Getting TALL

With the revival of the pint & half (24 oz) jars, I decided to modify the Canning Jar Sweater pattern to accommodate the taller jar and it really does deserve it because these jars are fabulous! I think it's rather handsome in Spud & Chloe's Manatee:

This one was for hubby to use with his Cuppow at work and I hope to cast one on for myself soon in Chipmunk. It's already wound and ready to go, so it doesn't count, right?

These are the originals in Pollen, Grass and Splash - I love yarn with great color names!

If you want to knit your own Canning Jar Sweater, the pattern is available here on Ravelry and at Firefly Fibers (as is the Sweater and a variety of Cuppows, both of which tempt me daily).

If you only need the pattern updates, visit this blog post on Firefly Fibers to find out how to get them!

I'm hoping to cast mine on tonight at knitting, but we'll see... Cheers!

A recount...

Last weekend it was obvious as I pulled project bag, after project bag, after project bag out of the, well... knitting bag(s), that I needed to be reigned in, because this is a lot of projects - even for me.

There were 14. Yes... F.O.U.R.T.E.E.N.

And, yes, I am ashamed. Kind of. When I'm not laughing. Mostly, I'm laughing.

So, with class prep and fall sample knitting staring me in the face, I took a deep breath - maybe more than just one and I may have grabbed a bevie - and sat down to make some tough decisions.

In my defense, there are a few reasons for this embarrassing - and hilarious - state:

• Everything (and I mean everything) goes in a project bag - real and 'fake' projects.
• Testing (aka 'fake' projects) - grabbing random leftover bits from shop samples to try a project or technique and these REALLY don't count because they aren't anything, but it's still a bag.
• Class projects - sometimes I might not always count these and sometimes it turns into not counting them at all. Note to self... this is probably not a good idea.
• Shop samples - see above bullet point on 'Class projects' and note to self.
• DOA Projects - these are the ones that never had a chance, but I stubbornly tried to stick with it. In reality, they just need to be frogged to purge the demons so the beautiful yarn can again be full of potential to be what it really wants to be.
• Long-term projects - Beekeeper's Quilt is the perfect example. That puppy is not happening overnight.
• FO's - seriously, I have more exciting things to do after I bind off and block than wind leftover yarn into a ball and put it into the stash.

So, after all was said and done, my 14 contained one or more of all of the above and I'm now down to 8 (or 7 if we are in agreement that the Beekeeper doesn't really count) and I feel this is respectable enough - we aren't going for perfection in a week.

Yes, I know, the leopard loveseat print is totally rad and makes me look even more like a crazy yarn shop lady (thanks Dynae)! Just imagine a Beekeeper's Quilt on it - whoa!

Anyway, here's the breakdown of what's left...

The 4 in the back contain: my Grace, a skein of Spud & Chloe Sweater in Chipmunk for a tall Canning Jar Sweater and Calorimetry, Beekeeper bits (as previously stated, this probably doesn't really count) and a tall Canning Jar Sweater for hubby because he kind of deserves it.

The 4 in the front contain projects for Firefly Fibers: a Little Dragon, a Clapo-Ktus (I can't pronounce it either, but it's lovely) and 2 secret class projects that are really close to the finish line!

I feel like I can cast on another project now.. well, maybe not quite yet.

Now that I've shared... What's in your project bags?

Forest Floor | Knitting Botanically

The spring arrival of Botanical Knits had the wheels spinning for our shop samples - and maybe a little selfish knitting, too.

When the pre-order email arrived, there wasn't a question about carrying Alana's new pattern collection at Firefly Fibers - the question was... what shop yarns will we use for each of the projects?

This beautiful book includes 12 designs that are all lovely (yes, all) and I hope to knit my way through most, if not all, of the projects in the book for either the shop or myself.

As the owner of a LYS, I want knitters to have a quality and pleasurable knitting experience. As a knitter, I understand the importance of being able to sit down with yarn and a pattern to confidently knit my own version of what the designer has created. Handknitting is something that most of us enjoy at leisure - even if some of us are a bit obsessive about it - and a well-written pattern is worth every penny to make the most of our 'leisure' time.

Alana's Never Not Knitting pattern line quickly made a home in the shop just a few months after we opened. The pattern layout & presentation is simply stunning and her pattern instructions are so well written that they're do-able/knit-able for a variety of skill levels - from beginner to advanced with basic pattern reading skills - and Botanical Knits is more of the same.

I recently finished Forest Floor from the new collection:

Pattern: Forest Floor from Botanical Knits by Alana Dakos

Yarn: Suri Merino by Blue Sky Alpacas (416 Meadow)

Raveled: Forest Floor (shop sample) for Firefly Fibers

This was so much fun to knit and I can't wait to start the next project from the book!

This Forest Floor is a shop sample and you can visit Firefly Fibers to see it in person - maybe you can even help me decide on the next project!

I'll share snippets along the way on Botanical Knits and other project progress here on the blog, on my Facebook page, and on instagram... so stay tuned!

Cheers!