On and off my needles....

It’s been quite a while since I did a knitting post. I was off knitting for a while, mostly because i was spending my evenings up in the quilt studio, rather than downstairs in front of the TV knitting. I did get my one sweater finished. It’s called Roads End, a design by Kay Hopkins. After that one, I decided that I really do have enough sweaters for myself, so I decided to start one up for our grand daughter Abbie. I’ve had this one, the Owlet, saved on my Ravelry favourites for years, ever since I started using Ravelry, since it’s on the first page of my favourites. The only thing that really had me intimidated by this sweater was all the buttons that had to be sewn on for the eyes. Well, that was solved by finding some beads that could be inserted over the knit stitches during the knitting process. No buttons now necessary. If you biggie size the picture by clicking on it, you’ll be able to see the beads. This one should be finished in the next week or so. After this, I think I’m going to start a winter hat for little Abbie, using this pattern for the hat. I have beads left from the package for the eyes, so I’ll put some beads on he hat, too. I love the booties in that pattern, but Abbie is way beyond the age for booties now. Those will look so cute on this precious little girl. I’m linking this up, a day late, to Judy’s On the Needles.

On my needles....

More progress on the Roads End sweater. There is about an inch left of the bottom ribbing and then it will be cast off time for the body of the sweater. Then it’s just the sleeves, which should go fast. Another week or two might see this one done.

This has been such an enjoyable and fast knit. I have other yarns that also are not in quantities enough for a whole sweater, but might work for this. However, I’m not convinced I need another one in the same pattern, or really want to do one in the same pattern. I bought some stuff several years ago for a Hay Cove that I’m kinda itching to do. But then there is also some stuff for Abbie for this fall and winter that I’d like to do, so I’m not quite sure yet what is going to be next. In the meantime, I’ll continue on this, and link up to Judy’s On the needles.

On my Needles..

Life continues to accelerate at the speed of sound around here. I’m getting lots of customer quilts done...... over ten since my machine came back home. But that means that very little of my own stuff is getting done, which means not much interesting is happening to document on the blog here. I am getting knitting done and some hand stitching, and that’s about it.  The other thing that is getting done, though, is a lot of research on internet sales of my quilt patterns. Who knew it would be so complicated? Turns out, if someone in a country in Europe wants to buy a digital download pattern from me, who lives in Canada, I am supposed to collect the tax that is owed in their country and submit it to either that country, or a central agency that distributes those taxes to the appropriate people. The research and the learning curves into how to do this, and the best way to sell is rather overwhelming. Should I go for an Etsy shop, then I can sell my patterns, and also some quilts. How about an account on Craftsy... I could sell my patterns there, but not quilts. Or there is the option to attach a shop right to my blog. So many choices, and no idea, at the moment at least, which to choose. So, in the meantime, I work on customer quilts, and also work on trying to get some of the patterns written up. And I knit to relax my brain. I’ve gotten a lot done on my Roads End sweater. I’m down into the contrast colour band around the waist. When I first started this sweater, I wasn’t 100% sure about the colour combinations. I mostly put them together because I had enough to make a sweater if I combined them, but not enough of each colour to make a full sweater. Plus, they are hand died yarns, so each skein is slightly different from the other, so stripes seemed a better idea. Now that I’m seeing it come together, I really like the combinations. 
I’m going to link up to Judy’s On the Needles. Then, it will be time to get some more work done. I have yet to decide if I’m going to continue sewing a quilt together, or if I’m going to put together a quilt back. I suppose I could always do a little of both......

On my needles...

I have my new sweater going really well. It’s a pattern called Roads End and so far it has been an enjoyable knit. It’s quite a change from the complex cables I was doing in my last one, shown here. I like the texture that the stitch pattern is doing in the second block of colour, which is actually more towards the sandy beige tones than the picture is showing.This is going to be a short and quick post. I’ve been sewing all day, and I want to sit here quietly with my feet up, with something entertaining on netflix, and knit. I’m linking up to Judy’s On the Needles

On and Off the Needles

My Travellers End sweater is done. I took the last stitches in it on Tuesday, and then decided immediately to get the ends sewn in and get it blocked. I have a bad habit of procrastinating both those tasks, so I figured that I’d do them while I had the sweater still in my hands. As of today, it is blocked and dried and now all it needs are buttons.
Since that one is done, I decided right away to start another one. I found Roads End while surfing around the Ravelry website a while back. I have a small number of skeins of Malabrigo Rios in two different colours, not enough of either to make one sweater, but enough when combined. I’d been looking for a striped sweater pattern for a while. I really like the textured areas in this one. I cast on for this one last night, and have most of the ribbing for the neckline done. At this point I need to start paying attention to putting in stitch markers and counting for increases, so I decided to set it aside until I was more alert than what I am at 11 o’clock at night. I had planned on doing mine in just two colours, but while in a cute little yarn shop yesterday, buying double pointed size 4mm needles, I found a dark contrast colour that contrasts perfectly with the other two. So, here are the three colours. What’s so kinda cool about this is that the dark burgundy on the right is from an independent dyer called Lichen and Lace in Sackville New Brunswick, so I can support Canadian made goods. I’m going to have to check out some of their other stuff at some point.
I’m linking up to Judy’s On the needles.