Sock-a-long with Kollabora

It's official.. I'm home! Well, sort of home. I've been in Kingston helping my boyfriend set up his apartment and life out here. One massive perk of his apartment is that, much like a lot of Kingston, is quite close to the lake. So for the past 3 days we've made trips down to go swimming! I'm a massive wimp about jumping into water, but I've still managed to cannonball a good few times. Being away from my actual ontario home (WHERE THERE IS A KITTEN NOW) means also being away from my stash. I made a pit stop last week to drop off luggage, pick up some of my clothing, visit with friends and grab a project to work on. Conveniently for me, Sarah started running a KAL with Kollabora that lined up perfectly with my timeline. So, I'm overcoming my hatred for socks and am making a new pair!

I'm using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the colour Mansfield's Garden Party. I bought this yarn awhile back despite my general leaning away from variegated yarns. The colours are just so pretty! Unfortunately, I'm kind of unhappy with the pooling. As you can see in the photos, I've got a weird spiral stripe thing going on, and on the foot part it looks like the pooling is lining up almost perfectly every row. I really love the way the colours are all mixed up in the heel/gusset area, though. Whatever, they're socks. They don't have to win a beauty contest!

I also want to take a minute to talk about how awesome Kollabora is. It's sort of like Ravelry in terms of project sharing, but it covers all kinds of techniques. I'm really enjoying looking through sewing projects lately as I have slightly grand plans of sewing everything. There's a button to my profile in the sidebar too. I'm planning on updating my more recent projects once I actually have stable internet access.

Are you on Kollabora? I'd love to add more awesome crafters to my feed!

Fall Knit List

With just over a week left for me in Italy, it's time for me to seriously get excited about coming home. I’ve had a great time despite my virtually constant grumblings about the heat and humidity. My thesis research has more or less recovered from catastrophe in June and I’m well on track to be finished up with a couple days to spare! (Though, I will probably be in the lab anyways because, well, that’s the only air-conditioned room I know of that doesn’t require me to purchase overpriced drinks) My daydreams are currently being filled with sweet thoughts of temperatures (hopefully well) below 30°C, hot coffee, crisp bike rides and liberal applications of wool in my wardrobe.

My big project this fall is, per my last post, going to be the Timberline sweater for my dad. Given Sarah’s reaction to the (24 page) pattern, which is basically what mine was when I read her post, I need some simple selfish knitting suitable for social occasions, thesis breaks and whose products are as cozy as possible. For now, three patterns have stolen my heart:

1. Larch Cardigan by Amy Christoffers. This has been in my queue forever and I really need to get on it. I love how classic the shape is! I can see myself wearing this for a good couple years. I already have the yarn waiting for me at my fave LYS in Peterborough!
2. Super slouch socks from Emily Foden. I’ve declared my hatred for socks in the past, but I can’t help but give these a chance. I absolutely adore the colour combo she used, with a neutral for the main portion of the sock and bright colours for the heel and toe. I’m planning on using some Tosh Merino Light in Antler for the main colour and Edison bulb for the contrast. They definitely won’t be the sturdiest socks ever, but I think they’ll be decent for around-the-house wear.
3. Forge Toque from Jared Flood. OK, so this isn’t exactly a no-brainer, but I’ve had 2 skeins of Shelter in Wool Socks languishing in my stash for a while and I’m really into red accessories right now. I’ll have to track down some of my interchangeable needle tips to make this one, as most of the shaping happens through changes in needle size.

So, with that, I head back to my pile of bones and daydreams of home. What patterns are you dreaming about for fall?

In which I commit to a huge sweater project

Photos from BT Men

Let’s just take a minute here and talk about how awesome Brooklyn Tweed is. Again. While I’m always finding myself in love with BT collections, along with the rest of the knitting world, but there are two reasons that I’m especially happy about BT men:

1. The world really needs more modern men’s sweaters

2. Those sweaters should be modeled by (really) well-styled bearded men in a loft. Obviously.

Tragically for me, the boy that has stolen my heart is also less than fond of handknits, especially garments. (I’m confident I’ll get him one day, but today is not that day) The other knitworthy guy in my life is my dad and, well.. his wardrobe just happens to be lacking in the classic woolly sweater department. So, I send off the lookbook with an offer to make him a sweater if he liked any of them and he responded with a vote for Timberline because “it would fit well should [he] decide to start smoking a pipe in [his] later years.”

Photos from BT Men

This sweater was one of my favourites after a first look through, possibly because it reminds me of Exeter (which has been in the back of my brain as a bucket list sweater for ages). Though I have to say, Dad, way to pick the sweater with the greatest yardage requirement. Seriously. Never mind that long torsos and gorilla arms run in the family, both of which necessitate yardage-eating sweater modifications. And while I’d love to tackle this in the recommended Shelter, I also really like paying rent and eating food. So, I was brainstorming possible subs and I’m leaning toward something like Briggs and Little Regal, or maybe even just Cascade 220.

So, here’s to men’s sweaters! And tweed! And dreams of fall!

What were your favourites from this collection? Are you already thinking about fall knits?

Oh, Alberta

I leave Canada alone for 5 weeks and it decides to implode. My heart is breaking for all those who have lost homes, have had their property damaged and those who have a long road of rebuilding ahead. There's not a ton I can do from over here, but I did purchase an Alberta love magnet from Amy Victoria Wakefield, and she's donating proceeds to the Red Cross. (And, apparently, replacing artwork of hers that was damaged in the flood. How cool is that?)

So seriously, Canada. Stop it. Don't make me come over there. (Much as I would really love to right now) Stay dry and safe, everyone!

FO: Rock Island Shawl

Well, it's about freaking time that I have some actual knits to show off. Being separated from my stash is a good thing, I guess, because I've finished 2 things in the last couple weeks. But first and foremost, my Rock Island Shawl!

I seriously never thought I would finish this sucker. Because you knit the edge first and then pick up and work in, the beginning takes forever. I think I almost lit this thing on fire at least 5 times. In the end, totally worth it and I'll probably make another one.

I used Little Red Bicycle's Spark Lace which is a 75% merino, 20% silk and 5% metallic blend. That's right, this sucker sparkles. It's actually barely noticeable, but every once in awhile I catch a glint of silver in the sunshine. I like it! It's definitely super wearable too. I can't wait to actually block this with pins and real tools when I get back to Canada! You can see my Rav project page here.

Now, I'm trying to figure out ways to keep from dying in the heat. Seriously, my entire life has been spent with summers that get maybe 1 or 2 days above 30 degrees and now I'm facing down a forecast of days in the 30's for the next month or two. Oh, and it turns out I'm extra allergic to Italian mosquitoes (zebra/tiger ones?) so I'm spending my evenings slathering myself in antihistamine cream and trying to stay cool in my non-air conditioned room.

Stay cool, friends!