i've got one additional christmas present work-in-progress to share today - an amoroso scarf for my mom. i'm really loving the way this pattern is knitting up in this beautiful silky merino malabrigo. and i truly adore this amoroso colorway! details on my ravelry page here.
shelley
i've been feeling a bit out of sync these past few weeks. i'm not sure if it's the long distance commute and missed time at home? being away from wesley (papi) far too much? or the busy-ness and craziness of the season? most likely it's a combination of all three. life is just feeling a wee bit overwhelming these days. too much to do and too little time. shorter blog posts. lack of response to important emails. big apologies need to be made to customers for not getting things out in a timely way. lots more christmas knitting to be completed. etc. etc. etc. i'm sure things will settle shortly and we'll find our rhythm again. until then, please bear with me as i muddle through and share with you here what i can - oftentimes, from the road!
shelley
upon his snow white steed
with wind and lightening speed,
saint nicholas leaves the sky,
and comes a-riding by...
{scenes from our saint nicholas day}
i hope you all had a wonderful celebration, as well!
shelley
{we were away from home for the beginning of this second week of advent, so i'll be sharing pictures of that next week!}
the week just wouldn't be complete without what is quickly turning into my weekly yarn update. (i warned you this was going to be a knitting/fiber intensive month, didn't i? :) ) today's scrumptious additions are as follows...
madelinetosh pastoral, in the chamomile colorway
madelinetosh merino, in the afternoon colorway
madelinetosh merino, in the coral colorway
tree frog knits gradient dyed silk merino :: red to orange
tree frog knits gradient dyed silk merino :: yellow to green
tree frog knits gradient dyed silk merino :: blue to purple
anyone care to guess who this rainbow yarn is going to be for? :)
shelley
i've got 4 just-begun works-in-progress to share today - 2 scarves (for my dad and brother) and 2 cowls (for my sister and oldest daughter). all christmas gifts in the queue.
first up are the 2 scarves. these are both knit using the same yarn - the lovely and ever-so-soft manos del uruguay silk blend (70% merino, 30% silk), in the coffee colorway. i thought this color and weight would be both masculine and elegant for my dad and brother to wear to church on sundays with their suit coats. i'm using the malabrigo waffles scarf pattern for my dad's scarf...
and the one row handspun scarf pattern for my brother's scarf...
and now the 2 cowls. this first one is for my twin sister. it's a bit more of a difficult pattern to follow (16 row repeat), but i'm enjoying the challenge and loving the way it is turning out. i'm definitely going to have to knit one for myself sometime. :) i'm using one skein of my favorite lorna's laces yarn, lion and lamb, in the flame colorway. the pattern is woodland trails. details on my ravelry page here...
and lastly, another darkside cowl for my oldest daughter. in a yarn that she picked out herself - fiesta boomerang, in the rainforest colorway. i think this is going to be really beautiful in this yarn! details on my ravelry page here...
happy wednesday, everyone!
shelley
p.s. check out my recent feature in my friend heather's (of shivaya naturals) new online magazine, rhythm of the home. great first edition, heather - congratulations!
this one is for my sister-in-law for christmas (modeled by maya below). i used two strands of fiesta ballet (in the beautiful cosmopolitan colorway) held double and so this cowl is extra scrunchy! the pattern is the darkside cowl and i really adore it. it's a super easy pattern and yet provides an exquisitely textured look. i'll definitely be making more of these...
details on my ravelry page here. and here's to another christmas gift finished!
shelley
i've wanted to knit wesley a hat and scarf to match his fire department uniform for quite some time, but just never found the perfect yarn...until now. when i saw this shibui merino worsted in the ink colorway, i knew i'd found it. and indeed, it matches his dark blue uniform perfectly...
the hat pattern i used is the boyfriend pattern, which i previously used to knit his brown hat. however, i knit this version exactly as the pattern was written (decreasing at 5.5 inches), rather than lengthening it to accommodate a doubled brim (like i did on his brown hat). this style looks good with his uniform and just covers the top of his ears.
and rather than a scarf to match (which was my original thought), wesley suggested i make him an easy on/easy off neckwarmer style instead - such a great idea and it works perfectly with his uniform coat! i modified the gloria cowl pattern and i really like the way it turned out. details for both the hat and neckwarmer are on my ravelry page here.
i love knitting for my man. and it makes me very happy and satisfied when he really loves, appreciates and uses the items i knit for him. i'm proud of the job he does as the deputy fire marshal of our city and it makes me even more proud to know that he'll be wearing a bit of handmade goodness while he's out there on the job. :)
shelley
