Happy New Year!

We have some new additions to the Etsy shop!

 

- A

Merry Christmas from the Ratnams! 

Winter Wonderland!

Well the first snow storm of the year has hit Ottawa! I am so excited that it will be a white Christmas this year.

Enjoy some pics while I drink a nice hot coffee and try to get some knitting done while my little one has a nap.

- A

Colorwork

So I have been wanting to sink my teeth into colorwork for some time now but could never get the courage up to do it. I have always found the thought of multiple colors slightly intimidating to work with. Well the other day I decided to watch some videos on good ol' You Tube and see what this skill was all about. After watching a couple videos it really seemed to be quite simple.

This video was great at explaining how to manage the yarn which was what I was most concerned about. I had this fear of everything getting extremely tangled and becoming a mess.

Then it was time to find some patterns I wanted to try and here are some of my favs:

Lotus Mittens by Heather Desserud

Chrysanthemums by Heather Desserud

Isidora by SpillyJane

And here is what I am working on:

 

- A

Its starting to look like Christmas around here!

 

 The snow is finally sticking to the ground

 

The Christmas tree is up and decorated

 

 

And I have some wonderful new tea to try (I just had to try this winter collection after reading about it on Miso Crafty's blog)

Quilting Bug

So the quilting bug has bit!

After completing my last quilt I could just not get enough so off to my local quilting store I went. I bought some lovely charm packs and a new book, "3 Times the Charm" on how to use these cute little packs of fabric.

I was completely amazed that the patterns in the book just use one charm pack and some extra fabric to create the most charming quilts. For my first stab at the book I am making a quilt called Fiona and I am using the Coquette charm pack from Moda.

Here is an example of what my work station looks like at the moment

The awesome book!

All the pretty fabric!

Oh and I also went on a fabric shopping spree online yesterday so stay tuned to see what fabulous things I ordered!

- A

Finished Object Friday

Okay so this finished object is not knitting related but it is just as comfy and cozy. I have finally finished the quilt I was making for my daughter (blogged about here and here)

This quilt is just so comfy to cuddle with but I do kinda wish it was a little bigger so I could cover up with it a bit more easily. I will just have to make a bigger quilt for me :)

I believe I do have some finished knits but I am coming down with a cold so this post will be short and sweet. Also next week I will fill you in on the inevitable Christmas knit list. I really hope I can get them all knitted!

- A

Finished Object Friday

 

Pattern: Puerperium Cardigan
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Project link

 

 

For this Puerperium Sweater I choose to do it in a pullover style with short sleeves. I found that the first one I made as per the pattern was a bit much when dealing with a squirmy baby; there was just too many buttons to get done up.

 So now the 3 button version is great! And I think she likes it as well

Have a great weekend :)
- A

Wednesday Progress Report

This weekend I will be attending a baby shower for my dear friend Tanya. She is expecting her first child this December so I am in the process of making her gifts.

With her having a December baby I figured booties and a hat would be the perfect gift for her bundle of joy. As her husband and her are not finding out the sex of the baby neutral colors were in order.

Here is what is in the works:

The yarn I choose was Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino Aran and the patterns are from Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomerie.

I cannot wait to meet this new person :)

- A

Quick post

Okay so today was clean up my craft room and get somewhat organized.

The craft room is now clean and everything is in its place and now all that is left is to tackle my knitting bag and basket. Yes there is two!

 

With my pregnancy and now a little one I seem to have so many projects on the go and things that just need buttons that I have started keeping it all in a bag and basket. This does make it much easier to carry from room to room while carrying a baby but it is not good for remembering what you are working on as things seem to get buried at the bottom.

Hopefully by tomorrow I will some things organized and can show you all what has been happening here :)

- A

Simple Baby Hat

My lovely daughter is now just over 2 months and was in need of a warm hat now that it is getting quite chilly here in Ottawa. For sizing I would say this hat will fit 3-6 months (my daughter is almost 9 lbs now at 2.5 months and the hat fits just perfect without stretching so she has room to grow)

Simple Baby Hat

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky Handpaint
Needles: US 8 32" circ (I used magic loop method so there would be no seams)
Gauge: 4.5 stitches per inch

Directions:
CO 64 stitches and join in the round (be careful not to twist the stitches)
Work in 2x2 rib starting with K2, P2 for 6 rounds.
Continue to knit in stockinette stitch (every round knit) until the hat measures 4 inches from the CO edge.

Decrease rounds:
Rnd 1: *K6, K2tog, rep from * to end of round.
Rnd 2: Knit to end
Rnd 3: *K5, K2tog, rep from * to end of round.
Rnd 4: Knit to end

Continue in this fashion ending with round of K2tog leaving you with 8 stitches remaining.

Cut yarn leaving a good length tail. Draw yarn through the remaining stitches and weave in ends.

p.s. she loves it and it keeps her head nice and cozy warm

- A

Windy Wednesday

So it is one of those dreary cold fall days here in Ottawa. A perfect day to sit with coffee, some reading material and of course my knitting. Mila and I made a trip to our local Chapters for some new reading material and of course some much needed Starbucks. The magic of this little trip of course is the resulting sleeping baby. 

Shhhh. Don't wake the baby :) Time for this mommy to sit back and have some time just for her...

Did you notice my current project (well one of many). It is the fabulous Rae by Jane Richmond which I wish was finished so I could wrap my self up in it :)

- A

Finished Object Friday - Berry Seed Hoody

Last night I finally sat down with this cute little hoody and ripped out the ugly button bands. After some carefully picking up the correct number of stitches and paying close attention to Jane's instructions I am proud to say that this cute little sweater is now done! Well except for buttons but I am going out today to get some :)

This sweater was the project I choose for Luvinthemommyhood's Summer Sweater Knit Along and I could not be happier with how it turned out. This was my second time knitting this pattern and I loved it as much as the first time, well maybe a bit more since the sweater is for my own sweet little girl. I decided to knit the 24 month size because I have a feeling that as she gets bigger and life gets busier with chasing her around I will not have as much knitting time, especially if Daddy has his way and we give her sibling before her second birthday :)

Here is all the info and pictures:

Pattern: Manda Ruth by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Berroco Vintage
Project Link

- A

Autumn is here in full swing!

My favorite season arrived in Ottawa last week but with our trip to Toronto to see family for Thanksgiving I never got around to letting you all know :)

I love the season because it is such a cozy time and it always smells good outside. I can finally wear all my comfy sweaters and wool socks (even though I wear them with my birks) and my cords. I love that you can layer up and maybe even use a nice knitted scarf of cowl.

Autumn is also my favorite time to go on nature walks so I thought I would share some pics from my last walk with you...

Time to go curl up on my couch with a tea and work on my knitting. It is a cold one here in Ottawa today, I think I even saw some flurries out there !

- A

Finished Object Friday

More newborn photo props for MJG Photography

- A

Work in progress Wednesday

So I have cast on for two new sweaters. The Puerperium cardigan was a great knit the last time I made it so I decided to knit another one up for my little one. I am finding it hard to find sweaters small enough for my little preemie so this pattern is great for cute little sweaters. The raglan sweater for me is going very well so far. Jane is a great pattern writer and I cannot wait to get to the body so I can try it on as I go.

One for my tiny daughter,

Pattern: Puerperium Cadigan
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Project link

And one for me (or maybe my mom if she steals it),

 

Pattern: Ladies Classic Raglan Pullover by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Berroco Vintage

Project Link

Stay tuned for more on these two lovely orange creations :)

- A

Fill in the blanks with Luvinthemommyhood

This is a little game being played over at Luvinthemommyhood. If you would like to play along all you have to do is copy & paste the following questions into your own blog post and change the words i have " " and bolded to your own answer.  When you have finished your post, link up your blog post at Luvinthemommyhood's blog in the comments section and that way we can all learn about each other :)

Here are my answers:

* i'm longing to make "beef stew" right now.

* i want to try "knitting" with some "brooklyn tweed" yarn.

* i wish i could sew with "moda" fabric.

* i dream of making "a comfy afgan for my couch".

* i keep track of my ideas by "writing them in notebooks".

* i'm inspired by "nature and pinterest".

* i would love to meet "Shannon from Luvinthemommyhood and Rebecca from Nook" in person.

* my favorite fiber is "wool".

* i like to sew with "cotton".

* my favorite color is "anything fall colored".

* i rock at "making baby hats".

* i would like to learn how to make "clothing for my daughter".

* i like to listen to "music" while i "sew".

* i bring my "knitting" everywhere.

* my favorite thing to "knit" is "baby clothes".

* my favorite thing to "cook" is "spaghetti sauce".

* my crafting space is "never organized". Much to the dislike of my hubby :)

* if i had my own crafting room it would be "tidy and organized with a bulletin board wall to pin up all my ideas".

* i sew with "a singer".

* i like to "research" "new patterns".

* i can never get enough "knitting books/mags".

* i adore "knitting".

* i also enjoy "sewing" and "painting".

* i like to fill my shelves with "fabric, yarn and books".

* i create the best when i'm "at home in my pj's".

* i am currently excited for "brooklyn tweeds new fall collection".

* right now i am "working on a sweater for myself".

* i love to watch "jane austen movies" while creating.

* my guilty pleasure when it comes to creating is "yarn shopping".

* my current favorite music crush to listen to while creating is "country music".


I hope you enjoyed the game


Happy creating
-A

Finished Object Friday - Red Mittens

Pattern:Simple Booties and Scratch Mittens by Claire Montgomerie
Yarn: Berroco Vintage
Project Link

- A

Work in Progress Wednesday

I am currently trying to finish up my works in progress; here is the one I am currently trying to finish,

Pattern: Guernsey Wrap by Jared Flood
Yarn: Creative Focus Superwash (discontinued)
Project Link

This pattern is very well written and easy to follow. I love the simple stitch patterns created by the knit and purl stitches. I cannot wait to get it finished so I can wear it this fall :)

I am also working on my Summer Sweater KAL project for my little Mila but that is in another post.

- A