Simple Knits | February Fun

Simple Knits KAL

:: Simple Knits | A Knitalong ::

Taking — and making — time each month to knit a fabulous new something for yourself or the perfect gift for a loved one.

We've had such a mild winter in Wisconsin that I had a different plan for our February project, but then Old Man Winter delivered a snowstorm over the weekend and I realized that my hands are cold and thought yours might be, too. So... this month for the Simple Knits Knitalong, we're going to knit some mittens!

To keep in line with some of my fave designers, this month we'll have some fun with Tin Can Knits! Their patterns are so beautiful, well-written and classics that can work for just about anyone. This month I have two options for you because... (1) one mitten is one-size only and the other has a wide size-range, (2) choices are good, and (3) I really just can't make up my mind.

Mitten Option #1 - Antler Mittens:

These mittens are luxuriously soft, squishy, and warm. A single distinct cable travels from the generous long cuffs to fingertips. Knit in a gourmet alpaca blend yarn, this project is outrageously satisfying both to knit and to wear!

Knit with 2 skeins of the dreamy Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes, I can only imagine how luxurious these feel on the hands. These mittens have been on my "to knit" list for quite some time and I'm still trying to decide on the color, but they're only available in one-size and that's part of the reason I wanted to offer another option...

Mitten Option #2 - Bon Bon Mittens:

These sweet little mittens are perfect for the whole family. Put strings on them for the little ones (or maybe even for the big boys) so they won’t get lost, and then venture out into a winter wonderland with toasty, stylish hands!

Sizing from Baby-Large Adult makes the Bon Bon Mittens extra versatile for gifting - isn't the wee little version adorable? Both Malabrigo Worsted and Malabrigo Rios are listed as yarn options on the pattern page.

Both mittens use a worsted/aran weight yarn, so I'm so I'm sure I'll spend a fair amount of my time at the shop drooling over our options for both mittens - including the Blue Sky and Malabrigo yarns listed in the patterns. Once up my mind, I'll share my selection/s with you and I look forward to seeing what yarn and which mitten pattern you decide on either in person at Firefly Fibers or online in our Ravelry thread!

A huge thank you to everyone that's participating in the Simple Knits Knitalong - it's been really fun knitting along with you and seeing your projects pop up on the Ravelry thread! Remember that you can join in on the KAL any time, so even if you didn't participate in January, you can still join the fun!

Cheers and Happy Simple Knitting!

Simple Knits | January and Lansbury

A year of taking -- and making -- time each month to knit a fabulous new something for yourself or the perfect gift for a loved one. 

January is almost over and I'm happy to report that I have in fact finished not one, but two Lansbury cowls for our Simple Knits Knitalong! This was a fast and fun knit that can easily be knit in a weekend or a few evenings - with 2 days left in January, you could still cast on and finish in time. *wink*

These are my finished cowls:

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They're awfully pretty, aren't they?!

Lansbury #1:

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Yarn: Leizu Worsted by Julie Asselin

Raveled: Ancient Gold Lansbury

Julie's yarn arrived at Firefly Fibers this last summer and we got a small selection of the Leizu Worsted  just before the holidays. I was looking for a perfect one-skein project for this yarn and Lansbury was definitely it! After our knitalong began, the Leizu Worsted was quickly getting gobbled up, so I began thinking of alternate yarns that would be a good fit and I found one...

Lansbury #2:

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Yarn: Extra by Blue Sky Alpacas

Raveled: Lansbury in Shale

Extra is the newest addition to the Blue Sky Alpacas yarn family and it's lovely! This cowl has a very different personality with the "folksy texture" of alpaca and merino and I love it just as much as the first and I really can't pick a favorite because they are each special in their own way. I'm hoping to knit a sweater with Extra at some point this year as part of my 2015 sweater goal - I have yet to finalize all of my sweater details, but I already have one sweater completed and the Tin Can Knits ladies are each completing 12 sweaters this year, so I'm feeling a little less crazy about what I have in mind for myself.  

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I really enjoyed knitting Very Shannon's Lansbury (even watched some Murder She Wrote while knitting) and our shop knitters have commented on how much they enjoyed (are enjoying) the pattern as well. In addition to her awesome knitting and sewing designing skills, Shannon is also a one of my favorite bloggers... as I read her blog yesterday on #makingourselves, I found myself relating as she shared her struggle to find balance in life and her hopes of overcoming the lack of balance this year. Our KAL is a little part of how I'm trying to find balance this year and I found further motivation in Shannon's blog post and I think you may enjoy it as well.

Are you excited for February and a new Simple Knits project? I am! If you missed January, you can join our Knitalong at any time - details are here in our Raverly thread. We'll have a few giveaways during our year of knitting (including some goodies from our featured designer - thanks Shannon) to keep us motivated along the way. I can't wait to knit again with you next month!

Happy Simple Knitting & Cheers!

Off the Needles | Sweater In A Day

Last Sunday... I woke up and decided that I was going to knit a sweater. In a day.

And I did...

Pattern: Oatmeal Pullover by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Chunky in Charcoal

Raveled: Oatmeal in Charcoal

I get crazy knitting ideas on a regular basis, sometimes they turn out, sometimes they don't. I know about the risks as I go into it, but optimism usually wins and the yarn finds its way onto my needles.

This last weekend, I knew we were going to spend time with family to watch a football game and travel was required, so I gathered supplies for sweater (in a day) before the car ride.

The yarn looks a wee bit purple here, but it is in fact a nice charcoal grey and that Milk and Honey lotion bar is a necessity for all knitters - we stock them at Firefly Fibers and everyone loves them!

Anywho... I cast on in the car about 12:30PM on the way to our destination and made some pretty great progress during our visit...

I've been knitting a lot of pieced sweaters lately and I finally got to try Bristol Ivy's Provisional Bind Off that was featured here on Very Shannon's blog - it worked great and I highly recommend giving it a whirl if you've only used waste yarn.

So... I started the ribbed bottom edging in the car on the way home, finished it up at home and started sleeve #1 before heading off to bed that evening.

The next morning, I was back at it and finished up the first sleeve in the car on the way to an eye appointment (hubby was driving), then got the second sleeve going and wrapped up my sweater a little before noon for a sweater-in-a-day success!

Truth be told, this isn't my first Oatmeal Pullover. I knit the first about 2 years ago over a weekend, so I knew I could do it in a day... even with frivolous things like eating, sleeping, showering. Jane's patterns are so wonderful and well-written that if someone wanted to knit this on more than a 24-hour timeline, it could be a easily completed in a couple long weekends because of the large needles and chunky yarn.

Here are my freshly washed and blocked Oatmeal Twins:

I have some pretty lofty sweater knitting goals for 2015 and this was the perfect start to the year. I still have yet to organize my sweater plan -- it's currently just bouncing around in my head and being added to on an hourly basis -- so I'm hoping to sort that all out this weekend and I'll share some of the dirty details of my upcoming year of sweaters then.

Until then... I'm almost ready to bind off our first Simple Knits Knitalong project - Lansbury by Very Shannon.

With a little more than a week left in the month, there's still time to knit up the January project and join our KAL fun - several of the ladies at the shop are casting on this weekend.  Unless, of course, a sock WIP has somehow taken up residence in the same project bag as you see above. *wink*

Cheers & happy weekend knitting!