April Showers

Today has been a bizarre day. It has been rainy, sunny and most of all blustery! The wind is whistling through the cracks in the doors and windows and scaring the kitties.
I've been contemplating studying, or taking the dog for a walk (I'm dog-sitting), or doing some fairy-tale inspired sketches (as it is Hans Christian Anderson's birthday!). As a little visual gift from me to you, I've put together a few of my latest illustrations. I've been laying off the knitting lately, due to a sore wrist, so sketching has taken its place. I find that sketching is much easier on the hands and still lets me relieve my creative urges.



These little fox images were done using a potato stamp for the faces and teapot, and black ink and Prismacolor pencil crayons for everything else.



They were an art experiment from a couple of weeks ago.



Next up, some biological drawings of mushrooms. These were done from memory, as I had studied up on fungi for my Mushrooms of North America series of sewn fungi.



Finally, a little doodle done while watching copious amounts of LOST. These are modeled after a set of Matryoshka dolls that I have had since I was a girl. The image is in ink and Prismacolor pencil crayons.


Happy art-making!
~Nessa

tulips

Tulips are my very favourite flower. I had them in my wedding bouquet. In my bridesmaids bouquets. Whenever I recieve a bouquet of cut flowers, I want tulips. No red red roses for me, red red tulips is where its at!
So of course I planted red red tulips in my garden and they're finally up!

Happy Birthday Albert! Have some Pi!

Happy Pi day to all!
And happy birthday Albert! The world is a better place for having had you in it.

And because I am a big nerd, here is my favourite Einstein quote:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
Enjoy your day; have some pi(e)!

~Nessa

Free from the fish!

Here's a little freebie fresh for February
(sorry about the alliteration, I couldn't resist)

A while back, a coworker and I decided that the basic sock pattern handout that we give out with sock yarn purchase at the wool shop just wasn't cutting it. So I wrote up this one to be multi-sized and easy for a beginning sock knitter to understand.It has been used in classes at the shop and received some good reviews from the new sock-knitters who have tried it. The best was from a beginning sock knitter who raved to me that she loved that "Best Basic Sock pattern" we gave out and was now knitting up lots of pairs! I was like, "Hey! I wrote that pattern!" :-)
I hope you enjoy it too!

Knit Fish's Best Basic Sock Pattern
Socks on Double Pointed Needles



Materials:
Approx 350 m to 400 m 4-ply fingering weight sock yarn.
A set of 4 or 5 2.25 mm dpns (5 needles is recommended)
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Marker

Gauge: 28 sts = 4” in stockinette

Size: Adult S, (M), (L)

Note: For socks with very long cuffs, or for long foot sizes, additional yarn will likely be required. When in doubt, buy an extra ball of yarn . If using a finer weight sock yarn with a gauge of 30 to 32 sts = 4" in stockinette, use the instructions for the largest sock size.

Terms:

SSK: Slip stitch knit-wise, slip second stitch purl-wise, knit these two stitches together with the left needle.
P2tog: Purl 2 stitches together.
Sl 1: Slip stitch from left needle to right needle purl-wise without knitting it.
Turn: Turn work around without finishing the row, and work back on the stitches that were just knitted.
M1: Using the left needle, pick up the ladder between two stitches, place it on the left needle and knit it through the back loop.
PM: Place marker on needle.
RS: Right side.
WS: Wrong side.


Cuff/leg:

Loosely cast on 56,(64), (72) sts on dpns.
Hint: casting on over 2 needles produces a nice stretchy cast on edge
Arrange sts evenly over three needles if using a set of four, or four needles if using a set of five.
Join in the round, being careful not to twist stitches. Place marker at beginning of round.
Ribbing Stitch: *K2, P2*, repeat ** around.
Work in ribbing stitch until cuff measures 1.5” from cast on edge.
Then knit every round in stockinette until leg is 6” long from cast on edge, or desired length.


Heel Flap:

Knit 28, (32), (36) sts onto one dpn. These will be the heel flap stitches. Distribute the remaining stitches evenly over two dpns. These will be the instep stitches, and will be worked later.
You will work the heel flap stitches flat, as follows:
Row 1: Sl 1, P to end of row
Row 2: *Sl 1, K1*, repeat * to* across row

Repeat rows 1 & 2 until flap measures 2.5”, (2.5”), (2.75”) ending on a WS row.


Turning the Heel:

Size Small:
Round 1: Sl 1, K15, SSK, K1, turn
Round 2: Sl 1, P5, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 3: Sl 1, K6, SSK, K1, turn
Round 4: Sl 1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 5: Sl 1, K8, SSK, K1, turn
Round 6: Sl 1, P9, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 7: Sl 1, K10, SSK, K1, turn
Round 8: Sl 1, P11, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 9: Sl 1, K12, SSK, K1, turn
Round 10: Sl 1, P13, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 11: Sl 1, K14, SSK, turn
Round 12: Sl 1, P14, P2tog
16 sts remain.

Size Medium:
Round 1: Sl 1, K17, SSK, K1, turn
Round 2: Sl 1, P5, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 3: Sl 1, K6, SSK, K1, turn
Round 4: Sl 1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 5: Sl 1, K8, SSK, K1, turn
Round 6: Sl 1, P9, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 7: Sl 1, K10, SSK, K1, turn
Round 8: Sl 1, P11, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 9: Sl 1, K12, SSK, K1, turn
Round 10: Sl 1, P13, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 11: Sl 1, K14, SSK, K1, turn
Round 12: Sl 1, P15, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 13: Sl 1, K16, SSK, turn
Round 14: Sl 1, P16, P2tog
18 sts remain.

Size Large:
Round 1: Sl 1, K19, SSK, K1, turn
Round 2: Sl 1, P5, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 3: Sl 1, K6, SSK, K1, turn
Round 4: Sl 1, P7, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 5: Sl 1, K8, SSK, K1, turn
Round 6: Sl 1, P9, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 7: Sl 1, K10, SSK, K1, turn
Round 8: Sl 1, P11, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 9: Sl 1, K12, SSK, K1, turn
Round 10: Sl 1, P13, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 11: Sl 1, K14, SSK, K1, turn
Round 12: Sl 1, P15, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 13: Sl 1, K16, SSK, K1, turn
Round 14: Sl 1, P17, P2tog, P1, turn
Round 15: Sl 1, K18, SSK, turn
Round 16: Sl 1, P18, P2tog
20 sts remain.

Gusset:

K across remaining 16, (18), (20) heel stitches. Divide onto two needles evenly. Using the needle that has the second half of the heel stitches, work down the side of the heel flap, picking up and knitting into each edge slipped stitch.
Hint: I recommend putting your left needle through the entire edge stitch sideways, then knit it like a regular stitch with the right needle. This creates a nice edge without holes.
It is not important to get an exact number of edge stitches, but you want both sides to have the same number; it will be approximately 23, (23), (25) sts.
Using another dpn, M1at the corner between the picked up heel flap stitches and the instep stitches. This prevents a hole from forming at the corner.
Knit across the 28, (32), (36) instep stitches. If using 4 dpns, knit all instep stitches onto one needle, or evenly onto two needles for 5 dpns. At the corner between the instep and the heel flap, M1, then pick up and knit the heel flap edge stitches as explained above. Knit the first 8, (9), (10) heel stitches onto this needle. The remaining 8, (9), (10) heel flap stitches are now considered the beginning of each round. This will be needle 1.
Instep stitches if using 4 dpns, will be on needle 2, {or if using 5 dpns will be on needles 2 and 3}, the opposite side of the heel flap, and last 8, (9), (10) heel sts will be needle 3 for 4 dpns, {or needle 4 for 5 dpns}. PM between needle 3, {4} and needle 1.

*Instructions for 5 dpns in curly brackets.

Round 1: K around
Round 2: K across needle 1 to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1.
On needle 2 {2 & 3} K across. On Needle 3, {4} K1, SSK, K across.

Repeat these two rows until you have 56, (64), (72) sts.

Foot:

Knit until foot is 1.5” shorter than desired length when you try the sock on. If you are unable to try the sock on the recipient, lay the sock flat & measure the sock from the heel; it should be 1” shorter than desired length. This allows for the shortening of the sock when the fabric is stretched over the foot width-wise.

Toe:

Round 1: On needle 1, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1. On needle 2, if using 4 dpns, K1, K2 tog, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1. {If using 5 dpns, on needle 2, K1, K2tog, K across, needle 3, K to last 3 sts, SSK, K1.} On needle 3 {4}, K1, K2tog, K across.
Round 2: Knit

Repeat these two rounds until 16 sts remain. Knit 4 sts. Distribute 16 sts evenly over two needles, with the top of toe stitches on one needle, and the bottom of toe stitches on the other.

Finishing:

Cut yarn leaving a 10” tail. Graft the toe using kitchener stitch, or preferred method of grafting. Weave in all ends.



This pattern is copyright Vanessa Carter 2009
www.knit-fish.blogspot.com

Terms & Conditions:
You are welcome to use this pattern to knit items for yourself, for charity, and for gifts. You may not distribute this pattern for free or for sale. If you are a Yarn Shop and would like to distribute this pattern for free with yarn purchase, please contact me via my weblog.

Disclaimer:
I have edited this pattern for mistakes and it has been test-knitted. I have tried my best to make it error-free. With that said, nobody is perfect! If you think you have found a mistake, please contact me at www.knit-fish.blogspot.com.

Happy Knitting!

Great Gifties for Christmas!

I have updated the shop to include some adorable softies that would make excellent holiday gifts! Check em out!

New Knitting Patterns!!

Hey Guys!

Sorry for the long delay in getting these patterns out! I've been swamped with the semester of never-ending "mid-terms". I use quotations because they've lasted from the beginning of October until the week before finals. It is about an exam or test every week, or every other week.....

Anyways, I have wanted to publish these patterns for a while now, but was waiting on some fabulous test knitters to give me the go-ahead with the designs.
Here they finally are...

ALIEN INVASION!!



What’s that up there in the sky? A silver saucer!? It’s landing…it’s opening… what’s that coming out of it? … little green men with googly eyes!!??
It’s an ALIEN INVASION!!!



Alien Invasion is a wacky hat for kids ages 0-10 years old.
Pattern comes in PDF format. An adult version is in the works for all you fun-loving grown ups!
Alien invasion is knitted in worsted weight yarn for coziness and quick-knitability!
Perfect for the little-alien in your life!

And FLIP TOPS!!



Flip Tops
A mitten with a top that flips back so you can have the toasty comfort of mittens, with the finger freeness of wrist-warmers!
Flip Tops aka glittens aka convertible mittens
This pattern is in women's average sizing, but the length is customizable! I have tiny hands and they fit me (that's me hand modelling)and I've also tried these mittens on medium and large women's hands and they fit too (with length adjustment of course!)



They are knitted on a chunky weight yarn, so they knit up nice and quick! They are great for gifts! Try them in self-striping yarns too!

If you like these patterns and want to try one out, head over to my etsy page
Coy Shop or my ravelry page Vanessa Carter's Pattern Store to grab a copy!

happy knitting!

What You've All Been Waiting For...

Hi Everyone!



I know this post has been a long time coming. The knit has been finished for ages, I just was waiting for my hubby to take some decent photos of me in this sweater. When he had the time, the light was bad, when the light was good, he wasn't around, or I wasn't thinking of wearing a heavy alpaca blend sweater (sun=very warm lately).I finally succumbed to the self-portrait, which always gives an inferior result, but I was sick of waiting!

The above pic is of my Imogen, made from a lovely Fleece Artist kit in my all-time favorite colourway, Mermaid.



The pic is silly, because it is ridiculously hard to photograph oneself. BUT I love this sweater! It is so cozy! It is made from an alpaca/merino blend & is a wrap style that is wonderful to snuggle up in on chilly days. Bring it, Winter! I'm ready for you!

The other thing I wanted to mention, is that I've got some of my patterns back for sale on Ravelry (for all you ravelers out there, you know who you are ;-) Find em at My Ravelry Shop!

There's Ella Phint!


And Pinot noir,
a sock pattern which I can't find a pic of right now, but it's on the site. So check em out! I am working on some more patterns right now, which are in the test-knitting stage. So stay tuned for more fun knits!

Toasty Fall Neckwarmers

I am a scarf girl if you haven't guessed by now. I am usually donning a cozy wool scarf from the first crisp day of September, to the last chilly day of April. However, sometimes a scarf is a bit bulky, sometimes it is a bit too warm, sometimes it just doesn't go with that outfit. These are the days when a cute cowl is just the thing...



This cute cabled cowl is done in a heavy worsted weight organic cotton by Blue Sky Alpaca. It was a birthday gift from my lovely mother. It is deliciously soft, and because of the heavier yarn weight, it is quite warm (but not *too* warm).



This soft grey cowl is done in a stitch pattern I made up, and is made out of some yummy Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. The lighter weight of the yarn is lovely with the warmth of the merino and cashmere, and is oh scrumptiously soft!

A good weave

I've been spending more time with the Ashford Knitter's Loom I am borrowing.

3. Bella Maiden Scarf
Ingredients: 1 skein of Handmaiden Silk Maiden




This little scarf was done with a skein of Silk maiden from handmaiden.
This skein was a gift from a friend at work. She bought it for herself, but ended up not really liking the colour for herself. Since it made her think of me, she gave it to me. I absolutely love the colours, and it is incredibly soft.

4. Colour Riot Scarf
Ingredients: 1 skein Fleece Artist Seawool



The colours of this skein failed to knit up nicely, there was too much pooling. So onto the loom it went. I really like how it turned out woven though. The fabric has a lovely sheen from the seacell, which is a derivative of seaweed.

a little knitting...

I recently knitted up these adorable little booties for a friend's soon-to-be-born baby. His name will be Jacob, so they are Jacob's booties.



They are from my standby baby bootie pattern, Saartje's Booties and are knit out of Lorna's Laces Sheperd Socks(bottoms), and Sisu (tops).



Don't you just love baby knits, so quick and so high in cute factor!

Not knitterly

I am working on some new cuties to possibly sell at a local garden center...

GNOMIES!




This little guy is my prototype. The gnomies will come in various colour combos.
This one's name is Gerald.




He is made of felt, thread, and some fiberfill stuffing.
He is 100% hand sewn.

Summer knits

This summer has been a time of many knits, and very little time spent knitting. I actually knitted myself out in the first two weeks of July, ended up with a sore arm, and had to hold off on knitting for two weeks.... then when I felt better, i over knitted again... two weeks later I am back knitting, but not for prolonged periods in order to avoid a relapse. Don't worry, it's not carpal tunnel, I checked. It is just pain from over use, and I am cutting back so I won't end up with carpal tunnel.
BUT in the mean time... I will walk you through a summer of knitting.

Koigu baby socks, for a shop sample... These are a pattern called Oh Baby by Holli Yeoh



Next up... the euroflax linen tank top, another shop sample, I think it was a louet pattern, but can't remember the name...
This was technically knit over the last year, but finished in June.






Thats all I have time for now, more knits to come...
I have knitted over a dozen FOs this summer, so stay tuned.

weaving a good yarn...

Recently I got the opportunity to borrow a friend's Ashford Knitter's Loom.
I've just got one word to sum up the experience... Love.
What began as a weaving afternoon, became two weeks of weaving bliss...

The loom has gone home to it's rightful owner, but not without leaving a small legacy of scarves & shawls behind.

1. Mountain in the Moonlight Shawl

ingredients: 1 skein (50g) Indigo Moon Sock Yarn in namesake colourway
1/2 skein (100g) Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 in unknown colourway





2. The Golden Ticket Shawl

ingredients: 2 skeins (approx 600 yds) Twist of Fate 100% Rayon in Gold





There are more, but some are gifts and must wait to be gifted before being revealed to the public. Just think of it as having something to look forward to!

I think I need one of these looms!

Here are some reasons why I love the Knitter's Loom:

1. When your hands are tired from too much knitting, weaving is totally fine

2. For you product knitters, hello 5 hour shawl!

3. Portability. Yes! You can bring it to knit night!

4. What can you give your knitter friends that is not knitting? Something woven!

5. Hand dyed yarns = instant faux plaid = awesome

6. Colour in weaving.... gorgeous

7. It's a stash busting excercise. Use up all that excess sock yarn!

8. It has maximum impact for minimal time & skill

9. Wondering what to make with your gorgeous handspun yarn? How about a woven heirloom shawl?

10. Weaving produces fabric which can be sewn into stuff. Huzzah!

New Logo!

I have been ever so lucky to have a new logo for my Coy stuffies made for me by local graphic designer, Amaris Fisher!
The image is a little sketch we worked on together, which she cleaned up and made into a cute logo image. I think this might end up as a business card logo, and as an integrated part of my banner on my Etsy site.




Where to Find My Creations in the Real World:

I sell my hand-knitted baby & toddler hats at Mothering Touch










I sell my handmade stitch markers at The Beehive Wool Shop









I sell my handmade stuffies at The Coy Online Shop.
Or in even person if you contact me to arrange a time to meet up.










The hard part I find, is getting exposure, getting my stuff out there to my niche market. I guess all artists have this problem at some point or other. Any tips or advice from you artisans out in blog land??

merci!
Nessa

Long time no blog

Well I'll bet a few of you might have begun to think I have dropped off the face of the earth, or at least the face of the interwebs, but here I am!
I've been tired, busy, distracted, and many other very good reasons for not blogging for ages (insert them here).
One such reason is that I misplaced my camera, and felt disinclined to make a post without pictures, because face it, we all love pictures!

KNITTING UPDATE:
Knitting projects I have finished include, the euroflax linen tank top for the The Beehive
The top pic, btw, is me at the Beehive.
I finished Imogen, which I know you are all dying to see, but alas I have not yet photographed it.
I am working on a Silk Maiden shawl similar to the Sunday Market Shawl with a slightly different stitch pattern. I'll probably give out the pattern for free when I'm done it because I like to share the knit love.
DISCLAIMER:
If you happen to head over to the silk maiden link, which takes you to the handmaiden site, don't say I didn't warn you.... it can be dangerous to your credit card/paypal account!

I am almost finished the spring semester here at school, so I'll be working at the knitting shop again this summer! So this means/ I hope this means that I'll be spending lots of time playing with yarn. I really need to catch up on my knitting, which studying has this annoying habit of getting in the way of. (oh, bad sentence nessa, looks around for the grammar police)

Well, I'll write again soonish when I finally get some decent photos to share with you all!

happy knitting~

More lovelies in the shop!

I know, I know, I'm shamelessly plugging my etsy shop.
But look what's in there now!










For those of you who don't know, the mushrooms are mushrooms that grow in North America, and come complete with a little description, and botanical names.

etsy!

stuff is finally in my etsy shop!!
I'll post more hopefully this weekend!
So far I've got bears, a bunny, a yeti, and some birds, but I hope to post some mushrooms of North America, little Red, and more :-)
Check out the Coy shop!

another day another year

It was my birthday yesterday. And I was sick. Am sick.
Despite this, the hubby got me a cake, and a box of Captain Crunch cereal (because deep down I am turning 7 again). And his gift came in the mail today! Yay!
What is it? The Oh Bijou CD, Swift Feet for Troubling Times!
Jeff first introduced me to this band after hearing a song by them on CBC radio, and then frantically searching the interwebs for more about them... "how do you spell Obeejoo??" I'm so glad he took the trouble because I totally <3 this awesome Toronto band! Plus, how much do I love the stethoscope background art on their webpage?!
I am also pretty stoked about the release of their new album in April! (hmmm... our anniversary is in April...)
So here I am, with my soup, and my music....

gifty goodness

I knit this little scarf for a friend's son, whom I love.
He is fast approaching the 8 year mark, and he LOVES HOTWHEELS!



The pattern is my own design, and the yarn is Paton's Canadianna, not a yarn I usually use, but it is 100% acrylic, and 100% 8 year old boy proof :-)



When I showed the hubby, he very much approved of this gift for an 8 year old boy. He was like "that's so cool!!" to which I replied "you can't have it".
It seems that 8 year old boys and 28 year old boys are all the same.



Here are the inside guts of the scarf. They will be covered in polar fleece to make this scarf worthy of Northern Alberta winters, but mostly to hide the guts.

little forest

Check out my new hobby! Needle felting! This little button is only about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. I made this back during the holiday break, when I took a needle felting class at the Beehive Wool Shop.

I know you're all thinking, as if YOU need ANOTHER hobby, Nessa! And you're totally right, but still, needle felting is fun, and has many cool applique uses when used on knitted-felted objects. Plus, it's a great way to use up little left-over bits of roving when I am done spinning because, in needle felting, a little wool goes a long way.



One of my favourite features of this little felted forest is the bead stars! I heart them.

Anyways, I don't think I'll give up too much time to this new interest, but it is a rather fun way to spend a rainy afternoon.