Tanis Fiber Arts

Stripes

2012-02-01T11:56:00.001-05:00

For a while now I've had this idea for a little layering piece I'd like to knit. I had been planning on doing it in a solid, but then I got the urge to cast on immediately, didn't have enough of the colourway I wanted in stock and would have to dye more. Because I'm impatient and couldn't wait for the yarn to be dyed and dried before casting on, and since this whole thing happened hot off of the heels of my new awesome srappy socks, I decided to do it in stripes! This time I was more deliberate with my choice of colours. I still tried to keep it random-ish, but also balanced.

The thing that I always find when knitting gorgeous stripes like this is that the wrong side of the fabric looks just as good as the right side. I'm always tempted to throw a wrench into the whole operation and go ahead and call the inside the outside. This time I actually did it! FO photo's coming soon, as well as the pattern for this "little layering number". I'm obsessed.

TFA Tuesday: PikaCatnip Socks

2012-01-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Catnip Socks

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Blue Label Fingering Weight in 'Sunset'

Top Tier Knitter: Jen (Ravelry ID, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: You know, I sometimes feel a little sorry for non knitters. Non knitters don't know how awesome it is to have lace socks. Especially handmade lace socks that are done up in a gorgeous colour like Sunset. Jen's socks are awesome- they are really what great hand knit socks should be- a work of art! Her project page with lots more photos can be found here.

Perfect Lazy Sunday

2012-01-29T13:49:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while it's really nice to take a day and completely tune out. Sure, I've popped in to write a quick blog post, but other than this I'll be spending the day curled up on the sofa with my pup, reading a book from start to finish. Weekends are so often spent running errands and doing projects that you're too busy to do during the week, taking a day off from everything is such a sweet luxury. Chris is drawing, I'm reading, Stella is enjoying having some company on the sofa, life is good.

Hope you all set a little time aside to be lazy today!

Business Casual KAL Socks

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a little bit behind on my January KAL projects. I had wanted to knit a pair of socks and a Sunnyside Baby sweater. The socks are finished, but the sweater hasn't even been cast on yet. I've still got a week left, I think I can do it! I'm still smitten with this pattern, sure there are a lot of crossed cables, but the resulting diamond shape relief is worth it.

Considering this is my own pattern you'd think I'd be able to get it right... the socks are the same size, but I centered the heel 8 sts over on the second sock and ended up with the diamonds lining up differently on the toe. Oops! Nobody would really notice, I sometimes like little mistakes like this that remind me that these cherished knitted items really are one of a kind!

Knit in TFA Purple Label Cashmere sock yarn in Deep Sea. Ravelry project page.

TFA Tuesday: Snowstorm

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Driven

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran weight in 'Sand'

Top Tier Knitter: Tammy (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: Classic, timeless cardigans like this deserve a classic, timeless colour like Sand, which is the perfect balance between grey and cream and pretty much goes with everything. I love everything Tammy chose to do with this knit- the effortless styling just looks so perfect when you've got a gorgeous, comfy cardigan like this to wear during the chilly months. I want one now, too! Her project page can be found here.

Backyard Studio

2012-01-23T09:41:00.001-05:00

I haven't blogged much about our backyard studio. I'm really eager to share it with you all, but it's just not quite ready yet. I'm learning that a lot of renovation projects seem to work this way, you get 99% of the project done on time, and then linger for weeks or even months over the last 1%. Our studio is just missing a few final touches and then it will be ready for us to move in. I'm really looking forward to it.

Terracotta Pattern

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

You've been getting sneak peek's of this sweater for months now. I knit this sample while on vacation this summer, and ever since the weather started cooling off in the fall I've been wearing it. I don't know what made me wait so long to finally release the pattern, I've just been busy I guess!

The idea for this luscious, cowl neck pullover came to me last year, around the time that I was planning my I Heart Aran sweater. In fact, I even swatched the cable cast off on the same little swatch that I worked out my cable pattern for I Heart Aran, funny! Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE a good turtleneck. I live in them as soon as it gets cold enough. I wanted a big, draping neckline and I wanted it to have a cool, cable cast off to make it extra special. Because I envisioned the cowl to be the star I kept the rest of the details simple, incorporating the cable into the ribbing and the raglan decreases for an added hit of knitterly fun.

My mom test knit the pattern for me (thanks mom!) Her version looks gorgeous and I'll be posting photo's of it here soon. She's been wearing it almost very time I've seen her in the past couple of weeks, which I take as a very good sign.

This sweater is knit in the round from the bottom up. There is a bit of waist shaping but it meant to fit comfortably and casually, not too fitted.

$6.00 CAD

Details:

Size: 30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 44, 48, 52)" at bust.

Yarn: 5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9) skeins Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK Weight yarn (100% superwash merino; 115g = 260yds) sample shown in Brick colourway.

Needles: 3.75 mm 24" circular needle and set of 4 dpn's

4 mm 24" circular needle and set of 4 dpn's

Or size needed to obtain gauge and length that is comfortable for you.

Gauge: 22 sts and 28 rows in 4" in stockinette st on larger needle.

Additional Tools and Materials: stitch marker, waste yarn or stitch holders, tapestry needle.

Ravelry Pattern Page here.

January KAL- the First Wave of FOs!

2012-01-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

The Tanis Fiber Arts January KAL is in full swing, and the groups have lots ofFOs already under their belts! check out these amazing knits:

BlueberryHill's Nepal Wrap:

marysel's Winter Four Seasons Hat:

barbn77's Walnut Grove:

tvknits Cusp Socks, Business Casual Socks, and Buttons Cowl:

pfong001's Guppy Skirt:

Tanisfiberarts Business Casual Socks:

YarnandYarns' A Thousand Splendid Moons Cowl:

Kiara08's Autumn Winter Hat:

rdtebby's Lava Cowl:

GreenBeanString's Buttons Cowl and Earmwarmer:

MaryKnits7's Aquarium Socks:

trimblair's Shadow in Shadow:

It's so impressive to see all these beautiful knits already! I've got to get mine finished as well today is the halfway point, only two more weeks to go!

TFA Tuesday: Cria

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Cria

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label DK Weight, in 'Shadow'

Top Tier Knitter: Yvonne ( Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I love everything about this sweater- the fit is great, the colours are gorgeous, and the sleeve detail is flawless- look at those perfect buttons, like little moons on the sleeve. This sweater makes me fall in love with the Shadow colourway all over again! Details on her project can be found here.

Possibly the world greatest socks

2012-01-16T12:18:00.000-05:00

Yup, these socks are pretty awesome. I am really glad I got the urge to drop everything and knit these last week. Sure, there were a lot of ends to weave in, but I don't mind sewing in ends, it's just another type of needlework that I get to enjoy. And in the case of these socks, it was deffinitely worth the effort.

Knit in TFA Yellow Label DK, these knit up really quickly on 3.25mm dpn's. I knit them top down, I cast on 56 sts, and then decreased down to 48 for the foot because though I am fine with a slightly slouchy leg, I wanted a snug fit throughout the foot. I knit in stripes and super simple fair isle motifs as the mood struck me. I had no rules, I just tried to use as many colours as possible and make the second sock as bright and fun as the first.

These socks are probably too big to wear with my winter boots on a daily basis, but I'm sure they would come in handy if I were to spend the day outdoors tobogganing or cross country skiing. For now I'm just wearing them around the house and am very, very happy everytime look down at my feet and see these colourful gems.

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just get an urge to cast on for something awesome and crazy right this second. I have other WIP's that are also awesome, but for some reason last weekend I was overcome with the desire to knit myself a pair of crazy, funky, slouchy, cozy heavy socks. I'm using every colour I have in my leftover dk scraps bin, and I'm knitting whatever pattern I feel like. Sometimes just stripes, sometimes a little simple fair isle if the mood strikes. This sock makes me very happy.

Happy Friday! I hope to have a pair of crazy mismatched socks by Monday. :)

Henslowe + Red Label = Love

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is my first official FO of 2012! It would have been my last official FO of 2011, but I made a stupid mistake on the set up row of the border and realized on the 31st of December that I had to rip and re-knit the entire border, so I spent the whole day on January 1st doing just that. And now it's finished, and now it's perfect!

This is the Henslowe Shawl pattern by my new fave Beth Kling knit in TFA Red Label Cashmere Silk Singles in the Frost colourway. Frost was last years inaugural TFA Year In Colour Club colourway and I totally love it. It's soft and grey and blue and though I think that this version might be even softer and greyer than the original I love it all the same. With a little more practice to make sure that I can get it just I way I want it in all the TFA yarn bases, this colourway is well on it's way to making it into the TFA collection full time.

This shawl is a really nice balance of interesting and simple. The construction is really neat, but none of the steps or stitches are overly complicated or require too much focus. The garter stitch body stands up really nicely and is the perfect textural pairing for the light and airy lace. It's also completely reversible and let me tell you, in this yarn... it's like buttah! I'm obsessed.

Ravelry project page.

TFA Tuesday: Christmas Flower

2012-01-10T08:30:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Flower Hat

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Blue Label Fingering Weight in 'Garnet'

Top Tier Knitter: Rosie (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: This is a really gorgeous hat, the kind that people ask you 'where did you get that?' when you wear it, thanks to that amazing flower. I think the colour choice is spot on for this hat- a beautifully rich colour is perfect for winter. I want one in the same colour now! Project page can be found here.

Perfection in a teeny-weeny cardigan

2012-01-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

Some time before Christmas I knit a second (but certainly not my last) Gramps cardigan. I love this wee little sweater more than I can say! It's still missing buttons, and it hasn't been blocked, but I'll to all that eventually. The photo doesn't really do the colourway justice. I used leftovers from Chris' Brownstone Pullover, the blue/gray is a bit lighter and softer in real life. Love. This. So. Much. Raveled with a few more details and mods here.

Wishing everyone a great weekend. I snapped this photo of a few skeins of yarn sitting on a window ledge in my office the other day. The soft shades of grey and blue looked so soothing and lovely in the winter light.

TFA January 2012 KAL!

2012-01-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

At the stroke of midnight on January 1st we officially kicked off the first Tanis Fiber Arts KAL! It's not too late to sign up, just join the Ravelry group, pick a project that you plan to knit in TFA yarn and sign up in the appropriate group.

I'm using this KAL as an incentive to knit some of my own patterns. I've already finished one Business Casual sock, knit in Purple Label in the Deep Sea colourway, and I hope to knit at least one Sunnyside baby sweater as well. Since the projects I've chosen are small, I'm giving myself an added mini challenge of finishing one item per week (one sock counts as one item, so I've got two weeks for the pair of socks). So hopefully I'll have at least 4 FO's by the end of the month!

I didn't do an end of year/beginning of the new year wrap up, I always find these big transitional moments a bit overwhelming, but in a good way! I feel the same way in the Spring when I'm all motivated to do some spring cleaning and organize my life, and then in the Fall when I always feel like the year really begins (I guess I still go by the school year calender in my head.) The idea of a clean slate and a fresh start is appealing, and I do like to set goals for myself. I'm not really one for big resolutions, I make the same simple ones every year, to try and be better and make the most of every opportunity in work and in life. I have a good feeling about 2012, I'm not sure why, the number just has a good ring to it. I felt the same way about 1996, nothing momentous happened for me in '96, but I always think of it as having been a really good year... 2012 feels really balanced, I think that's the key.

2011 was a great year, I knit a lot, designed more than I ever knew I would, and managed to get through my first very exciting year of the TFA Year in Colour Club. Though I didn't make any big new years resolutions, I do have a secret list of goals that I hope to achieve in 2012, and I think that 2011 has set me up very nicely to make it happen.

TFA Tuesday: Tudor Grace

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Tudor Grace

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Blue Label Fingering Weight in 'Dove'

Top Tier Knitter: Jennifer (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: Dove is no ordinary shade of grey- with the hints of blues and purples, it has a lot of dimension and is perfect for a lacy scarf like this. I love Jennifer's choice of pattern- the scarf looks so elegant and timeless. And I'm a little envious of all her lovely, snow too!

Millwater inspired

2011-12-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

While perusing Ravelry before the holidays for a great (and portable) travel project to bring with me, I stumbled upon Beth Kling's Millwater pattern. This infinity scarf is beautiful, lush and cushy, everything that you need in a winter knit. I knit mine with two skeins of Madelinetosh 80/10/10 worsted mcn in The Alizarin colourway, I've had these skeins in my stash for ages and am really happy to have found the perfect 2 skein project for them.

Full disclosure - I didn’t purchase the pattern for this lovely infinity scarf because I was pretty sure that I could get the look without the pattern. The big luscious, off-center, reversible cable on a background of crisp garter stitch is brilliant. I can’t comment on the pattern, but I can say that the design is definitely inspiring! I spotted a few other great patterns in Beth's Ravelry store and have already cast on for a Henslowe in TFA Red Label. Don't you love discovering new designers?

Our holidays

2011-12-29T10:21:00.001-05:00

Chris and I spent the holidays out East with my family. It was beautiful and perfect! We were never less than 18 people, we stayed at two cottages side by side. We spent our days playing with my cousins kids, going on long winter walks by the ocean, building snow men, having snow ball fights, playing board games, watching movies, knitting, baking, cooking, eating, drinking... Amazing.

When we go to the cottage in the summer, the beach is full of the friends and family who all migrate East to the shore for their summer holidays, but in the winter there is barely a soul there. It felt like the whole landscape was just for us to enjoy. I couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas.

We have a tradition in my family where "the kids" (some of the kids now have kids of their own!) get to open one gift on Christmas eve, that gift is always pj's. This year my cousin found a store that sells adult onesies, so we all got matching fluorescent, plaid one-piece pj's and put them on immediately. It was absolutely hilarious! My cousin's might kill me for posting this picture on the internet, but it's just too funny to pass up!

Hope all of your holidays were as merry and bright as mine!

TFA Tuesday: Cinder

2011-12-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Cinder

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Geen Label Aran Weight in Chestnut

Top Tier Knitter: Lorraine (Ravelry Id)

Totally Awesome Because: This is such a great pattern and yarn combination- I love how the Chestnut colourway looks in the thick ribbing and cables, and is such a great scarf colour that really speaks of autumn days and brightly coloured leaves. Such a fantastic job, I love this scarf!

Cobalt Julissa

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I cast on extremely enthusiastically for this sweater back in November! I had the body done in that first weekend, and then got distracted by other deadlines and had to wait a few more weeks before I could finish the sleeves. Now that it's done, it was totally worth the wait! This sweater is da bomb!

Ravelry project page here.

Knit in TFA Green Label Aran Weight Yarn in the Cobalt colourway. I alternated skeins throughout the body, but didn't find I had to on the sleeves. I kept checking for pooling since Cobalt is one of my more variegated shades, but it was working up nicely and thankfully I could knit happily from one skein at a time.

I'm crazy about the details in this pattern. The cables, the lace, the bracelet length sleeves and the slightly wide neckline... the teal tank peaking through that bright cobalt blue (ok, that was my styling decision, not the pattern, but I love that detail!) Oh, and maybe my favorite detail of all, the cable down the sleeves! Yup, this sweater is pretty much a home run in my books. :) Hats off to the designer Vanessa Smith.

I've been wanting to knit myself a sweater in this bright blue colourway forever, because after all, blue is totally my colour and the fact that I didn't have a Cobalt sweater was a tragedy. Now that I do, I know that I'll be wearing it a lot.

Happy Christmas to me!

Business Casual Sock Pattern - Free!

2011-12-20T17:18:00.002-05:00

My dad is the best and he deserves custom designed socks for Christmas. I've done it once before, and I think that this may become a new Christmas tradition! This year I decided that dad needed a pair of cool, preppy socks. So I designed these faux-argyle cabled socks. You get the fun diamond shapes of argyle, but without all that tricky stranded knitting and with the added bonus of lots of cool texture!

If you too have a cool dad (or mom, or sibling, or friend) who needs a smart pair of socks, why not knit them some Business Casual socks!? I think I may cast on for a pair for myself next. :)

Knit in TFA Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn one skein is plenty for a pair of socks (small or large). Kick it up a notch and make them extra luxurious by knitting them in TFA Purple Label Cashmere sock yarn! The socks pictured here (which are already wrapped up and under the Christmas tree for dad) were knit in the Atlantic colourway.

As an early holiday gift from me to you I've made this pattern available for free!

download now

Ravelry pattern page here.

Happy holidays!

TFA Tuesday: St. James

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: St. James

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Deep Sea'

Top Tier Knitter: Tasia (Ravelry Id, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: There is something so lovely about this gorgeous shade of blue knitted up in stockinette, don't you think? It reminds me of actual water flowing. I love this simple knitted tee- I bet it goes with absolutely everything, and looks so pretty with Tasia's dark hair. Her project page can be found here.

Gramps cardigan

2011-12-16T10:42:00.003-05:00

I went to a very dear friend's baby shower last weekend. Of course, as a knitter, when I hear the words "baby" and "shower" in the same sentence I get all giddy and excited and start planning for some awesome baby knits. Knitting for babies is one of my very favorite things. You get all the satisfaction of having a great FO, but with the added bonus of it being super fast, and oh so wee and adorable!

The couple is having a baby boy. I wanted to knit the perfect little old man sweater and I am beyond thrilled with how great this little number turned out. This is the Gramps cardigan pattern from 9 months of knitting, a great little e-book with lots of really cute patterns. There are several patterns out there for similar baby-shawl-collar-sweaters, but the reason I like this one so much is because the proportions work out perfectly with my Green Label Aran Weight yarn. I've knit the Baby Sophisticate pattern in the past, but since it calls for a chunkier gauge I wasn't happy with the way it looked in my aran weight, I think that it would need a few mods to come out nicely, while this one seems like it was tailor made for TFA Green Label.

I added stripes, because I wanted to use up a few odd bits of yarn that I had laying around, stripes are always great for stash busting and, of course, all babies look great in stripes! The coordinating Hunter hat makes this outfit complete.

I have a few other expecting moms in my life, I have a feeling I'll be knitting a couple more of these adorable sets!

Ravelry project page with more details here.

TFA Tuesday: Anna's Scarf

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: 28's Cousin 53!

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in 'Dove'

Top Tier Knitter: Miriam (Ravelry Id, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: This is a great match of yarn and pattern- yarns that have more tonal variances in them (like Dove, shown here) look extra awesome when knit up in highly textured patterns, so that the wonderful swirls of lavender and periwinkle meld beautifully with the shades of grey. This scarf reminds me so much of a Monet painting, don't you think? Project page is here.

Stella's Dino Wee Balaclava!

2011-12-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

I was so inspired by the TFA Tuesday post featuring Pauline's awesome Dino Wee Balaclava that I went ahead and cast on for my own version and used her great notes to add the dino spikes. Though Stella makes an awesome model, this hat is actually a gift for my little cousin.

I knit mine in Olive with Lemongrass spikes and it definitely looks very dinosaury to me, perfect for a 3 year old boy.

Am I the only one who finds these photo's of Stella absolutely hilarious!? She's so used to wearing sweaters in the cooler months that she wasn't phased in the least when I put this balaclava on her. She totally cracks me up. She makes my day.

Cabled Canuck and Windward Hat patterns!

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been dropping hints that I was working on a couple hat patterns lately, and here they are! Introducing Cabled Canuck knit in Green Label Aran Weight yarn.

And the Windward hat knit in Yellow Label DK Weight yarn.

Both hat patterns are now available for sale in my ravelry store and would make fantastic Christmas gifts (there may be one or two lucky people on my Christmas gift giving list who will be receiving one of these hats this year!) Both are 1 skein wonders and fit a variety of head sizes well.

Cabled Canuck is a warm and lusciously cabled beanie, the neatest part about this pattern is how the cables all come together to form a flower on the top of the crown. Even with a flower, I think that this pattern would work really well for men too, Chris says he wants one knit in Chestnut.

Details:

Size: One size fits most - 19"-23" head go up a needle size and extend ribbing for a larger hat.

Yarn: 1 skein TFA Green Label Aran Weight yarn 115g = 205 yds. Sample shown in the Dove colourway.

Needles: 4.5mm 16" circular (or dpns)

5mm 16" circular

5mm dpns

Gauge: 4.5 sts = 1 inch in reverse stockinette

Ravelry pattern page here.

$4.00 CAD

Windward is versatile, offering both a beanie and a slouchy option. The fabric created by my favorite zigzag lace motif is light yet still warm, it makes for a really stretchy and comfortable hat. It features a double brim, so your ears are always covered in a really cushy fabric, which I love. And of course, the decreases (aren't they the best part of any hat?) these ones come together to create a star.

Details:

Size: One size fits most :: brim is 19” in circumference for both hats, beanie is 8” tall, slouch is 10” tall unstretched. Since the entire hat features a ribbed pattern it is very stretchy and fits a variety of head sizes well.

Yarn: 1 skein TFA Yellow Label DK Weight yarn 115g = 260 yds. Samples shown in a One of a kind colourway and Sand.

Needles: 3.75mm 16" circular (or dpns)

4mm 16" circular

4mm dpns

Gauge: 24 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in windward lace pattern after blocking.

Ravelry pattern page here.

$4.00

You've still got time to pick out 1 special skein from your stash and cast on for another gift!

New Knitty Pattern: Velvet Morning

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

The newest edition of Knitty has just gone live, and I'm so excited to share Julie's newest design in TFA yarn: Velvet Morning!

The pattern features Green Label Aran weight, and Julie's version has Midnight as the base colour, and three contrasting colours: Sand, Mallard, and Atlantic. My light grey version features the base colour Sand, and the contrasting colours are Lilac, Plum and Dove. It's really neat to see the contrast of how it looks as a dark blue sweater and as a light grey sweater- and it looks great both ways.

It was so much fun to test knit the Sand version, the colours are amazing (Julie was inspired by eye shadow palettes when she came up with this colour combo, isn't that brilliant?) I've worn it so much already. It's just a great comfy, cozy cardigan, the kind that I love to grab on chilly mornings. Great job Julie!

We took these photo's on a warm but rainy day in August! I spent a lot of time trying to tame my ever frizzing hair and keep the wind from blowing it in my face, we ended up with a lot of shots like this:

I kind of like it!
Ravelry project page here.

TFA Tuesday: Dino Wee Balaclava

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Wee Balaclava

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Orange Blossom'

Top Tier Knitter: Pauline (Ravelry Id)

Totally Awesome Because: Pauline recently finished a gorgeous trio of of hats for her three beautiful little girls, and it was so hard to choose one to ask to feature for today! This little dinosaur theme balaclava is just too cute- I love the addition of the rainbow dinosaur spikes (and Pauline put great instructions for achieving the same dino spikes on her project page), and the bright colours make this such a fun hat. I bet this is amazing for keeping wee ones nice and warm in the winter, plus they'll be the cutest little dinosaur around!

January 2012 KAL

2011-12-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

We are putting together a January 2012 Knit/Crochet Along! Head on over to the Ravelry group to join in on the fun. Now that it’s December 1st and we have 31 days until the KAL officially begins, let’s set out the parameters! We are going to try organizing things by yarn label:

Green Label Group
Yellow Label Group
Blue Label Group
Pink Label Group
Silver Label & Red Label group
Purple Label

Each group will have it’s own Ravelry forum thread, and at the top will be a static post listing all the group participants and their chosen projects. If any group develops more than 100 members, we might need to separate out into types of projects, but we’ll see what happens. The rules:

31 days to cast on and complete item: You can cast on anytime after midnight on December 31st, and cast off by midnight on January 31st.
Knit/crochet any pattern you like, as long as it’s in a TFA yarn you can participate! For those that are still undecided about their project(s), we can let it slip that there will be a boxing week sale on TFA patterns at the end of the December- something to think about!

To join: Go to the Ravelry group thread, and click on your chosen forum (Green label, blue label, etc) and leave a comment letting everyone in your group know what you plan on knitting/crocheting (or colourway, or anything you want). if you are still not sure what you’ll be knitting, don’t worry- leave a comment on the Ravelry thread letting me know you’re still thinking about it and well add you to the list anyways! It'll be a great time for a KAL- the craziness of the holidays will have died down, and a new year is a great time to start a new project.

Preppy socks

2011-11-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm knitting these socks for my dad for Christmas this year. He loves hand knit socks, and I love knitting them for him. I couldn't decide on a pattern so instead I just made one up. These preppy faux-argyle socks will add just the right touch of class to any outfit. I plan on writing up the pattern because these socks are just so cute and smart looking!

I'm knitting these in TFA Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn in Atlantic. I just can't get enough of this colourway, and though I hate to pick favorites, I love all my colourways the same, but I might love Atlantic the most. That's true for today at least, my favorite colour seems to change with every new project I knit!

TFA Tuesday: Royale

2011-11-29T08:30:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Royale

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Olive'

Top Tier Knitter: Gretchen (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I love this sweater! It's a perfect mix- the shape and texture is classic and never out of style, and the Olive colourway always seems spot on for fall and winter (not to mention the perfect compliment to Gretchen's lovely red hair!). This is the kind of sweater that does warm AND stylish, which is hard to get in the cooler months. Great job, Gretchen!

Year In Colour Club - November

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

The November installment of the TFA Year In Colour Club featured this gorgeous hat pattern, the Asteroidea Hat, designed by Kirsten Kapur. I'm crazy about the combination of lace, cables and slouch!

The November colourway was a real challenge for me. I happen to hate dyeing reds! They are so hard to get right. But this Cranberry colourway... well, I love it! It's deep, rich, red. Perfect for this festive time of year!

Memberships for the 2012 Year In Colour Club are now available, be sure to sign up before Dec. 15th in order to get the reduced rate (the Club price will increase by $15 on Dec. 15th).

To see what we've been up to all year check out the Year in Colour Club blog page here.

And with that, the inaugural year of the TFA Year in Colour club has officially come to an end. It's been a fantastic experience and I'm really looking forward to next year! Above is a photo that I snapped of all the 2011 colourways together, don't they make a pretty collection?

TFA Tuesday: Little Paris Scarf

2011-11-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Stockholm Scarf

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label in 'Plum'

Top Tier Knitter: Jennifer (Ravelry Id)

Totally Awesome Because: Okay, I'm a wee bit biased on this one, but I love how the Plum colourway looks in this high-texture infinity scarf. The rich colour looks so great with almost any coloured coat, and a big, beautiful infinity scarf is a great accessory for the colder weather. I love that she called it the 'Little Paris Scarf', it really does look like something chic enough for the City of Lights. Project page can be found here.

Progress

2011-11-21T09:11:00.001-05:00

My Cobalt Julissa is coming along nicely. I honestly did think that there was a possibility that I would be able to finish this sweater in one weekend, but alas, no such luck. I cast on enthusiastically, and I worked on it exclusively all weekend. It's not finished yet, but I'm well on my way. I've tried it on and it fits exactly like it should. So far, so good!

The studio reno is moving along nicely. Most of last week was spent working on invisible parts of the project, things like burying pipes underground. Then they poured the foundation, the most beautiful, smooth, shiny slab of concrete I've ever seen. Chris filled in the trench and put the grass back, that was one of the reasons that we opted to dig the trench by hand, Chris carefully removed the top layer of soil and grass and put it aside, when the work was done and the trench was back filled he then replaced all the grass and now we have our yard back! Friday the magic happened, I looked out my window in the afternoon and there was a building in my yard!

This part is really exciting. See that big 9 foot wide window opening on the side? That's going to be so nice to work under. French doors, a vaulted ceiling, the studio is going to be the nicest room in our house!

Love at first sight

2011-11-18T14:04:00.001-05:00

I was just minding my own business, going about my day as usual, when I stumbled upon this blog post. Just another lovely blog post about another lovely FO, exactly what I've come to expect from the Celtic Cast On blog. Nothing unusual right? Wrong! As soon as I laid eyes on that sweater I fell head over heals. The pattern is Julissa by Vanessa Smith and I completely love it. I love the fit, I love the cable combined with the lace, I love that it would work up perfectly in my Green Label Aran Weight yarn. I've purchased the pattern, I've chosen the colourway (Cobalt) and I'm gearing up to spend my entire weekend knitting this sweater. Who wants to bet that I'll have a new sweater by the end of the weekend? I'll be back Monday with a full progress report!

pattern excitement

2011-11-16T08:51:00.001-05:00

The Winter Issue of Twist Collective has launched and it features a beautiful shawl pattern knit in TFA yarns! The Timbali shawl designed by Wendy Neal, photographs by Jamie Dixon offers two options, a triangular shawl knit in Silver Label Mulberry Silk or rectangular stole knit in Purple Label Cashmere Sock. The pattern is gorgeous, I'll take one of each please!

Here is another sneak peek at the pullover design that I've been wearing all fall. My test knitter (mom) has just finished knitting her version and it looks terrific! Can't wait to share the finished product. I hope to have ready to release in the next week or two.

Also on the verge of being released, two new hat patterns! A zigzag lace hat in Yellow Label DK weight (I mentioned it here in an earlier post) and a richly cabled hat in Green Label Aran weight. I hope to have both hat patterns ready soon as they will make for great holiday gift knitting.

TFA Tuesday: Velvet Peacock

2011-11-15T08:30:00.004-05:00

Pattern: Peacock Feathers Shawl

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Silver Label Mulberry Silk in 'Velvet'

Top Tier Knitter: Glenna (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: You can't beat the 100% silk for a special hit of luxury, and this shawl is perfect for that- the lace is jaw-droppingly beautiful, and the colours look amazing. I love the top photo for the detail of the colour variations, since Velvet is a colourway that has a lot of big shifts between the tones. Glenna did an amazing job on this- it's such a stunning knit! Check out more gorgeous photos on her project page, here.

How I spent my weekend

2011-11-13T17:23:00.001-05:00

I spent my weekend digging up my backyard!

Do I look like I'm having fun? I tried to keep a positive attitude and cheer on the boys (Chris and my dad did the majority of the work) but trust me, digging a trench, 4 feet deep and 40 feet long is no fun at all! Luckily the weather cooperated, and considering we're doing this project mid-November we are extremely lucky.

So, now the big question, why are we digging up our yard? Up until now we've been dyeing the yarn in the laundry room in our basement. Our basement is only semi-finished, so it's worked out really well so far. However, over the past couple of months it's become clear that the laundry room/dye studio is not going to cut it for much longer. We looked into every single possibility, renovating the basement to accommodate us, renting a space to work from, and in the end we decided that we love working from home and aren't ready to give that up yet, plus the added expense of renting a space and all the extra costs associated with it made me nervous. So though we wanted to continue working from home we also wanted to reclaim our basement for ourselves (we have big plans to make the basement into a rec-room one day.)

What we've decided to do is tear down the little old shed that lived in the corner of our back yard and build a dye studio in it's place. The shed was very old and rickety, I did my best to cutesy it up (this photo was taken before the door was painted turquoise) but the truth is it wasn't very useful. We have a garage where we are able to store the lawnmower and gardening tools that this little shed used to house. I don't think we'll miss it much.

So, Chris tore down the shed and we spent the weekend preparing the yard for the work that will begin today! It shouldn't be that big of a project, we're working with the same great contractor who helped renovate our bathroom earlier this year. The most complicated part is running water and electricity from the house out to the new studio, hence the 4 foot trench.

To put that into perspective for you, I'm just over 5 feet tall, 4 feet is deep!

Boy socks

2011-11-11T13:26:00.001-05:00

I know I said that I wasn't going to drive myself crazy knitting Christmas gifts this year, and I meant it, but there are a few people on my list who love hand knit socks, and I simply can't deny them. My brother Luke is one such person. He wears his knit socks all the time and loves them, so he'll get another pair this year. I knit this pair in a one of a kind TFA colourway, it's kind of like a combination of Midnight and Teal, navy, but with a twist. This is one of my favorite boy sock patterns. I cast on 72 sts, work in k2, p1 ribbing and throw in a cable wherever I feel like it. In this case I did two mirrored cables down the outside (or inside, depending how you put your socks on). They are very heavily inspired by this pattern, which I've knit several times already. They're stretchy, comfortable and cute. Chris is modeling the socks for me in the photo above, they're too small for him, they should fit Luke better. I've cast on a pair for my dad next.

Blocking Lace, my way.

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

psst: I've done a little update in my One of a Kind Etsy shop, check it out!

My mom recently knit her own Fairview Scarf in TFA Red Label in the Garnet colourway. It turned out beautifully! I occasionally get asked about my blocking method, and though I don't think that I do anything particularly groundbreaking, I decided to take this opportunity to document exactly how I do it.

First, I take my finished, lumpy, bumpy lace and soak it in a bowl of cool water with a little bit of Soak wool wash. It adds a nice sent and ensures that your finished knit will be nice and clean. I sometimes do this step in the sink, or even in the bathtub if I'm blocking something massive.

I let it soak for at least 20 minutes.

Then I gently squeeze out (not ring out, you've got to be gentle) as much excess water as possible (I often enlist Chris' help for this step) and then place it on a clean dark towel, role it up and squeeze out bit more water. At this point the scarf is still damp, but not soaking wet. I then lay my clean towel on the floor in my office and start threading my blocking wires. Blocking wires are key for any lace that needs a nice straight edge. Mine are from knitpicks and I couldn't live without them.

When threading the wires along the side of the lace, it doesn't really matter how you thread them, as long as you thread it exactly the same way all along the edge. Notice in the photo below how I've picked up every single loop from front to back, exactly the same way, all along the edge. This is the "hardest" part of blocking, it takes a little bit of patience, but it's so worth it! You can see a beautiful example of what this technique does to garter stitch here.

When both sides are threaded I start pinning the scarf down. I pin directly into my office carpet, but a mattress, couch cushions, a blocking board all work equally well. I pin out one side first, and then I pull the second side very tight and start pinning it. There is a lot of pinning and then re-pinning in this step to get the scarf as straight and open as possible. This is what I mean when I say that I block lace "aggressively", that I pin it as open as I can, without compromising the fiber of course. The yarn will let you know how much it can be stretched.

Lastly, I pin out the end points and then walk away and wait for it to dry completely. I usually block in the afternoon/evening and let it dry overnight.

When it's dry I remove the pins, then the blocking wires slide out easily leaving you with a perfect, crisp lacy scarf! It's always kind of a magical moment, there's really nothing like it.

TFA Tuesday: Ready for Rhinebeck

2011-11-08T08:30:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Leaves Long Beanie

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight, in 'Teal'

Top Tier Knitter: Jess (Ravelry Id)

Totally Awesome Because: This is such a beautiful and cleverly designed hat, full of rich texture and the perfect thing for the chilly weather. I love how Jess has styled it with the contrasting yellow scarf- teal and yellow always look so amazing together! See all the details on her project page, here.

Happy Birthday Stella!

2011-11-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

Today my little puppy Stella turns 4 years old. She'll spend today doing what she does most days; sleeping in bed until noon or so, then lazily making the move from our bed upstairs to her dog bed in my office. She'll stir around in her dog bed until I tuck her in under her blanket. Oh Stella, she's peculiar, but she's all ours! Happy birthday girl!

Last week I came down with a terrible cold. I was knocked off of my feet for days. After lots of rest and several bowls of delicious homemade soup I finally started to feel better yesterday. I barely knit at all when I was sick. But yesterday I finished a pair of socks and a hat. It felt very good to have accomplished something after such a slow week.

The hat is my own pattern. I've actually knit 2 in this pattern already, one slouchy and one beenie. Pattern and more photo's to come!

2012 Year In Colour Club now open!

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Having the first year of the TFA Year In Colour Club under my belt feels great. This year has far surpassed my wildest dreams in so many ways. The support from the members, the amazing designs provided by the designers, and the fact that it all went off without a hitch!

The 2012 Year In Colour Club memberships are now available! This year is going to be even bigger and better. The designers are amazing!

Julie Crawford of KnittedBliss (and TFA!)
Hannah Fettig of Knitbot
Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting
Hilary Smith Callis of the Yarniad
Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops
and Jared Flood of BrooklynTweed!

To read about all the juicy details of the 2012 Club and to take advantage of the reduced rate for early sign-ups, visit the Clubs page on my website. To see all the fun projects that the 2011 Club has featured so far this year, see the new tab I've added to the blog featuring all the Club projects.

I really hope you'll join us to celebrate another year full of glorious colour!

This photo has nothing to do with the Club, it's just a lovely shot of the Red Label Rainbow that I was fooling around with the other day. :)

TFA Tuesday: Vitamin Lilac

2011-11-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Vitamin D

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Purple Label Cashmere Sock, in 'Lilac'

Top Tier Knitter: Meredith (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: This must be the most heavenly soft cardigan to wear! I love the drape-y styling of this pattern, and sweaters with a lot of drape are extra lovely when knitted in a super soft yarn. Plus, they are perfect for throwing on over anything for a little extra warmth and a lot of extra polish. I want one just like this- the pattern, the yarn, the colourway- everything is perfect. More details on her project page, here.

Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-31T09:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I've mentioned it before, but the truth is, I don't really like Halloween. Well, that's not completely true, I like little kids in cute costumes trick or treating, I just don't like skulls and cobwebs and other scary Halloween stuff. It's just not my thing.

But a Halloween Giveaway, that's totally my thing! I've randomly chosen a winner and the prize is going to..... Fiona! Rav id: pipnmilly. Congrats!

I had a lovely and very busy weekend. We had good friends staying with us and that's always nice. I blocked my mom's Fairview Scarf for her and I managed to snap a few photo's of my blocking process so I'll be able to share with you exactly how I do it.

Giveaway!

2011-10-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's giveaway time! This giveaway is for one skein of Red Label Cash Silk Singles in the Gold colourway and a pdf of my new Fairview Scarf pattern.

There are lots of ways to enter this giveaway:

1) leave a comment here telling me what you currently have on your needles. Please include your e-mail address or Ravelry username so I can get a hold of you, should you win.

Do any of the following and receive an additional chance to win:

2) mention this giveaway on your blog and include a link to this giveaway post - be sure to come back and leave another comment here telling me that you blogged about it so I know!

3) Post a link to this blog post on your facebook page (be sure to tag TFA in the post so we can see it!)

4) Tweet about the giveaway on twitter!

So, do all of the above and get 4 chances to win! Gotta love social media.

A winner will be announced on Monday, Oct. 31. Halloween!

Jewel tones

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

I love these colours together. I'm currently working on a design for a publication using these colours. I can't say what, when, who, where or how just yet, but as soon as I'm able to talk about it (which may not be for a long while still!) I'll be sure to share all the details, because quite frankly, I'm pretty excited about it, and I'm a terrible secret keeper. For now, all I can say is that I'm super pumped about having a design published (in a real book!) and that I'm really digging these colours.

Oh, and I've cast on for a new hat... more on that another day.

TFA Tuesday: Nouveau Teal

2011-10-25T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Nouveau

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label DK in 'Teal'

Top Tier Knitter: Harriett Anne (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Who doesn't love hand knit warmth for the hands during the cold winter months? These beautiful gloves are great to knit up in a wonderfully warm and sturdy yarn like the Yellow Label, since it's superwash and easy to care for- perfect for a hardworking knit that's going to be on your hands all winter long. See more photos on the project page, which can be found here.

Fairview Scarf Pattern

2011-10-24T09:28:00.002-04:00

On Saturday I posted about my new Red Label yarn, it's now available in my shop in all of my colourways! Looking for the perfect project for one special skein? Introducing the Fairview Scarf:

I designed this lacy scarf to use up every last yard of one precious skein of my Red Label Cashmere/Silk Single ply yarn. The graphic, geometric lace pattern packs a lot of punch! Knit in the luxurious single ply merino/cashmere/silk blend of TFA Red Label, this soft and airy scarf is just the thing to keep the chill away.

Details

Size: finished scarf measures 14” x 62” after wet blocking.

Yarn: 1 skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label Cash Silk Single 115g = 420 yds. sample shown in the Gold colourway.

Needles: 4mm straight or circular. Or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 20 sts and 30 rows in lace pattern after wet blocking.

All the pattern details can be found here on my website .
Ravelry pattern page here.

$4.00 CAD

Thanks very much to Pauline for test knitting this pattern for me. I've been wearing mine for a couple of weeks now and I love how soft and light it is. The finished scarf is 14" x 62", which is to say, pretty big! One skein really goes a long way. I'm not joking when I say that I designed this to use up every last yard, both Pauline and I only had a few yards left after casting off. If you're not sure about your gauge, I'd recommend weighing your yarn periodically to make sure that you'll have enough for the bind off.

Red Label now in shop!

2011-10-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

TFA's new Red Label Cashmere Silk Single ply yarn has been dyed up in all of the TFA colourways and added to our online shop! For the moment this yarn will be available exclusively online.

Come back on Monday for full details on the pattern that I've designed to compliment this new heavenly yarn.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the conversation about secret knitting. The verdict seems to be unanimous, getting sneak peek's of patterns in progress is definitely what a lot of readers are looking for. I totally agree! This blog is about being a part of the awesome knitting community. I want to be able to share what I'm working on and how it's going, not just pop in once a month with an FO, or only post when I've got something to sell. I'm glad that you all like seeing snippets of secret knitting, I'll keep on sharing!

Secret knitting?

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few bits of interesting TFA news to share today:

Julie is spearheading a January 2012 TFA Knitalong over on the TFA Ravelry group. It will be tons of fun, I will be participating for sure in some way. Maybe I'll give myself a design challenge! There will be prizes I'm sure... head on over and join in the excitement!
The 2011 TFA Year In Colour Club is wrapping up. Whew! What an exciting inaugural year this has been! 2011 memberships will remain open until the end of October, at which point the 2011 memberships will close and 2012 will open. 2012 will be formatted exactly the same way as 2011, 6 custom colourways of fingering weight yarn, 6 exclusive designs. There will be a few upgrades, but I'll fill you in on all the juicy details towards the end of the month.

Now that we've got the official business portion of this blog post done, I have a question for all my lovely readers. First, let me explain, this year I've started doing something new, I've started doing "secret knitting." I never thought that I would be working on anything so important that I'd have to keep it a secret... but it's happened! Sometimes it's because I'm test knitting a pattern for a friend, so I can't share it until the pattern is ready. Sometimes my secret knitting is my own pattern, and though I don't always keep my patterns-in-progress a complete secret its nice to let the details of the pattern be revealed only when the pattern is officially ready. What do you think? Do you like to see designs in progress or be surprised by a big, exciting pattern reveal? I think I like to see the pattern come together, get snippets of what to look forward to as the designer progresses, I'd love to hear your feedback on this "secret knitting" issue.

One of my secret projects this summer was a sweater design that I was working on. I knit it in my new Brick colourway, I've had it finished for months and have actually gotten quite a bit of use of of it (I am wearing it today and had Chris snap a photo of me in my new fall uniform). I procrastinated forever and the pattern is finally in the test knitting phase, I'm hoping to have it ready in a matter of weeks. Ooh! I almost forgot! I have another pattern that has already complete the test knitting phase and will be ready even sooner, so stay tuned for that too!

Isn't autumn just the best for perking up your knitting mojo?

TFA Tuesday: I Heart Aran

2011-10-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pattern: I Heart Aran

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Sand'

Top Tier Knitter: Kara (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: The first time I saw this FO, I was so blown away- Kara shows off perfectly that this is the de facto awesome fall sweater. The crunchy leaves, the great photos, the effortless styling... I want one just like hers now! And in the Sand colourway, you know it'll go with absolutely everything you own. Way to go, Kara! Project page can be found here.

I'm a weaver!

2011-10-13T14:41:00.001-04:00

I bought myself a pre-Christmas gift and it arrived in the mail the other day. Yay! I got the Schacht Cricket Loom. I was going to ask for it for Christmas, but then I rationalized that if I bought it myself I could use it to make Christmas gifts! Somehow that made perfect sense to me so I went ahead and clicked the "buy now" button. I'm happy that I did!

I know absolutely nothing about weaving, but with the help of the instruction manual and a few helpful youtube video's I had my loom set up and was weaving in no time. I made this scarf out of Kureyon Sock Yarn in colourway S92 in just one night. I even set it up on my lap in front of the tv, I call it "sofa-looming". (even though I'm pretty sure it's called weaving, not looming. But looming sounds funnier!)

The scarf is definitely not perfect, but look at those colours... It's stunning! The rough edges give it a bit of a rustic quality that I really like. I see loads more woven scarves in my future.

I've started on some Christmas knitting too (it can't be all Christmas weaving after all.) The multicoloured pair in the photo below are intentionally blurry, they just might be the ugliest socks I've ever knit... I hope my new sister in law doesn't mind! The navy pair are for my brother, he loves hand knit socks! This pair is in TFA blue label in a one of a kind colourway. I'm knitting a simple 2x1 rib with one cable that will flow down the side. I'll mirror it on the second sock.

I don't plan on doing a ton of knitting this year, I've gifted so many knits in the past and I worry that my family is tired of getting a new pair of socks every year. I've decided to take all of the time and energy that I would normally put into knitting a gift into coming up with a thoughtful and useful purchased gift instead.

Or maybe I'll just weave a bunch of scarves...

Thanksgiving wedding!

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

My older brother got married last weekend. It was amazing. I haven't seen the photo's from the photographer yet, but I'm positive they are going to be stunning. I'll share them when I get them! I have seen a couple shots taken by guest, including this one of Chris and I. Chris and I were both honoured to be included in the wedding party. Isn't my bridesmaids dress beautiful? Amanda has great taste. And doesn't Chris look handsom in his kilt? I love it!

The groom, my brother Luke, is standing next to me (second from the right) in this shot of my family. Is there anything better than a perfect wedding? It was such a great weekend, I'm in wedding withdrawal!

TFA Tuesday: Peerie Flooers

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Peerie Flooers

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Blue Label Fingering Weight, in various shades (I counted at least 7!)

Top Tier Knitter: Leigh (Ravelry ID, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Now this is some spectacular stash busting- I always find that I end up with small leftovers of wonderful yarns, and it can be tough to know what to do with them. Leigh has very cleverly turned leftovers into this truly beautiful hat, and the colours go together beautifully. Such an incredible, inspiring knit! Project page can be found here.

My dog is my BFF

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

In the town near my cottage there is a really cool second hand clothing store that can be a lot of fun to visit on rainy days. My cousin is a pro at finding rare gems in the bins of clothing. She seems to have passed on her gift for thrift to her daughter, because this summer 5 year old Abby found not one, but TWO t-shirts that proudly have written across the front: My dog is my BFF! I love it! I wish I had a shirt that said that.

But since I don't, I'll settle for a matching handspun dog sweater/hat combo. ;)

Stella hasn't gotten a new sweater since I knit her a beautiful cabled aran for our engagement photo-shoot almost two years ago. Amazingly, that sweater still looks terrific. Even though its been covered in mud and thrown into the washer and dryer many, many times the Green Label Aran weight yarn really holds up! She was even sprayed by a skunk in that sweater... Thank goodness the smell washed out.

Her fall 2011 sweater was knit using one skein of Green Label in Midnight, and one giant skein of hanspun. I used the leftover of both yarns to make myself the matching hat (using Grammy's pattern of course). Now we're totally ready for the cool fall weather.

Ravelry project page here.

TFA Tuesday: Vogue Knitting Caplet

2011-10-04T08:30:00.001-04:00

****Pssst- there is some amazing Red Label TFA Yarn for sale in the Etsy shop today- click on over and get some before it's all sold out!!****

Pattern: #4 Tied Capelet

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Charcoal'

Top Tier Knitter: Shireen (Ravelry ID, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Charcoal is destined to become a wardrobe classic colourway, because it really does go with everything. This gorgeous little cabled knit is such a perfect accessory to throw on now the weather is getting a bit cooler, and the defined cables look so rich and thick. What a great knit! Project page can be found here.

Vincent's visit

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

My younger brother Vincent lives in Vancouver. Vancouver is very far away. We miss him a lot. Luckily he's home for a visit just in time for my older brother's wedding next weekend. He spent a good part of the day with me at work at my home yesterday.

While we were eating lunch he took the opportunity to arrange my coloured pencils in rainbow formation, which I find hilarious because I do that all that time. The funny thing is his rainbow formation is very different from mine... interesting.

Then he sat with me in my office while I worked. He found my little container of pins that I use to block lace and decided to surround himself in pins. He pinned every single pin into my carpet. Weird, I know, but that's Vince.

He looked at all my yarn, picked up a skein and asked if he could have it. Which I find hilarious. Of course I said that he could have it, even though he doesn't knit, he just wanted to keep it in his room because he thinks it looks pretty.

Ah Vince, I love ya.

Year In Colour Club - September

2011-09-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

The September installment of the TFA Year in Colour Club featured the beautiful Uxbridge Shawl pattern designed by Laura Chau. The yarn is Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in a colourway I've called Autumn Sun, because really, isn't the light in Autumn amazing? So soft and golden.

As usual, this colourway is difficult to describe. It's red, no purple, maybe even brown in some lights, with hints of gold, maybe orange, and is that a grey tone coming through? Yeah, even I'm not sure what colour it is exactly, but I do know that I love it! Like many of my favorite colours, it's complicated, it can't really decide what it wants to be.

To see what we did for previous Club shipments check out these blog posts: January, March, May and July. Or visit the TFA Club Pinterest board!

For Amanda

2011-09-28T16:32:00.001-04:00

My older brother Luke is marrying his soul mate in just over a week from now. Amanda is awesome. She really is the perfect match for Luke and we're all so happy that she's officially going to be a part of our family.

Mom wanted to knit something for her to commemorate the event. She decided on the Celtic Knot Stole designed by Sarah Kendra Hughes. Luke, as well as his groomsmen (including Chris!) will be wearing kilts at the wedding. Luke's Scottish heritage is important to him, so the Celtic themed stole seemed perfectly appropriate. We brainstormed colourways and fibers and after much ado finally decided on this gorgeous custom colourway that Chris dyed for mom. It's the type of colour that is impossible to photograph! It changes with every light, sometimes looking green, then blue, then purple even gold! It's magical. Mom's ravelry Project page can be found here.

Mom worked on the stole on and off all summer. Now that it's officially finished and blocked, it truly is a work of art.

She used almost two skeins of TFA Silver Label Mulberry Silk yarn for this project. Amanda's tall and will look gorgeous and elegant in this large stole.

The perfect row of eyelets created by the knitted on border on each end is just the type of finishing that I love. I know that mom is very happy with it too.

When wrapped around your shoulders this stole is lush and cozy, but when held up to the light it's incredibly airy. I love it!

Mom did an incredible job with this stole. Though Amanda probably won't wear it everyday, it's the type of thing that she can hold on to forever and pull out at important events when a gorgeous, hand knit, celtic stole is appropriate. Welcome to the family Amanda!

TFA Tuesday: Spring Gingko

2011-09-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Silver Label Mulberry Silk in 'Spearmint"

Top Tier Knitter: Astrid (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: Silk is so great to knit with in the summer, since it is lightweight and buttery soft, so you don't mind knitting wit hit even when it's very hot outside. A little silk shawl /scarf like this is such a great summer accessory. I love how the yellow highlights in the silk Spearmint look like gold, it's just so beautiful. Such a great pattern choice, too! Project page can be found here.

Fairview Scarf Pattern - a sneak peek

2011-09-22T13:56:00.000-04:00

Are you guys all as excited about the launch of the new Red Label yarn as I am? I really wanted to have a pattern ready to introduce at the same time as the yarn so people would have a good idea of what they could do with one very precious skein. The pattern is being test knit and I am giddy. Both yarn and pattern should be available mid-October. Don't worry, I will definitely be keeping you posted.

TFA Tuesday: Ifgenia

2011-09-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Ifgenia

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Pink Label laceweight in 'Seabreeze'

Top-Tier Knitter: Jo (Ravelry ID, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: I love this lace half moon shawl. The lacework is stunning, and it's a great big beautiful shawl like this that totally makes you appreciate getting 1000 yards of laceweight in a single skein, since weaving in ends for laceweight shawls can be a real challenge! her finished shawl is stunning- it looks so soft and light weight, and ever so slightly vintage. I love it! Project page can be found here.

Dahlia

2011-09-15T11:33:00.002-04:00

psst :: Go check the TFA Ravelry group to see if you won the giveaway!

I finished my selfish knitting project last week, and it's awesome! I've loved the Dahlia cardigan designed by Heather Zoppetti since the first time I saw it (and I'm clearly not alone since there are already over 275 projects for this pattern on ravelry, and it's only been out for a couple of months!)

The construction is unusual and really interesting, both to knit and to admire once the knitting is done. It's the perfect combination of beautiful fancy lace and calm simple stockinette, with a seed stitch border... amazing.

I made a few very simple mods that you can read about on my Ravelry project page here.

I have one other drapey, open front cardigan and I practically live in it, so this is sure to become a wardrobe staple as well. The yarn used was actually a sample batch of 4 ply merino/cashmere/silk that I was playing around with, it’s lovely but I don't plan on stocking this yarn base in the future. It is really similar to my Purple Label merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn. (but I will be stocking a merino/cashmere/silk single ply yarn in the near future! So stay tuned for that!) The colourway is one of a kind, its something in between Atlantic and Deep Sea.

This sweater could definitely benefit from a pretty brooch to keep the fronts closed on cooler days, I'm going to keep my eyes open for something special.

It's officially autumn here in Montreal. I put this sweater on for a photoshoot yesterday evening and then kept it on all night because it was quite chilly. Yay for sweater weather!

Brownstone Cardigan

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Chris loves his Brownstone Pullover so much, that he decided to knit himself another one, this time with a few simple mods to turn it into the perfect, scholarly cardigan. He prefers wooden toggles to regular buttons, and I can't say that I blame him, they look perfect on this sweater. The yarn is the very sheepy and wooly Lismore Sheep Farm yarn that we picked up while at our cottage out East this summer. This is Chris' second favorite yarn in the world (second only to TFA of course!) it's definitely on the rustic side, probably too itchy for most, but Chris doesn't mind it at all.

Chris used to claim that he wasn't a cardigan person, but clearly this sweater proves him wrong. I think its the elbow patches that make him love it so much. They are "vintage" brown suede elbow patches that my mom has been hoarding away since the 70's!

Chris hates modeling, he's much more comfortable with a prop, so we took a bunch of photo's of him with our most photogenic family member.

Possibly the best part? The night after Chris cast off he settled into the sofa for a casual night of tv, and within 10 minutes of sitting there he became antsy and wanted something new to cast on for! He's a real knitter!

TFA Tuesday: Garnet Shrug

2011-09-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Dream in Color Shrug

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran Weight in 'Garnet'

Top-Tier Knitter: Pauline (Ravlery ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I'm so used to admiring Pauline's beautiful knits for her daughters, so it's nice to see her knitting up some lovely treats for herself! I'm a sucker for a great shrug. Lovely, bright shrugs like this can totally transform an outfit- they not only keep a chill away, but add a lovely hit of colour. Pauline's project page is here.

TFA Ravelry Group Giveaway

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Last week TFA Blue Label Fingering weight yarn hit the amazing landmark of having over 1000 projects listed on Ravelry. I'm so excited by that number that I want to share the joy and am doing a Ravelry giveaway. It's like a blog giveaway, but instead of leaving a comment here, head on over to Ravelry, join the Tanis Fiber Arts Ravelry group, and leave a comment in this thread. A winner will be picked at random and announced on Friday.

What are you entering to win? A skein of TFA Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn of course! In the winner's choice of any of the new colourways, Gold, Brick or Spruce.

Good luck!

New Fall Colourways!

2011-09-09T08:09:00.001-04:00

I have three new very Autumn inspired colourways debuting this weekend at the KW Knitter's Fair:

Gold, Brick and Spruce. I am pleased as punch to be adding a few more warm, cozy tones to my collection.

Here are a few more close-ups for you to enjoy:

Gold, super soft and in Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn.

Yellow Label DK Weight yarn in Spruce, rich and dark, don't ask me why, but for some reason it makes me think of chocolate!

And lastly, possibly my favorite new shade, Brick dyed in a new base I'm bringing on a test run to the Fair this weekend, Red Label Cash Silk Singles. This yarn is amazing, it's incredibly soft and shiny. I really hope that you all love it so I can make it a permanent staple in my collection!

I'm off to the Fair! Have a great weekend everyone!

Adelia pattern

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

September always brings lovely cool breezes, crisp nights, and the desire to knit warm and toastie cold weather accessories! The Adelia pattern includes three options that all feature one lovely flower and heart motif: a cowl, fingerless mitts and full mitts. One skein of each of two coordinating colours of TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn is enough to knit a cowl and the pair of mitts of your choice, either fingerless or complete. Thanks to the cashmere in the yarn these accessories are extremely soft and comfortable to cozy up in.

I hope that you'll enjoy knitting them as much as I enjoyed designing them. The heart on the gusset is probably my favorite part! I knit my cowl and fingerless mitts in Atlantic and Sand, and my complete mitts in Poppy and Natural.

$6.00 CAD

Details:

Size: Cowl: one size fits all, finished measurements 18.5” circumference and 9” tall. Mitts: S (M, L) = 6.5 (7.25, 8)” – Mitts are designed be fitted.

Yarn: TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn, 1 skein of each of two contrasting colourways makes one cowl and one pair of mitts, either fingerless or complete. Cowl and Fingerless mitts pictured feature Atlantic (colour A) and Sand (colour B), full mitt pictured features Natural (A) and Poppy (B).

Needles: 3.25 mm 16” circular needles for cowl
2.75mm (3mm, 3.25mm) dpns for mitts

Additional Tools and Materials: Stitch marker, waste yarn, tapestry needle

Gauge: 28 sts and 34 rows = 4” in charted pattern on 3.25 mm circular needles for cowl.

All the pattern details can be found here on my website .

Ravelry pattern page here.

Ombré Cardigan pattern

2011-09-07T10:44:00.002-04:00

Introducing my new cardigan design. The Ombré cardigan was inspired by my desire to knit a fun garment using two strands of Pink Label Lace Weight yarn held together. The resulting fabric is squishy yet light, the perfect little cardigan!

This is a fitted cardigan with a v-neck and 3/4 length sleeves. It is well suited to endless colour combinations, but of course, I chose my favorite shades of blue for my version (cobalt and midnight). I love how it adds a pop of colour to any outfit.

I'll be bringing hard copies of the pattern along with plenty of lace weight yarn to the KW Knitter's fair with me this weekend. Tomorrow I'll be debuting another new pattern, it's going to be a busy week!

Details:
Size: 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 44, 48, 52)”
Yarn: 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label Lace Weight yarn in colour A and , 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label Lace Weight yarn in colour B. (Sample shown in ‘Cobalt’ and ‘Midnight’ colourways.)
**NOTE: Yarn is held double throughout entire sweater.
Needles: 4mm, 32” circular needle. Sweater is knit in one piece from the top down. 4mm, dpn’s. Or size needed to obtain gauge.
Additional Tools and Materials: Stitch markers, waste yarn or stitch holders, tapestry needle, 7 buttons, (more or less depending on the length of your sweater).
Gauge: 23 sts and 32 rows in 4” in stockinette stitch with yarn held double.

All the pattern details can be found here on my website.

Ravelry pattern page here.

$5.00 CAD

TFA Tuesday: Most Perfect

2011-09-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Petrea

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in 'Spearmint'

Top Tier Knitter: Elspeth ( Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Can you imagine how wonderfully soft and luxurious this litter sweater is?! One of the things that is impressive about this knit is that it really makes the most of a luxury fiber like this cashmere yarn- the shorter style and sleeves mean that you can really get a good little garment out of a couple of skeins. Spearmint is a lovely, cool colour that is perfect for summer. And I'm a sucker for photos in a gallery, there is something so wonderfully symbiotic about hand knits and paintings/sculptures. Elspeth's project page can be found here.

Blue Label

2011-09-05T13:03:00.002-04:00

I was pretty excited when I noticed on Ravelry today that there are currently 997 projects done in my Blue Label Fingering weight yarn! How cool is that? When it hits the 1000 mark I think I'm going to do something special. Stay tuned!

Today must be a Blue Label day because I also read this neat blog post about TFA Blue Label yarn. I don't know anyone with size 14 feet, so I haven't had to test the limits of my sock yarn that much, but it's very good to know how far it can go!

Though it's Labour Day, Chris and I are busy at work putting the finishing touches on our prep for this weekends KW Knitter's Fair. I've some exciting news about items that will be debuting at the show, I'll be sharing it all later on this week.

A new sweater

2011-09-02T13:51:00.000-04:00

I've been working on lots lately, getting ready for the KW Knitter's Fair, working on some new patterns, new colours, new ideas. The other day I was hit hard by the urge to cast on for something new, and something entirely for me, something that didn't require me to have to think too hard. I'd been admiring the Dahlia cardigan, designed by Heather Zoppetti from the the Fall 2011 issue of Interweave knits, and when I realized that I had the perfect yarn in my stash for it I cast on immediately. The yarn is a one of a kind colourway that I dyed up months ago, it's sort of along the same lines as Atlantic, but with more turquoise. The base is a merino/cashmere/silk sample that I've been playing around with, I don't think it's right for TFA, but it did inspire me to look in a new direction for future TFA yarns.

This sweater is really neat, it's a completely new construction for me, and though it is unusual it's very intuitive and once you get the swing of it the stitches just fly off the needles. It features afterthought sleeves which I'm really excited about. I've never knit an afterthought sleeve but I'm extremely comfortable with afterthought thumbs from knitting so many pairs of my Grammy's mitts.

I learnt something interesting about my knitting self while working on this the other day. Last Sunday we lost power from about 4pm until 11pm, I spent some time knitting in the afternoon, and in the evening though the light was getting dim I continued to knit. This sweater features a lot of stockinette so I am perfectly capable of knitting it in the dark, but do you know what? Even though I could knit with my eyes closed, I've discovered that a big part of the joy in knitting for me is in actually getting to watch the stitches form and the colours in the hand dyed yarn shift. I don't like knitting when I can't stare at the fabric that I'm creating, even if it's just plain stockinette, I really like watching it grow.

TFA Tuesday: Lace Ribbon Scarf

2011-08-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green Label Aran in 'Shadow'

Top Tier Knitter: Jenny (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I love the texture of this scarf. The eyelets, the vertical ribbons of stockinette, it's gorgeous. And the colourway is such a great choice- I love the tiny hits of aqua and white in the light grey yarn. Let's take a close up look at the squishy softness, shall we? Project page can be found here.

Hello Yellow

2011-08-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

Still caught somewhere between holding on to the end of summer and looking forward to the cooler days of fall, I can't decide wether yellow is decidedly summery or super autumnal. Chris loves yellow, I didn't think that I was such a fan until I noticed that a few of my current favorite things are yellow. The chair that I recently spray painted that now lives in the guest room. My new shoes! And this beautiful colourway (details to be revealed soon I promise!) There's just something about a warm, golden yellow that is perfect for this time of year.

Stockholm Scarf - A fall staple!

2011-08-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

I am so torn. Part of me wants to hold on to every last bit of summer for as long as I can! I love that I can run out in my bear feet and not get frost bite, I love the feel of the hot sun on my skin, slow evening walks to the ice cream shop. Summer is wonderful. But.... I want to wrap myself up in knits! I can't wait for fall to arrive!

I knit Julie's Stockholm scarf back in June, and it's taken me until now to take FO shots. It's just been way too hot for wool scarves! This is a great pattern and a perfect pairing for this yarn. I used TFA Yellow Label DK Weight yarn in the Sunset colourway. I knit mine in the round. I used all of 2 skeins, I just knit until I ran out of yarn and ended up with a gorgeous, generous scarf. It's warm, cushy, pretty and is sure to become a fall staple. I've been dying to do a proper FO shoot for a while now, and though it's certainly not cool enough for the outfit I'm sporting in these shots, plum coloured corduroys and a jean shirt are exactly what I feel like wearing with this awesome scarf!

TFA Tuesday: Mostly Sunnyside

2011-08-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Sunnyside

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label DK Weight in 'Royal Flush'

Top Tier Knitter: Dee (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: This beautifully bright sweater relies on the fun, hot pink colour to show that it's for a little girl. Dee modified the pattern to do a great mash up of the design elements from both the male and female versions of this sweater pattern, and the result is so pretty. I love that she left it as an open front cardi, so there is no struggling with buttons on a little one. Project page can be found here.

Bathroom reveal

2011-08-19T10:45:00.000-04:00

When Chris and I bought our first home in May of 2010, we got very lucky and ended up with a beautiful little gem of a house that really didn't need much work. There was one exception, the one main bathroom, it needed a complete overhaul. It was very small, it was awkward and though it was clean, it always looked a bit grungy (see for yourself in these before shots.) We spent the first two weeks of May working like crazy with our wonderful contractor Greg. When Greg left after two weeks, our new bathroom was almost done, all we needed was a mirror and a few accessories... three months later, and a mirror finally went up. Our bathroom reno is done!

The bathroom is by no means huge, but by knocking down a wall and borrowing two extra feet from the second bedroom we were able to install a large, built-in vanity with tons of storage space and a beautiful wall to wall countertop. We placed the square sink off center, this made the most sense for us because it allowed us to fit in all those wide drawers, and it makes it a lot easier for more than one person to be in the space at once. Chris could brush his teeth in front of the sink, while still allowing me access to the drawers to get at my all my products.

A few of the many details:

* Instead of dry-walling the ceiling we chose to install pine that we then painted white, I think it adds character to an otherwise pretty crisp space. Plus, our kitchen and office have bead-board ceilings so it ties in with the rest of the house nicely.

* The floor is black slate installed in a herringbone pattern, and it's heated! Love it.

* We used an exaggerated white subway tile (4x16) in the shower, accented with a hint of carrera marble in the form of two 4" high stripes made up by stacking 1x1 tiles on either side of a 2x4 tile. I love carrera marble, but we certainly did not have the budget to build a marble bathroom, I'm happy to have purchased the tiles at a discount tile warehouse, and have used them sparingly. It makes the hits of marble feel very special to me.

* The countertops are Silestone, we chose this material because its beautiful, its a bit sparkly as its made from recycled glass and stone, and I'm told its practically indestructible! (ours is called White Diamond and is from the eco series.)

* The walls are painted the prettiest shade of lavender/grey, depending on the light they sometimes look like a cool mauve, or a soft grey. The colour is called Frost by Martha Stewart.

* The paintings that I did for the bathroom add a lot of colour to an otherwise very white and grey space. The one on the right also serves as the door to our recessed medicine cabinet!

The tub and toilet are lovely. The toilet is a dual flush and works like a charm (which is a huge upgrade from our old toilet, it never flushed properly, very annoying!) and the tub is deep, angular, modern and awesome, no weird swirls on the side, just sleek and cool.

I tiled the backsplash and built that little shelf myself!

As far as reno's go, I think that this was fairly painless. It was over quickly, it came in right on budget, it turned out exactly how I had planned, and we're very happy with it. It was messy, and though Chris would probably tell you that I had a few meltdowns, I'd say that I played it pretty cool. I really loved the whole design process. I can't wait to do the kitchen next! (Eventually...)

River Rapid Socks in cashmere

2011-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

I finished these socks while on vacation this summer. I'm glad I had them with me because I always underestimate how chilly the Nova Scotia nights can get. We had a few rainy days where these socks came in very handy.

This is the River Rapid Socks pattern knit in TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in the Teal colourway.

You may recognize this lace pattern from my "zigzag lace" phase. I knit this cowl and this sweater featuring this very lace pattern right before I cast on for these socks. I had intended to improvise a design featuring the motif, but then found this pattern waiting for me in my queue!

Great pattern, great yarn, great socks! I'm very happy to have them.

TFA Tuesday: Harriet

2011-08-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Harriet the Haberdashery Hippo

TFA Yarn and colourway: Green label Aran weight in 'Sand'

Top Tier Knitter: Brandi (Ravlery ID, website)

Totally Awesome Because:Even people who aren't that jazzed by handknits (I know, I can't quite believe they exist either!) are totally crazy about hand knit stuffed animals. Brandi's hippo is absolutely adorable, and it was hard to pick only two great photos for the post! Project page with more super adorable photos can be found here.

I spy something new and something blue.

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

I spy with my little eye... something that is single ply! Hmm hmm good.

Just a reminder that today is the last day to order any of the products that I'll be discontinuing!

We wish we had a farm

2011-08-12T09:14:00.001-04:00

Around my cottage in Nova Scotia, farms are abundant. The properties often have several old, weathered barns and a beautiful old farm house. They are perched on top of rolling hills overlooking the ocean, with big green fields with cows or sheep grazing. Right across the street from my cousin's cottage was a pasture that they were calling the cow "maternity ward". It is where the farmer was grazing all of his pregnant or recently birthed cattle. It was adorable! A lovely pasture with tons of the cutest baby cows you've ever seen running around, following their mothers. Chris and I stopped to just look at them several times, baby cows are so sweet.

And there are sheep too! We made our annual pilgrimage to the Lismore Sheep Farm again this year. There were baby sheep, and even baby Highland Cattle there this year. I had a chance to chat with the very friendly owner of the farm and to see his workshop where he makes the most beautiful wooden needles, the River John Needle Company. Chris and I each bought a sweaters worth of yarn. Last years haul became this and this. Chris has already started turning his beautiful light grey yarn into another Brownstone sweater, this time with a few mods to turn it into a cardigan. You can see in the corner of the shot below a darker blue/grey ball of yarn, that's the colourway I picked up. It's a stunning, blue/green/grey yarn, it reminds me a bit of Stormy in the way it can look different depending on the light.

My mom grew up on a beautiful farm in Nova Scotia, and it sounds like the perfect place to live. Of course, from what I hear, farming is one of the hardest jobs in the world... so for now I think I'll settle for just visiting farms and admiring the pastures from the road. After all, I love my job. Chris and I easily made the transition back into our regular TFA routine. The racks have been full all week, and with all the orders coming in for fall there is no sign of them emptying any time soon!

Back to work!

2011-08-10T08:00:00.012-04:00

Chris and I are officially back to work after having spent a record 19 days on holiday! Granted, 2 of those days were spent in the car, making the 11 hour drive to our family cottage in Nova Scotia, but still, getting 19 consecutive days off is pretty grand. We beat last year's record by 1 day. This year we did a lot of the same things we did last year, you can read all about our cottage life here.

We had a great time. We've come home rested, tanned and rejuvenated. We're officially ready for another big year. I'm happy to be back at work, I don't like being away for too long. Things pile up, people need yarn!

Unfortunately, I have a terrible habit of doing absolutely nothing while on vacation. I completely tune out. I did get some knitting done on a few rainy days, which was nice, but other than that I read, I sat, I walked, I chatted, I played games... I brought a stack of FO's, fully intending to do awesome photo shoots, but when push came to shove I just couldn't make myself do my hair, put on makeup and style an outfit to do the knitting justice. So the pile came back home with me and will have to be photographed here in Montreal instead of on the beach in Nova Scotia.

Next year I'll take more photo's! Famous last words... I did snap one pretty shot of a few rocks that my 5 year old god-daughter and I collected.

TFA Tuesday: Plum's Bloom

2011-08-09T08:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Bloom

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label DK weight in 'Plum'

Top Tier Knitter: Tal (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I love rich colours for baby garments, and this plum is so lovely. I love the texture of the dress with the different stitches, it's adorable and just right for a little girl.. This is the kind of dress that grows with the baby- the ribbing is very stretchy and can accommodate quickly growing little ones. And the icing on this prefect plum confection is that contrasting yellow ribbon- it is the perfect compliment! Her project page can be found here.

TFA in Twist Collective!

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Litchfield Gloves by Elizabeth Doherty for Twist Collective photographed by Jamie Dixon

I am very excited to have my yarn featured in a new pattern designed by Elizabeth Doherty for Twist Collective's Fall 2011 issue. Not only are her Litchfield hat and mitts set adorable, they made the cover of the issue! How exciting is that!?

The pattern features Yellow Label DK Weight yarn in the Poppy colourway.

TFA Tuesday: Baltic Blossoms

2011-08-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Baltic Blossoms Lace Shawl

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Pink Label Laceweight in 'Peacock'

Top Tier Knitter: Pam (Ravelry ID, blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Bright shawls are so unexpected, because it juxtaposes a really traditional shape and style of knitting with a modern pop burst of colour. This shawl is gorgeous in keeping the classic design, but doing it in a bright shade makes it fresh and more applicable to your wardrobe. I love this shawl- it looks beautiful and that is the kind of blue you can get lost in.

Pinterest Love

2011-07-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if you have heard of the awesomeness that is Pinterest, but I'm in love. It's the perfect visual bookmarking tool, allowing anyone to keep track of inspiring links, images and ideas from around the web. It's going to be huge there's no question about that. Both Tanis and I have our separate Pinterest accounts, but we thought it would be amazing to have TFA Pinterest account to have a centralized place to bookmark all things TFA. Come check it out!

Right now it's still in the beta mode, so in order to get an account, you need an invitation from an existing Pinterest member. if you would like to join, let me know (and send me your email address)- I'll send you an invite! We'd love to follow your pins and boards, too.

Year in Colour Club - July

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

What do die-hard knitters like to knit in July? My guess is small, portable projects that keep your hands moving without causing you to pass out from heat stroke!

The July pattern for the TFA Year in Colour Club was designed by Patti Waters. The Aquarium socks are a great mix of fun summery motifs, but in a warm wooly yarn that you'll be wanting to wear all winter.

I had a lot of fun playing around at my friends pool taking these pattern shots. Thanks goodness Chris played nice and agreed not to take any full body shots, I was quite a site rockin' my two piece with my hand knit socks!

Club memberships are still available, new members will receive the January, March, May and July shipments all together.

TFA Tuesday: Jewel

2011-07-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Undina and Lir

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Yellow Label DK in "Jewel"

Top Tier Knitter: Monika (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: I love how her daughter refers to it as a princess dress, because that's exactly what Monika created- a dress fit for a princess. the colour is bright and vivid and looks beautiful on her daughter, and the dress looks super comfortable. She looks so happy wearing it! The project page can be found here.

A swatch

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've had an idea for a sweater bouncing around in my head for months now. When I first got excited about this potential design idea, I knit a swatch. I've had this swatch kicking around for months, and now I've finally started putting it to good use. I've measured, I've re-measured, I've calculated and tweaked some numbers, and now my sweater is finally in progress. I knit the swatch in TFA Yellow Label DK weight yarn in the Stormy colourway, but the actual sweater is being knit in a new for fall colourway that is still a secret. This sweater concept actually inspired the colourway, more on all that soon.

Taking a break

2011-07-20T14:44:00.001-04:00

Chris and I are taking a break from work for a couple of weeks. Of course I'll still be knitting, and I'll definitely be checking my e-mail and posting the occasional blog post, but we're going to try and spend as much time as possible doing as little as possible ;)

Any orders placed will be shipped when we get back to reality the week of August 8th.

TFA Tuesday: Comodidad

2011-07-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

Pattern: Pogona

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Blue Label Fingering Weight in 'Olive'

Top Tier Knitter: Kyla (Ravelry ID)

Totally Awesome Because: Stephen West's shawls are always stunning, and often show off hand dyed and tonal yarns to perfection. This shawl illustrates the point beautifully- the pattern and the yarn are stunning together, Kyla made a spectacular choice. And I love the olive colourway- it always seems a little different each time you look at it, and can even sometimes take on different strengths of the various tones and colours based on your colouring or what you might be wearing. Something about Olive always seems deep and a bit romantic (in a wandering the moor sort of way), perfect for a gorgeous shawl like this. Project page is here.

What's my name?

2011-07-16T12:48:00.001-04:00

Earlier this summer I was struck with the desire to design and knit a super easy, super cozy, two toned striped scarf. I know, it was a very specific desire, not just a scarf, not just something stripy, I knew exactly what I wanted! Something big and cozy and squooshy, yet lacy! Garter stitch stripes in Green Label Aran weight yarn with eyelet's that looks good on both sides is exactly what I had in mind. I knit most of this scarf at Julie's cottage over the Canada day long weekend. I want the scarf to have the option of being an infinity scarf, so I'm going to sew on fabric covered buttons. I purchased this pretty seabreeze and spearmint floral, thinking that it would make the perfect Granny chic buttons... but now I'm thinking that it's less granny chic and more straight-up Granny. So the search for the perfect fabric continues.

I was thinking of calling this design sea-mint, since I think that they are both pretty words, they are pulled directly from the colourways used in this scarf, and they kind of sound nice together. But sea-mint also sounds a heck of a lot like semen, and I'm kind of immature, so I'm not sure I can live with that. Any suggestions?

My blue garden

2011-07-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

Remember this glorious hydrangea shot I shared with you earlier this spring? Well, now the potted hydrangea that lives next to my front door looks more like this:

The new blossoms are a bit lighter and the old blossoms are the most interesting faded shade of green and denim. It's very cool.

And I am thrilled to report that the hydrangea I planted in my back garden last fall is finally blossoming! When I bought it the petals were that perfect blue/purple shade, but I was told not to get too committed to that colour since they can bloom differently once planted depending on the acidity of the soil.

In an attempt to sway the odds in my direction I tossed fifty cents worth of copper pennies and a couple rusty nails into the hole I dug before I planted the hydrangea. I had read online that it might help to make the soil more acidic, even though it makes me look like a crazy person.

But it seems to be working! The blossoms are blue and purple with just a hint of pink and I am very happy.

TFA Tuesday: Retro Style Charcoal Shrug

2011-07-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Retro Redux Shrug

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Green label aran weight in 'Charcoal'

Top Tier Knitter: Susan (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: I'm always so excited to see a great FO in one of the new colourways. The wonderful dark grey looks good with just about anything you pair it with, and I'm a sucker for shrugs that are great for casual, every day wear. I would totally wear this with everything! This is the perfect time of year for a great shrug like this. Details are on her ravelry project page, here.

New pattern sneak peak

2011-07-11T11:43:00.000-04:00

I finished knitting a new pattern I've been working on last week. I'm currently in the process of writing up the pattern notes and figuring out all the sizing (oh the math!) I don't want to give it all away, so I'm just sharing this silly photo that Chris took of me posing behind the clematis. This pattern should be ready for release by the end of the summer.

Out with the old to make room for the new!

2011-07-08T10:50:00.002-04:00

As you could probably tell from this post, team TFA is working on lots of new things for the coming months. In order to make room for all the exciting new things we've got in development it's time to say farewell to a few old friends.

As of August 15, the following colourways will no longer be available: Ultraviolet, Amber, Blueberry and Moss as well as the multi's (prism, glacier, meadow, rhythm, lightning, harvest, tulip and gem) I am going to focus on developing my collection of tonal colourways, it's what I love to do and what I think I do best.

The Fiddlehead Mitten Kits will also be discontinued.

It's very hard for me to say goodbye to these old friends, they've been good to me, but it's time to move on. If you'd like to stock up on any of these soon to be unavailable products you can do so until August 15th.

Video interview

2011-07-05T18:36:00.000-04:00

Head on over to the Yarn On The House Blog to watch 17 minutes of me talking about yarn and enter to win a TFA sponsored giveaway! I have to admit, I'm feeling a little self conscious about being a dork in the interview, but it was lots of fun and it made me realize that I can go on and on about yarn and colours forever, I really do love my job.

One of the things that Veronika talks about in the interview and in her blog post is how much she likes the layout of my website, the fact that it's organized by colour. What do you all think? Do you like this system? Do you find it easier to shop or would you rather shop by weight? The website is due for a bit of facelift soon, so I'd love to hear your feedback.

TFA Tuesday: Fighting Uruk-Hai

2011-07-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Her own, improvised

TFA Yarn and Colourway: Purple Label Cashmere Sock Yarn in 'Velvet'

Top Tier Knitter: Jenny (Ravelry ID, Blog)

Totally Awesome Because: Tonal and varigated yarns always seem to really pop when use in textured stitch combinations, but let's sing the praises of stockinette!! simple, unfussy stockinette shows all the beautiful hues and tones of this colourway in Jenny's mitts, which are gorgeously simple, yet add a special something to her wardrobe. Her project page, with notes on how she made the fingerless mitts, can be found here.

TFA Braintrust Power Conference

2011-07-04T15:28:00.001-04:00

Here in Canada, we had a lovely long weekend celebrating Canada Day (July 1st), and snuck off my family's cottage. Tanis and I (along with our crackerjack husbands, a couple of Brits, and the TFA mascot, Stella) settled into the long weekend to do some serious business planning for TFA. See how serious?

G called it the TFA Braintrust Power Conference.Very, very serious. I mean, we're practically taking over the world right now. You just don't realize.

Oh, and did I mention that we did a photo shoot for an upcoming pattern? Because we totally did that too. Still a few weeks away from a full pattern release, though! I'm working on the pattern and sizing. As you can probably tell, it's a summery, hot-weather knit!