a spicy little sweater

and now back to our regularly scheduled sweater knitting!

what do we have here? a finished sweater? amazingly yes! this is the chickadee version of yellowcosmo's sage blouse (a free ravelry download). it is a sweet little sweater that she dedicated to the memory of her beloved canine companion who would return home from walks smelling like the sage that was growing along the trail. she's made this pattern available for free! all that she asks in return is that you take the time to care for or show some love to a little creature that you meet along the way. a great idea, and a great pattern to boot!


this particular version is more turmeric than sage thanks to the pretty pumpkin pigment of the unique sheep's pima petite. cotton yarns can be rather tricky to work with. there's usually little give to them which makes knitting a bit of a chore. but the pima petite was prima! the best cotton yarn experience to date. makes me want to knit more soft summer sweaters in the myriad of color options it comes in...all of them with lovely hand-dyed hues.

pretty much followed the pattern just as written. you can find more notes here on my ravelry page. and you can find me wearing this one when the thermometer decides to slip into something more comfortable.

this chickadee and the technicolor dreamshawl

otherwise know as: i can't believe i knit the whole thing.

the ever encouraging oh meaghan gifted me this beautiful shawl pattern, arabella by kristen hanley cardozo. it was on my radar for a while, but her thoughtful gift and the almost simultaneous purchase of two skeins of madelinetosh sock (colorway: pop rocks) put it right to the top of the list. with so much yardage, it seemed like the large version was the way to go. but 12 repeats into the 14 repeat pattern, the yarn seemed to be fading away fast.

thankfully it was easy to customize the size and i simply stopped and knit the border section...leaving only a small amount of yarn, not enough to bind off. but scrap yarn is in no short supply at chickadee central and finally earned its keep by preventing panic and adding a charming contrast to the edge.

the finished size is *almost* as shocking as the color of the yarn. its wingspan is a whopping 68" which makes it the largest shawl knit to date...and also makes it taller than the person who did the knitting. if stevie nicks ever decides that she wants to be seen spinning from space, this chickadee has the shawl for her.

oh then it lights up the night / and you see your gypsy...

happy father's day (and a belated happy mother's day too)

this chickadee loves y'uns

forgotten flowers

made these bags last week and forgot to post them. whoops!

same standard fibre space tote bags. lovingly lined and happily handled. made from repurposed linens for a kinder, gentler on the environment way to store your knitting without slipping stitches.

good day sunshine!

these new fibre space totes are letting the sun shine in!

the green green grass

last year was the summer of shawl knitting. this year it was shaping up to be the summer of sweater knitting. at least those were the plans. but those lovely little lace triangles keep calling...and keep getting cast on. if john lennon were a knitter, perhaps he would have said "shawls are what happen when you are busy making other plans." and so, from the needle arts corner of chickadee central, comes a surprise shawl.

the pattern is wandering the moor by celeste glassel. the sprawling stockinette section was perfect for recent times when the hands needed to move but the mind needed to be very still. in this case, the mind totally shut off and i'd actually gone over the prescribed number of stitches for the large size before i took a moment to count. knowing that there wasn't enough yarn in the ball to make the large (as noted on the pattern) i went ahead and tried for it anyway. and miracle of miracles, it worked out with only a wee bit of yarn to spare. this is not a recommended move for the faint of heart or those who fear ripping back.

follow this ravelry link to find the particulars including yarn choice and pattern notes.

come sale away

need something to add splash to your pool party pantsuit? perhaps an awesome accessory for your cookout caftan? oh ginger is coming to your rescue like aloe to a sunburn. everything in her shop is now an incredible 50% off. simply use the code: SUMMERVACATION at checkout and reap your rewards!

here are two of my favorites:

use your lawn mowing/snow-cone stand money for something special this summer! support independent craftspeople slaving away over hot needles and thread to bring you unique and lovingly made little works of art. we thank you!

more where that came from

two more pretty prints to round out the set:

one skein wondering

need some place to stash that single skein of yarn? somebody out there needed several! here's the first part of a custom order for fifty vintage inspired small project bags. they measure 8 1/2" x 10" and are perfect for smaller projects. the single drawstring closure ensures that what you have on the needles goes nowhere.

you'll be seeing some more in this style but different print(s) soon!

still stitching...

remember that trio of knitting projects from a little while back? well, there's a bit of progress to report on. in fact, one of them is actually finished. amazing! take a peek at the chickadee version of the blackcurrant shawl by veera välimäki.

she's my cherry pie

this is a totally fun, mostly mindless knit with clever construction. hope to knit it again in the near future, next time might go down a needle size to combat the g.a.b. (growth after blocking). this was the go-to project when making was a must but attention was at a minimum. the shibuiknits sock (colorway: peony) and have you any wool simplicity sock (colorway: tart) combined beautifully!