My favourite things...

...and a sneak preview of what I've been working on for my first line of knitting patterns for wee ones set to debut this Spring over at Jujube & Lolo.


I couldn't figure out what to name this one but inspiration struck dada over lunch this weekend and it became Hickory Dickory Dot (oh that clever, clever man ;0). I wanted to come up with a design that featured lap shoulders. I've never seen a knitting pattern with lap shoulders before but seeing as they work wonderfully for baby onesies, I figured why not work them on knits too? And so I did ;0) I love the little polka dot pocket too. It's so much fun and then to top it all off, a knitted toy mouse because what baby wouldn't love to wear a sweater with built-in toy?

The pattern will be available from Jujube & Lolo on March 1st but if any of you would like to knit one of these puppies now, I am looking for 5 or 6 test knitters. Just send me an email at annypurls{at}hotmail{dot}com if you are interested and let me know what size you'd like to test. I'm planning on writing up the pattern in sizes 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months. {Thanks for your enthusiastic response! I already have all the test knitters I need for this one. Cheers!}

And now for my favourite knitting things as part of my holiday gift idea meme.

Top row: Knitting project and notion bags from Piddleloop (it's made for sock knitting but I find it to be just the right size for holding a baby project in progress. It has a clever rivet on one side through which you can feed your working yarn to keep the ball safe from baby hands - love that!), MeiMei bamboo knitting needles which you can get for a steal on ebay (I got a set of 40" circs in every size for about $30!!! They are made of bamboo and the 'wires' are clear plastic tubes which are very flexible. I've been using these exclusively for months and even got a set of DPNs to match because I love them so much), Victorinox Swiss Army card which is not made specifically for knitters but might as well be! Useful knitter on the go features include a ruler in both centimeters and inches, a nail file, scissors, a pen, and more! Keep one in your wallet and you always have some emergency notions on hand ;0)

Middle row: Clover knitting notions (I love the spring loaded measuring tape, locking stitch markers, kacha kacha counter and chibi bent tapestry needles), The Best of Vogue Knitting book which brings together 25 years of magazine articles from legends like EZ and Meg Swansen covering everything from techniques to literature, to types of sleeves and yarn info. Each article is short and sweet and makes perfect bedside reading ;0), the Chart Keeper from KnitPicks is pure genius. It's magenetic! You just place your chart on it using the magnets provided and use one of the long magnets to mark the row your on. Need to put it away quick? Just close it and put it in your knitting bag until you are ready to pick it up again and you'll never lose your place again - love!)

Bottom row: Knit Stick Sack (great way to organize all your circular needles and extra bonus: the pick one helps raise funds for breast cancer research), ipod nano (need I say more? it fits in your notions bag and provides tunes or knitting podcasts to enjoy while you knit ;0), stretch markers from Orinda5 (made with superthin elastic these will mark your place without stretching out your stitches the way metal or plastic markers can - brilliant!).

Wanna play the holiday gift idea meme? Just write about your family's favourite things and indicate the person's age. Tell me about it if you do as I am always looking for nifty gift ideas ;0)

Happy knitting!