Week Eight in the Countdown to Christmas

I admit I have fallen behind in the One Skein One Gift Countdown to Christmas with all the preparations for the Fall Knitters Tour and other projects. But this week I am promising the quickest project to date.

The One Skein Zippy Hat is knit in the round on big needles and can be completed in just one evening. It fits nice and snug and has ample room to pull up to shape into a tall point with a knitted twig at the top, or can be rolled down to make a rounded shape. In this sample, the choice of yarn is a variegated merino wool, yet it would look great in any solid colour choice, teal, red, purple, royal blue, charcoal, black, ivory, pale pink, burnt orange, kiwi green............and so many more to choose from. Knit a few as stocking stuffers for friends and family, and consider the cost is just under seven dollars per hat.

ONE SKEIN ZIPPY HAT

Size: Women's Medium

Needles: 8.00 mm double pointed set

Yarn: 100g Classic Merino

*NOTE: Work with 2 strands throughout

Cast on 48 sts. Divide sts evenly onto three needles. Join in round. Knit 6 rounds. Purl 6 rounds. Repeat last 12 rounds twice more. Knit 1 round.

Shape Top:

Next Rnd- *K4, K2tog*, rep *to*

K 1 rnd

Next Rnd- *K3, K2tog*, rep *to*

K 1 rnd

Next Rnd- *K2, K2tog*, rep *to*

K 1 rnd

Next Rnd- *K1, K2tog*, rep *to*

K 1 rnd

Next Rnd- *K2tog*, rep *to* until 4 sts remain.

I-Cord: Working on 2 needles only, *slide 4 sts back to beg of needle, Knit 4 sts, pulling yarn slightly across back of work, do not turn*, rep *to* for 4". Cast off. Tie knot in centre of cord.

A Bus Full Of Knitters

We just returned from a fun and refreshing getaway in Niagara Region this past weekend. Only a few hours away from Muskoka, and yet a much different climate, with green grass, a few golden leaves still on the trees, and, oh yes, we craned our necks to spot a handful of grapes on the vine. The first stop on our Fall Knitters Tour was in the village of Jordan, where we spent a few hours browsing through charming antique and gift shops, in converted homes dating back to the 1800's.

Jocelyn at Stitch welcomed us with ginger tea and fresh baked goodies. Stepping through the front door of her shop, was like stepping back in time, a warm inviting place for knitters and quilters to gather. We browsed through two lovely rooms, taking in the inspiring displays of natural fibre yarns and handknit designs.

Here we gather around Jocelyn as she tells us a bit about her shop and the history of the home.

Our next stop was The Fibre Garden, where owners, John and Alan gave us a demonstration in the art of spinning. We watched John at his wheel, mesmerized by his swift and steady hands as he turned a brightly citrus coloured fibre into a smooth strand of fingering weight yarn. A few were eager to try their hand at the drop spindle, a small wooden disc on a pole, also used to spin fibre into beautiful strands of yarn. As we realized quickly, its a bit like rubbing your stomach while patting your head.

Baskets of colourful fibres and one of a kind yarns filled every nook and cranny of the shop, some with zany names, to conjure up an image in nature, enticing knitters to grab a pair of needles and start their next project.

Later in the afternoon at our hotel, we gathered together for a workshop with a local instructor to try our hand at Swiss Embroidery. Each of us worked on a snowflake design, embroidering it on the front of a knitted sachet to use as a gift bag or ornament. To finish it off, we worked in pairs to make twisted cords.

After dinner, a tour of the Festival of Lights, a five kilometre stretch of spectacular Christmas displays with the Falls bathed in colourful lights as a backdrop. Without a hint of snow, we were still able to get into the Christmas mood.

The next day our tour continued along the Niagara River, through scenic wine country, a stop in at a lavender farm, where owners, Melissa and Rob greeted us with tea and lavender scones, then a special tour through their greenhouse and distillery. Here we learned about the many varieties of lavender and how to trim and maintain the plant. The aromatic scents lingered on our journey through Niagara On The Lake, a stopover for lunch at a charming restaurant, a quick game of knitters scrabble, and then a final stop at Rose's Fine Yarns. Here we wandered through a maze of rooms, discovering interesting patterns to knit and yarns of every description. Soon it was time to head north again, with our busload of knitters, needles clicking away, sharing stories and laughter one stitch at a time.

A Taste of Spring

Can we say Spring yet?? It has been a week of incredibly warm weather and sunshine almost everyday. On Monday, as I left Toronto it was 21 degrees Celsius. A year ago at this time we were shovelling snow in Muskoka. What a difference a year makes. Now we have a bit of extra time to rake the leaves, plant Spring bulbs and prepare for winter. If only it didn't get dark so early......


This week I finished a colourful children's design in Silk Garden by Noro. If you have ever had the pleasure of working with any of these scrumptious yarns, you know what its like to knit up a magical rainbow. There are many different colourways to choose from sock weight right up to bulky.


Eisaku Noro founded his company thirty years ago with a vision to bring art and nature together in the yarn industry. This is a man who sees the world through a kaleidoscope. Knitters are constantly surprised by the range of colours in each ball of yarn and wait anxiously each season to see the newest shades.

Noro is an eco friendly company using all organic fibres. The wool fibres come mainly from Australia, where a special breed of sheep are raised exclusively for the company. Eisaku Noro is seventy years old now and can stand back proudly, as a true testament to his life's work, Noro is one of the most coveted yarns in the world.

Fall Knitters Tour of Niagara Region

This month we will be off on another adventure. Its our Fall Knitters Tour, a weekend bus excursion through Niagara Region on November 21st and 22nd. We will visit area wool shops, watch a fibre demonstration, tour a Lavender Farm, participate in a hands on workshop with a local knitting instructor, and so much more. Its an overnight trip, including all meals and accommodation. Some of you may have participated in previous tours, and know how much fun it is to be in the company of a wonderful group of knitters. From time to time we all need a little getaway especially with girlfriends, before the Christmas rush and to boost our spirits during this dull time of year.

Last Autumn, we travelled by bus through Pennsylvania for three days, browsed five knitting shops along the way, stopped in at a lovely Alpaca Farm and met the nicest creatures, toured the Amish community and the Quilt and Textile Museum in Lancaster. There was lots of time for outlet shopping and chocolate cravings at Hershey World.

This past Spring, we stayed a little closer to home and toured Grey and Bruce County, stopping in at two farm based wool studios. We learned how to handpaint yarn, and took a class in fairisle knitting using two hands.

There are still some spaces left for our Fall Knitters Tour, if you would like more information please contact:

Michele at 705-645-5819

Floral Neck Warmer

Halloween was a windy and rainy event with an unexpected power outage but the trick or treaters showed true spirit and a quest for sugar as they marched bravely from door to door in adorable (and scary) costumes.

Our days are shorter now and the sky seems to grow dark as soon as we leave work. Longer nights mean more time to sit and knit up those Christmas projects. It is Week Five in our Countdown to Christmas and our latest project in One Skein One Gift will definitely turn some heads.

Floral Neck Warmer

Size: Womens

Needles: 3.75 mm double pointed set

Crochet Hook: 3.50 mm

Yarn: 1 skein Fancy Free

Cast on 27 sts. Using only 2 needles, work in Pattern as follows-

Row 1- *K2, P2*, rep *to*, end with, K2, P1. Rep this row until work measures 13.5 in, slightly stretched.

Next Row- *P2tog*, rep *to*, end, P1 = 14 sts. Cont in K1/P1 ribbing for 3.5 in, ending with RS facing.

Leaf:

Row 1- K6, YO, K2, YO, K6

Row 2 and alternate rows- P

Row 3- K7, YO, K2, YO, K7

Row 5- K8, YO, K2, YO, K8

Row 7- K9, YO, K2, YO, K9

Row 9- K10, YO, K2, YO, K10

Row 11- K1, K2tog, K6, K2tog, YO, K2, YO, K2tog tbl(through back loop), K6, K2tog tbl, K1

Row 13- K1, K2tog, K5, K2tog, YO, K2, YO, K2tog tbl, K5, K2tog tbl, K1

Cont to decrease in this way having 1 st less on each side of centre on RS rows until 10 sts remain. With RS facing for next row-

Row 1- K1, K2tog, K4, K2tog tbl, K1.

Next and all alternate rows- P

Row 3- K1, K2tog, K2, K2tog tbl, K1

Row 5- K1, K2tog, K2tog tbl, K1

Row 6- K2tog, k2tog tbl = 2 sts. P2tog. Fasten off. Tie a knot in scarf directly over ribbed section.

Flower:

Cast on 12 sts, divide evenly on 3 needles, join in round. Knit across 1st round, inc in each st = 24 sts. Knit 1 round. Knit across next round, inc into front, back and front of each st = 72 sts. Knit 1 round. Knit across next round, inc into front, back, and front of each st = 216 sts. K 3 more rounds. Cast off loosely.

Finishing:

Thread yarn through cast on sts at edge of Scarf, loosely tighten and secure into a circle approx the size of a loonie. Place centre of Flower over top of this opening, hold in place, with crochet hook, work 1 round of 24 scs through both layers, slip st to join round. Fasten off.

Slip knotted end through Flower opening to fasten Scarf around neck.