• Introducing Edgewood!

    Edgewood is my new little pattern collection, featuring three wrap cardigans and a cowl, in yarns from some of my favourite indie dyers!

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    You can purchase the full collection on Ravelry for $24 Canadian.

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    Koppen is a bottom-up seamless raglan, with a subtle texture stitch and garter stitch accents. The fronts overlap at the waist and can be closed with one button or i-cord ties. The beautiful Johanna from Dirty Water Dyeworks is so bouncy and elastic, comes in enormous skeins (250g/8oz) and is so soft!

    Fave, queue and buy Koppen on Ravelry.

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    Since you’ll probably have a bit of yarn left over from those large skeins, I worked up a quick cowl to match! Koppen Cowl starts with a provisional cast on and interesting perpendicular i-cord and garter stitch edging. The body of the cowl is worked in the round in the same “raindrop stitch” as the cardigan, and the top edge is worked to match the cast on. This one is a super quick knit!

    Fave, queue and buy Koppen Cowl on Ravelry.

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    I used Anzula Haiku for Llanos, a top down sweater that’s perfect year round! This one takes a bit of time in fingering weight yarn, but it’s so worth it for such a lightweight, easy to wear sweater. The extra-long body is knit flat, with a bit of flattering waist shaping on the back, and a fun and easy lace ripple pattern at the bottom edge. Row by row directions for the lace edging are included. I’ve worked elbow-length sleeves (which I also love worn over a long sleeved tee shirt!) but also included are directions for full length sleeves.

    Fave, queue and buy Llanos on Ravelry.

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    Finally, Norrland is the most complex sweater of the bunch, and I’m very proud of it! This awesome worsted weight yarn from Zen Yarn Garden is a really lovely deep dark green (colourway: Romi’s Garden) and has great stitch definition, perfect for all those cables! The extra-wide fronts overlap and close at the cowl neck with a single button. Norrland is worked in pieces from the bottom up, and sewn together. All cables are provided in chart form only.

    Fave, queue and buy Norrland on Ravelry.

    Big thanks to Dale for taking these beautiful photos! We took them at Edgewood Camp near Guelph, ON, at a friend’s awesome post-wedding celebration. The autumn colours are so gorgeous and so fleeting – now all the leaves have blown off the trees!

  • Wool & Wine in the County

    I’m back from the Rosehaven Yarn retreat and I had such an excellent time! Lesley was an amazing host, and everyone was so nice.

    I took the train out to Belleville where Lesley’s husband picked me up, and we made a quick stop at Rosehaven before heading over to the venue, Jackson’s Falls Inn.

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    There were a few too many of us for the inn to accommodate, so I was actually staying down the road a bit at Black River B&B – the room was so luxurious, and I even had a deck looking over the Black River. This city girl even got to see a few stars at night. Big thanks to Meredith for letting me hitch a ride back and forth!

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    The schoolhouse at Jackson’s Falls where meals were (as well as classes) was so cozy! Paul and Lee provided so much good food and were great at handling different food requirements for such a big group.

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    On Saturday afternoon Purlin’ J’s Roving Yarn Co dropped by – it’s a converted fire truck that’s now a yarn truck!

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    The knitters ranged from a lady who has only been knitting for 10 months to an amazing 90-years-young woman who just picked up spinning, got a wheel for Christmas and knit up a handspun shawl! So inspiring. My classes went well I think! I taught Continental & Combined knitting, Entrelac, and two-handed colourwork. The other teacher, Cheryl, taught Brioche, Mosaic and Toe up two socks at once!

    Something kinda freaky – Cheryl has a sister named Laura…and I have a sister named Cheryl! How weird is that?!

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    Nancy sees me taking a photo…

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    I picked up a wee bit of yarn (Quince&Co Tern) and a patch and t-shirt from Purlin’ J, as well as some gorgeous clothes from Cut Loose which Lesley carries in her shop.

    Thanks to Lesley for inviting me to teach, and everyone for being so awesome! I had a fantastic time.

    P.S. This is unrelated, but while I’m thinking of it – my favourite de-pilling tool, Gleener, has given me a coupon code to share with you all! Use code LAURA10 to receive 10% off until December 25, 2015 – it makes a fantastic gift as well.

  • a rainy Friday

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    I started a pair of mitts in the same pattern as my peeries hat, but it was too small even for my tiny wrists! If it had been the same number of stitches in straight stockinette or ribbing it would’ve been fine, but stranded colourwork alwyays decreases the stretchiness and inner circumferences of the piece with all those floats.

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    Here’s a picture of the finished hat that…is kind of terrible. My head isn’t shaped well for this style of hat, plus it’s a medium and I wear a large! (I have big hair AND a big head.) I promise to get MUCH better photos before I release the pattern ;)

    I’m off to the train station shortly to head to Prince Edward County for the Wool & Wine in the County Retreat! Send me some good travel vibes? Despite the amount of travelling it looks like I do, I actually get pretty anxious and nervous about leaving my house, especially on my own! Eeep!