the champs!

Part of the reason I have been so quiet on the blog lately is that we have been busy with hockey playoff season!  My son plays for a top level team for his age, and he and his buddies played some amazing hockey for us this season, stuff that would put The Jets to shame!

It was a long road, but they made it alllll the way to the end- game 3 in a best of three for the finals!  And they came out as the champions!!

Could not be a prouder hockey mom of this hard working boy xoxo

To help support our boys along the way, the moms banded together for a night of wine and appetizers to make team scarves!  It was a simple pattern- fleece in team colours cut in long strips, I sewed them together along the middle, and then all the moms used scissors to fringe the edges.

Don't we look sharp??  No wonder we won!

Congratulations to the boys and families of 9A1 River East Royals White!  What a great season :)

my favourite sweater

While it took me six months to plod through my Coolbreeze cardigan, this one, I whipped off in TWO WEEKS, thanks in part to a road trip and a day at a dental conference....as you may recall, I like shaking it up at my conferences with some knitting ;)

Oh, this sweater.  The perfect colour grey yarn with hints of blue (Tanis Fiber Arts shadow).  Simple fit and flattering boat neck.  Sweet cable details in the front and along the raglans and down the sleeves.  My very favourite.

The neck did stretch too wide after a couple wears as warned by several other Ravelers, so I took their advice and crocheted a chain along the edge and now it holds its shape perfectly.

I could have maybe gone down a size as it did give with wear, but I like the loose, easy fit.

A staple with jeans and a tank top!

All the details of mods, etc on my Ravelry page here.

growing up and needs a new sweater!

A year has passed in the blink of an eye and my sweet little niece, who you may have read about here or here, is turning one!

Once a 3 pound preemie, she is now all rounded and squishy and perfect :)  The baby sweater I had knit her when she first arrived has long since been outgrown and retired to the baby box, so I thought a new one was in order.

I had a couple skeins of some Plucky Bulky yarn in the gorgeous Vintage Icebox colorway on hand, and decided those would be "the ones."  I brought it along to Jamaica and happily knit away on the beach....ahh, this is the life!

I paired the Plucky with the Tiered Coat and Jacket pattern, but seeing as I was a bit short on yardage, just eliminated the tiering part and made it a plain old sweater with a garter collar and trim.  To add a little more girlish whimsey, I used buttons I covered in some pretty floral Liberty fabric....so cute!

But even cuter is the sweater paired with my niece!  Look at that crazy toothy grin!

I knit the 12-18 month size, and it fit perfectly, with room to grow.  It will be a lovely spring and fall sweater for her.  Happy first birthday, VV!!

joint effort

So just wondering....if you are Canadian and are making blocks to contribute to the Soy Amado project for Mexican street children over at Little Island Quilting, would it be helpful to relay the blocks to me here, along with, say, a toonie, then I can ship them all on to the Little Island? Would save the masses some international postage costs.

If you are interested, just leave me a comment here with your email address and I will send my mailing information on to you!

working on......

A few projects on the go!  Here are a few WIPS I am working on lately.

Most of my crafty energy has been spent knitting lately.  And I have a few things in progress:

Some Snowfling mitts for a swap with the talented Krista of Spotted Stones.  I had so much fun meeting her at the Loon Lake retreat in November, she is the sweetest.  I drooled over every stitch she made, and jumped at the chance to knit her some mittens in exchange for a sewn surprise when given an "in".  I know these will be well loved and used in Alaska!

A wee Sproutlet dress for a babe on the way:

Just need to put some buttons on this baby cardigan I knit while in Jamaica.  Am thinking some covered in Liberty would be nice.

And this, my new favoritest sweater ever, all done and waiting to be photographed! Here is a sneak peak!

I have some beautiful blue Plucky Primo yarn all wound up ready to start this sweater, for me.  Next up!

I have been pretty quiet on the sewing front lately, but have recently relocated my sewing mojo and am inspired to start some new projects and finish some others that have been lying in wait.  To be honest, my sewing area was such a complete mess that I couldn't even beat a path to my machine!  A recent clean and IG fabric destash helped me uncover some long lost favourite fabrics and inspiration is back!  I have a bag pattern and a clutch tutorial planned (it's been awhile since I did a tutorial!) and a new quilt top in the works with this stack of Liberty of London and low volume fabrics, all sliced and ready to stitch!

My favourite sewing project currently is this one: whenever I have a spare minute, I like to put together a couple quilt-as-you-go blocks for The Soy Amado project over at Little Island Quilting, to provide quilts to street children in Mexico.  It is a great way to use up scraps and give back.  I would encourage you all to make a few, and ship them off to Alison to share a little love!  Go check it out! Here are the ones I have made so far.

Finished blocks are 12.5", with backing and batting of the same size attached.  You can make new blocks, or use "orphan" blocks you have sitting around.  I found a few old blocks from various quilts in the bottom of my scrap bin, added borders and quilted, and also made some log cabin and mini square ones from scraps.  They are quick and fun, and come together to make cheerful quilts for kids who need them.

Hope you have a fantastic week!

Coolbreeze cardigan

We have been experiencing more than just "cool breezes" this winter.....more like a full blown deep freeze! So it is super handy to have a woolen cardi on hand.

This one took me SIX MONTHS to complete....a labour of love.  As soon as I saw Tanis' pattern I knew I had to make it.  So when Kaelin requested the mini version for her new baby, it was all the excuse I needed to order the kit to make one for myself, too.  All those dreamy blues and in a dreamy chevron pattern?  Yes, please.

I love so many things about this sweater.  The colors, the yarn, the sleeve detail, the weight. The way the shape of it hugs my back.  It is so cozy.

The one thing is that the collar sits a little weird in the front...if I were to knit it again, I would make the collar longer, or would add it after the fact, and maybe change the position of the first buttonhole so it sits better when buttoned. But overall, I still like it it has been in regular rotation in my wardrobes since I finished it (ummm...2 months ago.  Yup, a bit behind on my blogging!).

paradise found.

What have I been up to?  Well, mostly shovelling.  But for one blissful week, my family and I escaped the cold Canadian winter and were pampered at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica!

So, so good for the soul.

We got some sun.....

....and surf....

.....and made new friends.

The only "blues" involved the blue sky, blue sea, blue toes (Hello, toes! I haven't seen you out of socks forever!) and blue yarn....

One little hiccup....

....but otherwise a perfect holiday.  All recharged to face another couple months of winter!