Not fooling around

As you might now, I spend a lot of my time working at Espace Tricot, the knitting store extraordinaire in Montreal. Also, I have weekly posts on our blog which are hopefully entertaining and informative to the readers.

Now Lisa, Melissa and I are up to more wonderful things - we are co-operating in publishing patterns for you to enjoy! They are featured on our blog and, best of all, free for you!

I am aware that this blog is my 'personal space' but I do put much work and love into my designs, so I want to share them here, too. Have a look at the first: The Ombre Tank, worked in the absolutely beautiful Habu Tsumugi Silk. This yarn is crunchy, summery and yet very soft once blocked. I very much enjoyed working with it.

 

Watch out for more to come! 

New Patterns

If you still follow my blog you know by now that I also blog over here every Monday. Today there are two new patterns available for you, if you feel so inclined.

I seem to feel quite Susie Homemaker at the moment. Here one of my latest baking attempts: Marzipan Muffins.

September!!

I know. The blog suffered once again. But a lot has happened chez Knit Stricken, and I had to prioritize.

August was very eventful. A new daycare opened at the corner of our street, and at the same time there was talk of me working part time in a yarn store (Espace Tricot) - so off I went and asked if there was a part time spot available, and it was. Egg is going to daycare three days a week now, and what can I say, I'm still not used to it. Today was especially bad, since she anticipated what was coming and was crying all the way there. Apparently she was not alone in being miserable, half of the kids there were crying, too. (I blame this effing heat. Usually they are all quite content.) I definitely have to get over the 'feeling guilty' part, I am well aware that it is futile. We're always told that she had a great time when either of us picks her up and she usually is happily playing when we arrive. And, while I am working, I don't get the time to think about it too much, so that helps!

I am also going to teach a lot of knitting classes - most of which I haven't taught before and that means a lot of preparation. I'm not saying I can't pull it off, but it is a bit scary. Then again, it's knitting, there's hardly anything else I'd rather talk about. So on to new adventures!

Last but not least, I have a design in the upcoming Twistcollective. Yes, I know it is early to talk about a new issue, but I am so excited about it! I mean, sitting here in this heat it is hard to imagine we will be wearing sweaters again soon.

Nooo, I'm not ready for my close up DAYCARE!!

More love

I don't do this very often, actually it's very rare that I do this, but today I have to.

Because we had an earthquake yesterday and Germany advanced to the next round in the Soccer World Cup, it's St Jean Baptiste and because, well, my ego is pleased:

Turns out I love them even more when you follow the pattern. (Who knew?)

Anyways. I just thought you should know and if you want to knit the Embossed Leaves Socks, too - the pattern is available in my sidebar or in my Ravelry shop.

But wait, there's more!

The "Lili & Leo" blog with information about the designs for the first booklet can be found here!

Outside!

The weather has been fabulous for Montreal in April. Whenever there is sun I get the request "outside!" and thankfully we have the outside right off our kitchen. (No sandbox yet, though. They were labeled as 'in stock' online and when we went to the shop to pick one up, they were of course not.)

This is how 'outside' might look:

Grapes taste soo much better in fresh air!

Even though it doesn't look like it, I have been working/designing. There is one piece in particular I am sort of proud of, but of course I can't show you a picture just yet. Here's a peek:


I have lots of plans - publishing some kids patterns, for example. One is being test knit as you read this, repeatedly, which means it will be hopefully ready soon.

In the meantime I have finished some knitting for myself and Egg: Hex is done, and so is a skirt and knee highs for Egg, amongst other things. I should get back to write more about what I am knitting, that might encourage finishing faster. BTW, I need to take photos of the finished Hex, once I've done that you'll get to see it, of course!

This is the Twirly skirt (ravelry link)



and these are the new knee highs:

For now Egg is still excited when I finish something for her, and accordingly very willing to try/put it on. The perfect knitter's child!

Embossed Leaves Redux

I have had a couple of inquiries why the pattern of the Embossed Leaves socks is not available online. That would be because I had not made it available - until now!

If you feel so inclined you can buy the pattern via the ravelry link on the sidebar (even when you're not a member) and get knittin'. For 5 USD CAD you receive a brand new version of the pattern with a couple of updates.




I added links to the tutorial of the tubular cast-on on my blog (since I did not use the twisted cast-on described in the other versions of the pattern) as well as a link to the sizing information.

Cutting the yarn after knitting the heel has been questioned numerous times, I eliminated that also.

Yes, I will be back to blogging without peddling my wares, I promise!

First FO of 2010 - and lots of irritation

Gaaah. I'm having a bad day because Egg is having a bad day. She just does not want to nap. And I can tell she's tired, very tired. She's cranky, needy, pick-me-uppy, whiny...It's just - I have no words.

She's also wearing my first FO of 2010 - a dress made from Noro Iro which was a Christmas present.


I don't know how, but she must be aware that I am irritated beyond anything, because after our second try to get her to nap, she came to me and smiled, said 'hello' and tried to give me kisses, all the while not wanting to nap...Gaaah.

ETA at 3.35 p.m.: I might have overreacted. A little bit.

On growing but not outgrowing

Egg has been growing like a weed - at least in my opinion. I mean, in one year she managed to add 30 cm to her height and put on about 8.5 kg of weight. So one would expect that she outgrows her clothes in no time, right?

Well, most she does, some she didn't. I wanted to put some knits away I had made at the beginning of the year and just for fun put them on her once more. And, don't you know it, they still fit without looking outgrown. I know they had been too big when I made them, but I never expected them to kinda grow with her. So if you want to knit for a baby and make sure to get some a lot of use out of what you worked hard on, try one of these (pattern to come soon):

The Tapestry Tee:

January 2009

November 2009

The Velvet Yoke:

February 2009

November 2009

I been busy

With life. You know how it goes.

With knitting. Small things for small people.

With working. Now, that's a lie. Though, it depends on what one calls 'work'. So maybe not.

Here are some of my favourite FO's:

The "Lili Kimono" - I think Egg just looks übercute in it. Two balls of Diakeito Diamusee Fine I had in my stash did the trick. I'm working on the pattern. The sample knitter is already waiting for it. And there will be a vest version, also.


This is the "Shishiza Cardigan" - it was a gift for my nephew's first birthday. It's worked from yarn from my stash.


This scarf is inspired by the "Baktus Scarf" - I modified it and as you can see it looks great as a head scarf also! This one is Malabrigo Worsted. What can I say, it's just the perfect pink.


The "Purpleneck" - Egg can totally grow into this sweater. Lorna's Laces DK Swirl Blackberry. Love it.


And, last but not least and only finished yesterday (sewing on the darn flowers!): "Flower Power". It's also large so Egg can wear it for a long while. (First thing she did was try to pick off the flowers...) It's made from Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. Who else could get away with colour combinations like that??

More than one year later

Remember last Summer when I was put on bed rest when pregnant? Some of that time was spent in the Hospital, which was no fun at all. While being there Mary and Molly Ann brought me two skeins of Schaefer Anne, which is one of my all time favourite sock yarns. They even brought me a set of dpns to get knitting. Problem was, I didn't feel like knitting socks.

So after looking through some pattern books which Rolf brought me I cast on for what I thought a small cardigan. I had to think of that baby in my belly a lot, after all. It turned out a bit large, I thought Egg might be able to wear it in Spring, but it is only now that it fits. I didn't use the whole skein, and it's quite loosely knit on a 3.5 mm needle. The body is a lace pattern and the sleeves have garter ridges, that can be found in the raglan decreases also.

Here, have look again:

We're still knitting

This is "Evangeline", a cardi knit in bulky yarn with a leaf pattern edge. It knits up real quick, I did it in two days.



Egg likes it, too.


Find the download link for the free pattern in the sidebar. Or click here.

There's a new book in town

The Joy of Sox. I have a pattern in it. It's called Royal Flush and there are twisted stitches involved. Hope you like!

Hey you!

Stop taking pictures! Yes, I mean you, Mommy!!

Egg has learned to point with her finger. She does it all the time now. She also waves bye bye - when she feels like it.

In the meantime I'm working on the re-release of my patterns previously published in Interweave Knits. Hooray, I get to knit all of the samples again...

I am also excited about my first knit night tonight in a loong while! Egg is staying home with her daddy and I get to go out and knit, I mean, really knit! And talk. Without the distraction of constantly having to rescue wares in the shop and other babies. Me time. Yay!

Kamouraska

I am very pleased to announce that I have a pattern for sale!

“Where the rushes grow on the edge of the water” - that’s how the Natives named the place in Québec, famous for the novel of the same name by Anne Hébert and even now called one of the most beautiful villages in the province.

Left and right of the small pattern rivulet in the middle of this shawl, the leafy pattern – while not exactly rushes - ‘grows’ row by row into the triangles that will envelop your shoulders and keep them warm. I deliberately did without a scalloped edge and finished with a picot bind-off since I do like to wear my shawls as scarves – they get scrunched up and worn in damp weather, and there is nothing more futile than a lovingly blocked scalloped edge that gets rained or snowed upon.

The pattern includes instructions for the lace weight version as well as the fingering weight version. I used my hand spun lace weight but any lace weight yarn with 640 yds or more is enough to knit the smaller version. For the larger version I used two balls of Silk Garden Sock yarn, about 600 yds.


Measurements, approximately:
smaller version 58” (from tip to tip)x22”
larger version 70” (from tip to tip)x26”


You can buy the pattern as direct download in my ravelry store if you feel so inclined, or click on the 'add to cart' button on the sidebar and pay by Paypal. I'll send you an email with the pfd of the pattern after payment is received.

Many thanks to Mary and Jessie for playing model and allowing me to take pictures!

Velvet Yoke

Hi there, Egg here.

My Mom finished some knitting some time ago, and now she makes me show it off. It was fun for a while.

See, looking cute and all.

Then she wouldn't stop.

One picture after another. I told her  I had enough. 

Mom, you irk me. This is irksome. I'm leaving. 

Coulda Shoulda Woulda

When I started this little project I shoulda contemplated the yardage and size a bit longer - I probably woulda figured that the yarn lasts further than I imagined and then I coulda knit the sleeves long to begin with. As it is, I decided to knit kind of 3/4 sleeves - which, as it turns out, look a bit funny on a three month old. Alas, as Robbie Williams says: No regrets, they don't work.

I present to you the "Fire Tee".

Like the cat?

No puke on this one yet, but Egg wore it only for taking the pictures.

It took less than two skeins of Rabbit Ridge Designs Superwash DK wool, colorway Fire. (Ravelry link)

Tapestry Tee

Two balls of Rowan Tapestry can make a cute little layering piece for Baby.



It's a bit large yet, Egg looks like a linebacker. I figure the size is more 6-9 months.



Egg likes it. She showed her appreciation by puking on the new piece about five minutes after I put it on her.

It's a fun little knit, all in one piece with little finishing work. Once I get the time I'll write down the pattern.

There's knitting to be had

Yes, indeed I have been knitting. Yesterday I even figured out a way to nurse and knit at the same time. (No, I'm sure you don't want to know the particulars but there was a pillow and a ball of yarn involved.) It's easier now that Egg is a bit older.

I made fingerless mitts for Nadine. They are made of a fluffy, very light yarn from a company I forgot and I can't find the ball bands. One ball is 25 grams, I got two in different colours and have about 10 g left of each. The yardage of this yarn is unbelieveable.



I knit a pair of socks for her, too. (Nadine has small feet. Knitting socks for her is quick and dirty, if you know what I mean.) They are made from Mountain Colors Bearfoot, which is one of my favorites.



There's a cute little boy's sweater with cables. A Christmas gift for a cute little boy I know. It's a pattern from the Reynolds Kids booklet No 82467 for Fall 2008. This one is knit with Adrienne Vittadini "Lisa" (sadly discontinued) but the original calls for Reynolds "Hop Scotch" which is a thick'n thin superwash wool and very soft.



The next picture shows a raglan for Egg in progress, but in reality it's done - it just needs some snap buttons. I'll take a picture of Egg wearing it once they are attached. It's made of Reynolds Cottontail and uses only 3 balls for the 6 month size.



And, my latest adventure: the Tapestry Tee for Egg with the infamous Embossed Leaves pattern. I'm up to the armholes. Let's see how quickly I can finish it.


Oh, and can you see the little heart stitch marker? Isn't that the cutest thing? It's Japanese and comes in a package with three different sizes. I couldn't resist.

Time to fess up

Christy V. wants to know how I came up with the name "Oolong" for the socks in the current Twist collective edition.

Well, dare I say it, I did not. At the time of name giving I was very troubled with pregnancy woes, so I couldn't care less about the name of a pair of socks. Clever Julia though found exactly what I would have wished for, so Christy and you all have to thank her for the naming of the pattern and I'll be forever thankful that she thought of such a wonderful name.