Obsessive Compulsive

I know I have said before I get sort of obsessed with one thing and kinda run with it... my new relationship with knitting has followed a prior one with cupcakes, friendship bracelets, painting, sewing, kickboxing, yoga.... the list continues!


So once I do something once I kinda have to keep going back for a while to get it out of my system. My last post I showed you my first hot water bottle cover. I love it. I actually have never owned a hot water bottle before so this was also a first for me. And now I want to share the love! I went out today and bought 3 more bottles to create covers for. None of them are the same size, and I couldn't find the size I already have so the cover I'm already working on is a bit lost (poor guy) but I will find that size again I know. I think there are only so many sizes of them... well I hope anyway!


What are your thoughts on Hot Water bottles? And little knitted sweaters for them? Good idea? Jealous? (I am working on patterns, so don't get too jealous! I just need to work out the stitches for each size bottle??? )

Turning over a new leaf....

I started myself a project as its now after Christmas and I feel like I deserve some of my own knitting. I also finished the project today which is very unlike me... normally when it's for me it sits on my needles for AGES and I feel guilty about working on it, but not this one! (I'm also doing this as a test knit to create a pattern to share, so I was also sort of working for others at the same time, so maybe that is why it is guiltless.)


It is also something I've been dreaming up since I first learned to knit. I bought some hot water bottles and if you have seen my Ravelry line up you might notice a small and very rustic one with a heart that I designed and knit last year. This year my skills are much improved and I still had a big bottle to cover, so in Sept when I was at Romni wools in Toronto and bought many balls of amazing wools I dreamed up this design and have finally realised the dream. (Bit dramatic sounding but not sure how else to say it!). 


I want to change some things in the pattern before I share it, like the squareness at the bottom, and some placements of colour changes but otherwise here is the gist of what I will be doing in the next little while!


My FO from today!

Christmasey Cheer

I LOVE Christmas. I really really do. I love shopping, I love making, I love wrapping, and I love the excuse to fly to Toronto and see my family. Living far away is sometimes hard, but knowing I get Christmas here makes it all much better!

I have been in town a week now, and have made my way down to the most amazing yarn shop that Toronto has to offer! Romni Wools on Queen West is amazing. If you live anywhere in the general area just go. Drop everything, leave your non-woolly friends at the Tim Hortons across the street (they can people watch, and there are quite a few weirdos in that area) and although the store doesn't look like much on the outside its really worth a trip inside! There are two floors of yarn. The ground level floor is made up of current lines of yarn and is sorted by fibre and size, so if you only want sock yarn you can skip a few rows and just go there. I never skip anything. I spent an hour in there the other day, when it was my second trip to the store already!!! The basement is a dungeon of amazingness - its where they put all their sale yarns and a huge stock of yarn on cones! Its amazing!

While home I've knit one and a half pairs of mittens and I bought yarn to produce sets as my next year's endevour! For the month of January I will still make things for my Etsy shop but have decided it will be a winter occurance only and will spend the rest of the year either making stock or knitting for myself!!! I already have ideas for a hot water bottle cover, mittens for me!, perhaps another sweater.... the sky is the limit! (Ok, the summer months are the limit, but who's counting!) I can't wait to share the items as I make them. I'm going to be making my own patterns for them and really want to be able to share the ideas with others!

 

December Finally!

For someone who hates the snow I have an obscene joy for December. I love the Christmas build up, the manic shops (I try to do most of mine online in advance so the few things I go out and get aren't too ridiculous) and just the rush!

Right now the rush is a bit more than I anticipated. I have taken on an extra job at work, managing my etsy shop, organising knit groups and I'm flying back home in a few days, right after a friend's wedding and then Christmas Dinner for the in-laws. (We're not actually married but how else is a nice way to say your boyfriends parents?). You can possibly imagine the state of my flat?

My signature mittens arrived to their buyer in the USA, which is SUCH a relief and the buyer Kitty says she has been wearing them everyday! I'm so glad they are being used and enjoyed. I love those mittens but I love sharing the craft and what I make. It brings me such satisfaction!

I can't wait to show you some of the things I make in the new year. One of the items will be inspired by the Signature Mittens and I have had the yarn since September and I can't wait to use it! I keep pulling it out, looking at it and practical me keeps putting it away and going to my shop items instead!

 Maybe you will be inspired and share your things with me!

November is the Month things happen in!

I have sold two items from my Etsy shop...my lovely cashmere pink mittens and my signature ones that are blue with red and yellow hearts. Its amazing!

Also, someone has made the same pattern on Ravelry! I'm not sure if I can copy their picture here legally, but I love that someone has made my pattern. Its a bit bizarre seeing something I drew by hand become something I had nothing to do with! But the colours are great, and not something I would have tried so I love that inspiration that comes along with it!

Here is their mitten:

One, Two, Three, Four....

I HAVE SOLD SOMETHING! Its amazing!

These mittens have been a hit (and they're a lot easier than the ones I was doing before) and I've managed to sell two already and then had some people enquire about a few more!

Here are the green ones. You can see the thumbs have changed and I'm not overjoyed about that but I think it looks better than having a second colour added on!

The first pair I sold were these amazing Alpaca ones in a hot pink that I'm in love with. I bought the wool at Romni in Toronto and that store is a cave labyrinth of amazing-ness. These were from the Dungeon of Sales in the basement! I removed one repeat of the pattern at the bottom to ensure I had enough left for the thumbs and I did! (Just!)

The pink ones were sold to a friend from work and we are a team of 3, so naturally my other colleague wanted a pair too. This purple is from English wool company Wendy and its' their Bliss line and its really soft (and cheap, woot woot!). I think its my new favourite standard yarn. Just hope they come out with even more colours. You can kinda see the flecks of pinky purple with bluey purple in this colourway. 

Distraction

I have done some new mittens. Not colourwork but a lace project that looks like cable. Its pretty neat! Its a free pattern I found on Ravelry and only takes one skein of yarn so I thought I would have a go. I have a lot of WONDERFUL balls of wool that are lonely orphans and so can really only lend themselves to this type of project. They are called Autumnal Mittens and the pattern is really simple! Its a great project for starters in lacework!

Its going well enough, except that I kinda ran out of yarn at the end of the second mitten so Im having to take some of the ribbing out of the first one to make sure they match. PAIN in the BOTTOM!

Here's what it looked like before I had to modify it....

I don't like this colour enough to order more of it, so I will just have to live with the modifications and hope no one notices (Im not doing a very good job of hiding it am I???). I'm a bit worried now to start another pair but my friend wants bright pink and I actually have this amazing bright pink Alpaca yarn I keep trying to find a project for. And really, I started these as a practice to use that yarn so its the perfect chance! I'll just have to cut the ribbing at the bottom a bit short and preserve a bit more of the yarn! Le Sigh..... 

I will show a picture of these when they're done too!