Luvinthemommyhood: Guest Post for the Carefree Cowl Knit Along

My good friend Shannon is hosting a Carefree Cowl Knit Along over on her blog. Cowls are so much fun to knit and wear, I think this is such a great way to kick off the knitting season! ...If you haven't already joined HERE is a link to the sign up sheet!

Today, in my guest post, I have contributed a video tutorial on how to do a very special knot. It is the only knot I ever use to join yarns and believe me when I say, this knot is a bit magical. It is nearly invisible, super easy, and leaves no ends to be woven in! So hop on over to luvinthemommyhood and learn a new knitting trick! 

...this video tutorial will be added to the Tutorials library here on the blog sometime tomorrow.

Off the Needles: Joe

It seems everyone in my family needs (or wants) a new hat this winter. That gorgeous red yarn I brought back from Vancouver... that was going to be a scarf or cowl design but Elsie saw me winding it from my swift and asked for a red hat. I couldn't say no :)

Chris also asked for a new hat. He knew exactly what he wanted and therefor received a custom hat designed just for him. This is what he ordered...

 { Joe }

I did quite a bit of swatching to get the fabric to match what he had in mind. I was trying to avoid 1x1 Ribbing for the knitters sake but to be honest, this hat flew off the needles and was actually really enjoyable. I really like the yarn I chose, it's soft and a great weight (I love DK). It's also an easy care yarn :)

For more details on this pattern visit the pattern page.

Rae KAL : Contest & Prizes

We've been having a little knit along for Rae over in the Ravelry group. We're a lively bunch and it's been a ton of fun! Today I will announce to you the prizes, and boy are they exciting!!!

{ First Place }

One skein of SweetGeorgia Cashluxe Fine in the colour of your choice!

Felicia was so generous in donating a skein of this amazingly luxurious yarn! and...

1 skein of Cashluxe Fine = 1 Rae

...so all of you wonderful participants who were planning to knit another Rae, here is your chance to knit it with the yarn that this design was made for, it's heavenly! ...Or make something else luxurious, just be sure to make it for yourself because trust me, you won't want to give it away!

{ Second Place }

Second place will win one of my screen printed yarn ball bags + your choice of any three of my patterns!

{ Third Place } 

Third place will win any three of my patterns!

. . .

And because these prizes are so juicy I have extended the deadline for the knit along so that there is more than enough time to join in (if you haven't already) and complete your Rae (without feeling too rushed).

Here are the new details...

DEADLINE | November 15th

REGISTRATION | Click HERE to join the knit along!

CONTEST ENTRY | To enter to win you must provide a picture of your Rae whether completed or in progress (...it must be on the needles) in THIS thread.

COUPON CODES | If you join the KAL before the original deadline (October 31st) you will receive a coupon code for a discount on the pattern.

Not a member of Ravelry but dying to get in on the action? Just enter your email address in the entry form where it asks for your Ravelry Username and submit your entry photos to janerichmonddesigns@gmail.com.

Cowichan Fleece & Fibre Fair 2011

 Today I drove up Island to attend the Cowichan Fleece & Fibre Fair.

 This year it was held at the Island Savings Community Center. I think this is my favorite venue so far.

 I recognized Leola's table from Fibrations in August. Her hand dyed skeins of 75% Mohair / 25 % Wool are so soft and I love the unexpected colour combinations.

 Another booth that caught my eye was shared by Bella Vita and Conheath Farm. I was drawn in by Aurelia's absolutely stunning hand spun / hand dyed yarns, aren't they absolutely stunning?...And her booth partner was so knowledgeable (...so sorry for not getting your name), I learned a lot about dying and fibre when I stopped at this booth, I really hope to see this table at Fibrations next year!

 

 There was even an area for kids, I didn't get too close but it looked like they were making felted bars of soap. Over in another corner a little girl was getting her first knitting lesson. Isn't that wonderful?

This table had these really soft luxurious skeins of alpaca blends. The fibre is from a local alpaca farm in Cobble Hill and is processed within Canada (Alberta I believe). I think it's really wonderful that owner Arden Jenkins tries to keep the process Canadian, it's not always easy. The quality of the yarns was unbelievable... I had to take one home with me :)

 

 But for me the star of the show wasn't fibre at all! It was this booth of stunning ceramic buttons by artist Franziska (who happens to be absolutely adorable~!). She is also a photographer and all of the buttons that have images on them are from her original photographs. You can see the ones that went home with me below. Franziska has an Etsy Shop but amazingly enough you won't find her buttons there (at least not yet, I gave her a very hard time about this :)... but you will find them very soon at Knotty by Nature! I think the best thing about these buttons is they are light weight, even the larger ones are much lighter than you would imagine them to be.

 And finally, here is what I took home...

I purchased one skein of 52% Huacaya / 38% Suri / 10% Bamboo from Alpaca Farms and two ceramic buttons from Franziska. These items were definitely out of my normal price range and certainly not in my budget but the quality was incredible and they were made locally which ups the value significantly in my opinion. If you had been there you would have done the same :)

Off the Needles: Audrey

 This design has been a labour of love. I have been dying to share it with you since I bound off and now, after changing the design concept twice (to better display the yarn), one heart stopping yarn shortage (thank you Felicia for saving the day), one name change (thank you Amy and then Shannon :), two photo shoots (one indoor, one outdoor ~ thanks luv), and finally... I can.

 Meet Audrey, a garter stitch cardigan knit from the top down. She has a slip stitch ribbing between the raglan increases and along the sides of the body that creates a really flattering false seam. 

I seem to be on a garter stitch kick as of late and can you blame me? It really compliments the tonality of hand dyed yarns and when you use SweetGeorgia as much as I do you don't want anything to take away from the brilliantly rich colours that Felicia hand dyes. 

I hope you like her :)

You can find the details of this pattern HERE. 

or... 

 

Rae KAL : Progress

I've been making progress on my Rae for the knit along.I'm sure I could be knitting this faster but I have too many other WIP's that demand my attention. Some of the knitters participating in the KAL are onto Rae number 2, unbelievable!

This pattern is, well... contagious. Almost everyone at knit night has caught the Rae bug...

{ Twin Raes }

Shannon and I are both using SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in Saltwater. This colour is a show stopper, I get comments on it all the time.

 Rebecca is on Rae number 2 or is it 3? She has superhuman knitting powers, speed is one of them. 

{ Amy and her Rae }

If you haven't joined the Rae knit along but would like to, it's not too late. You can sign up by visiting THIS post. There is a lively discussion going on in the Rae KAL thread over in our Ravelry group. And there may even be a little prize at the end :)

The Pagan Knitter Podcast: Interview

Last week I did my very first recorded interview with Ursa of the Pagan Knitter Podcast. Ursa is local to Victoria and is the dyer behind the former Gaia's Colours. She was so kind to ask me for an interview and to have me in her home. It was a real pleasure and I hope to do it again some time.

Thank you Ursa for all of your kind words!

If you would like to have a listen you can find the interview on her podcast HERE.

Canary Knits: Indie Designer Revisited

Almost three years ago Teresa of the ever popular blog Canary Knits asked me if she could feature me for her Indie Designer Fridays. At that point I had less than a handful of designs on Ravelry and was blown away to have been noticed at all! It was the very first time I had been recognized by anyone as a "designer" and I was more than flattered. So when Teresa decided to start revisiting designers she had featured in the past I was waiting, fingers crossed, that she would want to revisit me!

Thanks Teresa for the really flattering post!