Leaf Evolution Shawl

I've wanted to do a laceweight shawl for a while now so I finally got around to it.

Earlier in the year, I found this lovely laceweight silk yarn for a great price online and just had to buy it. I got two skeins of two different colourways but didn't have any projects in mind.

I purchased the yarn from Camaj Fiber Arts. Here's a link to her Etsy page:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CAMAJ?ref=l2-shopheader-name

I searched for a while and found a pattern I liked. It's called Leaf Evolution Shawl by Tetiana Otruta. The pattern is available for sale on Ravelry. Here's the link:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leaf-evolution-shawl

Lovely, shiny, soft 100% silk in wonderful colours. I used the top two for this shawl. 

Ah, I love the sensation of a newly started object. 

Got lots of knitting done outside in the fresh air. 

Almost made it with one skein but there's not enough here to do the last row and then the bind-off. At least I had a second skein of this same colourway! 

To get to this size, I repeated Chart B 24 times. If I had reduced to 22 repeats, I could have made it with one skein. It was an even number of repeats that are required on Chart B for the pattern to work out correctly.    

Blocking, such a great feeling! 

After blocking, it measures 67" across the top and 39" deep at the centre stitch.

I had to add bits and pieces to my blocking matts to accommodate the size of this shawl once it was stretched out.   

I loved this pattern so much that I cast-on a second one as soon as I finished this one. I have finished knitting it as well but it's not yet blocked so it'll have to wait for another posting. 

Well, that's it for today.

Knitterly yours,

BevKnits. 

Cadence Socks with Dyenamic Yarn

So here's my first project that I'm blogging about in a long time. I've decided that I won't blog until an item is done. In the case of shawls, I don't consider them done until they're blocked so this will encourage me to get cracking and finish things! 

Onto the socks at hand. The pattern I used for these socks is called Cadence Socks by Verybusymonkey, a free pattern on Ravelry. Here's the link: 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cadence-socks

The yarn I'm using is a hand-dyed sock yarn from Dyenamic Yarn in Bowmanville, Ontario. She makes some very lovely skeins. Here's a link to her Etsy page: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/dyenamicyarn

Some lovely yarn came in the mail, time to make a ball.

Working on the leg pattern. 

Heel flap and turn.

Cadence Socks, finished on the sock blockers.

I LOVED this pattern. It kept changing so that kept it interesting for me. I used 2.75 mm DPNs, that's my favourite way of knitting socks, mittens, and gloves.

These socks are destined to go live in my cousin's house in the UK. 

I'm making another pair of socks with Dynamic Yarn sock yarn but that's for another post.

Knitterly yours,

BevKnits. 

Long time between blog posts...

I'm going to try and be better. I really want to blog, I just keep getting side-tracked.

Seeing as this is my knitting blog, I will keep my posts to knitting or other fibre related items.
Food posts will be in a different blog (tbd)

This post is just a "hello, I'm back" kind of post. I will be composing a proper blog posts on all the socks  and shawls I've been knitting lately.  I think I will do one item per post rather than making long posts with too much stuff all at once.

Cheers and hope to see you online,

Knitterly yours,
BevKnits.

This is one of the shawls I knit this year. :o) Stay tuned for a blog post about it and its wonderful yarn. 

Dare to Dream of Alpacas

I have never hid the fact that I would like fibre beasts. Mostly I want alpacas but I would also like a few sheep and a llama.

When I was at Camilla Valley Farm the other day buying my hand carders, another customer came in to buy a piece for her loom and she was telling me that there was going to be an Alpaca Show and auction in Orangeville at the Fair Grounds on the weekend.

DH and I were down in Orangeville today so I mentioned it and away we went! I'm sure he was quite wary of me looking at fuzzy little alpaca faces because he knows how I feel about them. I think he kinda likes them too now! They are so sweet. We were looking at the ones that were scheduled to be auctioned off and my goodness, they are so sweet! Their poop doesn't smell and they are very clean critters. They make a lovely cooing sound when they're a little scared and I'm sure that big echoey building with the auctioneer on loudspeaker wasn't helping that any!

I'm in love! Here are a few pictures that I snapped of the ones that were being auctioned off today:

This guy (or maybe girl?) was quite nervous. It was in the last enclosure sort of off by itself and they don't like to be alone. Poor wee baby. I love this brown colour.


This one really took an interest in my hubby. DH has a greying beard and grey in his otherwise very dark coloured hair, almost like this wee one's face.



I'd like a brown one and one like this to start, I really like the puffiness of their coats!




This one acted totally different as soon as I held my phone up to take its picture! I swear it was busting a pose for me. I really wish I could have taken it home with me! Look at the tufty hair on its head!! So freakin' cute!




We stopped at Fines Hardware in Shelburne on the way home to look at their sheds. I saw a couple of really nice 10X10s that would be PERFECT for two alpacas! I didn't hear too many complaints by the man that would have to pay for and assemble it. :o)

My dream of alpacas may soon be realized!



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Testing Hyperlinks

Oh please work!
Google

Okay, that works!! YAY for BlogPress. I'm going to go fix the hyperlinks in my previous blog so they should work too. :o)

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Processing Fleece...The Next Step

Well, this summer I learned how to skirt and pick out vegetation and then wash dirty sheep fleece. I laid it out to dry and then bagged up the clean and dry fleece waiting to amass the equipment/supplies to do the next step, Carding.

Today I took a road trip over to Camilla Valley Farm (Camilla Valley Farm) and bought a set of hand carders.

Here they are:










Aren't they lovely?! I got the coarse ones to start with and I hope to create some roving so I can make some nice thrummed mittens and slippers. (Thrum as described by the Yarn Harlot: Thrum FAQ)

The BEST thing about these puppies was this:




Gotta love it when I see those three lovely words: Made In Canada!

@spinndiva sent me a link to an awesome little visual aid to learn the carding process.

Here's a link to the YouTube video: YouTube Carding Video

While at Camilla Valley Farms I saw things, things I shouldn't have seen. Things like big used floor looms and brand new small table looms. A rainbow of colours of yarn on cones ready to be woven into lovely fabrics. I will resist this area of fibre manipulation.....for now.

I really need to finish a couple of projects before I get my hands on the carders and get at the fleece because as soon as the fleece is carded into roving, thrummed items will start appearing!

Cheers and Happy Thursday to all!

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Toy Knitting Addiction

I knew it would be a problem. I knew that I would get addicted almost immediately. Toy Knitting. Yup, it happened. I'm addicted. I really had to force myself to put away the bin of yarn dedicated to toy knitting so I could work on Christmas knitting.

The first toy I knitted was a little roundish sheep I knit as a test knitter for Anita Elmore of ASE Knits 'n Crochets. The name of the pattern is ASE's Little Lamb - Knit Version.

The counter weight that you were to put in the body was a high bounce ball but I didn't have one so inside the one I made is one regulation Titlest. lol.

Here's the wee guy:




The pattern was written to be worked in the flat and then sewn up but I really, really dislike seaming so I converted it (and all other toy patterns) to be worked in the round on DPNs.

Next I found an awesome giraffe on Ravelry that I had to do! The pattern is called Knit Giraffe by Amy Gaines. He was a lot of fun to do and I changed him around too to be worked in the round. The legs were supposed to be knitted separately and then stitched on, I worked them in the round too.

Here is Gerome:




I don't like where you can see that I picked up and knit the legs on. In the future, I'd fix this if I were to make another one.

I love the look on his face, he makes me smile!

Hey, I just noticed that is Darryl from Coronation Street on in the background. :o)




By the time I finished Gerome, I was hooked! I want to knit toys and toy clothes all day long! Really, I do!! lol.

I found Barbara Prime of Fuzzy Mitten next on Ravelry. Well, I completely fell in love with her patterns. They were easy-peasy to convert to "in-the-round" so off I went.

First there was the free pattern, Fuzzy Mitten Lamb by Barbara Prime of Fuzzymitten.com. I made him with grey Alpaca Natural Blends by Bernat and some other worsted weight for the black. He's an articulated toy but sewing the arms and legs on was a little tricky before I got my great long needle.

May I present Johnathan Livingston Lamb:




Here's Johnathan in the purple heart sweater:



And in his blue Filatura DiCrosa DK weight Hoodie:



Next was Alice the Alpaca. I made her with the Alpaca blend in Rust:




Here she is with Johnathan:




Then came Harriet Hare:




Then Harriet got a lovely dress made with Crofter's DK Fair Isle Effects yarn:







And last but certainly not least, came Wee Willie Hedgehog. His pattern is Little Oddment Hedgehog by Little Cotton Rabbit. If you've never seen any of Little Cotton Rabbit's work, do yourself a favour and google her. WOW, she does AMAZING work. Here is Willie:







Here's a picture of the whole gang hanging out in a basket:


Oh, yes...there's a few extra body parts hanging around in the basket.

I've forced myself to stay away from the toys for now but just you WAIT until I have my Christmas knitting finished. There will be more toys and more clothes on my needles.

Now after all this typing and picture imbedding, please please please BlogPress, don't crash my blog.

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