Cranberry Socks

A standard pair of socks for my own little tootsies.
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch Softcolour in Cranberry
Pattern: The Yarn Harlot's Good, Plain Sock Recipe

Sparkly Scarf

Jeffy got me this yarn for Solstice and I started in on a scarf for myself not long after. It finally got finished - just in time for the warm weather! It will get well-used in the fall, though. It's right up my alley: all fall colours with a bit of sparkle thrown in. Delicious!
Yarn: Aslan Trends "Litoral Sparkle" in Autumn
Pattern: Turvid's One Row Lace Scarf

Love Blanket for Baby Leah

Continuing the tradition of Love Blankets made to celebrate major events in my cousins' lives (see wedding and first baby), I recently completed sewing together the Love Blanket for the arrival of their newest little one, baby Leah. As always, this is a group project wherein friends and relatives each knit or crochet a number of squares and send them to a central location (in this case, our house) and they get sewn together to make a relatively coherent whole. The blankets are always beautiful and colourful and filled with love. They're such a great gift, and I'm so glad that this tradition is carrying on. [The (fairly spartan) blog for this blanket is here.] Blessings and love to baby Leah and her amazing and wonderful family!

Nexus Case

Jeffy gave me a lovely Nexus tablet for my birthday and I am loving it. I wanted a case for it so I could cart it around with me, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $50 some places were charging for a boring and generic case. So - surprise, surprise - I decided to make my own. As usually happens with my projects, the idea percolated around in my mind for a while and then this morning I made this little beauty out of bits from the stash. It was fun to make and snuggles my Nexus just perfectly. I'm super-pleased.

Baby Booties

Some dear friends just had their second baby. When I asked them if they wanted any knitted items, the request came in: "More of those booties, please! They're the only ones that stay on!" I was delighted to oblige.
Pattern: Baby Booties from Patons Soft Shades Layette
Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage

Seaside Shawl

When Rachel and I were on our trip to England last summer, I brought lots of knitting along. While we were in Cornwall, I was working on a pair of socks for her using this yarn. I knew the yarn was perfect - it's the same colour as the sea - but for some reason I just could not get into the socks. Then it dawned on me: I could make her something else with the yarn! So I ripped the socks back and made her this shawl. It's supposed to mimic the seashore, with the darker yarn as the colour of the sea and the lighter bits as the foam when it hits the shore. This was a super-fun shawl to make, and if Neva's envious looks are any indication, I'll likely be making more in the future! This shawl was made with love, and with gratitude for the wonderful trip we had together. The yarn is infused with the Cornish seaside goodness, and I hope it brings warmth and comfort and fond memories of England to Rachel for many years to come.
Pattern: Whippoorwill Shawl by Carina Spencer
Yarn: Dream in Color "Smooshy" in "Deep Seaflower" and Seacoast Handpainted Panda in "Night Sky"

Tree Skirt

Now that we're celebrating the holidays in our own home with our own tree, it only seemed right that we also had our own tree skirt. I whipped this one up (with help from Neva and Hugh in terms of cutting and design) and finished it just as the tree went up. Success!
Pattern: Trees All Around

Soft-As-Moss Cardigan

After making a Shalom cardigan a year ago, and loving it, I decided to make another one. This is a great little cardigan for cool weather, and when I found this gorgeous alpaca I knew it would be a great addition to my wardrobe. Plus it's a fun and quick little pattern to knit up - always a bonus! I love it - it's the softest thing I own, cozy, warm, and a perfect holiday colour. A definite winner.
Pattern: Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane
Yarn: Diamond Luxury Collection Baby Alpaca Sport in Loden Green

Celtic Handwarmers

So here we have a pair of socks which I made, thinking how cool it would be to knit these while on my trip to England last summer with Rachel. I found this Celtic Spiral intarsia pattern and some yarn I loved and I made these lovely socks. And then I tried to wear them. And the intarsia made it really, really hard to get them on over my heel. But since I'd worn them once, I washed them. And they started to shrink and felt (apparently this yarn I loved was not superwash yarn) which made it even harder to get them on my feet. But I loved them so much I couldn't just let them go, so: I turned them into fingerless gloves. I frogged the socks back to the intarsia bit and then just knit on as if I had been making gloves the whole time. November in Canada is the perfect time of year for these things: the steering wheels are cold, but my fingers are still available for fine motor tasks like buckling seat belts and tuning radio stations. I'm getting a lot more use out of them, and even though it took me a couple of tries, these are totally worth it. Plus I get the added bonus of admiring my handiwork every time I'm driving somewhere in the car.
Pattern: Celtic Spiral Socks by Catherine Devine (modified)
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multy and Patons Kroy Socks 4-ply

Spirit Bag

My own personal Hallowe'en Treat came this year in the form of me finishing this beautiful bag. I got this pattern some time ago and just recently decided to make it in these fabrics from my stash. It was a very fun project - lots of little pieces and interesting things to do, and never too much of one thing or another - and I am in love with how it has turned out. I'm going to use it to keep my "spirit" stuff inside: my journal, my current yoga magazine, etc etc. It's a true treat.
Pattern: Evening Mist Bag by Hopscotch Quilts
Fabrics: from my stash

Neva's Vampire Cape

Neva decided early on she wanted to be a vampire for Hallowe'en this year. "Sweet," I thought to myself, "that will mean I only need to make her a cape." I found some pin-striped pants and a ruffled shirt at Value Village for her to wear underneath, and whipped up this cape for her. I kind of love it - and so does she.
Pattern: Simplicity 5927
Fabric: Hallowe'en Satin

Mummy

At some point this year I thought it would be hilarious to dress up as a mummy for Hallowe'en. The kids also thought it would be hilarious, pun-lovers that they are. So I dreamed up this costume. It's an old shirt and leggings from Value Village (I do love that place for Hallowe'en costumery) with strips of ultra-cheap knit fabric from Fabricland sewn overtop in a mummy-like arrangement. Things I love about this costume: 1. It's comfy. 2. It's supposed to look dirty and as if it's falling apart, so I didn't need to sew it perfectly or keep it pristine. 3. It is kind of hilarious, right?

Hugh's Knight Costume

So last year, I made Hugh a knight costume before we went to Medieval Times in Toronto. He didn't wear it to the event, but enjoyed wearing it for play. When he decided he wanted to be a knight this year for Hallowe'en, I thought we could just use his old costume. Then he put it on, and it became clear that he had grown. Significantly. So I whipped him up another knight costume, this time with embellishments from the knightly gear we bought at the Medieval Times show. I purposely made this one a bit bigger than needed, in the hopes that it will serve him - or possibly one of his younger brothers - for some time to come. Extra bonus: he was so intrigued by the sewing machine being out, he helped me hem the pants!
Pattern: Simplicity 5520
Fabric: Twill, Fleece, and Silver Foil Knit

Ewan's Firefighter Costume

Ewan was a firefighter last year, but in a frenzy of getting rid of clothes which are too small, I donated his costume away. (In fairness, it was too small, but I could probably have just adjusted it to make it bigger. Anyway.) So when he asked to be a firefighter again this year, I knew I had some sewing to do! I put this costume together using some pyjama patterns I had lying around and added in the touches I remembered from his previous costume, like the reflective tape. He is delighted, and as always, I'm happy to make him something he loves so much.
Patterns: New Look 6131
Fabric: Fleece

Epic Cabled Cardigan

I'm calling this an "epic" cardigan because it was five years in the making. FIVE YEARS. I started this cardigan when we still lived in our old house in Kingston. Then we moved and I had another baby and it kind of got lost in the shuffle. Then I found it again and Mom graciously agreed to take on some of the knitting of the body, so she definitely did the lion's share of this sucker. Then the pattern got weird and she brought the cardigan back to me to continue on with. And what with one thing and another, five years passed, and I only just finished this cardigan up. But I can say one thing: totally worth it. It's warm and cozy and just ideal. I love it, and a big shout-out of thanks to Mom for helping make it a reality!
Pattern: A Cardigan for Arwen by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Patons Décor in "Rich Aubergine"