an easter bonnet

OK, hands up I admit it Guv'nor, I might have been just a teensy bit economical with the truth in my last post. Yes, alright, so I made a hat but truly this is very definitely the last of the 'Winter' variety, not least because the sun has appeared and its beating rays are warm! Aaaah, finally the thick coat comes off, finally the skies up there are no longer grey but azure blue and finally those long awaited and much promised cherry blossoms are coming into bloom. There are so many here in Vancouver the display is going to be astonishing!

Now it just so happens that a few weeks ago I overheard a snippet of a conversation between two ladies in the supermarket queue where one asked the other what she had done over the long weekend. 'Oh, we just went to Whistler' she replied nonchalantly. Excuse me? Whistler is one of the greatest ski resorts in the world and to hear such a throw away comment was a bit of a shocker to me. But the truth is, it is only a mere hour and a half away from where we live and everyone has been there. Several times we had been asked whether we'd 'been up to Whistler yet', so eventually we decided to see out the season in style. I'll have you know we could barely contain our excitement!

There are countless photos to sort out so I shall show you just a select few next week but in the meantime we arrived back home last night, with no Easter preparations whatsoever .. however, I did come back with my new hat! During those evenings up in the mountains, when we were shattered after a hard days exercise and wishing desperately that we had prepared the thigh muscles for the rough treatment they were getting, I managed to summon up just enough energy to knit Zumphor. An easy, repetitive pattern but all the same, extremely satisfying. I say that because of all the hats I have knitted to date, I think this could be my favourite yet. If you take extra care over the fabulous double brim and the sewing in of your ends, it is fully reversible. I think I may prefer it in its stocking stitch version though .. what do you reckon? You can get more info and photos here on Ravelry if you like.

So, I am way behind on all things Easter here and I must away to the oven to bake. I wish you all a wonderful, happy weekend with perhaps just a few little oval chocolate goodies!!

Happy Easter.

jul

I think this may be my last Winter hat. Did you notice the way I put 'Winter' in there .. you see I know I promised I was done but there's yet one more I've got my beady eyes on and I wouldn't mind having a stab at it. For the Spring, you understand!

Well, this is Jul, another Jenny Gordy pattern. Like all her others, it is simple, well written and therefore, yep .. quick to do. Love that! I used Aslan Trends llama and silk, which is sensational, like something Rapunzel might have spun. As well as feeling so wonderful, it is easy to knit with too since its smooth texture flew off my needles quite beautifully. Usually when yarn flies off my needles it is accompanied with some rather unsavoury cursing and a swift crochet hook but this was quite a different experience. Even the Model grabbed it, rubbed it against her delicate face with glee and had a look about her that said 'want, want'. May have to hide this one ..

My husband took the photos at the Reifel bird reserve which is a great little place for many reasons. Of course, it's a peaceful and beautiful environment but it's filled with ducks who, once the children have finished feeding, will happily do the walk with you. So cute. We went at the weekend on a promise of seeing some owls and it just so happens the Model is crazy about owls. We weren't disappointed. There were a couple of species to see who, although wild, are pretty much resident at Reifel, but the one that stole our hearts was a Great Horned Owl. There he was, snuggled up in the trees right above us looking a little sleepy but adorable nonetheless. I say adorable, but this owl is big. Naturally he wasn't getting much rest with us standing gawping at him but he did seem to appreciate the Model singing to him and posed for photos quite considerately.

I hope you're having a good week, the weather is certainly changeable here but we're promised more sunshine by the weekend. How about you?

ribbstickad for the slopes

Oh grief, she's only gone and done it again. I did post a warning that I was obsessed though, didn't I? We have a two week Spring Break holiday now and this is my hat knitted especially for the slopes. You see, I have this wonderful vision of myself skiing beautifully (parallel of course) through the powder, glorious hat atop my head with pom-pom swaying stylishly all the way down the mountain. Of course, the reality is I shall be wearing a helmet and my skiing is anything but beautiful. Come to think of it, the parallel skiing needs a lot of work too. I still wanted the hat.

When I say this was the quickest and easiest knit ever, I mean it. With chunky yarn and clear instructions, I had this one knitted in a matter of hours. When it came to the pom-pom I indulged myself with a Clover maker which turned out to be a lot of fun to use. The Model had a friend over from school so we all sat around the table making pom-poms. I have to say, the instructions on the packet are ridiculously economical but this tutorial made a lot more sense.

The pattern calls for a two inch pom-pom but, quite frankly, if you're going to have a pom-pom, then make it a POM-POM. You know what I mean? More details can be found over here.

One more to come .. sorry! Happy week, everyone.

rescue remedy

My boy had a haircut the other day. Poor thing, the barber got a little scissor happy which was not appreciated one bit. We certainly won't be visiting him again!

But, you know me, any excuse to knit a hat so I made Fjord, using three quarters of a skein of Punta Yarns Mericash Thousand Colours in a good 'manly' bluey/greeny/brown colour.

Despite being pleased to cover up the hair (which is fine, by the way, in my opinion), my lovely boy wasn't quite so keen to model my efforts but I think you can get the gist of Fjord. It's a lovely pattern, extremely straightforward and quick to do as well, just a knit/purl combination all the way. A perfect rescue remedy! More information over here on Ravelry.

I don't know about where you are but the weather here has been pretty foul these last few days .. definitely not dry enough to entice me outside any more than is necessary, that's for sure. Despite the fact I am currently working on a little something for the Spring, I can't help but dream of hats right now. and have just made a bit of a detour with yet another on the needles. I'm thinking I must have one for our Spring Break holiday, which we are all so excited about. Doubtless there'll be others to follow for I've discovered that hat making is a quick and satisfying fix like no other. Can there really ever be too many hats in one's wardrobe, I wonder? I think we all know the answer to that ..

Keep dry!

a hat for mother's day

Oh my word, what a quick and satisfying project this turned out to be and now it's confirmed, I am an avid hat knitter. By no means speedy, I still had this done in a couple of days .. much, much less would have been possible, had nothing else in the house needed doing. Ha! I also think the needles were going faster than usual as I had an important postal deadline to meet. My mother has needed a hat for some time and what better occasion than Mother's Day, thought I.

It was a tricky job finding a suitable yarn for this project and my desperate attempts to avoid the greys didn't help. However, I met up with Melissa from Oh Hello Rabbit the other day, who took me to a new yarn shop. Melissa sews and sells the cutest outfits for little girls and is also partial to a spot of dressmaking and knitting so we got on like a house on fire. Just as well, given the time it took me to make a decision.  But after much dithering and discussion of yarn choices for my hat, we suddenly spied the most adorable little sample top made out of Koigu hand painted merino. (I hadn't realised that Koigu is a Canadian brand until I started writing this post.) Normally variegated yarns would have me crossing the aisles but I may be about to change my mind, for those hand painted skeins looked so pleasing, all enticingly arranged in their rows of coordinating colours. I instantly knew a deep blue variant was the one and bought a couple of skeins with a view to holding the yarn double.

Chelsea Market Hat. Of course, having recently left London I was drawn to the name but, in truth, I think it was the single row of cabling down one side that made me plump for this pattern. It really adds a big dose of interest which doesn't get lost in the variegation. (Of course, once I had got quite far into the cabling I realised a small mistake but by then didn't have the time to unpick. Hey ho, wouldn't want anyone thinking I'd bought the thing, would I?!!) So full marks to the Canadian postal service for getting this across the pond and bang on delivery target, love from 'Impressed of Vancouver'. The hat fits and hopefully my mother's head will be snug for the remainder of the season! As ever, there are more details and pics on my Ravelry page.

So that's me for today. Wishing all mothers a happy day today and I hope that everyone has a lovely week, whatever you are up to?

Happy Mother's Day Mum, love you xx

lady marple

Hello dear readers, how are you? Still there I hope, she says waving frantically and hoping you have been able to see the arms flailing through the rain clouds.

Oh yes, it has been raining again but that's fine by me because on such days when only a cuppa and a sit down will do, I have been known to race about like a mad thing, getting those boring chores done and dusted (chance would be a fine thing) before finally settling down to a spot of knitting. Yesterday's weather was amazing and boy did we make the most of it (more of that another time) but what's been getting me over excited is my latest knit. And hooray, hooray, ring those bells for the cardigan is finished, blocked and lovingly buttoned. Can't you tell I am so excited to say that Lady Marple is done and has she met my expectations? And then some.

This pattern has so much going for it. The lace panelling on either side is particularly beautiful and also very easy to memorise. What's more, it is simple to work out exactly where you left off, once put aside for the night! I adore the gentle shaping over the waist which is so feminine and I love the yarn too. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca, a soft and snuggly yarn, although it does seem to leave irritating reminders in its wake so I may need to be careful about what it's worn with. Perhaps I should add here that it isn't a particularly forgiving yarn either, too much unpicking will annoy it to a state of fuzziness, so beware of that. The vintage buttons, made from coconut husks interestingly enough, were retrieved from the depths of my tin, and most welcome they were too, they are as smooth and tactile as any old one.

If I'm honest I may have preferred it to be a little snugger, I'm still considering that, and I know I shall need to be careful not to stretch it when it's wet. For all that though, the ultra alpaca feels wonderful to wear, a true snuggly delight and I think everyone deserves a Lady Marple in their chest of drawers! As ever, there are more details and photos to be had over on my Ravelry page.

And about yesterday, we went up Cypress Mountain for a hearty snowshoe walk in the bright sunshine. The views were breathtaking let me tell you and I've said it before but I'll say it again, Vancouver is a stunning part of the globe. You must all come and visit .. and don't forget to bring your sleeping bags and craft supplies with you!

Have a lovely week, everyone.