Ready for the Cold

December 19, 2012April 18, 2014 | Verónica

My local yarn store, Knitting in the Loop, had the audacity to hold a 50% off pre-inventory sale. 50% OFF! What’s a knitter to do?!

Buy yarn, of course.

This is Debbie Bliss Paloma – 60% baby alpaca, 40% wool. What is very interesting about this bulky weight yarn is that it is already knitted into a tube, aka chainette yarn. This close-up shows the chains of this very soft yarn.

We were getting ready to go on a trip to a much colder climate so I chose masculine colors to make my son a scarf and hat set.

For the scarf, I went with a fast and easy garter-stitch knit lengthwise. The chainette yarn has such a rich texture that it doesn’t need much to showcase it. For the hat, I repeated the garter stitch for the ribbing and switched to smooth stockinette for the rest. I love the way the set turned out. So did the teenager. (Picture a mother’s wide satisfied smile here).

The scarf and hat are keeping him warm as we walk around in 34° F weather.

Sparkling Glass from Germany

December 14, 2012May 10, 2016 | Verónica

While walking along the endless mazes of the Christmas Markets, we stopped at one booth and watched as a craftsman made beautiful hand blown glass ornaments. These sparkling ornaments now adorn our tree. If you want to see how they are made, this post has more information.

(Click on any thumbnail for a full-screen view).

‘Tis the Season … Köln’s Christmas Markets

December 11, 2012May 10, 2016 | Verónica

About a year ago, my husband and I spent a week in Germany. Little did we know what a magical experience it would be. It was the season for Germany’s Christmas Markets. Each market had its own theme – gnomes, angels, stars, and fairy tales. Here are some of the sights from Köln (Cologne).

You can see photos of the Christmas Markets in Düsseldorf here.

Funky Retro Beehive Hat

December 9, 2012December 9, 2012 | Verónica

Remember the hand-spun I picked up in Philadelphia? I was eager to knit something with it. Since I only had 90 yards of it, I bought a complementary yarn to avoid running out.

This lovely teal is a 60% merino, 40% cotton blend from Juniper Moon Farm.

I searched all over Ravelry, Etsy and other sites for a slouchy hat pattern. It’s amazing how many hundreds of patterns are out there and how hard it is to pick just the right one. This is my inspiration hat. I didn’t realize until half-way through that I could have bought the pattern. Mine is improvised.

It turned out like a funky ’70s throwback! Here is Bear modeling it for us.

Now all I need is a drop in the thermostat and I’m set.

My Knitting Notebook

December 1, 2012December 1, 2012 | Verónica

Some time ago, I started keeping all the yarn labels for my projects so that I could remember which yarn I used. Rather than stuffing them in a drawer, I wanted to organize them somehow. I found this simple journal and started stapling the yarn labels onto the pages.

On the margins, I jotted down the name of the project and the date. At some point, I started including a scrap of yarn with the label so that I could remember what the yarn looked and felt like. The sample on the left page below is what I used to make a pair of baby booties, including the pretty ribbon to tie them together. The sample on the right was a souvenir yarn from Romni Wools in Toronto. It’s patiently waiting for the right project.

The yarns below went into making a thick cabled scarf for my husband, a racy striped garter stitch scarf, a cabled hat and washcloths.

I started this knitting notebook long before it occurred to me to download an app or start a blog. Both of those are good memory joggers. I do keep my Vogue Knitting app updated but there’s nothing like being able to touch and feel the yarn between my fingers. Modern technology still can’t replace the tactile experience.