupid, the whole thing culminated in my mum going to the end of term parent-teacher interviews, and the teacher had no idea who I was.  I still remember my mum asking me not just why the hell I’d skipped an entire term of french, but why on earth hadn’t I told her before she walked into the interview.  She was going to find out – in mere moments. I could have come clean, taken a minute and been all “Hey, mum. I kinda screwed up here, you’re going to find out in 39 seconds what I’ve done, so I might as well not make it worse.” Instead, I let her walk in there and knowing it was certainly all blowing up just a few metres away from me, I sat in the hall thinking “I really could have handled this better.”

Anyway, it’s turned out that some things, some approaches are thematic. They crop up over and over again in your life – and for me, this is a big one. Getting in too deep, and then getting in deeper while I try to get out is one of them,  and it turns out that turning 50 didn’t improve it at all… so here I’ve sat for the last while trying to figure out how to write to you when it’s been so long, and it’s not that I don’t have anything to tell you, it’s that I’ve let it go on for so long that now I have too much to tell you.  I have to tell you about Spain and the baby blanket and Sam’s wedding shawl and Sam’s wedding and I knit a cowl and had a retreat and I think I might be knitting more tiny things for Christmas and I need to take a million pictures and…. I’d wake up every morning and try to think about the worlds longest blog post to dig out, and then there wouldn’t be time for that post and then… The French Lesson all over again.

Then I woke up this morning and thought “$%*^ it. Maybe I just won’t be perfect.  (This is the great message of the French Lesson.  I’m still working on it.) So, here goes. Imperfection for the win.

1. I went to Spain with Joe to celebrate his 50th birthday and my 50th birthday. Together we have a century of experience. That seemed like something worth going big for.

2. It was totally worth it, except for the part where I had 9 hours at home before flying off to the November Strung Along Retreat. I had real regrets at 4am when I was back in the airport.

3. That feeling went away pretty fast when I got to the retreat and it was great.

4. I knit a bunch of stuff I haven’t taken pictures of, and I totally finished that baby blanket, and Joe mailed it for me while I was getting on and off planes, and the recipient allegedly loves it, and when I get a snap or two I’ll post about it here. Promise.

5. I’m furiously knitting Sam’s wedding shawl – her “wedding” is on Saturday. I’ve got that in quotes because it’s not really her wedding, because (in a very Sam-like move) the kid woman already took off to Vegas and got hitched. We’re just celebrating on Saturday because if you’re going to freakin’ elope, then you have to throw you family some kind of bone.

6. I think I’m going to make it. I have one row left to go and then a rather ridiculous bind off, but it still seems doable as long as I don’t buy a new dress, get my hair done or clean the house.

7. Luckily,  I don’t care much about any of those things.

8. There’s a chance Sam comes by her temperament honestly.

9. I am thinking about knitting 25 tiny things before December 1st. I have three.

10.  Yeah.

How are you?

www.knittedbliss.com

Original Pattern: Christmas in July Knitter Extraordinaire: Laura (Ravelry ID) Mods: Using the colourful yoke of the sweater pattern, Laura created a hat for her daughter instead. Details are on her project page, here. What Makes This Awesome: Ah, the colourful yoke sweater – such a great source of inspiration! Laura loves a colourful yoke,

The post Modification Monday: Christmas in July Hat appeared first on %%www.knittedbliss.com%%.

2

Happy Sunday! Another weekend arrived and I was so ready for it. How about you? Maybe it is because my knitting has increased, but this weekend was welcomed with open arms. I guess that is what happens when you make a conscience decision to include it in your everyday. Since... Andi

www.knittedbliss.com

Oh man, I was hit hard by a stomach bug this past Sunday, so sorry for anyone looking for a Mod Monday post- it took me a few days to get out of bed! But I’m all better now….. My Favourite Articles and Links This Week Technology was supposed to make things easier for us,

The post Link Love: My Favourite Things This Week appeared first on %%www.knittedbliss.com%%.

1

www.knittedbliss.com

Many of us have experienced the particular sort of heartache and disappointment of knitting something with a sumptuous 35-bucks-a-skein yarn and it turned out…. sort of blah. Or how many of us are holding onto special, expensive yarn because we haven’t found the absolute perfect pattern that would go with it – and it’s been

The post Are You a Yarn Snob? Consider Being a Yarn Omnivore appeared first on %%www.knittedbliss.com%%.

37

Oh November why do you have to be so moody and changeable? Sunny blue cold grey dark rainy all in one day....it’s enough to drive a knitter to wanting to cast on all the shiny things. Lucky for me I have a stash full of colorful yarns to chase away the seasonal blues. There’s even a few bright and cheerful wips hanging around requiring just a little attention before they are finished and ready to comfort with their cozy warmth, like these socks that were cast on a few months ago:



I am calling these my Sunbeams Socks because the combination of yarn (SpunRightRound in the shock star colorway) and the fun stitch pattern (from Japanese Stitches Unraveled) creates a fabric with tiny little sunbeams dancing all across it. Pure yarny happiness.



I also pulled out some pretty autumnal mini’s from hueloco for a faded Sockhead Hat:



And of course, the ultimate in woolly color therapy, blankets:



I hope that you are finding comfort in your knitting and crafting as the busy holiday season approaches.

Hello loves! Pattern~ The Coziest Memory Pattern. Happy Sunday to you, or whichever day you are reading this. :) How did your week treat you? Mine was a bit all over the place...good, but a bit here and there. Sometimes that is how life is, right? In the U.S. we... Andi

I've spent much of the past week playing with yarn, stitch patterns and color combos for a new shawl, but as entertaining as these diversions have been, it's time to face facts.

Two out of three pairs of woolly mitts still need to be seamed. Since I'm eager to get this fresh crop into the wearing rotation before winter hits, this is a top priority.



Unfortunately, there are also two afghans languishing in the background. Herlacyn Breeze still needs a proper blocking ...



and the red, white and blue afghan needs a border.



To complicate matters, I have a handful of patterns in near-final form. All they require is a bit of time, concentration and polish, so they can be sent off to the tech editor for review.

This list may not seem long, but we all know I get twitchy if there are too many projects in progress or hovering on the horizon. My inner adult understands this quite well, which is why she keeps reminding me to buckle down, clear the decks and focus on finishing. 

Sadly, in this particular battle of wills, my inner toddler just hums louder in an effort to drown out the nagging voices, while she drags more yarn out of the cupboard. She's having waaay too much fun swatching.


It's Veterans Day in the US, so I wanted to take a moment to thank all veterans for their service. To read more about red, white and blue holidays, click here.