Nora Jumps On The Band Wagon and The Mitten 16 Project Is Complete

 

Having seen many posts where gals are posing without makeup to indicate how secure they feel with their true selves, Nora decides to jump on the band wagon and posts a photo of herself with NO grooming whatsoever today!

And:

The Mitten16 Project Is Complete

 

I do like working with Nature Spun yarn. It is hearty enough to make it ideal for stranded knitting but still softer to the touch than other similar yarns. It was hard at first to get back to stranded knitting after more than a year and the first mitten was an exercise in frustration. My technique improved greatly with the second mitten and I am ready now for my Fair Isle class at the end of the month.

 

 

Pattern: Mitten 16

Source: Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport

Colours: 601 (pepper); 730 (natural); 135 (hurricane seas)

Yarn: Sandnes Garn Tove  - Colour 4517

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm (cuff) and 2.50 mm

 

 

It Is Lucy's Birthday Today - Hurrah!

 

 

The Pink Princess is growing up. She is seven years old today!

 

So Here Are Seven Great Things About Lucy:

 

1. She has been bilingual for years and acts as a translator when her Canadian grandparents visit France.

2. She is a wonderful dancer. I love watching her dance with the Wiggles. She has long legs and all the moves. And a keen interest in ballet. 

3. She is a fine artist with a great sense of colour. She was creating multimedia projects when she was only four years old. I have her art on my walls.

4. She can read books really well all by herself now - and in two languages!

5. She is a wizard at math and can solve math problems before her aunties!

6. She can ride a two wheel bicycle and ski and skate.

7. She helps her little sister a lot. She is pretty and sweet and sensitive and funny and smart. She is a good traveller and much loved by all her family on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Happy Birthday, Lucy. May every day of the next year be an ice cream day!

 

 

 

Zen Garden Socks For A Great Family Friend

 

 

Zen Garden Serenity 20

 

This is the first time I have knit with a yarn from Zen Garden, a Canadian company based in Ontario.

Serenity 20 is a merino wool/cashmere/nylon blend. It is incredibly soft in the hand but still gives excellent stitch definition.

 

 

Pattern: Basic Cabled Socks

Designer: Brainy Lady

Yarn: Zen Garden Serenity 20

Colour: Frosted Lilac

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

 

I searched for weeks to find just the right yarn to knit Melissa a pair of socks. You wouldn't think it would be a difficult task, given that there are hundreds of great sock yarns in a multitude of colours in local stores and online. Yet nothing spoke to me of her. And she deserves something particularly lovely.

 

Then, on yet another drab and dismal Saturday this winter, I decided to drop into Dartmouth Yarns and there, just inside the door, was the perfect skein of yarn - luxurious and very, very pretty.

 

If this winter in Canada has taught us nothing us, it has shown the wisdom of stocking up on warm woolen garments! I hope Melissa gets hours of comfort out of her Zen Garden socks.

 

 

 

Fair Isle Frustration And The Never Ending Winter

 

Last week, we had a blizzard. Yesterday morning, we woke to find everything outside covered in a layer of ice - trees, shrubs, bushes, railings, etc. And although it had the look of a fairy land, it made for slippery surfaces underfoot. We still have freezing rain warnings in place for the next day or so. This winter simply will not end.

 

 

Pattern: Mitten 16

Source: Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport

Colours: 601 (pepper); 730 (natural); 135 (hurricane seas)

Yarn: Sandnes Garn Tove  - Colour 4517

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm (cuff) and 2.50 mm

 

I love Fair Isle and all other kinds of stranded knitting. Always have. Always will. I read endlessly about it and have some great books in my knitting library. But, unfortunately, I have read and mooned over patterns more than I have actually knit! Practise makes perfect and I have not done enough to perfect my technique. In fact, I am dismayed at how poorly I am managing since the last time I made mittens a couple of years ago.

 

However, I am determined to improve. I am still clumsy holding the yarn in both hands and I am not pleased with my tension. My plan is to work non-stop on a few pair of mittens for next winter and hope my knitting improves enough in the process to move on to other things - for instance, a sock pattern like Water for the elephants , and a pullover.

 

I am going to attend a day long class in Fair Isle Knitting around the end of April at Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay. Heather Tunnah, who will be teaching the class, has made the most beautiful vest, which inspires me every time I see it.

 

 

 

 

 

Apolline Is Four Today - Hurrah!

 

 

Grey Bear and Cuddles really miss you, Apolline.

And they wish you were here to have tea with them.

The bears got a cake to celebrate your birthday and put four candles on it.

 

Happy Birthday, Little Bear.

May every day of the next year be like a candy day!

 

 

 

 



 

Happy Birthday, Isabelle

There once was a young girl from France

A whiz at math, sail, and dance

She met up with a boy

And much to our joy

She decided to give him a chance.

Double Knitting (Double Layer Knitting) Class

 

Friday evening ended with a beautiful late winter sunset.

 

And Saturday morning began with a trip to Lietash Farm for Nora's Agility Class.

 

 

On Sunday afternoon, I attended a Double Knitting class at Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay.

 

This sock is done in the double knitting technique. To me, it resembles a cross between a sock and a slipper. Double knitting results in a completely reversible garment, knit in two layers. I was quite taken with the sock, a mitten, and a bubble pattern scarf that were all on display. Angela, the instructor, was working on a gorgeous cowl.

 

I knew absolutely nothing about the technique beforehand but between Angela's class notes, and her narrative, the class proceeded in stages, and at a timely pace that really enhanced the learning experience. We all received ample individual attention. By the time the one day course was finished, although I was still somewhat clumsy, I certainly felt that I could, with a bit more practise, start a simple pattern. And we all agreed that Angela is an excellent instructor.