I mean, holy crap. I haven’t posted in ages, and I am sorry. There has been lots of knitting going on, so I will sum up best I can.

At the end of March I finished Topaz (ravlink) for my niece, Emma’s first birthday. Unfortunately I was sick this weekend, and missed being able to give it to the happy proud parents. My fiance did it for me though, and ensures me there were appropriate oohs and aahs.

I finished my double knitted, dk weight cowl and it’s beautiful. I even managed to wear it a couple times before the weather got nice.

I finished the woodland shawl for one of my bridesmaids as a thank you gift:

Knit a kitchen set for my brother’s wedding, which is this weekend (!!!)

And finished knitting a thank you shawl for my Maid of Honour just last week.

Major progress was made on my fiance’s sweater; both front panels are done, as well as the back. The sleeve caps are intimidating!

And I even knit a baby blanket for charity! Whew… I’m glad I got that off my chest. I’ll be away for the next week or so for my bro’s wedding, and hopefully will be back to show you more knitting (and maybe some pretty wedding pictures, who knows!)

There’s been more than just knitting going on lately. Wedding planning is in full swing, now that we’ve passed the 6 month mark. The invitations are almost done being designed and all the paper for printing has been delivered. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been working on.

I’ve starting practicing making flowers out of fabric for the bouquets, and one of my bridesmaid found a dress! Even if she needs to have it altered, it’s still a great start. The last week has been full of phone calls to vendors, which means we get to start deciding on the menu. I’ve also been scouring second-hand shops for vases for the centerpieces. I’m loving this matching by not-matching theme I’ve got going on. It’s making this fun instead of stressful.

In knitting news, I’ve rejoined the Yarn Bearer’s sock club coming up, and I’m very excited to see what new yarn will be coming my way. I’m almost done one of my bridesmaid’s shawls, and I’m almost done all the kitchen-knitting for my brother’s wedding gift (he’s getting married in May). I still think I might have time to make them coordinating slippers ^_^

Happy spring everyone!

This has been a big week for me… Monday night Chris took me to see Fleetwood Mac at Scotiabank Place as my birthday present ^__^ It was so awesome and I am very very happy. One more off the list of bands to see before they die… hmmmm maybe Blue Rodeo should be next…

This has been a big week for me… Monday night Chris took me to see Fleetwood Mac at Scotiabank Place as my birthday present ^__^ It was so awesome and I am very very happy. One more off the list of bands to see before they die… hmmmm maybe Blue Rodeo should be next…

And in case you’re worried, I’ve been knitting. Knitting a lot! I finished the baby dress for my niece. Her birthday is in a month but I think I’m going to give it to her early… this weekend because I just can’t wait! The pattern is Topaz by Yumiko Sakurai and it’s just the cutest thing ever. I’ll hopefully have a full photo this weekend… the lighting wasn’t great and this was the only decent shot:

I’ve also been working away at a double knitted cowl. Finished it today, and have decided that I LOVE the grafted bind off on this. It took just forever to knit, over a month, but the yarn is so beautiful, and it’s just so soft… it really was worth all the effort and time.

Spring is in the air… I feel it coming, and I hope you do too

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I have been keeping my eye out for button loop and hole ideas for awhile now, since I often forget them, or it’s easier to know where you want them after the garment is completed. Well, Knitty released their spring issue today and they have a great tutorial on how to make crocheted button loops while doing a crochet edging. Okay, so I don’t know how to crochet, but this looks pretty simple so I plan to give it a try.

I have a collection of Tips and Tricks already started, go here for more ideas, tutorials, and techniques!

On the topic of Knitty’s spring issue, OMG! There are 7 different things that I love in this issue. An unprecedented 7. I am excited enough about it that I’m going to blog about it. Go me The first one I want to talk about is Shipwreck. A round shawl done is sock yarn, so it would go faster than regular lace. The yarn used in the sample is particularly beautiful, but the pattern itself is so pretty. I may have to knit myself one for my wedding.

I’m finding myself more and more drawn to vests. I think I may need to knit one. I don’t wear them though, so I’ve been holding off… though Santeney might look really pretty with a chemise underneith.

Pioneer looks likes a beautiful raglan tee. Worked top-down with a cabled neckline, it would work well in all sorts of different yarns.

Decimal is a beautiful cardigan that I want to knit NOW. It’s available in a crazy number of sizes and there are two samples shown. It looks beautiful on both women and is flattering as well.

I have been looking for a dress to knit for my niece who’s first birthday is coming up in May, and I think Topaz wins. It’s adorable, has some colour work to keep me entertained, and fits the bill perfectly.

Steggie deserves mention for cuteness factor.

And finally the knitted birds, Flock. SO cute.

Have you ever found a pattern that you really wanted to try, but it was only available in a language other than your own? I speak french, but that doesn’t mean I understand french knitting-jargon. That’s why I was so excited to find a French to English only directory of knitting terms! Enjoy ^__^

My yarn came! At the end of December, on a whim I decided to join The Yarn Bearer’s sock club on Etsy. She was only taking 15 people but has since taken 18. We each filled out a cute little questionnaire, and for three months she is sending us each a personally-tailored skein of her awesome kettle-dyed sock yarn. ^___^ I am so happy! My yarn is a beautiful green/brown and with Chris’ help I have named it: The Emerald in the Woods. It’s so pretty, I hope the photos do it justice. *__*

And another view for your yarning pleasure

It also came with an awesome and very useful tote bag, which I am already using today! And all the yarn info is on an awesome pin! That way I can stick it on my socks so that Chris doesn’t destroy them when he does the laundry ^_^ She’s just so smart!

I have been so remiss in my blogging. And there is plenty to tell you! Today, I have the flu, so after getting some much needed sleep and soup and tea, I decided to finally take some pictures of what I’ve been working on. First is I finally have some progress photos of the Woodland Shawl (Rav link) that I’m knitting for a friend for her birthday. Based on weight, I’m 30% done. The beads are stitch markers, but I’m playing with the idea of adding some later. I am finally at a point with the pattern where I feel I can follow the chart, instead of the written instructions. I wouldn’t say I have it memorized, since I consider myself to have a hard time with lace, but it’s getting easier with every repeat.The only modification is that I added 2 repeats (4 leaves) to the width of the shawl, since I’m using a ball of yarn with more yardage than the pattern calls for, and I want to use it all.

I have other projects on the go too. I am improvising a double knitted cowl (rav link), knit flat. I tried to do it in the round and got too confused since it’s a new technique to me. I’m really happy so far, even though it’s going very slowly.

The other project I started last week is a pair of gloves using the same pattern as for my FMIL’s gloves. I am heavily modifying the pattern to suit the larger yarn, but after doing a couple fingers am finding that it’s not working out too well. I’m going to have to rip back these fingers and make them longer… I’m still torn on whether to frog it completely and make something else.

In stash news, my birthday was very good for yarn! My parents sent me a wonderful package full of lovely things (including a shawl pin!) and some wonderful sock yarn ^_^ Emma also hand dyed some Misti Alpaca lace and I am so excited to show it all off!

I also participated in the hot cocoa swap, and finally got around to taking some photos. Thank you so much Chelle!! You went above and beyond the swap requirements, everything was so awesome.

I will post more on Retrofit once I’ve taken some photos. Cheers everyone!

A couple weeks ago, I decided I needed a warmer hat. Good for me, I decide this just as the weather is slowly starting to get warmer. lol I have been enjoying wearing it though, and for the colder days have really enjoyed having something warm this is more stylish than my other winter hats.

The pattern is the Elizabeth Hat by Jane Richmond (Ravlink). The pattern is available for free through Ravelry as a download, but she does have an Etsy shop. This pattern is awesome because it can be worn two ways; slouchy or as a typical folded hem hat. The yarn I used is thick so it’s warm, and the cable pattern kept things interesting. I also managed to whip this one off in just a few hours, so it’s an instant-gratification kind of knit.

I have a few notes about this pattern, and how I went about it. Mainly because I’ve come up with a way to handle gauge and sizing differences in patterns; basically I wanted an easier way to modify patterns to suit ME, instead of just pushing on forward and hoping for the best.

The first thing I want to talk about is yarn gauge, theirs and yours, and what to do if you have a different one from the pattern. I really hate that most instructions say to just go up or down a needle size until you get it right. My main problem with this is that, you should be going up or down a needle size to get the DRAPE and FABRIC you want, not necessarily the stitch and row count. A better solution is to modify the pattern itself to suit the stitches and rows per inch that you’ve obtained, once you’re happy with your gauge swatch.

Yes, I said gauge swatch. I hate them, but you must do them. I know the YarnHarlot says they lie (and they do), but we must do them anyway. Humour me. Knit up your gauge swatch, and compare yours to theirs. When I did this, this is what I found (and I ignored row gauge on this particular piece, since I knew that it wasn’t terribly important):

Their gauge: 16 stitches = 4 inches
My gauge: 14 stitches – 4 inches

The first thing we take away from this information is that we have fewer stitches per inch than the pattern. This means, we need to cast on LESS stitches than the pattern calls for. But wait! How do you know how many stitches to cast on? Here’s your answer. Take out your calculator (don’t panic!!) and divide your gauge by their gauge. Example:

16 stitches ÷ 14 stitches = 0.875

Now what do you do with this information? Well, the pattern says to cast on 64 stitches. Since we know that we have to cast on less than that to match our gauge, we multiply their cast on, by that magical number up there:

Their cast on X 0.875 = Your cast on

Example: 64 X 0.875 = 56

So now we can be all excited! We now know that we need to cast on 56 stitches, and that we’ll get the exact same size as the pattern requests! This is great! But wait, doesn’t this pattern have a cable? It does! We need to make sure that our cast on is divisible by 8. 56 is, so we’re safe. But if it wasn’t we would have to decide whether to go up or down a few to make sure that it was. The same thing if you get a decimal. I usually round up, rather than down, since you generally don’t want things to wind up too tight because of faulty math.

Okay, so now we know that Instead of casting on 64, we’re casting on 56 to accommodate the difference in our yarn gauge. So I had another thought; what if my head is a different size from her head? So I went and got out my measuring tape and measured my head. 21 inches. Pretty standard. Okay, So we know their gauge was 16 stitches over 4 inches and their cast on was 64 stitches, so the pattern is going to make a hat that’s 16 inches in diameter. That formula is:

CO ÷ (STS p INCH ÷ 4)  = Final Size.

Example: 64 ÷ (16 ÷ 4)  = 16

Hmmm so with my head being 21 inches, does that mean the hat would be too small? Let’s find out. If I subtract 15% ease from 21, I get 17.75 inches. That means I need to make my hat 1.75 inches larger in diameter than the pattern calls for. Well, that changes everything! Back to the calculator we go.

Desired size ÷ Their size x CO = Revised CO

Example: 17.75 ÷ 16 x 56 = 62.125

Round that number either up or down, and in this case, make sure it’s divisible by 8 and you’re ready to go. So, my final revised cast on is 64. Now, we don’t want to have to go and do this every single time we get to a new instruction in the pattern. That would be crazy! So instead, just divide your new cast on by the original cast on in the pattern to get a new number.

Your new cast on ÷ Original pattern cast on = new number

Example: 64 ÷ 56 = 1.143

Now all you have to do is multiply every stitch reference in the pattern by 1.143 to get your new instruction. This is really easy for a hat pattern, because often the only stitch reference is in the cast on, so you only need to do all that work once. But if you are working on something with shaping, and it tells you to Knit 10 stitches, then do something else, all you do is multiply 10 by your magic number up there, and instead of knitting 10 stitches, you would knit 11.4 stitches, or round it down to 11.

You can use this same theory for row guage too. But often instructions are given in terms of length, not in terms of rows and you probably don’t need to worry as much about it. I hope this has been helpful, because i know that this has changed the way I think about knitting and gauge.

It gets pretty complicated if your completely changing a pattern based on both gauge and size, but if you only have to change one of the two factors (size OR gauge) I’ve summed it up for you. Follow the above directions as a guide to changing a pattern completely.

IF YOUR GAUGE IS DIFFERENT FROM THEIR GAUGE, AND YOUR SIZE IS THE SAME:

Their gauge ÷ your gauge = magic number (to be applied to all references to stitches)

IF YOUR GAUGE IS THE SAME, BUT YOUR SIZE IS DIFFERENT:

Their cast on X Their stitches per inch = x

Your size (plus or minus ease) ÷ x X  their cast on = y

y ÷ Their cast on = magic number (to be applied to all stitches)

Happy Knitting!

Marshmallows/Whipped Cream – The big debate.

How do you prefer you top your cocoa?  If you like marshmallows, do they need to be the big ones, little ones, homemade, gourmet, flavored?  If it’s whipped cream, is it fresh, the kind in the can, flavored?  Or are you a fluff gal?  Or… do you like your cocoa naked?  Tell us about how you top off your favorite cup of chocolate!

I love fresh whipped cream. Made by hand, and dalloped ontop my coca with a large spoon. Then sometimes I sprinkle it with chocolate and nutmeg. mmmmmm.

I finished two projects this weekend. The first was on Friday night at a Bridgehead knit-night. I finished the garter stitch jacket that I’ve been working on for all of January! For those who don’t recall, I received the yarn as an AWESOME birthday gift from my fiance’s parents last year. My birthday is rolling around in about a week, and I wanted to make sure I had the jacket done before then. I am so happy it’s done! It’s squooshy and it’s warm. It’s only a little itchy, but that’s fine by me. I plan to use it at work since I tend to get cold.

I made some pretty crazy mods to this pattern in terms of the width. Upon reading the pattern, I learned that it was intended for a woman with a 43 inch bust. I do not have a 43 inch bust, I have a 34 inch bust. Heeding some advice of other knitters, I factored in 2 inches of positive ease, and figured that I could reduce the width of the entire pattern (aside from the sleeves) and have a jacket that fits me, instead of mystery-43-inch-bust lady. Here’s what I did:

36 divided by 43 is 0.837. I figured that if I multiply everything in the pattern I get the stitch count I need. For example, the pattern starts by telling you to cast on 66. If I multiply 66 by 0.837, I get 55.24. So I cast on 56 stitches and get the proper stitch count for my size! I did this anywhere that it told me to do anything width-wise. So, when it told me to cast off 10 stitches, I cast off 8. I kept the rows the same, because I had no qualms with the length of the jacket, just modified the width of everything else. Go on, try it! You’d be surprised at what you can do.

Watch for my next post for even more knitting math-tips, where we factor in more than just size differences, but yarn gauge too!

Fleece Artist Garter Stitch Jacket

Source: Fleece Artist
Yarn: Fleece Artist Baby Kid (1.75 skeins), and Fleece Artist Kiss Curls (0.75 skein).
Needles: US10 and US8

The last few weeks have been full of snow, knitting, and life. I’ve been doing a lot of knitting, which I guess isn’t really news. I did finish part of the package I’m putting together for the Hot Cocoa Swap. I have named him Wilbur, and he’s awesome. I really think the wings make the pig ^_^

I have also been knitting away on the garter stitch jacket. I’m about 10 inches into the first sleeve and it fits really well! I had a bit of drama trying to figure out the sleeves at first; I didn’t realize they were knit flat, then seamed. Now that I get it, I feel really silly. Pictures soon, I promise.

After much discussion, I have decided to knit Retrofit for my fiancé. I showed him lots of pictures, and we discussed colours for a long enough time that I think he’s sure about things. We’re going with Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Jade for the body, and Squirrel Heather for the arms. Check out my doctored photo

On my birthday last year (in February), my fiancé’s parents bought me yarn. Beautiful awesome Fleece Artist yarn! They bought me the kit for the Garter Stitch Jacket and I was too afraid to knit with the beautiful yarn then… silly me. I finally wound up two of the three skeins into center-pull balls before Christmas in the hopes that I would finish Chris’ socks while I was out of town, and maybe get to start a new project before the new year.

Alas, it was not meant to be. I didn’t finish Chris’ socks until after I returned home in January, and didn’t manage to start the Jacket until only last week. But start it, I did, and I absolutely love it! Earlier this week, I finished off the back panel and started one of the front panels that same night. I started the waist-shaping last night and hope to have this piece done at the Knit Night on Friday.

I just love this yarn. I was worried that it would stick together and make knots in the skein, but once it was wound into a ball, I’ve had no problems. It’s pulling out nicely, and I haven’t encountered any tangles yet *fingers crossed*. I’ll probably have to wind up that last skein before I start the sleeves, I think… but I’m hoping I have enough left over for maybe a hat. Ah yes! The Mods: I noticed that the pattern is for a 43″ bust (under the arms). Well, I measure my bust to be 34″. After allowing for some positive ease, I figured out with some crazy math that I can reduce the width of the jacket by 83.7% and it will fit me better. I’m leaving the length the same, thanks to some thoughtful advice from fellow knitters, and so far it seems to be going just fine. I still haven’t decided whether or not I need to reduce the sleeves in diameter… I may just knit it up as directed and do some measuring before I get to far.

Anyway, enough chatter. How about some photos! Here is the back panel all complete. I am so happy that it’s not doing the camo-thing and even has a bit of striping to it! I was worried the stitches were too big, but it’s such a soft, fluffy yarn that it hardly matters. I’ll probably just wear in at the drafty office anyway.

Here is the piece I’m working on right now. It’s actually a few inches beyond this point now, but you can see I still have quite a bit yarn left which is good.