block 'n tackle knitting

Favourite circulars. Favourite bowl. Favourite blog. 

Happy New Year, everyone. May you enjoy each creative moment to the fullest.

I'm knitting in a cabin in the woods on Salt Spring Island, BC. Socks are necessary. A new shawl for my Etsy shop. Lone apple, with a view of Vancouver Island.

I just happened to see a feather-and-fan patterned cap while strolling through the mall on my way to work the other day and felt a sudden urge. 

I decided to go for short sleeves on this simple raglan pullover, with a bit of fair isle yoke detail but otherwise just a lot of red.

Nothing to see here. Just a super bulky squooshy garter wip.

So we're getting the tail-end of Typhoon Songda sometime today. My solution is this shawl. The yarn is DK, lovely and soft. I feel warmer already. **Update: you can see the finished shawl here!

Curling up with a good book and squishy cotton and bamboo yarn to make some colour magic.

A late-summer cardigan is just what I needed for relaxing knitting while I laze away the remainder of my summer, anticipating working in an air-conditioned office in the fall. This is my adaptation of Laura Chau's Easy Top-down Raglan Cardigan , and I can vouch for the fact that it is indeed both of these things! I'm looking forward to the finishing with a bit of a surprise (and buttons). Top-down raglan cardigan WIP Sleeve detail

I'm re-vamping my Etsy store and taking stock of all my supplies..  I want to have a very crafty winter!  I'm thinking of branching out in to some upcycling of knitted items and incorporating some cool non-knit materials into them as well.  I've been collecting junk all summer (like buttons and bits of oilcloth, scraps of pretty cloth and ribbons.. ).  Fun!  Now, to actually MAKE something with them! I'd also like to share two cool things I discovered this spring.  The first is a blog called Prick Your Finger  , which is for a yarn shop and gallery in Bethnal Green (UK).  It's given me sooo many ideas; check it out! The second is a cool new-to-me craft which is actually an ancient craft called nalbinding.   My Dad answered my plea for someone to make me some nalbinding needles, and I really want to at least try this over the winter. Soooo much to do!  I better get off the computer, now..  ;)

I love the feather & fan lace pattern. I've decided I like the alternate name, "old shale", even better (because it makes me think of the Burgess Shale, and beautiful, fractal-like, ancient creatures?). At any rate, vintage colours and patterns are turning me on bigtime right now, so this stole is not only a way to use up scraps of stash, but a colour-homage to 1920s experimental, dramatic colourways... Sort of like something Glenda Jackson might have worn in Women In Love ..

With the holidays zooming up fast, I start to get a bit frantic and, I admit, I abandon my lofty autumn intentions to knit elaborate little things for loved ones. Right now, I'm going to knit EASY little things for loved ones.. er, quickly! I have a few WIPs.. some simple slippers that I'm going to post the pattern for next week, a quick hat (because it got freakin' cold here for some reason -- obviously moving to the West Coast was not enough to get me away from the snow, argh) and a lovely teal wool sweater (see pic). None of these are done, yet, of course.. but I'm going to Vancouver this weekend and guess what I'll be doing on the ferry?

What's on the needles (and on my feet on a chilly morning)...

Well, actually, bowl 'o orange... Lookit what I found at the thrift store yesterday for only $2.99! Two skeins of orange mohair and a ball of pink!! Just in time for autumn knitting... Pattern idea from here . I love autumn.

This is the pattern that got me wanting to make scarves, and now I'm finally making it!  The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton Ease (50% cotton, 50% acrylic) in Azalea.  I LOVE the bats! 

Here's my next scarf, currently on the needles: It's Midwest Moonlight, one of the patterns from Pam Allen's Scarf Style. I'm using Bernat's Satin worsted (Star Dust) and US size 7 needles. I'd like to make this in a natural fibre blend but this is good practice for me in counting and working yarnovers.

It's scarf weather already in Victoria, and the way this easy feather and fan scarf knit up reminded me of foamy, seaweedy ocean waves. I used Paton's Decor 75% acrylic, 25% wool worsted (Sweet Country). This was my first attempt at anything lacy and despite a couple of boo boos (the yarn was very forgiving, though) I found it pretty easy. I used this free, online pattern, and size 7 US (4.5 mm) needles. Here it is in progress: and here it is done! Ta da! (Hm, next I think I want to knit a cabled scarf...)

Here's a pair of socks in grassy green that I knit on my way home from my Alberta trip this week. They're worsted, so a bit thick, but I'll probably use them as slipper-socks. Last night when I got home late and couldn't sleep I started a capelet from Viva Poncho with some leftover yarn I had lying around. Here it is in my favourite wooden knitting bowl.

Here's the bamboo sock I'm currently working on, using Bernat's Bamboo ... I love how soft it is! I found some very pretty sock yarn at the thrift store; my research tells me it's discontinued so I guess I'll just have to make some very small socks out of it.