summer planning!!

monday already? this weekend definitely went by quickly. but it was a fantastic weekend! heaps of outdoor time, my hubby came home, and we had a grand father's day! (of course he was spoiled) ;) owen made daddy a book. it's one of the arts and crafts he tends to actually sit down and follow through with. haha. he draws all of the pictures and then tells me exactly what to write. easy peasy, but the outcome is so darling. and definitely a treasure to hang on to :) how did you celebrate your weekend?
though i wish i had gotten more selfish knitting done, i was pretty productive. our first vacation this summer begins next week so i have to make sure i'm all caught up with work stuff.... though i'm happy to say i've made some great progress on a little something i'll be sharing with you hopefully before too long!

as for today, it's time to get back into the swing of things. beginning of a new week, and basically the beginning of summer here... it's always tricky coming up with a new "routine" but i think this summer will definitely be a fun one for us! (we have 2 trips planned!!! but more on that later)....

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i have heaps of knitting planned (of course) as i'm hoping to partake in a winter market or two... (sooooo crazy that i'm thinking that far ahead... eeks!)

how about you? how was your weekend? any exciting things planned for this week? are you feeling organized and ready for your summer routine? come chat! coffee's on and  my needles are clicking away! xoxo

a fun weekend ahead!

as always i'm happily surprised that it's friday!! my hubby is coming home from sea today, and we've got a busy weekend ahead of tball games, slo-pitch tournaments, and a knit night at the pub! we know how to pack in a lot of fun on our weekends :) we are celebrating a whole bunch of spring & summer bdays with our knitterly girls...

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let's just hope the weather agrees with our plans :) we really missed the man of the house this week. we've been pretty lucky with him not having to go to sea for long bouts of time for quite some time now, because he's teaching ...and so is posted to the school here.. though that will soon change, as he has a trip booked for the end of august until sometime in november (or if we're lucky, end of october). so i suppose this was good practise for us... and a good opportunity for the little man to see what it was like.. or try to remember too....  but it's still a while away.. we aren't focusing too much on that right now...

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but this past week was good. definintely full,.. we still have some stuff to do, including finishing up a father's day card! oh yah, that's happening this weekend too! (don't worry, we are prepared. haha)

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and to all of the dads, grandpa's, papa's, daddy's, and paw's out there...

-- happy father's day!!! --  

i have lots of knitting to get done.... so here's hoping for a very productive day:)
what are your plans for the weekend? are you planning on spoiling anyone special? xo

what's one more?

i've mentioned in the past that my ravelry queue is a little out of control. i'm not here to tell you that i've got it organized or under control or anything, because i haven't... it's into the 7th page!!.(and there's nothing wrong with that) all that's been happening lately is that it's growing... fast, and with serious determaination to overtake my subconcious. it's working too... because i can't stop thinking about my latest addition to the queue....

Source: ravelry.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

i have to knit this tank. have to! it's the tank i would be looking for in stores. perfect fit, right amount of coverage, and just so me.
hilary smith callis has done it again. it's just awesome!
i want to knit it. right now. i can't but i really want to.

and guys, the possibilities for colour combos are endless. it would also look just as amazing in one colour too.

Source: ravelry.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

the pattern recommends the yarn be sweet bamboo. i've never knit with that before. i bet it's divine! though any bamboo or cotton yarn would be suitable for this project. meaning i bet knit picks cotLin would be a very affordable option if you want say 3 or 4 of these tanks. .... what? that's totally a possibility!

anyways, i've clearly been sidetracked from being productive this morning... because those pretty blues, and that gorgeous tank would be perfect for me. perfect.

tell me. you really want to knit this too... don't you? what colour combos would you do?? any yarns off the top of your head that you think would be perfect? 
**(disclaimer... i was not approached to post about this pattern. i simply am in love with it. i could i not be?)**

eye candy

sooo i caught myself thinking and planning holiday knits recently.

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but before you flick me upside the head remember the magic word is that i caught myself. i know i know! we're barely into summer and here i am thinking about the cold weather.
i can't really help it though. being a knitter is time consuming, and we really have to plan out our projects. i'm hoping to do markets again this year, so that means some serious planning on upping my stock. (as currently, i have very little). but before you get your panties all in a twist, i am thinking lots of lovely summer knits too. lace, and fingering weights, lots of airy knits and socks!
because those are always easy to carry around :)
i really want to hang on to as much as i possibly can this summer. with my little man starting kindergarten in september (don't worry.. i'm saving the breakdown until at least the end of august) i want to enjoy this time. we have lots planned for the summer. we're actually going on 2 pretty big trips that we're uber excited about!
i do have a few lovlies planned here for while i'll be away though.
but let's get back to the current season, m'kay?
want to know what i can't get enough of these days? bright, cheerful colours!

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i'm especially excited about some very bright and colourful sock yarns.... like this one:

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ummm isn't it amazing??? it's from this etsy shop. and it's definitely on my radar. actually any of the colourways for this yarn i'm totally on board for .... just sayin'.

what about you? what's your current yarn eye candy? are you into some sock knitting these days? are you enjoying your upcoming summer? tell me you have actually thought about winter knits already though... so i'm not the only one :) xo

in action

today marks the beginning of another busy week for us! but it will be busy in a different way. my hubby has left for sea until friday, so there may be a bit of "adding lib" here. hah.

i'm so excited to have been wearing my pendulum heaps. it's fortunately been pretty windy here lately! so it's really quite perfect. and i love it like crazy. honestly, everyone should knit one. i'm pretty glad i decided not to try to make more stripes than the pattern called for. i think it's big enough as is, and i also would have run out of the darker yarn. so it all worked out!

here's a pic of it "in action"

i honestly love the drape. i did block it, and i'm loving that is still has that squishy garter love. total win! and i have to say, i think i'm pretty hooked on shawl knitting! my next shawl will be on the needles soon! (as soon as i figure out which one i'll be knitting next haha). my only big concern is how i'll store them all. i'm already running out of space (heaven forbid!) i'll have to remedy that. pronto.

as for the next one? hmmm i'm thinking something by either veera or martina. there are several shawls designed by both of them that are overpowering my queue and favourites :) i'm such a fan!

how about you? are you a shawl knitter? which patterns are your faves? how is your week looking like? i'd love to chat! xo

serious happy dance.

i know i know i've been so quiet here this week. but there is good reason! i stayed up very late last night so that i could complete the kal by the deadline! (and maybe so i could watch the first 5 episodes of call the midwife... lol)

oh man, i'm loving this shawl! i still have to block it... it's actually headed for the bath right now.. and once it's blocked i'll be sure to get some modelled pics for you... but clearly, i couldn't wait to show it to you!

so here are the deets:
pattern: pendulum shawl by amy miller.
yarn: raventwist torc in colours djinn and black isles.
needle: 3.5mm (signatures!)

mods:
i used the garter tab cast on.. which i have to say, i love. also.. i followed the same stretchy edge as most others followed, by k1, drop yo, make new yo, m1, continue to knit.. etc...
also. i bound off using k2tog tbl, pass st back to left needle, and continue. it created a great stretchy edge, and was a fairly quick bind off considering i had 400 stitches!

honestly, this was such a great shawl to knit. i love me some easy peasy uber squishy garter stitch. yummm... there was just enough interest in this pattern to keep things moving along for me too. the pendulum effect is created with short rows, and i love the way it looks!

these two colours look so fab together. and really still make me think of the west coast. i'm so in love with this shawl, and can't wait to wear it!

so i totally did it! just under the wire. thank you projectstashEL for hosting a fab knit along! this certainly is a project "pour moi" that i will cherish, and love...

thank you for being patient with me this week.... i wish i could type and knit at the same time. lol! what are you up to this weekend? you can be sure i'll be sporting my new shawl.. as soon as it's dry! xo

just a heads' up

june 8th happens to fall on this weekend. and do you know why it's so special? it's the first day for world wide knit in public day! yup! and i'm telling you now, because i want you to be prepared. ;) the event lasts from june 8th - 16th.

do you want to know a little bit more about it? this is actually the largest knitter run event in the world! (fun, right?)  it was originally founded by danielle landes in 2005, and is now in the hands of astrid salling, who took over in 2011.
knitting in public is something that i do on a daily basis, but seeing events hosted... heaps of knitters gathered together in a park, kind of makes me giddy! and you can find these events popping up more and more!
check out the world wide knit in public day website for more info.

this is me with local food blogger family feedbag a few years ago on salt spring island.

you can be sure i'll be toting my knitting around with me. i hope to park my butt down in a park somewhere with many other knitters :) it's such a fun event, and you get a chance to meet so many other enthusiasts!
you don't have to be knitting either, crochet, or any fiber related crafts are awesome!!

Source: crochetconcupiscence.com via Crochet Concupiscence on Pinterest

so now you have lots of time to plan a public knit in... or just find one and join in. it doesn't have to be a hugely planned thing (but if it is, it's a lot of fun!) it can even be your pals and a park and a great picnic!

tell me you're joining in! i'd love to hear where you'll be showing your knitterly (or crochet!) pride! xo