YARN ALONG // ALL THE COLORS

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

I love to knit. I love to read. Here's a little bit about both.

KNITTING!

So last week there was a knitting/sewing fair in Paris and I went (obviously) with in mind the notion that I needed some worsted weight yarn and lots of neutral colors. SO of course I went home with fingering and lots of pinks and blue. I blame Valentine's day. Anyway, need to find something very special to make with the gradient kit by Julie Asselin <3

On my needles, still more colors! I NEED to finish that bobble cowl because I've started it like 8 months ago, and I'm using my 3,75mm on it which I need for like 5 other projects. The cowl is really pretty and comfy (the yarn is 100% alpaca), but there is so much bobbles and cables on every other row that it takes a crazy while to knit up.

Some yellow now because that wouldn't be very me if there wasn't some yellow somewhere. I'm knitting the Mountain Moss shawl (which I'm renaming Moonrise Kingdom) from PomPom Summer 2013. It looks small and weird right now but that's just because it need to be moved on to my long circular (yes that one pair currently on the red cowl haha). I can already tell I'm going to love it.

READING!

Eleanor & Park. It's just so freaking adorable, I can't put this one down. I should finish reading it by Thursday I think, which mean a new I Love Books report should go live on the blog on Friday. It's a good one, if I may say so ;)

YARN ALONG // THE SMALL ONES

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

I love to knit. I love to read. Here's a little bit about both.

January. A weird one. On so many levels. But let's focus on the knitting. I started the year by getting as many things off the needles that I could so I would start 2015 fresh. So I finished a few projects, frogged a couple I just wasn't into and knew I wouldn't be, organized my stash and then I had no idea what to do. I started 3 different shawls/scarfs then frogged them all because I wasn't inspired. The one things I enjoyed was my Christmas pair of socks. So I figured I'd cast on small, quick and cute projects. Hence today'd yarn along: a hat, a new pair of socks, and little scraps of yarn that one day will become something big.

The pair of socks I cast on right after finishing my Reasons to be cheerful because I had some of that mustard wool left and I wanted to use it right away. I'm completely making the pattern up as I go with a thing in mind: simplicity. The cuff I fully ribbed because I wanted to try that for a while (and I love it), the heel is going to be an afterthought heel (never tried it before but curious!) and the foot is plain stockinette. I'm using a charcoal dark grey yarn with yellow as my contrast color for the cuff, heel and toe. Can't wait to see the final result.

The hat is Into Trees from the latest PomPom and was a total impulse cast on. I had this skein of gorgeous sport weight yarn and was going from my Ravelry library to pick a pattern and this is the one. I am pretty sure I don't have quite enough yarn for the original pattern so I am making a few changed here and there and hopefully it will work. The pattern is amazing and knitting up so quickly! Also in that PomPom is the Sorrel hat and I will confess to considering casting it on next. I love hats too much I know!

And finally my Sock yarn scrap blanket!! I have wanted to start one since I discovered Molly's version, then Little Bobbin's and finally Olivia's. Gorgeous right? I'm hoping to join in a few swaps to grow my (very small) collection of mini skeins so I can make the blanket grow and grow and grow. Have you heard of any?

Reading! Books, Words, Pens. Those are so important. So write and read and draw because it's such a precious and vital right! I've been reading a lot lately, including Charlie, the Frankie Magazine and on my Kindle: 1984, Little Women and Leaves of grass. I love how different each of them are compared to the others!

PS: Life Right Now is coming back this Friday and if you wanna join me get a post ready! There will be a linky widgety thingy on my post for you to share your own Life Right Now!

YARN ALONG // THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

I love to knit. I love to read. Here's a little bit about both.

Christmas knitting you guys, it's the worst. I'm so behind. I want everything to be perfect if it's going to be given to someone other than me so of course I'm stressing out. I'm also super lazy clearly. Well maybe lazy is not the word. It's more like I know it need to be ready for the 25 so my brain is like oh that's so far away we've got plentyyyy of time. And then suddenly there's only 8 days left and my brain gets like whaaat? Which you think would help me to make progress on those projects. But no I decided to start a Henslowe shawl that's very much just for me instead! It might have a lot to do with the fact that my first Christmas Project, the Warble cowl i'm making for my sister (and started back in October!!) is not a pleasure to knit. It's a lovely pattern, easy to memorize, it's going to be awesome to wear for sure but I just don't like working on it! There is something about the stitches, the needles and the yarn that makes it a pain (literally for my hands) in the ass to knit.

Also, I just discovered that I had learned to make yarn overs the wrong way (don't ask why, I have no idea!). I will admit to a little meltdown when I realized it (while knitting on my Henslowe). Then I grabbed my Warble (which has a lot of yarn overs). I did a few rows with the correct yo, and obviously it got super pretty and oh super different than the (hundreds of) previous rows. At this point I was 75% done with the cowl. And I needed to decide whether I wanted to rip everything or not. I ended up ripping half of it (basically to where I had joined skein #2) and then knit again. I'm basically back to 75% again. I am hoping blocking will help with the differences between the two half, and also secretly praying that my sister won't even notice. Can't wait to be done with it seriously…

Which is why I have spent so much time working on my Henslowe. I love it, love it, love it! More on it once it's done! Also on the needles: a hat and cowl combo for my nephew. He's 3 which is awesome because that means everything knits super fast since it child size! I'm using my Knit by Numbers wool which I loooove, such a pleasure to knit with it! So yeah, merry Christmas everyone! ;)

On my Kindle right now: Little Women! Tis the season for classics I guess :) I'm 6 chapters in, so not so sure how I feel about it quite yet!

YARN ALONG // (almost) monogamous

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

I love to knit. I love to read. Here's a little bit about both.

Let's start with a sneak peek. I have big plans for those leftover sock yarns. But first, I need more sock yarn. ;)

On my needles right now is my Coronis sweater! I'm almost done with the body!! I'm going to start the ribbing today and then… sleeve time! I can already tell I'm not going to enjoy the sleeves as much, sleeve syndrome anyone? But I really want to wear it soon so hey no choice there! It's really really fun and quick to knit though, I can't believe I knitted my first sweater flat… all those seams you guys!! Circular needles for the win!

Also on my needles but being very much ignored (because I have powered through the sweater) is the Warble cowl I am making for my sister. The plan here is to finish the body of my Coronis, then work on the scarf then go back to the sweater and work on the sleeves. This way I make progress and shouldn't get bored with any of the two! 

Reading! Hmm not much actually. Once I finished Book 8 of Outlander I was a bit lost in terms of "what's next" to be honest, then there was Lena Dunham's book which I sort of hate (more on that in my Fall book report), I also started Amy Poehler's book and got the Anne of Green Gables book series but haven't started it yet. I however have been watching a few Christmas movies already, it's not too early right?

YARN ALONG // DEADLINES

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

So it would seem I have a big issue. I love to read and to knit, but I haven't found a way to do both at once! And because I have been way too obsessed about the Outlander series (just started book 8!!), I haven't been able to knit as much as I wanted. Today is the 29th and I only have 2 days left to finish my October pair of socks and my Shwook hat, both part of a knit along. Maybe I should stop sleeping? Or move on to audio books? Hmm I guess I'm lucky it's my biggest problem at the moment right :)

You might think my Shwook hat looks kind of different from the last time I talked about it. It is. The color work just didn't work for me and I knew i would end up not wearing the hat. So I started over! SO glad I did! I'm super in love with my Shwook 2.0! I'm pretty sure I will finish it today since I have 10 rows or so left only. Will share the final result here next week!

As for my pair of October socks, number one has been done for 2 weeks and I have the foot portion left on sock number two. Not sure I will be done in time! Wish me luck? :) 

Reading! So, Outlander (of course!). I also got a copy of a magazine I've heard a lot about. It's called Frankie, it's a lifestyle, craft, photography and art Australian magazine and it's awesome! You should check it out!

YARN ALONG // GREY SKY PINK YARN

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

The sky is grey, leaves are falling and it's raining. So obviously I'm knitting pink socks! The pattern is called My Cup of Tea and it's just the right mix between girly and classy I think. Can't wait to wear those during the long dark hours of Winter. The pattern is actually very very easy to follow, and I am just about to make the heel flap. The yarn is by Oh Loops, it's 80% merino and 20% nylon and I am in love with it! I'm so glad I have two more skeins of their beautiful yarn!

This week is also Shetland Wool Week and so I have cast on my Shwook hat along with Melody and a good many other people. All those color combos are super inspiring, I feel a love story with fair isle starting (fair isle sweater anyone?). I'm of course knitting it with Shetland wool from Jamieson & Smith, and I picked the color combo that you guys recommended a while ago! Clearly you have great taste because it's knitting up beautifully! If you're feeling like giving it a try, you can still join us on the KAL, you have until the end of the month to knit your hat (and J&S will be giving away yarn to a lucky knitter!). 

Reading wise, I just finished Book 5 of Outlander! I felt like it was time to start eating and sleeping regularly again so I haven't started book 6 yet but oh my those books! Best thing I have read since Harry Potter I think! There's adventure, history, love, epicness, Scotland, romance... And Jamie Fraser. He's my new Mr Darcy. You need to read Outlander. And watch the show. 

But read them first. It's amazing! 

So, what are you working on?

PS: I finished my first shawl! Blog post with photos and all the details next week on the blog :) 

YARN ALONG // GREENS & BLUES

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

On my needles right now: It's a green and blue kind of Fall over here. First Molly released her first shawl pattern called Whispering Pines and I knew i wanted to knit it in a dark Forest green right away (yarn on the left in the basket). Then my sister asked a scarf and hat for Christmas and we chose a peacock and azulean mix of blue yarns. Then I found the prettiest emerald green in one of my LYS (that will make cute socks I think). And so here you have it: a blue basket full of yarn :)

Speaking of socks, I finished my first one!!! SO much to say about it but it will have to wait until the second one is knitted for a post of its own. But here's a picture of the first finished one :)

I love it!

On my Kindle: The Outlander series!! I am obsessed you guys, those books are so good! I heard about the TV show just before it started a few weeks ago, watched a couple of episodes and just knew I needed the books. There's adventure, romance, action, history, a strong main female character, a hot guy, a bad guy, scottish accents. Basically everything you need to make a great story. I raced through book 1 (who needs sleep right?) and just started book 2 last night. So, so good!

So, what are you working on?

PS: I made a Knitter's wishlist Monday, and I'm always looking for cute yarn made by awesome people, so feel free to share your suggestions!

YARN ALONG // wanderlust

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

The friendship scarf (i'm thinking of making that a thing!) has been offered and well received, the lovely hat I test knitted for Melody is drying on my balcony and so I can now completely focus on my chèche which is growing by the minute. I'm just about to attach my second ball and the rows just keep getting longer and longer. I just love the yarn (it's a linen coton blend by Phildar), it has a great grip on the needles but doesn't hurt my hands at all. I'm hoping to finish it as soon as possible because it clearly will be perfect for the Fall days. (also, i have so many other things I want to knit right now!)

As for reading, I am in between books right now. I finished The Magicians King last night and am quite not sure what to read next right now. Maybe Outlander? (anyone else watching? I just love it!!). I've been browsing my travel magazines a lot and Afar is by far (haha) my favorite. Amazing photographs and beautiful writing. Also, they clearly have great taste in fonts, right?

PS: here's a sneak peek at my new hat made with Melody's pattern. More on Monday!

YARN ALONG // the lucky find

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

Almost two months ago i stopped by a Phildar shop in Paris and picked up a new catalogue. Then I went home, skimmed the pages quickly and fell in love with the lovely scarf/chèche. I mean seriously that color? That's basically my description of Fall (you know, the BEST season of the year!). So i went looking for that yarn. 10 shops and a few weeks later, I had nothing. The yarn used wasn't in stock anymore or would ever be because the brand was moving on to their winter yarn and this one (a mix of coton and linen) doesn't qualify I guess. Then Monday I was in Paris and went to one of my favorite shopping spot basically just to look at pretty things. I know they had a Phildar corner so I went to well look at pretty yarn basically. And there it was. The yarn I had been looking for everywhere. 9 balls of them, at only 99 cents each! Apparently they had been lost and forgotten for a while in a box. Obviously i grabbed them all (even though i actually only need 4/5 for the pattern). Lucky day right? The color is even prettier in real life, i'm in love. And i don't even mind that the pattern is in french even though i only know how to knit in english! I translated everything yesterday and quickly casted on. Can't wait to wear it!

Books now! I have been reading A LOT of magazines lately. Pictures + words, it's basically the best. I started a subscription to Taproot (that name is awesome) and got my first issue in the mail last week. Full of beautiful words. I also grabbed the most recent issue of Flow Magazine which I find crazy inspiring. Have you read any of this two magazines?

As for novels/fictions, i am reading Where rainbows end (also known as Love, Rosie) mostly because they made a movie out of it, I really really liked the trailer and so I thought I'd read the book first. I ALWAYS read the book first. Are you like that too?

Anyway, that's it for this week, can't wait to see what you are all working on!

ps: the blue scarf is done!! Well i still have to bind off and then block it which is probably going to take forever since it's so big but i'm excited! I'll post about it soon!

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn along. 

I love to read. I love to knit. Here's a little bit about both.

A dear friend of mine for the US is coming to Paris at the end of August and asked me to knit him a scarf. After the initial "i'm supposed to knit something for a BOY?!" reaction, i browsed Ravelry and found this cute (and super simple) pattern for a unisex scarf. He is actually moving to Scotland this September and so i went with a 10 ply 100% wool yarn by Malabrigo to keep him hot this winter. I thought blue was the easy choice. But then actually took forever to choose just the right blue. This one is called Azul Profundo (but I call it Tardis :)) and it is beautiful. There's midnight blue in it, as well as some lighter tones and even some hints of green like the green of the sea. I'm secretly hoping i'll have extra at the end so i can also make a hat ;). The scarf is coming along pretty quickly since it's almost only knit stitches so it's pretty nice to work on!

It was actually through a previous Yarn Along that i noticed quite a few people reading Homegrown & Handmade. It appears that i am more and more drawn to a self reliant kind of life so i thought i'd check this pretty book out. I've also just ordered Cold Antler Farm which i think will be awesome! I'll let you know what i think of both pretty soon!

So, what are you working on and reading? I'd love to know!

yarn along

Today i am joining in with Ginny from Small Things and so many other crafters to share about two things that i love a lot. One is knitting. The other one, reading. And here is what it looks like right now:

On my needles: The Juliet Tee, by We are knitters. The front side has been ready for a while now, and i just started working on the back side. Super simple, just rows after rows of seed stitch for now (my favorite!). The yarn is pima cotton in the loveliest and "summeriest" shade of blue, called aquamarine. It would be the perfect top to wear on the beach when it's too windy for just a dress. All i need is to finish it. Then go to the beach. Hopefully before summer ends.

On my bookshelf: The latest Mollie Makes, which is so far my very favorite craft magazine. I love that there is always a very wide range of project, plus lots of inspiration and cool interviews with crafty people. Even the cover is dreamy! Feel good magazine if there ever was one. And for the more serious days: Stone Junction. I've had this book for at least 5 years and in an effort to read the books in my library (you know, as opposed to buying new ones every week but not reading any), i picked it up last week. it's pretty big but a quick read, so that's awesome!

What about you? What's on your needles, or your Kindle, or your Amazon wishlist?