Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: colour

  • Feather Mittens

    Feather Mittens

    My Feather Mittens Class went well yesterday. Well enough that I released the pattern on Etsy and Ravelry this morning! You may have noticed the Video blog I released earlier today!

    And I have already started on some new things! Right now I seem to be attracted to all shades of Green. It is Winter here so the predominant colours are shades of Green and Grey. We (I) am always influenced by the colours around me.

    Tomorrow I will be releasing by Christmas Pattern so look for the blog post and links in the morning. It will be free for the month of December until Midnight January 1st. It is green too!

    I am thinking of working with these two colours. I took this photo yesterday, in a planter in the courtyard outside of the store. Now that is a vivid contrast! Maybe Gloves? On a side note, does anyone know the name of this beauty?

    I hope that your day is going well! With lots of knitting and tea!

    Lynette

  • Glory Morning!

    Such a beautiful sunrise yesterday morning.   Such a wonderful way to start the day

    Colour Inspiration for us all!

    Lynette

  • Cranberry Sauce anyone?

    Cranberry Sauce anyone?

    This upcoming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrate it in our home with family and friends and of course, Turkey and all the trimmings. I am getting a bit of a head start today by making the Cranberry Sauce.

    I make a big batch because I always need to send some home with a couple of the guests. The recipe is very easy to half if you only need a small batch. This one makes about 8 cups of sauce.

    • 8 cups of cranberries – the local Yellowpoint Cranberries are fabulous
    • zest of 2 oranges
    • 1 and 1/2 cups of water
    • juice of 2 oranges
    • 2 cups of sugar

    Throw it all into a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 – 12 minutes. I like lumpy sauce – lots of cranberry chunks so if you like it a little smoother, cook a little longer.

    Once the pot is off the stove, add 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier or Triple Sec. Stir into the sauce and then pour into bottles. You can seal them if you like. I usually just pop them into the back of the fridge once they are cooled.

    The house smells so good as the sauce cooks.

    Such a lovely colour.

    One of the things I love about this recipe is the colour of the berries mixed with the colour of the peel as it is cooking! It reminds me of one of my favourite Handmaiden colourways – Sangria. The header above is a photo of yarn from Handmaiden dyed with Sangria. Even when I cook I am thinking about yarn! LOL!

    Happy Day!

    Lynette

  • East Coast – Twillingate Thrummed Headband

    East Coast – Twillingate Thrummed Headband

    I don’t like to wear hats. It takes a really cold day before I plop a hat on my head. I don’t like the look of myself in a hat. Very few have suited me.

    But I like cold ears even less.

    So, I finished up the Thrummed Headband for myself. I now consider myself officially ready for Fall and Winter. I have a new sweater… and a hat. Maybe I should make some fingerless mittens in the same colours as the headband? A light grey pair, with multicoloured dots. Ok, almost ready for Winter!

    If you want to knit a Thrummed Headband for yourself click here.

    The thrumming really intrigues me. It is easy to do and adds an extra layer of warmth. I am thinking that I may need to make myself a puffy vest, double layered with thrums in between. Would you wear something like that?

    Yesterday I also knit up a swatch from the Eco Scandinavian Chunky I bought myself last week (for another sweater). I want this sweater to be very colourful and in the Muhu style. This style is from Estonia and features a lot of natural patterns, birds, bees and animals in very bright, not so natural colours. The patterns will be much larger and definitely very visible.

    I love my swatch, but I think I need to add some green and maybe some black to make the other brights pop!

    Happy Knitting!

    Lynette

    PS – I am getting so excited! The GreenMan KAL starts next week! In between my other knitting I have been slowly working away at each section of the shawl. It is looking just as I imagined!

  • Oak Leaf and Acorn

    Hand painted swatch of the acorn and leaf pattern. 

    I’ve been waiting for just the perfect project.  I think that it will be perfect for the GreenMan Shawl.  Don’t you?

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Summer Days

    Summer Days

    In the Summer I always try to finish up a project for myself. A sweater or vest, something new that I can wear to work.

    This year I have at least two things on the go. A light and airy mohair sweater knit with Amitola Brushed by Louise Harding. This is a heavier mohair and silk blend and I am knitting it quite loosely. I love mohair’s loft when the you let the fuzz fill in the stitches. It makes the garment light but still cozy! This sweater is underway and will be knit from sleeve to sleeve. The Amitola has a long, slow stripe and it is showing beautifully. I am barely through 60 grs of the first ball. I think that I will have plenty of yarn. I am knitting on a 6.0mm US #10 – this sweater is knitting up fast!

    The Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed yarn is going to take much longer to knit. Right now it is going to be a vest. But I am loving it so much and I think I have enough yarn, so it might turn into a full sweater. I am loving the stitch pattern. Time, as always, will make the final decision. And yardage, where is the rest of the yarn? Somewhere in my stash!

    Summer is also when I make tea cozies. They are small and fun and I think I might design a class around a new idea I have.

    Last week I bought a new toy. It is designed to hold my phone as I video myself knitting a new technique. You have already seen it at work as I ripped back my last hat!

    The weather here is back up to being hot again. So I am looking at small projects as well. Beading something, anything, is always good for hot weather knitting.

    beaded butterflyes from Covid be Damned
    beaded bracelet under construction

    I also love to knit shawls in the Summer. Tomorrow I hope to have the Green Man motif ready to show.

    Do you have a “colour” ? Something you know you love to knit with. Something that you “lean” towards. Something you sometimes are unaware of. I do. Apparently I wanted a co-ordinating set. LOL!

    Don’t they look great together? I guess I will have to finish the gloves sooner rather than later!

    Below are some random images of this Summer and Summers past! They are part of my inspiration as I dream up new ideas.

    I hope that you enjoy your long weekend!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Knitting a Dress and Other Projects

    Knitting a Dress and Other Projects

    I am now at the point where the skirt is growing, at what seems like an agonizingly slow rate. I must focus on the fact that the skirt is growing and the pattern is repeating and that is what is supposed to happen.

    I switched to a 3.75mm needle about 12 rounds ago to start the slow shaping of the skirt. I will most likely drop the needle size to 3.5mm in about 40 more rounds. So between the changing the size of the needles and shaping the panels I am hoping for a lovely, gradual shaping the skirt to the waist. At that point the needle size will be 3.25mm for the bodice of the dress.

    Dry blocked the skirt is 10 inches deep from the top of the 4th pattern repeat to the curve of the hem. The points are not included as length. I think that three more repeats will get me to the start of shaping panels (approx 15 inches) which will reduce the stitch count of the skirt. The reducing section will take about 45 rounds.

    I work at Mad About Ewe and I get to play with the yarn. We are now carrying Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and Tones Light. I have been playing.

    Wait there’s more! More hats, cables and hearts; double knit fingerless mittens and just so much more to do and create!

    Below is “Smitten” A cabled hat with the “hugs and kisses” cable and the tree of life pattern. Classic in Grey and no bobbles, knit Juniper Moon Santa Cruz in the Palladium colourway! And Wild in with everything – cables, bobbles and hearts, knit with Malabrigo Worsted in the natural and Very Berry colourways.

    Straight forward and cozy these double knit wristers are super cozy and super easy! These Cozy Wristers can be knit in any dk or sport weight wool that you might have to hand.

    Because they are double knit they are also totally reversible.

    I hope that your knitting adventures have been moving along with lots of colour and texture to keep your mind occupied and your hands busy!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Due Process

    Due Process

    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!

    Be Well and Knit Happy!

    Lynette

  • On to Sleeve Island…

    On to Sleeve Island…

    For my 8 year sweater.

    I am not sure why sleeves are called sleeve island – I know they remind some people of socks and why “knit another one just like the other one” becomes an issue for some – mostly because both items usually come as pairs – and boredom becomes a factor when working on the second one of anything!!

    The term has been around for a while, long enough that most knitters will know what I am talking about! And there is even a sweater by Kate Davies called Sleeve Island! It is a pretty cool piece of knitting.

    But sleeves are just fine in my estimation! In a top down sweater like Cathedral it means you are almost done. Sleeves are short – well for me they are short! I have short arms and I like my sleeves no longer than my wrist – usually just a shade shorter for layering or to enable me to wear one (or more) of my silver bracelets. I love bracelets! Many of mine are made by Joan Hoye, a local silversmith and lace knitter. Joan also makes my markers. Sorry no website.

    Do you collect things? I do! I have been collecting yarn for about 40 years and bracelets for almost as long, around 35 years I think. These are my current favourites.

    I collect antiques and porcelain flowers as well. What do you collect?

    It has been a busy week. The first of my Salish Sea Sweaters – Wolf Song, came back from the Test Knitter. And it is gorgeous! Well I think it is gorgeous! I hope that you will too!

    I received a couple of yarn parcels from Kate Davies

    • 4 balls of the new colour of Milarrochy Tweed – Backen‘. Backen’ is a deep burgundy red.
    • But what is really cool is the arrival of the rest of the Schiehallion that I need to knit myself another top-down sweater. This one with a fair-isle patterned yoke. I have already worked a hat to help pick out the colours I liked. I am basing my colours for my sweater on the hat Failte. Deep purple body with the rich deep yoke colours.
    • My 10 Years in the making book is still on its way as is the other new Milarrochy Tweed colour! Foxglove is a vibrant pink that I am really looking forward to working with. Picture from the web as my yarn hasn’t arrived yet – isn’t the most glorious of colours.

    I have started another hat – this one is to test out the colours for the fair-isle vest that I am thinking of knitting in the BC Garn Bio Shetland. I am using Navy for the background and the colours will sing with that to pop against, except of course for those that won’t! I have already taken one colour out of the line up – the mid blue just won’t do the job!

    Not much to see as yet – but I am determined to play around a lot in the next couple of days and weed out even more colours! Then I will knit my Sleeves!

    Be well and Knit Happy!

    Lynette

    PS. Today I baked a carrot cake! i have used this recipe before and it always turns out well. I bake it as a sheet cake. It is now cool enough to ice! Yummy!