Happy Birthday to You Sale!

Psst! Today is Shelagh's birthday and I got so excited trying to find the perfect gift for her that I got carried away and I decided to offer you a present! How about Free Shipping on every purchase?

Sshhh! It's a surprise even Shelagh doesn't know about! 

Just head on over to our Etsy shop (click the Etsy icon on the right to connect directly) and peruse to your heart's content. Pick something for yourself or a gift--or something for you and a friend!--then head to the check out. Use code BIRTHDAYSHIP to get free shipping.

Woot! Woot!

That's right! We'll ship your items FOR FREE via standard mail!

But act fast! The sale lasts until Saturday midnight Eastern Time.

Why Hand Made Matters

The blanket my Gran made for me in the 1970s.

When it comes to gift-giving, it's easier and often less expensive to buy something from a retail store when we head out shopping with a checklist. But I've been thinking a lot lately about the beauty of giving--and receiving--hand-made gifts. I've been thinking about why hand made matters. 

Links to our Past

Do you remember your parents or grandparents making something for you? Perhaps your grandmother crocheted or your mother sewed. Or maybe your father did wood carving and your grandfather painted in oils. Think of the time someone spent on what they loved to do, especially if they made something specifically for you. These are part of your family story.

For Shelagh and me, our love of giving something special, something hand made, comes from our mother and her mother. Gran was amazingly talented: she sewed, crocheted, and knit. When I was a teenager, she sent me a beautiful crocheted afghan that she and her sisters (I think) made. Gran mailed it from Scotland, where our parents were from originally. Although I loved it, I know my teenage self didn't completely appreciate it. But I still have it and every time I look at it, I think of my grandmother.

Supports Creativity

Face it, most of our days are spent on the "have to" activities: grocery shopping, children's events, house cleaning, even exercising. But creativity should be part of our lives, whether through our own pursuits or appreciating other people's. I read a great quote from Elizabeth Gilbert that I think sums up why creativity is good for our mental health: "If I am not actively creating something, then chances are I am probably actively destroying something--myself, a relationship, or my own peace of mind."

The beauty of creativity is that it looks different for each of us. And often we appreciate that "thing" we cannot do: painting, knitting, jewellery-making, writing. Pursuing those creative activities is a wonderful outlet. Purchasing an artisan's creations might fire up your own creativity.

"Slow Living"

The growth of mindfulness has occurred as people becoming tired of a hectic, hyper-connected, over-marketed lifestyle. Living mindfully means slowing things down, choosing simplicity over excess, being present and aware of what we have, and practising gratitude.

Making something by hand means having the chance to be active creatively and mindfully. Buying something hand made means choosing creativity, simplicity, and a story over speed, excess, and a checklist.

These are just some of the benefits I see for why hand made matters. What do you think? What do you see as the benefits of choosing hand made over store bought?

Fashion Friday - Three Ways to Wear a Skinny Scarf

A skinny scarf is perfect for transitioning from summer to Fall. It's not too bulky and it stylishly provides a layer of warmth as the temperature drops. The scarf we're showing here is a Merino / Bamboo blend, so it's light but warm and breathable. And it's blue, which provides a great pop of colour to a wardrobe of neutrals / classics. Here's how to wear it now.

First, at work: I mean, what a great way to add some interest to a plain white shirt and black skirt. The tie-blouse became popular last year and we still see it on runways and in stores. But for that classic shirt you already have, why not add a skinny scarf instead of a necklace? It looks great and keeps you warm if you have to go to a meeting in a chilly conference room!

A skinny scarf is a great way to change up a traditional office look. 

Next, picking up / dropping off the kids for after school activities. Skinny jeans and rubber boots, a bulky pullover and a yellow mac: the style quotient for this look is amped up by wrapping a skinny scarf around your neck multiple times. The only other accessories you will need is coffee and a wallet.

Doesn't the blue pair well with a yellow mac?

Finally, let the skinny scarf release your inner rock star! Think Steven Tyler as you dress for a fun night out. Skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, high-heeled booties, and a rockin' belt all topped with a sequin-laden jacket and your skinny scarf wrapped once and draping down. 

How would you rock a skinny scarf?

A Gift for a Friend

Our sister Irene was always looking for something special with peacocks on it for her sister-in-law; Teena loves peacocks and are quite meaningful for her. Irene always had a good eye for hunting down something unique for Teena, so when I saw some yarn the Yarn Enabler dyed in a colourway she named "Peacock." I knew I had to get some to make something for Teena.

Then Yarn Enabler brought a couple of skeins of the "Peacock" yarn to Knit Night at our local yarn store. She had dyed a couple of different yarn bases and they were both beautiful but slightly different. It is amazing how different each yarn base affects how the dyes absorb. The woman who had ordered the colour originally bought the ones she wanted . . . but there was one left that she didn't want. It was 75% Superwash merino and 25% nylon sock yarn! Soft and squishy! So I said "Sold!"

Now that I had a skein I had to find a pattern to do this gorgeous colour justice. Baadeck Yarns posted a free pattern that intrigued me. I looked it up on Ravelry and thought it a perfect match for this yarn and for Teena. The pattern is Seaglass by Jessamyn Leigh.

The pattern is written for using DK weight yarn and I was using sock weight. I knit it up to the initial specifications of the pattern just to get a feel for it. I loved how this pattern and yarn look together, but it was way too small. I frogged it after weighing the finished scarf, then figuring out how much to adjust the cast-on to make the scarf.

Once I made the pattern adjustments, the scarf knit up quickly. I worked on it while away on holidays: knitting in the car, by the pool, or just when having a quiet evening back at the room.

Back home, I took it to Knit Night and they loved how it turned out, including Yarn Enabler. But more importantly, Teena loved it!

Y-Knot? 25 Ways to Wear a Scarf

Have you ever seen women walk by wearing a great scarf in a really cool way and wonder, "How'd she do that?" I know I have. Most mornings, I just stumble out the door and quickly wrap something around my neck without much thought.

But the the other day I was checking out Fall styles online and came across this very cool video. The young woman in the video, Wendy, uses rectangular or square fabric scarves, not knit scarves or shawls like we make. But I do think some of these style would work well with one of our scarves.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to do all these styles, but I will look at one or two of these more closely and perhaps adopt them to up my style quotient a bit.

Shelagh's Lilac Sunray shawl at the top of the page is a great example of how to work with a triangular scarf shape. First, we folded the point of the scarf up to the centre top. Then we continued folding the scarf evenly, up to the long edge. That gave us a long, narrow scarf--kind of the shape of a man's tie. Then we simply tied it around the Judy's "neck" and let the pretty picot edges flutter freely. This is a great way to show of the pattern while keeping warm in the early Fall morning.

Below is a style I've always liked, but I think that statement gives away my age!

I always loved this look. But do you think it's too '80s?

WIP Wednesday - Something New

I've been working on something new, at least for me. I've been writing out some of the patterns I've created! I have designed a few patterns when I couldn't find one I liked. I usually source stitches from 96 Stitches: Knit Stitch Guide by Rita Weiss, a small book I picked up from Michael's last year. And I also reference Youtube videos to watch someone actually making the stitch.

I found a free Pattern Template that I use on my Word-like program. And it has been set up so I really can't forget anything: tools, gauge, abbreviations, photos, charts. Everything is accounted for.

Mostly I'm writing  to track what I've done and figure out where some refinements can be made. It's kind of fun, actually! Some of my patterns have worked out really well and some, well, let's just say they need refining. So, Shelagh or I may reproduce the pattern to make sure it works.

So far I haven't yet created anything very complicated, so my patterns are generally only one page. I've written out three patterns so far, including one for boot toppers, pictured above. I've made a couple of pairs of these, but I need to re-create it to find the best yarn to use. But I've got high hopes for it!

Have you ever written out a pattern for sharing? What info should I make sure to include?

FO Friday—Summer Scarves: Two Blue for You

I was going to write the post about how much I loved making my Lace Bias Scarf (which I did love making) and how much I loved working with this new yarn (I did). This summer scarf was, in fact, as fun and easy to knit up as I'd hoped. And I definitely love the finished scarf, it's really pretty and a perfect accessory for summer fun. See the photo at the bottom of this post.

But a bit of serendipity occurred as finished and took the scarf to Shelagh's to block: She finished up a pretty little summery scarf in shades of blue as well! So both blue scarves were laid out on her ping pong table simultaneously! Funny! 

You remember that Shelagh had about 65 g left of her Baby Boo Lace by Turtlepurl Yarns after making the Jamie Crescent Shawl. We found the “Here Be Water Dragons” pattern by Quinton Lime (akqguy on Ravelry) and she decided to try it. That's it blocking (above) and on our mannequin (below). They are both so lovely and soft and perfect accessories. Now that is a happy coincidence!

WIP Wednesday - I Have a Bias for the Sea

You may recall I was working with a gorgeous cotton/rayon blend yarn from Blue Heron Yarns back in April. At the time, I was struggling to find a pattern and had tried making something on my own. I had a vision of a summer wrap, but it just wasn't working.

Then, one of the Knit Night ladies from our LYS commented on my post: she thought she had just the pattern for the yarn. Suzanne lent me her Spring/Summer 2011 edition of Vogue Knitting that showed a couple of gorgeous skinny summer scarves. I picked the one called "Bias Lace Scarf" and began knitting. . . and promptly fell in love with it! The cast on edge is a pretty lacy pattern--my one adjustment was to cast on with a larger needle size than the pattern called for. Then, as you can see in the photo above, it's mostly stockinette with a little garter and yo, ssk thrown in to break it up.

Currently I'm about 75% complete. And I'm really looking forward to the cast off because the pattern calls for a picot edge, something I've never done before. I love that each edge will be different. So cool!

Oh and the name I came up with for this scarf? "I Have a Bias for the Sea"? A big part of the pattern is the decreases on one side and increases on the other to create the bias look. Matched with the yarn name, Deep Blue Sea, I think it is the perfect name! 

Highlighter of my Life

Here's a close up of the Super Eyelet Shawl design by The Woolly Brew.

One of the ladies at my local "knit night" is an indie dyer known as "Yarn Enabler." You might have seen her yarns on her Etsy shop; she is known for her Fruity Feet and No. 2 Pencil sock yarn.

A couple of months ago, she posted about one of her yarns. I loved the colourway. It made me smile as it is so bright and cheery. She named it "Highlighter of My Life." I looked at it for several days then messaged her to see if it had been sold; it hadn't, so I told her I would buy it. She was happy. I was happy. And when she brought it with her to Knit Night, I fell in love all over again! It is 462yds of soft, fingering weight heaven! And because it's 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon, you can put it in the gentle cycle of the washer and dryer too. Bonus!

I brought it home and began going through patterns. Being a fingering weight, I had many patterns to choose from: socks, scarf, cowl, or shawl. I don't knit socks, so that wasn't happening. But I knew that whatever I made, it would be  a statement piece! The colours are so bright--like a hand full of highlighters. A scarf, cowl, or shawl would look great with a dark winter coat. Whatever I made would cheer up any day and brighten any outfit.

When I came across a pattern for a scarf called "Red Skies at Night," I knew it would make this yarn pop. So I started on it but just couldn't get going on it: too many other projects on the go. (You know what that's like! So I ripped it out and waited until I could really concentrate on it.

Then a FB post from Nova Scotia yarn store Baadeck Yarns linked to a pattern on Ravelry called Super Eyelet Shawl designed by The Woolly Brew. When I saw the picture, I knew it was the right shawl for this yarn.

I made a couple of attempts, ripping it out each time. Then I took a deep breath and read the pattern closely instead of skimming over it--a very bad habit I have!

Once I got into it, I got really excited about it: it worked up so beautifully. I could tell that it work well as the weather warms up and for the cooler evenings because it is so light weight.

It knit up rather quickly which made me really happy after the earlier frogging I did! It turned a little smaller because I used a sock weight and not a DK weight the pattern called for. It is more of a shawlette-type scarf. This suits me fine as I am keeping this one for myself!

And I still have about 46 gm left, so I may make another small shawl or a scarf.

Manic Monday: Or, Why I Can't Get a WIP Going?

So why is today a "manic Monday"? Well, the last few weeks I've been trying to start a project, but every time I do, I end up frogging it. I just can't seem to find a pattern I like that shows of the gorgeous Madeline Tosh yarn in Jade colourway that I purchased a while back from our local yarn store, Soper Creek Yarns.

I wanted to make a scarf that would look great on a young man and could be "borrowed" by his girlfriend. Something not too girlie, not to masculine. None of the patterns I looked at seemed right, so I started looking through Stitch Guides.

First was a Mock Cable with broken rib between the cables. Nah! The edging doesn't look right and you can't really see the cable. But the broken rib part looks great! So. . . .

How about a scarf that is completely broken rib? Below is a photo of the back, which I love. In fact, it looks good on both sides, which is perfect for a scarf. But now I was worried I was making it too wide to make a long enough scarf. So I'll just start again with fewer stitches.

 But it just didn't look right . . . and it started to curl in a way it hadn't when it was wider. I think I'll make a cowl with it. Now if only I can find a pattern. . . . Any ideas?

FO Friday - Shades of Gray Infinity Scarf

Silver, steel, and charcoal altogether in one snuggly scarf and set off by a lovely wine-coloured edge.

Let's face it, knitting brings so many wonderful pleasures: it's relaxing (when it's going well!), it's creative, and it's social (how many of you belong to the Knitting Club in your local yarn store?). But no matter how much you already know, there's always more to learn. I love that! 

This project started after I found three skeins, each of a different shade of gray, in our local yarn store They were gorgeous and the softest yarn ever. I knew I had to have them. The yarn is a blend of 70% alpaca and 20% bamboo. It has the best of both those fibres: Incredible softness and springiness (loft) from the alpaca with the tiniest bit of sheen from the bamboo. 

And as is often the case, I didn't have a pattern in mind for this yarn, but I knew I had to make something that could be worn close to the skin—it's just so darn soft! I did find a pattern in a magazine that I adapted: simple garter stitch using three shades of gray and edged in a lovely wine colour.And that book seemed to be making headlines everywhere, so I arrived at the name easily.

Because the pattern was so simple, I didn't mind trying some new skills: the pattern called for a provisional cast-on,  a three-needle bind off, and a crochet edging to finish. I was so excited to try all of these (I did practice the provisional cast-on with some junk yarn first . . . I wanted to make sure I wouldn't do anything to the lovely alpaca yarn!). I was even more thrilled when I was successful with the cast-on and bind-off methods.

I never did get around to learning how to crochet though: Shelagh finished the edging for me. So this scarf really is a family product.And I guess I'm going to have to learn how to crochet sometime soon.  

WIP Wednesday - Monet's Garden Angora Scarf

This past Saturday, Shelagh and I took the train into Toronto to check out the Creativ Festival. When it first started back in 1988, it was known as the Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival; currently the Festival is held twice a year.

Did we really need to visit the Festival? After all, we had attended the Festival back in April (in Mississauga), picked up yarn at many yarn shops since then, and even had a successful visit to the KW Knitter's Fair just this past September. But this is a family knitting adventure and we're trying to find our place in this vast and welcoming knitting community. We figured this would be a kind of "intelligence-gathering mission" because we didn't really need any yarn.

The festival is home to many types of needle arts, including sewing, quilting, needlework, crochet and, of interest to us, knitting. It's great to visit vendors' booths to check out hand-spun and -dyed yarns as well as shops who sell yarns we don't see it our local yarn shop. We always learn something new while chatting with various vendors and other attendees!

Did we pick up some more yarn? Well . . . yes! Of course! If you knit, you know how hard it is to leave a shop without something! Here is some of what I purchased:

Left is the 100% angora I picked up, I mean, I had to get it because I fell in love with the softness when I first held the skein. Then Shelagh said the colours reminded her of a Monet painting. That sealed it. I purchased two skeins of it and knew I had to make something I'm going to call Monet's Garden.

On the trip home, Shelagh and I wound the two skeins into balls, which led to chuckles from some other women on the train. But, it didn't take us long and I was able to try a couple of different stitches before settling on a very simple moss stitch. I liked this because the purl bumps look like daubs of paint, really highlighting the gorgeous blues in greens you might see in a Monet painting. Here's what I've done so far. What do you think? Does it remind you of a Monet painting?

FO Friday - Peach Melba Scarf

I always have a hard time figuring out what to write about. This has never been one of my strong points. I may have lots to say about knitting but it is putting it down on paper that is not my strong suit. That is Margaret's area of expertise!


I have finished a lovely scarf in a Manos del Uraguay Maxima yarn. I noticed that I have a preference for bright cheerful colours. This colourway is called Peach Melba. It has beautiful deep fuchsia to peach variances. With it being 100% extra fine Merino wool, it is so soft to work with and would be lovely to wear around your neck on a cold dreary day. The colours would be so cheerful in the middle of winter and be a great pick-me-up!

I tried several patterns before I settled on this one. The pattern I chose was from one of the many knitting magazines I have purchased over the last several years. It is in the Creative Knitting magazine, Easy Everyday Openwork & Lace Spring 2013. 8-Hour Shawl designed by Lorna Miser courtesy of Red Heart. The wool didn't have enough yardage to make the shawl so I decided to make it a warm scarf or maybe a cowl. I loved the stitch. It added so much more character to the wool. Now it is done, washed and blocked.

The next step was to figure out if I should leave it as a shorter but thick scarf or to sew the ends together to make it a bigger than average cowl. It measures 41" long by approx. 10" wide. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to leave it as a scarf. I think it would be better to wrap around your neck instead of pulling it over your head. It would be difficult to double it up as a cowl but easier as a scarf. It could be folded in half and wrapped around your neck once or twice. You can wear the scarf with either side of the stitching showing There really is no wrong side to it!

WIP Wednesday - What to do next?

I don't actually have a work in process right now. And neither does Shelagh. And we don't like it. But I thought this might be interesting to write about: how do we decide what to work on next? 

For me it starts with the yarn. Sometimes I look at my stash--or my sister's stash!--and fall in love with a particular yarn all over again. That rush of excitement when I look at the colour and feel the squooshy texture and I remember why I bought the yarn. I have a couple of cakes of yarn that do that for me and the one I'm looking at right now is "Mean Tangerine," a sport-weight yarn by Waterloo Wools I purchased at the KW Knitter's Fair back in September.

Mean Tangerine is 100% Blue-faced Leicester (BFL) wool yarn in a wonderfully happy variegation of oranges. It's so bright and cheerful--and so unlike my usual preference for blues and greens. When I saw it, I absolutely had to have it. I know I want a pattern that will show off the beautiful shades of orange and I think a simple stitch pattern will do the trick. Oh, and I have 250 yards.

For me, and I think I speak for Shelagh too, the process is falling in love with the yarn and then looking for a pattern that will highlight it. We have been purchasing a lot of artisanal yarns lately, yarns spun and/or dyed by very creative women, and I--we--want to continue that creative vision by choosing exactly the right pattern.

So far I've tried two different scarf patterns, knit about 1-1/2" and simply knew each one wasn't working. Ugh.

I did look for more patterns online and in magazines, but I just couldn't find something I liked. So I started looking through my Stitch Guide. This is a handy and really inspiring little book. It's so inspiring that I sometimes get carried away and start thinking of other yarns when I look at some stitches. And sometimes that isn't good because I feel like I'm cheating on my current project or yarn. Is that weird?

My cake of Mean Tangerine on my Stitch Guide. What you don't see are all the flagged pages for stitches and yarns!

So, I have found a beautiful stitch that I think will show off the various orange colours of this yarn. Next step: test swatch and working out the number of stitches and rows and creating my own pattern. Send your positive vibes my way: I'm hoping third time is the charm!

FO Friday: Hooded Scarf

I'm excited to be telling you about this one! A hooded scarf!

I saw the pattern and the yarn in my local yarn store and fell in love. The concept of a hood knit as part of a scarf is brilliant . . . at least I think so. I mean, you can wear this as a scarf but if it's lightly snowing or drizzling rain, pop up the hood and your head is protected. No having to remember a hat or worry about hat-head and flattened hair.

 The yarn is a lovely variegation of some of my favourite colours: purples that range from pink-y mauve to deep wine colours and greens that start at a light, bright green and range up to a lovely olive shade. Mix that with thin strands of charcoal and you've got a lovely mix of autumnal colours.

Aren't these colours gorgeous? Perfect for fall and winter.

This project knit up pretty quickly because it's in garter stitch. I knit both sides of the scarf at once to make it easier to join once I reached the desired length. I did make the hood a little longer than the pattern called for so the hood can be pulled forward further over the forehead if desired.

I love the way this turned out!

From the back: hood up, scarf tail tossed jauntily over one shoulder.

WIP Wednesday: Bridges Infinity Scarf

This is an interesting one, at least to me. I had some leftover yarn I wanted to use in . . . something. It was a fine yarn, meaning that small needles were required if I knit it alone. I don't really like small needles: too finicky. But I love the colours in this yarn: purples, blues, pinks, golds, and grays all spun together with a very fine metallic something that gave it a nice sparkle.

If you look online, you can find all kinds of patterns that are “stashbusters,” which means small projects that will use up the odds and ends a knitter often has once the original project is complete. But this beautiful yarn was way more than a small odds and end piece: there was still quite a bit left.

With all that in mind, I knew I wanted to use it along with another yarn to make something lovely. When I visited one of my favourite yarns shops, I found the perfect yarn: Classic Elite Yarns' Magnolia. On the way home I began imagining exactly what I wanted to created with these two yarns, picturing the finished piece and hoping the warm brown would pair as well as I thought it would. And when I got home, whew! They paired up beautifully! The brown of the solid yarn grounds the sparkly multi-coloured yarn; and the sparkly yarn glams up the brown. Perfect!

I started knitting right away.

Sparkling colours and chestnut "girders."

The pattern—my very simple pattern—is designed to let you see the combined loveliness along with just the brown. The reason? That brown yarn is a luxurious mix of merino and silk and looks like what it is named for: chestnut. As I worked through the pattern, I kept thinking of both the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. You know those rusted-looking girders? That beautiful, reddish-brown? Well the garter stitch in this pattern, using only the Magnolia, reminds me of the girders that sturdily hold up bridges. And the stocking stitch portion of the scarf makes me think of the sparkling water over which both these bridges span reflecting lights in the dusky darkness.

I'm a little over halfway finished and I'll share the finished version on a FO Friday soon.

Blue and Emerald Waves Scarf

This scarf is special because it is the result of a vision shared by two sisters. Although I knit the scarf, it was our sister Irene who originally bought this 100% Merino wool yarn by Malabrigo early in 2013. She loved the feel of it as well as the play of colours. She always loved different shades of green, but she really liked how these green colours played against the blue background.

Irene held onto this Malabrigo in her stash while she looked for just right pattern for it. If you knit or crochet, you know what it's like to fall in love with a yarn and then search for a pattern to show it at its best. But late last spring, Irene asked me to make something with it because she just couldn't find anything she liked. Plus, she had taken up crocheting and realized she preferred that over knitting. Although she loved the yarn, she thought something knit would really show it to its best advantage.

As well, Irene was starting to be really tired a lot at the time; we didn't know it then, but her health was actually beginning to decline.

The finished Waves scarf using Malabrigo yarn in Blue & Emerald.

I eventually found the "Waves" pattern and showed it to her: Irene loved it. So, I worked on it as one of my many "works in progress" (or WIPs as knitters call them). I am not sure if I finished it while she was in the hospital, but I do know she did see it mostly done and really liked it.

Had I thought about it more before starting it I would have adapted the pattern to work it lengthwise and not width-wise. This would have really made the wool and pattern combination pop even more than it does now, but I think it is still a perfect pairing of pattern, colour and yarn. And I know Irene thought so too.