Aqua colourway

I've spent a good part of this fall putting together Fiddlehead Mitten Kits. I am forever staring at tiny little skeins of yarn lined up in pleasing colour combinations. Yesterday I decided that it was high time I had my own pair to sport this winter! I picked my favorite colourway and cast on.

I've got one completed outer mitt and I hope to have it's mate done tonight. I've photographed it inside out because in the final FO shots it will surely be right side out, and the inside is just too lovely to be ignored. I love this colourway. I know that a lot of people have been skeptical of the bright yellow, but I think it really makes it sing.

Knitting with colour always excites me. Though I love this colour combination, I can't help but want to cast on for several other potential combo's all at the same time. That's the great thing about knitting with colour, the possibilities are endless!

In the works

There is lots going on behind the scenes here at Tanis Fiber Arts. In the coming months I will hopefully introduce many new things. New colours, new kits, new patterns, a new website and a new yarn! I don't have too much to give away about all that I'm cooking up just yet, but here's a sneak peak of my next new yarn, hopefully to arrive before Christmas.

Luscious, luxurious 100% Mulberry silk. Mmmm.

Weekend visitors

My cousin Michelle and her 2 kids, Abby and Elliot, came to visit us in Montreal this past weekend. We had lots of fun colouring, reading, baking and following Elliot (11 months) around the house. He is fast! As always, Michelle dressed the kids up in style! There were hand knits galore!

Saturday morning we got up and Elliot was sporting this adorable little mountain sweater. I made this sweater for Abby when she was a baby and it's always been one of my favorites. It looks just as good on Elliot!

We took the dogs for a walk in the woods and Abby was keeping her ears warm with a fair isle hat that I made for her last year. She asked her mom how to make a pom-pom last week, I think that's a good sign that she'll be a great knitter one day!

Abby's birthday is in December, but I wanted to see her open her gift this year, so she got to unwrap her Little Miss Greenjeans cardigan a couple weeks early. It fits her perfectly! She's got just enough room to grow into it, so it will last all winter and maybe even into next Fall. Perfect!

Lastly, when they were getting ready to head out today Abby got dressed in this sweater that I made for her last year. Still fits! And those fish buttons are still awesome.

You gotta love kids in hand knits! It was great to spend a weekend with my cousin and her kids, and I love that they get good use out of the things that I've made for them. Before she left Michelle and I went over a very brief knit and purl tutorial. She's knitting her first scarf and is well on her way to becoming a pro. By the time I have kids of my own, maybe she'll be knitting the hand knits that they live in!

Spinning 1-2-3

Step 1: dye roving

Step 2: Spin singles

Step 3: ply and admire!

Alpha Sock Pattern

Introducing the Alpha Sock pattern. I designed this sock pattern for my dad. He loves hand knit socks, and really only has two requirements; his socks must be knit out of a "respectable" coloured yarn, and they must be stretchy and comfortable around the leg. Keeping that in mind, the Alpha sock was born! My dad's middle name is Alpha, and seeing as how this is my first sock pattern, the name seems very fitting.

The sock features a moss stitch panel that is flanked by two cables running down either side with a twisted stitch detail flowing out of the cuff ribbing. The pattern is repeated twice over the sock. It was designed to fit a man's foot, to knit a smaller size for a woman, I would simply recommend going down a needle size or two.

So, without further ado, here ya go:

download now!

Ravelry Pattern page can be found here. 

Little Inga Hat

The other day I really felt like knitting this pattern. I knit this pattern last year, and thought that it was brilliant then, and now that I've knit it a second time, I love it even more!

I think that I just love that it's so impressive looking! I don't find it to be a particularly difficult knit, but it looks very intricate and complicated. Very sophisticated. I knit this one in TFA Green Label yarn in Moss and Lemongrass. I have so many other colour combo's I'd like to try out, the possibilities are endless!

Little Girl Scarf

Back in June I started spinning with a really lovely superwash merino roving that I had dyed in my favorite shades of blue, purple and pink. At the time, I was very proud of my spinning job! I knew it wasn't perfect, but it was my best yet! I have been a bit nervous to knit with my handspun. I put so much effort into the dyeing and the spinning, that by the time I get to actually knitting with it I'm worried that I'll chose the wrong pattern, or I'll make a mistake and all my hard work will be ruined!

I knew that it was time that I face my fear! I wanted to knit a little scarf for my Goddaughter Abby for Christmas, and I knew that this skein full of purples and pinks would be perfect for her! I cast on 20 stitches on 6mm needles and knit until I didn't have any yarn left. It only took a couple hours of knitting! And it is perfect!

I think that this may officially be the hardest knit I've ever had to part with! I love all my knits, but this one is special. I love how even though I'm a new spinner and I didn't have any plans for controlling the colour shifts in the yarn, that garter stitch is so forgiving and that the colours blend in and out of each other like a deliberate watercolour. This scarf is so soft and smooshy and cozy, perfect for a little girl. Maybe that's what I love about it so much, it really appeals to the little girl in me! I am sad to give it away, but Abby's worth it. Rest assured, I will definitely be making myself one of these someday soon.

New sock pattern

For the past couple of years I've always given my dad a pair of hand knit socks for Christmas. This is a new tradition that I hope is going to last forever! He just loves his knitted socks, and I love knitting for someone who I know appreciates all my hard work. It's a win-win situation! This year dad is getting a custom pair of socks that I'm designing just for him in my Midnight colourway!

I've got the first sock done, and I love it! I hope to finish the second one this week and then write up the pattern.

And just because I'm so lucky to have such a snugly dog and such cozy blankets to snuggle under, I thought I'd share this latest picture of me and Stella.

A lesson in stash management

The other day I decided to buy a couple pairs of new knitting needles. Nothing particularly exciting, just some sizes that I was missing. I went on to Knitpicks and decided that while I was buying needles I might as well take a peak at their new stuff, no harm in looking right? Well, it didn't take long before I had not only bought my needles, but I had also bought a ridiculously elaborate kit to knit myself a Russian inspired old lady purse.

Naturally, I chose the blues colourway. I'm not convinced that it's the nicest colourway, but I'm pretty sure that I'll never actually carry this purse around with me because A) it's not really my style, and B) if I ever finish it I will undoubtedly have put way too much blood, sweat and tears into the thing to ever risk bringing it out in public and getting it dirty. I figure I'll knit it and then just hang it on a doorknob in my apartment where I can admire it. Don't get me wrong, I think it's gorgeous, just a bit excessive.

Anyways, so that's why I chose the blues, because if I'm going to spend hours knitting something that I'll probably never use, I might as well be using colours that I love, regardless of the final outcome. And I do love these colours!

For me, this will be an exercise in process. The pattern is really quite complicated. It incorporates colourwork, short rows, steeking, intarsia, duplicate stitch... some techniques I've never done before. It will be a learning experience, and without the pressure of having to be able to wear it, or make it fit properly, I think it's the perfect vehicle!

So, that's all great, I'm not sure when I'll get to it, with Christmas coming up and TFA taking up most of my time, this will probably languish in the stash for a while.

A while ago I read a post by Glenna which highlighted how much palette yarn she had in her stash. I commented on how I thought that she did in fact have a lot of palette, and how I had a bit as well, but not nearly as much as her. This morning as I was putting my bag kit in the stash next to the other "little bit" of palette yarn that I had I realized that I'd been kidding myself.

I have 59 balls of palette yarn! Many of them are duplicates, a few of the blues are even triplets! It's silly! Especially since I've only ever knit one thing in palette!

But my, they are lovely, aren't they!?

Little Miss Greenjeans

Last week, after frogging my Beaumont Beanie, I decided to totally ignore my list of Fall knitting and cast on for something totally unplanned. Three days and only 2 skeins of Green Label yarn in Peacock later, I had this lovely little number. (Sorry about the off center composition!)

Little Miss Greenjeans by Amy Swenson. I was so excited when I saw this pattern on Ravelry, not only is it adorable, but the sample was knit in my yarn! It was a lovely surprise. I won't say who I knit this sweater for, because her mom is a regular visitor to my blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise for her, but I will say that it's a size 4, and I know that the recipient will look adorable in it! I kind of feel like I should get her these knee highs to wear with her sweater, it would be too cute with a little jean skirt!

This sweater was a really quick and totally cute knit. I love how far 2 skeins of yarn can take you when you're knitting for kids. I wish I had more little girls to knit for, little girl knits are definitely the sweetest.

Kits are back!

After patiently waiting for what felt like months for more yarn to arrive, I finally got my yarn! Which means that I'll be spending every waking hour of the week dyeing, winding and kitting up more Baby Shane Blanket Kits and Fiddlehead Mitten Kits.

I know that a lot of you have been patiently awaiting the return of the kits. To get one of your own before they run out again, visit my shop!

Gypsum Leyburn's

I've finished my second pair of Leyburn socks. They're pink and purple and really pretty.

I'll definitely be knitting more of this pattern. I think I'll take a break for my next pair, but this pattern will for sure be in heavy rotation around here. It's jut so simple yet so perfect. A new favorite. I find the resulting socks super comfortable, which is key, some socks end up looking beautiful, but not fitting as well. This sock fits me exactly how I like. The pattern is supposed to be knit toe up with a short row heel, but I like knitting top down (only because I've never knit toe up) and I prefer a heel gusset, so that's how I made mine.

And just because it's nice to look at, I leave you with a photo of some recently dyed Tussah silk roving. So lustrous, so lovely!