Putting The Spin On Fall

Happy Civic Holiday Weekend everyone! Three days of relaxation, conversation, laughter and knitting a few rows here and there. Yesterday evening, I was suddenly bitten by the Fall knitting bug. The temperature had dropped into the single digits and the calendar was glaring at me, daring me to turn the page one day early. Nothing conveys the feeling of Autumn more than warm woolly tweeds, and they are showing up early in the fashion pages, runways and on store shelves.

For a store sample I chose Tundra, a chunky mix of wool, alpaca and microfibre with that natural aroma of lanolin. Its a self-striping yarn with a tweedy twist of colour. The shades are somewhat masculine- dark green into navy and bronze, grey into charcoal and navy, teal into royal and indigo blue, black into cream and grey. For this project I chose the grey/blue mix below and am now well on my way now, working up the back of a vest pattern with a shawl collar. Its a simple K2/P2 pattern stitch. If all goes well this weekend, it should be finished in a few days and on display in the store.

Enjoy the weekend!

Cottage Style

Its hard to believe July is sailing in for a finish next week. Where did all the time go?? There are still plenty of long, lazy days ahead, to catch up on summer reading, visits with friends, exploring new places, catching a breeze on a boat cruise, wandering through outdoor craft fairs, trying out new recipes on the grill.....

If you've had a chance to spend time browsing through upscale home decor stores, you may have noticed chunky knit cable pillows and throws are a hot item for that casual cottage look. Knitters just take one look at the price tag and know how quickly and inexpensively they can whip up a similar version.

Here is our version of the Muskoka Cottage Pillow, a super quick project to finish in a weekend. The secret is in the fabric backing, just knit the front with two balls of aran weight cotton and sew a pretty scrap piece to the back.

Muskoka Cottage Pillow

Finished Size: 20 in x 16 in

Yarn: 100g Aran Weight Cotton

Needles: 4.00 mm

Tension: 20 sts and 28 rows = 4 in

Cast on 94 sts. Work in Pattern St as follows-

Row 1- (WS) P3, *K2, P4, K2, P2*, rep *to*, end, P1

Row 2- K3, *P2, K4, P2, K2*, rep *to*, end, K1

Row 3- as Row 1

Row 4- K3, *P2, C4B (place 2 sts on Cable Needle at back of work, K2 sts from Left Needle, K 2 sts from Cable Needle), P2, K2*, rep *to*, end, K1

Row 5- as Row 1

Row 6- as Row 2

Rep these 6 rows until work measures 16.5 in ending with a Row 4. Cast off all sts on next row. Fasten off. Sew in ends.

Finishing:

Cut a fabric backing from scrap cotton material- approx 18 in x 22 in. Pin right side of pillow together with right side of fabric. Sew pieces together 1/4 in. from outside edge of knit piece, leaving a 4 in. opening for stuffing. Trim corners of fabric. Turn pillow to right side of work. Fill with pillow stuffing. Sew opening together with a Blind St.

Relax,

Knit,

Enjoy!

New Designs For Fall

Its hot enough outside to fry an egg or two on the sidewalk today. I hope wherever you are sitting and knitting there is a tall shady tree and a slight breeze blowing.

Here is a sneak peek at some of my newest knitwear designs, just released as part of the Diamond Luxury Collection for Fall/Winter 2010-2011

Vests are hot again for Fall and Winter and this one is a perfect choice to wear over a blouse or turtleneck to chase the chill away. This sampler style vest is knit in a new luxury yarn- Inca Touch, a 50/50 mix of superfine alpaca and wool. What I really like about working with the yarn is its unique twist and super elasticity.

Galway Highland Heather is a worsted weight wool, a true classic that suits just about any design. Also, great for felting projects too. I designed this vest to be very long and lean. It can be worn loose and open, neatly closed with a shawl pin or for fashion forward knitters, try it with a chunky belt.

Ruffles and ruching have been showing up everywhere on the runways this year. Its a fun technique for knitters to try and in this simple cardigan, I embellished the front panels with ruching and added hook and eye closures. Knit in Fine Merino Superwash DK. Oh.......... and it comes in sixty shades!

One of my alltime favorite yarns to knit with, its just so super smooth and buttery soft- Mulberry & Merino. This easy to knit one-button vest has pockets highlighted with a leafy lace panel and a nice little inlay of the same panel on the upper back section.

Another soft and dreamy yarn to work with- Baby Alpaca Sport. This time, a cosy warm swing jacket with big bold cuffs.

Lace knitters will love this new yarn- Pure Silk Lace in ten delicious handpainted shades and incredible yardage. Just one skein will knit up this lightweight shawl or scarf-Think of crisp Autumn days and shawls are the 'must have' accessory. This creamy one is knit in Merino Bamboo, a luscious new yarn with lots of body and drape.

Chemo Caps For Our Community

This summer we are knitting up Chemo Caps for our community. Here are some of the pretties that have been knit in the last few weeks and dropped off at the store.

Our goal is 100 caps by the end of summer!

Connect

with knitters in your community

Give

a bit of your time to brighten someone's day

Knit

each stitch with good thoughts

Softness- use yarns that are gentle to wear against sensitive skin such as merino, bamboo, cotton, or acrylic blends

Colour- choose a happy shade to cheer up someone's day

Creativity- add stripes or embroidery or a few knitted flowers as a thoughtful touch

Chemo Cap Pattern

I ball of worsted weight yarn with approx 100m will make an adult size cap- S/M (L)

Cast on 80 (90) sts with 5 mm double point needles. Join in round.

Rnd 1- *K1, YO, K3, SL1, K2tog, PSSO, K3, YO*, rep *to*

Rnd 2- K

Rep last 2 rnds twice more. Cont to K each rnd until work meas 4.5".

Shape Top-

Rnd 1- *K2tog, K12 (11) SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 2 and 3- K

Rnd 4- *K2tog, K10 (9), SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 5 and 6- K

Rnd 7- *K2tog, K8 (7), SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 8 and 9- K

Rnd 10- *K2tog, K6 (5), SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 11 and 12- K

Rnd 13- *K2tog, K4 (3), SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 14 and 15- K

Rnd 16- *K2tog, K2 (1), SL1, K1, PSSO*, rep *to*

Rnd 17 and 18- K

Rnd 19 and 20- K2tog across all sts = 5 sts.

Cut yarn and draw through rem sts, secure.

Sew in ends.