Freshisle Fibers

Julekuler

I've been in the Christmas spirit.  I discovered Julekuler the month!  The little, quick to knit, whimsical, stuffed Christmas balls that are delightful and look lovely on the tree.

I knit loads of them for the markets and sold loads of them!

During the process, all I could think about was how all that red and white would be perfect for a Canadian Christmas ball with a red maple leaf.  I set to work and couldn't stop at just one.  The variations are endless and I'm still at it!  For the next week at least!

The result is a new pattern - Canadian Christmas Balls.  Available in my shop and on Ravelry as pattern only or also available as a kit with our Double Down yarn and pattern with enough yarn to knit your own loads of ornaments!

And for today only - purchase the pattern on Ravelry and get $1 off with the coupon code - freshislecanada.

The pattern includes charts for five balls plus a bonus chart for a variation of one of the balls. 

Happy Holidays!

Sharing

Ravelry is an online site for knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, dyers.  It is an online community with discussion forums and a database to keep track of yarn, patterns, and projects.  I love Ravelry and am there every day.  It's the best place to see other's completed knitting projects.  With over 4 millions registered users, there is a tendency to think that every knitter is on Ravelry.  Not so!  The majority of my local customers are not on Ravelry and are not sharing their beautiful projects.  But, I can!

My first project to share is socks.  Actually many socks!  Socks of varying sizes all knit with our Double Down yarn and based on my Classic Work Socks pattern.  That's a lot of socks for my talented cousin to knit for her family!

My second project to share is a pair of gorgeous mittens.  These are also knit with our Double Down yarn and my Curling Rocks Mittens pattern.

I am especially impressed with these because this knitter doesn't really knit.  Much.  She knows how to knit, but hasn't knit anything in years.  But, she just had to have these for her daughter.  They both curl and these were a very special gift.  Amazing.  I can't imagine undertaking these as a new project for a return to knitting, but it just proves that once you know the basic stitches of knitting, anything is possible.

 The curling bonspiel season has begun with a list of local bonspiels ahead to attend.  We won the third event at our first outing last weekend.  Not too bad for a new team!  The best part was how much fun we had.  Our club is lined with signs that local businesses buy to advertise.  The Dental Queen is my cousin (on the far left) so we just had to have our picture taken with her sign.  More curling and fun planned for next weekend, too!

Re-do

I've been busy at some re-knitting.  Since I've been going to all these markets, I've realized that many of my pattern samples have been given away or are being worn by myself and my husband.  I have the pattern available for sale, but not the sample there for people to see.  Not good!

The quick and easy Hunter Socks were up first.  I do have a sample pair in our Suffolk yarn, but these were knit with Patons Classic - a nice alternative if someone just wants the pattern.

The Classic Work Socks were next, knit with our own Double Down yarn.  I've knit so many of these it was hard to believe that I didn't keep at least one pair for a sample!

I'm almost ready for the next market this coming weekend.  My wonderful handy husband has made me new display stands that are amazing.  I'm excited to see how they will work at an actual market.    I've been many times to the MSS Shopping Spree as a customer, but this will be my first as a vendor.  Another new adventure! 

No Spring Yet

Signs of spring are still scarce here in Northern Ontario.  Snow is still falling and temperatures are still freezing.

One sign that spring must be on its way is that our curling season is drawing to a close.  I have one bonspiel left this coming weekend.  It will still be too cold and I'm sure we will still have snow, so gardening seems a long way off.  Quite often, I finish the curling season and go right into the gardening season.  Not this year!

I've completed another pair of my Curling Rocks Mittens.  These are a special gift for a lady who welcomes us into her home for one of the bonspiels we go to.  It's not the easiest thing to have four people descend on your home for a weekend with all their curling gear in tow, take over the bathroom, the bedrooms, the living room, and the kitchen, come and go at all hours of the day and night, eat and drink everything, and generally crash!  Her hospitality is greatly appreciated and these seemed like something special she would enjoy.  She's also a curler!

These were knit with just two colours for much faster knitting.  Patons Kroy was chosen so they would be machine washable and dryable, and for me to try my pattern in a different yarn.

I'm pleased with the two colour result, but think that perhaps I should have decreased a bit after the thumb as the hand part of the mitten is a bit loose.  Maybe it was just me and my gauge loosened up a bit!

This week marks another milestone on the road to retirement.  I'm submitting my letter of resignation this week.  It's real.  It's coming.  Closer and closer every day!

Curling Rocks

My holiday is almost over but, it was wonderful in many ways.  Lots of entertaining and visiting, lots of good food, and lots of good times.

I even found a little time to knit and I think I might just be getting my designing mojo back.

Presenting ... Curling Rocks Mittens.

Now available in my shop and on Ravelry and also available as a kit with the yarn and pattern.

These were started back in the winter of 2011/2012.  The first pattern written, the first mitten started.  Then Dad got sick and I just didn't have the focus to continue with them.  I pulled them out last winter, re-worked the pattern, started a second pair, but just couldn't make myself continue.  This winter, I started again and wonder of wonders, I enjoyed knitting them again!

I wear pink curling attire when I'm curling - pink sweater, pink broom, pink socks - and I'm starting another pair just for myself that will just be pink and white.  I think they may go much faster this time around!

Children's Literature

Here's one thing I might miss next year.  Ordering and reading and sharing new children's literature.  I've been sorting through some of my favourite read aloud books at school.  Some that I had stashed in back cupboards for my special library times with students and some of my own purchases.  One of my jobs at school is to order new books for our library.  That's always fun.

This delightful book is one of my new orders and reflects my own personal interests.  Mouseton Abbey - The Missing Diamond by Joanna Bicknell and Nick Page is a new favourite.

It's based on the PBS series, Downton Abbey, which I love and it has knitting.  What could be better?  There doesn't seem to be knitting patterns available for the characters although they look a lot like Alan Dart patterns to me.  There's even a Facebook page of Mouseton Abbey .

The story is a mystery, the characters are charming, and the kids loved it.  I do, too!

Best Brother-In-Law Ever

I have the best family.  The best.  They give the best presents.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays are here.  Oh, happy times.

I'm looking forward to a rest but these next three days are jam packed full of fun.  We have this afternoon with cousins, tomorrow with our immediate family, my father's birthday on Boxing Day, and my brother and his partner arrive from Ottawa.  There will be no rest until at least Tuesday.

I did some of my Christmas shopping online again this year and it was hard not to include little gifts for myself in the shopping cart.

I haven't had the time yet to fully read through Norwegian Mittens and Gloves by Annemor Sundbo but the bits I have read are wonderful.  So much history!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Rainy Days are for Reading

It's December and time to get thinking about Christmas.  We tried.  We ventured from our island to the city last weekend.  The really big city!  Toronto.  We didn't realize when we were making our plans that we were going on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend.  The crowds were amazing.  People lined up to get into some of the stores.  Totally crazy.

We shopped, we enjoyed the hotel, the meals, the city, but we were very glad to escape the crowds and come home.  The good part is that we are finished our Christmas shopping.  Done.  All that's left is to wrap the presents. 

I came home with some presents for myself.  All Wound Up by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and A Life in Stitches by Rachael Herron. 

It's been raining all this weekend and I've been snuggled up on my couch reading.

All Wound Up is a bit different from the Yarn Harlot's other books.  These are essays, longer stories than before.  I think they are perhaps more thoughtful and better written.  The writng is still funny, still that quick sarcasm that I love, but with more detail and depth.

A Life in Stitches is also a collection of essays.  I enjoyed the glimpses into the author's life at various stages of her life.  It made me remember knitting highlights from my own life - the purple afghan when I was about 14, my first Christmas stocking at 19, the first sweater I knit for my father when I was in teachers' college.....

Dusty puppy and I are going to have a walk in the rain today.  I've read myself out and he's had enough of being in the house because of the miserable rain.  We're going out and we're gong to get wet!

Winter Is Coming - Mittens

The first two weeks of school have passed and I've survived.  I'm starting to get my bearings and am not quite as exhausted as I was that first week.  Working full time is hard work!

I have managed to finally finish a new pair of mittens.  Winter Is Coming mittens inspired by George R.R. Martin's series of books, A Song of Ice and Fire, and of course, our own little direwolf, Dusty.

 

I loved the Game of Thrones series on television and have been slowly devouring the books all summer long.  They are so well written, so much detail, and simply a wonderful read.  The dogs used in the television series reminded us so much of our own Dusty, especially Jon Snow's dog, Ghost. 

Getting the photos for the pattern took us forever.  Trying to get Dusty in just the right position and still get good pictures of the mittens was not easy.  However, Dusty thought it was great fun and I did get some adorable pictures.  Not for the final pattern pictures, but definitely blog worthy!

 

So much love!