January Round-Up

Hello! I'm so glad you're here. It's a dreary Ground Hog Day here in Southern Ontario but I hear Phil didn't see his shadow, so we should have an early spring. Perhaps that will be right after the snow storm coming this afternoon. I should be dyeing yarn and working on all the plans I have for Log Cabin Fiber for 2022, but instead I've done what we knitters tend to do with impending bad weather - I started another sweater and spent the day knitting.

Life has been very slow and quiet lately, which is wonderful. We're just coming out of another lockdown - restaurants etc open 50% capacity today. I'm in no rush to get out there to be honest.

I've been laid-off from work for a month now, and for the last 2 weeks have been under the weather with sinus issues and bronchitis but I think it's clearing up finally. It's resulted in a lot of lazy

movie watching, knitting and soup making for sure. We've enjoyed some time with our 15 month old granddaughter [and her parents] including having her stay with us for the weekend again. She watches a lot of Wiggles [she wiggles her butt and signs 'more' since she can't say Wiggles yet - it's adorable], manages to get everything we own onto the floor and is pure joy. For Christmas I put together her own toy box for when she's here with things like dump trucks, measuring spoons, bowls, a blanket, an old cell phone and sometimes I add things from around the house that she might like. This week I added a silver clutch I used at our son's wedding and she loved it.

Like so many of you I love to watch YouTube knitting vlogs while I knit. It's inspiring to see what others are working on and their interpretation of patterns that maybe didn't catch my eye as written, and my Ravelry queue reflects this. I think what I love the most about watching the vlogs is getting to know that person [in a sense] and seeing their progress, their successes - it's like having coffee with a friend and catching up. If you're looking for someone to watch, try KnittingTraditions. She has a very laid back style of knitting and I really enjoy her videos.

My own finished objects list for 2022 is getting pretty long already and I'm so happy to have several FO's to share with you.

At the end of last year I went on a mitten spree, finishing 4 pairs of Tin Can Knits Worlds Easiest Mittens, all made with different combinations of LCF sock yarn held double with our mohair. A simple pattern and so wearable, and in this yarn combo they're light, warm and so soft. I wear these constantly and love them. No mods except sized to my long skinny hands.

After the mittens came hats, so 5 hats later I realized I really only have 1 head and needed to stop. My daughter-in-law received a Biches et Buches No. 72, Hubby a Jared Flood Turn a Square and there's an Oslo in the car for emergencies leaving me 2 for everyday use. This is also the Oslo Hat by PetiteKnits, knit with fingering merino held double with mohair, both in a colourway I made on a whim. I love this pattern - fun and easy to knit, warm as toast to wear. I made the largest size and blocked it bigger, finding it a bit small on my giant head [it's the glasses]. I also cut an inch out of the length after the cuff on the second one and it's still a bit too long for the watchman's cap style I was going for. If you're not on the mohair bandwagon there is a non-mohair version as well, although why?

In January I also finished Biches et Buches' Amalie's Sweater using some stash yarn I've had for over a decade. It's HTT Carloway's Shetland yarn, and it was sell-off when they went out of business all those years ago. It's a workhorse yarn that's a bit rough to work with but softens a lot with wash/wear. This is an easy wearing, over-sized sweater that is comfortable and looks good on it's own or over a shirt/turtleneck. Really enjoyed making it, no mods other than custom sizing. I just know it's going to get a lot of wear. The pattern is fine, no hand holding however I suggest keeping an eye on the picture regarding colour changes rather than just the written pattern if you want it the same as presented. Also the number of inches for things like sleeves and body didn't work for me if I wanted the same look as in the pics, which I did. Just be open minded and flexible.

The last FO didn't technically shouldn't be revealed until February since I finished it yesterday but oh well. I've never knit a sweater in 2 weeks before [I haven't blogged it but I made Wool and Berrys by Joji Locatelli for her KAL in just 6 weeks and thought I was doing really well]. So this is the Felix Pullover by Amy Christoffers, made by everyone in the world and for good reason. It's 14st/4", so knits up very fast on 6mm needles, it's a simple top down raglan and the most complicated part is the simple short rows at the back of the neckline. In other words if you've wondered if you could make it, you can. I used the same Carloway Shetland as I did for Amalie but held it double with LCF mohair/silk lace weight in Rock Wall for a light but thick fabric with a fabulous halo and warm softness. It needs to be washed after sitting in stash for so long but I keep putting it on instead.

After finishing Felix yesterday I felt a bit lost despite having half a dozen WIPs within arms reach, so I did a stash dive and to my surprise found I have sweater quantities in fingering, DK, worsted, aran and chunky yarns, and that's not including Log Cabin ones. There were yarns from Elle, Naturally, Briggs and Little, Rowen, Lopi and Knit Picks for starters so it only made sense then that instead of working as I should be, I spent the afternoon matching yarn to the Ravelry queue and plotting more projects. First thing this morning I cast on a second Felix with Alafosslopi in a deep mossy green. It's really a bit too heavy for Felix, but I have guage and it will soften with time. I'm on the back end of menopause [very young, very, very young] and the hot flashes are mostly over, having been replaced by constantly being cold instead so the sweaters I'd never have made a couple years ago are now a welcome addition.

It's pretty common with YouTubers to have a segment of acquisitions on their videos where they show what they bought or were given - I'm not planning to do that here partly because I don't buy much that isn't for the business so of little interest to anyone [I love my teal shipping bags, stickers,

even the printer paper and ink cartridges but I also understand that not everyone does], and no one gives me anything but junk mail [and apparently a cold - thanks Sophie]. That said, I did buy myself something for my birthday a couple of months ago that is worth talking about. The Chiaogoo shorties sets have changed my knitting game. Having 2 and 3" tips with 5, 6 and 8" cords for sizes 2 - 3.25mm and/or 3.5 - 5mm means socks, sleeves, necklines, hats and mitts can all be knit on rounds instead of DPNs. I love DPN's but for some lighter fabrics they're just too heavy and leave tension lines, which is a problem for me especially with sleeves, and we really don't get along when doing colourwork. I am completely in love with these sets, and honestly I think I've used them on every project I've started since getting them. I'm not getting paid to talk about them and I don't sell them, I'm just really, honestly impressed. If you want to know more have a look at Acme Fibers, my favourite knitting tools/needles supplier here in Canada.

So it's been a very productive month for knitting, not so much maybe for Log Cabin Fiber. I do promise to get to work though, and hopefully before the February Round Up there'll be lot of new stock to show off. If you've read this far, thank you so much - it really means the world to me. Look after yourselves, and have a safe and happy month!

~ Sue