Blueberry Hill Crafting

Blueberry Mitts

Pattern:  Hand / Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn:  The Plucky Knitter, less than one skein each of Spiffy Lace (63% cashmere / 37% silk) in color Study Hall and Traveler DK (65% merino / 20% silk / 15% yak) in color Blueberry Sour, held doubled

Needles:  US 5s dpns

So quick to knit, a nice snug fit, and oh so soft!

 

Pin It

Illimani Pullover

Trying to get a 13-year-old to be serious during a photoshoot is a fruitless task . . .

I knit this sweater for me, but hated how it looked on – I should have guessed, since bat-wing cropped is not my best look 🙂  I think it’s adorable on her, though.

Pattern:  Turtle Dove

Yar:  Illimani Amelie (56% mulberry silk / 40% baby alpaca / 4% merino) – 5 skeins (164 yds/ea) in color Hunter

Needles:  US 10s and 9s (ribbing)

Size:  M (54.25″)

It’s too bad, because this yarn is so incredibly soft, I’d love to wear it next to my skin!  I bought a SQ’s worth at The Mariner’s Daughter in Nova Scotia, and then really struggled to come up with a pattern that was a good match to the yarn – I think this one is, it just isn’t my style.

Pin It

Shades of Alpaca cardigan

This one goes in the “fail” category – I substituted yarn and I thought I got gauge, but it must not have been the case as this came out WAY too small.  I don’t like several of the design elements, as well – too much waist shaping for me, the sleeves don’t fit well at the shoulders (makes me look like a linebacker), and I don’t like how the collar turned out (I like the idea of folding the collar over to make it double-thick, but when I knit the button bands up to the sides of the collar, one side tweaked out really badly and I couldn’t fix it, even with blocking).

Pattern:  White Pepper Cardigan by Alicia Plummer
Yarn:  Hinterland Range (50% alpaca / 50% wool) – four skeins in Maple, with partial skeins in Honey and Snow for the sleeve striping
Needles:  US 8s (I tried going up a size to get bigger gauge, but it made the fabric too open and floppy)
Size:  41″

Pin It

One-skein cowls

I didn’t use a pattern for either of these – just made them up as I went along.

Yarn:  Hue Loco Mohair Lace (70% kid mohair / 30% silk one-ply lace weight) – 1 skein (458 yds) in color Dark Amber

Needles:  16″ US 7s

Pattern:  Cast on 120 sts, join in the round, knit to 13″ (I wish that I’d knit it a little tighter – I’d probably cast on only 100 sts if I was to do it again, I like cowls that don’t sag, but fit closer around my neck).

Yarn:  Handspun (99g of merino/tencel) from Knotty By Nature in Victoria, B.C.

I don’t even remember what size needles I used for this one – I just knit stockinette flat, with a garter stitch ridge every couple of inches, until I ran out of yarn, then seamed the ends together.

Pin It

Lucerne Hats

Pattern:  Lucerne Hat

Yarn:  Quince & Co Tern (75% wool / 25% silk) – one skein (221 yds) each of Cumulus, Sea Star, and Tyrian

Needles:  US 4s and US 2s (for the ribbed brim)

Pin It

Mid-coast Maine in the fall

Morning light on Camden Harbor and Curtis Island

Lincolnville General Store

Wild Maine blueberries at the Camden Farmer’s Market

Afternoon sail out of Camden

Curtis Island Light

Owl’s Head Lighthouse

Mitchell Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde

Sunrise over Camden Harbor

Pin It

Nova Scotia

Traveling through Nova Scotia in September is truly one of the most spectacular trips I’ve ever taken 🙂

The view from the deck of our cottage on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island

Looking back at the Cabot Trail roadway, Cape Brenton Island Highlands, and the Northumberland Strait from the end of the Skyline Trail

The view from the kitchen sink in our cottage – it looks like a painting hung on the wall 🙂

Along Nova Scotia’s South Shore

Blue Rocks sunset

Pin It

Mohair in the breeze

 

A sunny, early fall afternoon with a light breeze is the perfect time to photograph mohair 🙂

The yarn is Sweet Georgia Silk Fog (76% silk / 24% fine kid mohair (266 yds) and Cashsilk Lace (55% silk, 45% cashmere) (400 yds), both in color Sapphire.

I used only ½ skein/each and knit on US 5s – just a long rectangle, on the bias, in each of the two yarns, then I machine-sewed them together lengthwise, so the resulting neck wrap shows off the subtle differences between the Silk Fog and the Cashsilk Lace.

Just a pop of sapphire blue to wrap around your neck on a cool summer evening . . .

Pin It

Dunes Dolman Cardigan – made for beach walking

 

I recently finished knitting one of Brooklyn Tweed’s new patterns; I liked the focus on texture and the unique shaping of this piece.  It took a while – the stitch pattern calls for a K1 P1 rib every other row – but the FO is beautiful and wearable.  My only hesitation is that the fabric produced by this yarn, while very soft and lovely to wear, feels somewhat fragile, as if it may stretch under the weight of the garment (even though it’s got a little nylon in the fiber).  I was very careful when wet blocking it, because it could have easily stretched way out of shape, and I even tossed it in the dryer for 20 minutes at the end to tighten everything up a little.  The sweater is already a little on the long side, so I’d prefer that it not stretch any further!

I went with the second smallest size – not my usual size range, but even though this garment calls for a lot of positive ease, anything larger seemed just gigantic.  I’m glad I chose the size I did, as this piece is already pretty oversized all over – any bigger and it would have felt like draping on an overcoat.

Pattern:  Dunes Dolman Cardigan

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK (80% superwash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 5 skeins (250 yds/ea) in Pretty in Pink

Needles:  US 6s and US 4s (for ribbing)

Size:  46″

Pin It

Sayer sleeveless summer top

I love this yarn, and knitting it double-stranded results in a perfect weight and feel.

Pattern:  Sayer by Julie Hoover for Purl Soho

Yarn:  Purl Soho Cattail Silk (100% silk) – 3 skeins (618 yds/ea) in color Deep Indigo, knit double-stranded

Needles:  US 5s and US 6s

Size:  43 1/2″ (fits chest size 38-40″)

I thought that the fit was spot-on, and the resulting fabric feels perfect for summertime 🙂

 

Pin It

Petrol Fingerless mitts

Quick knit – an excuse to use a yarn with beautiful fiber content and color 🙂

Yarn:  Quince & Co Tern (70% wool / 30% silk) – one skein (221 yds) in color Petrol

Pattern:  Wabi mitts

Needles:  US 6s and US 4s

Pin It

Handspun and silk

This is a mash-up of stitch patterns and yarns, for a unique and incredibly soft effect.  The natural white yarn is handspun by Ryan of Knotty By Nature Fibre Arts, a single 125g skein I snagged while up in Victoria.  It’s 30% silk and 70% merino, with a wonderful thick/thin texture.  I cast on 17 stitches, slipped the first stitch of each row, then knit two selvedge stitches every row, and knit the following lace pattern in between the selvedge stitches:

R1 – K1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1
R2 – Purl all sts
R3 – K2, yo, sk2p, yo, k3, yo, sk2p, yo, k2
R4 – Purl all sts
R5 – K1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1
R6 – Purl all sts
R7 – k2tog, yo, k3, yo, sk2p, yo, k3, yo, ssk
R8 – Purl all sts

For the second half of the cowl, I used a partial leftover skein of Long Dog Yarn Single in color Hydrangea.  I double-stranded the Hydrangea yarn, and then knit both strands with a third strand of Lakes Yarn & Fiber Silk Single (color Delphinium).  For the pattern, I cast on 21 stitches, slipped the first stitch of every row, and knit in broken rib.

Both pieces are knit on US 11s, then bound off and seamed together.  The total length is approximately 40″ post-blocking.

Pin It

Banff lace cowl

Knit from one precious skein of yarn purchased at Lake Louise in Banff National Park:

Pattern – Shallows

Yarn – Qiviuk MQS Yarn (15% qiviuk, 80% extra fine merino, 5% mulberry silk) – one skein (217 yds) in color 5052

Needles:  US 4s

This is unbelievably soft – not very large, but perfect for a kitten-soft loop around my neck 🙂

Pin It

Colorwash Wrap in Long Dog Yarns

Pattern:  Slow Curves by Joji Locatelli

Yarn:  Long Dog Yarn Single (100% superwash merino) – 1 skein/ea of Coral Charm, Jawbreaker, Sucker Punch, and Hydrangea

Needles:  US 6s

I love how this came out, but I don’t think I’d ever knit another one – at over 500 stitches per row by the end, it feels endless!  I confess that I probably skipped a few rows and sped it up a little at the end – just couldn’t stand it any longer – but I don’t think it came out any the worse for it 🙂

Pin It

Speckled jersey lounge pants

My favorite kind of sewing project . . . quick, easy, satisfying, a chance to work with a really great fabric, and the end product fits well and is something I’ll wear all the time!

Pattern:  Hudson Pants by True Bias

Fabric:  Speckle Cotton Jersey by Robert Kaufman – 2 yards of color Natural

Size:  12

I used a jersey sewing machine needle and an overlock / stretch stitch, and had no problem at all working with the jersey fabric.  I thought the size I chose might be a little big, but it was spot-on.  The only mistake I made was making the elastic in the waistband a little long – I can compensate for it by tugging the pull ties tight, but it would have been better to have the elastic just a little bit tighter.

I love the pocket detail – and they’re positioned perfectly, just where you want to put your hands.  The 2″ elastic waistband is also nice, and I appreciate the finishing details that ensure it won’t roll and will stay well-anchored in place.

I think this entire project took me about three hours, start to finish – I would definitely make another pair!

Pin It

Summer Travels: Banff National Park and Lake Louise

We recently traveled to Banff National Park for our summer family vacation, and stayed at the Fairmont on Lake Louise – it was every bit as stunningly beautiful as I’ve heard!  Most of our time was spent hiking around Lake Louise (and photographing it at all times of day, because each time you see it, it seems more beautiful than before 🙂

This short hike took us up to a viewpoint above Peyto Lake, along the Icefields Parkway.  The turquoise blue color, from glacial run-off, is so stunning, it struck me anew every time I saw it and I could have sat here for hours.

You can see the Victoria Glacier, which feeds the lake and causes its bright turquoise color.

A lone canoe out at dusk

The Fairmont, seen from the far end of the lake

Canoeing on the lake at sunset

The view from the top of the Lake Louise Gondola, looking down at the Fairmont and Lake Louise

The top of the Agnes Lake hike

 

Pin It

Wax & Wool Pincushions

I love hand-poured candles and local, small-batch honey – two small indulgences that support artisans and add a little special touch to every day.  As a result, I end up with a lot of leftover glass jars – too lovely to recycle, but by now, taking up a lot of storage room!  Sometimes, I pour my own candles and gift them as gifts to friends and family, but I much prefer buying the beautiful fragrances from Wax & Wool 🙂

My newest creation is a “triple threat” recycle project:  it uses up leftover bits of yarn, scrap pieces of felted wool, and all of the pretty jars I’ve been collecting.  The pincushions are both beautiful and functional, and truly embrace “wax & wool,” since the jars come from candles (soy wax) or honey (beeswax), the covering is felted wool, and the stuffing inside is wool fiber.  I had fun trying to match the yarn and felted wool colors to the names of the honey or the candle scents 🙂  Each is unique, and they make special gifts for sewists, crafters, and makers of all kinds.

This pincushion was inspired by an upcoming project in By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 7, due out late September, so if you’d like to learn how they’re made and how you can make one of your own, check out Issue #7!

Pin It
Older Posts