New Year's Resolutions in Knitting

Hello Friends!

Countdown to 2014:  3 days!

The New Year is fast approaching and this is the time of the year that I like to reflect on what is working and what is not working and where I would like to improve.  Some of the new accomplishments in my knitting this year were knitting mittens and a hat set, knitting a headband, knitting some items to sell to family and friends and learning to knit the raspberry stitch.  I loved learning these new things in 2013 and I hope to learn even more in 2014. 

My New Year’s resolutions in knitting are:

1. Try fair isle

I always thought that fair isle looks beautiful but complicated.  It would be fun to give it a try this year.

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 2. Knit a sweater 
I love the idea of knitting a sweater.  It is my number one goal this year!

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 3. Knit another pair of mittens
These mittens are adorable! I would love to knit them.  I knitted a pair of mittens this year but I would love to have more practice.

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 4. Knit socks 
I  want to knit a pair of socks this year.  I have not really given this a real try yet and would love to learn the proper way to knit a sock.

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5. Try following a pattern

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6. Keep experimenting with different stitches

The stitch below is so interesting I would love to learn to knit this.  I loved learning to knit the raspberry stitch this year and I would like to challenge myself to try other stitches.

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What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Hope you have a great day!

Take care,

Lisa :)

Merry Christmas!

Hello Friends!

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  I really appreciate your support, comments, and company.  It is always wonderful when you visit!
I finished my mom's scarf and just wanted to post a few photos of the wrapped product.  I will post photos later of the scarf and the pattern :)

All the best to you and your family this holiday season!

Take care,

Lisa xo

Finished the Knitted Turban headband!

Hello Friends,

Christmas Countdown: 3 days!!

I finished my knitted turban headband tonight!  I wanted to share the photos of the finished headband with you along with the pattern I used.

The finished product!

Me wearing the headband

~Pattern~

Cast on 16 stitches (or less depending on your gauge and yarn you use)

kn2,p2 until you reach your desired width depending on the measurement of your head.

cast off, then attach ends together (ends from the cast on and cast off)

cast on 6 stitches

stockinette stitch until the length is able to wrap around the first piece.

Then cast off and wrap the piece around the body of the headband.

Then weave in the end strand to attach the ends together to form the front of the turban headband.

There you go! you have your turban headband :) enjoy

Have a great day!

Take care,

Lisa xo

Starting the Knitted Turban Headband

Hello Friends!

This afternoon I decided to begin knitting a turban headband because they look so great and I am seeing them everywhere this season!
I was inspired by the photo below I love the way the headbands look and I think the extra knitted detail in front adds a lot to the traditional knitted headband.  It really dresses it up!

Turban headbands (Photo source)

I began knitting the headband today with the beautiful wool I bought from Michael's.  It's Lion Brand, Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn.  I love this wool, it's so chunky and soft to work with.  I decided to do a ribbed stitch all the way around and I will knit a piece to wrap around the front when I am done.  I am excited to see the finished project already I think this will be a quick knit!

Thank you for visiting my blog! if you leave a link to your blog I will pop by for a visit! I love visiting new blogs :)

Take care,
Lisa xo

It's Christmastime!

Hello friends,

I have been busy with lots of fun Christmas activities lately.  Last week I went with my boyfriend to the Distillery District again but this time at night.  I was able to get a lot of nice photos with lights this time.  I wanted to share some with you.

It such a pretty sight to see all the lights around and fun to  look in all the shops.  I hope you are having fun celebrating the holidays in your own special way!

I have been working hard knitting my mom's scarf for Christmas lately.  It's getting longer now and it will be done soon! I will be posting photos!  Then I will get to work on the next project.  I have been eyeing those knitted Turban headbands lately I can't wait to knit one up!


Take care,
Lisa

Ten Gift Ideas for Knitters (all year round)

Hello friends,

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday morning and afternoon.    I had an idea last night to post an entry about gift ideas for people who love to knit! All of the photos are found on Pinterest from other sites so I do not take any credit for the photos or the items.  I have included links below so you can visit the websites if there is anything that catches your eye!
There are so many things on this list that I would love to receive but if you have any knitters on your list, these ideas might help you to get that special person something they will treasure.  Christmas is so close now (10 days) but there is still enough time to order these special items for a knitter and all these gifts can be given all year round for birthdays or special occasions.  

1.  Buttons with fun knitting related words and photos.  I would love to have these on my knitting bag! You can look at some of Pepsy’s  and MyButtonMonster's designs on Etsy.

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2. Beautiful stitch markers by TJBdesigns.  I need some of these! I love them in the purple color they are so pretty.

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 3.     Fun knitting tote bags with knitting related phrases.  I love the expressions!visit Cafepress  to see more!

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4.    A yarn bowl! So your yarn keeps coming along and the ball doesn’t fall to the ground.  Such a great invention! Visit LorettyWrayPottery on Etsy to see how you can get your hands one!

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5.  If you or the person you are buying for has pierced ears, these are a great way to show your love for knitting.  Wearthou on Etsy shows us a different way we can wear yarn. 

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6.  Great artwork for your walls or the wall of a knitter you know!  I love the play on the visit to the orthodontis, it's so fun :)  Visit ILiveonaFarm's Etsy account for more details. 

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7.    Cute needles and yarn necklace!  I love that you can make it with different colors of wool.

Please visit Think Crafts! for more information.

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8.  These notecards for knitters are adorable that say "knit happens" by apaperaffaire.  They would be great to send notes to friends and family or for a knitting business.

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9.    I love this idea of having a beautiful fabric case for your circular needles from abellawear on Etsy! I put my circular needles in pockets on the side of my knitting bag but it would be lovely to have a special case like this to put them in.

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10.   Getting a knitter some fun and interesting knitting needles is a great way to go with gifts! they will think of you whenever they are knitting with them and it's something unique! These toadstool needles from the ClayBeancCo on Etsy are adorabel and there are so many other interesting options for your loved ones to choose from! 

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I hope you liked some of the ideas here and either purchase some for yourself or a loved one!  I know I have added a few to my wishlist ;)

Have a great day!
Thank you as always for your support and comments I love reading them!

Lisa xo

Apps for Knitters!

Hello Friends,

If you have an iPhone or can get access to the app store from your phone, there are different options of apps you can download for knitters.  I found these great apps by browsing the app store one day.  I was pretty excited to see that there are a lot of apps to help knitters.

I found a Lion Brand Yarn app that lets you know about Lion Brand Yarn products and also can suggest projects to try based on your knitting level. The app is free and only available if you have an apple account. The levels go from beginner (Level 1) to experienced (Level 5).  For each level they offer a variety of patterns to knit or crochet different things.  The app is called “Lion Brand Yarn” and you can find it when you type in “knitting” in the App store on your iPhone. 

Another free app I found is “Stitch Minder” it is so helpful for counting the number of rows you have knitted or the number of pattern repeats you have done.   You simply tap the number to increase it by one so no more jotting the number of rows you have done on scraps of paper, it is easier to keep track this way.  There are also others like this available in the app store.  The app is called “Stitch Minder” and you can find it when you type in “knitting” in the App store on your iPhone. 

The third app I am featuring is “Knitter’s Handbook”.  This app was not free but it came at the price of only $1.99.  This app offers photos and videos and written instructions on how to do cables, buttonholes, different cast on methods, different decreasing methods, and more.  It is clear, and easy to follow and understand.  The videos offer verbal instructions while demonstrating how to do the knitting.  The app is called “Knitter's Handbook” and you can find it when you type in “knitting” in the App store on your iPhone. 

I hope you find one that you like J

Christmas Preparations

Hello Friends,

Countdown to Christmas: 15 days!

It is getting closer to Christmas now I am sure most of you are working on completing those amazing knitted gifts for loved ones.  I know I would love to receive the amazing knits I have been seeing on your blogs lately.  I finished knitting the hat for my boyfriend and now I just need to finish the infinity scarf for my mom, then I am done for gifts.  

As you can see I still have a long way to go! I will be knitting a lot in the next week to complete the project!  Then the next project will probably be something nice for the New Year celebrations.   I’m thinking something silver and sparkly.

Today I started getting to work on writing my Christmas cards for some friends and family.  Time has gone so fast and I better get mailing them out soon! I picked up these cute cards from Target the other day and just love the interesting design.  

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

Knitted hat complete!

Hello Friends!

Countdown to Christmas: 17 days

I am so happy today because I finished knitting the hat for my boyfriend for Christmas this morning!  I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick wool in the black color.  I used size 9 mm needles in the circular needles form.  I casted on 48 stitches because he was 22" and it was two stitches for every inch so I did a couple inches extra for wiggle room.

The finished hat! 

 Pattern:
Cast on 2 stitches for every inch of the person's head.
Then k2, p2 all the way around until ribbing is the length you want.
K all the way around until hat measures 6" - 7" then start to decrease
to decrease divide your hat up into groups of 8 stitches and put markers.  Decrease by knitting two stitches together a two stitches to the marker and knit the rest of the stitches.  Do this until you arrive at 4 stitches and cut your yarn about 6" then pull the yarn through the stitches with a crochet hook or needle then weave the remaining yarn down through the top of the hat.

Ribbed stitches at the bottom then knit all the way up

Me wearing the hat to show how it looks on!

Hope he likes it!
I wish you all a great day.

Distillery District: Lowe's Toronto Christmas Market

Hello friends!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and not rushing around too much for gifts! I hope you can take the time to enjoy the season and time with loved ones.

I went to the Christmas market in Toronto at the Distillery District today with my dad and really enjoyed the displays and stalls of artisans.  I loved seeing the Christmas tree all decorated and the garland hanging with ornaments of red and green.  There were a lot of very festive sites to see.  Below are some photos from the day taken by my dad for you to see!

 I bought the Christmas mouse below from a neat store in the Distillery District called Bergo Designs. They have a lot of really interesting things in the store! I always go in the store when I am in the Distillery District.   The Christmas mouse caught my eye when I first entered the store.  I had been thinking of knitting little ornaments like this and had to buy it!

 I hope you enjoyed looking through the photos and maybe one day you will plan a trip to the Christmas market in Toronto.

Have a good night!