merry and bright

thank you for being a friend in 2010
hope to see you back here in the new year!

xo, chickadee

uke can squeeze this

this little number was cast on while waiting in the wings for victoria vox to strum some tunes on her magical ukulele. not only does she play the world's cutest stringed instrument, she also hails from wisconsin and currently resides in baltimore...two places near and dear to this chickadee's tiny heart. if those three things aren't enough to make her awesome already, add in her ability to play a mad mouth trumpet and pen sweet songs.

you can get yourself yuletide cheer ukulele style in the form of her holiday card ep, available on her website along with her other releases (that's also where you'll find screenprinted unders with "uke can squeeze this" on the bum). check her out when she comes to your town! tell her the chickadee sent you.

by the chimney with care

the chickadee contribution to the holiday edition of the fiercegrrl fund is on the auction block! don't miss your chance to bid on a 100% handknit stocking to hang on your mantle. the sweet striped super-sock comes unstuffed so that you can fill it full of cookies or coal.

empty as it may be of goodies and gumdrops, it does come to you full of love and gratitude for your support of nicole in this difficult time.

go! bid! win!

butternut squish

there's a no-more-new-yarn mandate here at chickadee central. after finally filing things down a wee bit, it seems silly to already be stocking more. so at least until the end of this year, all new projects will be knit with old yarn.

but don't cry for me chickadees, there is still some spectacular stuff that's been packed away and been waiting oh so patiently. like this squooshy skein that reminds me of a certain winter vegetable that is delicious roasted and delightful in soup form.

another quick and fun knit, this is the honey cowl from madelinetosh. it is knit in malabrigo worsted, which is always a nice thing to have on hand (the hat posted earlier this week is also made from the same yarn). the pattern is easily customizable and as such, a great way to go though single skeins that you might have lying about.

neon pom-pon

after working on projects that take quite a long time to complete, it is a treat to be able to turn one around in two days. and also a treat to adorn one's head on drab, dreary winter days with such a delightful, brightful topper. plus, everyone should own at least one hat with a pom-pon.

make your own! go to erica knits blog. there you will find a sweet celebration of simple pleasures, like knitting and reading and eating things yummy. plus, she shares some knitting patterns for free! one of which is this hat, you'll see it in the sidebar. it is the piksi hat. it is made of fun.

daisy chain

find them at fibre space.

it's all about the buttons

this next chickadee knit was totally driven by the need to match buttons to yarn. they sat apart for quite a while...buttons displayed on the wall not far from where the skeins of yarn sat in wait for someone to take them home. and day after work day at fibre space i'd pass them and think about what a pretty pair they would be. until one day...

if no one else was going to find a way to get these two together, then the task would fall to this chickadee. after spying the hay cardigan pattern (from a favorite designer, veera välimäki) the vision of neon green buttons placed playfully atop purple yarn became perfectly clear. and throwing caution to the wind, the sweater was cast-on in no time.

pity though, about the time...because usually that time is utilized quite well. there's research in picking patterns, and thanks to ravelry there are lessons to be learned from those that went before. with no errata posted for the pattern, it seemed from the outset to be smooth sailing. but then it took a turn for the wicked and things did like david byrne said and stopped making sense.

there were times when it seemed like this sweater's destiny lie in the scrap bin. but thanks to the helpful hints from other knitters on ravelry, some perseverance and waaaaay to many ends woven in (hooray for hand-dyes and alternating skeins!) somehow it all came together. fingers crossed that it doesn't now fall apart....

for more information on this project, errata and corrections made please see the ravelry post.

(and for those of you out there who notice these things: a. you know who you are, b. i know too ,and c. yes, it is a wee bit snug)