Sample Knit: Proof Scarf

Exciting News! Brooklyn Tweed released its Winter 17 collection this week and all of the designs are stellar! I knit a sample for this collection - the beautiful Proof Scarf.

Proof is designed by Jared Flood and it is worked up in Brooklyn Tweed's newest offering of yarn, Arbor, in the color Vintner. I was lucky enough to get a whole box full of this yarn to work up the scarf before it was even released. Arbor is a DK weight and it strays away from BT's signature type of tweedy yarn like Shelter and Loft. I loved knitting with this yarn. It is a wonderful wool that knits up a smooth fabric with crisp stitch definition. And this deep wine-colored red is lovely.

This scarf has a lot going on - forked ribs, cables, and cartridge rib - but they all come together to make a harmonious design. The beginning and end have a tubular cast-on and cast-off which give it a professional look. It is really long as well. Great for bundling up on cold winter days.

I really liked knitting this sample. It definitely kept my interest and I loved watching all of those cables get worked up!

All photos in this post are used courtesy of Brooklyn Tweed.

Rethinking a Sweater

Last week I had the good intentions of knitting sweaters for the twins. I thought I needed something easy and fast. When I have to knit 2 of the same thing, the quicker the better. What could be easier and faster than a top down sweater? Everything gets knit at the same time and there aren't and seams and the finishing touches are minimal. So I started the top down sweater and everything was going along fine. After I got past the armholes and started knitting the body, I tried it on one of the boys. It fit well but something about it just wasn't right. I looked at it and tried to put my finger on what wasn't right about it. It was just so... boring. Too easy and too quick maybe.

It was then that I decided to scrap that project. I had a different idea for the yarn. Looking around Ravelry to see if I could find exactly what I was looking for, I came up with nothing. So now I'm designing something. Not so easy or so quick but I think I will be a lot happier with the results. I started swatching to get gauge. I am excited to see how this goes.

Finished: Larch Cardigan

I have been in desperate need of a navy cardigan. I wanted something simple and easy to throw on. I looked through a lot of patterns and I was going back and forth between the Farmers Market Cardigan and the Larch Cardigan. I ultimately chose Larch because it seemed more my style and a little bit more versatile. I am completely happy with my choice. I love it!

The pattern is Larch Cardigan by Amy Christoffers. The yarn I used is Cloudborn Highland Sport in Navy which I stumbled upon while perusing the Craftsy site. It is a relatively new yarn and I thought I would try it out. I am so glad I did because it is really nice. I highly recommend it. It is 100% wool so even though it is a sport weight, it is nice and warm. The stitches are nicely defined and so far it is wearing well - very minimal pilling. My gauge came in slightly under what was recommended but I just went with it. The sweater has more of a fitted, tailored look. I didn't want it to turn out too big. I used a size US 5 needle.

I really like the ribbed shawl collar and the one button closure. I also appreciate the small detail at the bottom ribbing and cuffs - after the ribbing is knit it is bound off and then the stitches are picked up from the wrong side. This sweater is easy to grab and throw on to walk the dog on a chilly morning or to head out to the store. I am glad I went with something so classic - it really goes with everything!

Bake of the Week: Apple Cider Donuts

I know this is a knitting blog but I LOVE to bake. I am an avid baker. I am in my kitchen almost every day whipping something up for me and my family. So I thought I would start this weekly blog post and share my bakes with you!

This week I am starting the series off with Apple Cider Donuts. Last weekend, we had a little Halloween party to attend and I thought "What would be more perfect to bring to the party than Apple Cider Donuts?" I have this donut pan from Williams-Sonoma and I set about to find the perfect recipe.

I had to test a few recipes before I found the perfect one. I needed to find the right donut texture and that awesome apple cider taste. One of the recipes I made tasted so awful that all of the donuts went directly into the trash. Finally I tried this recipe and it was "the one." I followed it almost exactly except that I didn't have any whole wheat flour so I just used all white all-purpose flour.

These donuts were the hit of the party. I can't tell you how many people came up to me and raved about how great they were. They were gone in no time! Best of all is that I can make these now any time I get a craving! Enjoy!

My End of Year Knitting List

When it comes to knitting, I think I have completely unrealistic expectations of how much I can get done in a certain amount of time. Is it just me, or are all knitters like this? Honestly, I want to knit so many things and I forget just how long it takes (especially me) to complete a project. Even bearing this in mind, I have made a end-of-year list and I am hoping it isn't too ambitious.

Sweaters for the Twins:

This is the Knit for Kids Top Down Pullover by Diane Soucy. I haven't knit my boys anything in the longest time. I decided on a top down raglan - with no stripes. Just a simple, quick knit. Nolan, especially, has been requesting a blue sweater.

A Sweater for My Husband:

This is Hugo by Veronik Avery for Brooklyn Tweed. My husband has also been requesting that I knit him another sweater and really liked this design. This might just be his Christmas present this year.

My oldest son is at an age where I am not so sure he would wear a sweater if I knit one for him. He is really into sports and wears nothing but athletic pants and t-shirts. I bought him a pair of jeans recently and he looked at me and said "I am NOT wearing those." Kids - amiright? He will wear a hat/scarf/mittens if they are cool enough so I am throwing those on the list too.

I'm hoping that this list isn't too much for the next two months. I was going to throw a sweater on there for me too but I'm thinking that would be over the top!

What I'm Knitting Now: Accessories

The big thing I'm working on at the moment is another sample sweater for Brooklyn Tweed and I am on a deadline. Sometimes a sweater can be too big to carry around and I like little projects I can carry with me to knit while I am at my oldest son's soccer practices or I am watching the twins play at the playground together. I have two on the go at the moment.

The first is a pair of socks. I haven't knit myself a pair of socks in forever and I thought it was high time. I also have a ridiculous amount of sock yarn that seems to have accumulated that I need to start working through.

I also started a pair of mittens because I couldn't resist this yarn any longer - and I need a new pair of mittens! This yarn has been in my stash for years. I probably bought it very shortly after I learned how to knit. I love the different colors in the twist of the yarn and how it is knitting up into stripes. This is a departure for me because I usually knit with solid colors. I love how both of these accessories are looking so far!

Sample Knit: Spearheads

Brooklyn Tweed has certainly kept me busy lately knitting samples for them. It seems they are quite prolific with their collections and new offerings of yarn so it is no wonder. Spearheads, in the women's version, is the wonderful sample I knit for BT's Fall 16 collection.

This sweater was knit with one of their newer yarns, Quarry, which is chunky weight and spun in a roving style so that it doesn't have a tight twist to it. It is soft, light, and airy. The main color for the sweater used is Hematite, which I absolutely love. It is a mix between black and red with tweedy flecks of blue so that the color reads as a very dark magenta. The contrasting color for the spearheads on the yoke is knit in Gypsum which is a creamy white and a nice compliment to the Hematite.

Because this sweater is worked in a chunky yarn, it really took no time to knit it up. It was a very quick knit so if you want a beautiful sweater in no time flat this is for you. Also it is easy if you are new to color work because there are only 2 colors to work with at the yoke and the chart and pattern are super easy to read. One of the only problems that I came across while knitting this was the tubular cast on and cast off due to the nature of the yarn. Because it is roving style, it did pull apart while doing those special techniques that put a little bit of strain on the yarn. Other than that, this has to be one of my favorite samples I have knit for Brooklyn Tweed.

All of the pictures used in this post are used courtesy of Brooklyn Tweed.

A Little Comeback

I started knitting eleven years ago and I instantly fell in love with it. It has become part of my daily life and also a job on the side. Shortly after I started knitting, I had a baby and shortly after I had a baby I started this little blog about my knitting. I used to blog a lot and I really enjoyed it. I often think about my blog because I am still knitting and there are a lot of things I want to show and say about my knitting. It all started to slow down after I had my twins. Having three kids and two of them being twins is a lot of work and completely time consuming. My twins recently turned five years old! I can't believe it! They are still completely time consuming but I am starting to get pockets of time back to myself. What I really want to do is get this little blog up and running again and not only that but revisit the blogs I used to read and start reading new blogs. I love seeing the work of other knitters and getting inspiration from all of the talented people out there. I have so missed being part of a community. I am completely out of the loop. Even if I have to schedule weekly blog posts and blog reading time, I will, because I don't want to be missing this any longer. I would absolutely love it if anyone reading this left me a comment with their blog info so I can check out your knitting too! Thanks and I hope to see you back here soon!

Honeycomb Aran

Let me just start out by saying that I LOVE this sweater. This might actually be my favorite sweater that have have knit yet. I went in search of a classic Aran sweater and this is definitely it. Last year it seemed that I was seeing different versions of these cable knit sweaters everywhere and after looking for the right pattern, this was the clear winner out of the choices I had.

Pattern: Honeycomb Aran by Patons

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Worsted in the color Aran

Needles: Size US 6 and US 8

The elements and construction are very straightforward and typical of classic arans - there isn't any waist shaping, the sleeves are raglan, and the collar is doubled by folding it under and seamed. I love all of the cables but I did need to make one change. The front panel in the pattern has cables that cross to make it look like the honeycomb but I knit the actual honeycomb stitch pattern - no crossing cables.

The fit is a bit oversized but I like it this way. The sleeves are the perfect length. I used the yarn that the pattern calls for and it is actually nice and soft. This sweater is warm and cozy and so classic. It took me quite a while to knit but I will be wearing this for years. I am so happy with it!

Hats For A Good Cause

Back in the fall, I got a call from my sister-in-law who lives in Texas. She told me about friends of hers who have a 4 year-old little girl that was in the hospital with cancer. Her name is Tatum and she was about to start chemo treatments. My sister-in-law was wondering if I would knit her a couple of hats that she could wear after she started losing her hair. Having two 4 year-olds myself, this really hit home. I put all my other knitting aside to work up some hats for this little girl.

Tatum's favorite color is purple so I knit up a girlie hat in a super soft purple yarn. I decided to make a cute animal hat for the other one. I had my eye on that owl hat from a back issue of Debbie Bliss Magazine. My boys were more than a little upset that they didn't get to keep it. Here are the details:

Pattern: Owl Hat from Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine Fall/Winter 2012

Yarn: Berroco Vintage in Oats and Mocha and a tiny bit of Cascade 220 in Orange

Needles: US size 7

 

I actually designed the purple hat myself. I love the way it came out but I think it still needs a few tweaks. As soon as I get around to that I will publish it. And, of course, it is called Tatum. It is knit with Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Brush in the color Mulberry. This yarn is so soft and knits up beautifully with a bit of a halo. I love it!

If you would like more information on Tatum you can check this out: http://www.fox4news.com/good-day/children-s-hospital-heroes/112329646-story
 

 

 

Taking Stock for 2016

Here it is, March already, and I am just now looking at my yarns and knitting list for the year. That is what happens when I have a few projects on the go and deadlines to meet. Brooklyn Tweed must be getting very busy because I recently knit back-to-back samples for them and I am about to start another one any day now. I also recently finished the Honeycomb Aran I was working on, which took me quite a while to knit. Longer than I had hoped it would take. So now with a somewhat open calendar in front of me I need to chose my project goals for the year.

One thing I really need is a navy cardigan. I spent a lot of time going through patterns on Ravelry trying to decide the best one for me. Although I love cables, I really just need a plain cardigan to throw on when it is cool. For that reason, I chose the Larch Cardigan. I also decided to try out a new yarn - Cloudborn Fibers Highland Sport, which is available on Craftsy.com.

I also really love the Antler Cardigan but that one is going to have to wait.

I would also love to knit another shawl. I have my eye on Sakura from Brooklyn Tweed and I have three lovely skeins of Loft in the color Foothills set aside for it.

My husband and three boys have all been asking me to knit sweaters for them so at some point I am going to have to choose patterns for them but honestly, I have been toying with the idea of designing and I've got some ideas running through my head. We'll see how productive I can be in 2016.