Moodboard Monday - Brick

Clockwise from top left: TFA Red Label in Brick, Terracotta pullover, sunset, fox, squirrel, flowers, doorway

Brick:
Rich, warm, cozy. I used to think of this colourway as only for fall, now it reminds me of beachy sunsets and bonfires. Pairs beautifully with cooler blues and turquoises as shown by the 2 photos on the left.

Our Day at the Farm

Sara Caracristi, me & Rowan and Jenna Rose. 

Last week Chris, Rowan and I went off together on our first adventure. This adventure involved about seven hours in the car spread over two days and an overnight stay at my brother's house. It was a big deal for us and it went off without a hitch! A small step for mankind, but a huge step for Chris and I as new parents. 

The main purpose of our trip was to get together with a couple of my best friends. Last year Jenna and Jeff moved from the city to the country. They now live on a farm, own a cheese business and among other things they have 3 adorable piglets! I've mentioned Jenna here before, she is a textile artist and makes the most beautiful products with her hand dyed and screen printed fabrics under the label Jenna Rose. They've converted the old sheep barn into her studio. It's beautiful. Jeff runs the cheese business, Back Forty Artisan Cheese. His cheese is made with Sheep's milk, and are hands down the best cheeses I've ever tasted. If you're ever in an area where you are lucky enough to find them, don't even think about it, just buy them, eat them with a pear and thank me later. 

Oh, and I guess I should mention the archery! Jeff has a compound bow and of course the guys were super keen on getting a little archery lesson from him. We discovered that Chris is left eye dominant, but with a right handed bow he had to aim with his right eye (I think). Bottom line, we also discovered that Chris can't close his left eye! He's exclusively a right eye winker apparently. So Jenna rigged him this awesome bandana eye patch so he could aim with accuracy. He was a natural and hit the target every time!

Anniversary

Today marks 3 years that Chris and I have been married. I didn't have a blog post planned, but then I checked my e-mail and my cousin had sent me this photo that she took of us lounging on her deck at the cottage 2 years ago. I think that this is the first time I've seen it. I love it and I love that gorgeous man.   

TFA Tuesday - Cloud Illusions

Top Tier Knitter: Forget-Me-Knit 
Pattern: Cloud Illusions by Boo Knits

Yarn: TFA Red Label Cashmere/Silk Single in Natural.

Ravelry Project page here. 

When I spotted this shawl on Ravelry the other day it completely took my breath away and I knew that I wanted to share it. It's so light and airy. Knit up in the Red Label yarn this shawl looks incredibly soft and lush. This knit was the inspiration for yesterday's Natural moodboard. I am so drawn to bright, saturated colours that I sometimes forget how perfect a neutral, natural knit can be. Light as a cloud!

Moodboard Monday - Natural

clockwise from top left: bracelet, TFA Pink Label Lace Weight yarn in Natural, Guernsey Square blanket, knitted pottery, Rowan!, still life with garlic, star fish, I Heart Aran, baby lamb.

Natural:
Clean, crisp, pure. Lets the knitting be the star. Great for texture, lace and fresh starts. 

Rowan's very own Gramps

And the winner of this weeks giveaway is... Tanya! Congrats and thanks to all who entered.

Pattern: Gramps by TinCanKnits

Yarn: TFA Green Label Aran Weight yarn in (almost) Chris Grey and Natural.

Ravelry project page here. 

This is the very first thing that I have knit specifically for Rowan. Sure, I knit a bunch of baby knits while I was pregnant, but they were all for "the baby" that we didn't know yet. This was made with Rowan by my side, especially for him, the little dude that we know and love. 

I'm hoping that this will fit him in the fall when the weather gets cool. Look how happy he is about his new sweater! He loves it! You're welcome baby, I promise you many more hand knits to come!

Giveaway!

I was pretty excited when I noticed the other day that my Sunnyside cardigan pattern has over 1000 projects on Ravelry!!! To celebrate this exciting milestone I'm giving away a skein of Purple label Cashmere Sock yarn in Midnight to one lucky blog reader so they can knit there very own Sunnyside. 

Rowan has two Sunnyside cardigans of his own that he gets a lot of use out of. I am rather relieved that the sweater fits him so well and has proven to be such a wardrobe staple. When I designed it I didn't have a test baby to try it out on but now that I have my very own tiny knit guinea-pig I can say with authority that every baby should have a Sunnyside! Cardigans are the way to go, so easy to pop on and off. Knit in fingering weight yarn it's warm but not bulky, it fits great and is quite flexible in terms of sizing. He's been wearing this sweater since he was only a few weeks old, at first with the sleeves rolled up, then it was a little loose, now it fits quite well and soon he'll wear it with the buttons open.   

I'll be knitting him another in the next size up for the fall. I plan on making it in Midnight since Rowan has the best dark blue eyes. I doubt that they'll stay blue forever, but I might as well make them pop with a gorgeous midnight blue sweater while I still can!

So, to enter the giveaway for your chance to knit with a skein of Purple Label Midnight right along with me just leave a comment on this blog post. A winner will be announced on Friday, June 7. Cheers!

Moodboard Monday - Buttercup

Photo credits, clockwise from top left: Sproutlette Dress, TFA Green Label in Buttercup,  lady in hat, chics, fashion drawing, mason jars, rose

Buttercup:

Cheerful, innocent, refreshing and surprisingly fashion forward. 

Stitches

Well, the people have spoken and it looks like I'll be breaking out of my comfort zone and NOT knitting myself another blue sweater... instead I'll be knitting my Modified Gemini in Iris! Thanks to all who cast their vote and think that Iris is a sweater-worthy colourway. I couldn't agree more. It's going to be awesome. 

But first, I've got another knit on the needles that I'm eager to finish. I've been squeezing in a few knitting minutes here and there and am managing to make it all add up to an almost finished wee knit. It's a new design that I'm working on and I have no idea if it will work out. I'm knitting it in Lucky Penny and it's looking good so far!

TFA Tuesday - Modified Gemini

I'm sure that you've all seen the super popular and super lovely Gemini Tee design by Jane Richmond published in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Knitty. Well, this is Jane's modified version of her own pattern. She's switched up the summery cotton yarn for TFA Yellow Label DK Weight in Olive and added 3/4 length sleeves. And I have to say, I'm crazy about her mods. As you may have noticed, I don't knit much with summery yarns, I'm a wool girl. And probably because of that I don't knit many summery knits. I've knit 1 cotton tank and I wore it maybe once or twice just out of a sense of obligation. Jane's mods are right up my alley. All the beauty of the original design, the impact is all in the yoke after all,  but with the Tanis friendly 3/4 length sleeves to make it totally wool appropriate. 

Jane has provided notes on her Ravelry project page so you too can make your very own 3/4 sleeve Modified Gemini. 

Great job Jane! This is now on my list of things to knit. I'm trying to narrow down my colour choices, it's a tough call. I'm considering Iris, because it's new and pretty and I just can't get enough of it. Or frogging this knit, which I intend to frog either way, and using this really pretty One Of A Kind colourway to knit my very own Modified Gemini. What do you think?

Inevitable

I think that every knitter who has a baby goes through what I'm going through right now. The inevitable realization that your knitting time is just not what it used to be. And it's a tough pill to swallow. In the past seven weeks I have knit one sock, 2 sleeves and a collar, and a wee baby sweater. Not terrible progress, but certainly nowhere near what I'm used to. For me, I think the struggle is less about the loss of "free" time that I would have previously devoted to knitting, but more about the loss of my creative output. Knitting, designing and making things is such a huge part of who I am that without it I feel a bit lost. That sounds dramatic, I don't feel terrible or sad, I just miss having an idea and then having all the time in the world to run with it and see it through.

The good news is Rowan is thriving! He is growing like a weed, smiling like the happiest little munchkin ever, and has given Chris and I so much to be grateful for that I feel silly to be missing my stitches. 

We're getting settled in to our new life/work schedule and I can see the day coming when I will have enough energy in the evenings to stay up after Rowan has gone to sleep and get some solid knitting time in. Until then, I'm writing down every idea that pops into my head so when my creative time comes back I'll be ready to make the most of it. Look out!

I'm glad that I stocked up on baby knits before I actually had a baby! This is the only thing I've knit for my little guy in the seven weeks since he was born. Details, and maybe even modeled shots, coming soon!

Club - May 2013

Can you believe that we are already half way through the 2013 Year In Colour Club! Crazy. The May installment of the Club featured a skein of Pink Label Lace Weight yarn dyed up in the gorgeously soft and subtle Moonmist colourway. These soft shades of baby blue, lavender, pink with a bit of green are so springy. 

Julie designed this light as air Fairy Mist cowl to accompany this special skein. Wrapped loosely around the neck this cowl is a terrific spring accessory and a fun simple knit, perfect for this transitional time of year.