mr. gibbs

Mr. Gibbs is my coworker Anna's little canine companion.  He's a dapper and saavy sort of fella, so it was only fitting that he too sported a new bow tie. 

[And yes, you'll notice it's the same colour as Lucy's, I have a rather large roll of powder blue yarn.]

a bow for lucy

I finally made a knit bow tie for my four-legged pal Lucy.  It's not purple, but this colour of soft blue works well with her colouring and matches the living room decor as well.

diy | knit doggie bowties

Over the holidays, I also made up these fun knit bow ties for the dogs in our family - my parents dog Mac and my sister's dog Izzie.  Lucy's bow tie hasn't been made yet, I've been looking for a vibrant purple to match her collar.

a cute striped scarf for a cute little girl

If you're looking for a super simple knit project that's a big hit with the kids - this striped pom pom scarf is it.  It's a garter stitch alternating 4 rows of a multicoloured pink yarn with 4 rows of a white yarn.  Make big pouffy pom poms and this one is done!  Add an adorable little girl who just happened to have on a coordinating shirt and it's over the top!

a great idea

The Jane Collar from wool and the gang.  Spotted on the goodie life.

knitting

Yes, I've started for the season.  Loving the fresher palette of colours this year. [And don't you love the bag - you probably will when I tell you it's from Dollarama and was $1.50]

goodies from the purl bee

The winter season is when I start most of my crafting.  With cold snowy days on the horizon, I like to tuck into some good DIY, usually with a movie playing in the background.  Especially gearing up for Christmas, I knit a lot [yes, I'm a bit like a grandma sometimes] and I pull out the sewing machine for a few little projects.  The Purl Bee is my go to for inspiration and this week I found these:

This gorgeous knit throw made from the most beautiful colour of mustard.  I love using raw wool to knit, the result is fantastic, the cost of the wool however is not.

These simple linen tea towels made with tailors tape.  Sometimes you just have to say, why didn't I think of that?

And for the tree, these lovely little felt birds that really are super easy to make.

more knits

Here is the latest cowl scarf I've done. I've used a natural wool from Americo and a simple ribbing pattern [for you knitters out there, you'll see I've worked in on it's side, which I prefer]. For whatever reason I was in a very colourful mood and used a bunch of left over buttons I had to fasten the scarf. Although I love it now - I have a feeling I may get sick of it and attach either some leather straps or more natural buttons - but for the time being, it's a very fun [and warm] scarf.

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I also wanted to show you some wet felted bowls that my friend Heather completed. She, like me, is rather new to knitting, and has just started into wet felting which I want to try next. Essentially, it's washing and drying wool and shrinking it on purpose, not like when I accidentally wash and dry a new sweater and it only fits the kid next door. Anyway, here are her results [and of course, the designer in Heather would stage the bowls perfectly].

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americo

A friend of mine tipped me off to a wonderful retailer of fine wools and knit goods. Americo. Don't let the name fool you, they are Canadian. They have the most amazing knits and wools and their patterns are fresh and modern. Just take a look at a few of the projects I'm hoping to tackle this season.

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more scarves

Here are the latest pics of the scarves I've finished.

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as if i'm not busy enough

A few weeks ago I started knitting. Let me set a few things straight - I'm 30, I don't own 8 cats, I still have a social life, and knitting is a great way to calm your nerves and I'm always looking for a creative outlet. So back to my story, I learned to knit. I started with a scarf for myself - a basic red circle scarf. Then I made two scarves for my sister Jen, a circle scarf and a cowl scarf with pom poms. Then one for my friend Alex. Then one for my sister Becky (it's on it's way down to you!). Then one for my friend Brenda. Then I got approached by an independant vendor who wanted to sell my scarves. After turning this down, I then got approached by my local Second Cup barrista to knit two scarves for his daughters for Christmas. And another friend wants a scarf. And one for her daughter. And I'm in need a great blue one myself. And now I have no time.

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Anyway - here is a glimpse at the cowl scarves I make. I'm not taking orders.
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