Sweet mailbox, part 3—the knitting intervention edition

One of the funniest, most generous and talented knit bloggers out there sent me an awesome gift.



There's a bit of a history with me and this yarn. Several years ago I purchased several skeins of Malabrigo lace in Frank Ochre to knit an exact copy of this. I promptly LOST THE YARN somewhere on the streets of Manhattan. I was heartbroken. Heather got wind of this, and because she is oodles-of-awesomeness wrapped up in a beautiful bundle, she pillaged her own (no doubt well-stocked) precious collection of Malabrigo. How sweet is that?

But I can't help but think that perhaps it's her attempt at staging some form of knitting intervention. And who could blame her?

"Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am a neutral knits addict."

I do tend to get a little monochromatic. How many garter stitch beige/greige/grey items can one knitter knit? Apparently, a lot.


But look: a lace pattern. In a bright colour. I know. The first step is acknowledging that you have a problem, right? Thank you Heather!!!

She also sent me another jeweled beauty, but I'll save that for the last installment of "Sweet mailbox—the intervention edition"

Sweet mailbox, part 2

I think the mailman cheer-up plan has worked, I'm finally on the mend.

Back in October, I signed up for an autumn swap organized by the lovely Sofia. My package took a little while to get to me, but it was well worth the wait.


Can you guess the nationality of my swap partner? (the box is a hint)




This should give you more clues:



Lise is from Switzerland (home of my beloved tennis boyfriend, who is hopefully on his way to winning #17 at the Australian Open). I highly recommend swap partners from Switzerland, as they send the BEST chocolate EVER. My Ricola box was filled to the brim with goodies that were obviously chosen with care:
something for my sweet tooth: incredible chocolate (sadly, all gone now)
something for my brain: books by authors I love, and luckily these are titles I had not yet read
something for my fingers: lovely bits of lace, sweet wood buttons, yarn in pretty, neutral colours
something to warm me up: amazing Earl Grey tea from Mariage Frères, which I have always wanted to try.

What a treat, thank you Lise!

Sweet mailbox, part 1

I've been really under the weather these past few days (nothing serious, but sadly, too sick to knit). The mailman has done his best to pick me up with a few cheery parcels.


First, a pretty thing I ordered from the lovely and talented Nikole. Everything she does is impeccable. I may have a bit of a girl-crush on her.




I love every single thing in her online shop, Herriott Grace.




This grey linen tea towel features feathers drawn by The Wild Unknown.






Another thing that has cheered me up are the lovely comments that you've been leaving about my latest knitting projects. I wish Blogger allowed me to reply to you individually. Thank you for being so sweet.

Ok, back to bed. I'll show you the rest when I'm up to taking more pictures...

Hypernuit

Here's a soft and gentle song to start off your weekend:

What I knit in November...

These have been done for a while, but I'm only getting around to photographing them now:

















You can read all about them on my Ravelry projects page.

Frozen Herrin

My new hat is ready, just in time for a new delivery of snow (thanks Margie). The thick fabric of stranded colour work will be perfect for those long cold night cross-country skis I'm so fond of.



Pattern: Caller Herrin, by the stellar Kate Davies. I've re-baptized it "Frozen Herrin", because according to Kate, "caller" means fresh, but my hat is meant for the deep freeze of a Canadian winter.
Yarn: Alice Starmore Hebridean 2-ply, Selkie, Pebble Beach, Solan Goose, Shearwater, Kittiwake, Summer Tide, less than 1 skein of each. I also used a tiny amount of stashed angora for the inside band.
Needles: 3mm
Mods: I knit it exactly as written. Why mess with perfection?

Kate is a brilliant designer, writer, and warrior. Every stitch of this pretty thing was a joy to knit.




A soft, warm attached angora lining really gives it a professional-looking finish.





I-cord edging. Sure, it's fiddly to do, but it's such a pretty, hard-wearing and tidy way to brim a hat.


See how elegantly the design merges together in the crown decreases.

After work, I'm going for a quick ski to test my new hat out, and then I'm headed to see one of my favourite bands, Karkwa. I haven't seen a good old fashioned rock concert in so long, I can't wait! Hope the cool hipsters ignore my hat-hair.

Happy, sweet 2011

I wish you warmth, love and joy.

I wish myself a few things too: a LOT more snow, more art of all kinds, more time with my loved ones, and more knitting to share with you.





Caller Herrin, in progress.