Resolutions

Bloomsbury Gauntlets

2015 Knitting Resolution:

To finish up my unfinished projects like these beautiful Bloomsbury Gauntlets that I nearly finished way back in January 2010!

Even the designer herself, Kristin Nicholas, commented on my project in Ravelry back in January 2011.  Kristen commented:   

"Love these - keep going. Wait til you see how fun the embroidery is! 
And thanks for using my yarn!"
Best, 
Kristin Nicholas

If that wasn't encouragement enough to get them finished.  I believe the reason these have been tucked away in a project bin for so long is that we just don't have really cold winter weather here in Northern California where I live.  

This month though as part of my knitting resolution,  I am going to dig the gloves out of hibernation and finish them.  Then I am going to ask my husband to take me to Lake Tahoe so I can wear my pretty Moksha wool scarf and my Bloomsbury Gauntlets that I made to go with it.  The weather should be cold enough up there!

Chasing Sophie

Swoon

I've been stalking Sophie Digard for a few years now.  From Paris to Carmel, CA...I'm always on the look out for Sophie. 

 Drool

My latest Sophie "spotting" was in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I love shopping on 4th Street in Berkeley, CA and always "pop in" the "girlie girl" Jest Jewels boutique.  Low and behold behind the Jest Jewels counter there they were...

those gorgeous Sophie Digard scarves!  

Sassy

Sarena from Jest Jewels was a doll!  She understood my admiration for Sophie and let me swoon over the scarves.  And here she is even modeling one for me!  We chatted about knitting and her website Christmas Cancer.  Sarena beat ovarian cancer and is interested in starting a chemo hat program.  Stay tuned for future details.

If you're headed down to 4th Street,
here are a few of my other favorite shops:

The Pasta Shop (carries Mariage Freres teas) 

Sur La Table

Anthroplogie

Castle in the Air

Teance Fine Teas

Nest

What would Jane knit?

Jane Austen Knits

It's no secret that I adore Jane Austen.

Today is Jane's birthday.  

She was born on December 16th, 1775 in Hampshire, England. 

In honor of Jane's birthday today, 

I'm curling up with a good cup of English Afternoon Tea,
my knitting and 

 the movie Pride and Prejudice featuring Colin Firth, 

as my favorite Mr. Darcy!

I also love the magazine Jane Austen Knits that debuted last year.  

Since it's Jane's birthday today, 

I thought I would share with you where you can find a
Jane Austen treat for yourself.  

Just click here 

and you can get a free download of the scarf pattern 

from the cover of the premier issue of 

Jane Austen Knits Magazine from 2011.  

Hey Bidder, Bidder!

 Silent Auction 

Benefiting Macmillan Cancer Support

My Silent Auction is in full swing now 

at Knitique, A Yarn Boutique in Elk Grove, California. 

Together Danielle, the owner of Knitique, and I are raising more funds for Louisa Harding 

while she is on her Team Macmillan Nepal Hike
through November 11th, 2012. 

All auction proceeds will be donated on Louisa's Just Giving Site 

benefiting Macmillan Cancer Support. 

There are so many fabulous goods to bid on that were donated 

all the way from England by famous British designers
and Louisa's friends.  

Don't by shy to bid.  You can even place telephone bids over the phone and we will be happy to ship your items to you.

Here's a look at the Silent Auction:

Snowy Snowflake Scarf

& Flower Brooch

by Designer Nicky Thomson

British Designer Nicky Thomson donated her gorgeous Snowy Snowflake Scarf and Flower Brooch in color Royal Azure.  I've been a fan of Nicky's for quite some time now.  

I have several of her wool scarves and flower brooches and always receive compliments when I wear them.

Nicky has developed a unique way of gently felting her wool designs and is a supporter of the UK's Campaign for Wool.  I love that she recycles and donates her wool scraps to local schools for children's arts and crafts projects.

When I contacted Nicky about a donation she told me:

 "I have actually always supported Macmillan Cancer Support.  My mum runs quite a number of events here in the UK.  It is such a good cause."

Thank you Nicky for your lovely donation!

Debbie Bliss Books & 

Emma Bridgewater Polka Dot Mug Set

Knitting Fever 

(Louisa Harding and Debbie Bliss' American Yarn/Book Distributor)

generously donated the Louisa Harding Thistle Yarn for my charity event also sent two Debbie Bliss books for my Silent Auction.  Debbie told me in an e-mail, that she wished she was in the US so she could sign the books for us!

Another fabulous British Designer, Emma Bridgewater donated an adorable 2pc Polka Dot 1/2 Pint Mug Set all the way from the Potteries in England.  The Emma Bridgewater company is a strong supporter of Macmillan Cancer Support and has regular events at their factory and retail stores to raise money for Macmillan.  

 Rowan Books

Louisa 's knitwear career actually began with an internship at Rowan so naturally Rowan wanted to donate for the auction.  Rowan sent three of their latest books for the auction:  Sarah Hatton Knits, Parisian Nights and Kidsilk Haze Trio.  

 Sardi Hat

You can even help raise funds at the auction even if you're not a knitter!  I have donated my Sardi hat that I knit as a sample for my Himalayan Hiking Hat Kit fund raiser.

The Sardi hat is Louisa's pretty heart cable design and it's knit in Louisa's Thistle yarn which is a luxurious blend of Merino Wool and Baby Suri Alpaca.  

I wonder who the lucky winning bidder will be?

Kim Hargreaves Books

(Autographed by Kim!) &

Nicky Thomson Flower Brooch

Louisa and Designer Kim Hargreaves have been wonderful friends for over 20 years.  Kim graciously sent her two latest books, Quirky and Enchanted, from Yorkshire England and even autographed them for the auction.  This is such a treat for Kim's American fans because I don't believe Kim makes many (if any) public appearances in America.  

Also in the photo above is a darling Nicky Thomson wool flower brooch in Bluejay Khaki up for bid!

So please don't be shy to bid.

If you live out of the area, you can place a telephone bid by calling Knitique and we will gladly ship your winning item/items to you with just the cost of the postage added to your winning bid.  

This is all really for such a wonderful cause and such a fun way to go shopping for fabulous British goods that are often not readily available here in the US!  

For telephone bids:

Knitique, A Yarn Boutique

(916) 714-7719

Hooked on Crochet!

Doily Dress

Crochet is everywhere these days!

I spotted the cute crochet dress above 

at Anthropologie last month while vacationing in

 Carmel, California.  

It's hand-crocheted in cotton by

Knitted and Knotted 

(an in-house brand registered to Urban Outfitters, 

Anthopologie's parent company).

I love its lacy "doily" look.

Wouldn't it be perfect to wear to a garden party?

 Sophie Scarf

While shopping in Carmel, 

I also had the chance to see (and try on) 

Sophie Digard's beautiful crochet scarves in person at

my favorite Carmel boutique, 

Piccolo.

As badly as I wanted to buy one of Sophie's crochet scarves,

I decided it would be more rewarding 

to crochet a "sophie-style" scarf myself.

I love the Japanese flower scarves my knitting pen pal
Teresa and Lucy of Attic 24, both in England have crocheted.
 Their colorful motif scarves have inspired me
 to challenge myself and
improve my crochet abilities
so I can crochet one, too.

Japanese Crochet Motif Vol. 4

So I have the book...
now as soon as my hand is better,

you guessed it...

I'm signing up for more crochet classes!


(Sophie Digard image from The French Needle.)

Idle Hands

Knitting Break

I haven't been knitting much these days

due to tremendous finger pain.

I attributed my pain to

too much knitting at Christmas time or perhaps tendinitis. 

Unfortunately, my pain did not go way.

Eventually I was diagnosed with ganglion cysts 

on my right index and middle finger 

tendon sheaths.

(Hmmm, do you think this could be caused from

too much knitting and
too much time on the computer mouse?)

I'm having hand surgery tomorrow.

Since I'm right handed,

I will be out of commission for awhile.

I hope to be back in a few weeks.

(In the photo:  On my needles:  Louisa Harding Divine Lace Scarf in Rowan Kidsilk Haze
and stitch marker by Mae Soren from Knitique, A Yarn Boutique.)

Haven

 Haven Scarf

My Haven scarf is finally off the needles!

Haven is a beautiful lace panel knit scarf by Kim Hargreaves
from her 

Heartfelt, The Dark House Collection.

Kim designed the scarf to be knit in Rowan's Cocoon yarn but

I knit my version in Louisa Harding's Hulda yarn 

to match my Louisa Harding Kenzie beret.  

I think the two patterns, by two fantastic British designers,
makes a very pretty boutique-style set.  

To top it off...

Kim and Louisa are great friends...

so I think they would approve of my pretty beret and scarf set
knit from their patterns!

 My Haven

I started my Haven scarf way back in October of 2010.  

For one reason or another, 

my Haven scarf became a UFO.  

Knitters recognize this term as an "unfinished object".

Knitters often put projects down for awhile 

due to the excitement of starting new projects.  

When a project is put down for a long time,

we knitters refer to this as "hibernation". 

I'm not really quite sure why this scarf went into such a long hibernation?

Haven is a wonderful pattern by Kim and such a pretty scarf.

I wish I would have finished it sooner.

I'm currently on a mission to finish up my UFO's 

due to my upcoming hand surgery.

(I'll write more about that soon.)

I'm so happy, 

I can check this scarf off my UFO list.  

Knitter's Blocks

After my Haven scarf came off the needles,

I couldn't wait to soak and block it.

Pre-blocking my scarf measured 8" x 70".  

After a soak and blocking,

it pinned out to 10" x 84".  

Kim's final measurement is 11" x 84" so my version 

came out very close.  

I am very pleased with this project.

To block this scarf,

I used my new Knitter's Blocks for the first time.

Love them!

Holiday Glitter

Simonetta

The Holidays are all about glitter

so I was pretty excited when I saw 

Louisa Harding's new winter collection

Simonetta.  

 I couldn't wait to try Louisa's Simonetta yarn

which has "glittery" metallic fibers
added to the kid mohair.

I was so excited about Louisa's new book and yarn Simonetta,
that I organized a Holiday Glitter Knit-Along
(in the Louisa Harding group on Ravelry)
as a tribute to Louisa Harding
and her new collection.

Madelena

I recently finished my Madelena  scarf for the

Holiday Glitter Knit-Along.

  If I do say so myself...
I think it's the prettiest scarf I've ever knit!

Today is the last day of the Holiday Glitter Knit-Along

and it has been so much fun! 
Knitters have participated from

England, Scotland, Germany, Canada

and the USA. 

I am normally a "flitter knitter" but knew I had to focus

and finish my KAL project by the deadline

 since after all, I organized it. 

Whew, I made it
(with a week or so to spare)
and even with doing my Christmas knitting.  

Teresa's Madelena Scarf

My knitting pen pal Teresa in England

joined in on the fun and

knit the Madelena scarf as well,

only in the two-color version. 

I loved how she styled hers

and wore it with a beautiful blue coat and,

of course, her wellies! 

Holiday Glitter

I styled my Madelena scarf with a vintage rhinestone Weiss pin

that adds just the right amount of sparkle

to the Simonetta yarn! 

Thanks to Louisa Harding...

I'm ready to sparkle for the holidays

and the New Year! 

More Missoni!

 Missoni Style Stitches

I'm obsessed with Missoni zigzags!

The Missoni For Target line has really inspired me knit

my own Missoni "style" scarves.

 Missoni For Target

Yesterday I went to Target to return a few Missoni items

and look what I found...

the scarf I really wanted! 

I couldn't find this Missoni scarf the day
 Missoni premiered at Target. 

Much to my surprise, there were six of these scarves on the rack. 

 I'm figuring this inventory may not have made the actual
Missoni launch date
 or a shopper caught up in the "Missoni Madness" returned them.

So now I want to knit a Missoni style scarf like this one, too.  I really like its design.  I like how the chevron pattern in color is placed on the bottom of the scarf.

I'm not really sure when I will tackle this project. In the meantime, I'm going through stitch dictionaries, Ravelry and the Internet getting more inspired every day.

Here's why I love Missoni zigzags...

PS:  There is also a Missoni Ravelry Fan Club group on Ravelry

for more Missoni inspired knitting. 

Missoni Inspired!

 Knit a Missoni Scarf

Now that the "Missoni Madness" at Target is over...

I'm re-evaluating my Missoni For Target purchases. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad for Missoni style...

I'm just not that crazy about the Target quality and colors of the scarves.

So, what's a knitter to do but get her needles out and 

 knit her own Missoni style scarves!

Missoni For Target

I've wanted to knit a Missoni "inspired" scarf for about a year now. 

With all the Missoni madness going on, now seems like the perfect time to get one started. 

I've been planning on knitting Joelle Hoverson's Chevron Scarf

in her book Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I even have the Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino

yarn already in my stash that I purchased last year from ImagiKnit in San Francisco for my scarf.

Then I had to go look on Ravelry...

 ZigZag Stripes Scarf

There are a lot of Missoni "inspired" patterns on Ravelry. 

A few of my favorite chevron scarf designs are:

Sock-It-To-Me in One Skein Wonders

Chevron Scarf by Jo Sharp

Ripple Scarf in Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders

Striped Scarf by Vogue Knitting

Zigzag Stripes by Debbie Bliss

Hmmm, now which one to knit?  I'll probably stay with my first choice in my Koigu yarns

but can't wait to try a few other patterns for more Missoni style!

I hope I've inspired you to knit up your own
Missoni-style scarf

in your favorite colors and yarns...

because you know you...
won't find that at Target!

Sew Crafty!

Feeling Crafty!

I haven't been knitting much but...

I have been crafty!

Lately, I'm obsessed with flowers
and
Liberty of London prints!

Sew Crafty

I was pretty excited when Liberty of London and Target teamed up last year.  Let's just say, with Liberty at  Target prices, I stocked up on a lot of scarves.  I'm so glad I did because now I'm getting "crafty" with them.

For my recent trip to London I put together a Liberty ensemble to wear to tea.   I jazzed up my Liberty for Target basic scarf with a cute pom-pom trim and now it looks like it came from a London high-street shop! 

I also upcycled  another Liberty for Target scarf into a big ruffled flower that I can wear as a hair pin or brooch.  I can even pin it on some ruffly tulle and it makes a darling fascinator! 

Ta Da!

I can tell you now, that nothing beats wearing Liberty of London in London!

Of course, I had to wear my Liberty ensemble the day I went shopping at Liberty of London.  The Liberty ladies on the Haberdashery Floor all recognized my accessories made from their famous Liberty prints. 

I also wore my Liberty ensemble to the adorable tea room High Tea of Highgate in Highgate Village (outside of London) and the owner Georgina noticed my Liberty of London accessories, too.  I loved that and loved the tea room, too!

And yes...

I wore my Liberty flower as a fascinator to tea! 

Searching for Sophie!

 That Scarf!

On my recent trip to Paris,  I went searching for French designer

Sophie Digard's exquisite crochet scarves. 

I was seriously ready to splurge on one but never had the chance. 

I did email the Sophie Digard website before my trip inquiring on Paris retailers but didn't receive a reply.  So I was left on my own searching for Sophie's scarves in Paris and came up empty handed.

I did have a Sophie sighting in London though before arriving in Paris.

I spotted a lady with a beautiful and colorful crochet scarf at London's Portobello Road Antique Market. 

I stopped her to compliment her and ask her if she made her scarf?  She was so thrilled to have her scarf admired and proudly told me "I bought it an expensive boutique in Sweden".
I knew immediatley it just had to be a Sophie Digard scarf...

and, of course, it was!

I Can do That!

So now my latest idea is to crochet my own scarf  inspired by a Sophie Digard scarf. 

I've been searching on Ravelry for pattern ideas and  now I'm obsessed with Japanese flower scarves. 

 My Ravelry friend Teresa in England is crocheting Japanese flower scarves and suggested I check out Lucy's Attic24 blog for inspiration.  Thank you, Teresa!  Lucy's blog is very inspiring...so inspiring, she has a fan club of over 4,000 members (including me now) on Ravelry in the We Love Lucy group. 

I'm hoping to go to Japantown in San Francisco soon to buy some Japanese crochet books.  In the mean time, I picked up this I Taught Myself Crochet kit to help get me started. It's been over 40 years since my Great Grandmother G.G. taught me how to crochet a granny square. 

Wish me luck! 

PS:  I've just discovered that my favorite yarn store in London, Loop is carrying Sophie Digard scarves and accessories in their online shop..so you don't have to go all the way to Paris, afterall.


(Top photo credit Sophie Digard Creations)

Sparkle!

 Snowflake Sparkle

It's not just the Christmas tree that needs a little "sparkle" during the holidays...scarves need some "sparkle", too!

I love my Fair Isle scarf that I bought at Nordstrom a few months ago.  It reminds me of the fabulous Fair Isle scarf currently on the cover of Rowan magazine #48.  It's just about cold enough in California now that I can start wearing it.  I thought a snowflake pin would be the perfect "sparkle" for it!

Monet Snowflake Pin

My secret source for my snowflake pin is Macy's.  I found it this week while Christmas shopping.   It's a very nice piece of costume jewelry by Monet.  It retails for $25.00 but if you're a savvy shopper like me...you won't pay near that! 

Will you be dashing off to Macy's or Monet to get one?