Christmas Clogs...

I know... it's a month later here but I am just getting to posting pictures of Christmas knitting. I figured that I would save it for a time when I needed a bit of 'tying-over' in between projects. I seem to be in the midst of numerous 'almost done' projects, not to mention (ahem) school work.

Anyway, all of that knitting I was doing before Christmas was none other than felted clogs for my three siblings. I must confess... it got a little monotonous but at least it was kept even. It was also a bit of an experiment on my part. An experiment in felting wool that is... as I used a different brand for each pair. Now, I ran into a bit of a problem here... I panicked a wee bit and didn't felt them down as much as they needed to be felted. They were all given GIANT slippers for Christmas. I didn't get around to tossing them in the wash one last time before I took off for Halifax once again, so I left it in the hands of my poor mother to finish up the process. My one sister still wore hers around but I anticipate several tumbles down the stairs if she keeps that up.

Anyways, since they were never completely felted, I don't have any shots of them finished, felted and on feet. I would only have pictures like that if... I was a completely organized person. Which, I'm definately not. But, I did manage a shot of them after being knit.


The brown pair on the bottom were for my brother made out of Galway.
The coral and mauve pair were done out of Cascade 220.
And the dark purple and green (yes... that's what they are) were done out of Brown Sheep.

Which did I like better???
Ugh.
I don't know.
Tough call. I like... them all?
The pair that I did for myself were out of Cascade 220 and I must say that they have held up quite well. I initially liked the Galway the most but the fuzziness of the Brown Sheep was just so...enticing. Those ones ended up being the most expensive though, as I had to buy more yarn for those last few stupid rows... (the bottoms don't match because they were going to end up being $60.00 clogs which I provided the labour for).

Anyways, it was a fun little task and perhaps at some point in my blogging life I will get a picture of them all felted up and on feet.
Don't count on that until next Christmas though.

Mohair cupcake on me

Remember how I didn't want to divulge any information regarding my cupcake inspired project? Well... I feel as though now that the project is complete, I can talk a wee bit about it.

First, a photo.
Well, alright... maybe two.
I can't take the credit for it really... other than alright, I guess I did knit it. A customer at the store marched in wearing this vest over the holidays and I fell so in love with it because she had knit it out of the exact yarn I had been gushing over for ages but just couldn't decide what to do with it. She so kindly took the vest off of her back and let me try it on.
I cast on as soon as my knitting needles would behave.
Now, the only thing that I really did differently than the dear customer was go up one needle size (to a 6.5 mm) and pull it across to make the button and buttonhole. Her vest just lies open. I needed more... coverage?
The yarn is by Needful Yarns and it's called Piccadilly. It has that perfect blend of colour... fuzz and sparkle. Dress it up... or dress it down? I like the in between stages. You can go anywhere.

The pattern... was one from the customer's head. And you know what???? It couldn't be easier. Because, it's a rectangle!
Yup.
It's true.

Cast on 180 stitches. Knit 2, Purl 2 for 6".
Decrease down to 90 stitches.
Knit in stocking stitch for about 17" total (including the ribbing).
Increase back up to 180 stitches and knit 2, purl 2 for 6".
Cast off.
Sew the top and bottom edges of the ribbing together (this will be where the armpit is approximately).
And there you have a vest... For the buttonhole, I just left a little gap in the seam as I was sewing and there it was!

You could do this with pretty much any yarn and I do intend to experiment with others. If using Piccadilly though, it takes 4 balls.

It made it's big debut today and I am happy to report that my torso remained toasty even through this snowstorm of a Halifax kinda day.

Enjoy, and do let me know if you give it a go. I'm sooooo nosey.

Knitted neon

So... I got my act together and not only did I finish knitting something, I actually picked up a needle and sewed it together. That happens... rarely in my life.
I sadly decided to take some pictures of this creation late at night, before my departure from Toronto back to Halifax and these wildly vibrant colours desperately need natural sunlight in order to register on the beloved camera. So, I completely apologize for the terrible photos. I will get some nicer and clearer ones, someday.
Anyway... I'll share the details with you.
It's... a blanket.
Knit out of Manos del Uruguay.
I have spoken about it earlier in this little knit-blogging-diary of mine.
I had dreamt of it having a lovely fringe along the bottom of it, like a scarf, especially because I had oodles left over. But when the end came around... and my mom made the suggestion that tassles on each corner might be more practical... I embraced the idea, but ran out of time.
The blanket is not with me.
It's in Toronto, proudly displayed at my mom's shop. (as far as I am aware)
The honking huge tassles I have in mind are going to have to wait until I am reunited with the store, and the blanket.

So, here's a terrible picture for you to squint at. (sunglasses are strongly recommended)
And another one.

And another one.

This blanket started out in the summer as we were doing a workshop of sorts at the store which became known as 'the-block-of-the-month-club'.
Each month, knitters would come and knit a block.
The blanket, having 12 blocks total would ensure completion after one full year.
The pattern was the Four Seasons Throw and although it is knit in strips, we made an exception here.
I started late, and I finished early I'll admit, but it was a bulky project and I wanted to get it finished and home to show the group so that I don't have to haul it back in May when I return for goooooood.
When they day does come that I head back, I shall be sure to tack some tassles on there and haul it out on a warm sunny day for a nice photo shoot.

So, now I am working on designing a living room to go with the blanket. Surely there isn't one already out there.

My sweet tooth

As I sat in my first day of class today, allowing my needles to click throughout as we all dealt with the formalities that go along with the first day back... I happened to notice something completely stunning as my ball of yarn fell off my stupid little table-ette and onto the ground where my bag and latest indulgence was sitting patiently in a clear plastic box.



Notice anything?
Perhaps you have noticed that I am becoming entirely predictable.

I shall share more details on what exactly it is I am knitting as I get further into it.
It's still far too young a project to brag about.