Knitting-a-long with Tanis and Glenna

Another fun thing I missed out on sharing this fall, was a KAL (Knit-a-long) using Glenna C patterns and Tanis Fiber Arts yarns.  I forget what started it but in the Tanis Ravelry group we started chatting about using Glenna's patterns (specifically The Urban Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) for Tanis' yarn and before we knew it we were all in for a KAL. 

For my part I managed to finish two projects for the deadline.  The first was the Armour Road Socks using TFA Yellow Label in Paprika (a OOAK color from an Etsy update in the summer) and the Charlotte Street Mitts in TFA Purple Label in Autumn Sun (a Year in Colour Club offering from September 2011).

I did finish the second sock, later that week.

They were fun knits and I LOVE making DK weight socks, I see many more pairs in my future (especially with KnitPicks Felici Sport discontinued) as they are a fun quick knit and so very warm. I knit the mitts a bit too larger (after many years of too tight gauge this was a bit of a surprise) but I don't care.  They are really soft and so comfortable so I carry on. Also, I still have a half-skein of the Purple Label so I will probably make another pair of fingerless mitts (a different pattern) because this yarn is just so darn nice.

I'm grateful for the KAL because it encouraged me to knit up patterns that had been lingering pretty far down in my queue and yarns that have been marinating in the stash for a while (well one of them ...)

There is another TFA KAL going on right now, however I don't have any projects entered.  I have too many non-TFA knitting commitments right now (including three Christmas stockings and a pair of socks for my mom, all of which are in various stages of completion) but I am really enjoying seeing the WIPs and FOs in the TFA Ravelry group. I hope my queue is cleared up so I can participate in the next KAL because they are a bunch of fun.

Two weeks, three pairs

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="3096,3098,3099"] After not finishing a pair of socks for me since last August (during the Ravellenic Games) I finished up two pairs of socks for me and a pair for my sister Carla.

I love making socks, but it took a little kick in the pants to finally get back into the swing of things. I find them the perfect project.  They are small projects (meaning they are quick to finish when I actually work on them), but they can be intricately detailed (but they are knit in the round so all knits), and they eventually wear out which means you can keep making more.  I'm finding I'm reaching critical mass of scarves, shawls and stoles, they spend far too much time in a chest by the door and I forget to wear them.

So I've already cast on for my next two pairs, because I really need to alway have a pair on the go.

FO: Waterloo and Ottawa Baby Sweaters

As I mentioned a while back I have two cousins both expecting babies last month.  Back in February, over Family Day Weekend, my Aunt hosted a joint baby shower for Heather and Lara at my mom's house in Parry Sound. There were about 40 family members and it was a great chance to see some of my cousins I hadn't seen in a couple of years.

The shower had a book theme and I gave both copies of Brambly Hedge, one of my favorite books as a kid.  However, as a knitter I couldn't resist adding some handknit woolies to the parcel.  I pulled out the Puerperium Cardigan pattern which is quickly becoming my go-to baby knit.  It is quick, can be done from a single skein of DK weight yarn and gets good reviews from moms.  I've been considering getting more of Kelly Bookers patterns for kids, because these babies are going to grow up (rumor has it) and I really like the way she writes and formats her patterns.

Neither of these babies has made their arrivals yet, but I'm looking forward to meeting these new additions to my already large extended family (I'm 7th of 14 grandchildren).  I'm glad to know that they will have wooly goodness and that I have a go-to pattern for the babies that will continue to show up in the years to come.

_______________________________________

Projects: Waterloo Puerperium and Ottawa Puerperium

Pattern: Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts, Yellow Label in Spearmint and Pink Grapefruit

FO: Sleep Tech Dressy

I had been holding this post back in hopes of getting better pictures of the socks, but now I'm back in Bracebridge and the socks have already been worn several times, so we go forward with the pictures I was able to take in my dark apartment.

For me knitting fits well into the old adage "if I like you, I'll do it for free and if I don't, not for all the money in the world".  So giving Jim, Carla's boyfriend of about 6ish months, a pair of socks for Christmas shows that I'm happy he is dating my sister.

This was another project I completed during the November TFA KAL along with the Winter Bloom and Moonset shawls. And these make 13th pair of socks for the year, which is quite impressive if I say so myself.

Now, these socks were half of a "Gift of the Magi" like scenario.  I gave these socks to Jim made from an exclusive OOAK Tanis club color way and Jim got me a skein of TFA Blue Label in Cranberry.  If you are a TFA fan and wondering why you aren't familiar with Cranberry, thats because it was the November 2011 club skein.  I used it this spring to make Staked, however, after many months I had to admit I had made them way too small and gave them to Carla.

 But I loved the skein and wished I could get another, but I know they are few and far between and I didn't want to make the effort to hunt down a skein.  However, Jim (and Carla by proxy) was able to get a skein from Tanis.  I'm not sure where she conjured it up from, but she helped make for a very special Christmas surprise for me.

I know Jim likes his socks and I hope that it is the first of many pairs I make for him, as he seems to be a really great guy and he seems to make my sister happy, which in turn makes me happy.

- Details -

Project Name: Sleep Tech Dressy

Pattern: Business Casual Socks by Tanis Lavallee

Recipient: Jim

Yarn: TFA Blue Label in Truffle (January 2012 Year in Colour Club)

Modifications:

• One less leg repeat, which is good because I would have run out of yarn

New Skills:

• None, I'm really starting to get a handle on sock knitting

Feedback:

• Yarn - Blue Label is fast becoming my favorite sock yarn, and was perfect for this pattern and recipient.
• Pattern - Clean and simple.  I am getting to a point with socks where I use the designers pattern as a jumping off point that I can tinker with to make them fit well.

Re-Knit?: Just maybe, because the choices for man socks are few and far between and this is a nice pair.

FO: Winter Bloom

This might be one of my most favorite FOs of the year, tied with Moonset, both are soft, beautiful and fun to knit and wear. I was really down on shawls for a while because I wasn't sure how to wear them, and also my gauge issues made all shawls into shawlettes which makes them even harder to wear.

Now that I'm better with gauge and learning how to adapt patterns when I'm not making things to finished sizes.

Not only did I think this was a great project but I was also able to win 3 skeins of Sweet Fiber Yarns Haven in Spanish Coin in a KAL.  Sure it was a random draw that won me the yarn, I like to believe it was how beautiful the shawl is.

I love supporting Canadian dyers (Tanis, Quebec) and designers (Melissa, British Columbia) and it's even better when it turns out this beautifully.

- Details -

Project Name: Winter Bloom Shawl

Pattern: Autumn Bloom by Melissa Thompson of Sweet Fiber Designs

Recipient: Mine, mine, all mine

Yarn: TFA Orange Label in Frost

Modifications:

• None

New Skills:

• Knitting shawl edging sideways and picking up the body stitches - it worked fine and I'm happy to do it again.

Feedback:

• Yarn - OMG, Orange Label (merino/cashmere/silk) is fantastic.  Soft and sleek without being too heavy.
• Pattern - This was the first time working one of Melissa's patterns, and it was great.  I look forward to working more of her patterns as she releases more in the future, as well as the fun ones from earlier.

Re-Knit?: Just maybe, it is really quite nice and lots of fun to make.