Simple Knits | December Dash

So... it's December. How did that happen? It seems like we just started our Simple Knits Knitalong a couple months ago and here we are 12 months (and projects) later. It's almost the end and I know December is a rough month for many crafters because (as I've seen and experienced) we somehow believe that we have an infinite number of hours in the day. Well, the hard truth is... we don't. This is the 11th hour and the holiday deadlines are right there in front of us - just as they do every singe year. At. The. Exact. Same. Time. Of. Year. 

For me, our wee knitalong has helped, but I still have a few gift gaps and small 'somethings' are perfect. There's a strange thing that happened to me once I started gifting handmade, I now feel like a total and complete slacker if I opt for a trip to the store instead of gifting a little something I made. And that's what I've got for you, because with these gifts, there really is still time to gift handmade and Simply Notable is here to rescue us...

Gift Card-igans

Aren't these great?! The Gift-Cardigans are a quick knit with a wee bit of worsted weight yarn (use scraps or a full skein will make several) and a random button.  What a fun way to personalize that impersonal gift card! And... as a knitter pointed out to me just a few days ago, these card-igans can be used throughout the year as a holder for reward cards. Really, these little gems are a win-win. 

Vintage Hankie Washcloth

These Vintage Hankie Washcloths  might take a bit more time to knit, but how precious would they be gifted with a special handmade soap? I love Soap Garden soap and would be a lovely pairing with these cloths. Denise (the soap artist), has a great variety and there's at least one that would be perfect for your giftee, even the naughty ones...

The cloths are knit in a sport-DK weight yarn and would be great in our Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton or Tahki Cotton Classic - both are in stock at the shop. Fair warning that the edging is crocheted, so you'll have to have some hooking skills to finish them off. I've had my eye on these for awhile, so this might be the time to make some - and possibly for myself.

Pint Sized Pines in a Cork Forest

Last, but certainly not least... These adorable Pint-Sized Pines are just teeny trees knit in dk to worsted weight yarn. Of course, you'll need a few corks, too - I think I should probably get to work on this project. *wink* I'm thinking these would make great ornaments or just a finishing touch to dress up a gifted bottle of wine that the giftee can use as an ornament later. 

So, there you have it. Our last Simple Knits Knitalong project for 2015 and I hope you enjoy these as much as the previous 11 months. If you need yarn for any of these projects, I've got plenty of ideas using our yarns at Firefly Fibers, so feel free to visit the shop or contact me for recommendations or go dive into that stash!

Don't forget... we'll have some prizes once we wrap up and I'll share more on that soon, so be sure to post your FO pics in our Ravelry Thread to enter to win. The holiday spirit it is in the air, so if you missed a month or have something to wrap up, you can slide that in this month too for another entry. For now... 

Cheers and happy holiday knitting!

Simple Knits | November Elves

With the holidays coming up, little 'somethings' really come in handy (and are very much appreciated), so that's just what I've got for us for our November Simple Knits project... say hello to the Jolly Wee Elf by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas!

Aren't they totally adorable? Each elf measures about 3-1/2" tall and is knit in fingering weight yarn - if you use 3 colors of Rowan's Fine Tweed (this is what Churchmouse knit theirs with and what I'll be using for mine), the 3 colors will knit up into 5 elves with extra left in the contrasting colors, so you can pick a couple main colors and for a gaggle of elves!

One of the things I love about these little ones, is they can be used year after year - if you're gifting, add a loop to the top of your Wee Elf and you've got an ornament that doubles as a personalized touch to a wrapped gift. 

The Jolly Wee Elf is simple to knit and has some fun techniques wrapped up in the small package. The base is knit flat, then stitches are picked up around the edges to knit the body in the round - no fumbling with double-points with a super-small circumference. There's also a bit of brilliance with weighting down the bottom with a washer so it weighs the base down nicely so your elves will stand upright and sit nice and flat. 

So, pop on over to Ravelry for more details and click on over to ravelry to purchase the pattern from Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. If you want to use Rowan's Fine Tweed for a rustic elf, visit Firefly Fibers in person or can order from our online shop -20% OFF in-store and online through the holiday season! 

And... don't forget to share your progress in our Ravelry thread - these should be quick knit (especially after the first one), so be sure to add individual posts for each finished elf for more chances to win a Simple Knits Knitalong prize. 

Happy Jolly Wee Elf Knitting!

Cheers, Alisa

All photos © Churchmouse Yarns & Teas

Simple Knits | October

Hello, lovelies! I have something really special for you for October's Simple Knits Knitalong project - there was a bit of a delay in getting started this month, but I think it will be well worth the wait and I hope you agree...

I've been anxiously waiting the arrival of a super-special new yarn from Julie Asselin. In case you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a crush on all of Julie's yarns... she has an amazing sense of color and her yarn bases are pretty fabulous.  So, knowing that her brand new yarn, Nurtured, would be arriving at Firefly Fibers at the beginning of October had me thinking that this month it might be a bit more about the yarn than the pattern - after all, I'm really excited to get this new yarn onto my needles and I thought you might like to try it, too. 

Meet Nurtured...

Nurtured by Julie Asselin

"As fiber lovers we really wanted to come up with a classic, non superwash yarn that would meet all of our criteria for a great product that knitters will enjoy working with, maybe getting some of them to rediscover the joys of more traditional yarns!" ~Julie Asselin

Nice, isn't it? Nurtured is a worsted weight woolen spun yarn that has a bit of residual lanolin from the spinning process and that's something that I ABSOLUTELY love - it smells fabulously like sheep AND it's super nourishing on the hands as you knit. After washing, Nurtured plumps, softens, and brightens for a gorgeous finished project. Nurtured is sure to become a 'go-to' classic yarn.

This month I want to give you a few options since we have a brand new yarn to try out, and also because the gift-giving season will be here before we know it. So, I have 3 accessories for you to choose from (as usual, you can knit as many of each as you want)...

Option #1 - Dreieke by Very Shannon (1 skein): 

Option #2 - Spate by Jane Richmond (2 skeins):

Option #3 - Turbulence by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits (2 skeins - 1 each color):

Nurtured really is a must-try yarn and these smaller accessories are the perfect introduction or reminder of how beautiful rustic yarns can be. But... if you'd like to use a different worsted weight yarn for any of these projects, that's perfectly okay and we'd love to see these designs knit up in any yarn - Simple Knits is all about taking and making time for smaller projects.

I hope you knit along this month and enjoy the project selections. Nurtured is available at Firefly Fibers and we do have a sample hat knit knit up in Nurtured so you can really see how the yarn transforms after washing. If you're not local and want to try Nurtured, it's available here in our online shop and I'll pack it up for you right away and ship it off.

Want to hear more about Nurtured? Mr. Yarnista and I talk about how awesome Nurtured is in Episode 9 of our podcast. psst... you can subscribe to our podcast in iTunes or with any other podcatcher. 

Cheers!