Monday, January 19, 2015

Mystery Mitts (1-3)

Last month, I signed up for the CBD January 2015 Mystery Mitts Knit-Along.

I'm definitely not as caught up as I should be - I've only just finished clue 3 of 7 or 8 - but it's knitting up quite nicely!  We've named the design Tessellating Diamonds (by vote), and I love how different colours make the design pop in different ways.

It's too late to sign up for the mkal now (I dropped the ball there, sorry!), so I figured I would share my clues as I knit them! 

Clue 1:
This guy is knit first and left on a stitch holder (or in my case a dpn made of some sort of plastic - which I can't use because I bend them to the point they break!), and is used later in the design.  I know what for, but I'm going to leave it a surprise for those of you who don't!

Clue 2:
The cuff.  A simple 2x2 ribbed cuff, I knit mine in a pale pink - though I almost frogged it and started over in black once getting the next clue, I stand by my pink cuffs.

Clue 3:
This is where you can really see the pattern start to come out.  If you didn't choose the best contrasting colours the pattern is difficult to see.  Originally, I knit the colours opposite, but didn't like it as much.  Once I flipped them (using the pink where there purple was and grey where the black was) I really started to enjoy it, and finished clue 3 - previously I stopped after the first grey/black set of rows, frogged to the cuff and set it aside for a while.

If you missed the chance to join the mkal, the pattern will be available to purchase fairly soon, I would imagine!  Once you get the basic colourway going, the pattern is really rather intuitive and easy to remember.  I'll post again once I've received and knit a few more clues.

There is going to be a February Mystery Cowl KAL, and you can still sign up for it!
The pattern page is here,  to sign up just follow the directions on the pdf download.  I'm hoping to participate in this one as well, all depends on if I find the right yarn for it and have enough time.

Stay tuned for more clues!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Voodoo Dream Date Swap

The beginning of January I signed up for the Voodoo Dream Date Swap on Ravelry.


A little valentine swap using the Voodoo You Love Me pattern (seriously adorable!), and dressing them up into a dream theme.  For example, if your partner's voodoo dream date was My Little Pony related, you could knit the voodoo in a colour of one of the ponies, and add a cutie mark to it to tie it in.  You also need to include a card, a snacky treat and extra goodies are optional.  Going along with the mlp theme, I would then include a mlp valentine cared (or two, depending on what I could find), maybe some mlp stickers or pins, and likely some snacky valentine treats with tea.  It's not a huge swap, and there's no price range, the main idea is to knit and share a voodoo with someone else - and in return receive one knit by someone else with you in mind!

I, of course, left a fairly wide theme - something maybe a little gothy/cute creepy.  Mainly because I rarely have yarn I would knit myself a gothy voodoo from - I tend to knit for other people more than myself, however recently I've knit myself something and will share in a new update.  My partner, a fellow Canadian is fun to plan for - she likes Olaf and Sven from Frozen, Lilo and Stitch and anything by Joss Whedon (who I happen to be a fan of his work as well).  I have to be extra careful finding a treat for her, since she can't have gluten, but everything else I'm excited to put together. Her top colour choices right now are green, purple, red and pink; and she would love something gnome-y or Disney related.

I started the voodoo the other day, and here's a bit of a sneak peek:
At risk of spoiling the surprise (although I doubt anyone I swap with reads this), I'll let you in on a secret - I had a brilliant idea for a voodoo theme, but couldn't decide on which to go with... so I'm doing both!

I probably won't post anymore pictures until after I've sent out the swap and it's made it to my partner (unless I get too excited and post another sneak peek), but stay tuned for the reveal!  As usual, I will post once I've received my package as well!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Vampire Swap 2014 Has Arrived!


My swap package came earlier this week!

My partner sent me some pretty great stuff!
Fiber first!

The cowl is super soft and cozy, I'm not sure what yarn it's made from though - it's a single ply super yummy yarn at any rate!
This yarn has sadly been discontinued, so I'll need to find the perfect project for it.  This is Merino Fine (100% Merino Wool) in colourway Hopeless Romantic by Kitchen Sink Dyeworks.
The label says it won't pool or stripe, so I'm rather intrigued as to how it will knit up.  The skein is only 390 yards in fingering/sock weight, so finding the perfect project may be a bit challenging, I may end up pairing it with a solid colour for a small shawl, or a pair of socks... Though a Voodoo would be interesting! (More on the voodoo in an upcoming post!)

Books:
Knitted Lace is a great little book full of great patterns such as Wakame Lace Tunic, Bettie’s Lace Stockings, Luminarie Skirt, and Oriel Lace Blouse to name a few!

The Passage is a supernatural type book (she stalked me well!), the first of a three part series.  I'm sure I'll love this one once I get a chance to sink my teeth into it!

Related to vampires and bats:

Some bottle labels, a pack of 8 - I'll definitely make use of these, they're rather amusing! This adorable little bat is super soft and I think will be keeping me company in my knitting nook, that or in my bedroom.

Scented:
Some lovely soaps from Wolfe Farms. The Love Bites is fresh orange and lime blended with berry and cherry.  I'm not actually sure what the other two are - I've kept the package mostly in its box until I can put everything away, so the smells kind of blended together!  The Hexies are filled with lavender, and go in your knitting project bags!  I must say, these I can smell without any issue from the soap, and they smell amazing.  As I pull out my wips over the next few days, whichever the first 3 I work on will have these in them!

Extra Goodies:
A great card, I love the design.  An adorable Lion measuring tape and some super yummy chocolates!

I'm in the midst of another swap, so I'll post about that soon!