Knit City is always a fun time. Here's how it went for me:

Finished Object Friday: The Artist’s Garden Scarf

Finished a few weeks ago, I am quite happy with my Artist's Garden Scarf. This asymmetrical shawl features rows and rows of garter stitch, with panels of stockinette and simple lacework. The pattern: The Artist's Garden Scarf (Rav Link) by The…

Is It Make Nine, or Is It Boredom?

Reader, I'm tired. Between work and life, I've had a busy few months. In hindsight, I'm glad I started my Blue Jays tank when I did, because I'm simply blown away that Knit City and the baseball home opener season is next weekend. If I tried to start that project…

If you don’t like it, fix it.

In early 2022, I knit a sweater, Feel the Bern (RAV LINK) by Caitlin Hunter. It was a great pattern to use up bits of worsted wool yarn in my stash. It was meant to be a cropped, boxy sweater, but on me, it ended up being cropped and rather fitted. I wore it a few…

Finished Object Friday – Blue Jays Tank

Finished last week, my Blue Jays tank top was off the needles much faster than I thought. I wanted it finished for the end of March, and I left that goal in the dust. Just the details: Pattern: Summer Secret Crop (RAV LINK) by Jessie Maed Designs Yarn: MC:…

Well, that didn’t take as long as I feared…

I think I got intimidated by stockinette. Two weeks ago, I started my Blue Jays Tank Top, a project that I wanted finished for the end of March, in time for Knit City Toronto and the Blue Jays's Home Opener weekend. Well, last night, I cast off the body…

Blue Jays Tank

Knit City Toronto is happening over the Blue Jays' home opener weekend. Downtown Toronto is going to be hopping that weekend! I have tickets in hand for one of those two events: Knit City. But, I'm combining my knitting love and my love for Canada's team with my Knit City goal.…

Warm Hands for a Cold Winter

My first project for 2026 is finished and blocked. I wrapped up 2025 by making myself a matching cowl and hat from some stashed Berroco Peruvia Quick. The super bulky yarn knit these very quick. The only thing missing from the matching set was a pair of mittens. I made…

Make Nine 2026

Happy New Year! With the new year, I'm once again setting a goal for myself to Make Nine in 2026. This challenge encourages mindfulness with creativity. Last year, it was the nudge I needed to think about what I want to make, what I want to finish, and what yarn I was going to…

Make Nine 2025 Retrospective

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to finish nine projects. This was part of the Make Nine challenge, to work mindfully and purposefully through the year. The challenge got me to look at a number of WIPs I had, and it was the motivation I needed to finish two…

Knitting Tools: The “Nice to Haves”

A few weeks ago, I knit a test swatch for the shawl I'm testing. I knit the swatch, gave it a wash, and pinned it to a blocking board, using my gauge swatch ruler. A tool like this certainly isn't a necessity. I could have achieved the same result (figuring out…

Testing, testing

In the past few weeks, I've been testing two different patterns for two different designers. Very aware of my capacity and wanting to make the deadlines, I knew both would be manageable. The first pattern I'm testing (present tense as I'm still very much still working through the…

I took my knitting to see a show

In one of her books, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, broke down indicators of addiction and her knitting habits. I can't help but feel a certain kinship with her while thinking back on my dash to get a vanilla sock ready for some passive knitting. On…

Make Nine 2025: October Check-in

This year, I have been knitting with the Make Nine Challenge in mind.  The Make Nine Challenge encourages makers to “slow down, to make less with more intention.” The challenge is “meant to be flexible, a tool you can use to evaluate your motivations and needs for…

October knitting

Happy Thanksgiving from my increasingly cooling corner of Canada. I’m writing this as I sit outside, listening to Game 2 of the ALCS where the Toronto Blue Jays (GO JAYS) are trying to even up the series. I’m cozy under a blanket while working on the hoodie for my nephew. Want to…

When Yardage Gets Frustrating

Remember those math problems from elementary school? Here’s one for you: Lisa is making a sweater, and she needs 825 m of yarn. The body needs over 400 m, the sleeves need over 150, the hood needs 200 m, and the pocket needs 35 m. Each skein of worsted yarn has 200 m.…

The stash grows, but also shrinks

Last week, I posed about how I've (significantly) added to my yarn stash this year, but I'm pretty pleased with a few efforts to whittle it down. I was in a scrappy mood, and I made a Scrappy Marl (RAV LINK) hat, a free pattern by Beata Jezek. I made a few…

See you on the Flip Side, Knit City Toronto

For the second year, my Knitting BFF, Victoria, and I went to Knit City and left much poorer than we started. Last year, we made a weekend of it and went to Montreal. Je t’aime, Montreal. When it was announced that this year’s Knit City East was going to…

One day, I’ll stop growing my yarn stash…

This year has not been great for the stash. And by that, it’s grown this year. A lot. That was not the goal. Now, hear me out. The first excuse I’m going to trot out is that a new yarn shop opened in my community this spring, and she had a summer of trunk…

How long DID it take to knit a cardigan?

A little under a month ago, I wrote about starting a cardigan for my niece's second birthday. The birthday party was less than a week after I started knitting, but knowing that she's two and it was August, not making the deadline wasn't going to upset…

How long will it take to knit a cardigan

My niece's second birthday is this week, and I've been gathering things for her gift, including a new outfit: a graphic tee, a pair of jeggings. What would make that outfit complete and autumn ready would be a cute little cardigan. I started looking around…

Long Weekend Vibes

This past weekend was a long weekend for many in Canada, and I took full advantage. I booked Friday off from work, giving myself a four-day break, and although the wildfire smoke made its way to my corner of Ontario by mid-weekend, I didn't let it deter me from sun, books, and…

Duplicate Stitches

Why did no one tell me that duplicate stitches are so much fun? My latest (still secret because it's a gift) project included duplicate stitches. This was a new-to-me technique, so after watching a video tutorial, I got started, and goodness, it's greatly satisfying. The project…

Make Nine 2025 – mid-year check-in

At the start of the year, I was inspired by the Make Nine challenge, to “slow down, to make less with more intention.” For me, this has meant taking time and focusing on projects, some of which were sitting idle for months, and working on finishing what I…

Finished Object Friday – Ice Cream Social

When I went to Knit City Montreal back in May, I only bought yarn that I could use to make this shawl. The pattern was bought before the event, and I had it in hand so I knew how much yarn I needed to buy. I couldn't be happier with how the colours all…

A few more ‘scoops?’

I don't know if I'm taking the Make Nine spirit to heart, if I'm enjoying the simple lace pattern, or if I'm enjoying watching the brown tones come together, but my Ice Cream Shawl is taking shape! This is the project that I bought yarn for at Knit City Montreal over a month…

Crème Glacée à Montréal

Last week, I cast on my Ice Cream Social (RAV LINK) shawl, or, as I've taken to call the project, Crème Glacée à Montréal. (Also, if there are any Parisian French speakers who stumble upon this post, Quebecois French calls ice cream crème glacée! You gotta love regional…

Knit City MTL 2025: Just the Yarn

Here's what you've been waiting for. The yarn: Before heading to Montreal, I bought Ice Cream Social (RAV LINK), a shawl pattern by Lisa K. Ross. It needed two skeins of a MC and six CC minis, a perfect Knit City yarn goal. I didn't have a plan in mind, but I had…

Where I reflect on my mini getaway to Montreal

Another sock bites the dust

I knew this sock was going to be an issue. First, I love this yarn. It's bright, it's fun, it's named Lisa, which happens to be my name too. I wanted Lisa's Lisa socks to be more than just plain stripes. I cast on my usual 60 stitches and worked 20 rounds for the cuff.…