chalkstone!

though this sweater and i came head to head on many occasions, it is now probably one of the sweaters that gets the most compliments, and a sweater i tend to grab for often.

this is chalkstone, by isabell kramer. i had the pleasure of test knitting this for her. a couple of summers ago i knitted her caramel and last year i knitted driftwood. all of these sweaters get compliments when i take them out.  isabell is definately one to keep on your radar. her patterns are lovely, and her style is very asthetic.  there are many more of her designs in my queue... i'm always excited to see what new things she has! she is also quite the test knitter herself, and churns out sweaters like you wouldn't  believe! i have many more added to my queue thanks to her :) haha.

this wasn't a difficult sweater to knit, but it pushed me to areas of knitting that i hadn't really encountered before, and so i left this pattern feeling pretty smart. hah. i did a lot of mods on this pattern to make it work for the wool i had chosen.  i had chosen an aran weight wool though the pattern calls for a dk. and i wanted my sweater to be more fitted...

but it was all worth it. because i love this sweater. i love the added length of ribbing , and the lacework looks so pretty in this yarn!

i used 7x skeins of nova value collection pure wool heather and a 4.5mm (US 7) needle.
to account for the smaller size, i took out 2x repeats of the lace pattern. my ravelry notes will be in more detail. so be sure to check them out. with all of the mods i had to do, the short row shaping in the back in the middle of the lacework was probably the trickiest for me. lol. of course silly me, i don't have a pic of the back, but it looks just the same as the front :)

this sweater is definitely one of my faves. and now i think you can see why :) thank you isabell for the opportunity to test this for you!

have you knit any of isabell's patterns? which is your fave? come chat. the coffee is on, and piping hot on this dreary wet morning. xo

a new fave...

i think it's time i showed you my progress on the tops, tanks and tees kal . don't you? i'm done! and i had a blast knitting this!!

first off, here are the deets:
pattern: work + shelter lace striped sweaters by allyson dykhuizen.
needle: 4.0mm / US 6
yarn: knit picks cotlin colour, pomegranate, 5x skeins

while i was deciding on a spring/summer top, i was hugely loving magicalgrammar's version, and i think it's fairly evident that i kind of wanted to follow her mods. and they weren't huge. basically just a blend of the two sweaters in the pattern.

i did have to go down to a size 4mm needle, but that's just because i'm a loose knitter. no big deal.

this pattern knits up uber quick. the stitch definition is fantastic, and really there is no shaping, so it was a pretty mindless knit. easy for toting around :) but breaking the top up with the bands of lace is such a great touch, and kept the knitting interesting enough.

i see this as being a very wearable knit. and i highly recommend knitting this! though i had to dip into the 5th skein, i still have a fair amount left over. like at least half a skein. i can just imagine another version of this top with 3/4 length sleeves. fun!

now i have to give some pretty huge props to my photographer. he's only 5 you know. and i think he did pretty well ;)

being a part of this knit along has been so uber fun! the chit chatter in the thread is massive, and so inspiring. my queue has grown (again), but i'm loving the inspiration and encouragement everyone has for eachother. it's really fantastic! thanks so much to shannon for hosting yet another amazing knit along! i'm already looking forward to the summer sweater one! xo

were you a part of this kal? did you get your top done or are you hoping for an extension? i'd love to know how you're doing! will you be signing up for the next one? come chat! the coffee is especially good on this rainy day :) xo

yes. really.

getting up at 5:30 this morning was hard... i so wanted to bury myself back into bed and not move. at all... but i booted myself out, because i have a race in just 2.5 weeks. and if that won't get me out of bed, then i don't know what will...

Source: Uploaded by user via Ann Johnson Design on Pinterest

last year i was running more, and i loved how i felt. but then i took a hiatus. and now i'm trying to get back to where i was... the best way for me to do that is to register... it's the incentive i need...
but i'm not going crazy here. i'm only trying to add to my plate what i know i can stick with. but in order for me to fit in these runs during the week, i have to get up at 5:30. !!! so this is going to be my motto for now. i don't want to stress how much i do at each time... but as long as i do it, and continue to do it...

Source: facebook.com via Charity on Pinterest

but right now i'm feeling better than i did when my alarm went off... because i did actually drag my butt out of bed... and now i can knit. right?

i realize today is the tttkal day... i still don't have pics for you, so that's on my list today too :)

i'd love to know what your day is looking like! come chat.. any inspirational tips for sticking to your goals? xo

the most important things.....

our little family has been so very busy these last few weeks. grandma and papa will  be headed back to alberta tomorrow, so today is our last day of visiting. i've been wanting to post more photos, (even take more photos) of knitting projects on the go, and even finished... but familiy visiting is first..

Source: turningpoint2.tumblr.com via Christy on Pinterest

i promise you though that we'll be getting back on track here soon, and you'll be subject to lots of knitterly photos :)

Source: littleemmaenglishhome.blogspot.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

we've had a great visit though! and mixed with tball games and practises, slow pitch games, and swimming lessons, it sure has been a full one! please bear with me as i take the next couple of days to reorganize and regroup. i can't believe this next weekend is a long one! sadly we didn't even think of reserving a campspot... so i'm not sure what we're doing.

Source: teenytinypieces.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

at any rate it will be good. here's hoping i can get some balcony gardening in!

how are things going for you? are you a busy bee like us here? what is on your needles? come chat! xo

that was fast!

i can't believe the weekend is already over! and back to the grindstone we go :) how was your weekend? did you get lots done? i'm happy to report that i have an f.o! you'll have to wait for pics though, and then i'll share away :) so until then, this is what i'd like to be doing :)

Source: Uploaded by user via Rebecca on Pinterest

i had a lovely, full weekend. mothers day was nice! (i even managed a 10k! thank you jane!)

we still have gramma and papa here visiting... but they'll be going back home mid week... so we're still juggling our activities and visiting time... :)

i'd love to know how your weekend was! come chat! xo

for meeeee!

is it friday already! hurrah!! man last week kind of flew by (at least for me it did). i have missed a few progress reports this week, and i owe you a photo or two i believe.


if you're a reader of this space then you know that i'm currently taking part in 2 kals. (i never said i wasn't crazy). i'm super happy to say that i've been fairly productive this week!

first up, my work + shelter tee. for the tttkal with luvinthemommyhood. this is knitting up uber fast. !!! the sleeves have been attached and i'm just working the yoke now. i'm really nearing the end! who knows, maybe i'll be binding off today! i'm sure the knit picks cotLin will be a dream to wear. and all of these lace sections will make for an airy top.

my pendulum shawl is coming along.. but it's definitely a more leisurly knit. haha. it's so fun though to see it develop, and i can't get enough of these two colours together. the end date for the pour moi kal (hosted by evelyn of project: stash) is june 7th so i have some serious knitting to do if i want to qualify for prizes...  and that's always a good incentive, hey? but honestly, i don't really need the prize incentive to work on this shawl, it really is a great knit! :)

so i bet you can guess what my weekend will consist of! hahah. it's such a good thing that knitting is portable, because it will be coming with me to a tball game, and other fun things this weekend!

what do you have planned? any knitting just for you? some time in the sun? any sports events to be cheering at? come chat! the coffee is especially good. must be friday .. xo

a step back... for inspiration :)

i am recognizing that i can't necessarily fit it all in. though i desperately want to. sometimes i have to let one thing slide. and for me, yesterday it was the post. it's ok though. because i'll always come back to this space. i get so much from sharing with you, and chatting so much yarny goodness :) it's a favourite space for me for sure!

Source: etsy.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

and so it was a quiet one yesterday... it felt good to get the office organized though. one of these days, i might just "flash my stash" :) though i seem to have run out of shelf space. lol! i have been collecting some lovelies ever since vogue knitting live. and i really seem to have gotten "the yarn bug" pretty bad. lol. it's ok though. there are worse things to collect for sure. and i know i will knit with them. i so look forward to it too!

..aren't those mason jar covers the cutest ever??

i have felt really inspired by my stash. this is a really good thing! and i'm seeing heaps of colour. i'm super excited about that!

the only complaint i have is that i just don't have enough hours in the day. but isn't that the case with most of us? i think so :) in the meantime, i've got work knitting to tackle, and then some serious KAL knitting. i can't wait to show you my progress!

i'm also already dreaming of casting on another project :) it's a nice thing when us hard-core knitters are super excited about knitting all year long. don't you think so?

so tell me, what's on your needles? are you making good progress? feeling excited about your next knit or crochet project? i'd love to chat! let's stay inspired! xo