Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Author: letissierdesigns

  • Living and Knitting Through a Renovation: Kitchen Revamp Updates

    Living and Knitting Through a Renovation: Kitchen Revamp Updates

    Kitchen

    I have been living though a major renovation and the cold of the year over the last month. The cold, though as aspects of it linger, is finally moving on. The cough is the pits and surprises at the most annoying times.

    The renovation is now in its final stages, except for the Wool Room! Finding that the small room needed a new roof was a bit of a setback. The rest of the kitchen is coming together though.

    The main room has been painted. It currently looks like a store backroom. Everything is piled up and covered in drop cloth. You can see that the new flooring has been covered with heavy cardboard to protect it from all of the activity!

    Cabinets are being installed
    I found it interesting seeing how the uppers are being supported.
    We have countertops.
    And lighting, and appliances. The new dishwasher has been delayed and the new microwave needs to be installed!.

    Knitting

    The laundry room is finally back in action and I got to felting the Granny Blanket Swatch!

    My machine is newer stacking Samsung front loader and it did the job well. I threw the swatch in with a few small napkins. I dialed the heat up to the highest and added the detergent. It took a while – approx 2 hours but it worked beautifully. My swatch shrank at approximately 30 percent. It has become a lovely soft and cozy fabric. So the Estelle Eco Shetland Worsted is a great felting yarn.

    The center weave and seam felted well. You can’t see the weave or the seam as separate from the fabric. Each segment also shrank to the same size. Something I had been worried about. Sometimes the dyes can affect the felting of the yarn. But this turned out perfectly.

    Before Felting
    After Felting

    The swirl shrank from approx 37 inches to about 28 inches.

    Before Felting.
    After Felting.

    Next steps, decide how wide I want my blanket to be and start the knitting. I will also need to update the pattern download. You can expect the updated version to be available next weekend.

    I was originally gong to fold the swatch and turn it into a half circle pillow. But now…. maybe I should keep it a full circle. I love the effect!

    You can have a lot of fun with AI. I love this version of my original sketch. But I am thinking about changing…

    Of course I have kept on knitting, not as much as I normally would in this time frame. I was sick or recovering for much of that time.

    I am thinking a fall class and new sweater for myself.
    Two new projects, one for me and class and another a new baby/toddler pattern.

    Spring is Springing

    I have discovered that I have a Forsythia in the garden. it is small bush, but it wil grow.

    I didn’t know it last spring because we moved in too late to see the blooms. The bright yellow flowers add so much cheer to the grey surrounding us right now. These are so fabulous for Spring colour. I did not have any in my last garden. My neighbour had a huge bush so I got to enjoy it fully every Spring.

    I love watch the birds darting around right now. There are so many showing up, Robins, Sparrows, Finches, they are so much fun to watch! Everything is waking up.

    I hope that you have a great week! I know I will. The kitchen and main room should be fully finished. The main bath and laundry should be finished. And maybe the Wool Room started!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Knitting a Colorful Blanket: March Square Tips

    Knitting a Colorful Blanket: March Square Tips

    Year of Blanket Squares

    The old saying for March is:

    In like a Lion and out like a Lamb.

    I have often wondered if the opposite is true. I should pay more attention. Right now March is coming in like a Lamb. It is beautiful out there today in my neck of the woods. So clear, and a little warmer, it is really feeling like Spring.

    The March square consists of bold cables that are offset each other to create a very textured surface. The garter stitch background helps highlight the texture. The cables are wide and round and all twist the same way. One cable is traditional the other cable has a lace faggoting center. It looks complicated but is very easy to knit.

    March Square 2026Download

    The March Fancy is a tassel. Not an ordinary tassel but a dressed tassel. Tassels as embellishments have been around for a long time. They can be very simple, or not so simple. Why create a tassel that is covered like this? It keeps the tassels neater for the long hall. Wouldn’t it look great on our Blanket, or maybe a a cushion.

    All Dressed TasselDownload

    I hope that you enjoy the March square and Fancy Tassel.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Embracing Granny Chic: A Cozy Home Makeover Journey

    Embracing Granny Chic: A Cozy Home Makeover Journey

    First and foremost, I am getting too old to live out of boxed and canned foods! And who knew that eating out all the time wasn’t fun!

    I have also been dealing with the “cold”, you know the one that won’t go away. I took the last week off of work in order to power through some knitting. That didn’t happen.

    I was too busy power napping – trying to get rid of the cold. It is slowly going. Have you had the “cold”? Or a cold for that matter. What is your favourite remedy? Mine is hot honey and lemon or tea or both. LOL!

    We are now entering week 4 or is it, 4.5 of the renovation and great progress has been made. I cannot say enough good things about MJ Chaley Construction and their crew.

    Progress to date:

    • my woolroom has a door (no change here) – but is now storage for the crews “stuff”.
      • this room is now looking like it is going to be finished last, it is too useful right now
    • the main bathroom/laundry, has been gutted, and in the bathroom
      • the electrical has been upgraded,
      • the plumbing has been upgraded
        • including adding a whole house shutoff valve for the water
      • and the ceiling and walls have been drywalled and painted!
        • the shower stall has been installed
        • and the new cabinet is here, but not installed
    • the kitchen area is so exciting
      • the skylight has been replaced and the beams and surrounding area have been upgraded with new venting and insulation
      • as have the outside walls
      • the entire kitchen has been rewired to accommodate the undercounter lighting and new appliance placements
        • including wiring being run to power the kitchen island
      • the plumbing has upgraded for the sink, we did not change the location of the sink
      • the kicks are in for the new cupboards
    • the main living area is ready for paint, both walls and ceiling
      • and ready for new trim around windows, doors and floors
    from the kitchen area to the main outside door.
    the bathroom and laundry area
    down the hallway to the back bedroom
    the kitchen with kicks and skylight. The grandfather clock won’t be staying there.

    Tomorrow the new flooring is going in.

    On Aesthetics

    There is a movement in design, especially in our homes, towards the homey and cozy. “Granny Chic” I think it is called. I have embraced this style my whole life. The combination of modern and old, of walls busy with art and family photographs. I carry my life in my home. So did my Mum!

    We lived with floral wall paper, usually very Victorian in nature. Lots of floral inspired wallpapers and pictures, antique pictures and my mothers needle pointed floral pictures. I simply followed her lead and kept my own home just like hers.

    I had this work reframed just after we moved. The old frame was falling apart at one corner. It is now waiting for a wall. My mums’ last piece of needlepoint.

    It is odd to find that now those are the homes that we are moving too naturally. I am going to be in style for the first time in my life!

    give me flowers, especially Pansies, they always make me happy
    a case full of china florals, very Granny Chic! LOL!

    I try to surround myself with Happy. That is really my aesthetic.

    I am choosing be a little naive – but I think that we quite often make our happiness.  It is how we view the world – half empty or half full. It is how we view the people in our world and how the world views us. I don’t put much stock into the stuff the world says that we need to have to be happy.

    I put stock into the people that are in my life.  Those are the people in my home and at my job. They are also the people I meet as I go about my day.

    Knitting is one of the activities that gives me my greatest joy and happiness.  Planning the next project or playing with the new yarn – I am always creating and dreaming.  When we find out what we love, happiness is usually close by. It shows us what we want to do with our time.

    More Granny Chic – the Granny Blanket

    Well, the swatch is complete. But I have no washing machine to full it in. So it will have to wait another week or so.

    It is approx 38 inches across. I want it to shrink at least 25% in the fulling process. That would make it approx 29 inches across. I am practicing patience. And using it to cozy up in as I watch tv in the evenings. The crew left us the tv console an couch to live with.

    Loose sewing at the join to allow for shrinkage
    a loosely woven center or loose single crochet would also work to fill the center. it must be loose to allow for shrinkage
    The swatch is complete. It is almost blanket size. I am going to be knitting a very big blanket before fulling for the real deal!

    I am ready for next Sunday, March 1. Well, almost. The Square and pattern are ready. However, I am still working on the “fancy.” I am having too much fun.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Progress Update on Home Renovation and Knitting

    Progress Update on Home Renovation and Knitting

    This is going to be a short post. I am not sure when the dry walling team are arriving. Most of the tradesmen arrive around 8:00 am – which is when I like to work on the computer.

    The work on the house is progressing. They are about to drywall the kitchen and bathroom. After that paint, then cabinets and finishing. I am told that things are progressing quite well. The possible finishing date is March 7th or 8th.

    My yarn room has hit a snag, they are sorting it. But nothing to report there as yet! There are always glitches when doing a renovation. On the other hand…

    Now for the Knitting news. No glitch here.

    Isn’t it looking great! I am loving the colours and texture. I wonder what fulling will do to the garter st texture?

    … the Granny Blanket swatch is almost done. The swatch and blanket are going to be built with 13 wedges. That is official. The swatch is just about there. I will finish it tonight (or maybe tomorrow night!) LOL!. I won’t be able to full the piece for the next 3 weeks. It will take that long before I get a laundry back!

    And how beautiful is the world we live in.

    Sunday was glorious so we took the opportunity to get out. We went for a walk at Piper’s Lagoon.

    LOOK! at the texture. It all started with a wood bug, add time, water and then weather. A somber kind of beauty is the result. Could I recreate it somehow?

    I hope that you get the opportunity to go for a walk wherever you live. It is good for anything that ails you, including a renovation.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Renovating Our New Home: A Yarn Lover’s Journey

    Renovating Our New Home: A Yarn Lover’s Journey

    The waiting is over.

    We moved in to our new place last May. We downsized from our home of 30 years to something a little less than half the size. But it had potential. Including extra space to turn into yarn storage and a very small bedroom for our grandson.

    We bought it for the main room. A large living area that covered the living, kitchen, dining and entry way, a Great Room. But the kitchen area needs major work. I am pretty sure that it is original to the home and about 50 years old. It is going to get a complete renovation. From the walls out.

    This is before it all started. You can see that I am not the tidiest of cooks. So I need a little space to play in. I can hardly wait.

    There will be a large pantry and a central Island with seating. A big fridge as I like to cook. And I work a lot with fresh fruit and vegetables. My last home had three fridges, main, beer and dads suite fridge. And I could and did use them all in a pinch. Especially around Christmas.

    Flooring, backsplash, counters and cupboards. Very neutral, because everything else is so colourful!

    And – this is so exciting for me – an induction stove – a new to me toy! Plus all the rest of the bells and whistles of a modern kitchen. Is a kitchen important to you? Or do you have other interests? I have to admit cooking and knitting sometimes vie for my attention. This happens when my focus is on one and not the other! There is only so much time in the day!

    We have been waiting for our contractors of choice, the MJ Chaley Construction Group. Their latest project had been taking longer than expected. They are finally free and the reno has started. The Chaley’s had done a lot of work on our old home. We trust them to do the job right!

    Tomorrow the kitchen will be demolished. I should have a new, usable kitchen in early March. So says the Calendar sheets with the timeline! We will be camping out in the dining room and eating out a lot!

    When I left Wednesday morning.
    When I got home.

    The kitchen area has a large skylight! Something that I love about this home. But it needs a little TLC. Which it is about to get. And luckily not as much as we thought it would need. Whew!

    Behind this new door, which is off of the office or back bedroom, something is brewing. This will be my new “Wool Room”. Right now it is an 8 foot x 8 foot shell of a former shed. It is waiting to be transformed with new walls, paint, flooring, and shelving! It will also have a platform bed for my Grandson with more storage underneath. I am so excited!

    I am not sure which I am more excited about the Wool room or my Kitchen! LOL!

    Please note the many mentions of wool storage. This is going to be a knitters home.

    The platform bed will double as a blocking board. The shelving will be almost all wool. The shelves may also contain a few knitting books.

    Under Construction

    My home is under construction, and so are my many knitting projects. The knitting helps me deal with the stress of the reno’s. No matter how much we want them you know there will be glitches!

    The next Blanket Square was just released this morning. The Hearts Ease Square. I have started knitting the March Square pattern and have ideas for the April and May Squares. I feel temporarily on top of that project.

    And the Granny Blanket pillow swatch is coming along. I believe it will take 12 or 13 wedges to make the circle. It won’t take the 16 I originally thought. This is wonderfully easy knitting, perfect for the evening or any tv watching. Because of this it is moving along faster than my other projects.

    I have also started a new project, one that has given me an idea for a new pattern.

    I am making some quick hats for the construction crew. Big needles and big yarn. It is an opportunity to play and I think something interesting has come out of it! A new pattern floating around my head. More to come later.

    Because of these projects, the knitting for the class projects has slowed down a wee bit. I hope to get back on track this week. There is another project, but I am not quite ready to share.

    Happy Knitting All! I hope that your blanket projects are progressing well. And if not knitting a blanket – then knitting of any style is better than not knitting at all! LOL!

    Lynette

  • Hearts Ease Stitch Pattern for February Square

    Hearts Ease Stitch Pattern for February Square

    Make-A-Blanket – February Square

    February is the month we celebrate Valentines. It calls for hearts and flowers and all things romantic.

    So I went looking for a heart pattern. I found a stitch pattern called Hearts Ease. I thought it would be perfect for the February Square. Mostly because I could use the stitch pattern to create rows of multiple hearts. Also, because the name of the pattern had special meaning for me.

    Hearts Ease, also known as Viola, are my favourite flower. Johnny Jump Ups is another name for them. That is what my mother-in-law called them. They are closely related to Pansy flowers, of all varieties, all of which were derived from Hearts Ease. My Wedding bouquet consisted of Daisies and Pansies. My friend baked my Wedding cake and collected and dried Pansies. She then used them to decorate my Wedding cake.

    This pattern is a knit and purl textured pattern of repeating heart motifs. Each heart is centered in a square shaped textured outline

    Hearts Ease Feb SquareDownload

    And of course we would need some dimensional hearts as well!

    Soft hearts knit with Malabrigo Worsted in Natural and Very Berry. Perfect for embellishing the blanket corners.
    Hearts Feb Fancy Feb squareDownload

    I am going to call the little extra download a “Fancy”. I intend to add something small and unique each month. This addition is something that we could choose to use to embellish our blanket. Perhaps on the corners or along the sides. Or maybe as extra embellishments on the squares themselves, like the Sea Star from last month.

    For those who can crochet, here is an extra link. It’s a pattern from Knit and Crochet Daily. It features a pretty little crocheted Pansy. A few of these might be a fun addition to our blankets.

    Happy Blanket Knitting

    Lynette

    If you are as fond of hearts as I am, check out my heart inspired patterns on Ravelry or Etsy.

    Smitten – knit in worsted weight yarns, Santa Cruz in Palladium or Malabrigo in Very Berry.

    Valentino – Knit in B.C. Garn Bio Shetland, a light fingering Shetland Style wool.

  • Creating Beautiful Knitting Patterns: Jelly Bean Hat & More

    Creating Beautiful Knitting Patterns: Jelly Bean Hat & More

    It has been very foggy around here for the last few days. It does create a very different world when it surrounds and softens our world. Even as it lifts in the morning it leaves behind traces of singular beauty.

    The Frost this morning was amazing! It gives of the sparkle of diamonds in the sunlight and rims each petal and leaf in lace.

    Today is Wednesday, the middle of the work week and my day off. To rest, grocery shop and work on my knitting, patterns and blog! Maybe to nap as well. LOL!

    Now it is Thursday – yesterday got interrupted by some serious knitting. I am almost ready to place the thumb stitches on my glove onto some waste yarn!

    The Qing Fibre is so pretty.

    My project/sample knitting is going along swimmingly while my pattern is writing lagging behind my knitting. Which is normal because I would rather knit than write! I am much better at the knitting and struggle with the writing. I blog because it does in improve my writing abilities and it fools me into thinking my pattern will write themselves, so far, this has been proven to be a fallacy. LOL!

    As a knitter and as a designer I love texture and colour. Slip stitch knitting offers so many opportunities to combine both! Slip stitch knitting is very similar to Mosaic knitting in that you are never working with more than one colour at a time. The other colour in the round is slipped as you come to it. The Jelly Bean is a good example of slip stitch knitting.

    I have been working on the pattern for the Jelly Bean Hat. It is just about ready for release. The charts are done and the pictures. It just needs some fine tuning.

    The yarn is Juniper Moon Farm Patagonia Organic Merino in 4 colours. But it could just as easily be worked in 2 colours or every stripe of “jellybeans” could be a different colour. Knitters choice 🙂

    My remainder of the samples for the Winter/Spring classes are coming along. I really only have two samples left to knit.

    It is getting bigger. I am just a little ways away from dividing off for the underarms.
    • The Puffy Vest, which will take a while as it basically knitting two vests and then knitting them together. AND…
    • The Beaded and Twisted Cast-on which won’t take very long even though there are two variations on the same theme.

    I am going to use gloves and socks for the samples, Which will keep the sample knitting The beaded and twisted start really could be used on almost any garment or accessory. It’s just that I particularly love it’s effect on smaller items!

    The basic gloves for the class will be sampled with one of the versions of the beaded and twisted cast-on. They were started with a long-tail beaded cast-on. The yarn for the glove body is Qing Fibre Sock in the Blackhare colourway, paired with some basic black sock and size 8/0 beads.

    • Version 1 – gloves started with the beaded long tail cast-on and then twisted.
    • Version 2 – socks started with the beads randomly spaced on the knitting and then twisted.

    The other example will be my Sailors Knots Socks. In this twisted and beaded cast-on the beads are placed randomly as you knit.

    Epic Fail

    I really struggle with the technological aspects of being a small business person in our modern world of computers. Every improvement in technology requires a new learning curve. Usually it doesn’t involve the blog but…

    Yesterday I got a note that one of my posts had an error – there were two different versions, so there was a conflict. I had to pick one version. I picked wrong. SO….

    My Granny Blanket post has suffered some kind of calamity and will have to be rewritten. I will work on it this weekend. Apparently it was a “me” problem I jigged when I should have jagged! I mangaged to delete the whole thing. I somehow still have a draft version that was never finished so I will use that as a base.

    My Granny Blanket Swatch is building quite quickly though. I will be working less wedges than I thought (originally 16). I am currently thinking that 13 or 14 wedges might make the circle.

    I hope that you are having a wonderful week. With lots of knitting and no technological glitches!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • A Granny Afghan Reimagined

    A Granny Afghan Reimagined

    Note – if you think you have read this before – you have! I somehow deleted the original post about this afghan. I am trying to replace the post and the basic start to the blanket that was included! It was truly an epic fail.

    Do you find learning a new bit of technology a challenge? I certainly do. Anything I have learned I usually do fine with. New things can cause me grief.

    How did this happen? I received a message that said I had two versions of the same post in two different locations. I needed to delete one. I chose “poorly”! And lost the good post! The other post was an incomplete draft! So I am finishing the draft to recreate match the post!

    So Here we go Again.

    Remember the Granny Afghan? Well, after writing about it, I realized how much it means to me. Surprisingly, I had never made an afghan for my grandson Logan. I haven’t even knitted him a baby blanket (a story for another time). I have knit him quite a few things over the years, but not “keeping” or “memory” things!

    I felt that needed to change. I needed to create something that Logan to have to remember his Granny.

    I have made copies of the crocheted blanket, a few times, for friends or family. Copying it carefully, counting every stitch and crocheting painfully from start to finish. I am not much of a crocheter, but I can work a chain st and a single crochet. This is not me, I am a knitter, not a crocheter. Crochet has never resonated with me in the same way as knitting has. This project had to come from my love of the craft, but…

    I wanted to do something similar for Logan. I aimed for something fun and not the squares. The squares are my other blanket project for this year. I wanted to knit him something fun like the Granny Blanket.

    Ray, a co-worker, pointed out to me that I could knit a version of it. In fact, I had already done so. ‘What was I thinking about’! Sometimes it just takes someone else to point out the obvious.

    I few years ago I knit the Shetland Wheel. It is a laceweight Shetland style lace shawl, with a center of wedges, just like the Granny Afghan. This shawl is soft and fine and I love it, but it is way to delicate for a growing boy.

    I want to make the blanket out of wool. It shouldn’t be too heavy. It needs to be strong enough to endure the “careful” handling of a boy to teenager and then to man. Maybe he will keep this blanket as long as I have kept my Grandmothers.

    I am going to full (felt) the blanket so that it will be washable. So my swatch is much larger than average and in all the colours. Why?

    Not all wools felt evenly. Sometimes the dyes themselves affect the rate of the fulling process. And I like to use my swatches. In fact many of my hat designs were the product of a swatch. Sometimes the best way to know how a yarn will work is to knit it into something.

    So lets have a pillow to go with the blanket.

    Sequence of events for this project:

    • Pick your colours – I picked blue
    • Pick a needle size – in this case 5.0mm – I don’t want a hard felt, just a soft fulling
    • Second make a swatch – make a large swatch
    • Third felt the swatch
    • Fourth figure out how big to make the blanket from the swatch
    • Fifth cast on the first wedge for the blanket
    • Sixth turn the swatch into a pillow
    • Seventh figure how to finish the blanket – right now I am thinking about a knitted fringe

    So I have started.

    I picked my yarn, Estelle Yarns, Eco Shetland Worsted, in eight colours. Most of them in shades of Blue – Logans current favourite colour. Which has something to do with his favourite teams. The Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Blue Jays!

    I picked my needles, a 5mm US #8.

    And I cast-on. The journey needs to begin with a cast-on. The knitting will take a little time, but we have that. This is easy knitting, all garter st, with rows that shrink down and then start all over.

    Pick your colours
    Choose your needle size – 5.0mm in this case
    AI finished sketch from my poor attempt at sketching.
    Knitting has started. This may take awhile. Maybe a gift for his birthday – say September!
    The knitting is progressing.

    So what is the difference between felting and fulling.

    1.) Felting traditionally is worked from the fibre itself

    2.) Fulling is created when you take a fabric, woven or knitted, and felt it.

    Felting is what happens when you take hot water, soap and agitation and ruin your favourite sweater. That is our usual experience, but when you felt with intent, different things can happen.

    Fulling occurs when wool has been worked into a woven or knitted fabric. You achieve this when you take hot water, soap, and agitation, and you felt with intent. The resulting fabric is denser, and is often softer and easier to work with. It can be cut without unravelling and will keep its shape much longer.

    If you want to join me on the journey, download the instructions below. They provide some “pithy” guidance to work from.

    Granny BlanketDownload

    This year is turning into the Year of Blankets, not just the Year of Blanket Squares. These are big projects so nothing is happening in a hurry. There will lots of time for experimentation. These are fun projects, nothing is heavy lifting. So lets just have fun and play a little.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Exploring Hemer Park’s Serenity Amidst Fog

    Exploring Hemer Park’s Serenity Amidst Fog

    We went for a walk at Hemer Park this morning. Hemer Park is beautiful all year round. Ducks, Swans, Yellow Iris, Indian Pipe, Beavers and birds, so many birds. But this the time of year that the Swans start to show up!

    I had been hoping to see a swan or two this morning, I had seen them many times before, but that was not to be this time. We saw a few in a field driving home from Duncan on Wednesday! So I was hopeful.

    It was beautifully sunny in Nanaimo as we headed out. But as we got closer to the south end of town and Cedar it got foggier – like pea-soup fog!

    So instead of swans we saw a different kind of beauty. Fog enshrouded tree tops, ducks floating across invisible water, modern art as interpreted by drowning trees, burbling water across dead marshland and that awe inspiring quiet that comes with a foggy day!

    The sun was trying its best to clear the fog, but the fog remained, grey and all encompassing. So quiet and so serene.

    The fog was all encompassing,
    it was above us,
    and all around us.
    The sun almost made it through.
    The only noise was the burbling of water.
    The ducks seems to float across the water.
    Fungi emerging
    A green goddess bridge, fallen and twisted.
    Natures crown – lichen.
    Reflections and reality, modern art on the water.
    Still foggy as we left.

    The colours made me want to pull out a range of yarns, in greys, blue grey, green grey, golden grey and every shade in between. Those colours, they could be the base of a new fair-isle hat design, that seems to be floating around my head.

    Happy Walking and Dreaming!

    Lynette

  • Latest Knitting Inspirations: From Puff Vests to Chintz Haps

    Latest Knitting Inspirations: From Puff Vests to Chintz Haps

    My last few posts have all focused around the the Make-A-Blanket project. Getting the first couple of squares up and available, using them to describe some of the possibilities for blanket construction, setting up the start of the design process for all the knitters involved.

    Hopefully getting everyone, including myself thinking forward to what they/I want to do with our squares. At the same time as all that it going on …The rest of life keeps on happening!

    Now I am focusing on the Winter/Spring Class session. Also my designing. I haven’t felt much like lace knitting lately but I think that is changing. I have a couple of big projects to finish! My Lace Dress and the GreenMan Shawl still need to be finished. Those are going to be done this year!

    Projects for the classes at Mad About Ewe are all under construction or ready for the class.

    Current projects for the classes, the Twinned Mittens and Socks on Circs are class ready, but not completed yet. That will happen during and after the classes.

    I did a swatch to display for the Puffy Vest, and I am currently knitting the first piece. I am really pleased with the way it is knitting up. Right now it looks like a cozy cowl! The thrums make it so bright and colourful!

    You can see the swatch for the puffy vest, the Twinned Knit Mitten sample and Socks on Circs at Mad About Ewe, hanging up behind the counter if you want to check things out! All of the classes are up on the website as well!

    And there are always future projects!

    Like the Chintz Hap I have started knitting.

    Last fall I went to the Chintz exhibit at the RBCM and it inspired me in so many ways! The history, the colours and the shapes of some of the motifs really made my sit up and take notice. I want to take those shapes and colours and knit them into one of my favourite shawl shapes – the Shetland Hap! I am working on the center square right now. I am loving the center so far and once the border and edging are complete… In my head it is gorgeous!

    I am working with B.C.Garn Loch Lomond Lace! The colours are perfect for this. I may need to add that warm creamy tone, but that is still under consideration.

    So life is busy at work, and in my designing and it looks like things are about to get busy around the house as well!

    We downsized last year and have been waiting to get the kitchen and few areas around our new home renovated. And it is all about to start! And with my yarn room! Can I say that I am somewhat excited!

    The yarn room won’t be big once finished, around 7.5 by 7.5 square feet! But it will be all mine! With shelves and storage and even room for my Grandson to come and visit.

    I have it all planned out! The Daybed is for my grandson to sleep on, with a light and small bookcase for his books it will be perfect for me to block my knitting on. It is also right by the window so I can check my yarn colours under the natural light!

    One of my resolutions for this year was to be more forward thinking about my classes. So I am already thinking ahead to the Summer Classes. Something light and fun and under the sun in the courtyard. Maybe some beaded fingerless mitts in a really hot colour! What do you think?

    Or maybe a light and airy lace scarf in something silky? Any suggestions?

    Do you plan your knitting for the year ahead or are you a knit by the moment and yarn you discover?

    In the meantime I certainly don’t lack for stuff to do! LOL!

    I bet that you have lots of knitting options to as well!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette