Blue Flower Baby Blanket

Pattern: African Flower Hexagon by Lounette Fourie and Anita Rossouw.
Yarn: TFA Yellow Label DK Weight yarn, Signature Palette plus Natural.
Ravelry Project Page here.

This baby blanket project has been in the works for about a year. It started off as innocently as they all do. I just wanted to experiment with the African Flower pattern. It's such a pretty crochet motif and I couldn't resist. I made one, I made another, I made a few more, picked a palette, then I was committed. 

I went at it slowly and casually at first and then when it started looking like it had a chance of actually   becoming a baby blanket (which, coincidentally happened around the same time I found out I was expecting) I gave it my full attention and stuck with it until it was finished.  

I am thrilled with the results. It's a smallish sized blanket, perfect for in the stroller or car seat. I had plenty of yarn from 1 Palette, and used an additional skein and a half (maybe) of Natural. For the border I worked one round of single crochet in Lemongrass and then one round of double crochet in Seabreeze (I had extra of these, I don't think that I had enough of any colour left over from my Palette to do a proper border). I really love how those two colourways look together and think that they put the finishing touches on this bright blue blanket. They tie it all together and make it feel light and fresh. I'm already planning another baby knit using Seabreeze and Lemongrass together. 

Though I really do love my Signature Palette, I can't help but think how beautiful this blanket would be in just about any of the TFA Palettes. Sweet and soft in the Pastel Palette, bold and modern in the Rusty Palette with a grey edging... the possibilities are endless. Maybe when I recover from having woven in about 1000 ends I'll start another in an alternate colourway. 

And the good news is: Stella loves it! Hopefully her little brother or sister will too!

Nursery Palette

Because baby can never have too many blankets I've cast on for yet another new project. This time a baby blanket design I'm working on in this bright and cheery colour palette inspired by some of the fabrics used in my nursery scheme. There are 2 new colourways in the photo above... can you spot them? Because I love it so, this Palette will likely be added to the Palette collection soon. Have a great weekend!

Coolbreeze Pattern Collection!

Introducing the Coolbreeze Collection! This collection started as a simple idea, and quickly took on a life of it's own! I wanted to knit myself a cardigan using one of my Palettes to do some fancy colourwork in the yoke... but I knew that using 8 colourways in the same yoke could get pretty complicated fast, so in order to keep it simple I opted to use a slipped stitch chevron pattern to achieve the look I wanted without all the fuss. No more than one colour is ever being used at a time. I became so enamored by the look of this awesome blue gradient rainbow that I just couldn't stop thinking of uses for it! The final collection includes 4 pieces, an adult cardigan and hat and a baby cardigan and hat. 

The adult cardigan and hat patterns were the first designs I worked on. The Coolbreeze Hat was born out of the idea of wanting to knit a functional swatch. Why not cast on a few more stitches and have a beautiful, wearable swatch in the end! The slouchy fit and bright colours make for an awesome accessory. 

The Coolbreeze Cardigan has a relaxed feel. No waist shaping and a generous amount of ribbing at the hems make this sweater easy to throw on and wear with just about anything. 

As I was working on the adult patterns, Chris and I got the wonderful news that we are expecting! So of course, I was dying to cast on for a little baby project. Since I wasn't quite over my chevron love affair just yet I decided that my baby's first special knit would be the Coolbreeze Baby Cardigan that coordinates with mommy's sweater. (I know, now I need to make one for Chris... I might just let him borrow my hat when he feels left out.)

Thanks a million to the adorable Lila for modeling this sweater for me!

And of course, what baby doesn't need an awesome hat? So of course, the baby cardigan comes with a matching hat pattern too. 

These four patterns are available for sale in two different options:

1) as the full Collection featuring all four patterns for $9.

2) as separate patterns, ladies sweater and hat for $6 or baby sweater and hat for $6.

And there is one more exciting detail about this collection... I've made sweater kits! Yes! 

The Sweater Kits are available in two colourways, my original Coolbreeze colourway, and a beautiful Warmbreeze colourway featuring my Rusty Palette with Sand as the main colour. Kits are available in 4 different sizing options and contain enough yarn to knit at least 1 adult sweater and hat. Pattern sold separately.

I was able to knit all 4 patterns in the collection using only 1 Palette, but the larger sizes that will require more of the contrasting colourways will have less leftover yarn for extra projects.

COOLBREEZE COLLECTION

$9.00

View ravelry pattern page here. 

More details on my website here.

All about colour!

One of my favourite pages on my website has always been the colourways page (let's get real, isn't the colourways page the best part about any yarn website?) In my website re-vamp project I knew that I wanted to tackle this page and take it up a notch. I think that these new photo's show off all of the colourways better, and overall, the whole thing is just makes me so happy. 

And speaking of awesome rainbows of colour... introducing my new and improved TFA Palettes! The Palettes are essentially the Baby Shane Blanket kits, just re-named to promote more inventive uses. In the past, I've grabbed a Baby Shane Blanket kit several times, intending to use the yarn other projects. This, this and this all borrowed from the kits. They include the perfect amount of yarn to knit just about any awesome, colourful, baby blanket pattern, but I also love the idea of scooping up your favorite Palette and using the yarns to knit several smaller projects (maybe a few striped kid sweaters? Hats or mitts for everyone on your Christmas list?) I view them as a way to try out 8 different colours of TFA yarn, without having to dish out the dough for 8 full skeins. 

All of the above Palettes have been refreshed (with the exception of the Pastel Palette which was just perfect as is!) Some of my old Baby Blanket kits featured discontinued colourways, and since I've introduced new colourways since I made the original kits a lot of my best colours were MIA. Now, every single one of my colourways is featured in a kit (with the exception of Natural, Charcoal and Atlantic, but don't worry, I'm working on a "neutrals" Palette that will include those gems, I just need that 8th neutral!)

Because I'm so excited about these new Palettes I plan on working them into an upcoming colour driven KAL! Stay tuned for all the details. I haven't worked it all out just yet, but I'm thinking that the general idea will be to challenge yourself with a colour project. You don't need to buy a Palette to participate, I know that lots of you have great TFA stashes to work from, however, I'm thinking there should be a prize for most inventive use of a TFA Palette. I'm considering tackling a rainbow sweater myself!