Source for Advent Calendar patterns

Thank-you for all your well wishes and kind words on my advent ornaments. For those who are interested, I purchased the pattern booklet last year from Country Yarns. The cost is $15 Canadian and the shop ships to Canada and the US (Country Yarns is based out of Ontario). Shipping was expensive (but worth it because the patterns are so cool and I couldn't find them anywhere else ;0) and the service was quick.

Good luck!

Counting down...

I am 25 weeks pregnant today and this morning my Doctor decided it was time for me to call it quits at work. I've been having more and more contractions these past few weeks and since the little guy needs to stay in there for another three and a half months, my Doctor is hoping that resting at home will help and that it will convince the little little guy to stay in there for a while. Me too ;0)

So I started knitting an advent calendar. Actually I started it on Saturday but caught up today! Now that I'll be spending a lot of time at home, I think I can totally knit all 24 ornaments by Christmas. It'll help me pass (and mark) the time in December. Then I'll only have another 2 and a half months to go ;0)

The patterns for these teeny ornaments (they are about and inch and a half long) are from another Sirdar booklet designed by Alan Dart. This one is number 298 and simply called "Advent Calendar."

I'm knitting them up from Knit Picks Palette wool with US 0 needles and they are actually knitting up pretty quickly. It's the sewing together of the tiny bits and pieces that is fiddly and time consuming. But they are just so cute that I can't stop knitting them ;0)


Four down, twenty one to go...

Happy knitting!

Hand warming!

Imagine you are knitting socks. Socks from the most delicious sock yarn . Using a simple but complex-looking pattern that just perfectly highlights the deliciousness of the yarn.

Now imagine you are knitting these while listening to the Harlot speak at an engagement with one of your knitting buddies who looks at your socks and wonders aloud whether those socks will fit a grown-up. Naturally, the first stage of sock-too-small-itis is denial: "No, these will fit...I swatched." You keep knitting away until you get home and try to get them over your heel in vain -- you can't get them passed your toes and you can't isolate the muscles to suck your foot gut in.

Step two, bargaining: "wool is very forgiving and blocking will stretch them just enough - and I promise to swatch in the future if this only works." Ya-da, ya-da, ya-da. Skip to step seven - make handwarmers!

Nice, eh? Now these were a total accident but actually turned out marvellous. So just in case you skip the swatching bit in the Christmas kniting rush and encounter a similar problem...relax, everyone loves hand-warmers. Here's what I did:

1. Cast-on 64 stitches and worked pattern for Hello Yarn's cable-twist socks but modifying the pattern as per Grumperina to work the twist over 6 stitches instead of 5.
   
2. Work six pattern repeats and start making a gusset by increasing one stitch at the beginning and end of a set of 6 stitches (continue to work the twist pattern on the rest of the ribs but from now one this particular rib is just worked in straight stocking stitch to form a comfy thumb gusset).
   
3. Continue to increase one stitch at the beginning and end of the gusset every third row until you have 22 gusset stitches.






4. Put gusset stitches on a thread or stitch holder and continue knitting to the end of the round.
   
5. On the next round, cast-on 6 stitches where the gusset is and continue to work in pattern until you have 11 pattern repeats or until you like the length and cast-off.
   
6. Return gusset stitches to the needles and join yarn. Start working thumb in stocking stitch picking up 6 stitches (remember the ones you cast on in step 5?) on the inside of the thumb. You should have 28 thumb stitches on your needle.
   
7. Knit 2 stitches together 4 times in the next row. It's best to do this on the inside of the thumb so they don't show, but really you can decrease these anywhere. 24 stitches.
   
8. Knit 2 rounds and knit 2 stitches together 4 more times. 20 stitches.
   
9. Keep going until you like the length of the thumb and cast off.
   
10. Weave in ends.
    
11. Admire.
    
12. Start the other one ;0)

Happy knitting!

My pinwheel!

I finished it! I finished it! I pulled it out of its hiding place, found some needles, grafted, cursed, grafted again, knit some, grafted, cursed, searched the house for more yarn, unravelled part of the first sleeve to salvage enough yarn to finish the second one, soaked, blocked and admired my lovely pinwheel ;0)


Isn't she beautiful? I started her this summer and then put her aside during those dark days of early pregnancy when knitting made me nauseous. When I picked her up again, the sleeves tested my patience (I knit them upside down!) and I buried the whole thing in a grocery bag at the bottom of Julian's diaper bag. I dug it out this week in an effort to come clean about all the projects that were still unfinished and it was worth it! Here's a picture of the back...

Looking at it in all of it's blocked beauty I can't help but wonder why I almost gave up on it in the first place. Seriously, I had planned on loosing it forever! The only little itsy bitsy problem it still poses is that I knit it for my cute little neighbourette who just turned 3 (actually, that's not true...her birthday was in June!!! See what I mean about procrastinating?) and let's just say that while my Pinwheel is the same "size" as it was when I started it this spring, it's intended recipient just kept on growing and growing as little ones tend to and I'm not sure if it will fit. Of course the only way to find out for sure would be for her to try it one but I'm too afraid that it might not fit and don't want to break her precious little heart.

Anyone out there have an average sized 3-year old? Please help a procrastinating knitter out, won't you? Please? I need to know about sleeve width, sleeve length and waist measurements.

Do tell...