Moving and merriness and whatnot

So unsurprisingly, because I'm so bad at blogging and keeping up, a lot of stuff has happened since the last time I blogged. This is a theme - raise your hand if you noticed :P
We've moved again - this time to Hamilton, ON - and we're back into the urban lifestyle, to some extent. This does put on hold a lot of stuff I was hoping for with my yarn business (i.e. my own fibre herd) but I'm hopeful about continuing with dyeing and patterns.
HOWEVER.
I think it's important to judge one's pace and inspiration in a business that's heavily dictated by both, and I've found it incredibly challenging to be inspired lately. I haven't managed to find a job, or even hear back about any of the roles I've applied for, and all I can feel is the stress and pressure of not having a job. I assumed I would move and already have a job (I started applying a month and a half before we moved) and still having nothing is so distressing I'm having trouble thinking of fun things like yarncraft and what I want to design. I'm sure once I find something it'll all change again...but in the meantime, it's unlikely you'll see much from me unless the great lightning bolt of inspiration strikes over here. I can't even seem to dedicate myself to garter stitch very well, so I'm just going to step back and wait for the tide to come back in.
It's not a very merry note to end on, but that's what my holiday looks like right now. I have a million projects on the go so I'm hopeful if I put in a few rows a day, I'll at least keep from falling off yarncraft altogether. We're taking the dog out for long trail walks every few days (she hates traffic so she does her best walking away from residential areas) and I'm fully engaged in the library, which is just a few blocks from us, so I haven't completely lost it yet. Just changing my pace.
Before we moved, I also took part in the fawn + cub Christmas market in Morden MB (my hometown). I was so thankful to be accepted as a vendor, and it was certainly a very informative experience! I'm not sure that open craft markets are a good fit for me - being a very specific craft supply vendor, and not as much a finished object vendor - but it was a good learning experience and there were a lot of amazing vendors; I was glad to be placed next to an old friend of mine so the hours passed very quickly! I doubt I'll try a craft market again, especially one so large, but I'm grateful I was chosen in the first place, and the fawn + cub folks put a TON of work into making the market go smoothly, so big props to them for their hard work and effective management.
For now, it's holiday time which at our place means: craft beer, dog walks, homemade cookies, reading, spree-watching (I'm watching a Vietnam War documentary and we're watching Vikings together), and maybe my first love, art. Happy holidays, merry Christmas, happy new year; may all the things you celebrate be wonderful and full of tasty things :D Thank you for your support in 2018, and may we all have a truly inspirational 2019!

New patterns, new FOs, new everythings!

Witness my fabulous selfie
with the Forager set

Happy November everyone! If you've been following me on Insta, you'll (hopefully) have caught my post today about a new pattern :D It's called Forager mittens, and they're designed to match my Forager toque, published last year. They're super simple, and they make great use of chunky/bulky yarn scraps to keep your hands warm, and to match your Forager toque ;) All winter (until 20 April 2019), the mittens will be 50% off when you buy both patterns together, and if you've already got the toque, the discount will work too! Handy dandy.

So other than that exciting bit, I've been accepted as a vendor at the fawn + cub Christmas Market in Morden, MB; I'm so pumped to get in on this market! It's my hometown and it's got a HUGE artisan scene, so this is a talented crew and I'm very thankful to be included :D The market is 2 December (yup a Sunday) at the Access Centre, and it's got LOADS of different types of vendors, so there will definitely be something for everyone! It also means that I'm dyeing up chunky yarn in some glorious holiday colourways, so stay tuned for some shots of those beauties!

And I'm on a sweater binge - I'm just about to weave in the ends on my Fading Lines cardigan (pattern by Joji Locatelli) and I'm really pleased with how it looks; it has this lovely retro afghan vibe because of the zigzag collar and warm colours, and I can't wait to wear it! I'm also into the first bit of the Seaboard Sweater by Tanis Lavallee (Tanis Fibre Arts) with some of my own yarns and I love the way it's shaping up. Lots of beautiful pieces to see me into the chilly weather...my only issue now is making room in my drawers :P

The snow's been going all day (melting, but still falling) so I guess it's that time of year now. Get your boots out - and don't forget your mittens ;) Have a great weekend!

Post-mortem: Manitoba Fibre Festival 2018!

So it's been a week and I've finally managed to snag some chill time, which means I now get to share about how MB Fibre Fest went! Buckle up.

For those of you who don't know, I started There and Back Yarn in November 2017. I have always been a creative person, and I learned how to crochet when I was young, but in the UK I really came into my skills as a knitter, and wanted to do more: pattern design and yarn dyeing, specifically. Once I knew we were moving back to Manitoba, my main business goal was to get into Manitoba Fibre Festival, an event I loved before we moved, and knew had absolutely exploded; so much so, that they moved too, from St. Norbert (a lovely but small venue) to the Red River Exhibition grounds, and their fair hall there. So that was my Big Thing. When they accepted me as a vendor I was so stoked, but also so nervous. The fibrecraft community in Manitoba (and surrounding provinces) has become more and more visible, and likely grown a great deal in the recent past as people get more excited about all the beautiful local goodies, and the amazing yarns and fibres you can get your hands on at Fibre Fest and other festivals and shops. I finished dyeing my last skeins a month before Fibre Fest and then tried to turn my focus to the wood working aspect - I sell a few handmade wooden sundries like nostepinnes and crochet hooks - but I am definitely a novice wood-turner so having my father in-law (who's an award-winning wood carver and MAD skilled) handy to step in when I need help was key for me. Buuuuut he is also a farmer so as most of you know, that means a bonkers schedule in the fall, and though we did manage to find some time, I didn't get to do quite as much wood work as I wanted. No big though, because what we put together is so beautiful and I'm starting to get a much better feel for it on my own!

Enough with the lead-up! How did it go?

I was so pleased with my booth display overall - my parents in-law randomly had a pegboard that was perfect! - and I am so thankful to my volunteer help: my mom, my husband, and of course, Bernice! Having the Metalstitch duo to rock a festival is pretty much the best. I couldn't have done it without my volunteers, and certainly I couldn't carry all that stuff myself :P The Festival itself was mostly well-organised, I felt: I was disappointed our booth was in a corner that got little traffic compared to some of the other areas (I know my neighbours felt the same), but we did get folks down to squish and admire - and buy! - the yarns so we weren't too hidden. The Festival volunteers were super helpful too, and even jumped the queue to bring us lunch on Saturday :D

I loved the energy and the excitement of the shoppers; everyone was so happy to be in amongst all the beautiful things, and I had a lot of good chats with people who stopped by. I was so thankful to be included in the Festival and I hope I get to come back next year!

Now that I've got my first taste of festival, I'm hoping to do more - I'd love to do another one before Christmas so stay tuned :) Once the yardwork winds down, I'll be able to finally turn back to some more pattern design; I've had LOTS of ideas and no time to put them down so I can't wait to start writing up some of the things in my head, especially the design for the sweater I was wearing Friday of Fibre Fest: honeycomb cables and long cuffs, hooray!

School's In: Metalstitch's guide to next level crochet

I hope you all had a great summer! I got to cap mine off with a week of holidays and hitting up an Alice Cooper show with friends - including my Metalstitch partner!

What a great way to say farewell to the summer. Now: time for fall mode, which means tons and tons of indoorsy stuff and yarn craft!

So if you're finding a little more time for your crochet these days, I wanted to pass on some handy tips I've picked up on the internet over the years that have really helped me improve my craft!

1. Chainless foundation stitches. Learning these stitches is handy for a few reasons. First, you no longer have to make long chains that you then need to be careful not to twist. Second, it has a more attractive look than crocheting into the chains. And third, when you work into a chain, that first row won't have the same elasticity as the rest of your work. The chain is just maxed out! Chainless foundation stitches are nice and stretchy, making them a great choice for all types of garment work. 

2. Chainless Starting Double Crochet. If you've ever been unhappy with the way chaining three at the start a row of double crochet causes a gappy look at the beginning of your row, this little trick will really help you out. I use this method exclusively to start my double crochet rows - you can't beat the nice clean look of it!

3. The Invisible Fasten Off. This simple trick allows you to fasten off your work without any unsightly bumps or knots. It makes your final row to look perfect and seamless - a definite benefit for a more professional looking finished product!

BONUS TIP: Double crocheting two rows at a time?!?! Full disclosure: I came across this recently and haven't tried it yet. But the idea of cranking out two rows at a time is super intriguing to me! If you figure it out and give it a try, I'd love to hear about it! It's too cool, I had to share it even though I can't testify personally to it's excellence. 

Alright! Next weekend is the weekend all Manitoba yarnies look forward to all year: Fiber Fest on Friday AND Saturday! I'll be shopping up a storm and helping out Kaeleigh at her There and Back Yarn booth as well. Can't wait!

The most wonderful time of the year!

Happy Friday all! Out here it's grey-blue and gloomy and I love it so hard. Autumn is when I really feel in tune with the weather - I love summer, don't get me wrong, but if my soul has a season, it's autumn. The smell of decaying leaves, the colours all shifting, the beautiful cloudplay, the possibility of being outside all day and not coming in with second-degree sunburns...I'm here for ALL OF IT.
You don't need me to ramble on about how busy summer has been, because obviously we've done that all before, so consider it said. Now that we're into harvest (and believe you me, my canner has been getting SUCH a workout), things are starting to wind down around the yard, but they've never been at a higher pitch for MARKET PREP! Manitoba Fibre Festival 2018 is already NEXT WEEKEND and holy moly I am pumped up! I'm excited for a few reasons actually:

1. It's my first market, duh. That's a pretty big deal for me. This was a major business goal for me and I'm nervous and excited to see how things go.
2. I haven't been to MBFF in four years - since before we moved to England - and I've never seen it in its new glorious venue, so I can't wait to see how things have changed!
3. Vendors, vendors, vendors! There are going to be so many gorgeous things to look at...and maybe buy ;) Buttons, bags, shawl pins, YARN....ah. I love it.

As you might recall, I threw my (metaphorical) hat in the ring for a Make-Along for the Festival this year: my Snowy Path cowl was one of the eligible designs. Well what fun is a MAL if you just do your own design? My husband saw the Wheat City toque (that's a hat for you non-Canadians) and needed to have one, so off I went! We got great mileage out of our Devil's Punch Bowl toques from last year's pattern collection and you can never have too many toques. 

It might be a touch too warm for it now, but you better believe I still found a reason to wear my FO :D

I'm scrambling like a madwoman for the next week (and this week was already bonkers - have I mentioned I hate printers AND desktop computers lately?!) but come MBFF, you can find me cool, calm, and collected at my booth - with yarn, patterns (in a fancy new format!), project bags, and a few handmade wooden goodies. And afterwards we'll have a big ol' gush post about how everything went and all the things we loved, and Bernice and I will share our loot too!

Summer hours

-- I wrote this blog entry a week ago, and then wasn't sure I wanted to publish it. I hedge about "serious" topics, knowing most people would rather read a blog with upbeat, fun, happy tones instead of anything that might hint at other flavours. That being said, I greatly admire bloggers and posters who can channel any of their feelings into eloquent and articulate posts, and reading Kate Davies' blog post this morning about vulnerability (and then watching her TedX talk, which was amazing) reminded me that there is always room to put down what you want to, and share what you want to, in your own space, so that people who follow your content can get a sense of who you are in your own words. This is why we share ANYthing, really; following along with talented designers and crafters is about inspiration in all things, not just fibre craft. --

So it's only taken me five days to actually put down some words in this blog window. Good grief.
When I talk about summer hours, I don't mean less work. I mean WAY MORE work. Knitting and yarncraft has been simmering on the backburner as I bounce between the library (my day job) and my yard, trying to keep up with the produce and the weeds in turn. And while I've been trying to find time to pick up my knitting, I've been feeling a definite apathy toward it all, even though I've loved my projects. The heat? The long to-do lists? Whatever it's been, I've been knitting the least since I picked it up five years ago.
But.
The weather finally broke a little while ago after a long hot stretch, and the cooler weather turned my thoughts to autumn and Manitoba Fibre Fest, where I'll be setting up shop September 14-15 (the full Metalstitch team out in force, in fact!! :D). With the cooler weather, and dare I say, better sleep, my yarncraft enthusiasm has flowed back and I've been able to budget my time a bit better. I've been back in the dye pots and generating some beauties that I can't wait to showcase next month, and I'm finally working on a pattern that's been sitting idle for AGES.
So what do we do as crafters when the desire to craft ebbs, and we look at our projects with a decided lack of enthusiasm? It's always alright to just step away from our crafts - after all, you're supposed to enjoy your hobbies, and what's the point if it's not enjoyable?! I don't seem to have a great strategy; has anyone else come up with a tried-and-true method of getting back to projects with excitement and interest in a hurry, instead of just waiting?
Now that's not to say I'd fallen out of love with yarncraft! There's been so much good stuff going on in the last few months, and my single project was another test-knit for Tin Can Knits that's a beautiful FO I can't wait to share once the pattern is out. I've been surrounded by amazing inspiration and I love that our community is so talented and willing to share their talents with others. Sometimes the best encouragement for me is just looking at everyone else's projects and creativity. And now I'm ready to pick up the needles again, and get going :)

New lookbook! Yarnspirations: Picknit

Holy moly, we're almost half way through June! So let's talk about the gorgeous summer weather and how awesome it is to be outside and not get frostbite :D Yarnspirations has noted this, and released a new lookbook full of patterns to picnic with. There's some lovely bright colours and quick projects, and this time, I actually feel like the knit and crochet projects are much more balanced in terms of skill. It's much less "complicated fine-weight knit pullover" and then "quick and easy chunky crochet pullover," and much more "here's some knits, and here's some crochet" and they're about the same skill level. This is a bugbear of mine and Bernice's, so I'm quite pleased to see this! And now, onto the patterns!

Knit bucket tote

I'm always skeptical of yarncrafted bags that aren't solidly woven, only because I'm worried they'll sag and stretch. This one looks decently firm, though I don't like the pooling effect.

Pastoral lace knit shawl

I didn't think I was into shawls, but I've slowly been amassing a collection. That being said, this one looks like it'd be beautiful in a variegated yarn or something with speckles - the plain green isn't quite enough to bring out the lace.

Knit for the road blanket

I like the way this blanket rolls up for storage/carrying, though knit blankets do take AGES to make. Bring your most patient yarncrafting - or do this one on a road trip.

Crochet convertible blanket bag

Pretty handy that this wee blanket ropes up to carry, and I do like the starburst motif. I'd probably make the handles shorter; in the photo, the bag hangs down pretty low (yeah, I know the kid is also pretty short, haha), so it might drag quite a bit otherwise.

Lil' leaf crochet play mat and ladybug toy

Just a pretty cute and probably pretty quick project. I've never worked with Bernat Blanket but I'd be inclined to either line the bottom of this mat with fabric, or do a duplicate bottom with cotton or Super Saver - a workhorse yarn that could stand up to being in the grass. Though if Blanket is hardy enough, it should be fine.

Handy square knit cushion

Love the pattern on this one, especially with the variegated yarn. I'd question the use of cream - grass stains! - but I do think these colours are great together. Plus, cushion!

Cute crochet carry-all

Once again, yarncrafted bag. I imagine putting my solid brick of a laptop in there and watching it just sag out. You'd have to do this with a tight gauge to combat the weight.

Spiral crochet pillow

I like the low-key stitch pattern on these pillows, and I bet they work up pretty quick. Again with the cream, but whatever, that's easy enough to change. 

Gingham crochet picnic blanket

Love. I'm a huge fan of the gingham look in both knit and crochet, so this blanket is probably my fave.

Crochet pic-a-nic basket

This is a pretty cute basket, and would easily accessorize inside as well. Plus, you could probably use it for anything in the house, not just picnic things, so the versatility and simplicity of it is great.

Cheerful ripple knit blanket

This is a bit much for me, with all the colours, all the patterns, and all the poms. I'd probably do it with a main colour and one or two accents, or a palette of similar shades to calm it down a bit, and do maybe one pompom each in the corners, or better yet, tassels.

Kaeleigh's stand out patterns:
Favourite pattern: Gingham crochet picnic blanket
Gotta make it for myself: Gingham crochet picnic blanket - yep, two votes for this one!
Makes me wish I did more crochet: Spiral crochet pillow
No thank you, please: Cute crochet carry-all - hard pass on bags!

Bernice's stand out patterns:
Favourite pattern: Knit for the Road Blanket. I was admiring blankets just like this at Chapters the other day. This inspires me to work out a crochet version for myself...knit would take a me a million years!
Gotta make it for myself: Gingham crochet picnic blanket - in classic red and white for me!
Makes me wish I did more knitting: Knit bucket tote. I actually love how the pooling looks on this! I've been doing a little knitting myself these days, and I bet I could probably successfully make this. 
No thank you, please: Cheerful Ripple Knit Blanket. Whoa, a lot going on there. Like, too much. 

Loose ends

So you might remember me mentioning I was doing some test knits - or if you've followed me on Instagram, I posted a bit about the Ambah O'Brien Lovetta shawl test knit. I haven't posted about the Tin Can Knits one since they want to maintain a little secrecy til the pattern comes out, but I'm excited to share it because I love it AND I made it with my own hand-dyed yarn and really enjoy how the dye job knit up :D So stay tuned for that, it'll be a gooder!

At the same time as all that, some other, There and Back-related news happened: I released a pattern alongside a pile of fantastic local designers in conjunction with the Manitoba Fibre Festival, which happens here every September and I'm SO excited to also share that I'll be a vendor there too!

I'm a little terrified, tbh: I haven't been in the business for a full year, so this is a big step, although it was actually my ultimate business goal for this year so I'm also so pumped to be realizing one of my most monumental aims. BIG times over here! So I'm trying to find more time to dye - you've all heard me go on about how busy I am, so we'll save it - and the other day I threw down some grey for another test knit. It turned out so well, and made me remember how much I love putting bare yarn and beautiful dyes together. I'm definitely going to be doing up more greys and I've got a bunch of different bases to share too. By the time September rolls around, my yarn game will be pretty tight and market-ready!

Other than that big news, I've finally had a bit of time to catch up on some UFOs that have been lingering. My Salal cardi by Andi Satterlund (Untangling Knots) had been sadly haunting my coffee table knitting storage, and I was sad every time I saw its unfinished sleeve - it's such a beautiful little cardi and I knew it would be perfect as a transition piece for the weather PLUS I love Andi's patterns. Her set-in sleeves are wonderful and if you're looking for something other than raglan, they're a great seamless option. So at long last I finished up that little beauty and it's blocking right now! I'll have to go button-hunting tomorrow so I can wear it :D It'll be just perfect for the library, for sure.

I'm also still in pattern development mode, but that's always, these days :P What are your favourite warm weather patterns? Do you plan ahead for the seasons to come, or try and crank out some quick current-season bonus pieces?

Oh, and before I go, I'll leave you with a lovely pupper!

Gardens and puppies and knitting, oh my!

I've been (once again) quiet over here - I guess it's more like a pattern than an exception, which wasn't really what I had in mind when Bernice and I started up! Alas. Anywho, it's been an intense few weeks: spring has rushed over with all kinds of hustle, so I've been spending way more time outside in the garden (and picking off woodticks - don't get me started), doing some home livestock management with our ducks and chickens, keeping the cats from eating everything that's ever left unattended, and most of all, welcoming and attempting to train our new puppy, Clover! She's just nine weeks old so the training part is largely illusory but she's learning to come when we call, and also working on being left alone for short periods while we have to do other boring stuff like dishes and vacuuming (that's me, not my husband, haha). She comes from a large pack, so being alone is a weird new thing for her, but the cats don't seem interested in letting her join up and she kind of seems to want to murder the ducks, so we figure she'll just rock out on her own for now.

Other than all that home stuff, I've been attempting to knit and read as much as I actually want to, which is challenging with a job and other demands on my time! But I've managed a fair bit - reading technically falls under the purview of my job (librarian) so that works out, and knitting falls under the purview of the OTHER job (yarncraft) so voila! Work-related hobbies :D
My knitting news is pretty sweet - in the past two months I've worked on two tests; one Ambah O'Brien wrap, Lovetta, you'll have seen if you follow me on Insta, and one secret test for Tin Can Knits that I can't wait to show off because not only is the pattern easy and awesome, but it's with my hand-dyed yarn! So stay tuned for that beauty. In addition, I've been accepted into Manitoba Fibre Fest 2018!! So if you're heading down in September, you'll be able to find There and Back Yarns as a wee display there. I'll have patterns, hand dyed yarn, and hopefully a few kits and wooden accessories. I'm really excited, and also excited to get to all the dyeing...after the garden is all done, of course :P
So to that end, I was able to fit in a pattern for the MBFF2018 Make Along! It's called Snowy Path, and it's a nice easy cowl that's got enough embellishment to keep you entertained, but is simple enough to wear with pretty much everything, depending on your yarn choices or fashion sense ;) Since that's usually what I look for in a cowl, I'm pretty pleased with this little piece!

If you're interested in purchasing it, you can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/snowy-path-cowl-2
And if you want more details on MBFF2018, you can check out their site (with MAL details) here:
https://manitobafibrefestival.com/makers-challenge-2018/
Well, these tomatoes won't plant themselves, or so I hope...that would just be a bit weird for me. So I guess it's time to tuck my pants into my socks and get outside! Enjoy the rest of May (didn't it just start?!) and watch for some exciting pattern peeks in the following months as I get myself together and get some more of my own designs on the needles :D

May Two-Four

I hope you're all having as chill a May long weekend as I am. In Manitoba, the first holiday weekend of the summer is lovingly nicknamed May Two Four, since the holiday Monday often falls on the 24th, and all you need to get ready for the weekend is to pick up a case of 24 (known as a Two Four) beer and get to partying!

As I got home Friday night jubilant that a three day weekend had finally arrived...my eyes were drawn to a rock and roll craft I created many a year ago and thought it would be the perfect thing to share today.

So this is my one and only cross stitch creation ever. I had the idea and took it through to completion, and have so far not had the urge to ever cross stitch again haha. It's certainly not my crafty calling but I'm awfully fond of this piece and I'm so glad I finished it. 

This of course is a reference to Skid Row's title track off their 1991 Slave to the Grind album and the subject matter has soothed and inspired me at different points in my life. Once it was finished, I hung it on the wall beside my dishwasher. I find it's a good thing to ponder on while toiling away the the dishes ;)

The guitars took me untold hours of work to create. I'm not much of an artist as far as drawing goes, but I sat at my TV and watched the Slave to the Grind video over and over, working on pixel versions of Snake's guitar and Rachel's bass from the music video. After that, I searched for the perfect colours to match the originals as closely as possible and got to stitching!

I'm not sure how long ago I stitched this guy up - probably over 5 years ago, and I recently came upon my original sketches for it. It might be time to graph it up on Stitch Fiddle and share it with crafty rock and rollers out there!

But that's all for another day, it is the long weekend after all and I can't be working too hard. I'll just leave you with the rocker of a video and hope you all are working on being king of the world! If you need a little help turning up to 11, this ought to help!

Seasonally appropriate weather, hooray!

If you're not tired of hearing it yet, I really think it's finally spring! Certainly everything seems to be behaving that way: we have five new calves, I've put some of the screens back in the windows (and then OPENED them!), and the last of the snow is black with dirt and very sulkily receding. I started tackling some yard chores - not a moment to waste - but wrangling wooden snow fence might be my new least favourite chore.

Some volunteer plants in the front garden!

But Kaeleigh, you ask, what does all this have to do with knitting?!

Nothing, aside from that it's nice enough to knit outside and that always makes me happy. I've been doing test-knits for two of my very favourite designers, Ambah O'Brien and Tin Can Knits; I'm still so chuffed to be picked! They're both coming along nicely and I love my yarns :D I chose one of my hand-dyed DK colourways for the TCK test and it's so cool to see my yarn knit up, especially since I wasn't sure how it would look. No pools yet though!

My Lovetta test for Ambah O'Brien :)

I've got some designs of my own planned, including one for MB Fibre Fest that I'm really pumped about - who's got suggestions for tech editors?? Usually I just edit my own patterns so I'm not sure how all that works. I also have a big ol' box of bare yarn waiting to get at my dye pots and that is ALWAYS fun!

In addition, Bernice and I hit up the Keystone Alpaca Classic this past weekend in Brandon (with our husbands in tow); although we missed pretty much all of it because we thought it was a two-day event and by 1pm on Sunday everyone was leaving, we enjoyed visiting with a farmer we'd never met, and admired many beautiful alpaca! We've both agreed the "multicoloured" ones are so fun to look at and imagine their yarn :)

It promises to be a VERY busy summer but it should also be loads of fun!

Crochet Cardigan - Winnipeg Jets Playoff Edition

When do you do when you're crafty AF and your ALSO your team's headed to the playoffs? You make a sweater in your team's colours so you can show your team spirit in the most handmade of fashions of course!

A few weeks back, I was browsing around Ravelry and experienced love at first sight when I laid eyes on the Mountain Forest Cardigan. I immediately purchased the pattern and went straight to the craft store. I knew I didn't want to go with the colour scheme modeled in the pattern...and it didn't take me too long to imagine myself cozied up for the playoffs in the Jets colours!

So here's what I came up with...

So this is my super comfy team spirit cardi. I finished it the night before Game One and gave it a washing and blocking just in time for Winnipeg's first playoff win. I used Patons Classic Wool Worsted in Navy as the Main Colour, with the accents in Light Grey Marl, Dark Grey Marl, and Bright Red. It has a great weight and thickness to it, perfect for these chilly, winter-like spring days we've been having. It even has pockets so you can keep your hands warm!

So I'll pretty much be living in this...except for DURING games, when white must be worn for the Winnipeg Whiteout! Apparently, you have to wear white even if you are only watching at home, according to my husband anyway!

I'm loving this sweater so much, I've started another in Patons Classic Wool Worsted Cognac Heather as the main colour. I'm going to switch up some of the details as I go to keep it interesting, can't wait to show the next one off to you all.

Have a great weekend everyone...and of course...GO JETS GO!

Milestones and more yarn

Good Monday to you all! If you're on my side of the Atlantic, good morning - if elsewhere, good afternoon and evening :) My husband and his dad repurposed a lovely display cabinet (originally for guns) for my yarn and as I was setting it up yesterday, I realized some of my yarn hadn't been listed in my Etsy shop, so today is hooray for new listings! You can check them out here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ThereandBackYarn I'm particularly fond of that bright chunky green; when I was a kid, it was a Sunday treat when my grandparents would take us to Chicken Chef, a fantastic central Canadian fried chicken chain (for which I still have a massive soft spot!), and their kids' menu dessert was green Jell-o with whipped cream. I thought of that as I was dyeing this yarn, and I think it came out pretty spot on!

In addition, my first published pattern, Hunter's Orange, hit 500 downloads! I'm so pleased that 500 people have noticed and been interested in the pattern to download it, and there are even a few projects on Ravelry! Your support means so much to me - without it, I wouldn't be able to do all this fun yarn stuff - so I'm very thankful for everyone who takes an interest in my patterns and yarn :)
Well it wouldn't be a springtime blog post if I didn't make a snarky comment about the weather, so I guess I'd better fit that in before I go bring in MORE wood for our woodstove. Warm temps any time now!!

Slackers or what?

You haven't heard a lot from us lately - sorry about that! I don't know about Bernice (or you all), but this tail end of winter always makes me impatient and procrastinatory; you know, the "I'll do it when it's warmer" attitude. Well there's no use holding our breath for that eh? At least not in Manitoba.

Regardless, I have been up to some stuff! I finished my Lionheart hoodie with the Tanis Fiber Arts DK in Rose Grey that I frogged from a failed sweater (ironically, another Jane Richmond pattern - I love the sweater, that one just didn't fit me at all!), and am *just about* finished a Portage cardigan in my old stashed TFA DK in Aquarelle - can you tell I had a TFA obsession a few years ago? I do love their colours!! And now that I'm focusing on stash busting, a lot of that yarn is coming onto the needles.

I also published an accessory collection! You can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/lone-pine/patterns I'm really pleased with how they all turned out; I wear the mittens and toque more often now that it's not -30C, and I've been wearing the cowl loads since I made it. It's good for indoors and out so it gets more use than the other two - I really appreciate my Arika cowls but they have loads of fringe so it kinda gets into stuff when I'm doing dishes, cleaning, sitting with my cats...the Lone Pine cowl is just a nice comfy tube so it pretty much just turns any shirt into a turtleneck. I'll definitely be making more.

And in not-really-yarn-news, I'm now the local librarian! As a kid, I pretty much lived at the library, and in the last few years, I've been searching for ways to get closer to libraries as a career, but without having to spend money we didn't have on upskilling (a Masters in sociology is great but it's not quite suitable for getting librarian jobs). This job is a perfect opportunity for me to get into the community and do some good stuff for our lovely area, whilst petting lots of wonderful books. I'm so pumped!

So. That's what's up on this side of the valley. That, and ducks. We have two ducklings (well they're feathering out pretty good, so almost full grown) and we're about to hatch like 15 chickens and six more ducks, so that'll keep us busy - and calving starts in just a few weeks! Then it's spring for sure :)

Hot off the Hook - A look at my Done in Love Pullover

Hi all - after a very glamorous photo shoot a few weekends ago, here's a look at my Done in Love Pullover. A very special thanks to my partner in crime Kaeleigh...I'm a pretty reluctant model and she got some great shots in spite of me ;)

I'm generally thrilled with how it came out...especially after a gentle washing, the arms relaxed to the perfect length and it's super warm and soft. Tons of credit to Cog Yarns for putting together a beautiful 5 Skein Kit and helping me pick out the Cloud Grey to add in so that I had enough yardage for the project. I'll definitely use this pattern again in the future! The only modifications I made were that instead of using the crossover double crochet throughout the torso, I just used it for a panel at the back, and did a regular double crochet through the rest. Since the sweater is so colourful, I just thought keeping things simpler with the stitches would look best for this particular project. I also made the sweater a size large but the sleeves a size medium...it just seemed to fit my body better that way.

Here's a couple more photos for detail:

And just for fun, here's my model shot (squinty - it was mad bright out).

And I MUST end with a goofy pic - here's how I REALLY feel about modeling!

That's all for now! Make the best of your weekend - with the time change it's an hour shorter than your average weekend so make it count :)

FO Friday!

Happy Friday all :) In Manitoba, we're kicking off a long weekend with Louis Riel Day falling on this coming Monday, and after a cold and dreary 2018, I think everyone deserves an extra day to stay safe and warm indoors!

Of course that means I've been fairly productive with my yarncrafting. I managed to finish off my Summer Mist Throw...despite my cat Maid Marian's best efforts...

There she is just DARING me to remove it from my yarn Raskog and get to work. I didn't win that battle, but I did win the war eventually haha. Here it is!

Turned out kinda nice, no? This sucker came out to be around 6 feet by 6 feet and my husband and I don't have to fight much for a piece of it during couch time - there's plenty for us both! In case you wanted to reproduce this colour way, I used Loops and Threads Impeccable in Aran, Heather, and Navy and Vanna's Choice in Dusty Green. When I got to the border, instead of alternating rows of single crochet, I did a row of single crochet in Aran, then a row of half double crochet in the back loops using Navy, then a row of double crochets in the back loops in Heather. For the last row I used Dusty Green and did a row of single crochets in the back loops.

And now that it's all done, I've got nothing but time to work on new projects! Stay tuned next weekend when I FINALLY unveil my completed Done in Love pullover. Plus I've been working on a clothing design on my own...keep your fingers crossed that I can work this sucker out! You can bet I'll share the pattern if it does!

Have a great weekend! I gotta turn my attentions to the 3rd period of the Jets game so ta ta for now :)

New Lookbook! Patons Warm Minimalism

Now a brand under the umbrella of Yarnspirations, Patons has some lovely patterns for its yarn, and this lookbook delivers a variety of home projects with a general theme of "cozy up and keep it simple."

Crochet Crunch Stitch Pillow
I like the look of this pillow and the stitch pattern looks simple enough to memorize. I'm never sure about wooden buttons (or any buttons, for that matter) on a pillow, but they look pretty.

Cross Roads Cable Knit Blanket
Gorgeous cables make this blanket stand out, and the straight portions promise a bit of a break from solid cables - both for the eye, and for your hands.

Seed Stitch Knit Pillow
What can you say about seed stitch? Classic and simple, this pattern largely relies on colour to carry it through to distinction.

Knit Herringbone Pillow
This is my personal favourite in the collection; I'm a sucker for herringbone and I immediately checked the yarn gauge to see if I could do this one at home. However, this pillow is MASSIVE (24" square) and I'm unlikely to need something that big on the couch, so suffice to say I'll be working out a smaller count.

Wedge It Crochet Blanket
Interestingly enough, this blanket looks almost exactly like a Purl Soho free pattern, aside from being crochet and not using short rows. I like the look of the design though.

Irish Moss Knit Floor Pillow
Hmmm, more moss? Moss stitch is very similar to seed stitch, so this one kind of seems like a repeat, albeit a giant version of the seed stitch pillows.

Corner Dip Stripe Crochet Afghan
A classic design that uses tassels to stand out just a bit. The border also keeps the blanket from being too simple, and I like corner to corner designs. Anyone want to tell me what makes this one blanket an afghan? I need a yarncraft dictionary!

Knit Shadowbox Blanket
Probably the most complex design in the bunch, I love the look of this since I always enjoy sneaky optic tricks. I'd love to see this one in all kinds of colours; it'd be especially beautiful in monochrome, I think!

Little Dots Will Do Ya Crochet Blanket
This one's a touch too quaint for me, though I like the dot motif. I think if you did it with just the dots and omitted the puff stitch, it might be a little less busy on the eye, and more in line with the minimalist motif.

Tap In Crochet Tapestry
Hard pass. This does nothing for me, but I could see it becoming a lot more fun with different yarn choices and maybe some funky stitches - kind of sampler style.

Crochet Marled Chair Pad
I'm not against chair pads but these don't look like loads of fun. Maybe a pretty quick knit, which would be a redeeming feature. However, they don't seem to have any way to anchor them to chairs, and sliding chair pads are no good at all.

Knit Plant Cozies
Once again, hard pass. While this might be a good place to practice new stitches, I don't have house plants and if I did, I think I'd just rather paint the pots than have something like a wool cozy that would get dirty, wet, and dusty.

Kaeleigh's stand out patterns:
Favourite pattern: Herringbone Knit Pillow
Gotta make it for myself: Shadowbox Knit Blanket
Makes me wish I did more crochet: Crochet Crunch Stitch Pillow
No thank you, please: Tie between the Tap In Crochet Tapestry and Knit Plant Cozies - home accessories like that just don't do it for me.

Bernice's stand out patterns:
Favourite pattern: Cross Roads Cable Knit Blanket
Gotta make it for myself: Wedge It Crochet Blanket
Makes me wish I did more knitting: Knit Shadowbox Blanket
No thank you, please: Crochet Marled Chair Pad - WTF? That's a falling off a chair accident waiting to happen. 

Frog-it Friday

For as many days of the week, there are yarncraft terms that provide a catchy alliteration. And more, as demonstrated by my title - usually this would be Finished Object (FO) Friday and Bernice can provide that for you lovely folks later on, but for me, it's froggin' time.

I've been showing a few shots of a new design I've been working on for a while: it's an orange sweater with grey trim, and the orange is my own hand-dyed worsted. I was pretty sure I had the whole thing on lock and went full steam ahead over the month of December. At long last, last week I'd finished the front and I seamed the shoulders, all ready to try it on and do the sleeves.
But.
I looked like a dumpy pumpkin with leaf mold when I stood in front of the mirror.
I hated the grey at the top. I hated the pattern. I hated the shape, most of all. Why hadn't I done a split hem? Why didn't I do the pattern in the style of a gansey - where the embellishments are mostly just on the yoke and not in the body?
It's possible blocking would've eased out some of the poofiness of the body. But why keep going on it when I already don't like it at all?

So it's back to the drawing board for me, but I'm not actually as mad as I should maybe be. Perhaps I'm mellowing out after frogging so much lately. Or just encouraged to come up with something better after such a short time? Who knows. Either way, I'm spending the next few hours sketching hem lines, thinking about shoulders, and finally, casting on to give it all another go. And in the meantime (because why have one WIP when you can have like, eight?), I'm also going to put together a pattern for these fellows, which I made ages ago but never wrote down. I'm planning a knit one to match the original crochet, and once I get it right, I'll dye some yarn and whip up a few to hang out on my couch...or better yet, hang out somewhere high out of the reach of my greedy cats :P

Enjoy your weekend!

My dye lessons - and a new pattern!

Good Monday to you! I know most people don't go by that, but looking at the calendar tells me we've pretty much just blasted through January and we're making some serious headway on winter. That's exciting for me - any opportunity not to have to haul firewood for a little while!

I thought I would share a little bit more about my dyeing. If you've been following along on my Instagram, you'll know that I sometimes don't quite reproduce the colours I have in my head. This isn't actually that surprising, but I've probably been too tough on myself about it. In reality, the last four weeks of dyeing have been a lot of fun because even if my colourways are sometimes a bit more a surprise than I expect, the actual technical aspects are coming off a lot better than they did when I started, and that's always exciting! And even if my colours are different than I might expect, they've actually all turned out very pretty, even my "brown" of the last dye day - that one is a beautiful pink with dark tones in some spots, and I might even keep it and knit it up for myself ;)

This "unicorn" colourway came out much darker than I expected and all I keep thinking of when I see it is the cover of this book, This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. Makes me think I should dye more yarn to match my books!

I've only got a bit of bare yarn left from this last order, but I'm looking forward to putting some colour on it. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of giving black a try, or at least grey; after that grim week of hoarfrost and fog, I was feeling in the mood for some neutrals.

Really, I've just learned that it's more fun to start out with an idea than an expectation. Flexibility is key, and as long as I'm happy with the final product, it doesn't really matter what comes out of the pot :)

And last but not least, it's New Pattern Day! I wrote a simple cowl pattern of my own after buying a skein of Olive Park Yarns' chunky merino; they're a mother-daughter dye team out of Morris, Manitoba and they've got a great eye for colour! I loved knitting up this yarn, although I did frog it a few times and started to get worried (ti's only a single ply) that I was being a bit hard on it! But it held up and made a lovely cowl: the Dovetail cowl, which is live on Ravelry now for only CAD$2 this week! Get your toonies out and get knitting!

Friday Dyeday and other new stuff

I'm not going to start off by saying I've been crazy busy - because that's pretty evident - so I'll just move right on to all the stuff I've been up to!
I've tried to get in the habit, after ordering a big box of bare yarn, of dyeing on Fridays (hence the title); if you've been following my Instagram, you've seen some of the results of this! My first dye day was a little off the mark of accuracy but I still love the products so I'm not too salty about it.

Today went even better: I had some colours in mind and managed to get pretty close to what I wanted. My main hurdle right now is that pot dyeing will never produce results quite the same as hotel pan dyeing (those big long rectangular pans), just because you don't have the same angle. That's not to say one is necessarily *better*, just that they're different. One of the things I'm having trouble with right now is consistency of colour coverage, but my colourways lately have worked in whites or light spots so it's not dire. It is something I'll have to keep an eye on though. I also dyed up the last of my worsted weight plain wool that I brought over from the UK and I was surprised (and also not hugely surprised) at the difference in colour uptake between that and some chunky superwash merino I did at the same time. Here's the blue-grey I did up; I had stormy skies in mind when I dyed it and today the sky was a very similar combo, so I feel like I got pretty close :) EDIT: The first shot is the worsted and the second shot is the chunky (I thought I'd taken shots of the two side-by-side but I think my camera died before that).

Other than my dye days, I've been working on getting some patterns ready for publication, here and there. Focus is one of my goals for the year, and I'll certainly need it! Lots to think about. That being said, I'll have a pattern ready to show you all by the end of next week, so watch this space!
We're also working on lots of farm things (of course); we have piggies now, we're looking at lots of other animals to add to the family, and my husband and father in-law installed some lumber racks in the woodshop so we're closer to actually reaching the lathes and tools again - that place is pure chaos so it'll be excellent when it's all tidied up! A good winter job for sure, and I'm really excited to get in there and start turning some of the hawthorn I've been clearing here on the homestead.

Last but not least, my extracurricular work (read: other people's patterns). I might have to finally face facts that although my gauge is loose, it's not loose enough for me to lie to myself and knit up the smallest size of sweaters anymore. I bound off my Camaro (a lovely Tanis a Arts pattern) and it's ridiculous. I can get it on, but it's an embarrassing piece of work; I'm sure blocking won't be THAT generous. I'll have to frog the whole thing, which is deeply disappointing, but I'm not going to forget this lesson any time soon. I also wound up some LottieKnits and Fyberspates to do a Keady wrap by Ambah O'Brien for the KAL going on in her Ravelry forum; I'm a little behind because I'm also working on a million other things (as it seems, anyway), but I love the colours together and I can't wait to put in some more time on this wrap! And last but not least, I'm almost finished the curling sweater commission (onto the back, at long last) and although it's been a bit troublesome with bad charts, I love how it's coming together and I can't wait to get it all together and see it finished!
Phew - and it's only half way through January! Just wait for the rest of the month ;)

I'll leave you with Pepper, perpetually surprised, and Juniper, perpetually salty.

Greetings from the Ice Planet Hoth - Projects for when it's way to cold to go outside.

First of all...Happy New Year! Here's to a happy and productive 2018. Over here in Manitoba, we've been locked into a cold snap for almost 2 weeks now, with temps regularly dropping lower than -30 C with a wicked windchill added in for good measure. My one out of town gathering meant I had to brave the weather - and was rewarded with 2 flat tires before I even got out of the city! Luckily our second car fared a lot better and we did make it out to visit my family AND go see Kaeleigh at her new digs in the country. That was a jolly good time, especially since I had been just dying to meet those kittens of hers.

Suffice it to say, I've been staying home A LOT. It's been a productive time, so I thought I'd put together a pattern and book round-up. Maybe some of these will help you stave off the winter crazies if you're trapped inside like I am :)

1. The Yarnspirations Summer Mist Throw. Ironic name, no? I thought it was time to whip up a new afghan for the living room, since the current crocheted afghan I have in use is the literal first crochet project I ever did. It was definitely time for an upgrade. I'm working it up in the same colours as my hexagon curtains and I'm about halfway through. Here's a shot of how it's looking so far...

Thanks to Tiger Lily for the great job modeling, haha. What made me choose this pattern is the way that the four colours alternate through the motif. It's so thick and warm already! I did alter the pattern by making my rows 199 stitches across instead of 109, so that it's big enough to share when it's done.

2. Hats hats hats! I've whipped up seven hats since my last post! The latest one I did was with some lovely Koigu yarn that Kaeleigh gifted me. It worked up beautifully - amazing how much more impressive it looks when it's off the skein and made into something!

The pattern is called the Watchcap Beanie and it was easy as pie. Fingering yarn is slow going though, especially when you knit as slowly as I do!

At my family gathering in Winkler, my sister in law was saying she wanted a slouchy toque, so I whipped up the Shell V Shell Crochet Slouch for her. It worked up in a few hours and came out lovely!

And finally, my other sis in law got gifted five touques after she asked me to make her one. She had lost her only toque and due to skin allergies can only wear natural fibres. I raided my cotton yarn stash and challenged myself to make as many as I could for her before I saw her for Christmas. She ended up with two Slouchy Shells hats, a Jayne Cobb hat (without the ear flaps), a The Blog Collection Beanie, and my personal favourite - a Diamond Pattern Hat, which I worked up in black and a white with flecks of blue, yellow and green in it. It looked lovely and was my personal favourite :) I'll be making that one again FOR SURE. It even introduced me to using 2 colours in knitting - new skill acquired!

3. Books books books - 2018 aspirations. I've been gifted a few books lately and they encapsulate my goals for this year.

Here's hoping that by 2019, I'm dyeing yarn, designing projects, and knitting Fair Isle motifs like a boss! All of these books are available on Amazon, and they do not disappoint. 

Phew - that's all for now. Coming up next for me, the reveal of my completed Done in Love Pullover...as soon as I can borrow Kaeleigh's photography skills for my modeling session ;)