For the past 3 weeks we've been running a short and sweet TFAStashKAL over in the Ravelry group. It officially wraps up tomorrow, but I thought that I'd give you an update today on what I've been making. I have found this KAL super inspiring. It's just what I needed this time of year. Since I don't exactly have your average yarn stash I decided to approach this KAL as a way of using up leftover odds and ends of yarn rather than using up full skeins of yarn from my "stash". As you all know, I LOVE working with colour so this style of knitting really suits me. This is what I've been up to:
I knit this hat for Rowan and he, Stella and I all LOVE it! For this project I did break my own rule and used a brand new skein of PureWash Worsted in Lightning - I'll be blogging about it next week because it's awesome!
A few weeks ago Rowan refused to wear his mittens. And then promptly got cold hands. Being the super mother that I am I gave him mine (although I guess a super mother wouldn't let their kid leave the house without his mittens in the first place...) He loved wearing my mittens and found the whole experience kinda hilarious so I told him that I'd make him a pair just like mine. I suggested that I could use the same colour palette as I had used in his hat (his favourite colours have always been pink and purple) but he wanted them to be exactly like mine, right down to the colours. So now we wear our matching mitts and hold hands and are just insanely cute. I used the leftover blue from his R&R Hoodie and leftover Hunter, Chartreuse and Gold from Chris' Christmas sweater. These mitts have been strung together with an i-cord so they won't get lost (hopefully).
I cannot say enough good things about the World's Simplest Mitts pattern by Tin Can Knits. It's free and it is written for 4 different weights (fingering, DK, worsted & chunky) and 5 different sizes (toddler, child & adult S, M, L) it's just so good. Make yourself a pair or two.
These hats practically knit themselves. Above is a WIP shot but both hats are now complete, have been blocked and I've even done the official pattern photoshoot. Look for the pattern to be released in the next few weeks, as soon as we get the shop stocked with PureWash Fingering Mini Sock Yarn Skein sets. I knit both hats with leftover bits of fingering weight yarn. I love both versions so much! I'm excited about this one and can definitely thank the KAL for the motivation to get going on this idea that I've been sitting on for a while.
Chris was due for a new pair of mittens and after the success I had with Rowan's I decided to knit the World's Simplest Mitten pattern again, but this time in the largest size. They fit Chris perfectly and the colours (Chestnut and Stone) coordinate really nicely with his winter coat. I can't get enough of these scrappy mitts, I may make a pair for Micah next. This particular pair was extra satisfying since it used up literally every last inch of my leftover skein of Chestnut. Don't you just love that!?
TANTRAMAR CARDI FOR ROWAN:
I started this one just yesterday (I know, I plowed through the exciting part because I really wanted to see how the pattern would work up in these colours!) and though there is no hope that I will finish this little sweater by tomorrow's deadline I am still really pumped about getting to work on this new pattern. Back in November of 2014 I designed the Tantramar Toque for the Year In Colour Club and pretty quickly decided that I wanted to reimagine the chart into the body of a sweater. I've posted pics of the resulting sweater on Instagram here, here and here. I love almost everything about that sweater, but as always with me there are a few issues that need to be resolved before it's ready to be an official pattern. This is the year that I dust off all my pattern's in progress and take them across the finish line! I'm totally committed to it. I'm knitting up the new and improved version of the Tantramar Cardigan for Rowan in Hunter, Lemongrass and a super special OOAK speckled colourway leftover from, you guessed it, Chris' Christmas sweater. I'll be honest, I wasn't 100% sold on the colour combo until I snapped this photo and saw it in a new light, now I love it! I find it hard to use speckles in colourwork since you are running the risk of muddying up the crisp lines, but I think that in this case it works!
So, a very productive #TFAStashKAL2017 indeed. These small, colourful, bite sized projects are my happy place.