So the Three Skein Project is almost complete – just patterns to complete for it.
So where to next?
Well, I have lots of samples that need patterns – it could be that my computer and I will become best buddies. That is very real. I completed one pattern and started two more this weekend!
Well the classes are coming up;
I am thinking and doing a Double Knitting Class – lovely little cozy cuffs or wristers. They are totally reversible and quite easy to knit. There is no shaping so the only technique to learn is basic double knitting.
And the other class will be some kind of specialized colourwork – entrelac maybe or intarsia in the round.
Do you want see a beading class? A finishing class? A cable class? Our options are so wide and varied – sometimes it is hard to choose.
Now is the time to make a suggestion!
I have started to plan a Spring KAL for the store and I am looking for ideas. It would start in the Spring – after Easter. A shawl, a vest, some kind of relaxed garment I think.
I am starting another sweater style garment for myself – have I finished the last one – well no – but you know – this yarn is calling. I blame it all on Darlene. She just finished a lovely scarf in the same yarn! And another shawl. I really like the way the shape is building up. There is never an end to inspiration!
So how is your knitting year starting? Are you happy with your choices or looking to scrap it all and start anew? Are finishing one before you start another? Darlene has to finish two items before she starts a new project! We both wonder how long that will last! LOL!
It has been a stressful few months these last few weeks and I have been knitting up a storm – or at least starting up a multitude of projects and even finishing a few.
I started the Three Skein Project last year and finished it up just last week. What to do with left over yarn when you want to knit just one three colour hat!
What could We make with just 3 skeins of yarn? As a designer and yarn shop employee I am always taking home yarn, a real hardship, right?! Well, sometimes it does leave me with a problem, what to do with the excess yarn. Because, you know, I couldn’t just make a plain hat in just one colour so you could handle the yarn, see how it knits and how good it looks. Oh no, I had to make a hat with striped ribbing and a tri-coloured pompom. So, what to do with the leftovers – I usually label the yarn and pop it in a bin, but I really liked the yarn. So, the Three Skein project was born. And is the Sports Edition because of all of the stipes. I think that it makes the knits look sporty!
The yarn is Haynes Creek Heather Aran by Gathering Yarn, an Aran weight 100% non-superwash wool. You could use any worsted to aran weight yarn in the pattern. These skeins added up to 600 yds in total. I ended up with 6 inches leftover of the marled yarn, and then 10 grs each of the red and white yarns leftover, approx. 20 yds each. There are 5 projects;
The Classic toque – a little slouchy, starting with a striped rib and topped with a great pompom.
The Court beanie – just covers the ears and shaped with classic cables and twisted sts, and I love the striped rib.
The Round mittens – again with the stripped ribbing and simple shaping with an afterthought thumb.
The Slalom cowl – look at those zig-zags and again with the stripes. An easy repetitive lace pattern in the round.
The Drive-in mitts – short, striped, mitts that cover the palm and back of the hand but leave the fingers and thumb free for driving, painting, typing, anything where touch is really useful.
What’s with the Stripes?! Stripes are a great way to monitor your yarn usage. It allows us to gauge what we have left and judge what we can use it for, and just how far we can push our results.
I am quite pleased with mine.
The first two patterns are now up on Ravelry. The rest will follow over the next few weeks.
This is going to be the year of flowers. Floral motifs in my knitting – you bet! Flowers on my walls – always – courtesy of my mum! Flowers in the garden – we will see how green my thumb gets!
And flowers on my shelves!
Pansies and Florals – Oh My!
I am a collector – yarn (of course) – vintage knitting books – knitting books – yarn (did I mention yarn) and antiques.
The antiques are mostly the small stuff. Silver things, porcelain posies, china and other small things.
Many know about my small obsessions and every now and then I am asked if I would like some more items for my collection. Mostly my flower collection. It was their mothers or their grandmothers and really they have no use for, need of, or interest in them. And I get it, we all have our hobbies. And I on the other hand love all the things that mothers and grandmothers loved in their day. Especially the floral posies, in all my years of collecting I have not a single double, or repeat of a flower not even ones that are close.
Each pot is different, each flower is different. Certainly they are all the common flowers, roses, peonies, pansies, anemones, tulips or trilliums. But each one is hand made, hand coloured, and just like nature, each flower is totally unique from every other flower. Some flowers come with birds on stems, perching on a nest, or about to take flight. Some flowers come in silver vases – those are perhaps my favourites!
I think that the fact that human hands formed each flower, placed each flower in the pot and a human mind chose the colours of glaze to finish each bloom, is what fascinates me about these china posies. Some of the older posies are true works of art, holding a moment in time as the breeze moves the flowers about.
Posies are delicate, easily chipped along the edges of petal and leaf. Petals and leaves also break in half and are often poorly glued back together, again human hands trying to preserve something that they loved and valued. I find the love of flowers such a human thing, something that many of us share in so many ways.
The posies I collect also go well with the many petit point bouquets that I have on my walls and shelves. All lovingly created by my Mother. She spent hours working on each piece. Somehow many of her floral pieces came my way.
My Mothers work – she even refinished the frame to complement the work.
I will most likely have to divest myself of some of the “things” I collect. We all usually have to “downsize” at some point in our lives. Until that time arrives, I will enjoy them, celebrate them and share that love!
So do you collect? Have you got a stash of something special that means a lot to you? I would love to hear about it.
Where to go next? My life has pretty much been on hold or in chaos for the last few months. I haven’t had the energy or time to do more than touch at the edges of any of my projects. But I think that is changing…
I still need to tidy my workroom – the chaos there really does mirror my mind. So today I am going to work around the edges and make a start. I am trying to convince myself that it not really as bad as it looks.
My main desk – computer and printer and lots of little bits!
So…. what does your workroom look like? Do you have a workroom? Or a corner on the couch? Do you work best in Chaos? Or are you a neat and tidy person, everything needs to be in place or your mind is distracted?
I know I work best in chaos! But not this much! Here I don’t know where anything or everything is! So time to fix it all!
Desk area beforeDesk area – getting there
So yesterday I made the start. I was wrong, it really is as bad as it looks. Today I worked a little more. In the pictures it really doesn’t look like a lot of improvement. But I can see and feel the difference. Books are on the shelves, samples are separated from stash and I can see what needs to be shifted and maybe even where it may be shifted to!
By next weekend it will be a new room! I must admit I am cheating a little, some of the stash has found a new location, but most of it is just going back to where it belongs.
Cupboard area – beforeCupboard area – getting there.
I am working on a new stitch pattern. Something a little different, a drawn stitch pattern, one that pulls yarn through stitches already knit to create a new pattern on top of the stockinette stitches. I am calling this stitch “Feathers”. I have seen something like this or maybe even this stitch online. The technique is familiar to me as I have worked drawn stitches before. My patterns Big Leaf Maple and Jacobean are both worked with drawn stitches.
Drawn stitches are a fabulous way to embellish your knitting. They can be worked on any weight of yarn and use up those bits of left over yarn that we collect as we finish bigger projects. The basic pattern will be written for Fingering weight, Worsted weight and Chunky weight yarns. I am going to create a great basic pattern that will create hats for the whole family!
Did I mention that beads might be a possibility!?
I umm, also fell in love with a baby bonnet idea I had and it has sort of high jacked the basic knitting until it is done – but it is going to be OH so cute!
Yesterday was my fathers Celebration of Life. A few weeks before that my father passed. Life had suddenly changed, and I have been struggling with what to do with my hands, how to focus on the mundane when a big part of my life was suddenly gone. My Knitting mojo too was gone.
A week or so ago I started this blog post. I think it still works.
If you are a knitter (read your favourite craft here) you have most likely made something for someone you love. It is what we do. What can be more personal than a gift made with special someone in mind. Loving thoughts go into every stitch, every small detail and every minute that you spend knitting that gift. Some gifts last longer than others. Some gifts are made better by time.
Three weeks ago I lost my father. He was ninety. He passed away peacefully in his sleep after four weeks in the hospital. He had lived a good life and had few regrets. We will miss him. We do miss him.
He had lived with us for the last 6 years of his life and was very much a part of our daily lives. The last 6 months of his life were pretty much lost to dementia as he struggled to find the words to communicate and the everyday actions to look after himself that a few months before had been there. He was stubborn and believed that he did not need the help we wanted to give him.
I made it to ninety making my own decisions and I will keep on doing so.
He lived a good life and believed in himself the whole of it.
Love you Dad.
We have been cleaning up his space, a suite in the basement, opening drawers, going into the closets and sorting the stuff of dads life that he brought when he moved into the house.
On a hanger in the back of the closet I found a wool sweater that I had knit for him over 35 years ago. It brought both memories and tears. I didn’t know he still had it. I had not seen him wear it in a long time. He found it too warm. He had never worn it while in the suite.. But he kept it. It was dirty, but intact – no moths.
When I knit it for him, so long ago – it was quite the job – I had not knit many sweaters yet, certainly not designed any from scratch in this way.
He was very specific about what he wanted. I think that he was recreating something he had had once. It had to be wool, and not to heavy – no problem – I preferred wool. It had to be red, but just the right shade of red. I went back and forth to the yarn store a few times to find the right “red”! And it had to be wool! It had to be a cardigan, plainly knit – no patterning. (those who know me would know how hard that one detail would be for me) And it had to be wool. Then it had to have pockets and it had to have a V-neck. And it had to be wool. And it had to have silver toned buttons! And it had to be wool. Once I found THE wool, as it had to be wool – not too heavy and just the right shade of red, we struck a bargain.
I would knit him a Red Wool cardigan with silver toned buttons, pockets and V-neck and it would be plain knit. Except for the button bands and pocket tops, they would have a small pattern. Something that said it was hand-knit just for him by me. And so the bargain was made.
So I took measurements and went away to knit him his sweater. About 6 months later I gave him his sweater. He was thrilled and put it on right away! It fit! And took it off right away – it was too hot! This was in June! So it was a success, knit with a great deal of love.
Thirty-five years later I found it in the back of his closet.
I knew he loved it and I knew he wore it – the food on the sweater said so! But I didn’t know he still had it! That was a gift!
From me to him and then from him to me.
So I washed it – soaked it in Eucalan for a number of hours and then rolled it in a towel and reblocked it. So it is now my sweater, a true grandfather sweater!
I needed to start knitting again. My hands were restless. I had a couple of sweaters on the go for myself, but they weren’t holding me. So I did one of my favourite things. I picked some yarn and found a new stitch to play with and knit a hat, instant gratification and maybe a new pattern. I am going to knit another version and see if it works again.
The yarn is Mecha by Malabrigo. It is a gorgeous hand dyed Chunky Merino. I chose the Piedras colourway for the background and the Rosalinda colourway for the “feathers”. I think that I will call the pattern Feathers if it works.
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to try something different. So I did.
I sent six of my samples off to a fashion show in Edmonton Alberta. To the Gathering Threads Fibre Festival Fashion show. Here are some of the runway pictures. This was an inclusive event – so every body type, every ethnicity was included in the modeling group. I got to pick the models for my pieces and think about and help choose what they would wear and how they should appear. It was a lot of fun.
North Sea HapMeandering MeadowsSeed and Leaf Hat and Poncho with Jester GlovesTidal Pools – hand painted after knittingSundail or High Summer ShawlCovid be Damned – one of my personal favourites!
I was pleased with the results – the photographs are excellent. It is very different to see your knitting efforts put forward this way. I am hoping to go next year and see everything in person.
I felt for the organizers of the show though – the center where the show was being held became the gathering place for the fire evacuees – it would have been so stressful for all involved!
Now this is a Grand Pavilion – Brighton Pavilion on a glorious Summers’ Day.
It’s Been a while since my last KAL, two years in fact. Life in all its glory has been making it self felt and there just hasn’t seemed to be time. But it is going to happen this year! And I am so excited!
I am planning a Summer Knit-A-Long. Would you like to join me?
There will be knitting and knitting with beads if you like.
Think of a Garden Party in a fancy Gazebo or Pavilion with your best dress and tiers and tiers of your favourite goodies.
Think knitting out in the park or your back yarn on a sunny day, there is a light breeze and there is champagne or a mint julip on the table beside you.
Think perhaps of a gaily stripped tent, complete with ribbons and party favours! Perfect for afternoon knitting.
Think of your favourite Summer Knitting Spot!
Could you imagine knitting this garden! ? How clever is this!?
A Zoom tea (read beverage of choice here LOL!) cause I know we all live all over the place and can’t get together except by Zoom! And Prizes, who doesn’t love a good prize. And did I mention some knitting? I will be starting a new thread in my Ravelry Forum for the KAL! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Sign up will be on Ravelry. Forum Thread on Ravelry – LeTissier Designs Group – Grand Pavilion KAL.
Sign up – starts tomorrow, 7:00 am pacific time, May 14, Mother’s Day. For that day only sign-up is 75% off – code MUM
Sign-up May 15 to June 1 – sign-up for 50% off – code EARLY
Sign-up June 1 to June 30 – sign-up for 25% off – code Pavilion
Sign-up July 1 to close – full price – $8.00
Start date – Saturday July 15th
End date – Saturday September 2nd
Skills used in the construction of the shawl include short rows, picking up stitches, basic and not so basic lace knitting skills. The shawl is a half circle shape, plus a little extra to sit nicely around the shoulders. The edging with be quite “frothy”. I will leave that up to your imagination.
The shawl requires 800 yds of laceweight mohair and 800 yds of fingering weight wool (or favourite fibre), 4.0mm US #6circs 24 and 40 inches long and a spare dpn or 2, markers and the regular notions. If beading you will also need a .60 or .75mm crochet hook. If you are thinking of adding beads I still am not quite sure of how many I will be using and in what way. I have approx 3000 delica 8/0’s to play with. I most likely won’t use them all but I will be adding quite a few. Beads are always optional as I know that not everyone likes them.
I went back to Ancient Arts for my yarn choice. I had used their Lascaux Fine for the High Summer KAL and loved the results. This Spring I fell in love with a colour of their Delicacy Lace, a mohair silk blend, the Mineral (varigated) colourway and the plan developed from there. My fingering weight yarn is the Lascaux Fine in the Wild Rose (a sophisticated pink) Colourway.
Designing is a process. Designing with a new yarn has a few extra steps. Designing for another person has a few more steps. So, process.
I am doing some designing for Gathering Yarns. They are a yarn distributor out of Alberta and they are expanding a little and are wanting to add some patterns to their inventory.
Recently Cindy sent me some recycled cashmere. I started to play with it. I wanted to know how it felt to the hand. How it reacted to different techniques, what needle size I wanted to work it on, etc.
So I knit a pair of beaded fingerless mitts – Bee’s Knees’ Mitts. This was a pleasure to work with with great results. So maybe something bigger was in order…
Swatch
A shell or halter, something not to big to keep it affordable. So I ran the idea past The Powers that Be. Idea was approved – more cashmere came my way. So I swatched my idea. Swatch was approved.
There were still a couple of questions to be answered. So I made a beanie, a bigger swatch that can tell me more. What’s the best gauge? How much give? How much stretch over the larger area? Ribbons Beanie – it will be an accessory to the Shell/Vest pattern I am going to design.
Sketching is next. Or maybe I will work on the red and white cashmere gloves I can see in my head! Isn’t this a luscious red?!
That Red!
I have a love/hate relationship with Spring! I start so many things as I cannot seem to decide on just one!
So Due Process – perhaps with a touch of Spring startitus!
*Juniper Moon Yarns released 8 shawls onto Ravelry that I had designed for them over the last few months. Each one is a different. Knit with different fibres, different weights of yarn and different shapes. Below are the covers of each pattern.
My personal favourites – the ones I would have in my wardrobe and wear over and over are Tradition. I may have to reknit that one for myself. Dewey – just so pretty with the beaded edge and Grand Pennant – simple and elegant!
So yesterday was an exciting day – to see the patterns professionally done and available to all!
I hope that you have a fabulous day today!
Be well and knit happy!
Lynette
PS – header is a detail from Tradition. It is fully reversible with flowers on one side and stripes on the other! Definitely my favourite!
Cats in the Cradle – baby blanket or shawl with coordinating beanies.
Funky Brimmed Hat with Bad-dana Cowl – Hat modelled by Glorious Gertrude
Caahh…shmere with beads swatch – lusious lace tank in the future.
Cashmere beaded Fingerless Mitts – The Bee’s Knees!
Cable Cool Balaklava and Mitts
Cable Cool vest.
For fun times in the future – beautiful handmade glass buttons.
Ada made the beautiful buttons – Ada Babys Beads on Facebook – and I made her this hat with her favourite hearts! I finished the hat with one of her buttons.
Well, I got the first box from the Beyond Merino Club (hosted by The Small Bird Workshop and Sweet Paprika. It contained 2 hanks of gorgeous, soft Corriedale sheeps wool from the Falkland Islands, one a natural grey and the other a beautiful deep Lagoon blue. Sweet Paprika did the dyeing. I made a half hap shawl. I finished it with I-cord edging and a couple of big, fat tassels. It will be part of the Happiness Hap pattern – coming soon!
We are planning the next session of classes for Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns. I am planning to teach Mosaic Knitting. The first sample is done – a funky little Cloche – finished with a little tassel. I do love tassels. It is knit with Fleece Artist BFL DK and some Drops Kid-Silk.
For myself – I am working on a sweater. I just started it last night. And like most sweaters for myself it will most likely get stalled along the way! You never know! I might surprise myself! LOL!
It is pretty. Some soft mohair from Fleece Artist and a just a few little beads for show!
Be well and knit Happy!
I am trying to stay mellow and keep with the flow that comes with knitting. I hope that works for you too!
