Tag Archives: confidence

Flooding In

Well it is Winter on the West Coast – which means that it is raining!  Right now it is the soft gentle rain, constant and sort of soothing.  Which is how I like life to be, soft, easy and no major ups and downs!

Nanaimo River in the Fog this morning.

Last Sunday the rain came down in torrents and that was after a few days of heavy rain!

(please note here – difference between heavy rains and torrential rains – heavy rains, water runs in ditches and torrential rains, WATER RUNS IN BASEMENTS)

We woke up Monday morning to 3/4 inches of ground water in my basement;  we have been living with huge fans running ever since!  Out came the brooms and dust pans, every swept water up onto a dust pan?  Interesting activity!  Followed by the much more efficient wet/dry shop vac!

On the up side, my basement will get new flooring and the outside of the house will acquire new drainage ditches!

Not sure of the time line as to when all this will happen as quite a few houses were flooded that had never been flooded before and the restoration guys are running around trying to rent equipment to handle more jobs at once than they had ever seen!

To go with the weather I have a few things coming down my creative pipes, ideas overflowing with possibilities and flooding onto my computer screen and on to my needles!

To begin with, a little while ago I started a Facebook Group – LeTissier Design – Pump up your Knitting.  Something where I could create a bit of a community, focused around knitting and friends.  Run a few KAL’s (Knit Alongs), creating small things that will focus on skill building.

All you need – yarn – appox 200 yds heavy lace or fingering weight – sample is Koigu Lace, 2.0mm US 0’s straights, circs or I use 2 dnps’s, approx. 800 to 900 size 8/0 beads and a dental floss threader (usually found by the tooth brushes at your local drug store)!

I am planning my first KAL – Beaded Fingerless Mittens

  • Knitting Skills required – only the ability to knit Garter St!
  • skills learned – threading beads and then working with pre-strung beads

The pattern is an older one of mine – Beaded Pulse Warmers or Fingerless Mittens – I have used it many times to teach this style of knitting with beads.  We can all knit garter stitch – that leaves the mind free to focus on learning how to handle the beads!

If you wish to participate in the KAL, use the code “First”  to purchase the pattern for $2.50 US.

 

mits
Koigu Lace, Miyuki 8/0 bead and some Zings – how could I resist purchasing the needles – they matched my colours beautifully!

 

And then Stash Dive to find the perfect yarn and beads!  You can use a heavier Laceweight – I am starting a new pair in Koigu Lace, or any fingering weight yarn, one of my favourite yarns for these mittens is Drops Alpaca.  You will need about 800 to 900  8/0 beads for the project – maybe less depending on the chart you choose!  The pattern offers a few options!

The KAL will start Feb 9th and run until approx. March 9th.  The code for the pattern is good until the end of the Olympics Feb 25th.  I am hoping to get my pulse warmers knit by the end of the Olympics – I know how life does like to interfere!  So I gave us all a little extra time!

Isn’t this pretty?

Not into beads and garter stitch, how about some beautiful lace?  A friend of mine is also starting a KAL February 9th.  Selena Miskin of Wayfaring Yarns has a new pattern with kits available.  Check out the KAL for her Frostflowers Shawl.

Coming down the Pipes – the Retreat – Fingerless Mittens embellished with Inlay or Rooistud – the weekend of February 16, 17 and 18.  And one week later – two new patterns for the Buffalo Wool Co!

Happy Knitting

Lynette

 

 

 

Buttons and Furbelows

Scrappy Vest for Logan, with the "furbelow" details!
Scrappy Vest for Logan, with the “furbelow” details!
Natures Furbelow - a pine needle tassel decorated with beads of rain.
Natures Furbelow – a pine needle tassel decorated with beads of rain.

Did you know that a “furbelow” was

  • 1) a fringe or piece of trim
  • 2) an ornamental addition to a garment.

Who knew!

I love furbelows!  I seldom knit anything without an addition of some kind!

Snakes, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, that is what little boys are made of!  Well my little grandson is going to be made of knits as well.  Logan will be here for a visit next week.  I can hardly wait – you see I have been knitting a couple of things for him!

T'woot Cute - hat for Logan.
T’woot Cute – hat for Logan.

This week I finished off two little items for him – T’woot Cute Hat – a Cowichan style knit; and a little scrap vest – 23 colours – each approx. 8 yds and 13 vintage shell buttons.  I want to see how they fit! – and how he looks in them!

Spirit Toques.
Spirit Toques – furbelows for these as well!

It is has been a busy knitting season for me.  I have finished off the pattern for the Spirit Toques – it is now up on Ravelry.  I have also knit up a headband – Plaid Spirit Headband – it is now a free pattern on Ravelry – it will be free until November 12th.

I am currently working on the pattern for T’woot Cute, it will be sized for Baby, Toddler and Child.  An adult version has been requested – we will see!

Plaid Spirit Headband
Plaid Spirit Headband
Third Sweater Back is finished and charted - Wolf Song.
Third Sweater Back is finished and charted – Wolf Song.

Right now the class for the Cowichan Style Sweater is running at Mad About Ewe.  After that there will be three adult sweater patterns; Wolf Song, A Whale of a Tale, and Spirit Bear.  The backs of all three sweaters have all been charted and knit – time to start on the fronts!

Rhiannon’s Cloak was seen in the wild last weekend and has been included in two blogs this week… Clara Parkes Knitters Review and Stephanie Pearl Mcphee’s blog.

Beautiful Bag made by Fiona!
Beautiful Bag made by Fiona!

Fiona, Pip’n’Milly Creations, has just finished a new bag for me.  It was a special creation, a unique size just to fit the piece of needle work out of my stash of “stuff”!

The embroidery had been in the trunk for about 35 years  – it was about time that it saw the light of day!

It has been a grey week here.  The Sun is coming up later and later each morning and the clouds have been low all week.  The rain has been falling steadily for most of the night as well!

The grey skies are wonderful for photography though!  Colours pop against all the dreary backgrounds and the everything sparkles with the rain.

Black and White
Black and White

I did a little playing with the filters on my editing program.  Black and White or Orange Filter – similar results – though the black and white is crisper – it could be the photograph though, not the filter.

Orange Filter
Orange Filter

I don’t know where we will be walking this weekend – the water is just pouring from the skies.

Happy Knitting

Lynette